St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-06-28

true. Full particulars Of this das-
| tardly act will be found elsewhere
His regiment with others was order
ed to Alexandria, to take possession
/ of that city, This was quietly done;
and while passing along the streets
Ellsworth discovered the secession
! flag flying from the Marshall house
With few comrades he Immediately
entered the house and ascending te
the roof he cut down this incitor to
rebellion and treason, and while de
seending the stairs with the flag in
| his hands he was met by the keeper
of the hotel with double-barrelled
gun who Immediately shot him dead.
| And although his death was instant
| ly and fearfully avenged by his COM
rades in the killing of his assassin,
yet 1t was but poor exchange OF
| lives for our side.
Elmer e. Ellsworth was native of
Mechanicsville, village near Troy,
N. Y, where his parents now reside.
He was the only remaining son, a
younger brother of great promise
having died the past year.
Col. Ellsworth was first brought
into public and national notori-
ETY. about a year ago as the
leader of a company of young men
at Chicago who had perfected them
selves in the French Zouave practice,
and who soon after astonished the
whole country by the wonderful
feats of military exercises. They Wis
tied many of the principal cities of
the United States and then returned
to Chicago and disbanded.
When Present Lincoln took his
tour of several of the states previous
to his inauguration he was accom-
panied by Col. Ellsworth, who was
ever at his side, and who did the
honor of introducing the guests at
Mr.. Lincoln's receptions at Willard Is
hotel. 1t is understood that this at
tachment between the President and
Col. e. sprang from the fact that the
latter was formerly in Mr.. Lincoln 8
law Office. Persons who have heard
of Col. Ellsworth of the Chicago
Zouaves were much surprised to see
a youthful looking man scarcely of IS
years, of slight but firmly knit
physique, long, flowing hair, and
| almost beardless face, looking much
| more like a college student than the
military man who had received the
applause of half a nation.
When our national flag was struck
own at Fort Sumter, Col Ellsworth
| fastened to New York and proposed
to raise a regiment of New York
| firemen for the Immediate protection
of our Capital. 'sThey are sleeping
on volcano at Washington" said
Ellsworth, land / want men who can
go into a fight now In two short
weeks he started for Washington at
the head of over 1000 of
those daring men. They were
most ardently attached to their
leader, and that they will fearfully
avenge his death no one doubts. The
letter writer's say that the last thing
Col. Ellsworth did before leaving
Washington was to write letter to
his father, and another to Miss Car
RE Spafford, at Rockford, ILL.,, to
whom he was engaged to be married.
His last act, as he left the town to
embark on the steamer, was to look
at her portrait, and to place it In
his bosom.
We could have wished that moth
ing had occurred in this war to
arouse the revengefu1 passions of
men. 1t would have been glorious
to reflect that of all these thousands
who arose as one man here at the
North not one was Influenced
by personal motives, but that the
love of the integrity of our national
character and the devotion for those
good old stars and stripes was the
Inspiration which warmed every pa
triot heart from the time the Star of
the West was fired upon till the last
crowning victory.
But the rebels would have 1t other
wise. When the gallant Anderson
was besieged in Fort Sumter, and
his barracks were on fire and he and
his little band were in imminent
danger of being burned alive, then
it was that the boosted stchivalry''
increased their fire, and seemed in
spired with the bloodthirstiness of
demons. From that day on through
the dastardly assault upon Massa-
chusetts troops in the streets of Bal
timore, the poisoning of the soldiers
food, up to the crowning act of the
numbering Col. Ellsworth, these
Southern mad-caps seem bent on out
raging decency and inspiring the
basest spirit in the heart of their
foes. They court the issue, they
must abide the results.
WOMEN'S CLUB NOTES.