The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1916-01-06

Hio SOluuCI, StSduldSIiy IeluStu TIE
offer.
Life with all that it held out to
him did not attract him one inch
from the course of study duty as he
saw it, and history offers no finer ex-
ample of heroism or nobility of char
acter.
AT THE GALLONS.
Upon reaching the gallows he asked
vost in charge of the execution, told
him of the battle of Missionary
Ridge, and of the defeat of our army,
when Davis expressed his regret and
said, 1.-THE boys will have to fight the
battle without me-"
The preparations are now COM
plete; Sam has been informed that
he has fifteen minutes to live. This
brief mite OF existence has almost
| sped and the calm courage of the
victim has so worked upon the feel
| ings of his executioners that they
dread to perform their awful task.
They hope that something will inter
vene to save this boy hero and to
spare them the cruel necessity of
cutting off his life, when Capt. Chick
asaw, of Gen. Dodge's staff, rapidly
approaches the gallows.
TRUE TO THE LAST.
A thrill of hope pervades the Fed
eral troops; perhaps the reprieve has
come, and so it has, but coupled with
a disgraceful condition. He said to
Davis: 1T is not too late yet; re-
member Gen. Dodge's promise; tell
the name of him who gave you the
papers, and go free"
For one second does Sam hesitate
to frame his reply, which was: eff
| had thousand lives / would lose
them all here before / would betray
my friends or the confidence of my
informer."
In d few moments it was all over,
and the awful responsibility rests
/ upon Gen. Dodge, who can never be
forgiven. If Davis had been guilty
of any crime-if he had been anything
else than a boy, whom Gen. Dodge
discovered to be "a most admirable
young fellow, with the highest char
acter and strictest integrity" the
case might have been different. But
| for a man old enough to be a gen
| eral officer to cause boy to be
hanged because he showed nobility
of the highest order is a crime that
even the exigencies of war cannot
condone. He should have remanded
him to prison and given him more
, time, when perhaps way to save
him might have opened and he who
was willing to give his life might
/ have preserved it.
| SANS SECRET DIED WITH. HIM.
The secret as to who gave Sam the
papers died with him. No one has
, confessed it, and no case is made out
for any person. Some think negro
| boy, who waited at the door and
around Gen. Dodge's headquarters,
purloined them, but there is no suf-
| ficient proof. The majority of Opin-
| ion is that Capt. Shaw or Coleman
gave them to him. If he did there
| is heavy responsibility upon him,
for he was in prison with Davis and
could by disclosing his own identity
and assuming the responsibility have
saved Davis and paid the penalty
with his own life.
MONUMENTS ERECTED TO SAM
| DAVIS.
His heroism has been celebsated in
verse by several authors, and three
monuments have been erected to his
memory-on at his home in Ruth
erford county, Tennessee; one at Pu-
laski, where he met his tragic fate,
and beautiful statue by Zolnay, in
bronze, which adorns the grounds OF
the state capitol at Nashville. This
statue was made possible by the de-
voted work of s. A. Cunningham, ed
itor of the Confederate Veteran,
whose untiring efforts extending over
period of several years were at last
crowned with success.
The story of this noble boy should
be taught to all the children of the
nation, for while it compels the deep
est emotions of pity and regret, it
also excites the Hottest sentiments
of admiration for the noblest quail
| ties of the human character.
lnha and