Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1910-12-27
Observation-Disclosures.
OBEYING
ORDERS
Observation-Disclosures
ICopyright. 1871. By f. c. Farcells.l :

At the edge OF the cornneld twenty
rods from the road was a pun OF blue
smoke TO direct US 10 the bushwhacker.
We had the fences down and were rid
ing toward the spot two minutes later.
War is cruel enough. but bushwhack-
ing is simply murder. A farmer am
bushes himself and fires into Il column
Of marching men. Whether he wounds
or whether be kills, the war goes on
Just the same The government would
feel the loss of a mule more than OF q
man.
IF your column is bushwhacked.
find the man and hang him. If he has
a home, burn 1t.
Those were the orders, and every
man remembered them as we rode
down on the bushwhacker. We found
where he had knelt down to take aim.
but he had disappeared. Fifteen rods
up the hill was wretched pole cabin,
with the roof sinking in. 1t had no
door at the opening and no sashes at
the windows. There was no floor, and
the cooking was done at rude fire.
place. A girl who could not have been
over eighteen and who was poorly
clothed and barefooted sat at the front
door, smoking a pipe. She saw us
swarming mp the hill, but did not
move. Our curses filed her ears mo-
ment later but she pulled at her pipe
and looked at us indifferently.
where is the man who fired the
shot? You heard it. You must know
who 1t was"
Didn't dun hear nor see nuthin',"
she replied.
There was only one room in the
cabin. Lying on the floor under the
rude bedstead, with his gun beside
him, was the man. We hauled him
outdoors without resistance. The wife
on the steps did not rise up nor cease
to puff. She did not look at us nor
at him. The man was a squatter, per-
haps twenty-five years old He was
white trash"
Bring a rope!"
The man leaned up against an old
cherry tree and looked at wife and
baby. was looking into his face all
the time. 1t was emotionless and I'M
readable. Not one human sentiment
swept over it. He simply stared and
stared and stared.
The baby had. been nursed and Groom
ed to sleep. The woman still held it,
Her pipe had been smoked out. She
still retained it in her black teeth. As
the free end of the rope was thrown
over the limb of another tree not far
away the woman seemed to look ut
her husband for the first time and
said:
''Jed, didn't | tell you un SOP
Reckon"
Hes bushwhacked one of my men
and he's got to hangw said the officer
to her.
Told him not to-
"Wil you go insideT'
Fur whyY"
"You don't want to see your own
husband hung, do your
"I'n sit yere." she answered as she
settled down.
"Now. then" said the officer to the
husband. do you want to kiss your
wife and child before you go?''
| looked TO see soft lines come into
the mans face, but ! observed not one
single one. IL was face of wood or
stone. He looked at the woman and
at the child, and it seemed as if he had
not understood She did not even look
up | doubt if they had ever exchang
ed kisses. Perhaps he had never taken
the infant in his arms. 1t seems cruel
now, when peace has been upon the
land for third of century. but blood
ran hot In those days of war, and men
did not stop to think. The man was
walked to the other tree. the moose
slipped over his head. and half dozen
pairs Of hands drew him clear of the
ground. his arms having been first tied
behind him. He said no word and
made no struggle You would have
thought that something like that had
been part and parcel of his daily ex-
istence for years.
Now we must burn the house." said
the officer TO the wife as the grewsome
thing hung there. swaying in the
breeze.
Reckon you must" she answered as
she moved aside for US TO pass in.
We brought out everything and made
a pile in the grass. She assisted US in
no way The baby woke up again, with
q wall. but before nursing and Groom
ing again she filed and lighted her
pipe. One Of the troopers gave her a
match. When ordered TO move. she
walked away about ten yards and sat
down under a bush. The old cabin
was fired, and in a quarter Of an hour
It had disappeared What we had car
ried out could have been taken away
in q wheelbarrow The provisions con-
sisted Of a small piece Of bacon and
about five pounds of cornmeai. The
bugle blew Attention. and the troop
ers began moving down the highway.
fingered behind TO say to the woman:
your husband is dead. your house
burned down. and what viii yoC do
now?"
Cant reckon to say" she replied in
careless tones.
Got father and mother TO go TO"
She shook her head.
ANY friends 10 take you in?"
Another shake.
took out and handed her FIVE dol
lar greenback. and she was inspecting
It and giggling over ii when | FASTENED