The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-07-16

ing of green. From the end of the
wagon, grotesque in the fiabbiness Of
death, the ammunition boots peeped
out from beneath the boughs.
The General wheeled on the boy,
still red with his anger:
''Well-what does all this mean ~
The boys clear grey eyes looked
untiinchingly into the black brows of
the commanding general:
I've brought you your man, SAID
he. II killed him. | thought you
ought TO know how it came about"
And then with all simplicity and
modesty he told the tale, the bare
facts unvarnished, as they had oc-
Cured.
The anger faded from the face of
the general. Instead there came
look of wonder in his eyes. He ran
his gaze over the long, lank frame
before him. DO you know how
many troops there are between here
and your home? You dared TO bring
this dead man through the lines?'
The boy nodded his head; the Gen.
eral stretched out his hand:
by God" said he, 'if the South
produces many such noble fellows as
you, no wonder she held out so long!
I'm surprised now that she ever
stopped fighting at ALL"
The boy stood bashfully before the
General. You go home" said he,
land stay there till l send for you.
I'll find those other two and get their
story. / don't think I'll ever send
And that was the last time that the
boy ever saw General kirkpatrick.
Truth as Against Time.
And now for the confession. That
was the story as it was given to me.
+ hoa I'd 10
on the grand jury. l sought him out
to get the story. l got it. Mr.. Bum.
tall, thoughtful, grey-eyed man or
sixty is something more than brave
He is truthful Without intending it
i'm the least, he tore to shreds in the
narration of the circumstances the
careful story prepared for me by gen
erations of honest tale-tellers. Large
ly, he stripped it. not entirely of ro-
nance, but of it's dramatic movement.
1t was true that in August, 1865,
three Yankee deserters came TO ms
fathers house and demanded brandy.
He told them he did not have it. They
insisted he had and threatened to
shoot him if he did not get the liquor
for them. The father started from
the gate and one of the Yankees, the
only one that had a gun, got in front
of him and half raised his weapon.
At that moment William Bunn-not
Cade shouted from the window:
Clear the track. Watch out The
Yankee turned and attempted TO raise
his gun, but William fired first The
Yankee fell wounded and died within
an hour.
DR.. Satchen came along and they
told him they had a pill on their
hands"
Said Dr. Satchell: 'If all the Yam
KEGS were as dead as he'll be in
little while, the South would be indie
pendent"
The Yankee died and the party
captured the negro who had driven
them TO the house. The other two
soldiers escaped. Three magistrates
were sent for and trial was had in
the yard. Then the body was placed
In the wagon and Cade and William
Bum, Gus Chamblee. CASTOR Dodd
and Troy Bum. a constable. rode
into Raleigh with the body, driven on
the wagon by the negro.
They asked for the commanding
general but he was out of the city.
They saw however. his adjutant 1t
was he who dispersed the crowd that
had gathered. AT first the adt1tant
was for imprisoning the party and mad
even assigned them quarters. The
whole matter was gone over again in
the court house and finally, on the
personal assurance ana responsibility
of the constable, the party was re
leased
That was Mr.. Bunn's story. and l
concluded to publish it with the men
tai reservation that | would tell the
other one first. Time is a great play
wright. 1t wears off the hard spots.
smooths out the unnecessary facts,
leaves the whole In artistic shape.
Observe the discrepancies: 1t was
William instead of Troy Bum who
fired the shot; there was no one sick
with fever in the house; the men We're
deserters not particularly of moment
to the Union army as far as sentiment
went; the body was not brought
through the lines alone by Cade Bum:
and finally. General Kirkpatrick did
not rage and then relent into a mist
of noble sentiment.
But that is the wicked truth-and