Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-02
Heroine of Army Tragedy

TERED beneath three feet OF earth, Yet
unable in any way to warn those bent ON
their grim task Hers was the first face
that ne saw after recovering from his ter
ribe experience. Forty-one years after
ward Mrs, Darlington received letter
which mad been forwarded from one place
to another till II reached her. 1t was from
the soldier whom she had seen on that
night and expressed his hcart-deep CRATE
fulness to her She tells the story as fol
lows;
The women of the town stood ready TO
nurse the wounded but there were so few
men to bury. the dead and there were so
many killed! Just outside the Presbyterian
church where | was doing my work, trying
to care for the living, the dead we're
brought and laid in the churchyerd until
the burial place could be decided upon 1t
was hard to cheer the men inside and in
spire them with hope and courage when
knew the sounds outside were those of the
few remaining men OF the town, who We're
bringing in the brave dead to pile them
up where one man could watch them till
the burial | heard the tramp of feet and
guessed the errand.
still | had to keep a smile on my lips,
although it almost faded when | realized
that vigilance was necessary, because every
battle had its tale of human vultures who
preyed upon the slain.
LAS the day wore on ! heard fewer foot
steps about the church and at last the
yard was left with only one negro to
watch. For a time the silence outside was
unbroken. suddenly l was startled by
shrll scream. After a night of awful
terror and hours of constant cannonading,
1t seemed too slight a thing to stop to in
vestigate and l went on unheeded with
my work among the wounded.
1T was nearly an hour before | was
again disturbed and then in the deepening
dusk some one came to the door and whis-
pered my name. There followed a dis
iolnted explanation. Something for me to
do A strange thing outside. 1t was the
first day OF December, 1864 and cold for
that date in Tennessee, but l ran out of
the church without wrap. for these were
not the days to stop to think of ones self.
There were number of men in the yard
gently lifting the dead from the pile where
they were laid. one upon another like cord
wood. At last they took out a soldier and
laid him on the grass.
I'VE all bent tenderly over him. and as
we looked he opened his eyes and moved
his arms YEARLY. 1t seemed more than
/ could bear, as though something of the
supernatural were added to what was a
terrible reality, for the man had lain among
the dead all day to come to himself at
nightfall
II could do nothing except whisper words
of cheer and encouragement He wore the
confederate uniform, and / had a church
full OF union soldiers, 80 they took him
across the street to a house where other
confederate soldiers we're being cared for,
and l did not see him for several days
Then he told me his story.
He had the strange experience of being
wounded and of lying as though dead. He
was conscious of being moved and carried:
he knew he was alive; he was possessed
with the terrible fear of being buried be
fore death came but hours went by and
the strange paralysis left him.
First of all he was able to move his
feet, and he put forth all his strength at
one time to move his foot with the hope
OF being seen. At last he found his voice
and cried for help The scream which |
heard came from the poor supersttious
negro who had been set to watch the dead
and heard the voice from under the awful
pile This man who had been left for dead
was Private Joiner OF Mississippi. Boston
Herald.