The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-02-16
The White and
Black Pebbles
BY SARAH BAXTER

Clara Deane."
Thank you. Dave. l appreciate
your congratulations more than those
Of any other of my friends"
These two sentences were spoken By
1872 at the Military academy at Wesl
Point. Robert Harker did not know
what the congratulations cost his frienC
David Warfield Both cadets had been
attentive to the same girl but neither
knew that the other had proposed tC
her. She did not tell the one she &C.
cepted that she had been obliged to
decide between him and his friend
And so it was that the woman was
the only one who knew the fact.
Eighteen years passed, during which
time the two officers had not served at
the same military station. though once
they met at Washington. Harkers
family was not with him. and War.
field was still unmarried Nineteen
years after they had graduated the
Mexican war broke out and both were
ordered south-Harker to the Rio
Grande with General Taylor. Wartield
to Vera Cruz with General Scott
During Scott's advance to Mexico
City, involving series Of battles in
which the Americans were always vic
torious, Warfieid was of great value to
the commanding general in all matters
pertaining to the science of engineer
ing. When the army approached the
City of Mexico. desiring to get view
OF the enemy's defenses, he appropriate
ed the uniform of Mexican officer
who had been made prisoner and
worked his way to the rear OF the
Mexican army He took with him a
young soldier barely eighteen years of
age with view Of sending back any
information he might acquire, in case
he could not get back himself. The
youngster put on fhe uniform of a
dead Mexican corporal 1t was ar
ranged between the two that they
should address ench other as captain"
and corporal" only.
One day Captain Warteld was stand
ing on the edge of wood, behind a
tree against which he was resting
spyglass which he had leveled at the
Notifications of the City of Mexico.
The corporal stood behind, walking to
and fro in the wood with view TO
warning the captain against surprise.
Suddenly troop of Mexican horsemen
came galloping toward them. The cor
poral gave warning signal, but too
late. From a distance the Mexicans
saw man examining their forti6ca-
tons through a spyglass.
Riding up to the captain. the COM
mander of the troop questioned him.
Warfeld spoke but little Spanish and
could give no satisfactory account of
himself. Both he and the corporal
were taken into the capital and
brought before the Mexican command
er. After an examination a drum
head court martial was convened, and
they were tried as spies. They were
soon convicted and sentenced to be
garroted. but owing to the fact that
they were Americans. where CARROT
ing was not practiced, the sentence
was COMMITTED to shooting.
The two were confined in the same
prison. The night before their exc
cution the corporal called for writing
material that he might write a letter
of farewell to his mother. He had
finished and addressed II when Cap
tain Warfield saw it and read the ad-
dress.
"Great heavensr' he exclaimed, pal
ing.
what Is it, captain?" asked the
other.
you are a son of Robert Harker Of
the til cavalryT
II am"
"And your mother as girl was
Clara Deane!"
'She was"
The dialogue was interrupted by the
entrance of a Mexican officer. who said
to the two condemned men:
"Our commander has decided that
but one need suffer in order to carry |
out the necessity of striking terror into
an enemy for such ilegitimate war
fare. He has directed that you two
men draw lots to determ ne which |
shall be shot. I have white and |
black pebble here which place in my |
hat The one drawing the white peb-
BILE will be exchanged as prisoner of |
war: the other will be Immediately ex-
ecuted."
"Being a commissioned officer" said |
the captain. while my fellow prisoner
Ia a private. | demand the right to
draw the pebble to decide which of us
Is to suffer-"
The officer held out the hat to him;
he thrust in his hand and Immediately |
drew it out clinched. Going to win
dow. with the other hand he drew
forth pebble and held it up to the
light. 1t was black.
The Mexican officer in the excite
ment of the moment of life and death
forgot the other pebble and placed his
hat on his head without withdraw
ing it,
A platoon of soldiers was waiting !
without for the loser. and Captain War
field was Immediately led out and
shot A few minutes later the man
who had placed the pebbles in the hat
remembered the white stone. Taking
of his hat. he did not find it. He
searched for ii and at last found it in
the dead officers pocket Wartield had
taken out both stones and showed only