The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1905-09-27


DO you recognize this paper with
the list Of articles, which he agrees.
over his own signature, to deliver to
you, and in which you are described
as belonging to the Rebel armyY'
II should reckon / did. Didn't I
write it and put it in every blessed ar
ticle I thought we Rebs, as you call
us, could get and make use of ?'
I looked at Colonel Buchanan and
saw a pallor slowly creeping over his
face.
..Do you mean to say, SIR" he asked,
s'that this prisoner did not voluntarily
meet you people, and Of his own free
will agree to sell and deliver the arti-
Giles mentioned in that paper?'' The
witness threw his head back and
laughed boisterously. The old Colo
nel's face changed from white to an
apoplectic red, and he again raped
for order, and said sarcastically,
please restrain your merriment and
answer my question; remember this
is a court room, and not theatre"
"Beg pardon, Colonel, but If you'd
seen how the old sinner trembled
when / showed my six-shooter under
his nose and told him I'd blow out his
brains if he didn't sign it, you'd want
to laugh, too. The six-shooter hadn't
nary a charge, but he didn't know
that You see, the way we got hold of
him was this: Some of our boys live
in Baton Rouge, and they know the
old fellow has always been considered
a bigger Yankee than old Greeley him
self. When we saw him inside our
lines, near the Ferry, where we
learned he had been to visit some sick
relative, we made up our minds we'd
got a pretty good thing. We knew he
was a rich old cock, and that his store
carried one of the biggest stocks of
goods outside of Orleans. I decided
that / could scare him into signing
most anything, but it was tough work.
l thought at one time I'd really have
to load up and give him a flesh wound
to make him ante up. Then just as
he had signed the paper you Yanks
swooped down upon u.s."
do you mean to say, on your oath
-On your oath, SIR" said the Colonel
imperiously, ''that the prisoner did not
send word to you that he would meet
you at that Ferry and furnish you
certain information and contraband
articles for certain sums of money!
The young Confederate jumped up,
and balancing himself on his foot
cried out, with the most intense scorn:
"And you call this a Yankee court
of Justice! Couldn't any of you take
trouble enough to find out what kind
of man you were trying? Why, any
child in Baton Rouge could have told
you who old Jew Isaacs was, and
twice he's had rope round his neck
and been nearly choked into Kingdom
Come by our boys because he wouldn't
tell where youuns We're camped-and
all the old fellow would say was,
Hang away Couldn't you find out,
through some of your smart witnesses,
that my own capture was due to the
plucky old devil, who was brave
enough and loyal enough to you Yanks
to send word to your Captain by his lit
tie son when and where he had agreed
to meet us, in spite of my oath to him
that | would shoot him down like a
dog II he breathed word to any one?"
And the indignant Southerner sank
down in his chair, wiping the perspira-
ton from his face.
That the dramatic part Of this start
ling denouement was partly arranged
by the lawyer has always been my
conviction. He knew from the first
that he had a sure case and he had
been greatly nettled by the sharp
words and rulings of President Buchan-
an. At any rate, the effect was all
that he could have wished. Never be-
fore, in his long military career, had
the old ColOnePs pride received such
blow. His boast had been that he had
presided over more than fifty court
martials and had seldom had his find
ings disapproved, as he claimed to
know all there was to know about
military law.
Inc room was cleared and the Colo
mel, after few words of explanation,
added, "Of course, the case will be dis
missed at once and the prisoner re-
leased. | desire to confess to you gen.
tlemen that for my part fear l have
allowed my prejudices to influence my
Judgment and that l have been nearer
than ever before in all my military life
committing very grave and serious
error. We are none of us too old to
learn"
Alter adJ0urnIng the court, the no
BILE old man went into the adjoining
room, shook hands most heartily and
courteously with the lawyer, the Con-
federate Captain and the old Jew, and
said that none of them could be more
pleased than he that any suspicious he
may have had were found to be false.
AsI was arranging my papers, some
one touched me on the shoulder, and
looking around / encountered Isaacs'
sWarthy countenance. He said, in his
broken English: 'I see you are al
Answering in the affirmative.
and learning that he was one. asked
why he had not made himself known
before. "Oh, no." he said, mot while
was under charges, but now I am
very glad to know you as one. / want
you to bring some of your army
friends and dine with me next Sum
day., handing me his card. | accented
his invitation and had an experience
Tor the first time of dining in the fam
lily OF wealthy Jew.
He had invited a number of his
friends, and the board was presided
over by his only daughter, the most
l0VnlU 1nvracc II 1no< CIT.