Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-08-07
at am not regarded as a federal so,d,..

his habitIaliy quiet way, Walker Went
| on to explain his former position in Al.
lanta. and how he had been conscrlDted
and then detailed to work in the roi,.
road shops. After his escape to tha
Union lines he had been set down rs 4,
deserter, and as he had retained hs
own name and had become a conspicu.
GUS figure in the war, II reward was !
| offered for his capture.
Ten days before u meeting in the
prison pen, Walker had been captured
in a cavalry fight at CampbeN's Station
in East Tennessee. AS soon as la
reached the depot in Atlanta he was rec,
ognlzed. He was tried the Monday be,
fore our meeting, which was on Thurs,
dav evening, and he was condemned to
be shot for desertion on Friday mora,
inc. now about twelve hours off.
.Now the ball and chain is ex,
Dlained," said the condemned man in
conclusion, and he quietly proceeded to
light his pipe. The pen was fenced in
by logs set on end il the ground. On
the outside and four feet lower than
the top of the stockade there was a
| PLATFORM On NllCu SudluS "dlheu every
ten PAGES. Inside the stockade and
fifteen feet away there was a little
ditch known as 1.-The dead line which
prisoners could not cross d pain Of
death. This line was Indicated at night
by rows of dim lamps. These lamps
were being lit while | talked with
Walker. The chances for escape were
-; H. ,;I ,,I ,ritI that hDl nnA
chain attached, any attempt meant
death from the guards, yet | could not
help saying: .
IF you must die, Walker, so right up
to the dead line, and fall under the
rifles Of the Home Guards; better that
than to be led out and shot down like
a dog"
Il can slip the ball and chain off"
said Walker, and he demonstrated that
this could be lone by removing his boot
and stocking then he Strengthened out
his long foot, and, with a slight effort,
freed himself from the ring.
with the help Of yourself and other
friends he went on to say, Il believe
| can get over the stockade, n make
LILY CSNupC, lIcuSA 10 a. >'Sle
brigade in camp about the place.
Near where we sat there was a
s%tretcher, the body and handles of
which were about ten feet long. \ belt
fastened across the ends would make
a step or resting place fully eight feet
from the ground, if the stretcher were
set on end. Walker, as has been said,
was Il very tall man, and, without inter
ference, he could reach the top of the
stockade and drop to the other side.
But there were the lights Oh the dead
line and the watchful and ubiquitous
guards. , Walker went on to say that
the guards were old men and boys,
Home Guards and easily demoralized.
"If," he continued, you could get
a dozen or so Of our friends to load
up with these bricks and at a gwen
signal, heavea them at the guards Off
there to the east the men from the
south side would think the prisoners
were trying to break through there, ana
they would run from. their posts and
leave me a clear track for o enough
to get over. At the worst, l a only
be shot making a break for liberty.
Will you help?" I gave Walker my
hand in proof Of my willingness, but it
was he, and not l, who spoke of the
danger to the other prisoners from the
wild firing Of the guards. Great
though the danger was, every man with
whom I spoke about the venture was
willing to risk being shot in order to
help Walker.
After 9 o'clock the guards called out
the half hours and the number of their
posts. When the man at Post No. 10
announced - o'clock the men with the
bricks were to attack with vigor, and
Walker was to rush with the stretcher
for the southern wall. AS the hour ap-
preached the men with the bricks
crawled as close to the dead line as was
safe. The night was very dark, with Il
cold, driving rain from the northeast.
About five minutes before the signal
which was to come from h enemy,
I Walker crept to my side, clasped me in
his arms and whispered:
"God bless you, old fellow. Another
hour and I'll be a free man or a dead
one.' ....
III the inUiStiiCL 1lSuL lloLu Liz utuu
line l saw the tall form bending over
the stretcher. The minutes were cruelty
long to Walkers friends; what must
they have been to him? At length the
cry began: Twelve o'clock. Post No.
1 {; and all's we'll"
The men with the bricks sat there
and their breathing came hard.
"Twelve o'clock. Post No. 10; and
all's we'll"
The last word had not died on the
lips of the guard and the fusillade
began. I threw n brick in a wild way,
then turned to watch Walker.
With a rapidity that can not be de-
scribed he dashed over the dead line
to the south, from which. as he fore
saw, the guards had fed. In an instant
the stretcher was against the stockade,
and Walker had seized the top. I saw
his face for a moment, as with a mighty
bound he swung himself over. There
was firing into the prison pen, and fir
ing IN the, camp outside, through which
the fugitive fed. Then far off we heard
a yell of triumph. 1t was Walkers
signal to us that he had cleared the
camp. Although fully forty shots were
fired into the prison pen, a slight wound
to Captain Singer of the Thirty-third
Ohio was the only lima pe done