FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   307   308   309   310   311   312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331  
332   333   334   335   336   337   338   339   340   341   342   343   344   345   346   347   348   349   350   351   352   353   354   355   356   >>   >|  
ailed in to prevent this, and after a rattling exchange of blows all around, succeeded in getting Payne away. The issue of the fight seemed rather against us, however, and the Raiders were much emboldened. Payne kept close to his crowd after that, and as we had shown such an entire willingness to stand by him, the Raiders --with their accustomed prudence when real fighting was involved--did not attempt to molest him farther, though they talked very savagely. A few days after this Sergeant Goody and Corporal Ned Carrigan, both of our battalion, came in. I must ask the reader to again recall the fact that Sergeant Goody was one of the six hangmen who put the meal-sacks over the heads, and the ropes around the necks of the condemned. Corporal Carrigan was the gigantic prize fighter, who was universally acknowledged to be the best man physically among the whole thirty-four thousand in Andersonville. The Raiders knew that Goody had come in before we of his own battalion did. They resolved to kill him then and there, and in broad daylight. He had secured in some way a shelter tent, and was inside of it fixing it up. The Raider crowd, headed by Pete Donnelly, and Dick Allen, went up to his tent and one of them called to him: "Sergeant, come out; I want to see you." Goody, supposing it was one of us, came crawling out on his hands and knees. As he did so their heavy clubs crashed down upon his head. He was neither killed nor stunned, as they had reason to expect. He succeeded in rising to his feet, and breaking through the crowd of assassins. He dashed down the side of the hill, hotly pursued by them. Coming to the Creek, he leaped it in his excitement, but his pursuers could not, and were checked. One of our battalion boys, who saw and comprehended the whole affair, ran over to us, shouting: "Turn out! turn out, for God's sake! the Raiders are killing Goody!" We snatched up our clubs and started after the Raiders, but before we could reach them, Ned Carrigan, who also comprehended what the trouble was, had run to the side of Goody, armed with a terrible looking club. The sight of Ned, and the demonstration that he was thoroughly aroused, was enough for the Raider crew, and they abandoned the field hastily. We did not feel ourselves strong enough to follow them on to their own dung hill, and try conclusions with them, but we determined to report the matter to the Rebel Commandant, from whom we had reason to
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   307   308   309   310   311   312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331  
332   333   334   335   336   337   338   339   340   341   342   343   344   345   346   347   348   349   350   351   352   353   354   355   356   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Raiders

 

Sergeant

 

Carrigan

 
battalion
 

Corporal

 

reason

 

Raider

 

comprehended

 

succeeded

 
dashed

Coming

 
pursued
 
leaped
 

rattling

 
affair
 

checked

 

assassins

 

pursuers

 
exchange
 
excitement

breaking

 
crashed
 

rising

 

expect

 
stunned
 

killed

 

hastily

 
strong
 

abandoned

 

aroused


follow

 

Commandant

 

matter

 

report

 

conclusions

 

determined

 

demonstration

 

killing

 

prevent

 

snatched


crawling

 

started

 
terrible
 

trouble

 

shouting

 

hangmen

 

reader

 
recall
 

fighter

 

universally