Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-09-27
DAILY STORY.
A VETERANS REGRET.

IOriginaLl
Grandpa, why do you dislike to tel
us Of your experiences in the civil war
Is it the sights you saw of the dead and
wounded on the battlefield, the homes
desolated or the exposure you suf-
| fered?'
1T was all of these, my children, but
there was one incident that impressed
itself upon me more than any of them,
After battle is well on a soldier comes
under the influence of brute passion
! and is not in a mood to be affected by
| the barbarous scenes about him. But
let him soc some minute happening
when he is calm and he revolts at war.
| The incident / refer to was this:
Il was scouting in the Shenandoah
| valley. We had been sent out to recon
hotter with Il view to finding out the To-
| cation of Stonewall Jackson, who was
| here today, there tomorrow and nobody
knew where the next day. l was then
a private, and for what 1 did on that
| occasion L was made an officer, but for
| more than forty years / have regretted
the act. We had dismounted on a high
wound around the mountain. Beneath
us was house that Struggled under
some high trees and rock back of it,
with a few flowers in the front yard.
1t reminded me of the home 1 had left
where my mother and near by the little
girl whom you have loved so long as Il
gray haired old woman lived. 1t made
me homeSick to look at 1t. When we
We're ordered to remount / noticed that
the knot of the girth holding my Nc
Clellan saddle was insecure and stop
ped to fasten it. While l was doing SO
my comrades rode on. Just as | was
about to mount / heard clatter of
hoOfs ON the road below and saw n
young Confederate soldier ride up to
the house, throw himself from his sad
die and dash inside.
There was one thing about him that
especially attracted my attention,
paper in his belt. Couriers bearing dis
patches usually carried them in their
belts, and / knew that this young fell
low was a courier. If we could get
that dispatch it might tell us some
thing about the enemy's whereabouts.
My comrades were by this time out of
sight, and l did not dare ride after
them for fear of losing the messenger
l remained where L was, resolved to
get his dispatch and if of value carry
it to the general myself.
THE young man was in the house
only g few minutes when he emerged
with an old woman and young girl.
The old woman kissed him again and
again as only mother would kiss her
son. then went inside, leaving him
with the girl. Between these two was
a different parting. 1 recognized 1t, for
1 had been through such partings my
self. They were lovers. 1t was plain
that the soldier had passed his home
in the line of his duty and stopped to
see his mother and sweetheart. Twice
lie left the girl and twice went back
for another kiss. The third time he
shot away, with n wave of his hand.
and disappeared around the base of
the mountain.
Now, | knew the road zigZagged,
rising till it passed within half a mile
of where 1 was. If he kept it all l had
to do to head him off was to ride over
n comparatively level ground this half
mile. Mounting, l did so and conceal
ed myself in Il clump of trees, leaving
my horse back in the woods lest he be
tray me with some sound.
while waiting 1 fell to thinking of
the scene l had witnessed. and the
thought of being the instrument for
taking the youngster from his mother
and his sweetheart forever became re-
pulsive to me. would try to capture,
LII T.;
him to surrender he would likely turn
and run. The fate of a whole army
might depend on my securing that pa
per. While / was thinking I heard
horses hoofs and felt sure my man
was coming. l had changed my reso |
luton several times with regard to Civ
ing him chance for his life and when |
he came in sight had decided to call |
upon him to throw up his hands. Then |
when l saw the paper in his belt and |
what might depend upon !
1t | changed my mind again.
His horse was jaded. and the road |
led up an angle of some thirty degrees: |
therefore he walked. As he came to |
within the proper distance for me to |
kill the rider 1 felt that I was about |
10 become q murderer. L saw his |
DID mother hanging about his neck; L |
saw his sweetheart In his arms. | |
could almost hear their sobs when he |
would be brought home a corpse.
Again the thought of the Importance |
Of that dispatch, which | could now
see plainly in his belt. could almost J
read the address, flashed before me, |
and taking deliberate aim at his fore
head. / fired.
He reeled and fell backward into the
road, his horse dashlng away up the |
mountain. 1 seized the dispatch, feel
ing like one who having committed
murder now commits robbery. 1t was
from Stonewall himself to one of his !
commanders and dated
from a point not ten miles from our
army. Leaving the body in the road,