Capital city courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1885-1893, May 26, 1888, Image 5

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    TIIK MYSTKIUOUS KKIKXI).
Button Ncwports,
Oxfords,
A 1 ban is,
Opera slippers.
Goat Points,
Wigwams
for
Ladies Misses and Children,
AT
Perkins Bros.
1 1 29 O Street
Mall order receive prompt attention.
Coin in I1I11 Itlcjclos mill Trlcxeles.
sa o st n. I) vddis. (t sv.Min.st
mW DENTAL ROOIS.
W. J. P. Lawton
D. D. S.
Rooms 42, 43, 44, Burr Block.
Elevator on O St.. Telephone 628
NITROS OXIDE GAS
Administered for )ulnlcss extraction.
H. W. BROWN,
Dealer in
Drugs and Medicines
PAINTS,OILS, GLASS.
Books, Stationery, etc.
127 S. Eleventh tit
Help Wanted!
Wnn'ed at once a responsible paitv ol
good address to represent
jl. ne-w -work:
IJyIION. TWOS. li. HILL, author of
Hill's Manual of Socinl and lliui-
nes Forms. In
LANCASTER COUNTY
An excellent opportunity to secure .1 good
positlonjandjtnake mono). Sales can be
made on the Installment plan when desir
ed. Address for term ami particulars,
HILL STANDARD BOOK CO., Publishers,
10 State St. CHIC UiO, ILL.
FINEST LIYERY RIGS
In thoYlty nil conic fin m tin-
Graham Brick Stables
!"J7 1' stu rt wh'i'i all kind uf
Boggles, Carriages or Saddle Horses,
(nil bo liailat any llinr, ilin
or night on short notice,
HORSES BOARDED
ami well tnkun cam of at reasonable rates.
Call uuil hi'o iih. lftJ7 H street, or glvo
orders hyTilolitno H7,
A REMINSCENSE OF THE LATE WAR
llriorHtliiii liny Sloi-.v Tul, I li) lliMtr
Ill-own, Willi llliislrullniM.
l'ri'iuirril for Hie cm uikh.
It was during tho autumn of 1801, whlln t
was with Fremont's army in Missouri as war
corrospondont of TI10 Tribuno, that 1 Unit
met ilnkluy t Wordless, llu was then n lilem
box of Fremont's Isxly guard, commanded by
MnJ Zugonyl, n Hungarian, and had distin
guished lilmself by his coolness mid Intrepidity
when tlio guard had In-en suddenly and 1111
oxxetodly attacked at night, as tlivy were
riding through a lane, on llielr nay to
Hrlngl1cld. War was 11 uovolty then; not
onoof tlio private, iimonj; whom was Word
less, had lieen under llro, and yet thoy boro
thciuscltw llko veterans In circumstance
BHi'lall calculated to tast their nerves. A
baud of guerrillas several lmtidred strong
southwest Missouri was full of them tlio first
year of llio war had heard of tlio detached
movement of the guard, and concealed them
selves Itohind u rail fence, skirting tlio lano
through which thoy knew tlio "Yankees"
must puss. They Impatiently awaited their
coming, mid nt an agreed signal, opened lire
with ritlos, Rhot guns, muskets, on tlio enomy,
never dreaming of danger, within a fnw feet
of tlio muzzles of their weapons. Thoy be
lieved, naturally, that many of tho raw sol
dlors would bo killed and woundod, and that
the rust, surprised in tho dark, would bo
thrown into confusion and tako to Indlscrim
iiintolllght. Their part of the programino
was faithfully oxocutcd; but tho guards
wholly fnlled'to act as anticipated. Theso,
though Hung for a motneut Into disorder by
thn lire, buf 01 i which u number foil, rallied
In o fow socor.ds, taking in tho situation at
a glance. Theli eomniauder, calm and cour
Hguuus, onWiixl tlieiu to charge; but before
they could do this, most of them were obliged
to dismount a few leaped tho fence and lot
dow n the rails. This they accomplished very
quickly, and firing their carbine at tho
fhadowy figures, rushed upon them with
drawn swords, and drovo them pell moll liter
a flock of sheep. The guerrillas, who had no
regular organization, woro dismayed at tho
uulookcd for assault, and escn)od in tho dark
ness. Tho wholo action was over in fl vo min
utes, but its echo lasted for weeks. Any
skirmish seemed a battle In those days, and
an tho guards had boon considered rnthcr
drawing room knights than truo soldiers,
their reputation for valor was exaggerated.
Hut allowing for hyperbole, their conduct
was right gallant thoy woro not moro than
ouo to three of tho foe and merited praise,
which as a chronicler of events and as an
ardent Unionist, I was eager to award. I
had been particularly struck by what I had
lioon told of a young fellow ho was strangely
named Hakluyt Wordless who had lioon
smoking a plpo at tho onset, and was still
puflllnglt nt tho outcome Maj. Zagonyi
was enthusiastic at what ho called his splen
did courage.
I had Jut written a glowing account of
tho body guard, and was leaving my tent
tho correspondents wero attached to head
quarters, and nominally on Fremont's staff
to jiost my letter, when a lioyiMi looking
youth, in tho uniform of tho guard, touched
his cap, and said, "You nro Tho Tribune cor
respondent, I bcllovo." I replied alllrma
tively, when ho mentioned his namo and his
desire to make my ncqualntanco. I told him
1 hud heard his name, and was proud to
kuow him, adding that I had been trying to
do tho body guard justlco for tho heroism
thoy had displayed. "That was what I
wanted to seo you about," lio remarked;
whereupon I said Jocularly, "Your prowess
shall not suffer at my hands. You shall
hear w hat I have written." I read my letter,
ierhnjis with somo satisfaction I was yet In
my twenties and ho blushed llko a girl when
I siioko culogistlenlly of him. "Would you,"
I inquired, "llko to ndd anything morel I
shall bo happy to write it."
"You are very kind; hut you would obllgo
mo exceedingly if you would eraso what you
havo said about inc. I do not descrvo It, and
if I did, I would greatly prefer your silence,"
I could hardly bcllovo him sincere; for I
had not found mon in tho army, or out of it,
for matter of that, nvcrso to pralso. Hut ho
soon convinced 1110 of his earnestness, and I
reluctantly canceled tlio personal rcferenco
to him. That was tho boginning of our in
timacy. Ho impressed mo most favorably
from tho start. Wo talked together till 3
o'clock in tho morning, and I felt, nt parting,
08 if I had known him all my llfo a natural
feeling when ono meets a sympathetic spirit.
I discovered him to bo thoroughly educated,
a classical s olar, acquainted with several
modern languages, a traveler at homo and
abroad; in brief, a delightful companion.
Ilut ho was singularly reticent as to his onto
cedeuls and wrsonallty, and I respected his
reticence. Ho simply told mo that ho was an
American for six genorntious, a Now Yorkor,
25 years old (he looked much younger) and
an intense lover of his country. When I
montioncd his courage, ho said ho had not
really displayed any; thnt, in tho skirmish of
tho previous day, he had not hud tiinu to Ik)
frightened, that no man could tell if ho wero
bravo until ho had frequently been tostod.
Wo wero a great deal in company until Fro
raont was iclloved of his command, when th,
bodyguard lieing dissolved (ho had joined it
lu St. Louis), ho was mustered out. Tho
army now fell back, and Hakluyt and I
separated, uot for long, ho declared, us sym
pathetic natures wero likely to bo drawn to
gether under any circumstances.
I went to Kentucky to obscrvo military
operations, and nfter tho battlo of Mill
Spring started with Grant up tho Tennessee.
Fort Henry had been taken mainly by tho
gunboats, and then tho land forces marched
across the bit of hind that separated tho Tell
nosee and Cumberland rivers, expecting to
reduco Fort Douolson lieforo breakfast. I
was trudging over tho snow covered Held on
tho third day's lighting, half starved, half
frozen wo had no tents and wero short of
provisions and nearly blind from tho recent
explosion of a case of cartridges at tho land
ing ono of tlioni having struck myoo
when I suddenly encountered Hnklujt on
horseback. Our meeting was Joyous. Ho
w iiitcd to do something for me; but I told
him 1 could hold out, if tho fort did not, and
I hclumsl its rapture at hand, in which
opinion ho agreed. Ho had gained tho rank
of captain and was on tlio stall' of one of tho
generals, a MWition ho enjoyed, ho said,
sinco ho could volunteer for any sjioclul en
terprise ho might fancy Ho had his duties
to iwrform, and I had initio; so wo bade each
other good-by for tho timo. In tho afternoon
I was on tho right, w horo tho hottest strife
was raging, and an Iowa regiment was ono
of tho first to assault tno enemy's works and
gain a jiosltioii on tho inside, Tho next morn
ing Huckner surrendered with 15,000 prison
crs, aud as it was tho earliest positive success
of tho Union arms overyliody was Jubilant.
Nearly exhausted, 1 went down tho river
to Cairo, tho boat filled with captured Con
federate olllcers, aud with dllllculty wroto
up my account, being scarcely nblo to tee.
Wordless was my companion, and I went to
St. Ixiuls to recruit, where ho had boon sent
on sjioclal business.
I had learned, meanwhile, that ho had
volunteered as a prlvnto In tho Iowa rogl
SUmt, aud had led tho. van. wiuiibur unlver-
oun K.xrKiirrio.t had
mi admiration ny 11 is intrepidity Men
hud lioon shot down, nil around him, bullets
had pursed through his cap aud clothing, and
yet ho wits unhurt. Tho color lieaior having
lieen killed bv tho oxnlosion of a shell, hi,
tilckisl up tho IIuk, anil cart led it until an
other relieved him of It, when ho again took
up his musket and pushed forward with tho
front Una He was silent on tho subject, and
when 1 questioned him said ho hud done very
little, and changed tho theme. 1 doubt If
any soldier on tho Held, from tho highest to
the lowest, on either side, had shown more
valor aud resolution than that eiromluato
looking, boylxh npjienriug ollloor Ilut tliero
was no mention of his numo lu tho military
dispatches or lu tho correspondents' letters,
as I had, lu obodlcuco to his eager request,
refrained from oakiug of his gallant con
duct to my fellow Journalists. Ho had,
probably, taken every moans to keep himself
out of the olllcial rejiorts, and had been suc
cessful. I could nut understand hl morbid
modesty, and 1 tried my bust to overcome it,
though without avail. Ho had an unmis
takable dread of faiuo; why was beyond my
comprehension.
In Su Louis our long talks, carried lato
Into tho night, wero continued What thonuw
uid wo not discuss 1 it seems now as If wo
left nothing untouched Wo ranged from
tho natural to tho supernatural, from tho
purely practical to tho speculative and mys
tical, mid our vlows, as is usual with very
young men, were moro positive than thoy
would bo now On my referring to tho odd
noss of his namo, and his nlr of inysUry, ho
replied that when tho wnr was over, should
ho survive it, ho would have no moro ro
servos; thnt then 1 would understand his
present motives for concealment.
Onco moro wo went our resiectIvo ways;
ho going to Grant In Teunessou, and 1 to tho
Mississippi flotilla bent on oM'iilug tho river.
Ho was nt Shlloh, while 1 was ut tho capture
of Island No. 10. 1 hud Intended to Join
Grnnt'snrmynftorthntovont; but his victory
was won almost simultaneously, tho battlo
having occuned earlier than had lioon antic
Ijmted, owing to tho enemy making tho at
tack. I received 11 letter from Hakluyt, and,
reading between tho lines, could seo that ho
had onco moro distinguished himself. Ho
hnd carried, through a deadly ilro, several
highly important orders, on tho issue of
which tho engagement turned. Ho might
uot havo told mo this, had ho uot been hon
orably mentioned lu tho dispatches and pro
moted to tho rank of colonel.
Wo did not seo each other again until wo
wero before Vlcksburg lu tho winter nnd
spring of ltiiKl. Ono night wo wero on tho
Loulsintiu peninsula, opposlto tho besieged
town, when somo of our gunboats ran tho
Confederate batteries. We, with others who
hail gono thero to witness tho spectacle, wero
directly in rau.co. Tlio shot aud shell toro
through tho trees nbovo our heads, shatter
ing tho trunks, and cutting off tho limbs,
w hich fell around us lu fragments. It was a
torrlblo lire. Tho Mississippi Bhoro seemed
for miles all ablaze. Cannon after camion
shot out lu murderous (lame; the nlr was full
of deadly missiles, It appeared as If no liv
ing thing In front of them could escape. Ilut
tho danger was 111010 vis.blo than actual. Wo
lay on the ground, and tho shot Kissed above
us, commonly ut u height of ten or twelve
feet. Our chief peril was from tumbling
branches and flying splinters. Wordless
cnlled tho ceaseless flro a military wood cut
ting machine, cords of wood might havo liecn
gathered tho next morning in our vicinity,
though It would hardly havo boon worth tho
powder and Iron oxjiended for it.
In it lull of tho cannonade wo overheard
n group of men near us giving directions in
to tho dlsKsitiou of their bodies in easo thoy
should bo killed. Helug all luurrlcd but one,
they wished their remains and what money
and valuables they hud on their person!
Bent homo to their wives. Tho bachelor, who
was tho Bohemian correspondent of a Chi
cago nowspnjier, said: "Ilury me Just wheru
I Ho; nobody cares for mo, nnd 1 haven't a
cent in my pocket." Hakluyt laughed at
this, nnd said: "It's n great comfort, isn't itl
when a fellow Is in danger to think that ho
Isn't married." "1 Imvo heard," 1 replied,
that mature husbands uro often Indifferent
to danger, oven to death." Is it liocau.ss
thoy havo nothing to Hvo forf or becaust
thoy havo nothing moro to fearl" Another
roar of tho batteries prevented a rosjionso;
and ns tho gunboats had passed, tho firing
gradually censed, aud lu nn hour or two wu
woro usloep on ono of tho transports.
That night's exjierlonco had awakened In
both of us a deslro to run tho batteries. Hi
thought It might bo exciting, a sort of sensa
tion, since nil that could bo douo would bo;
us tho phrase is, to sUmd and tako It, which
Is commonly thought to bo a triul of courage.
I told him that his valor hail been tried s
often that it wassiiori!uous to try it further.
Hut ho insisted, as beforo, that exposure to a
now kind of peril might frighten a man who
hud reason to believe himself brave, and
added: "1 ha-o never run batteries, you
kuow, and tho thing uppeuls to my imagina
tion. I hope wo shall do it together, soms
timo."
Within :i week ho was ordered to Wash,
lngton as a bearer of important dispatches,
exiootiiig to return speedily Tho plan ol
tho cumpulgn nguinst Vlcksburg demanded
that somo of tho transports should pass tin
town, and prewiratIons weromado to that
end A year leforo,w hen Gun. W. T. Sherman
had suggested the idea, ho was pronounced
crazy. It had always been accepted as an
Incontroertiblo military fuct ihutu wooden
vessel could not go by a stationary battery of
heavy glade. Tho attempt hud never been
iiiado by any nation. Hut America was going
to try 11, indeed Farragut's warships had
already tried it successfully. Wo hud already
taught Luroni various military lessons, aud
wo weto destined to teach her more. I had
arranged to run tho batteries on tho llrst
trnusorl that was to steam just tho strongly
defended town. I had telegraphed to Word
loss, who had replied! "Am very auxious u
nccoiiiuuy you. Wait for mo."
1 wuited, aud lost my opportunity. Tul
first transport went, and tho second, aui
tho third, aud thoy all got through.
Meantime tho river was steadily fulling, and
the conditions fur running tho batturiot
grow moro aud moro unfavorable. My
friend did not come. I telegraphed again
and again; no answer. What could tie th
causer Ho was so faithful to his word that 1
Locarno nlarmed. Fiuully tho last oxxhIIUoh
was lining out; it was coiiqiOMsl of two
Largos loaded with provisions and bales ot
hay, to Ihi lashed to n tug. Tho soldiers Iw
low needed rations, nnd tho horses fodder.
No timo was to lie lost I must go then, or
not ut all, and 1 had sot my heart ou having
iiickn mmnornu.
1110 night llxisl for our (leparturo wa
Sunday, May Jl, I8UI. Tho inooii was full,
aud, at the hour when wu should bo opposlto
tho batteries, would U in tho roullh. Boy
vral old Mississippi pilots, hearing of my lu
te nt, camo to mo aud urged mo not to make
tho venture, Thoy said tho water was very
low; the burges wero uuinnungonhlo; tho
enemy hud felled most of the trees on tho
peninsula, so as to have no obstruction bo
tweou their guns and tho Yankee boats,
which had to follow 11 sharp bond In tho
stream, bringing thorn lu direct raugo of tho
batteries when several miles obovo
tho city Tho artillerymen, they Insisted, had
got the range by practice, and, assisted by the
brilliant moonlight, would maku every shot
telL The probabilities wero that wo should
get aground lu turning tlio bend, and bo nt
tho mnrcy of tho heavy guns, Wu should,
in all llkollhotxl, bo completely destroyed;
not a man would escape.
My reply to all this was that, as I was
simply seeking n Dunsutlon, the greater tho
danger tho greater tho sensation. Thoy Inti
mated that 1 was a blank fool, and loo young
to tnow how big a fool 1 might I hi
Wo got off Just lioforo midnight. Tho
night was llko day, tho moon being so bright
that wo rend mHrs mid letters after start-
lug. Twoothei war correspondents of Now
York Journals, who wero my friends, were
' on tho eiKslitIon, which was abominably
fitted out a regular death trap, as ono of
tho pilots hail pronounced It, Fifteen en
listed mon who had vuhmtiorcd for tho occa
sion It was tho custom lu tho army to call
for volunteers for any scrvlco considered mr
tlcularly ktIIous two ofllcers, and tho crow
of tho tug brought tho numlier up to thirty
four. The night was beautiful, very warm,
and singularly BtllL Wo floated with tho
current, not willing to nrouso the attention
of tho enemy, If we could help it, by pull's of
steam, ilut our precautions wero futile. Ho
had scon us. Wo had barely got opioslto tho
batteries, on tho further side of tho lieud,
1 when wo saw 11 flash, follow ed by a ro
I port, and 11 thud near tho water lino of
tho nearer liargo assured us that tho gunners
hnd Indeed got tho-rnngo. Tho next Instant
1 every liattcry that could lo trained iqion us
l was belching forth flnmo and Iron. Wo woro
continuously under llro for four miles, first
rounding tho liend and then slowly moving
directly under tho guns. Tho cannonading
surpnssod tho cannonading 1 hnvo already
described. Tho Confederates apcarod to lo
I furious at their previous fulluro to destroy tlio
previous vessels or prevent any of them from
getting by, and redoubled their efforts on
this occasion. Thoy wero most prodigal of
powder, shot and shell. Tho moon won
dimmed with tho ceaseless Hashing of tho
great guns; tho giuoku lay along tho river
nnd partially ohscuicd tho town. Our
barges, with tho tiny I iborlng tug, npixvired
insignificant compared with tho stum ug
din from tho shore. Tho shot routed, tho
shell screamed and burst all around us.
Why wo wero not blown Into the air I could
not comprehend. Hut tho tug kept up Its
petty puffs, audible only at Intervals, and
steadily crept on. The handful of men wero
distributed about, watching tho hostile lire
and chatting of our chances of getting
through. Wo could only wait for tho result,
which it seemed every second must lo de
cided ngnlnst us. Wo npiieunsl to Ik in tho
hands of destiny, aud destiny 'was not, mani
festly, on our side. It occurred to 1110 that
Wordless would havo enjoyed tho scene,
which was a magnificent and terrible repre
sentation of war war of n multitude against
n fow compelled to iw wholly passive. So
many shells exploded nbovo our heads that I
believed that somo of our mon must Ihj killed
or wouudoiL I walked over tho barges nnd
perceived that so vend of tho soldiers hail
been struck. Whether dead or not I could
not tell. The horrible nolso hindered in
quiry; o aid could lo rendered, no action
taken until wo wero out of that flro of hell
under which wo had now been for nearly
half an hour. Wo wero gottlng liolow tho
town, tho heaviest batteries had lieen (Missed;
In ten minutes wo should bo beyond )ieriL
KiiOT Tiinouaii tub ukaiit.
Just then n shell from nn tipper gun
ilropjicd, by strnngo mischance, upon tho
tug, went iuto tho boiler, exploded, threw the
furnace flres upon tho loose hay covering tho
tops of tho barges, which in a minute or
two wero wrapped in flames. Our exedl
Hon had been destroyed, and its destruction
was greeted with 11 wild, Herco yell from tho
shore, Tho tug sank aud her crew went down
with her. Tho llro darted up every w hero;
wo wero cnvelood In it. Those of us unhurt
throw off bales of hay, helped tho woundod
to reach them, and thon plunged into tho
Mississippi to avoid tho flames. A com
(Million nnd I wero congratulating ourselves
thnt wo should get away by swimming, when
a yawl, filled w ith armed Confederates, sud
denly ran upon us tho wholo river was
lighted up nnd dragged us into tho bout
with a round oath nt tho blank Yankee
Our entire thirty-four had lioon killed,
wounded or captured. Tho doleful prophecy
of tho pilots had lieen verified not a man
hnd escaiHsl.
Then liegnn my two years of prison Ufa.
Tho enemy would not exchange or release oa
any terms a Tribuno correspondent. I was
sent from prison to prison, until nt last,
shortly Moro Ilichniond had fallen, I
0ACiied from Salisbury, N. C, and tramping
through a hostile country 11 distance of -100
miles in midwinter, reached our Hum, aud
welcomed again tho Stars and Strlios. As
soon as I was froo 1 instituted inquiries about
Hakluyt Wordless, and I learned why ho hud
not joined mo in running tho Imttorios. A
week beforo 1 had started ho was dead. Ho
had gonoouton n reconnal&anco from Helena,
Ark., and lieen shot through tho heart by
guerrillas lu umbusondo. The mystery sur
rounding him has never 1-vn divulged. His
was tho stuff of w hich heroen uro made.
Take Tuiklsh at lllltlO street.
AT-
MILLER'S
Special attention is paid to
IDRESSG00D3I :
Stock Large.
Assortment Complete.
All the New Shades.
All the New Fabrics.
J. E. MILLER'S
145 South Tenth Street.
The Best French Sateens
20c. a yard.
ASHBY & MILLSPAUGH.
Double Store Under Opera House.
FOR THE SPRING TRADE
SILK MADRAS CHENILLE
CURTAINS
With Sash Curtains to match. The Nobbiest Line of Curtains of all kinds in both
American aud Foreign Textures.
CURTAIN POLES AND RINGS
In the Latest Novelties of Wood and Metal. Prices Rock Hottom.
A. M. Davis & Sorj.
IT'S THE BEST MADE.
The Pennsylvania Lawn Mower.
This is the only mower made that will cut high grass. Guar
anteed to give satisfaction. Call .and see it.
ZEHRUNG & HENKLE,
Full line of Door and Window Screens, Cutlery, etc.
"tsa7"IE TJJhJU
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And the largest assortment m the city at lowest prices may
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