The Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, December 16, 1897, Image 6

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ECEMBER 18G2 Rotecrans
recently assigned to the command
of the Army of the Cumberland
say encamped on the Nashville turnpike
almost within hearing of the church bells
of Murfreesboro Directly in front and
shielded by the dense cedar thickets Test
ed the army of the Confederate General
Bragg The rebel defense described a
semicircular line between Rosecrans and
Stone River in a country admirably
adapted to a running fight toward Mur
freesboro the rebel base Simultaneous
ly the commanders of the opposing forces
were planning attack Rosecrans desired
to gain possession of Murfreesboro 4
Bniggs plan was defensive and UTght
after night he made weak demonstrations
- on the Union front -which Wtre recog
nized by Rosecrans at theic1 true value
Unless Bragg dislodged the Federal
troops massing in front on his right
Polks corps must bo -withdrawn behind
the river and Murfreesboro abandoned
War slumbered in the air The soldiers
fatigued by campaigning
lay stretched about the camp in resting
thousands iior did the crack of the out
posts rifle nor Ihc volleys of cavalry car
bines cause so much as the blink of an
eyelid ibr the raising of a head in the
campf Familiarity had bred contempt
for Iie musket shot and the roar of the
cannon in the distance may have caused
ia curl of the lip no more The powder
jjf stained hordes felt the breath of coming
jr battle but it gave them no concern and
tuey nuaaieu snugiy logeuier in uieir
blankets for they feared the shivering
blasts of December more than the puny
bullets of the enemy
Back in the cedars in a house whose
portico raised its head above the shiver
ing bare branches General Rosecrans
pored over his plans of campaign against
Bragg It was essential to drive the
rebel general beyond the river and gain
possession of Murfreesboro and the Un
ion commander knit his brows and pon
dered over his contemplated plans of at
tack
The door opened and a young and intel
ligent looking officer stepped inside His
shoulder straps showed the rank of first
lieutenant For an instant he paused at
the entrance He seemed to know his
superior was worried and he hesitated to
advance The general was unmindful of
his presence For an instant longer the
young officer waited then as a determin
ed expression appeared on his face he
stepped resolutely forward
General he said
Rosecrans looked up and a smile broke
through the clouds on his face
All lieutenant he said with a sigh
pushing aside his troublesome maps
glad to see you Sit down Whats oil
your mind
He leaned his head on his hand and
looked dreamily from the window He
was more interested in his own thoughts
than in what the young officer was say
ing
Eh what he exclaimed suddenly
Arousing like one from a dream what
is that you are saying
The Jieu tenant looked him in the eye
-and replied I was asking permission
general to absent myself from camp for
perhaps forty eight hours
General Rosecrans stared at him in
amazement
I cannot comprehend the meaning of
such a request he said finally In less
than forty eight hours I expect to engage
-General Bragg I havent a doubt in the
world he is planning a similar attack on
my forces A fierce conflict is inevitable
And yet you have the temerity on the
threshold of battle to ask for leave of
absence I repeat I cannot understand
it and moreover I am doubly surprised
that such a request should come from a
trusted officer like you
A flush mounted to the temple of the
lieutenant He felt the sting of the gen
erals reply
Fardon me general he said with
just a touch of resentment Your sus
picions do me injustice You have never
known me to flinch from duty or to trem
ble in the face of the enemy
The general measured him closely and
a worried look passed over his face
I have spoken of no suspicions he
said testily
But your manner sir said the other
Pardon me your manner was quite con-
vincing
But such a request at such a time
v said his chief It is peculiar not to say
amazing Why do you an officer of my
army desire leave of absence when we
may be hand to hand with the enemy at
any hour
He looked sharply at his subordinate
aad his question was freighted with sig
nificance The young officer was not un
mindful of It and flushed again
Yqu are hard on me general he said
ldly But let me explain You con
template an attack on Murfreesboro and
its possible nay more than probable de
struction Murfreesboro holds all that is
near -and dear to me
The general raised his nead in interest
ed inquiry The lieutenant went on
In one of the hospitals there lies my
young wife who has just this very day
given birth to our first child
Why how the general began
Here in this paper cried the lieuten
ant excitedly It is published in Mur
freesboro and contains the story of the
birth of a Northern child and gives its
mothers name and mine It is my wife
and my child General Rosecrans and it
is to save them that I ask leave of ab
sence
The general took the paper from the ex
cited man and read the account with in
terest When lie laid tne paper down
there was a look of grave concern on his
war bronzed face
Lieutenant Henry he said sternly
you are deserving of the severest cen
sure for bringing your wife to this part
of the country at such a time am sur
prised that a man of your sound sense
would do it
I could not help it was the impulsive
renlv I wanted her where she would be
near me She wanted to be here I could
not withstand her appeals and so let her
faithful old negro servant
with my
rhL c General Rosecrans I want
wul T Mfmairm It means
to move iier irom iui -- -
Ji to her to remain i -
of
ictirifk of the cTipIIs the crash
death
surcK
guns tne r whole ---- awful roar f
-a tho
ar would km he I only want tin
I will
safety
remove her to a place of
ISttOfil
ride like h 1 general and and still At
you think it is only cowardice that makes
me ask you this favor then I withdraw
the request for better her deathand mine
than that
Flushed and excited he drew himself
up proudly and turned to go but a word
from his chief arrested him Evidently his
earnest eloquence had made an impres
sion
Lieutenant said the general rising
and plaiyfrg his hand kindly on the young
officers shoulder I appreciate your po
sition and svmnathize with vnii Wma it
int any other time I would not only gladly
give my consent but send a mounted es
cort with you As it is and he paused
while the lieutenant anticipating refusal
closed his eyes As it is I cannot refuse
your appeal You may go
For an instant their eyes met For an
other instant the lieutenant seemed in
capable of action then suddenly he
sprang forward grasped his chief by the
hand and exclaimed fervently Thank
you general from the bottom of my
heart
Waste no time said his chief serious
ly Ride for your life Think what it
means to be absent when your comrades
are engaged in battle Think of your fu
ture if you fail to return in time
It was a warning kindly expressed and
Lieutenant Henry grasped its full signifi
cance
Twenty miles on his journey that night
through the woods and jambyes that be
set his path young Henry was thrilled
with the thought that he had to run the
outposts of two armies What would be
come of him if he ran into the lynx eyed
sentries of either line Musing thus he
was awakened by the sharp cry of
Halt
His only reply was to crouch low over
the saddle and dig his spurs fiercely into
the flank of his mount The horse re
sponded gallantly and shot obliquely into
the gloom The sharp crack of a rifle
sounded close by and a bullet whistled
over the young riders head followed by
the shrill cry of the guard which grew
fainter and finally died out as Henry
plunged through the cedar thickets Long
before the first faint streaks of dawn il
lumined the sky a song of joy arose in his
heart when his eyes caught the flickering
lights of Murfreesboro With only
thoughts of his suffering wife and new
born little one in his mind he rode boldly
forward and plunged headforemost into
the dimly lighted hospital The good sister
gazed in mute astonishment at the uni
form when he half staggered into the
hallway then led him silently into the
little room As he bent over the white
cot a pair of eyes opened wide There
was wonderment in them for an instant
then they lighted up with love and wel
come and with a faint cry
Rob she stretched forth her feeble
hands to him while the young soldiers
tears rained down on the pillow Shining
through the film of suffering the glad eyes
gazed admiringly on tie stalwart figure
of the soldier liusband and the faded dus
ty suit of blue With a glad happy smile
the thin hands raised the coverlet and
for the time being all thoughts of- the
grim struggle between the North and
South faded from his mind as he gazed
in mute wonder on the face of his sleep
ing first born A light reverent touch of
his lips to the little ones forehead and
a similar loving salute to the flushed and
smiling mother then the serious look re
turned to Henrys face as the exigencies
of the hour crowded back into his mind
Briefly tenderly lest he bring alarm to
his suffering young wife he told her of
the necessity of immediate flight and
brave spirit that she was she trusted ev
erything to him and bowed acquiescence
The nurse dismayed protested but at
length gave way It was the only thing
to be done As he stood watching the
rapid movements of the nurse as she pre
pared for the trip the practical needs
aroused him and as he stopped the nurse
and inquried Wheres Jeff there was
a touch on his shoulder and turning he
looked into the grinning black face of his
trusted negro servant whose eyes were
aglow with welcome and running with
tears The two men so oddly contrasted
warmly grasped each other by the hand
then briefly the young officer directed Jeff
to secure an ambulance if he had to steal
one and told him what to do Jeff hur
ried away and an hour later as the town
clock pealed the hour of 4 the young offi
cer lifted his frail wife into the primitive
vehicle while the good nurse came after
with the slumbering infant The ambu
lance bore the big red cross on its side
which was sufficient to caiTy it through
any lines and Jeff sat on the front seat
with the reins
Henry kissed his wife and child a hur
ried good by and then turned to say good-
by to the nurse but there was a surprise
for him She was dressed for traveling
and as he comprehended that she meant
to go too he took her face in his hands
and reverently touched her forehead with
his lips She seemed not displeased at the
courtesy
To the Bascom farm Jeff whispered
Henry hastily Twenty miles northwest
You know the road No one will stop you
Remain there until you hear from me It
cant be long before our forces reach Mur
freesboro Good by and God bless you
all
sswpfe yttfffcN T1 jcKijrfeSf -
THE SHARP CRACK OF A RIFLE SO DOTED CLOSE BY
a squad of Confederate infantry There
was no chance to return A dozen long
squirrel rifles were leveled at his head and
the husky voice of the first sergeant in
gray commanded him to advance He
rode forward with his head erect but his
heart sinking within him On the very
threshold of success he saw his mission
fluttering idly to the ground
Well who in are you anyhow
demanded the sergeant gruffly surveying
the hated blue uniform that Henry wore
Lieutenant Henry of the th Ohio
was the proud response
Youve got a pile of nerve I reckon
haint ye fer runnin through these lines
in thet cussed blue suit What y doin
yer anyhow
Im here to see my wife who is dan
gerously ill at the hospital he answered
hoping to stir the sympathy in their
hearts if they had any
A laugh greeted the reply
Mebby yar and mebby yaint said
the seTgeant slyly but I want f tell yo
thet Ive saw Confedrits in blue clothes
afore an I bant been fooled on em
ex
Hope sprang up in Henrys breast He
was quick to act Smiling knowingly he
said Youve got sharp eyes sergeant
Think Im a spy dont you
Some folks call it that and- some dont
said the sergeant with a grin but 111
tell yo I haint never seen th Yank af 11
git so danged fer away from home by his
self
The others nodded assent when he turn
ed toward them and they all looked with
friendly eyes on Henry The sergeant
laughed coarsely at his own shrewdness
Stands to reason be said slowly
thet he wouldnt be derned fool enough
to stumble into a gang like this if he was
a Yank Why say we was makin noise
enough to scare Rosecrans outen his
boots want we boys
They all laughed their assent
Yo air perty good he said turning to
Henry an yove got nerve Wheres the
enemy at
Thirty miles south Rosecrans in com
mand he answered promptly but he is
not likely to remain there long
Yer danged right lootenant said the
sergeant and
And interrupted Henry sharply the
old man would be tickled to death if be
knew I was making my report to the first
outpost I happened to run across
He spoke impatiently and it had its ef
fect
Youre right said the sergeant sud
denly but were only doin our duty Go
along and give th old man a good word
fer us
Henry gave the rein to his horse and
shot away into the morning fog Ten
minutes later he drew up in the rear of
Jeff pulled on the lines and the wagon
rumbled away Henry mounted his impa
tient steed and clattered noisily down
the streets He didnt care a pickayune
now if the whole army charged down on
him The great weight was lifted from
his mind for his wife and little one were
rapidly borne to the fresh country air
and health He whistled almost as blithe
ly as a schoolboy as he made for the
picket post where he had entered the city
It was easier to pass there than by mak
ing new and probably sharper acquaint
ances The increased thunder of the dis
tant guns admonished him that he had
no time to lose Twenty minutes were
gone when he reached the post and sa
luted the sergeant and his squad
Alls well boys he cried cheerfully
I saw the old man and put in a good
word for you
Thank you lieutenant thank you
was the hearty response dont let none
o them Yanks git hold on ye or its all
day
All right boys I guess there are not
many in that gang that can trip me up
he replied
All rights H right good by and God
bless you
He waved his band in adieu and shot
down the road What a wild ride it was
Through brush and cedar and swamp and
over hill and down dale be droveiis pant
ing steed and the farther on he advanc
ed thajouder grew the roar of wars grim
cry Daylight was coming and his heart
beat high as he strove to reach the front
To be absent when the grand charge was
made meant disgrace perhaps death
And now to his mind came the words of
his chief
Think what it means to be absent
when your comrades are engaged in bat
tle
He urged on his weary horse and utter
ed a prayer that he might be there on
time For what Possibly death from a
rebel bullet
The morning of Jan 3 found the forces
engaged in deadly battle BrecBnridge
made a fierce and desperate assault out
it proved ill judged and he was huTled
back with fearful loss In vain the Con
federate forces rallied and pressed for
ward again and again only to be repulsed
by the hot fire from the Union barricades
and rifle pits Rosecrans and Sheridan
on the left were hurling shot and shell
into the main body of the enemy while
Davis and Johnson swinging in from the
right mowed down the half formed rebel
left under Breckinridge The battle
waged with fearful loss on both sides and
slowly but surely the rebel defense gave
way and Polk was forced behind Stone
river During a lull in the battle a
mounted officer rode hastily to Gen Rose
crans and reported the desertion of a
brigade commander and three other offi
cers in the face of battle
What are their names Gen Rose
crans demanded with a vague fear tug
ging at his heart
The officer ran over the list and con-
eluded with Lieutenant Henry of the
th Ohio
For an instant the chief bowed his
head
My fault he muttered to himself in
sorrow and yet I felt in my heart he
would Teturn in time Then a hard look
swept over his face and turning to the
officer he said stiffly We will attend to
that a little later if we live
He turned his attention then to the bat
tlefield with its hurrying scurrying hosts
of blue and gray Suddenly his attention
became riveted to the left of the line
Charging down the slope into the very
jaws of death it seemed was one of Sher
idans regiments evidently bent on sweep
ing down the rebel wall that had stood
invincible for hours The attack was
planned so suddenly and put into execu
tion with such dispatch that the rebel
skirmish lines barely had time to fall back
and take up a position to withstand the
shock when the rushing screaming horde
was upon them A thrill ran through the
old warrior on the hill and for an instant
he closed his eyes Another instant and
the crash must come As he opened his
eyes again a sheet of vivid fire shot from
the rebel line then was borne to his ears
the dull crash of volley after -volley and
he dimly saw the Union ranks thinned out
by the storm of hail The advance was
checked The Union line staggered and
stopped
Out from the shivering crouching front
rode a gallant young officer who with his
saber swinging wildly over his head
struck down fcalf a dozen muskets leveled
to work his end then turned in his saddle
and waved his men on to renewed effort
It was a daring thing to do and Rose
crans marveled at the mans recklessness
The move put new life into the broken
ranks As if by magic they formed again
and with a hoarse yell of rage moved rap
idly on the living breastworks and swung
again into a seething fire Now it was
hand to hand and the crash of arms was
borne distinctly to the listening ears on
the slope
Rosecrans was entranced He seemed
lost in a dream The charge was the
most daring he had ever seen He vainly
tried to follow the movements of the
young officer but the rolling lines of
smoke obscured his vision and he caught
alternate glimpses of the blue and the
gray as they struggled for the mastery
A long low cloud of smoke came between
the watchers on the hill and the fighters
below just as the climax seeised to come
and impatiently they waited for a friend
ly wind to lift the dense curtain of haze
Then as the fog lifted they bent eagerly
forward in their saddles and joy welled
into the heart of the chief as he saw the
rebel lines waver and break
Now in from the left and right pressed
masses of others in blue swinging along
like automatons halting every now and
then to pour a volley into the confused
straggling rante of the men in gray Join
ing together with a beautiful precision
they formed a solid wall in front of
which the rebel defense gave way com
pletely and rout pervaded their ranks
The last line of a gallant defense shivered
into clouds of smoke and when Rosecrans
looked again the Union troops were
throwing their caps into the air in their
frenzy of joy while the scattered rem
nants of the gray forces hurried down the
bank of the river and disappeared from
view
As the smoke again dropped down and
obscured the vision Gen Rosecrans
awoke as if from a trance and riding hur
riedly to a staff officer who had been in
tently watching the battle through a pow
erful field glass he exclaimed
That was the grandest charge sir I
have ever beheld Who led it
Lieutenant Henry of the th Ohio
was the answer Chicago Chronicle
SLICING CRIMINALS IN CHINA
An Atrocious Law that Is Happily
Coming Into Disrepute
The horrible means used for inflictng
the extreme penalty of the law by the
Chinese has been the subject of many
articles all over the civilized world but
of late little has been heard of these
cold blooded executions
It seems however that although the
inexorable indiscretionary law has
passed out of existence in the more
civilized portion of the empire it Is
still in effect in other localities where
the condemned is put to death by the
slicing process A case has recently
come to light in the northern part of
China and although efforts were made
to save the offender they were unsuc
cessful and he was killed in the old
time way literally butchered alive
The victim was a boy 11 years old
who while playing with a piece of met
al attached to a cord accidentally
struck bis mother on the bead her in
Jury proving fatal By a peculiar Chi
nese law the child who kills a parent
wilfully or by accident must pay for
the act with his life The child In tills
case was accordingly taken Into cus
tody at once a mere form of trial wad
gone through and a verdict of guilty5
found and sentence of death by the
knife passed
The condemned is tied upon a table
similar to those used for surgical oper
ations in this country The feet and
hands are firmly tied together and he
is strapped to the board In such a man
ner that only a slight movement can be
made He is neither hooded nor gag
ged bis persecutors listening to his
cries and watching the horrible facial
contortions until death comes A keen
edged knife is used the executioner
first cutting away the fleshy part of
the body beginning with the sides of
the trunk from which large steaks are
cut The abdomen Is next slashed but
in such a manner that if there is still
life in the body the cutting will not
prove fatal at once the great object be
ing to produce as much suffering as
possible The lower limbs are now
stripped of flesh followed by the arms
Few live after the first few slices have
been taken away but that makes no
difference to the executioner who fin
ishes bis fiendish work until only the
skeleton remains
Never do anything you are ashamed
of you eant tell at wbat moment the
kodak fiend may be taking a snap shot
at you
A QUARTET OF BOYS
YOUNG MEN WHO EARLY BE
CAME GENERALS
Generals Merritt Custer MacKenzie
and Upton Won Promotion by Con
spicuous Gallantry in the Service of
Their Country Their After Life
Brave Cavalry Officers
4mXf
12185
W9
HE transfer and
promot ion of
Maj Gen Wes
ley Merritt to
the command of
the Department
of the East with
headquarters at
Governors Isl
and vividly re
calls that histor
ic q u a r t e t of
brilliant young
cavalry officers
Merritt Custer
MacKenzie and Upton which became
famous the last two years of the war
II was a group that found its analogue
in the same number of equally gallant
young generals West Pointers all in
many instances classmates of their an
tagonists Stuart FItz Lee Rosser and
Young in the army of Northern Vir
ginia It is the Union quartet that will
be considered here because their ca
reers were similar as the- were pro
moted together and the history of one
is a part of the history of them all
Merritt was the senior of the quad
rilateral of young Union generals in
graduation He was a member of the
first and only five years class that
ever left West Point While Mr Davis
was Secretary of War he caused the
course at the United States Military
Academy to be increased to five years
In the class of GO graduated Josenh
Wheeler a member of Congress for
most of those high up in class stand
ing Upton was commissioned In hesi
Bue he wanted a reglmentA
and that fortune which ever favors the
brave stood Uptons friend By a lucky
chance he was commissioned colonel
of the One hundred and Twenty first
New York Volunteers and made a Brig
adier General for distinguished gallan
try in an attack that will be famous
through all history Upton was a bri
gade commander in that crack corps
of Hancocks veterans which on the
morning of May 12 1SG4 advanced si
lectly upon that faulty horseshoe in
Lees line of works at Spottsylvania
walked over the gray skirmishers not
luring a shot at them for fear of giving
the alarm and just at dawn drove the
Federal wedge with terrible decisive
effect full Into the horseshoe History
calls it the bloody angle There it
was that Hancock the superb noted
the gallant young Colonel Uptons bra
very and the skill he showed in hand
ling his command and said to General
Morgan of his staff By this and by
that Upton has won a star and he
shall have it Again that 19th of Oc
tober 1SG 1 that had been so lucky for
Merritt and Custer brought good for
tune to Upton for then he received the
brevet of Major General When Gen
eral James II Wilson went to the
Western army to command all General
Shermans cavalry he took Upton with
him and gave him the fourth division
of the cavalry corps which he com
manded until his volunteers weri
mustered out and the war ended V
Last and in many respects the
ablest of this quartet whose names
will live as long as the history of our
war survives was MacKenzie He was
the youngest in years and service of
them all as he did not graduate until
1602 But though he came a year later
than any of the others In two years
and a little more than six months of
active service MacKenzie had won an
honor and achieved a distinction never
before or since attained by any ollicefl
A QUARTETTE OF BOY BRIGADIERS
several terms and a Confederate gen
eral officer Gen Wilsou chief of engi
neers and Col Whittemore of the Ord
nance Department
After serving as adjutant of the Sec
ond Dragoons under Col Philip St
George Cooke Merritt became aid de
camp to that gallant Virginian when
he was made brigadier general in 1S51
then major general and given command
of all the cavalry of McClellands army
Two days before Gettysburg Capt
Merritt who had attracted the atten
tion of his superiors of the highest rank
by reason of his quick military percep
tions aud thorough knowledge of the
availabilities of the cavalry arm was
nominated brigadier general and for
warded his acceptance and mounted
the star on the very day July 1 1SG3
when Bufords columns suddenly push
ing out westward from Gettysburg un
expectedly ran up against the advance
brigades of Gen A P Hill Merritt
was given the reserve cavalo com
mand From that day his fortune was
assured He fought a division under
the eye and command of Gen Sheri
dan the cavalry officer of the Union
army at Winchester and Fishers Hill
Sheridan showed what he thought of
his young subordinates ability and
conduct when he named Merrrtt for the
brevet of major general which was
given him Gen Merritt has six bre
vets all for gallant and meritorious
service From Fishers Hill to the
close of the war Gen Merritt com
manded a division of Sheridans cav
alry corps
Second of the gallant four comes
Custer He was old for a cadet when
he entered the United States Military
Academy Two classes were graduated
to 18G1 the first was that which would
have been tthe second five years class
the other June 24 The latter was
Custers After serving as cavalry
aid-de-camp to General McClellan
June 29 he was made Brigadier Gener
al His name and Merritts went to
the Senate together Custers vim and
dash at Brandy Station and Aldie
while aid-de-camp to General Pleasan
ton had been so conspicuous as to at
tract general attention and won for
him his Brigadier Generals commis
sion From Gettysburg in 1863 to the
end Custer was the typical hard rider
the ideal light horseman and dashing
Bghter of the cavalry corps of the Army
of the Potomac At Fishers Hall Cus
ter won bis brevet of Major General
the same day Merritt gained his and
In the same battles Sheridan gave
Custer the second of his boy Gener
ils a division of his superb cavalry
which he commanded until hostilities
ceased
Third in the list of this group of
young heroes comes Upton He was a
61 man of the almost five years clas3
that received its diplomas Mjr 6 Like
of our always gallant army ne had
won seven brevets everything from
First Lieutenant to Major General
each for gallant and meritorious ser
vices not in skirmishes either if you
pleace but such battles as Second Bull
Run Chancellorsville Gettysburg
Petersburg Winchester Cedar Creek
That 19th of October 1SG4 so often
mentioned must be noted again for it
was as fortunate for MacKenzie as it
had been for the other three For the
most brilliant soldiery courage and
daring General Sheridan recommend
ed MacKenzies promotion to the rank
of Brigadier General and his commis
sion was given him for specific dis
tinguished services at the battle of
Opequon Fishers Hill and Middle
town and the recipient of these hon
ors unequaled in American history
was then but a little over 23 years old
And how fared they after the war
ended this gallant four Custer died
with the Indian war whoop as his
death knell in a battle that will live in
history as the last stand made by the
great united tribes of the Northwest
against the overwhelming white man
Upton a full Colonel of artillery alas
that it should have to be written
died with clouded mind by his own
hand MacKenzie lived for years dead
to the world and to the grief and sor
row of those who knew and loved him
best But the star Merritt wore for
years so worthily before he won those
he wears to day gleamed on the gain
lant MacKenzies shoulder before the
light of reason went out for him for-
evermore And thus it is that if erritt
is the only one left of the four gallant
young souls whose courage and soldier
ly deeds won the chlvalric appreciation
of their own comrades and the admira j
tion and respect of those who had wit f
nessed and felt the might of their valorj
on twenty stricken fields And as hei
wbo Is left recalls the past there must
come from his own knightly heart a
sigh for their memory and a prayer for
the souls of the gallant brave who
Save gone across the River of Death
Globe Democrat
The Cormorant
The cormorant is largely- employedf
in China for catching fish The blrdsi
are reared and trained with great care
and are taken out npon the lakes and
rivers in a small boat one man to ev j
ery ten or twelve cormorants The
birds stand perched on the sides of the
boat and at a word from the man they
scatter on the water and begin to look
for fish They dive for fish and thenf
rise to the surf ace with the fish In -their
bills wben they are called back to the
boat by the fishermen As docile asf
dogs they swim to- their master andj
are taken into the boat when they lay
down their prey and again resume
their labor
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