Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1905-12-02
War Experlences bal missouri.

tween the States my nome was IL
Lexington, Missouri. That small
town just on the border was dis
puted point by the contending forces.
occupied first by one army and then
by the other. In the fall of 1861 the
Federals took possession, intrench1ng
themselves behind strong fortified
tons.
AFTER one of the skirmishes which
took place before the surrender was
finally effected 1 was standing at our
front gate when a soldier was carried
by in the arms of two comrades.
saw that the man was in desperate
condition and, without stopping to
notice whether he was Confederate or
Federal, l asked where they were
taking him, for I knew there was no
hospital in the place. We do not
know was the reply. Then bring
him in here 1 said.
t.He was considered so far gone that
it was thought unnecessary to take
him upstairs to one of the bedrooms;
he was placed on mattress in the
hall, only with the idea of making
him comfortable if possible while life
lasted. AS it happened, he was a
Confederate soldier. One or two OF
his conn AIDES with the army surgeon
were detailed to watch beside him.
From that night, began my war
experience, a girl of twenty. With
me were two friends, my parents be-
ing in ST. Louis, with an i'll daughter.
"It was at the hour of twelve of
*that night watch when we were
startled by vigorous ring at the
front door bell. sprang out Of bed.
and. looking out of the window, dis
CI1rrOnnd-
ed by soldiers They have been rob-
bling the orchard I thought resent
fully. But, no. In a moment one of
the watchers beside the wounded man
knocked at the room door and an
nounced that the Federals were in
the house and demanded a search of
every room.
"'Wen,' said, they will certainly
wait until we are dressed
NO he replied, they demand in
slant admission
There was nothing to do but sub
init. so we jumped into bed and COW
cred up our heads, and in marched
half dozen men. Any number OF
Confederates, however. might have
been hidden away in that room in all
safety, for those soldiers marched
straight through. looking neither to
the right nor to the left, as surreptl-
tious peep from under the cover as
sured me. When they reached the
next apartment they must have been
overwhelmed by the apparition con-
fronting them, for. there my friends
mother, who weighed somewhat over
/ 200 pounds, had gotten out of bed de-
termined to. dress, and was in the first
stages of the toilet, fastening about
her expansive form the most feminine
article of apparel when the soldiers
entered. l doubt if they were ever
more frightened when facing the can
mons mouth.
after searching the house in vain
for concealed Confederates, the Fed
erals left but returned the next morn
ing and arrested every man on the
place except the sick soldier. Even
/. the surgeon was taken. My friend
and her mother and 1 were left with
the dying man. 1t was only for few
hours however. To our delight our
friends speedily returned, guard was
placed over the house and we were
prisoners of war.
STRANGE TO say, our dying soldier
did not die, but lived to give US all
a good laugh at his expense. 1t was
in the days of his conyalescence.
of a Mr.. Lewis was mentioned IS he
a minister asked the invalid; why,
1 know him very WELL He performed
the ceremony when I was married
No. he added pausing obviously, it
was not that; he preached my wife's
funeral sermon Then pausing again
he finally said in all seriousness:
Well, really, cannot remember
which it was, but it was one or the
other, certain!'
! "a consnfcuous event in nv mem
DRY of those days was conference
held in our sitting room between the
Federal and Confederate officers in
! the effort to arrange, If possible,
peaceful surrender of the fort at Lex
/ ington. Never will forget the meet
inc re-rvee- tva ~eice-S one yea ing
the blue, the other the gray. who.
| facing each other as foes, found them
selves to be old friends They had
\ been bows together. the most devoted
OF comrades. Time haO separated
, them Nov, meeting again, all was
forgotten save their old friendship