Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-02-02


to talk to you little"
well. what is the matter!"
Il have had a pretty narrow escape,
and this thing of being handed over to
the Yankees is more than | can stand
want your advice"
Tell me first how you got back to
this place again"
Gen. Mcpherson ordered me to be
executed. They put me under close
guard in a tent. One Yankee stood out
side with gun. and big, fat Dutch
man stayed in the tent with me. When
he got sleepy he made me lie down be-
side him and put one bracelet OF pair
Of handouts on his own left wrist and on
nv right one He then took big butch
en- knife and stuck the point of it in the
ground beside him. the handle sticking
up. He assured me that the knife was
for my special benefit, and that if /
moved hand or foot during the night he
would rip me all to pieces with the knife.
He went to sleep at last, and as soon
as he snored regularly ] laid my thumb
down straight in the palm of my hand,
drew my fingers close together that
way" said Tucker, stretching out his
long, slender hand "and slipped my
hand through the iron ring without the
slightest difficulty.
II then put one hand over the Dutch
mans mouth at the same instant that |
seized his butcher knife and with one
strong. quick blow plunged the full
length of the blade into his stupid car
cass, right above the collarbone. | then
cut slit in the side of the tent with
the Dutchman's knife and slipped
through, crept along until got to the
edge OF the brush and then lit out for
Canton and tonight am here"
He gave this grim recital in a strange,
quiet, matter-of- fact way that rendered
it atrociously realistic
And what do you propose to do
here ?"
THAT is just the question Do you
think jackson will surrender me to the
Yankees again."
Yes. Oh hang you himself
And you, | suppose, would approve ?"
you are regarded by some persons as
a monomaniac, and, therefore, iwespon-
sible for your crimes"
irresponsible for my crimes? ?" he
echoed, musingly. Il am sure / don't
know. | can shut my eyes and see
again the burning of my quiet home in
Missouri, fired by the Yankees / can
see a frenzied old mother bending over
the murdered body of gray haired ia
Their. | can see man seize a bayonet
and with one ficndish stroke plunge it
through the breasts of well loved
daughter. | can see fond brother
clutch the brute by the throat, only to
be stretched senseless by blow from
Il musket
"Oh, sir, if that had been your home
you would have dropped upon your knees
in the SNOW, under the midnight skies. as
did. and you would have registered
burning vow never to forgive, never to
spare, always to follow, and always to
muTder-if you call it so-those devilish
miscreants while you lived"
| saw at once that it would be folly to
try to reason with such fervid, impas-
stoned, conscientious hatred.
But the question now is said the
scout, what am | going to do?"
Il think that you had better start for
Tennessee tonight to join Wheeler's cav
airy go into the service regularly, do
your whole duty to your country like
brave, capable man as you are, and try
to get over this insane hatred which
makes you a devil, not a man."
The scout pondered this scheme for
some time. Then, with a dreary,
broken hearted sigh. he answered: Per
haps you may be right. l have a horse
at a farm two miles out III the country.
] will 90 and sleep until after midnight
and then start for Tennessee"
You can lie on my bed there and
sleep. | will wake you up at 2 o'clock"
NO, | always go off by myself to
sleep. | cannot rest at all unless out of
sight and out of hearing of every one
else"
A short time afterward Tucker left to
join Wheeler's cavalry in Tennessee, and
| never saw him afterward
One day, while we were at Atlanta. |
got note from lady saying there was
Il girl at her house MORALLY hurt by
piece of shell, who wanted to see me be-
fore she died. | went to the house.
You do not recognize me?" said the
girl.
No
Turn back the sheet and look at my
| breasts she said. Il am diving and
there can be no impropriety in your do
ing So"
. WI" a. 9hC icquCStcu 1HeIe was
llNid, triangular scar i'll the white flesh,
beyond doubt a bayonet wound.
DO you know me now?" she said,
with hooking smile.
Yes" said |, you are the sister of
Fucker the Scout, of whom he told me
long ago"
"No-yon are wrong again. she said.
Il am Tucker, the Scout, myself. IL
-. Il -
| by telling her | was woman. too"
Then again she feebly laughed a mock.
ing, wicked, tantalizing laugh.
| called the next day. and found that
she was dead. The hard. brilliant. i'm
pcnetrable, impenitent soul had fed.
Often | ask myself the question: "NVas
this girl insane Maj, n. c. Kouns in
| The Argonaut.