Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1910-05-20

some soldier for chief of staff. He Is
now serving in that capacity. Many
thousands in Wisconsin know Louis
Sholes.-J. A Watrous, in Chicago
Record Herald.
Forced Into Confederate Army.
James Clarke, better known as Dad
Clarke, who died at the county in
Urinary near Logansport, Ind, IN
April had served four years in the
Civil war, but was unable to get into
the soldiers homes In the north OF
those maintained in the south for vet
Grams of the Confederate army His
history is one of the most unusual in
the annals of the war His ambition
was to get into the soldiers home at
Marion. but his repeated efforts were
futile, and finally in despair he turned
to the county poor farm, and there he
had been for three years, bemoaning
his fate that made him man without
home.
Clarke at the outbreak of the CIvil
war was travelling through the south
with number of Irish peddlers. Tho
majority OF these peddlers lived In
Logansport. Marion, Anderson and
other nearby Indiana cities With
wagons and packs they travelled
throughout the south selling merchan-
disc of all kinds
The day war was declared 10 OF the
Irish peddlers were in Jackson, Miss.
Excitement was high there, and
Clarke and his companions were as
enthusiastic as the natives, only for a
different cause. They hastily planned
TO return to Indiana to enlist and go
to the front But before they could
leave they were taken into custody,
were pressed into the Confederate
ranks and were compelled to fight
against brothers and friends in the
northern army
For two years they marched, fought
and lived with the Confederates, ever
watchful for a chance to escape So
far all had escaped death and injury
But during one battle when the two
lines were only a few hundred feet
apart the little band Of northerners
planned dash for liberty At a given
signal they broke for the Yankee lines,
But they had not gone very far before
hundred Confederate guns wero
turned on them. Twelve fell dead to
the ground, and Clarke the only sur
vivor, fell to escape the rain OF lead
A burly sergeant was about to I'm
pale him with bayonet when n col
onel thrust the sergeant aside, ordered
Clarke back to the line and made him
again take up the fight against the
Yankees.
Soon after this Clarke was trans,
ferred to Andersonville prison, where
he did guard duty for three months
under Captain Wirz. Compelled 70
shoot at any prisoner who stepped
across the dead line, Clarke always |
shot wide Of the mark Later. when |
he was sent to the front again. the (
company to which he was assigned /
was captured in battle by the Union /
forces and the prisoners were sent TO .
the northern prison near Detroit /
Clarke protested that be was Kan
kee and had been pressed into service, /
but none would believe his story .
However, on the third day of his i'm
prisonment, he met and was recos-
nized by his haIf-brother, zoe Murphy, /
who was on guard duty Murphy had
heard Of the fate Of Clarke and the
other irish peddlers, and when he ex-
planned the circumstances. Clarke was
paroled and sent back to LoganspOrt
Several years ago, he spent his
spare time building a coffin. He was
very enthusiastic over the project and
was buried In it.-lndianapolis News.
He Was Not n Soldier.
"On the day oF fine C,aparsI'. daa4b