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

solve. Inc Ola Idtncr pointed out the
dangers. Scarcely wagon was per-
mitted to go to Raleigh without being
searched. What would the strolline
soldiers do when they discovered the
character OF that loud?
To all of this argument the boy
was deaf. He saw his duty as he had
seen it on other fields when he had
gone into the lace of odds-on num-
bers of these same blue uniforms. He
went 10 the stable, got out the one
mule on the place, hitched MIN to a
wagon and placed the corpse. face up.
in the bottom. Covering the body
with the tops of small pines he mount
ed the seat and started on his fifteen
mile drive TO Raleigh.
AS he passed the bend in the road.
the old father stood watching him dis
appear from the gate and the sick
brother raised a feeble head to gaze
at him from the window.
The Freight for Kirkpatrick.
The charging of a masked battery
was simple work to this drive through
the lines by lonely boy on a wagon
pulled by mule, with the blue cloth
ing of the corpse behind showing
through the green boughs that covered
il.
Mite after mi.a the mule plodded on,
the boy sitting rigid and expectant III
his seat, the body in the wagon bump
ing stiffiy as the wheels sank into the
ruts, the .cw assers by pausing TO
look curiously at the unusual load OF
green boughs.
Presently the Yankee camps began
to appear. They sat upon the hills
like white hives full of blue bees. Up
and down the sentries marched their
silent patrols in the summer morning,
The boy on the wagon seat never turn
ed his head. He fiicked laZily at his
mule as though time We're nothing OF
the essence. Soldiers commenced to
come Ioistering along the road, COM
ing in from leave. Small squads and
once a company marched down upon
him. The boy Iulled his wagon aside
and let them pass looking at the SOL
diers with the bored indifference OF
long acquaintance.
a cavalryman trotted up from the
rear, little mellow, little boastfui
and yet inclined to friendliness. As
his horse came abreast the wagon, he
peercd down into the mass of green
boughs. Perhaps he caught glimpse
of blue and wondered hazily.
Hey Reb," he shouted. What
you got there ?"
"Reb' fiicked his mule a lazy welt.
Swap you a plub of terbaccer for
dozen gun caps" he replied.
The horseman road up to the seat
for the exchange and the danger was
over for the time. For his protection
the boy continued to talk with the
Yankee and they went along together,
the soldier serenely unconscious of his
role of body guard to a deceased COM
rade.
Presently the soldiers began to get
more and more numerous. more IN
quisitive and more insulting. The
calvaryman recognized friends along
the way and stopped. The boy, his
wagon sometimes almost damned in
the road with marching or struggling
troops, continued on towards Raleigh.
Tie Secret Out.
He had reached and passed Crabtree
Creek on the "old Tarboro" Road.
however, before his mission was dis
covered. Just on the Raleigh side of
the creek were posted near the spring,
which is still near the road under its
poplars, the picket line TO guard the
approaches to the city. The sentry
halted the wagon, came up, questioned
the boy and took hold of the green
boughs in the bottom. AS the real
load was disclosed to him, he COM
menced TO curse and to rave. The
boy sat on his wagon, white and silent.
He refused TO answer questions. Other
soldiers came up, swearing and
threatening. One thing only the boy
said:
81 want to see the commanding Of
ficer and you have got to carry me
there. / came to see him and I'm
going to see him.
Had the discovery been made in the
country, there is little chance that the
boy would ever have lived. AS II was
he was within the lines. appealing as
it were to Caesar, and the soldiers,
angered as they were, could not re-
fuse The queer procession came on
towards Raleigh. Every minute other
soldiers were added to the cortege.
When they had reached the site of
the present soldiers home the big
camps at that place and at rock
quarry turned out a horde of excited
soldiers who followed into Raleigh.
yelling, cursing, crying for blood. 1t
was TO such accompaniment that the
boy and the dead Yankee came in
front of Kirkpatrick's headquarters.
There was trouble in seeing the
general The wait grew. The noise
increased. The soldiers were becom-
ing a mob. The officers seemed to be
helpless. 1t looked as though the boy
would be torn to pieces even In 'front.'
of the capitol of the State, then the
official abode of the commanding gen.
eral.
Fitzpatrick Makes Entry.
Finally, however. the general ap-
peared. He was in a fury. His eyes
blazed. He shouted at the mob.
threatening to put them to death II
they did not disperse. The soldiers
melted away from his wrath. There
were left the wagon, the mule. the
solemn faced boy-and the corpse,
only half covered now with its shelter