Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-08-24

despond in all ranks, there should ap-
pear at the camps of the Iron Brigade,
shaking hands with brother officers
and soldiers, that very able talker and
genial fellow-citizen, Maj. McKinnon,
| and Mac had lots to tell. Growers
| and most men were GROWERS that wo-
| full Christmastide along the Stafford
Heights-who asked him why he
| wasn't with his regiment, were told
| that he was still on court-martial du-
ty, but court had adjourned over
| Christmas. Growers at first only
| growled when McKinnon tentatively
| began to talk about Benton and La
due, but later they listened-most men
willard when he returned three
| days later to his court at the capital
and made report to certain confiden-
| tial officers at the department, it must
be admitted that, though he took back
with him far less of compromising
character concerning Benton than he
expected and hoped, he left a lot be-
hind him.
And all this time there lay at the
old capitol prison, awaiting needed
evidence 10 prove him a spy, a very
luckless young soldier, Paul Ladue.
All this time there fumed and ehafed
confined in arrest to the limits of Greble
Barracks and the adjoining square in
which were the officers quarters, Capt
Fred Benton, A. d. c., well-nigh for
hidden to be seen by anybody save
secret service specimens detailed fol
the purpose. M this time there was
a man that could have thrown light OF
! the situation, but most unaccountably
had he disappeared. Jennings was
again at large. and the department de.
clared it knew not whittier he hat
gone. He had been released, was thu
Observation-Disclosures it would
appear that he had only lone wha
humanity Archaeological and nurset
a half drowned, half fever-burned, hal
dying man.
But meantime there had been a seem
or two at Washington, never men
toned in the chronicles Of the da.
and in the midst Of alarms and dis
fractions srch as Washington hat
never known before. Such matter
as the public cowhiding of an arm!
officer almost in front of the whit
house would be ''scare-headed' from
, Maine to Manila to-day, but the paper
had no space for it then. Squire Ben
i ton had touched up McKinnon's new
uniform to the tune Of 80 lashes befor
| the police could step in and spoil tn
sport, and only in a local journal an
y one or two in the far west was tn
. affair referred to.
Paul Ladue, convalescent, had bee
' twice subjected to rigid %questionin
, with the hope of establishing the guilt
connivance in his escape OF a certait
! Baltimore household, as well as a eel
tain union officer, and with the resul
Of establish ing nothing beyond the fac
that even In his weakness he had NOR
strength and sand" than the prosecu
ton. Then he was rendered releas
on parole, for long investigation ha
! failed to unearth q thing to warrsr
: detention as a spy.
One thing, 1t was said, that ha
= made Stanton so forceful a prosecute
! in the past was the ease with whic
! he could always persuade himself z
a prisoners guilt, the jury followin
as the night the day. Something ha
4 to be done, he had said, to stop thi
q wholesale transmission Of state an
military secrets to the enemy, and
& victim was demanded. He had mllre
i this confederate officer, caught (
civiiiai dress, IN Old Capitol priso'
and II 10 wasn't a spy, then he "Inns