The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-08-12

" rough experience In prison vaults.
I served as private in the Tenth New
Jersey.
An all the boys'Il say 1 done what's
light;
Thar amt man can say that Abram
3ursey
War ever found a-shirking in a
fight.
Right in the hell-born, frightful roar o.
battle.
WhSr shot an shell shrieked thro'
the darksome wood.
Sighin' requiems in their fierce an
deadly rattle.
You'd always find me dom the best
could
We had a brave OIL Teller for a Colo
We called him 'Sweety.' but his name
was sweet
Why Judge, 1 swar it. by the Great
Eternal!
That brave oil cuss'd rather fight
than eat
An you could allus bet your bottom
dollar
III beittic SWttty u never Hull IL tree,
He'd allus push into the front an hol-
Ter:
Brace up. my gallant boys. an fol-
low met
Wei. jest afore the Spottsylvania bat
tie,
or Sweety cum to me an says. says
he
l tell you. Abe, faint many things'll
rattle
a tough old weather-beaten cuss
like me;
But in my very soul I've got a feelin'
That I'm goin' to get a use to-day.
An faint no use fur me to be con-
cealin
The skittish thoughts that in my
bosom play.
Fur many years you've been my
neighbor. Bursey,
An | hev allhs found you squar an
Back in our little town in old New Jer-
sey
No one has got better name than
An now I want yer promise. squar'ly
given.
That if our cause to-day demands
my life.
Twin
You'll take me back an lay me by
my wife
Well, Judge. that day, amid the most
Internal
An desp'rate blood, fight 1 ever
seed
Way up in front / saw the daring
Colonel
Throw up his hands and tumble off
his steed.
N ha:s a minute I was bendin DER
him.
An SEEM that he was not killed out
right,
/ loaded him up on my back an bore
Some little distance back out o. the
fight
The blood from out a CHASTITY wound
was flowin'.
An so 1 snatched the shirt from off
my back.
FOR | could see the brave old cuss war
goin'
To die. unless / held the red tide
back.
An purity soon / seed he wa revivin',
An heard him whisper: Abe. you've
saved my life.
-FOUR oil wool shirt. along with your
connivin
Has kept me from that grave beside
my wife
Well Judge. while 1 stood beside him,
schemin'
On how to get him in doctors care
| ten-pound shell toward us came "a
screamin'
Just like a ravin' demon in the air
An wen il passed / found myself :
lynn
Across OF Sweety's body, an l see
That 'tarnaI shell, that by US went "a
flynn,
Had tuck my lef along fur company
Well. Judge, that's all; 'cept when the
war was over
I found myself cripple, an since
we been a sort of reckless, worthless
rover,
But Jest as honest as the most o
men,
Never stole a dime from livin' mortal
Never harmed a woman, child oil
Court'll
ID
Then spake the Judge: Such helpless
worthless creatures
Should never be allowed to bum and
beg:
-FOUR case. it is true. has some redeem
ing features,
For in your country's cause you los
leg.
And yet | feel the world needs an ex.
ample
To check the tendency of men t.
roam
The sentence is. That all your life
your camp1l
BE the best room in my humble
home"
The soldier stared, Dumb. Silent a.
a statuei
Then. in voice Of trembling pathos
said
Judge. turn your head and give M
one look at you
That voice is like an echo from TIL
dead
Then forward limped he. grimy hant
extended,
While tears adown his sun-browne'
cheeks did roll,
And said. with slang and patho
strangely blended:
why, Colonel Sweety. durn you
brave Of soul"
.-Dan Santiago Caroline.