The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-04-06
The Shadow
Of Death
what President Lincoln
Did While II Hung
Over Him
~ +. A. Mitchell

Ine q occurred with scarcely any
&C.,! &C.,, n transforming 1t from ordinary
s ..lsnce to the story form:
One Of the saddest features OF the
". hetween the states was the ar
W. 10 aeainst one another Of the diff
49, y.ns members of the same family.
N .s Gases were more especially to be
s .a IN the border line between the
.uun states and the Confederacy. In
u ~. tennessee the prevailing senti-
-. was for the Union. Kentucky
Il. shout equally divided. Maryland
y. n favor Of the Confederacy. All
49, states. however, were held for
:. Union BY being occupied by Fed
81 troops in the early part OF the
In Missouri, which was geo
.,,nhically northern state. the insti-
.rt;on Of slavery had been planted, and
s .s confederates and Federals waged
-, Tor its possession, the latter gain
Z, the day during the early part Of
The war
-, wears the mutterings of the strife
...t vas to come were heard In the
,.nd and for months those who were
t,reeing began to fear that it was
.hout TO break forth. Then came the
=, Of firing on Fort Sumter. and the
r.oole began to range themselves on
IL side with which they sympathized.
One day two brothers. Allmon and
George Vaughan. babe each other good
/, IN the town of Canton. Mo. ALI
ron's sympathies were with the north
4 the struggle about to take place.
vb]e Georges were with the south.
Il am sorry. George" said Allmon.
.thst you are determined to take the
confederate side in this contest, but /
nsnt that you are honest In your con-
.yetions. You are to be in the Confed-
crate army; shall fight with the Fed
erals. / hope that we shall never meet
on the field of battle"
"And regret, Allmon, that you will
NOT be convinced Of the wrong the
northern people are doing the south
and that you will not join me In de-
Tending her. However. since can't
convince you we must part"
4Goodby, George. l hope that we
viii both come out of the struggle
Z alive and shall meet again here at our
home, but something tells me that the
var will be a long one and before that
can be we shall both be exposed to
terrible dangers"
Little did either Of the brothers
icresee the great danger that would
befall one of them and the efforts to
BE- made by the other to save him
nom fate worse than death on the
battlefield or under the surgeons
Knife. George Vaughan made his way
b the south. while Allmon was given
I position on the staff of General
Mark E. Green. an old friend Of the
Vaughan family.
About year after the parting Of
the brothers George Vaughan de
termined to pay a visit to his home in
Canton. Being a Confederate soldier
this could only be done secretly
Disgusting himself, he passed the
Union lines and reached Canton with
out his identity being discovered. He
vas received with Joy, mingled with
fear and trembling. by the. members
d bis family. To Mrs. General Green
On whose husbands stan his brother
Allmon was serving. he bore messages
nom friends in the COnfederacy
Quite likely the lady was southern
ympathizer, for most Of the womer
the border states were on the south
en- side. even the wives Of Union Off
GERS not concealing their preference.
When George Vaughan returned
nom his visit he was recognized b,
one who had known him before thu
breaking out of the war. and since ~
was known to have gone south to en-
nst IN the Confederate army, ant
caught within the Union lines in dis
euise he was arrested and lodged II
An at Palmyra.
The record does not state that thu
prisoner was bearing information con
$50 INC OuiOu lOICSS VI PAcsnS ~
me southern leaders. but 1t is prob
aOie that he was. Having brough
messages to Mrs. Green, 1t is quilt
nkeiy that he took messages from
aef and perhaps to friends In tn
voniederacy, and 1t Is not unlikel'
@at there were written messages COZ
ulning the contraband information.
1eorge Vaughan was transfers.
from Palmyra to st. Louis. where
suaise OF being q spy was preferre'
sssnst him. and q court was conver
10 try him. His defense was tina
mad gone to his home for no othe
purpose than to visit his family
"uetner or no he was bearing infol
auon to the Confederates. havin
Oeen caught within the Federal lines !
s.u1en's dress was sufficient to convit
M AT any rate. such was the resu
tne court martial. and he was SCI
@nced to be shot.
mere was singular case. The brotl
VI q captain in the Union army wa
oe executed by the Federal officer
on vaughan heard Of his brother
auser with dismay. There was br
sne nope for a man sentenced by
souft martial. and that was in Pres
eut Lincoln. John B. Henderson We
eu one OF the senator's from MI