ary law. When Bragg's order was reported to Calhoun,
hope began to revive. Surely Morgan would give him a fair hearing. Every
act he had done in the army would disprove the monstrous charges of Major
Conway.

It was with a much lighter heart that he set out for MacMinnville. But
when he reached that place he was surprised by the astonishing news that
Conway had been shot--killed while in the act of murdering his cousin in
cold blood.

One of the men who was with Conway at the time was mortally wounded, and
confessed the whole thing. Conway was to prepare a paper which they were
to swear was found on Fred's person, criminating Calhoun. With such
evidence his conviction would have been certain. He thanked God for the
death of Conway. It meant a thousand times more to him than life, for it
kept his name unsullied.

Morgan made a full report of the whole matter to General Bragg. "The plot
was damnable," he wrote, "yet it might have been successful if Major
Conway had not met his just deserts. But one might as well accuse me of
holding treasonable communications with the enemy as Lieutenant
Pennington. He is the officer, as you may remember, that entered Nashville
a short time since, and sent you such a valuable report. Moreover, he is
the very officer I have chosen to look into that matter which we have
discussed so much. I expect to send him North next week."

Thus was Calhoun fully exonerated, and not only that, but he was to be
chosen for a most important mission. He also had the satisfaction of
seeing Morgan make Captain Mathews return Fred his horse, much to the
Captain's disgust. But what was the important duty upon which Calhoun was
to be sent North? He had heard nothing of it before.

Some time before the Hon. C. L. Vallandigham, a noted Democratic
politician of Ohio, and an ex-member of Congress, had been arrested at his
home in Dayton for treason. He was tried by military court-martial, found
guilty, and banished South. The excitement was intense. Thousands of his
friends rallied to his defence, and at one time it looked as if the
streets of Dayton would run red with blood. His friends were in open
revolt against the government, and opposed the prosecution of the war.

Before this numerous reports had reached the South of the dissatisfaction
of a large number of the Democratic party with Lincoln, especially with
his proclamation freeing the slaves. They were sick and tired of the war,
and were more than will