Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-10-26
DAILY SHORT STORY
A SOLDIERS GHOST.

\ in preventing me. IL was not till the
/ close of the struggle that / enlisted.
| just in time 10 participate in the last
/ campaign of the;war. and probably the
/ most terrible-the battles OF the Wilder
/ ness / had neither smelled powder nor
| seen blood and was obliged to stand
my ground among men who We're all,
/ or nearly all. veterans. 1t was the
| trial of my life.
My initiation on the firing line was
| in withstanding a cavalry charge a
/ long line of horsemen. the color of the
| dust they stirred up. emerged from the
| edge OF wood and. making hasty
/ alignment, dashed forward to the mu-
sic of the rebel yell. AS soon as they
| got within range We opened fire on
| them They came on and attempted
To ride over Us. Right in front of my
| company young officer led his men.
! He was Il handsome fellow. with long
| wavy hair and eyes black Goals. 1
1 took deliberate aim at him and shot
him. He saw me do So and as he fell
gave me a look that | shall never for
get. II seemed to me that the feature
| most predominant i'll il was reprOach.
Had it been hate or revenge l think
l could have borne it with more equa-
nimty As il was. ii filled me with
remorse. l felt like murderer !
dreaded lest the face of the man had
killed would haunt me through life.
The charge was repulsed. and we
stood at rest where we had received
| it. / was obliged to remain for an
hour right where l could look at the
dead body OF the man | had killed.
| Then. when we were ordered forward.
| marched over it. The sightless eyes
| looked straight up at me. and, whether
| il was ina gination or not. L saw again
that horrible look of reproach-a look
| that seemed 10 say: AT my home there
are loved ones who will look for me in
| vain to return To them. You have pre-
vented"
| \ few days later we We're fighting in
the woodS-thc wilderness it has been
| justly called and when the ground
was covered with the dead and dying
Il horrible flame and smoke swept down
on us, burning the dead and wounded
together. My regiment had been much
! cut up. and L had become separated
from il. | was searching for some OF
my comrades. hurrying along. when,
| looking down. | was paralyzed with
horror. There beneath me was the of
ficer l had killed staring at me with
/ that same look of reproach.
Are YOU going to let me he burned
u death here:" he said.
| / struggled with two impulses. One
was To get away from a reincarnated
ghost that had come back to life to re-
prOach me for his death, the other to
| make him some atonement for having
| killed him. The latter prevailed. AMI,
stopping. / raised him and throwing
him on my shoulder. carried him be-
| yond the reach Of the flames While
doing SO | had no view of his face and
| it was fortunate that had not, for his
| reprOachful look would have rendered
| me pOwerless. / lowered him upon the
! grass near a rivulet and. understand
! ing the craving ofrhe wounded for wa
| ter. was starting To get him some when,
| CHANGING at him, / saw that he was
dead.
Had he been alive?
! Under other circumstances / might
have fingered near him from curiosity,
| but. as il was. l had but one desire
| to get away as soon as possible. And
| yet he. or rather lit" fascinated me.
! | hurried away TO Il short distance and,
| turning. looked back. There was the
! same reprOachful look that | had seen
before. | did not for moment at
| tribute it To imagination. though /
| knew the power of that faculty |
| turned and fed from the corpse ghost.
! or whatever ii was, and found the roar
OF battle relief.
/ was present at the final surrender
when General Lee and the remnant of
| his army laid down their arms and
peace came again after four years OF
| fratricidal war. We We're all glad at
the prospect of getting home. but for
me there was another reason of far
/ greater moment. The man ! had killed
could not again haunt me. at least on
the battlefield. He might visit me nj
| home in the dead OF night. but | hoped
| that having been n soldier now that
peace was attained. be would rest
peacefully in his grave
Our army was drawn up to receive
| the surrender. Perfect silence was
maintained throughout the ranks. The
men stood waiting / was in the front
rank. where / would be able To see
plainly the Confederates who were
about TO march past. Presently |
heard their tramp. and in a few min
/ uteS the head Of their column came
| along. There We're infantry artillery
and cavalry. | was not fifty feet from
tine line of march. My eyes rested on
/ the face of man marching at the head
of few men who We're supposed To
compose a company.
/ He was the man had killed
| My captain. seeing that something
was the matter with me. ordered me
10 fall out, and | staggered To camp
= My brain was in a whirl. Would this
/ only man that l knew | had killed |
| never cease TO haunt me?
| The next day ! was passing a camn