Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1909-08-06
On the Picket Line.

her mother but Tor the Wnole laiully.
On the Picket Line.
A good many of those picket ]
adventures never found place In ohi-
cial reports or the letters Of army cor.
respondents. They were in every case
violations OF instructions, and to have
spoken of them to superior officers
would have been to invite punishment;
SO by a sort of freeInasonry OF the
picket line some of the most startling
adventures Of private soldiers never
went to record. AS for myself, was
obeying orders, and only in n case
did l make any departure from the
strict line Of a soldiers duty. 1t was
while we were in front of Chattanooga
thai 1t became fashionable along the
picket line to exchange papers. The
plan was for a Confederate who want
ed a paper to come to the front. shake
a Southern paper as a flag OF truce
and In this way invite exchange.
The pickets on either side In that
immediate vicinity would cease firing,
the Union soldier would start from his
line and the Confederate from his line,
and they would meet half way, shake
hands, exchange papers and if there
were no officers in sight, sit down and
have a chat. This had been kept up
for several days when there came an
order from headquarters that no more
papers should be exchanged. But the
boys" choosing their W time for
exchange, continued the practice
against orders. There came a week.
however, In which no rebel responded
to waving, or shaking, or futtering OF
paper or handkerchief, and we knew
then that orders against exchange had
been issued on hal side us well as on
our
But n morning quite early my
partner discovered a man on the rebel
line frantically waving q large paper.
He suggested that we slip away from
the reserve and 20 out and see what
the man wanted. He took a paper,
waved 1t, and we started toward the
rebel in front. When we had pro-
ceeded about half way to the point of
meeting the fellow ceased to wave his
paper. We were puzzled at this, but
finally concluded that he was down In
a hollow and we would see him when
he came up on high ground. So we
walked on and walked without warn
ing into a group Of soldiers at the
rebel picket line.
The men were just ready to take
breakfast, and after the first furry
they joked US a good deal about our
extraordinary willingness to get into
their clutches at breakfast time. When
we spoke Of the exchange Of papers the
officer in charge informed us that or
ders were positive against exchange.
and that all his men understood It.
AS this was the cas- he took the posi-
ton that we had come willingly into
low us to return. I saw at once that
his men disagreed with him, but the
question was how we we're to get
away.
My partner, who had been a soldier
IN Germany, exhibited the greatest
nonchalance, and he Joined in the
jokes at our expense and proposed that
he make the boys" some coffee that
was coffee. The C~onfederates had a
very poor excuse for hat article, and
without more ado he proceeded to
make a little kettle of coffee, the
aroma of which seemed to fascinate
the coree-hnngry sharpshooters. When
he had poured the coffee into the cups
and had expatiated on the good it
would do the men, he took up his rifle
and said to me: Nov let US start
for our own line" I followed him.
and not a rebel soldier on that picket
post lowered the cup Of coffee from his
lips or looked in our direction. I
never disobeyed orders after that
Chicago Inter Ocean.
Michael O'Gran's Mistake.
A member Of the Irish Sixty-ninth
New York was taken prisoner one day,
but by a strategic movement managed
to shoot his captor. Taking a circuit
Gus route and skulking about for q
day, he finally came on a group OF
oncers. Rushing into their midst, he
kicked up his heels in true Irish polks
style, and exclaimed:
BE -, but I'm safe at last! Hurry
fur the shtars and stroips oov our
own blessed Amereky, and the divil
fly away wild the ribels!"
Hello, Paddy! what is the natter
said one
Matter Is 1t? Begorry, there be
matter enough out in the field yandel
where OF killed the dirty spalpane
who was after stating me body. Divel
a n Of them is able to take the
loikes of. a Sixty-ninth boy. But me
name is not Paddy it is Michael
O'Graf, at yer service. sir"
You were taken prisoner by the
rebels. were you, Mixer" said one OF
the officers. EIa
"Oi was sir. and 1t is no disgrace
to get away"
And you escaped" said the ON,
Ger.
That is thrue, sir"
And you killed your captor?"
"Oi did. yer honor, and his thaVfna
carcass lies out in the field beyant, an
imblim Of my courage"
"You seem to be a loyal Union
man. said the oflcer.
"Niver a loyaler n liver popped a
Confederate. begorry. sir"
The ofhcer then turned to a suoordi'