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About The Sioux County journal. (Harrison, Nebraska) 1888-1899 | View Entire Issue (May 30, 1895)
A REVISIT TO LIBBY PRISON. Some time ago Chicago capitalist pur 0kw4 ami removed to thai city "Llbby thrteuB" of Richmond, Va., tbe old brick Vanbuuar where au many Union pruton sa were incarcerated during tbe civil wmr. It ia used aa a war museum and Blnina a large collection of very inter Milig relics.) Oik-ago baa raiaed ber jeweled band iVsd Hasped ber arm with aa iron band; As a saint may toy with a tyrant' crows, Alter hi throne baa been toppled down; Aa siave may lift bia broken chain. T test, in might, ita strength again. "Wkn ia it they aay, old comrades dear? "!So animosity harbored here; Ho sectional feeling or party spite la Libby Prison?" That's right, that'a right, We have lit the fires of love and peace TS time the blasts of war should cease." "let, lead me in. 'Tis the same low door That open swung fur us both before; M 'flu j 1 t m is 1111 tar- LIBBT PRISON IS 1)5. n a day like this, when the front-cut leaves. Drifting low on tbe smoky breeze, J"eli. dew-dyed, on tbe crimsoned breaat iff many a lad that lay at rest. "And many a gallant fellow lay White and cold, in bia suit of gray, Before we set out for thia prison pen, Serred on and driven by Forrest's men. As the nettling smoke at evenfall Jfell o'er tbe dead -a flame-fringed pall! "Well, how doei it look? I plainly aee. With inner sight, how it used to lie. Here was the door and the pout about there, H'bt re I out my name with painful care, ft'hen, as weak as any child, I lay After my fever'd burned away. "Just let me grope; I can surely find The spots I have so well in mind. Here are the stairs but turned around They ran up thia way from the ground. When the traitor. Hobs, up there would stand To call the roll of our gaunt band. "How queer it aeenia to be here alone I can almost fancy I hear the tone f a voice long drowned in a minie'a scream. rlow, out of my darkness faces gleam Tinged and aglow with the campfire'a light, rr starved and dead In here at night ""What wan, aet looka. Not soldier fare, Not open fields marked such deiair. Oh! why do those eyes from out the gloom So sadly peer in this prison room? irsck, look, how they come from far and near Assembly call! The boys are here! J "The courtyard fills, they're trooping In ITS Bl' RROt'NDINGS W CITTCAOO. 2sngeon and rat-hell, foul and dim; Forward, advance! Old Libby feel The clash of spectral arm and steel; While I a Samson blind o'ertbrow This cursed wailing place of woe! "Ah, yes! Ah, yes! I raved. I know The war was over long ago. Jot lead me out where 1 can feel The airs of freedom round me steal. Tea, lead me out where brothers stand Who've dropped the gun to clasp the hand!" eLEVEN! The mellow stroke rang out sweetly on the still night air of Kocklaod and a lonely watch er who counted them as seconds bringing earer and nearer the saddest day of her existence, bent over her wretched sewing and stifled a sob and a tear. There had been no Christmas joy in Mary Burton's life for over a quarter of a century, no pleasant birthday celebra tions, no holiday reunions only sorrow, sitternesa and longing, culminating in sjassion and agony of grief when Decora tion Day came around. As now. Twelve! Memorial morn had fawned, tbe day when vivid memory took ner back over the scarlet path from Sum ter to Richmond, to find its last step near it three decade distant, and yet she had mot forgotten one episode in which her hlrtive husband had proven .his heroism, wly to fall at the threshhold of that gold Mi peace which made blue and gray fri"tnln mid brothers once again. It liiu been struggle, privution and loneliness- since that mournful moment She bad come to her dead husband's home af ter tbe war, to be near hi grave, to con sole his aged mother, till she, too, died, tut Mrs. Burton was alone in the world. "The last look to-day I" ahe murmured Token ly, placing aside ber sewing and gawijig from the window past tbe moonlit meadow to where white monuments stood Bke sentinels on eternal guard. "The last lowers the last good-bye! One gravel th. If it were only two if the other but lent by her father's aide, I could go In ao, since dnty wills." These were her miiaiBg, and tbey fram es) a peigaant picture of anguish and ia Mt natfi ssornlng had esaai y I V - V. t I AFTER THIRT? YEARsTJ I i Mrs. Burton ha received an offer to ' accompany a wealthy family to Brazil a j housekeeper. It would make- brraueiiie. i but it promised comfort and a pcrma-J-it 1 home. 1 She would carry away with ber. bow- ever, something more than widowed heart the sorrowful distress of a ' be reaved mother, but bereaved so tra vly, so terribly, that for thirty years doubt and anguish bad lain incessantly over her soul like hideous pall. Hastening to hear ber wounded, dying husband's last words, accompanied by their only child, little Myrtle, then one year old, the river boat on which they were passengers had been attacked, burn ed and sunk by guerrillas. Mother and child were separated in the confusion of rescue, and when the terrible night had passed away, little Myrtle was nowhere to be found. The frantic mother had haunted tbe vicinity for weeks, with others, seeking for traces of missing friends. What had become of ber baby durliiig? She never knew. Hut as body after body was cast ashore, broken-beartedly she decided that her child had found a watery grave. Mary Burton had given two to para dise on thai eventful last night of the war, it seemed Myrtle, tbe iunoceut, and John Burton, private in the Army of the West, but surely captain in the heavenly phalanx where valor and du'y brought the meed deserved. "Good-bye my lost one, my cherished one, dead in wild battle and dying so fearlesslygood-bye!" Amid the solemn dirge echoes of the village band, Mary Burton placed her sim ple floral offering umju the mound of her dear hero. I Only a wreath of violets, but they were ! sparkling with the tear diamonds of a 1 loyal woman's eyes, they were heavy with ' the kisses of lips pure and patient with prayer. Then the bereaved one sank to the shel- I ter of a flowering bush, watching the j mourners at other graves, with a syra- j pathy that lessened her own grief. "The sexton said this was the grave," I fell suddenly upon her hearing. j "Yes, here is tbe headstone," responded a gentle feminine voice. "Rodney, look! Oh, we have not come In vain. 'John Burton. V She to whom John Burton had been all in all arose to her feet, athrill, and peered through the shrubbery. Who were these strangers? What their Interest in the little mound so lonely and obscure? "Yoo are agitated, my dear. This may all be a mistake," interposed the first speaker. "We will seek out the lady the sexton told us of, Mrs. Burton. Then we will know, Slyrtle." Myrtle! At that moment the man's companion turned, and ber face was plain ly seen by the startled, breathless watch er. Mrs. Burton's senses reeled. It seemed for a moment as if heaven had flashed one of Its sweetest mysteries on her vis Ion. The dead beneath the sod lived again. In every familiar lineament of the strange woman's face, and she was "Myrtle!" "Rodney," spoke she. her eyes resting pleasingly on her companion's face, "yon will see this Mrs. Burton at once, will you not? Oh, my heart cannot tell mo wrong! Think! think what to me it must be, after thirty years, to know that I have found at last my mother!" "My child! Myrtle! You have his face, his voice. I am she yon seek!" Heaven told the poor, tortured heart this as by an Inspiration the weeping, clinging Myrtle verified it with a strango story. Carried along in the wave of refugees driven to flight by the guerrilla band, the child had found homo with family In Louisiana. Only a name on a locket, "Myrtle," link ed ber to an unfathomable past She had grown to womanhood, had married Rod ney West two weeka previously. The day after their wedding the locket ahe had worn for years fell from ita chain and was crashed tinder foot. Attempting to reclasp it, Myrtle discov ered a tiny folded paper between the cover plates. The printed chronicle of tbe birth of "Myrtle, daughter of John and Mary Barton, of Rockland," placed there by the latter so many years before, it seemed a providential revelation to the motherless waif. It had led them hither, to this the hap piest reunion of Memorial' Day I All day long those devoted spirit re mained at the little monnd, sanctified with new tenderness. They watched blue and gray walk, arms Interlocked, among the cool shaded paths of the beautiful cemetery bl us, bright skies above tbm, dotted overhead, a the oeseeful evening eaM oa. with a whole DAWS or M F.MORI AX DAT. AT TBE HCBO'a OBATB. Irk heaven full of holy, tranquil shores hope and eternal beauty of BAB ON DECORATION DAY. A Southern Woman's Tribute to He roes Both Ulue and Oral. It was just a bunch of white roses, but the ribbons that tied It together told its history oue w as blue and the other was gray. It was to be placed on the grave of a boy who bad fought for what he be lieved was right, and the gentlewoman who was to put it there believed that all animosity bad passed by, and tbe Blue and the Gray might be firm friends. Bo tbe bunch she carried for ber own boy's grave was tied up in this way, and in ber hand was another one tied the sume; It was to be laid uion the grave of the stranger. That stranger, whose name was even unknown to her, had died fighting like a brave man, and, therefore, deserved to be remembered and to have tribute shown to his courage. I think it a beauti ful idea this one of decorating the graves of all the soldiers, bnt I like it better when the custom is carried even further, and when not a grave in the cemetery is overlooked. It seems to me a goodly and proper thing for the living to remember the dead, at least once a year, and it seems a kind and loving thing to mark this remem brance with sweet flower. As a people, we are not very emotional, and if there is any way in which we can bring our kindness to the surface. It should be done, and so the encouragement of the day sacred to the memory of those who have gone before Is worthy of much considera tion. Decoration Day must essentially be one .entirely free from any feeling but that of generosity and loving kindness. It doesn't make any difference which side a man fought on he died for what he be lieved was right, and for that reason he deserves to be remembered by those who are living. Decoration Day ought to mean the union of the Gray and the Blue; there ought to be a flag for that purpose, for the colors blend so beautifully that the result Is exactly the tint of heaven itself. , I wondr, my friend, if you feel as I do. I wonder If yon despise all, the funeral trappings if you wish more resiect shown to yourself dead than you might possibly demand alive and when tbe long years have gone by, you would not like somebody once a year to place a flower on your grave, to show that you were still In touch with humanity. No matter who it is; if It is the woman whose life was soiled. If it is the man whose death was shameful, or if It was the soldier who was fighting for his country, just remember that not one of them can defend them selves now, and that neither you nor I can judge tbem. Start out to make God's acre beautiful; take the crimson roses of love, the white ones of Innocence, the lavender heliotrope of devotion, the blue forget-me-nots of never dying memory, the lilies of purity, i and strewing them all about here, there and everywhere, make tbe day one of ! absolute onion onion of hearts, union I of feeling and union of remembrance. That la what Decoration Day should be. And all these soldier who lie sleeping, those who fought not only on the battle : ground of dispute, but in tbe greater one ' of life, will, when the trumpet call rings ; out its summons on the great judgment day, each stand before the Great Com : mander, ready to answer the questions put ! to him. And be sure he will not ask hi : neighbor, "Did you wear the blue or the gray?" But, inatead, he will say: "Broth er, we have fought tbe good fight, and may God, In his Infinite mercy, jaidge C. BAB. THE 30TH OF MAY. Historic War Events Which Took Place on That Day. Many an old soldier on Memorial Day looka back to scenes and events of the war suggested In conversation or revived by the sight of a former comrade. The occurrence in line aa "anniversary" hap pening grouped below, will be of Inter est to those who participated and those who remember. They tell what took place on the 30tb of May, thirty-four, thirty-three, thirty-two, thirty-one and thirty year ago thi Decoration Day: May 30, 1861, a solitary war event of little importance marked the advance of the Federal forces through Virginia. Tbl waa the occupation of Grafton by the Union troop. May SO, 1862, three active skirmishes occurred at Fair Oak, Va.; Tranter' Creek, N. C, andat Zutil, V. Oa the same day Itoonevllle, Miss., was cap tured, the Cypress Creek and Tuscumbia bridge were dentroyed, Corinth was evac uated by the Confederates, martini law waa proclaimed In Texas, and l'ort Royal, Va., came under Federal control. May 30, the notable occurrences were a skirmish at Greenwich, Va., an at tack on the Confederate camp at Car thage, Tenn., and the capture of Tappa h an nock, Va., by fonr Federal gunboat. May 80, 1804, saw engagement at 1 mm " . LV-V- Hanover Court House, Ashland and Old Church, Va., the Army of the Potomac securing the advantage In each of these battles. May 30, lSiil, the peace chronicle was complete, showing the surrender of 174, 2Z1 Confederate troops; the Twentieth army corps was discontinued, and vet erans in the service march-! home as heroes to families and friends. A rteriairm. Sleep, O soldier! low, lie low 'Neath the blossoms' scented snow! Ne'er awake to earthly storm Song of i-ace, nor wars' alarm. Host, O soldier! clear and sweet Waves and winds the words repeat; While the stars above thee swinging, Chant the chorus to their singing. Joy, oh, great ones, silent-seeming! Thou tbe mighty art apd we the dreaming. Restless sleepers! Voiceless, silent, we Thine the heavenly minstrelsy! Thine the patriot's name and race; Thine the hero'e crown and place; Thine the fadeless, star-wrought vision; Thine the perfect hojie's fruition! Sleep, there, soldier! low, He low 'Neath the blossoms' scented snow! Ne'er awake to earthly storms Chant of peace, nor wars' alarms. Good Housekeeping. PATRIOTIC OBSERVATION. It Should Not lie Left Alone to Or ganizations of Old Soldiers. At this season there should be no alloy in the golden tribute of our country to the soldiers, says tbe Chicago Graphic. Their memory should be cherished, siieir bravery extolled and their examples emulated. It is impossible, to value too highly their deeds on Southern battle fields, nor to speak too emphatically of their patriotic motives. The inculcation of the lessons of patriotism is aa much a duty aa the de fense of tbe country. The anniversary of the day when the graves of our beloved heroes are strewn with the flower of a nation' love should be observed with all the fervor which a patriotic and home loving people can command. The observation of Decoration Day should not be left alone to the organiza tion of old soldier. A grateful nation should make of the day an annual occa sion for the rehearsal of the valorous deeds of "the boys of 'SI ;" citixens should vie with each other In exemplifying their affection for them, and the youth of tbe land then, if at no other time, should hear the history of their achievements. A patriotic people must not suffer the stigma that tbey have allowed tbe enthusiastic and hearty recognition of thia occasion gradually to fall. The t'nknown Iea1. Her are some interesting statistics concerning tbe dead soldier of the wars There are 82 national cemeteries, contain ing 327,179 soldiers, nearly one-half of whom are classified as "unknown." Twen-ey-one of these burial spots contain over 5,000 bodies each, among them the famous cemeterie at Vicksburg and Corinth, in Mississippi. At Salisbury, N. C., out of a total of 12,132, only 07 are "known." At Andersonvllle and Hampton, Va., more than nine-tenth are identified. At the Soldier' Home, Washington, nine-teen-twentieths, and at the cemeteries at St Augustine, Fla., and Battle Ground, D. 0., all are Identified. -The largest interments are at Vicks burg, where there are 1J,C2() of the dead. At Naohville, 10,032 are buried. The smallest national cemetery la at Beverly, N. J., and contains only 104. So they lie together, the known and the unknown, under long white row of headstones, ranked and serried aa wheD they fell fighting for their country. Women of tho O. A. It. The Important part that women are playing In tbe memorial and charitable work of tbe Orand Army of the Republic j Is always made manifest upon tbe occa sion of Decoration Day service. N'esrly every post has attached to it a woman's auxiliary, snd no small part is entrusted to Its charge. In looking after the want and supplying the need of the ick, nurs ing the suffering, Investigating cases re ported s deserving of charity, and In gathering flower to decorate the grave of the dead, these noble women perform a ervlce that add to the credit of the order. Tbey are worlby of all honor. Their Influence I for good, and it it ia creasing all the time. Napoleon was fond of any and all works on legal subjects and mllliaij science. He said a man should read along very line and gather bints for big owd benefit from an source. WHEN TROUBLE COMES. Whn trouble i-omcn. don't let despair A id lo tbe burden you must Ix ar, But keep up heart and. smiling. y: "The darkest cloud imit pa away." Iou't say "Why is it';" with a frown. And gu with heart and bead bowed flown. Bur lift tbem both, and let your eyes Behold the sunshine iu tbe skies. Don't sit and brood o'er things gone wrmg. But sing a hopeful, helpful song. Or whistle something light and gay. I Aud thus dme half your care away. Sing of the pleasant things life knows; Not of the thorns, hut of the rose, Ku-h life knous some joy every day, Sure as December leads to May. The man w ho sings when trouble's here From trouble bus not much to fear; Sunt- it w ill uevcr tarry long When stout heart meets it with a song. But brood o er care and we chu make This life a burden that will break The stoutest back. But sing, and lo! The load is lifted. I-t it go! Then don't forget when things go wrong To try tbe magic of a song. For cheerful heart and smiling face Bring sunshine to the shadiest place. Eben E. Rex ford. THE CAMPER. r V was nut like nioht rinlrle schooners. which as a rule im presd one lis being ci.tnfurtiilile ninl dctiircsnue. In the '1rst place there tverv no children In this wagon, ;t ml generally one aecs lit tle fa cph peering from front und renr ami under the Hupping canvas at the Bide. "I'erbapg you may have seen some day, Roue crowding the wlf same way, Out of a wild wayside btish." Tbe sticks support ili the canopy bulged through the brown, tain-red cover, their outlines distinct as the rihs of the starving horses crawling along through the white blur of dust. The wilgoti lurched slowly up the main stnt-t of the little Nebraska town, the fierce wind swooping down from the bluffs lu the south, and rending the rotten canvas Into fantastic fringe-. No slock followed. A dejected ilog slunk between tbe renr wheels in au apolo getic attempt to efface hfmwdf. Tbe man on the creaking seat leaned forward, holding the til.u k lines in lan guid hands. lie was about -it), ihla and stooping of ahoulder; his sallow face was lined; his hair was streaked with gray. He drove on to the out skirts of the town. There a great oak tempted him.. He drew up under its shade, and turned the lean horses loose. He took a little flat piece of sheet-Iron about two feet long aud under It built a fire of twigs and sticks. He went down to the creek twinkling near, a mere thread In Its parched grave, and came back with a tin of water. He put a handful of ground coffee In a skillet, poured water on It, and set the utensil on the primitive stove. When '0!LT THHEF. HfMiriKP AUD S1XTV At.'BKS AS' A WIKE AS' A Ml I !.!." the coffee had boiled several minutes be strained It, wiped out the pau with a newspaper, and laid in It a few slices of fat pork. -t These cooked, he took from the Interior of the wagon a bag of soda crackers and sat down to his lonely meal. A young farmer Jogging along on horseback nodded to him, sent him also a glance of curiosity. "Campers" were a common sight Of late they had Iweu passing through In droves, but few had appeared ho forlorn as this man. "How fur," called out the camper, "is It to the next town east." "Twelve miles." "Rad road?" The young fellow stopped his horse, swung half round. "Middlln'. tioln'fur?" "Hack to lowy." ' "Burnt out?" hazarded the other. "Yep. Corn whar I come from In Western Nebraska only fit fur fuel. Everythin' out tbar dried up like drunkard' throat." "Did ye bev much to IvseT" The camper took a gulp of the coffee and choked a lilt. "Only three hundred an' sixty acre an' a wife an' a child." "Kb. 7" queried tho young farmer stu pidly. He had ridden up close to the wagon, and now lifted one leg over the mare' head and wheeled round In tbe saddle. The camper forgot his strp. pn He -liucli.-.l two gnarled brown ban I Heroes his knees as be wt u the I went out West when I " u'ar rb d four yars .," be ! way to break the sib-n.-e of day. "he wus lots youngcr'n me an" pret'' ez you ever Her folks wiid n liuw she'd lie sorry fur takln' uie. She wus. ' 1I sat silent a few minute. h n he looked up he went on ha'il, wl'h a kind of twlti h in bis voice: "I 'lu know why I'm tellin' you this. 1 alu t lo ver sen you before. Kiiiiy!.". tilings went w rong. Kirt there co:u bog cholery. Then thar wu. chinch bugs. I had to mortgage the farm. All the time Mary kep' gittiu' uioie'u more ilis. oni. nted. Even the comiu' of the little girl, that heartened me up so powerful, seemed a woiriiueiit t" h'-r. This spring she says: Ef tlmr' a r"n this year so's we kin live easy we "' together. Ef thar ain't, we doti'l.' tin a wet spring made us hopeful. Things wtis l.s.kln' tine, when that cookin' hot weather come along Th everlastln' hot winds kep' a blowin' an' a blowin'. The com curled up and crackled like pa icr. What wus left wouldn't make d.ieiit fo.ld. r. H "U'l make the heart of a man ache to seo the stalks that meant peace and happi ness to him a dyin' a slow death, au' him a hopin' till the last ear wus shriv eled. Thlnklu', too. all the time that a middlln' rain 'ml wive It, an' (Jodln mlghty bavin' floods up thnr to sweep oilier men's farms awat !" A m.-adowliirk chirped Its little tre ble noted song in the stubble "-.it. '' abashed dog. cast an insinuating eye at the skillet. "Mary," the camper continued, "kep her word. She went off with a drum mer that w us sta.vin' at the town hotel. The little girl did well fur a while-. Then--the doctor said 'twas malalry, the neighbors said fretiiu' fur her mother whichever 't wus, she died. The mortgage on the farm wus foreclosed. The furniture wus sold. Half paid fur the cofllng-the other half fur a new dress her mother got before she went a way." He lsgan gathering up bis trap, preparing to resume his Journey. "You're goln" back East -what to do?" asked his contldant. The camper climbed wearily up to the creaking scat. "Cod knows!" he answered. "I don't, an' I don't care much." An Italian "Wake." A curious and Impressive elision of Southern Italy Is the lament which takes place at the d atli of a s-rs in, and while the body lies awaiting burial The corpse I fully dressed and laid upon the bed, with the head and shoulders raised. Lighted candelnbra arc placed at the sides. A young girl Is generally dressed lu white and adorned with flowers. The relatives ami friends gather Cu) sit In an Irreg ular semicircle nbout tci foot of the bed. At Intervals they Join ln"Cw..'li monotonous wall, that Is distinctly Ori ental, and resembles nothing Europe an. I'orhaps a near relative will ap proach the bier, and with wild actions, clasping her bead and tearing her hair, w 111 describe the Illness and suffering of the departed otn. the good qualities, aud the disconsolateness of those left behind, the mournful cry being dually taken up by others. One who has lot a parent will sometimes keep up this awful death cry for over twenty -four hours. Hut though the lamentations nrc so violent the grief of these people seems to be assuaged, and after a day or two they appear to be fully reconcil ed to circumstances and mention the la mented one In quite a light and airy manner. Harper's Bazar. Vaccinating a Fire Itrigade. Yesterday morning an outbreak of fire occurred iu one of the ward of the smallpox hospital In 1'arkhlll road, and Infonimtlo'i wa sent to the cen tral fire station. Sunerlntend-nt Wtllta and a contingent of firemen and mem bers of the salvage corps went to the institution, and the fire, which waa not of a serious character, was soon extin guished. Mr. Willis and Inspector Smith, of the salvage corps, and the men were about to return to headquar ters when they were told that they could not leave the hospital until all hud been vaccinated. Tbe operation .was duly carried out, and fresh clothee were sent for, In order that those the men were wearing at the time might be thoroughly dlsinfected.--Uverpool Mer cury'. Most Horrible of Lire, Destroyer. "It is a strange fact," said my friend, the Franklin street physician, "that six out of ten would-be suicides now resort to that most horrible of all deadly doses, carbolic acid. It cans.- more pain, more genuine, lingering agony than any deadly dose I can mention. Yet Its popularity continue to Increase, especially among tlm unfortunate mem Ikts of the half-world who have become wenry of life and seek the comfort 0f the grave. The antidote? Oh, au anti dote after the acid has been swallowed Is of little avail. A mixture of flour and water should Ik- given, also mucilagi nous drinks. I once had n till f lull cover after taking a small ijtmtiUty of .u.: m m, uuii sue sum site thought she vtas swallowing molten i,i i. ... horrible life destroyer."--Buffalo Cou rier. A Joke in Mone. Australia has a postotHce aamed "Talking Rock." The origin of the name Is thus slated; Someone dlscov- which hud ls-en paint,.,) Ille Wor(,g "Turn me over." It required consider able strength to accompli,, t,H Bai when It wus done the command, "Turn me back, and let me f,d else," was found pointed on the other side of tho stone. Nothing I shocking nod lo It
