Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-06-12
The Wind and the WhirlWind @@
By R. B. HILL
tcopyrtgAt, 1908, by Daily Story Pub. co.>

l to be the means of saving the life ot
 Dr. Pierre Mallieur, an old and prom
 inent physician of New Orleans, who
 had been called to Galveston the day
 before in consultation. I was resi-.
 dent of the Crescent City myself, and
 the striking face and figure of the
 old gentleman were familiar to me.
 ''Well, young man," he said to me
 the. next day, what can do to show
 my appreciation for your heroism last night?"
 Nothing whatever, doctor" re- piled, unless, as. far as the ethics of your profession will allow, you will l relate to me the strangest incident connected with your practice" After a silence of several moments l he said, "As it happens l can do that very thing, as all those immediately connected herewith are dead.
 ''When the war began had, though only a graduate of four years standing, largely lifted the burden of practice from my fathers shoulders; but the war fever entered my blood, and I went forth as sur- geon in 8 New Orleans regiment, the colonel of which was Henry Lespard.
 "It is not worth while for me to go into details regarding that cruel struggle. Suffice it to say that no regiment on either side made a more brilliant record than did the one un- der Lespard's command. Before the close of '63 he had been made a gen eral officer, his old regiment forming part of his division.
 "One dark night, with the enemy close, in front and battle imminent, young man dressed in citizens clothes was captured within our lines; but in one of his pockets were found cards bearing the name Capt. Francisco Lanera, -th U. s. Caval- ry.' When charged with being spy he vehemently denied it, but refused to say what brought him there, and requested to be carried before the general. Gen. Lespard refused to see him and ordered him to be shot the following morning unless he gave satisfactory account of his presence within our lines. That night the young man wrote Lespard a note, but the general had gone with his wife and daughter several miles to the rear and the messenger failed to find him until too late, and the SUD- posed spy met death as a brave man should as the beams of the rising sun kissed the tree tops. His last re- quest was that his body be sent to his mother who was near by with the Union forces. and this the general granted.
 "Gen. Lespard occupied a room in a farm house near the end of our lines, my own being just across the passage. Soon after daybreak on the morning following that on which Capt. Lanera was shot, old Timothy, Gen. Lespard's body servant, rushed in upon me, his eyes bulging in their sockets, and stammered forth that his master was dead. In moment \ was beside the bed and found that the negro had spoken but too truly. As I bent over the dead man in the uncertain light I observed small piece of paper upon his breast. Re- moving it and finding it to be note I carried it to the window and read:
 The young officer who was shot yesterday, at this mans order, was T4s He was murdered by his father!& He was avenged by his mother!'
 ''I placed the note in my pocket and returning to the bedside discov- cred and removed the dagger with which Gen. Lespard's heart had been pierced.
 Timothy said to the negro, who had been watching my move ments, some Yankee has managed to get inside our lines in some way and killed your master, suppose be- cause he had that young man shot. But it would be best that no one should know how he died; and so you and will keep the secret between of the way in which he was killed. I will announce that he had <heart disease, and we will bury the secret too deep to dig up.
 II have looked upon many a dead face, but never one on which was stamped such an expression of startled horror as fixed that of Gen. Iespard. He must have walked just as the blade was driven home and looking up recognized who struck.
 "Not long after I secured l months furlough and returned 1 home. While there I showed my father the fatal note and explained to him the true circumstances sur- rounding the generals death. Then he told me the sequel to my story. About three years before Lespard's wedding his father wealthy sugar planter and read estate owner of New Orleans, had died, leaving the bulk | of his estate to his son. Not long sfterward the young man purchased | beautiful octoroon slave girl and installed her in & pretty cottage in | the suburbs. For nearly two years he was very devoted, the girl during that time presenting him with 8 son: At length, however, he began to weary of her, and when he met l Lucille Mallon and fell in love with | her, he cast about for the best means of getting rid of Celeste. Quietly he made arrangements to send her and | the child to Cuba. He purchased 8 | 3-