THE WEALTH MAKERS April 25, 1895 mi tin tiitti i n 1 1 1111 1 n i m i in 1 1 1 u 1 1 1 ! m By Captain F. A. MITCHEL. fepTwright, 18S4, by American 1'ra.iAa- -sociatlon.l jamnauamummimummun uuz CO.VTINDED FROM LAST WKEC. CHAPTER XV. TRIED. When Corporal Ratigan left Hiss Baggs with the general, to whom he had unwillingly conducted her, he was in such a condition of mind that he for got all about bis horse and started to walk toward his camp, when a cavalry man shows such evidence of absence of mind, it is a sure sign that he is in a condition bordering on insanity. Rati gan walked some distance before it oc curred to him that be was pursuing an unusual means of locomotion; thon he turned back to get his horse. When he arrived at the place from which he had departed, Miss Baggs had gone. Mount ing, he rode to his own camp, and upon reaching there he first went directly to his tent; then, shunning his oomrades, Btolo away to a wood and threw himself on his face in the shade of a large tree and gave himself up to grief. "O Lord, 0 Lord," he moaned, "if they'd organized corps of lovely women to be attached to each division of the army and the enemy, tbere'd be no more flghtin for either cause. Each would fight the other about the women and the cause would hev to take care of itself." "Corporal Ratigan I" The corporal put his hands to his ears and groaned. . "Corporal Ratigan, I say. " Still the corporal would not hear. He knew that some one was approaching, for whether he would or not he oould not help hearing his name called, eaoh time more distinctly. Presently a sol dier stood looking down at him. "Corporal Ratigan," he said, "yer wanted at the headquarters of Colonel Maynard, commanding the th bri gade." "What's that for?" asked the cor poral without changing his position. ' ' Witness for court martial ' ' Why will people ask questions ex planatory of disagreeable events or mis fortunes, the answers to which they know weU enough already? And why, when the information comes, will they deny its truth? "If ye say that again, Conover, Oi'll break every bone in yer body. " "What's the mather wid ye, cor poral?" Ratigan by this time had got up from the ground, where he was lying, and approaohed his tormentor, "Don't ask me, Conover, me boy." "Why, Rats, yer lookin as if ye were goin to be tried yerself. " "Tried? Oi'm to suffer on tho rack as one of me anoesters did once in the old Tower in Lunnon. " "How's that?" "Oh, don't ask me, don't ask me. 01 can niver endure this trial. Oi'll doi, Oi'll doi." "Come," brace yerself, me boy. Yer in no condition to be goin before a court What is it all anyway?" "What is it all? A woman to be tried for her lifa And I caught her. Oi'm to bear witness against her. O God, if they'd let me off by tyin me up by the thumbs, buckin and - gaggin, car ryin a log on me shoulders, drummed out of camp with shaved head and feath ers behind me ears. O Lord, O Lord, Oi'll doi, Oi'll doi 1" The corporal mounted his horse and was soon jogging along at a snail's pace toward Colonel Maynard's headquar tera There he was directed to whore the court was sitting. "Corporal Ratigan, you're late," said the president Etcrnly. The corporal Balutod, but said noth ing. He was directed to wait till some preliminaries had been disposed of, and he took position in a corner. It needed all the strength of which he was pos sessed to maintain himself on his legs, and he tried to keep his eyes from look ing about the courtroom. He feared that if they rested on the prisoner, even for a moment, he would sink down on the floor, a heap of blue uniform and boots. Nevertheless the eyes will not al ways be controlled. Despite his efforts, Ratigan's gave involuntary glances here and there until suddenly they rested on the object they were expected to avoid, sitting opposite, surrounded by guards, pale, but self possessed, and a pair of glorious eyes looking at him with such sympathy and encouragement that the poor man felt as if the win dows of heaven had been opened and an angel was looking out to give him strength. Once his eyes were riveted on hers there was no getting them away until he was suddenly aroused by a voice. "Corporal Ratigan 1" Mechanically he staggered to a place designated as a witness stand, and hold ing on to the back of a chair steadied himself to give his testimony. "State how you first saw the prisoner tampering with the telegraph line on yesterday morning, Sept ," said the judge advocate, an officer very tall, very Blender and very serious looking. "Oi didn't see her at all" "What?" "It was too dark to see anything." "Well, state what you did see." "I only thought I saw something." "Come, come," said the president sternly, "we have, no time to waste. Tell the story of the capture." Thus commanded, the corporal braced himself to give the desired aooount "Oi was ridin to camp after hav in posted the relief, and comin along the road it was the road Oi was com- , in along. Oi Oi colonel, it was so dark none of ye could hav.e seen yer hand before yer face." The corporal stopped and gave evidence of sinking on the floor. "Well goon." "There was somethin black in the road or by the sido of it Oi stopped to listen. Then.Oi thought some one might be tamperin with the line mind ye, Oi only thought it and Oi called on whoiver it was to surrender. Then Oi heard a 'get up, and wbativer it was dashed off. Oi followed it as fast as iver Oi could, callin on 'em to stop and firin me Colt Divil a bit did any one stop. " . The corporal paused again. It looked as if be were not going to get any fur ther. "Go on, my man." "Well, then we came to the camp of General 'a division, and I was halt ed by tho guards, while what Oi had seen got ahead. So Oi lost sight of it entirely." "Proceed." "Well, wasn't it the fault of the guards stoppin me and lettin the oth er go on, and no fault of mine?" "Goon." "What's the use of goin on? Oi lost sight of what was tamperin with the wires." "But yon overtook it " "How can Oi swear it was the same?" There was a smile on the faces of those present The questioner seemed puzzled at the corporal's device to avoid testifying against the prisoner. "Did you not ride on and overtake what you had seen?" "Divil a bit" , "I know better. You went on and found something in the road. What did yon find?" "Oi didn't find what Oi'd seen. " "What had yon seen?" "Didn't Oi tell ye it was so dark that Oi couldn't see anything?" "That won't do, corporal. You cer tainly followed something. Now, on coming np with it, what did yon find it to be?" "It wasn't whatOi followed. That, whativer it was, had gone ont with the mornin light Oi reckon it was some thing ghostly. " "Nonsense. Did yon not find the prisoner lying in the grass?" , "Oi did, " replied the witness, as if his heart would break, and he again showed signs of collapse. "And yon had reason to believe it was the person driving the buggy yon followed?" ; "Oi didn't Bee any buggy. It was bo dark" ' Well" impatiently "the person driving whatever it was you saw. " "How could Oi know that?" "It was natural to infer that, there being a horse and buggy near, the pris oner had been driving it" "There was no buggy. " "Well, the pieces. " "Now Oi would ask the court," said Ratigan, steadying himself to impress the members with the probability of his position, "if the person or whativer it was Oi saw tamperin with the wire moightent have turned off on another road and Oi suddenly lighted on this one?" "That'll do, corporal. You may step out and give the next witness your place." . The next witness was an officer from the camp to which the prisoner had first been taken after her capture. He testified that upon a proposition to search her she had voluntarily produced the dispatches, which were shown to him in court, and he identified them as the same as those she had given np. A reading of these dispatches was called for, and they were read. In addition to those Miss Baggs deci phered when at the Fain plantation were two others, which were as follows: Crawfish Springs, Ga., Sept. 14, 1863. Mobile Burton you when on has from other bob from re-enforced Quadroon count us that to wet Applause will can your undoubtedly cen tury points orange Benjamin and been coming wo Join telegraphs. Pinned to this telegram was a paper bearing an attempt at explanation in the prisoner's handwriting: To Burton (probably Burnside) on your coining can wo count when can we count on your coming? Applause (some person, probably the sinner) telegraphs oeen re-enforced from some one telegraphs that Quadroon fnroba- bly Bragg) has been re-enforced from other points. W ASHINGTON, Sept. , 1803. Potts ready we result condition uo if senarat- ed goes Jack all badly rapidly attack scattered tho twentieth and doodle D shall but I in tho but well plaster Arabia are up should present dread the concentrated jet be by should our enemy closing we to. There was no attempted explanation with this telegram. Either the prisoner had made no headway with it, or she had not sufficient time, probably both, though It was more difficult to deci pher than any of the others. These telegrams had been sent to gen eral headquarters and an interpretation of them furnished, which was read to the court: CRiVflM RpptNna n Ron. 11 19l To Burnside: Halleck tolegraphs that you will join us. When has undoubtedly been re-enforced from Vlr- Crawfish Bprinos, Ga., Sept. 16, 1868. To the Secretary of War : All goes well. We are badly separated, but closing up rapidly. If the enomy should at tack us in our present scattered condition, I should dread the result. Rnt K tv. 80th wo shall be concentrated and ready. D. The readins of these disnatohea nro- duoed an impression on the court very unfavorable to the prisoner. She had neia tne very lire oi the army in her hands. Had she trot throncrh tha Hnea witn tnese two ciphers and their inter pretations she would have supplied the enemy with such information as would put an end to all uncertainty and insure an attack on the Army of the Cumber land before it could be concentrated or supported "by-"other troops. This would have resulted in its annihilation. There was really no defense to make, and the defending counsel simply placed his client on the mercy of the court, hoping that, being a woman, death might not be the penalty. The room was cleared and the verdict considered. The court were not long in oonvioting the accused of being a spy and amena ble to the treatment of spies, but as to Ibe punishment there was a great di versity of opinioa Some thought that imprisonment in a northern penitenti ary would be a sufficient atonement There were those who argued that this would not have any effect to deter oth ers from similar acts at a time when the army was in so critical a situation. Thon the importance of the dispatches Miss Baggs was attempting to deliver to the enemy, the fact that their deliv- Ratigan addresses the court. ery wonld have given any general prompt to take advantage of an army's weakness an opportunity to destroy the Army of the Cumberland, acted serious ' ly upon those who were disposed toward clemency. Some members of the court . argued that the prisoner had acted as a man and must take the consequences, the same as if she were a man. There was none but knew that in this view of the case she would be immediately hanged. The disputants soon ranged themselves on opposite sides, the one in favor of an extreme course, the other of a life imprisonment But the critical position of the army and the enormity of the offense finally won over the lat ter, and the case was compromised by the convicted woman being sentenced to be shot at sunrise the next morning. The verdict and sentence were approved within two hours of the finding, and Colonel Mark Maynard was ordered to see that the sentence was duly carried out. CHAPTER XVI. "YOU shall not die. " Scarcely had the court martial brought in a verdict when an order came to Colonel Maynard to move his brigade aoross the Chickamauga creek by way of Dyers' bridge, to bo ready early the following day to make a reoonnoissanoe beyond the Pigeon mountains. He or dered an ambulance for his prisoner to ride in, since he had no option but to take her with him. The distance to be traversed was but a , few miles, and al though it was ' nearly sunset before the command broke camp it was barely dark when the tents were pitched in the new situation. Luckily a house was found for the reception of the prisoner, and the headquarters of the colonel com manding were established near it. As soon as Maynard's tent was pitch ed he went inside and shut himself up from every one. The matter of the life in his keeping, his desire to save his prisoner, the impossibility of his doing so except by betraying his trust and con niving at her escape, were weighing ter ribly upon him. A desperate struggle between his duty as an officer and his repulsion at carrying out a sentence upon a woman which had once been passed upon himself was driving him well nigh distracted. One thing was certain he could not save Miss Baggs without sacrificing himself. He was ready to sacrifice himself if he could do so honorably. He might even consider the matter of doing that which he had no right to do, but since the devil may care days of his scouting a new world had opened to him, which made the struggle more complicated than it would then have been. He had a wife whom he loved devotedly, and any obloquy he might take upon himself must be shared by her and his son. He knew that if he could conceive it to be his duty, or if he oould make up his mind without the approval of his conscience to connive at the prisoner's escape, he would have a fair chance of success. He was charg ed with the exeoution, and this would give him power over her person. On the other hand, such a violation of trust was too horrible even for consideration, and if he did not so regard it the pen alty he must suffer disgrace, if not death would well nigh kill his wife. For a long while he revolved these con siderations in his mind and at last came to a decision. He would suffer the tor ture of carrying out the sentenca He would do his duty to his country, his wife and his son. He had scarcely arrived at this deci sion when a message came from the prisoner asking to see him. The racking of his whole nature, whioh had been partially allayed by his decision, came back to him with the summons. He dreaded an interview. He felt that the resolution he had formed was of too little inherent strength to warrant placing himself under so great a temptation. But his memory took him back to the jail in which he had been oonfined on the eve of his own intended exeoution at Chat tanooga, and he thought how he would have regarded any one who wonld refuse him such a request at such a time. He got np and walked over to the house where the prisoner was oonfined. H paused a few moments before en tering, in order to collect himself, then walked slowly up the steps. The guard stood at attention and brought his piece to a "-present " but Maynard did not see him, did not return his salute. He open ed the door, entered the house and in a few minutes was in a room in which the prisoner was confined. She was standing by a window. As he entered i she turned and stood with her hands banging clasped before her, her sorrow ful eyes fixed steadily upon him. "Colonel Maynard," she said, "I have Bent for yon to ask you to deliver my last messages. I once met yon in the house of one who is dear to yon. There I received shelter from the storm whioh raged without, bnt whioh was nothing to me beside another evil that threatened me. I was sore pressed and in great danger of capture. The women in that house an elderly lady, a young girl who visited there and your wife took me in at a great risk to them selves. Your wife certainly had much at stake, for your honor might be in volved. I have sent for you now to ask yon to say to them that I have treasured their remembrance and their kindness to ma" She waited a moment for him to ac cept the trust She might have waited till the crack of doom without a reply. He bad no power to utter a word. He simply bowed. "I desire also to intrust this keepsake to you, to be sent to my brother1. " She took a locket from about her neck and held it np before him. On it was painted a miniature of a young man in the uniform of a Confederate officer. Maynard looked at it and started back, with a cry, as if pierced with a redhot iron. "He he is" "My brother." "Oh, God!" He staggered to the wall and leaned against it, shivering. "You know him, colonel. There is no necessity for deceit now. I have long known the singular circumstances that surround you and him that you both loved the same woman; that yon won. " "And that twice twice he gave me my life?" "That he never told me. " "Ah, he never told you that?" replied Maynard, a kind of wonder in his tones. "When at Mrs. Fain's plantation, I discovered under whose roof I was shel tered. Your wife had never seen me, and I determined that it would be best for all that I should not make myself known." Maynard stood in amazement at tnese developments, in horror at the situa tion as he now knew it to be. VAnd you are the sister of Cameron Fitz Hugh?" "I am. I am Caroline Fitz Hugh. " "You shall not die." When Colonel Maynard spoke these words, there was a grandeur in his tone, his figure, the lines of his countenance, the light in his eye, strangely inconsist ent with a resolution he had made the moment before they were uttered. He had on the instant reversed his decision made not ten minutes before to do his duty, in the ordinary acceptance of what that duty was. He had determined to save the woman before him, even if it were necessary to take upon himself far greater ignominy than the death to which she was sentenced. There was si lenoe between them, during which Miss Fitz Hugh stood looking at him in ad miration, mingled with inquiry. She knew that some secret charm was at work within, but she did not know what it was. "How can my death be prevented?" "I am charged with your execution. I will take you to your lines myself this night" What was that subtle influence, far stronger than battalions of infantry or batteries of artillery, which gave it to one not present, unconscious of his pow er, t hold Mark Maynard over a preci pice and to cast him into a black gulf below? Was it circumstances that had a year before led Fitz Hugh to accept the very part Maynard was now called upon to play? Was it love that had given Maynard tho bride Fitz Hugh was to have possessed? Was it sonie invisi ble fiend that had made Maynard a rob ber of that bride from the man to whom he twice owed his life and was now bringing on his punishment? These were indirect causes, but they cannot explain that inexpressible, intangible sense of honor which will lead a man, to speak paradoxically, to commit a crime and sacrifice himself at the same time for another. The expression on Miss Fitz Hugh's face as she heard Maynard speak words which would save her from death and givo her liberty underwent a change. For a moment after they were spoken there was a delighted look, but as she realized what they mea: i. to the man who would save her it was transformed into an expression which can only be described as bordering on the confines of angel land. There was a holy look in her eyes, a radiance of purity from the soul expressed in every featnra There was the superhuman attribute of choosing death before life and liberty at the price of wrong. "No, colonel, we Fitz Hughs cannot aocept sacrifice, and especially wrong, from others. We give; we are not ac customed to receive. " Maynard stood gazing at her with a look as if in refusing the sacrifice she had stabbed him. "What then, " he Baid at last "can I do?" "Send the news of my condition, of my expected" she shuddered at pro nouncing the word "execution to our lines. Knowing that I am condemned, they can bring what influence they may be able to save me. " "It will avail nothing. " "Try it. Fate, luck, Providenoe works, strangely at times. Let us push on and leave the rest to a higher power." The colonel looked at his watc'- "It is now half past 9. We are be a few miles from the Confederate lines. Your brother is" "In 's cavalry division and on the Confederate right I heard from bim only a few days ago. He was then at Ringold." "That is not far from hera" "There may be time, " she said hope fully. "Some one must steal through the lines. If not shot, he may accomplish something. In half an hour I shall be' "You?" ' "Yes, II I will not trust this only thread on which your life hangs to any one else, though I confess, "he added gloomily, "I have no confidence in it." "No, colonel, I cannot accept this from yon. You are the commander here and are all that stands between me and death. You must remain here and send a messenger." "Who would I dare intrust with such a message?" "Send for the man who captured me, TAKE NOTICE! Book and Job Printing County Printing Lithographing . Book Binding Engraving Of all kinds. Blank Books In every style. Legal Blanks other nouses Stereotyping From superior Printers' Rollers Made by an material. Country Printers Having county or other work, which they cannot themselves handle, would make money by writing ns for terms. WEALTH MAKERS PUB. CO. Lincoln, Neb. Corporal Ratigan. Let him bear the message." "He?" The colonel looked at her a moment as if to question why this man should be so trusted, but her eyes were lower ed. He knew there was a secret which it did not become him to pry into. "I will send him, if ho can be found at once. If not, I will go myself. And if the mission fails" The words were not finished, for he well knew how precious time was, and turning from the room and the house strode rapidly toward his tent. He had gone but a dozen paces before he heard some one call "Colonel!" He did not hear. The call was re peated, i. "Colonel!" A man approached him, whom in the darkness he did not recognize. "Is there no hope, colonel?" the man asked in a choked voica "Who are you?" "The man who captured her," po' it- ing to the house. "Oi'll never draw a her again." "Corporal Ratigan?" "Thesama" "This is fortunate. Come with ma " The two started together to a thicket wherein they would neither be observed nor heard. "Oi'm hangin round, ye see, colonel. Oi'm away from camp without leave. Oi hope they'll shoot me for a deserter." Colonel Maynard did not speak till they reached the thicket Then, turn ing and facing Ratigan, he said ear nestly: "You wonld like to save her, would you not;" "God knows I would. " "Then go to the picket line and get through unobserved if possible. Go to Ringold and find a Confederate officer Cameron Fitz Hugh, if he is there. Tell him that his sister is condemned to be shot at sunrise tomorrow morning. Say that Colonel Mark Maynard sends him this information, ,that he may use whatever influence he possesses take any measures he may oonsider honor ableto save her. Tell him," the colo nel lowered his voice, "that I offered to attempt to do so, taking ruin upon myself, but she would not accept the sacrifice. Go; there is no time to lose. When the sun rises, it will be too lata " "Oh, colonel," "cried the man in ttgony, "there is so little time!" "Go! It is not yet 10 o'clock. We have six hours." . The corporal was moving away when the colonel stopped him. "You will need the countersign. " Ratigan returned, and the colonel whispered it in his ear, "Carnifax Ferry." to be coOTnrcm Education... ...OP VOTERS... Should be the watchword of every Populist from now until after election 1896. The Farmers Tribune Published at Des Moines, Iowa, has made a special rate, giving that large eight-page paper for FIFTY CENTS per year. This rate is good only until May 1st so all should take advantage of F it at once. The TribuSb is an educator and stands squarely on the Omaha platform. It has a de partment of general news as well as Populist news. It has a large list of correspondents and its editorials are able and Instructive. It is a vote-maker. While the price of this able aper is Fifty Cents all should ecome subscribers. Remem ber, this rate is for April only. Samples sent on application. Send in at once. Send a club If possible. Address Fanners Tribune, Des Moines, Iowa. and Supplies . . 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