The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1914-02-20

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did either OF you men hear any.
thing Of Williams during the nightT
asked the officer Of the men mentioned
Both men replied that they had not
How far apart were the men post
edT' asked the officer Of the sergeant
ION the west side of the pike put
them hundred feet apart; on the east
side ] fell short Of men and made II
about two hundred. The ground was
bad for picket line; scrubby trees and
bushes scattered irregularly."
"Gone over to the enemy" said the
officer.
The name Of Private John williar
was entered on the regimental rolls Of
bis regiment as q deserter
Meanwhile Williams was huddled in
with other prisoners Of war in the rear
Of the Confederate lines, awaiting
transportation to Libby prison at Rich
mond. He spent some months there.
when, the prison becoming crowded, a
detachment Of prisoners was sent to
q stockade prison situaAed In South
Carolina. Williams, with others in the
same car with him-a freight car
laid plan to escape, One Of them had
concealed caseknife on his person
and during the long hours Of prison life
had occupied his mind inventing ways
to make saw Of 1t by nicking the
edge. He had made poor Roadway un-
til fellow prisoner lent him file
After that the matter was easy.
Williams and his friends In the
freight car by means Of the improvised
tool managed to saw through board
in the floor of the car. When the train
stopped during the night they removed
the board and let themselves down
through the aperture. OF three men
who made the attempt two succeeded
in getting away; the third was shot by
the guard. Williams was one of the
men who got away. but he and the
other ran in different directions and
did not come together again.
An account of the wanderings of Pri-
vate Williams would be much the
same as other escaped prisoners OF
war from 81 to '65. He travelled
at night and was hidden by the ne
grOes during the day. His compass
was the north star. He suffered terri
bly, from exposure and lived on Der.
ries. green corn and such other vegeta-
BILE food as he could find except when
some kind negro gave him little corn
pone.
Williams i'm order to escape detection
took often to swamp lands There he
contracted fever, and when finally he
dragged himself into the Union lines
he was placed in a hospital.
1t was about this time that the Unit
ed States government was beginning
to pay bounties to those who would
enlist. This afforded an opportuni' V
for criminals, to secure the bounty ard
desert. Enough Of this was done to
attract the attention Of the generals.
and they sought to put stop to it by
trying the bounty jumpers for deser-
ton and shooting them in presence of
their comrades.
John Williams regiment that soldier
was in hospital who had given that
name on being received there. He be-
came delirious. but was now better.
The colonel directed the surgeon in
charge of the hospital to send Will
liams to him under guard as soon as
he was discharged.
What has been told here having been
briefly stated to the president. the wO
man handed him soiled letter to read
1t had been dictated by her husband.
who was living III ut the time, to one
OF those self sacrificing women both
Of the north and the south-who gave
so much comfort to the sick and wound
ed of the war. 1t recounted his cap
ture. his escape. his wandering and
privations. ending with a pititful re-
quest for her to come to him.
81 was Helped to go to him by
friends" she added. land when
found him he told me that as soon as
he was well enough he would be shot
for desertion."
The poor woman had been told what
was true. Her husband could at that
eihiS SSb nv PioOi vi tbc SSOiy uc udu
to tell. His witnesses were all cut off
from him by bristling line Of bayo-
nets. And even If he could have been
free to go to them he would not have
been able to find the only witness who
could clear him. the man who had cap
tured him. His wife had appealed to
his colonel for mercy, but he had set
his teeth. resolved to stop desertion If
he had to shoot every man in the army
Such was the situation that was
brought before Mr., Lincoln by the cry
Of babe. And it would have been
even more pathetic had the kind heart
ed presidert known when he heard 1t
that the cry was an unconscious plead
ing for its fathers life. Mr.. Lincoln
had no proof that the woman's story
was true: he required no proof. He
saw woman pleading for her hus-
bands life with his child in her arms,
and he had no desire. no time. to inves-
tigate.
You shall have your husband" he
said. land he shall have his pay. with
leave Of absence and transportation to
his home"
The end Of the scene was told I'm
these words by the messenger who had
introduced the woman to the president
and was present during this interview
~ ltfa m nd