The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-11-11
THE MYSTERIOUS SCOUT.

one at the sight of this cowardly, cold
Hooded, inhuman murder, while the
young man stood looking down upon
his victim, his beautiful face still
wreathed with that hooking, wicked
smile, and his parted lips fecked with
a light froth, like foam. 1t was only
for an instant. L sprang forward and
seized his delicate throat with grasp
that forced skin. nerve and muscle
against the very bone with one hano'
and with the other clutched the pistol.
saying: GIVE it up, you murderer!
He gave up the weapon at once, stand
ing passively and offering not the
slightest resistance. Upon seeing this,
L released his throat. He gulped,
as 1 had choked him pretty hard, and
then said mildly and pleasantly, and
with a beaming smile: Major, 1t is
rather rough to choke a man so for
mere accident like that"
Accident" 1 cried, astounded.
Certainly he said, with his wicked
smile. Every one saw that I was IN
perfect good humor, and was only jok-
ink the Yank 1 hope no one doubts
that the pistol was discharged by ac>
cident.''
I was simply dumbfounded by the
calm assurance with which he spoke.
But 1 called the sergeant of the guard.
and upon his coming up I said:
Take this man into custody and re-
port the fact. / charge him with the
wilful murder of prisoner, and will
appear to testify to the same when
ever desired to do So
And your testimony will show, 1
think, that the occurrence was alto
gether accidental" said the young man
very quietly.
The sergeant carried him OFT. the
Yankees with whom 1 had been con-
versing were greatly grieved at the
sad fate of their fellow prisoner, but
they really supposed that his death
was accidental. They thought it I'M
charitable to suppose that such
nice young fellow could have commit
ted an act so abominable as this was.
if it was Intentionally done. AS 1 pass
ed through the guard room, on leaving
the prison, I said:
Sergeant, who is the young man
that shot the prisoner
They call him Tucker, the Scout
answered the sergeant.
: Before I had been long at my board
Ing mousse d IcCctNcu iOINSSI AAOAAA
General Red" Jackson to come round
to his headquarters. After the usual
preliminaries the General said:
Il understand you were present when
Tucker shot a prisoner this evening
/ I am informed, also, that You are a
lawyer
1 said that his information was cor
rect. At his request, L narrated the
red.
ct was murder" said the General
decisiyeIy. 'I know it. But the fact
puts me in an awkward position.
fuckers services as a scout have been
almost invaluable to me, but he is not
a soldier. He has steadily refused to
enlist, and being a refugee from Mis-
souri, it is contrary to Confederate Law
to conscript him. They say he has kill
ed twenty-three Yankees with his own
hand, three of whom were prisoners
whom he murdered in cold blood He
/ is not a soldier, and can not be court
martialed. The soldiers condemn his
conduct, but sympathize strongly with
the man, especially because they I'M
derstand that his family were terribly
wrcnged by the Yankees in Missouri,
| and also because they do not think he Is
entirely sane. And now General Nc
Pherson has sent in a demand by
flag of truce for Tucker. and I shall
delivered him to the Federals for pun
ishment.
In about forty hours squad came
in from the Yankee outpost at Big
Black with a requisition for Tucker.
and he was at once delivered up to
the Yankees and carried away by
them. I think this was on Friday
morning. and on the following Sunday
night, while 1 sat smoking my pipe
and signing for the return Of my Rich>
mond messenger, there was a knoch
at the outer door Of my room, which
opened -upon a small yard. I opened
the door and the 1.-THE form and hand,
some face of tucker, the Scout pre-
sented themselves in the doorway. 1
was. of course, a good deal surprised
at this unexpected apparition, but
mastering my establishment / invited
him to come in and be seated.
II am in trouble he said, and want
to talk to you little
| well, what is the matter?'
81 have had a pretty narrow escape,
and this thing of being handed over
to the Yankees is more than can
stand. I want your advice
Tell me first how you got back to
this place again
Perhaps I had better not. You seem
to have some prejudices against muir
der-even the murder of a Yankee or OF
a Dutchman."