Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1906-01-24

non he was praying that he might yet
meet Capt. Benton. There was a
union man he'd shoot on sight. And
Winston said Amen!" Now. Fred
said Haskell, as he called for his horse.
i've got to ride the lines and get the
reports; but, we've got McKinnon up
with the army at last, and soon as
were through with this business we'll
nail him." But evidently it was bust
ness first in Haskell's eyes.
| So Fred Benton had two burning de-
slres as he threaded. his way through
the swarm of arriving batteries and
rode slowly back to Wadsworth: one
| was to meet MeKinnon and brand him
| as the author of the SANDERS and the
other was in some way to wiring from
Chiffon an explanation of his violent
| threat. Little did he dream how soon
he should be spared the need-and
through what sad, strange circum-
| stance
Between the twilight of the second
| OF July that witnessed Ewell's bloody
assault and the dawning of that black
| Friday of the Lost Cause.-The third
day-something had happened to give
new heart to Jackson's old men. The
"Stonewall'' brigade was there still in
the woods in the low ground between
the rocky point, where crouched the
survivors of Wadsworth's division. and
the forest-covered heights off to the
| eastward, where cavalry guidons-
union cavalry-had been flashing in tn e
last rays of the setting sun. Some
where in the dim fields there was stir
and excitement even in the wearied
bivouacs Of Ewell; and, under the
starlight, eager to satisfy his generals
restless desire to know what it all
| meant, Fred Benton had crept out to
| the front
The word has gone the rounds, to
the JOY of every soldier heart, that
the new commander meant to stand
| and fight, and if Lee could muster no
more men than these already thrown
in, he might hammer the lines in vain.
Now, if only Stuart and his pet bril-
gades would but stay lost, so that no
fear need be felt for the far right
flank. all would indeed be well!
But would Stuart stay lost? Could
he have got SO far away as not TO
be found and by this time returned to
the army; and when he came, would
it not be from the north, and TINS
bring him in on the very flank thew
were now defending? Tired as he was
Benton could not sleep for thinking
of the disclosures made through Has
kell
Alone and afoot, after a word with
his gray-haired chief, he slipped out
and away to the Baltimore pike. This
he followed southeasterly nearly half
a mile, greeted occasionally by low
toned challenge of sentry; but other
officers were hurrying swiftly to and
fro, and there was little detention. AS
early as three o'clock he found himself
following patrol down a rocky path
way toward the creek, and, learning
from outlying sentry there that no
force seemed to be in his immediate
front-only few pickets-Benton ex-
planned that he wished to crawl QUIT far
enough to be beyond the sound of
trampling hoof and rumbling wheel at
the pike, that he might listen the bet
ter. And, creeping from bush to bush
to avoid the moonlit spaces, less than
half an hour before dawn he had sue
ceeded in gaining fully 400 yards out
toward the northeast, and there low
voices warned him to lie still and
listen. He was either on or within the
confederate picket line, and had much
| to learn and little time
And then, as he crouched close to
the trunk of spreading tree, faint
and sweet, soft yet stirring, so far out
| to the north that the performer doubt
less thought it beyond the range of
inimical ears, a cavalry trumpet began
| to sound the martial reveille, stirring
some nearby watcher to remonstrance
Damn that Internal dash-dashe ed
idiot" stormed a low. half-choked
voice. He'll tell the whole dash
| dashed Yankee army our fellows have
come! Go back there, sergeant. and
tell our trumpter if he dares to toot a
horn I'll murder him."
Then somebody rustled off through
the bushes, and somebody else spoke.
Some of Hampton's crowd, l reckon.
Il,
| out hyuh?"
Till Ewell attacks at dawn Then
We'll mount and look out for Gregg.
His people are out here to the east OF
us. Stuart'll get after them, you bet
as soon as it's light"
I'VE haven't got horse that can
more'n stagger. All worn out, 1 tell
you," protested the second voice.
No more'n theirs are. Jennings met
us back there on the Hanover pike
and heard him tell Fitz Lee Gregg's
horses were all played out"
Jennings be damned" broke in a
third voice, impetuous1y, and Benton
started at the sound. 1t was Chilton's
beyond shadow of a doubt Chiffon
again with his old regiment, and these
with him were doubtless officers oil
Fitz Lees brigade, scouting, probably
well in front of the cavalry lines, YET
inn @I>.&