Hemingford herald. (Hemingford, Box Butte County, Neb.) 1895-190?, July 15, 1898, Image 6
;s,-ss: vrrijpi qv ijrf v - ' VT,!C'VT Ti!-.rT1 ;" """nrr-rvir " A BEAUTIFUL Cxoltlncr Caroor of Major Paulina CushmnnTompestuouj Scene tho Night She Toasted Jeff Davis ana tne South in a Louisiana Thoater. Of the small band of women who were of m&terlnl assistance In the "r icret" branch of the government's work There were none more faithful, more efficient and more worthy of the grate ul remembrance of her countrymen than one who sleeps, undisturbed by the war alarms of the presont, In the Grand Army plat of the City cemetery in San Francisco. "Pauline Cushman" this heroine lilt ed to be called, even In the latter days when another name was hers by right. tor It was as Pauline Cushman that she won popularity In her youth and afterward distinguished herself by her devotion to her country In Its hour of need. And best of all did she like to be addressed by her rightful title of major, since she earned her com mission sinned by the martyred Lin' coin himself by deods of daring which irnlned her at the lime not only the admiration of the army of the Cum berland, to which she was attached but of the entire country as well. Pntillno Cushman was born In New Orleans In 1S33. Her father was a Spanish refugee of excellent family and tier mother n Trench Creole, noted for lier Rrncc and beauty even In that city of Kmcpful and beautiful women. From her parents she Inherited tho charms of fnce and figure, the ardent, Impul sive, emotional temperament, the bril liancy of Intellect and the fascination of manner, which particularly fitted her for the role she was destined to piny In the drama of the preservation of our union. An early removal to Grand Ilnplds. TM !eli.. gave Pauline the advantage of a childhood and youth Spent amid 'surroundings which developed the laL nt force of her character and so strengthened her physically that the -delicate southern born girl soon rivaled .licr northern mntec In vigorous heulth. Carefully educated nnd environed by the somewhat Irksome though entirely loving watchfulness! characteristic of lilgh-clnss southern households. the lf-llkc child grew Into girlhood so tieautiful thnt she became the envy of Iter girl friends and an anxiety to those who loved her best. Sht early showed aii Impatience of control and an Inde pendence of spirit which marked her strong Individuality, and when she ar rived nt the age IS n girlish rebellion occurred against domestic rules and (regulations. Quite against the wishes of her rlght tful guardians, who shrank from the idea of a public career for their ldoK Izcd daughter. Miss Cushman Insisted I upon entering the theatrical profes sion, for which she felt herself partic ularly fitted, Being fortunate enough ito find n manager who recognized and -appreciated her undoubted talent, she was soon advanced to the front rank of vaudeville actresses, depending upon 3icr southern birth to gain her the ini tial good will of her audiences, made .inany trips along the southern circuit of that day and established herself as ja prime favorite with the theater-going guiblic on the lower side of what was afterward known as Mason and Dixon's line When war was declared Miss Cush xnan was paying a successful engage tnent through the Middle and Western states, but went south the next year playing In those cities which had not as yet ranged themselves openly and boldly on the side of the confederacy Having always, for professional rea sons, made a boast of her southern blrth, the charming actress wns sup tposed to be at heart an adherent of '4he "Stars and Uars," and In every town where she appeared she attracted airound her a cli'cle of southern sym pathizers who delighted In showing her tall possible attention In public and private nnd doing everything In their power to prove their admiration of her uid her supposed sentiments. In March. 1SG3. came the turning Holnt in Pauline Cushnmn's life. Here tofore she hnd been only an ordinarily wuoeeflsfiil actress, earning a good sal .aryand living In careless ease, courted flattered and envied as those who are young, beautiful and fortunate always .atv. She had never experienced a hnrd iTdp or known a real trouble, her ways had all been ways of plensuntness and she hnd lived like n butterfly in one long day of sunshine. Strange.wns it not, that she should -turn from all this to brove dangers the .thought of which might well cause Btout-hcarted men to hesitate before lacing them? That she should of her own free will give up her career, her luxuries, her flattering friends, all per son comfort and all real assurance of personal safety, to become a scout and spy for the Union forces, for the stm Ile, but to her sufficient, reason that she felt that her country needed Just the special work that she could do bet ter than any one else who could, at rthat time, be secured? She knew that In entering this work -ahe braved more than the possibility of a shameful death, for the southerners, though chivalrous, were never meicl- iul to spies. But her patriot soul look ed above all this at the starry banner that she loved, and so gazing she for got all but the fact that ehe was need ed to help hold it aloft. There are those alive today who re member well the night when Pauline -Cushman made her dramatic exit from -the scene of her many triumphs. She had been playing a long engagement at Wood's theater, Lculsvllle.and had had a brilliantly successful season, both socially and professionally. The city was full of carefully repressed seces sion sentiment and Pauline was the center of attraction to the large con tingent of paroled confederate officers -who made the place their temporary thorne. One of these gentlemen, with a wlew to making a sensation and an. string the loyal residents, dared the 'popular actress to drink a toast to Jefferson Davis In one of the scenes -of the "Seven Sisters." the play then -on the boards, and she gave him her word that she would, All over the town the news spread -and on the appointed night the theater vas packed with both friends and foes -of the confederacy, all eager to see If -the program would be carried out. The audience was a strange one and the atmosphere of the crowded hall was tike that which precedes a tropical thunderstorm deathly still ana full of a. foreboding which Is almost a promise of tragedy. The play went on smoothly and qui--etly until the fateful moment came. Then, with brilliantly Hashing eyes and .a smile that was scornfully triumphant, Albeit she was a trifle pale behind the ?ouge that she had thought best to wear for this one night, Miss Cushman -advanced to the front of the stage, and raising a wineglass on high In her slender hand, said, clearly, deliberately .and defiantly: "Here's to Jefferson Da--Vis and the southern confederacy. May -the south always maintain her honor aand her rights." The house became a pandemonium ron the Instant, and the terrified man ager, who had never believed that the -dashing actress would carry out what GIRL UNION SPY. he ronsldercd an Idle beast Intended to advertise herself, rang down the cur tain before the wineglass touched the laughing lips. That night Pauline was discharged from the company, and the next day i she was the Idol of every southerner J who henrd the story. Every door and Uvery heart was open to her, and when after being lionized for some time tr Louisville, she wns sent beyond the lines on account of her openly ex pressed disloyalty, the people of Nash ville, considering her a victim of Yan kee tyranny, welcomed her enthusi astically and Inuded her to the skies. Not for many months was the truth cn suspected. No one save the net ress herself and those under whose or ders she wns working knew thnt pre vious to that sensntlonnl episode In Louisville she had made a confidant of Colonel Moore, the provost marshal f the district, convinced him of het staunch loyalty, taken the oath of al legiance and entered the secret service of the United States All the while that she was bclnsr entertained by southern admirers she was gnlnlng from them Information as to how they managed to send supplies across the lines, and the practices of the guerrillas, the plans of the army nnd the names of those most Inimical to tho government. The southerners kept no secrets from her. since they believed her fully In accord with them, and tho knowledge which she gained was almost Invaluable to the army at that time, Her thorough familiarity with the roadB and tho different localities In Kentucky, Tennessee. Georgia. Missis slppl nnd Alnbama made her services as a scout most Important, nnd her un faltering bravery and unflinching de votion to what she thought her duty made her seem almost a second Joan of Arc to her comrades in arm Her adventures were numerous nnd exciting, but her histrionic ability and training stood her In good stead many times. She understood the art of muko up and chnracter acting to perfection, nnd her expressive fnce and tall llgure lent themselves readily to many dis guises. As a bent, wrinkled, crack -voiced old woman; an overgrown, lout ish country youth; n buxom, sun-bonneted damsel, or a gray-coated soldier on sick leave she explored the country the forts and the camps, ufterwnicls sending full reports to her superior nnd through It all her woman's quick wit stood her In good stead and kept her from betraying herself, no matter wnat the pressure of circumstances might be Her narrow escapes were many, but perhaps her narrowest wns when she wns captured by the famous guerrilla, Jack Morgan. Out on a scouting expedition, misad ventures on the road had caused Mis Cushman to seek temporary shelter In tho house of a small planter, nnd Mor gan, swooping down upon the plnce In his unexpected fashion, had found he) there and straightway suspected lu-i of being what she really was a spy Not wishing to take the responsibility of deciding upon her case, he cnnclud ed to turn her over to Genernl McKln. atry, the provost murshal, and she wnt sent to the headquarters of General Bragg, known, because of tils wiry angular physique and his cold, reserved and unimpressionable manner, as Cast Iron Bragg. Beauty in disguise had no effect on this stern martinet. A spy was a spy whether In petticoats or trousers, and whether handsome or ugly. He put the fair captive through a searching cross-exnmlnotlon and then tried her by court-martial and sentenced her to be hanged To the fact that the excitement and anxiety which she hnd experienced made her too ill to rise from the rough pallet In her prison, she owed the preservation of her life. Even the grim general did not enre to hang a woman spy though she was who was so sick that she could not stand upon her feet, nnd taking her cue from this unex pected leniency the clever actress grew worse Instead of better dnlly. Her case seriously puzzled the skilled physician called In to diagnose It; her captors were beginning to suspect that she wan quite well enough to be hanged if she wanted to be. when Genernl Hosecrans ndvanee gun id came rattling into town nnd restored her to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." After that she was a little more cau tious than she hnd been previously, and although she was wounded twice, once so seriously that she never fully recovered from the effects of It up to the time of her death, she was never again capture! by the enemy. She serv ed faithfully up to the end of the war. nnd the soldiers of Genernl Hosecrans" command fairly worshiped her. A major's commission was given her honorary, of course, ns It Is In all cases where It is bestowed on women but In her eyes of Inestimable value as expressing something of the army's feeling regarding her. Fate was not kind to her In the long years that Intervened between those days of brave exploit and the dreary December day In 1S93 when the Lincoln post of San Francisco laid her to rest. Trouble and misfortune came to her; friends proved fnlse or became estranged- the later generations forgot the story of the past.. Though never adequately rewarded for her heroic services, she loved her country to the last, unselfishly and truly. It was perhaps a poor reward, but It was one thnt she always desired, that the flag of our nation draped her bier, that soldiers as well as civilians followed her to the grave, that a salute was fired across the mound above her, and that "taps" were sounded when the curtain tell upon the drama of her life. Sacred Baboon. There has been received at the Lon don Zoo a strange beast an Arabian or sacred baboon, from North Africa. The specimen, which Is an adult male, Is very fierce and inhospitable to vis itors, rushing furiously to the bars of his cage when any cne approaches. Very few of these baboons have been Imported Into this country, and the latest Is one of the finest ever seen. Although this baboon takes his name from Arabia, It Is more common in Abyssinia and the Soudan. It Is often represented on the ancient monuments of Egypt, and some have suggested that It may be the satyr of Holy Scrip ture. When full grown the male Is as big as a good sized pointer dog. It Is remarkable for Its ashen gray color and Its shaggy mane, which covers the neck and shoulders, and extends backwards over a considerable portion of the body. Naturalists have ascertained that scorpions and certain kinds of spiders I are able to make peculiar noises to I warn an enemy that an attack is at tended by danger. TALMAGE'S SERMON. Washington. D. C, July Dr Tal mage In this discussion, tells the story of a beautiful queen dethroned, nnd draws practical lessons for all condi tions and all times. Text.Esther I.. 11-12-Bring Vashtl. the queen, before the king with the crown royal, to show the people and the princes her beauty; for she was fair to look upon. But the Queen Vonhtl refused to come. Wo stand amid the palaces of Shushan. The pinnacles nre aflame with the morning light. The columns rise festooned and wreathed, the wealth of empires flashing from the grooves; the ceilings adorned with Images of bird and beast, and scenes of prowess nnd qonquost. Thp walls are hung wun shields, nnd emblazoned until It seems thnt the whole round of splend ors is exnnusteu. Each arch Is a mighty leaf of archl tectural achievement. Golden stars shining down on glowing arnbsque. Hangings of embroidered work In which mingle the blueness of the sky, the greenness of the grnss and the whiteness of the seafnam. Tapestries hung on silver rings, wedding together the plllnrs or marble. These for repose, filled with luxurant couches In which weary limbs sink until nil fatigue is submerged. Those for carousal where kings drink down n kingdom at one swallow. Amazing spectacle1 Light of silver dripping down over stairs of Ivory on shields of gold. Floors of stnlned mar ble, sunset red and night black nnd In laid with gleaming pearl. In connec tion with this palace there Is a garden, where the mighty men of foreign lands nre seated nt a banquet. Under the spread of onk and linden nnd acacia the tables are arranged. The breath of honeysuckle nnd frankincense fills the air. Fountains leap up Into the light, tho spray struck through with rain bows falling Into crystalline baptism upon flowering shrubs then rolling down through chnnnels of marble, and widening out here and there Into pools swirling with the finny tribes of foreign aquariums, bordered with scarlet ane mones, Hypericums, and mnny-colored ranunculi. SCENE FOB EPICURES. Meats of rarest bird and beast smok ing up amid wreaths of nromatlcs. The vases filled with apricots and almonds. The baskets plied up with apricots and figs and oranges and pomegranates. Melons tastefully twined with leaves of acacia. Tho bright waters of Eula eus filling the urns and dropping out side the rim In ftnshlng bends amid the traceries. Wine from the royal vats of Ispnhan and Shlrnz. In bottles of tinged shell, and lily-shaped cups of sliver, and flagons and tankards of solid gefld. The mukic rises higher, and the revelry breaks out into wilder transport, and the wine has flushed the cheek and touched the brain, and louder than all other voices are the hic cough of the Inebriates, the gnbble of fools, and the song of the drunkards. In another part of the palace Queen Vashtl Is entertaining the Princess of Persia at a banquet. Drunken Ahasuer us says to his servants, "You go nnd fetch Vashtl from that banquet with the women, nnd bring her to this ban quet with the men, nnd let me display her beauty." The servants immediate ly start to obey the king's command; but there was a rule in oriental so ciety that no woman might appear In public without having her face veiled. Yet there was a mandate that no one dare dispute, demanding that Vashtl come unveiled before the multitude. VASHTI SCOBNS HIM. However, there was In Vashtl's soul a principle more regal than Ahasuerus, more brilliant than the gold of Shu shan, of more wealth than the realm of Persln, which commanded her to disobey this order of the king; and so all the righteousness and holiness and modesty of her nature rise up Into one sublime refusal. She says, "I will not go Into the banquet unveiled." Aha. uerus was lnfur'?jta;.and Vnshtl. rob bed of her position nnd her estate. Is driven forth in poverty and ruin to suffer the scorn of a na tlon, and yet to receive the applause of ufier generations, who shall rise up to admire this martyr to kingly inso lence. Well, the last vestige of that feast Is gone; the last garland has faded; the last arch has fallen; the last tankard has been destroyed; nnd Shushan Is a ruin; but ns long ns the world stands there will be multitudes of men nnd women, familiar with the bible, who will come Into this picture gallery of God and admire the divine portrait of Vashtl the the queen, Vashtl the veiled, Vashtl the sacrifice. Vashtl the silent. In the llrst place, I want you to look upon Vashtl the queen. A blue ribbon, rayed with white, drawn around her forehead, Indicated her queenly posi tion. It was no small honor to be queen In such a renlm as that. Hark to the rustle of her robes! See the blnze of her Jewels! And yet It Is not necessary to have place and regal robes in order to be queenly. When I see a woman with stout faith In God. putting her foot upon all mean net's and selfishness and godless display, going right forward to serve Christ and the race by a grand and a glorious service, I say: "That woman Is a queen," and the ranks of heaven look over the battlements upon the coronation; and whether she comes up from the shanty on the commons or the mansion of the fashionable square, I greet her with the shout, "All hall, Queen Vashtl!" VASHTI THE VEILED. Agnln, I wnnt you to consider Vashtl the veiled. Had she appeared before Ahasuerus and his court on that day with her face uncovered she would have shocked all the delicacies of orl entnl society, and the very men who In their intoxication demanded that she come. In their sober moments would have despised her. As some flowers seem to thrive best In the dark lane and In the shadow, and where the sun doeB not seem to reach them, so God np polnts to most womanly natures a re tiring and unobtrusive spirit. God once In a while does call an Isabella to a throne, or a Miriam to strike the tim brel at the front of a host, or a Marie Antoinette to quell a French mob. or a Deborah to stand at the front of an armed batallton. crying out. "Up! Up! This Is the day In which the Lord will deliver Slsera into the hands." And when the women nre called to such out-door work and to such heroic positions, God prepares them for It: and they have iron in their soul, and lightnings In their eye, and whirlwinds In their breath, and the borrowed strength of the Lord omnipotent In their right arm. They walk through furnaces as though they were hedges of wild-flowers, and cross seas as though they were shimmering sap phire: and all the harpies of hell down to their dungeon at the stamp of wom anly Indignation. THE TRUE WOMAN. But these are the exceptions. Gen erally, Dorcas would rather make a garment for the poor boy; Rebecca would rather fill the trough of the cam els; Hannah would rather make a coat for Samuel; the Hebrew maid would rather give a prescription foi Naa man's leprosy; the woman of Sarepta would rather gather a few sticks to cook a meal for famished Elijah; Phebe would rather carry a letter for the In spired apostle: Mother Lois would rather educate Timothy In the scrlp- Iturcs. When I see a woman golna -uuuui uer unuy uuiy. wun cheerful uiKiuiy iircniuing at tne mole, with kind and gentle but Arm discipline pre siding In the nursery, going out Into the world without any blast of trum pets, following In the footsteps of hltn who went nbout doing good, I ay: "This Is Vnshtl with a veil on " But when 1 see a woman of unblush ing boldness, loud-voiced, with n tongue of Infinite clltter-clatter, with arrogant look, passing through the streets with tho step of a walking beam, iravlv nrrnvptl In n voi-v liiirri- enne of millinery, I cry out: "Vnshtl nun mm ner vein" when I see n womnn struggling for political prefer menttrying to force her way on up to consplculty. amid the masculine demngogucs. who stand with swollen fists, and bloodshot eyes, nnd pestifer ous breath, tn frilnril ttin nnlta ivnntlnK tO g0 thrOUch tllf tnnforlam nrwl .luflln- ment of popular sovereigns, who crawl up from the saloons greasy, nnd foul, nnd vermin-covered, to decide ques tions of Justice, and order, and civilisa tion when 1 see a woman, I say, who wants to press through all that horri ble scum to get to public place nnd power, I say: "Ah. what a pity! Vashtl has lost her veil!" A WELL-KNOWN CHARACTER. When I see n womnn of comely feat ures, and of ndroltness of intellect, and endowed with all that the schools eon do for her, nnd of high social position, yet moving In society with supercilious ness nnd hnuteur, ns though she would have people know their place, and with an undefined combination of giggle and Btrut and rhodomontnde, endowed with allopathic quantities of talk, but only homeopathic Infinitesimals of sense, the terror of dry goods clerks and rail road conductors, discoverers of signifi cant meanings In plain conversation, prodigies of badinage and Innuendo I say: "Vashtl has lost her vail." Angaln, I want you this morning to consider Vashtl the sacrifice. Who is this I see coming out of the palace gate at Shushan. It seems to me that I have seen her before. She comes homeless, houseless, friendless, trudg ing along with a broken heart. Who Is she? It Is Vnshtl the sacrifice. Oh! what a change It was from regal posi tion to n wayfarer's crust! A little while ago, approved and sought Tor: now, none so poor as to acknowledge her acquaintanceship. Vashtl the sac rifice! Ah! you and T have seen It many a time. Here Is a home empalaced with beauty. All that refinement and books and WPnlth ran fin fnr Hint l.nvnn Una been done; but Ahasuerus, the husband and the father, is taking hold on paths ui sin. .tie is gradually going down. After a while he will flounder nnd struggle like a wild beast In the hun ter's net further away from God, fur ther away from the right. Soon the uuKiii uiipurei oi me cnuuren win turn to rags; soon the household song will become the sobbing of a broken heart. The old story over again. Brutal Centaurs breaking up the marriage feasts of Lapithae. The house full of outrage and cruelty and abomination, while trudging forth from the palace gate are Vashtl and her children. HOMES NOW IN DANGER. There nre homes in all parts of this land that are In danger of such break ing UTl. Oh. A hnmiofiial thnt ,m. should stand In a home, by a dissipated life destroying the peace and comrort of that home. God forbid that vour umiuren suouia ever nave to wring their hands, and have people point their flnsrer at thpm ns thov nn iinun the street, and say, "There goes a drunkard's child." God forbid that the nine ieei snouiu ever have to trudge the Dath of nnvcrlv nrwl wrislihiulnniioi God forbid that any evil spirit born of iim wine uuu or me Dranuy glass should come forth and uproot that gar den, nnd With 1 Inntlnrr tiHotat-lnr. nil. consuming curse, shut forever the pal ate B"ie uKuuiHi vusnu ana me chil dren. One nlnrht rinrlnrr nur xlt.li ...r.- I went to Hagerstown to look at me unuy. ana j stood on a hlll-totl nnrl Innkofl ilmvn Knnn them. I saw the camp-fires all through the valleys and all over the hills. It .us u iiiu Bpeciacie, mose camp fires, and I stood and watched them; and the Snlrflpm whn wnro rrntlwirn.l around them were, no doubt, talking of nun nuines, anu ot me long march they had taken, and of the battles they were to fight; but after awhile 1 saw these camp-fires begin to lower; and they Continued to Inwnr until tViov iv..ru oil gone out, nnd the army slept. ii was imposing when I saw the camp-fires; It was Imposing In the darkness when I thought of that great llORt nslppn. Wpll Onil lnnlra 1n... from heaven, and he sees the firesides of Christendom nnd the loved ones gathered around these firesides. These are the camp-flres where we warm our selves at the close of day. and talk over me Dames or uie we nave fought and the battles that are yet to come. God crant that whpn nt Inst thpoo nn begin to go out, and continue to lower uuui imuiiy iney are exiinguisned, and the ashes of consumed hopes strew the hearth of thp nltl hnmp.qtpnrl It mm, ttn because we have Clone to sleep that last sleep. From which none ever wake to weep. Now we are nn nrmv nn tho mnrxh nt life. Then we shall be an army blvou- ut-Keu in me tent or tne grave. HER QUIET RESOLVE. Once more; I want you to look at Vashtl the silent. You do not hear any outcry from this woman as she goes forth from the palace gate. From the very dignity of her nature, you know there will be no vociferation. Sometimes in life It Is necessary to make a retort: sometimes In life It Is necessary to re sist; but there are crises when the most triumphant thing to do Is to keep si lence. The philosopher, confident In his newly discovered principle, waiting for the coming of more Intelligent genera tions, willing that men should laugh at the lightning-rod and cotton-gin and steamboat and telegraph waiting for for long years through the scoffing of philosophical schools, In grand and magnificent silence. Galileo, condemned by mathematic ians, and monks, and cardinals, cari catured everywhere, yet waiting and watching with his telescope to see the coming up of stellnr reinforcements, when the stars In their courses would fight for the Copernlcan system; then sitting down In complete blindness and deafness to wait for the coming on of the generations who would build his monument and bow at his grave. Tho reformer, execrated by his contempor aries, fastened In a plllory.the slow fires of public contempt burning under him, ground under the cylinders of the printing press, yet calmly waiting for the day when purity of soul and hero ism of character will get the sanction of earth and the plaudits of heaven. Soon after Thomas L. Rosser's ap pointment as brigadier general had been made, one of the newly appointed officers In Washington asked the gen eral where he was going to have his uniforms made, remarking that he had had six suits made, at a cost of $700. "I will only need." remarked Rosser, "a flannel shirt, which I can buy any where, a pair of shoulder straps and a string or piece of braid around my hat to designate that I am an officer." METHODS OF ENFORCING DISCIPLINE. What Infrootlono of Duty Costs the Soldiers and Sailors In the Army and Navy WorBt Forms of Punishment In China and Arabia. Punishments resorted to In the ar mies and navies throughout the world differ from those used among civilians. In that they are quicker, more rigid and, perhaps, more severe. It has been found necessary, however, that In mili tary affairs, the soldiers and sailors who have been guilty of breaking any of the orders or rules Inid down by their superiors shall be severely pun ished, for, ns a military officer once said: "Discipline Is necessary to the ex istence of an army, and punishment Is necessary to maintain discipline." The punishment ndonted bv the va rious nations of the world, In dealing with their soldiers nnd sailors, differ; those of the United States and Eng land nre the most similar. Probably the worst forms of punishment are used In China, Arabia, etc. The ancestors of the present Amer icans cnine, principally, from Eneland. and It was natural that they should adopt the customs of tho old country. Some years ago one of the forms of punishment In the English army and navy was flogging. A soldier or sailor who had been guilty of what the offi cers considered a grave offense was flogged with a rattan cane, or with the famous cat-o'-nlne-talls. So It happened that In the American mili tary serious flogging was resorted to. For a light offense the culprit received from half a dozen to ten or twenty blows; for graver ones, sometimes fifty or even more; In both the English and American navies this form of punish ment was very common and the sailors who disobeyed orders or broke the rules expected It. In 1SG1, however flogging was abolished In the American service and It Is no longer used In England. . The system of deciding the various military punishments In the United States is by court martial. Certain offi cers are appointed to hear the facts in the case and whatever defense the cul prit may care to make. When they have heard all sides of the subject they decide whether or no the prisoner de serves punishment and of what kind it shall be. The punishments used In the Amer ican army and navy are: Death, con finement in the guard house or In a military prison; hard labor (for some of the worst offenses, with ball and chain), forfeiture of pay, dishonorable discharge from the service, and con finement on bread and water, but the latter cannot be for more than fourteen days at a time. If the culprit is nn officer, sergeant, corporal, etc., he may be reduced to the ranks. Death Is seldom resorted to except In very extreme cases, but in time of war this mode of punlshm-nt Is more frequent. A soldier who falls asleep while on picket duty, and thus gives the enemy a chance to surprise the camp, may be sentenced to be shot. Great cowardice In battle may also be punished In the same way. and ev ery boy knows thai a spy. if captured, is very apt to be hanged; spies are very dangerous to the welfare of an army, and while being shot does not seem so bad to some soldiers, the Idea that death will come by hanging Is very much dreaded Desertion is also fre quently punished. In war time, with death. During our last war if a sol ICE-COLD NERVE. "The coldest nerve I ever saw dis played by any one," said the gray-haired, young-looking man, "was Jack At wood's, when, after being shot from behind, he paused to nail his poker hand to the table with a bowle knife before turning and drawing his own revolver to return the Are. "Atwood was a queer fellow In a good many ways. Physically he wasn't much to look at, but he had dandified habits that seemed curiously out of place In a man whose business kept constantly In association with the roughest men in the country at the time I am speaking of the lumbermen on the upper Mississippi 30 years ago and who was, In fact, as wild as the wildest of them. He was small and a little stoop shouldered, and his face was narrow and sallow, with a queerly crooked nose, and little sharp eyes that were set much too close together to be pleasing. He was as vain as a pea cock, though, and dressed always In fashion-plate style, shaved every day and waxed his mustache, which was a habit nobody else Indulged In west of Chicago lh those days, so far as my observation went. "He was a good deal of a politician, nnd was suspected of writing some of the most violent articles that appeared In the local papers at a time when Minensota Journalism was not noted for its close regard for the amenities of life. There had been a deal of scan dal about a member of the state legis lature from Minneapolis call him Da visfor some time before the fight that I speak of, and Atwood had been among Davis' most violent critics. 'This particular night there was quite a crowd In Bill Galloway's gambling house on the east side of Minneapolis, near the old Fort Snelllng road. At wood was playing poker with four oth er men. Two were lumbermen, friends of Atwood's, and the fifth was a St. Paul man, a stranger to me. It was. the first game I had ever seen played with $10 gold pieces for chips. Of course for the heavy betting they used paper money, for as the ante was one chip and it took two to come In there t were not enough chips to bet with when the big hands came. Limit games were not much In vogue at Galloway's place at any time, but table stakes usually meant a few hundred dollars on the outside, and this was the largest I had ever seen up to that time, for each player had a good-sized wad, and there must have been 12,000 or $15,000 In sight at least. "Nothing special occurred for over an hour, when there came a Jack pot which was opened for $100 and some what to my surprise all the players came In. It was a Jack for five chips, In the first place, and had been sweet ened once, so there was JS00 In the center before the draw. The second surprise came when each man drew two cards, excepting Atwood, who stood pat. They were holding their cards close, so none of us around the party knew what any player held, but It ap peared later that Atwood had four Jacks. They weren't playing straight flushes, so his hand was almost a sure one. "The opener put another hundred on the strength of his three of a kind. The next one raised it a hundred. The third did the same thing and so did the fourth. He was the St. Paul man, and he had caught a fourth seven spot, while the others had not bettered. At wood made it a thousand to play. One. two and three dropped out. Three of a kind was no kmd of a hand for that struggle, and that is what each of them had. The St. Paul man was delighted, though he tried hard, to conceal It, and he cams back at Atwood with another dier or sailor was caught stealing from his comrades he was severely pun Ished, more so than he would hav been had ho not been In the army. A novel way of punishing a coward was to march him through the camp with a placard bearing the word "Cow ard" fastened about his neck. The offl. cer in charge of a military prison adopted a peculiar way of punishing a man who tried to escape. The fellow found a ladder and one night placed It against the wall of the prison, Intend ing to climb over and get away. Ha was caught, and tho commander or dered that for five hours he should climb up the ladder and down again. The soldier laughed at the punishment, but pretty soon his back began to grow lame, and at the end of the Ave hours he hnd to be taken to the hos pital. if any of the boya who read this ar ticle care to visit Governor's Island or any military station, he will seo a number of men digging about tha grounds, wheeling dirt and stones, and doing the work of a laboring man. These soldiers are dressed In brown canvas suits, and each has a largo number fastened upon his back; soma among the number may be wearing1 a, chain about one ankle and a small cannon ball will be fastened to ono ond of the chain. These soldiers are being punished for fighting with their comrades, disobeying orders, or for leaving the post without permission or overstaying their leave of absence. On shipboard sailors may be seen seated In the rigging, doing extra duty about the decks, or locked up In a small cabin In the hold of the vessel; such have disobeyed some rule set down by the regulations of the navy. Another mode of punishment Is to make the culprit march up and down for several hours (usually six or eight) with a knapsack fastened to his shoul ders and a gun in his hand; this meth od of punishment is more common la the English army than In America. In Austria a soldier Is sometimes punished by being put in Irons for six hours, or by being tied In an upright posture In a dark cell for two hours; In the United States such punishments are seldom used, the latter never. Tho soldiers In China probably havo the hardest time of It In the way of pun ishment; nearly everything Is punished by cutting off the culprit's head. K he runs 'away during a battle, acts as though he was afraid, whispers to ths man next to him, tells big stories ox how brave he is, allows his superior officer to be killed, doesn't advance when the drum beats or doesn't retreat when the gong Is sounded, off goes his head as soon as the officers can get time to see to It. In both the American and English service, probably the worst punishment next to being sentenced to death, is dishonorable discharge, when the cul prit loses not only his profession, but ia disgraced In the eyes of his friends and acquaintances. The sentences of confinement In mil itary prisons vary from a few days to a year, or even more. To make mat ters worse the prisoner is deprived of his pay during confinement, and may be discharged when he has served his term of .imprisonment. thousand. He was ahead of the game, having about $6,000 In front of him at the beginning of the deal, while Atwood had only about half that. That left htm enough to raise St, Paul once more, and he did It promptly. " 'I suppose I'll have to call you,' said the latter, 'seeing It's table stakes, but I'm sorry you haven't more money with you.' " 'I have three thousand In the bank,' said Atwood. 'If you care to take my check I'll stand another raise.' "Checks were not In great favor at Galloway's and the 8t. Paul man hesi tated naturally enough, but one of At wood's clients spoke up. 'I'll cash youi check for you. Jack,' he said, and Just then the shot came. "The entrance to the room was mid way between the faro and the poker tables, and Atwood sat with his baolc toward It Davis had entered the room noiselessly and hud lircd as soon as ho saw Atwood Shooting from behind will ruin a man In any community, and I don't suppose Davis would have done, it If he hadn't been half drunk and half mad with rage as well He prob ably wouldn't have missed his shot, though. If he hadn't been drinking. I was watching Atwood closely and did n't see Davis enter. As It was I saw the left end of Atwood's mustache dis appear at the Instant the shot rang out, and a red streak show on his cheek, but he didn't turn his head. He reached clown aa quick as a ferret and drew a knife from somewhere below the line of the table top, laying his cards face down on the table with his left hand at the same Instant. " 'The game stands as It is.' he said, without a quaver In his voice as he drove the knife through the cards and the baize cover, deep Into the wood, with a vicious stab. Then Just as quickly he reached for his hip pocket and stood facing around with a revol ver In his hand leveled at Davis. "Two other shots rang out aa he rose. They were fired by Atwood's friends, but fortunately they did not hit anybody. Another man had seized Davis' gun as he was trying to shoot again, and there was a scuffle going on in a moment, with three or four men on a side, all of whom, however, were trying to force Davis out of tho room. Atwood held his Are, seeing that there was a group of men in front of him, and stood still as he saw the struggle going on. When he saw that Davis was being pushed out at the door ha smiled, but didn't say a word. Per haps I ought to say he grinned. Smile Is too pretty a word for his face, "When his enemy was outside and the door was closed, he put his pistol back In his pocket and felt of his cheek carefully. It was bleeding very slightly, but he wiped It off with his handkerchief and turning back to the table said as coolly as ever, 'AH right. Jim. Give me the money and I'll writs you the check In a moment,' "He was the least excited man In the room. The St, Paul player looked at him steadily as Atwood's friend was counting out the bills, and then exclaimed with an oath. 'I don't believe I care about raising you again. It's a call.' "The hands were shown, and, of course, Atwood took the pot." The late Bill Nye was fond of telling this story of his smaller daughter: "At a diner table one day there was a. party of guests for whom Mr. Nye was doing his best In the way of enter tainment. A lady turned to the little "Your father Is a very funny man said she. "Yes," responded the child, "wh we have company." i i. r r K7 " " "!Jl'' ',lBtf,,f?slV 'WWII . ) i lnf.3 -c ' "- - v