BEAT LOTTERY
OF DEATH.
During tho great Civil War hundreds
of brae soldiers who participated In
thut memorable conflict had very nar
row ownpes from death, but of them
nil none was more miraculous or thrill
lug than that of Captain John M.
Flinn, a Shelbyvllle, Ind., boy, who
commanded company IT of tho Flfty
llcst Indiana Infantry and who through
a most mysterious agency succeeded
In escaping the penalty of doath after
he had drawn a "black bean" in tho
lottery of death and his oxccutlon rft
the orders of the Confederate general
whose captive he was seemed Inevit
able. The story of how Captain Flinn was
Imprisoned at LIbby prison, of how ho
was one of a number of Union ofllcors
who had to draw In the lottery of
death, of how he with one other drew
a death prize as indicated by a black
bean, of how on tho very hour set for
his execution he was given a ten days'
reprieve and of how at the end of that
period ho finally through a mysterious
agency escaped tho death penalty all
these Incidents form a most remnrkable
story, which Is passing strnngo and In
Its very truth Is even stranger than
Action
Among the thousands of hoosler boys
who volunteered In the Union army
was John M. Flinn, a Shclbyvlllo youth,
who enlisted llrst In company C, Sev
enth Indiana Intantry, and later on
Oct. 11, 18)51, became llrst lieutenant of
company F, Fifty-first Indiana. lie be
came captain of the same company o'i
Nov. 1, 1S02.
Knr.'y In the year 18G.'t, shortly after
he was promoted to the eaptalucy (it
his company, Fllun was captured along
with a number of other Union soldiers
nt the battle of Day's gap and Crooked
creek, near Cayrsvlllo, Ala., and con-
lined in a rebel prison.
Shortly afterward lie was removed to
DRAWING THE
LIbby prison that southern dungeon
the very mention of which sent cold
shudders over Union menwhere he
was held In conllnement for many
weeks. It was Indeed an unkind fiite
that brought, him behind the dingy bars
of tills dingy old prison. Hut, as brave
blue-coated soldiers who found them
selves there, Captain Flinii viewed his
misfortune as an incident belonging to
tho expected events of cruel warfare
and made no complaint.
When he was taken to LIbby prison
Captain Flinu was placed in a cell with
Captali. Henry V. Sawyer of company
K, Firs I regiment of New Jersey cav
alry, who had fallen Into the lninds of
the Confederates after having been In
a hospital at Culpeper court house for
some time. These two captured cap
tains became fast friends and after
Buffering the torments and hardships
of the southern prison side by side for
many weeks became resigned to their
fate and calmly awaited the hour when
they would be liberated either by hu
man hand or the the hand divine.
So jKJorly wero they fed that day by
day the two men, ns well as many
other unfortunates who were prisoner
along with them, grow weaker and be
came thinner and thinner until they
thought their very life blood would
soon bo sipped from their bodies. In
deed, they thought their summons of
death was Inevitable and that such
would be their only means of freedom
from the prison. To tliem It seemed
that they would never again hear tho
familiar strains of a bugle call or lead
the members of their companies charg
ing against tho enemy.
It was while In such a plight as this,
while their spirits were exceedingly de
pressed and while life seemed to offer
precious little for them In the future,
that one day tho monotony of their
prison existence was broken by an in-
AN INCIDENT
op tic
CIVIL WAR,
spec! Ion cnll. Tho rnttlc of chains un
the grating of tho ponderous Iron door
of tho cell which they occupied aroused
them. Looking up they recognized
Captain Turner, a Confederutu ofllcer,
as he entered and announced that all
Union olllcers then Imprisoned were ex
pected to "line up" for Inspection.
This was on tho morning of July 0,
186.', and the announcement tnado to
all tho ofllcors who wero In prison
crcateJ no little excitement At first,
catching at I ho slightest straw which
gives promise of freedom, Just as tho
imprisoned criminal catches nt every
straw which ho thlnkfl might make him
free, the ofllcors thought they were to
bo exchanged or discharged. Conse
quently they "lined up" rather cheered
by the prospect
Thor bright hopes for freedom, how
ever, wero soon dispelled when nil the
captains from among tho prisoners
were oummoncd to the lower room of
tho prison. There, Instead of hearing
an order read for their release or ex
change, they were confronted with the
startling news that a special order had
been Issued by the Confederate war
department that two captains should
be solcted by lot to bo executed In re
tnllntion for the execution of two Con'
federate ofllcors by General Ambrose
E. Humsldc a short time before.
Tho Union captains, who with death
like stillness listened to the reading of
the order, were amazed and dunifouml
ed. What could it mean? What was
to be done? What was tho reason for
the order? Would the rebel Informer
explain Its full meaning to thorn?
These and other questions Hashed
through their minds and when replies
wore asked for Captain Turner, who
had charge of tho prison, refused to eiv
lighten them. Instead, ho cold-hearted
ly and calmly asked them :
"DEATH PRIZES.'
"In what manner
the captains that
made?"
Is it the desire ol
the selection be
It was several moments before the
company of prisoners regained their
composuro sufficiently to answer. Pros
entry, however, Captain Sawyer sug
gested that as many beans lie placed In
a hat as there wero captains to draw
them. Since two of the captains wero
thus bv lot to be selected for execu
tiou Captain Sawyer suggested that
two of the beans bo black ones and
the rest white. The black beans were
to represent "death prizes."
Wltl' the approval of the plan tho
drawing began. Captain Sawyer drew
llrst Captain Flinn followed him. They
both drew "black beans."
Tho execution was soon to follow and
preparations were at once begun for
the death march. The two captains
were not compelled to wait long for the
coining of the summons. Soon a Con
federate ofllcer appeared with a guard,
who marched Flinn and Sawyer to
where a car was in readiness to con
vey them through the streets of Rich
mond on to the place of execution.
Before they had reached tho city
limits they met a Roman Catholic
bishop. Learning that they wero be
lag marched nwuy to bo excuted, the
bishop inquired the cause. The Confed
err to otllccr paused in his reply and
at that Captain Flinn, who was a Cath
ollc, said he was being executed with
out tho "rites of clergy.'
Fortunately for tho two captains, the
bishop was a friend of Jefferson Davis,
and with the words that he would
hasten to seo Mr. Davis tho bishop re
quested tho ofllcer to march tho men
away slowly and if possible delay tho
execution uirtll he returned. The blah
op'a intercession for tho condemned
men was not In vain, for he came back
with the word that Mr. Davis had
granted them n rcprlevo of ten days.
Yens afterward, In relating tho In
cident to his friend, Lieutenant Jumos
M. Stradlng, who contributes an article
to a recent number of McCluro's Mnga-
zlno telling the Btory of this "Lottery
of Death," Captain Sawyer said:
'The cart moved on ami the bishop
hurried at a rapid pace to Interview
President Davis. Tho bishop was
mounted on n full-blooded and a very
spirited horse and 1h; seemed to us to
go like tho wind when ho started for
the residence of his friend. We moved
on to a small hill on which was a single
tree and to this treo tho car took its
way. When the treo was reached ropes
were placed around our necks and we
wero doomed to be hanged. This would
havo br.eu on Ignominious death If we
haa been guilty of any crime punish
able b." death, but wo had committed
no crime and yet wo did not want to
die In thnt way. Wo hnd a slight ray
of hope in tho bishop's Intercession for
us, but It was too slight to allay our
fears for tho worst
I was so weak thnt the treo and
tho guards seemed to bo moving In a
circle around me. Wo stood up In tho
enrt so when it moved awny we would
danglo between tho earth and sky and
In this way our oxlstenco was to end.
No courier from the bishop was In sight
and tho suspense was terrlblo for us
to bear. The Confederate ofllcer took
out h!s watch and Informed us that
while his instructions wore to havo us
executed before noon lie would wait
until one minuto of Ji! and then If thero
was no sign of a courier tho cart would
be driven away and the arbitrary or-
ders of tile war department of the
southern Confederacy would 1m obeyed.
"Half-past 11 arrived and yet no
signs of any courier from tho bishop
Our legs became so weak that we could
not stand any longer, so we requested
that we might bo permitted to sit down
In tho cart until the time for us to bo
executed arrived. Then wo would stand
up and tho ropes could be adjusted to
our necks and the execution concluded
t- ropes were then untied and we
were permitted to sit down on the sld
of the cart. Ton minutes more passed
In dead silence, and yet no eye could
detect any signs of a courier. At tho
end of another ten minutes we stood
up and the ropes were adjusted to our
necks and the Confederate ofllcer was
raising his sword ns a sign to th.i
drher to move away when a cloud of
dust was observed In the distance and
the Confederate ofllcer hesitated for a
few moments, when a horseman white
with dust and his horso covered with
foam dashed up to the ofllcer and hand
ed him a dispatch. He opened It and
qulekh read: 'Captains Sawyer and
Flinn aro reprieved for ten days.' I
never felt so happy in my life, and
Flinn and I embraced each other and
cried like babies. The ropes wens then
untied and tho cart started slowly bad
for LIbby prison. Our comrades were
greatly rejoiced to see us return alive
and made many inquiries concerning
the postponement of the execution."
It was not long after their return to
LIbby prison that word was sent back
home by the captains that they had but
ten days to live. As soon as the word
was received Captain Sawyer's wife
went to Washington and personally re
ported the matter to President Lincoln
To tiie kind-hearted president, who
loved his people dearly and who 'ever
was ready to help one In trouble, the
news was loth startling and shocking
After studying the matter over during
that night lie told tho woman next
morning to return to her home and that
he would do what he could.
And he did do what ho could. 1U
saved the lives of tho two condemned
captains.
Knowing that the two Confederates
who had previously been executed by
General Rurnslde, and because of which
execution Captains Flinn and Sawyer
were to bo executed, had really been
deserving of their fa to, and knowing,
too, that Captains Flinn and Sawyer
were Innocent, he delivered a message
to tho Confederate agent for tho ex
ohnnga of the prisoners to tho effect
that If the two men wero hanged he
would at once order that General W.
II. F. Lee, son of General Robert 10
Lee and then a federal prisoner, would
be Immediately executed.
Tho order created consternation
among tho Confederate authorities.
But it had its desired result. Word was
at once sent to LIbby prison to the
effect that Captains Flinn and Sawyer
were not to be executed.
President Lincoln had saved their
lives. ,
Following this the captains were con
lined in tho dungeon of LIbby prison
for twenty days, when they were re
Moved and placed upon nn equal foot
Ing with the other ofllcors who were
Imprisoned.
The remained thus prisoners until
.March of tho following year, when they
were exchanged for Genernl W. II. F.
tee and Captain R. II. Tyler, of the
Confederate at my, both of whom had
been lederal prisoners for several
mentliM.
Afte- that Captain Flinu returned
to his company and served until the
eloso ot tho war, when he was mus
terod out with his regiment Tho great
struggle ended, the captain returned to
his home In Shclbyvlllo, Ind. For tho
next few years until his death, Aug.
5, J87U, ho was a familiar figure In and
around Shclbyvlllo. At the time of his
death he was forty years old. He left
a widow and one daughter. The daug!
ter died several years ago, but the
widow Is still living In Indiana. Chi
cago Chronicle.
HOW TO GAIN IN HEIGHT.
lnclilur to Stretch tho llmlr Will
It Stny .Strrtrhril f
"Which of you by taking thought
can add one cubit unto his stature?" Is
a question contained In Christ's sermon
on the Mount which has generally been
regarded as unanswerable, says Hit!
New York Tribune. Tho Hebrew cubit
was equal to about twenty-two Inchon,
and the problem Involved In making
such n gain as that was enough to dis
courage any ono. But there are two
men lu Colorado to-day who by taking
thought havo contrived a machine by
which, they declare, a gratifying num
ber of Inches may be added to tho
height of any person who will bo sat
isfied with somctning less than a foot.
'I'll' irl (i ti f f tlklu ttwti Iwtil ii tn
-a. ui; UIIIIIUUMEI VL klllD III,I.1IUU IIIU
Profs. David B. Cropp, former physical
director of tho State University of
Colorado, and Fordyew P. Cleaves, of
Denver.
in using this body-extending machine
tho patient lie down upon tho frame
work and Is securely fastened to It by
straps around the head and feet. At
his right hand there Is a lever by
which he extends tho machine and thus
submits his body to whatever extreme
of stretching lie desires, using the lever
to apply more power or relievo the
strain at will. Tho machine extends
like a dining table, from the middle
both ways, and by means of tho strajw
around head and feet the pressure is
applied evenly along tho body.
Tho user submits himself to what
ever stretching force he wishes and
takes the exercise as often as he
pleases and for as long. Tho lost re
sults have been attained when tho
pressure is applied daily for periods of
thirty minutes at a time. The Idea Is
that the patient shall have a machine
In his room and take the stretching
each night leforo retiring. Tho con
struction of the machine Is calculated
to draw out the spine and hold It ex
tended sufficiently long for nature to
start building, to conform with the new
situation. Persisting lu the exercise for
three months Is doomed sufficient to
bring results. Some persons have their
height Increased two to three Inches,
the inventors declare.
A Slriuiucr In Totvn.
Mfteen miles below the head o thu
passes of the Mississippi, and not far
from where Southwest Pass loses it
self In the Gulf of Mexico, a little
stream no wider than a village street
curves a Way from the main "pass
Along both sides aro tiny landings,
and hack of each thero is a cottage.
Tlit cottages aro now neglected and
forlorn, but once they were palm-shad'
ed, rose-guarded and lovely. There, in
the days when SoutJiwest Pass was
the principal mouth of the Mississippi,
dwelt Hie pilots who carried ships
across tho bar.
"Old Pilot-town" is hidden from the
traveler on the pass by a dense cane
brake, and strangers seldom enter It
from Its bayou. One who did came
down the river in a skiff, and turned
into "Old Pilot-town Bayou" at noon
for dinner. Ho found a ready meal
at the first cottage, whero dwelt an
old woman, widow of one of tho old'
time pilots. As the meal progressed,
one by one interested neighbors
dropped in to see Hie stranger, till a
dozen wero braced against the walls.
"How many people llvo hero now,
Mrs. B?" asked tho visitor. "I thought
the bayou was rather deserted."
Mrs. B. looked round the room and
took account of stock.
"You can count them for your-self,"
she said. "They're all here."
No llolliliiy.
People have different ideas as to
what constitutes a holiday or a vaca
tion. Mrs. Pettis had her own firmly
fixed opinions on tho subject
"I don't count Thanksgiving or
Christiana or Washington's Birthday
or any of those, holidays," she said,
frankly, to nn old friend ono day.
"What I count n holiday Is when Ezra
autl Jim and Bob and 'Liphlet go off
up to tho wood-lot with their dinner,
and I know they won't bo back till
night.
"Pin not ono to deny that men folks
have their good points, but how any
woman can call It a holiday when
they're in tho house, calling for food
by looks when they aren't by words, Is
beyond mo!"
ThlmiliiK' Down tin- CoiiKrcKiif Ion.
"L notice that the Rev. Dr. mills
says It's wrong to go to church In an
automobile."
"I s'poso he's thlnkiu' of the
church-goers on foot who are likely to
be run over before tho automobile gets
there." Cleveland Plain Denier.
I'lilloio-iliy.
Einorson Have
Miss
you read
Kunt?
Miss Achlson No, but I've
"Don't" Cleveland Leader.
read
- "'if .--Rv--u-urv'.
! T TV
IcFaVoriteS!
hjr-urirf-u. wrxr. irvv-ui-i"
IlohriiltniliMi.
On Linden, when the nun was tow,
Ml bloodlctu lay the untrodden snow,
And dark ok winter wiut tho flow
OC Iser, rolling rupidly.
But Linden saw another sight
When tho drum beat, nt the (load of night,
Commanding fires of death to light
Tho darknww of her scenery.
By torch and trumpet fast arrayed,
Each horseman drew hi IwittVe-blidn,
And furious every charger neighed,
To Join tho dreadful revelry.
Then shook the hills with thunder riven,
Then rushed tho Htocd to Imttlo driven,
And louder than tho bolts of heurcn,
Far Unfilled tho red artillery.
But redder yet that light shall glow
On Linden's hills of ntulncd snow,
And bloodier yet tho torrent flow
OflNor, rolling rapidly.
T1h morn, but scarce yon level sun
Can pierce tho war cloud.-., rolling dun,
Where furious Frank and fiery Hun,
Shout in their sulphurous canopy.
Tho combat deepens. On, yo bravo I
Who rush to glory or the grave I
Wave, Munich I all thy banners wave,
And charge with all thy chivalry l
Few, few shall part whero many meet;
Tho snow shall bo their winding sheet,
And every turf bononth their feet
Shall bo a soldier's sepulcher.
Thomas Couipbcll.
ONCE UPON A TIME.
Kli-xt ltnllroinl Train Uii't So Old
nn VoiinitNtorM Sometime) Think.
Did you go to the St Iiouls fair? II
you did, and you failed to seo tho rail
road exhibit you missed a wonderfully
Interesting part of "the show." Yoil
missed Beelng what may bo called thu
evolution or development of that won
derful Invention, tho railroad engine.
'1 1 1 1 . tmiililo lu -Mini tho luivu mill i'lrl1
of to-day aro so accustomed to tho
railroad that they think little of all
that It represents. Somo of them may
be like a little girl 1 happen to know,
who once said:
"Why, papa, didn't we always have
railroads?"
Just ask your grandparents about
that I have an itlea that somo of
theni will tell you that they wero men
and women long before they ever saw
a railroad engine. A man but forty-
live years old told mo tho other day
that he walked ten miles with soma
other boys when ho was ten years old
to see a railroad train.
It has hot been ho very many years
since tho most intelligent men and
women laughed and even Jeered at Uio
mero idea of people riding at the rato
of fifteen or twenty miles an hour.
When George Stephenson first began
to talk about inventing an engine to
bo run on lines of wooden or Iron
track, thu people looked upon him ns
a dreamer, a visionary who might not
be quite "right In his head."
But this Georgo Stephenson, of Wy-
lam, near Newcastle, in England, was-
not to bo put tlowti by sneers nor
Jeers, and he had the audacity to de
clare that ho could Invent nn engine
that would run at the terrific rate ol
twenty-five miles an hour, whereupon
one of tlio most noted periodicals I
the day said that he ought to be "pul
I u a straltjackot"
Stephenson went to work and bulll
a queer-looking little railroad engine
called tho "Rocket" in 1SUD, and thai
was the beginning of one of the niosi
useful and wonderful things In thu
world -the modern railway system.
St. Nicholas.
A IIoi-ir'n I tun tin mill I'Vct.
Now the horse never puts his beer
on the ground, nor even tho ball of his
foot I If stands up on the very tips
of his toes, and tills is, in part, the
reason why lie can trot so fast Dob
bin's heels are half way up his hind
legs, and what we call his knees are!
really his wrists. The part corre
sponding to the upper arm is short,
and Is so embedded In the muscles ot
the shoulder that the elbow comes
next tho hotly. But tho horse has only
one digit on each limb, and thu wrist
bones are comparatively small. The
so-called ankle, then, Is tho knuckle
where the digit Joins the hand or tha
foot, mill the "foot" is only a single
thick finger or toe, with n great nail
for a hoof. The lower half of thti
horse's fore leg is really a gigantic
hand with only the middle finger and
a piece out of tho middle of the pa Inn
while the corresponding parti of his
hind leg Is a big, single-toed foot St
Nicholas.
A Cheerful .Soul.
A man lost a leg in a railway acci
dent, and whon they picked hhn up
the first word ho saltl wtis: 'Thank
the Lord, It was tho log with the rheu
matism in it!" Atlanta Constitution,