ers
issued through Corporal C---- by me, without any question or discussion;
Any movement by you to bolt the trail, or to escape into the chaparral
will only result in your being shot down-- You can talk and smoke and
have freedom of movement--but you know both of us well enough to
understand that there will be no trifling"-- At 11 a. m. we started and
camped at the Widow Jewell's ranch, 15 miles from Hillsboro-- Placing
the men in an open corn crib--assigning each a sleeping place and
posting a man at the log door--he was ordered to "shoot the first man
who left that position without authority from me". This was said loudly
in the hearing of every man, and he was then asked if he understood it.

For the first time we now ascertained from the prisoners why they had so
mysteriously disappeared from the map after leaving Weatherford and
after being seen and talked to by Sergt. Varily on the Bear Creek
Road--and why we got no trace of them the next night in Cleburne. It
seems that just before reaching the town, upon the advice of the wily
driver of their get-away wagon--they had turned off the Bear Creek Road
and following a blind trail to the right had reached the little
settlement of Buchanan--and bivouacking there that night--had come into
the Cleburne-Hillsboro road again the next morning--shortly before I
sighted them at the small creek or "branch" near H. During all of that
miserable night while we were searching the slums and dives of Cleburne,
they were at a comfortable, blazing bivouac fire not more than three or
four miles away, debating the probabilities of their being followed.

At the first opportunity I proved the two citizens--who had been
"kidnapped" from the train near Hillsboro--to be deserters-- While
giving them the "Third degree" in camp the first night after leaving
H---- they were thrown off their guard by my suddenly shouting-- "Stand
Attention, Sir! when talking to an officer"! Which he did _instantly_. I
then had them stripped and found Government shirts and socks on both of
them-- They then made a "clean breast" of it, declaring that they were
recruits of Troop "K" and had been enlisted but two or three months; all
of which accounted for their non-military appearance when it was decided
to hold them on suspicion-- It also accounted for the inability of any
one, either in the detachment, or among the old deserters of Troop "B",
to identify them. Turning out the prisoners in the morning they were