The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-02-25
A Life Hung on
q Thread.

4 80 AZ hhN III CuNulTy Ut western
post. We had man In the ranks who
had been Brought up by refined and
wealthy parents, but who was a per-
feet devil. Egbert Carol was the
name he enlisted under, and | believe
1t was his real name The only trou-
Die with him was that he was too full
or fight. One would suppose that a
soldier can't have too much fight in
him. and so he can't when there Is an
enemy to contend with, but when there
Isn't he Is liable to turn upon his
/ friends. Carol was In Captain Cava-
nagh's company, a man full OF Irish
blood, and that means full of Irish
fight We called him the "black god
OF war" The result was that when
Carol committed some slight indlscre-
tion bis captain, to speak 1guratively,
put the screws on" This made Car
rol rebellions, with the result Of more
discipline, till at last he mutinled and
struck his captain. He was put in the
guardhouse to await trial. but one dark
night he escaped and disappeared
II was not long after this that we
had a brush with the Indians. We
were getting the better of them when
one Of their number led them on a
savage charge which for time broke
through our lines. | never saw such
savage Indian fighting under 80 saw
age leader. 1t was only q question
Of time with them, however, for we
outnumbered them and were better
armed and equipped. We took lot
Of prisoners, among them their leader.
Who should he be but Egbert Carroll
OF course there was but one fate for
him. A court martial was convened:
he was tried and sentenced to be shot
The proceedings were forwarded to
Washington. where they were approved
by the president. The day having been
fixed, there was nothing to do but wait
for 1t to come round and carry out the
sentence. But there was some sympa-
thy for the condemned man. First, the
commandant of the post believed there
was not only stuff In him for soldier,
but leader, which had been turned
away by his captain, who had never
learned to control himself. TO say moth
ing of controlling others. Then the
women Of the post all took to him be-
cause he was n gentleman born. The
men of his company partially excused
him because many of them had suf-
fered as he had from their captains
ungovernable temper. Lastly and most
Important. his family interested them
selves to secure a pardon.
One day the colonel commanding
post some 200 miles eastward of the
one where Carol was held a prisoner
received an order reprieving the rene
gade Selecting q good rider, the colo
mel gave him the presidents order and
told him to ride with 1t posthaste. But
In the army there are many officers
who would scorn to communicate the
contents of an order to private. The
colonel was one of these. He sent his
messenger away without any knowl-
edge that life hung on its prompt do
; livery. Two days after the messenger
departed he returned to the man who
! sent him. confessing that he had stop
ped by the way to drink with some
soldiers and had lost the order. He
, had returned for duplicate.
! The colonel blanched. "You scoun-
drel!' he roared. You carried Car
! rolls reprieve. No power can repair
the damage you have done. Before an
other message can be sent he will have
/ been executed"
| Now. 1t happened that l had been
! sent with party to relieve the garri-
son of the station where the messenger
1 A,A CD 4 ,,,tt %
! our men that the messenger drank and
] lost his order. He did not miss It till
! he had left the station and ridden some
distance. Then he returned, hunted
high and low for it and, not finding It.
returned for IFS duplicate.
The day after the loss of the order
went to inspect a gang Of men who
were doing some work ! was In charge
Of While walking along the road ]
saw dog chasing bit of white pa.
per which the breeze whirled before
him. AS the paper was blown past
me picked it up, held 1t over the dog
and let II go again in the wind. The
| dog caught 1t and brought 1t to me for
more play. 1t was then that I saw the
word washington" printed on 1t. ]
read 1t and knew that 1t was Carols
! reprieve.
Within ten minutes l was mounted
on the best horse at the station and
riding TO save life. So much time
had been lost In Its transmission that
I knew 1t was an even chance whether
I arrived In time or not l rode my
| horse to finish In d few hours, secur-
| ed another, exhausted him in about the
same time and repeated the process as
often as l could find horses.
l knew the day that Carol was to
be executed, but not the hour. 1t Is
singular that soldier will drive the
men under him up to be shot down un'
merclfully, but when under other cir
cumstances one life is dependent on
his efforts he will labor under fright
full burden.
| At last l came In sight of the flag
81, <ha tny ~ aQv