Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 August 1883 — A MAN LOADED WITH POWDER. [ARTICLE]

A MAN LOADED WITH POWDER.

Saving Life Under Moat Extraordinary Ch cums tances. Three noble heroes of the late war met in Louisville, Ky.» and held a little reunion, all by themselves. CoL Watts led off with a blood-curdling tale of his narrow escape from a horrible fate. “It was just before the battle of ShiJbh,” said the Colonel, “when I was engaged carrying dispatches from our division to another located about 100 miles south of us. Every precaution had been taken to head off all communication, and the greatest care had to be exercised fix keeping dispatches and the like secreted, so that in case of the carrier being captured nothing of a telltale nature could be found upon him. When I entered the scouting service I had four of my front teeth knocked out and had them replaced by false ones. These were hollowed out behind and admitted of a good-sized message being secreted therein. “On the trip that I started out to tell about, I had my dispatch secreted as usual, and was riding along very peacefully in the disguise of a farmer going to the mill, whet I was suddenly surprised by the enemy. I pretended to be very much enraged at them making me their prisoner, but there was no getting out of it, for they had kinder dropped on me. They proceeded to search me and compelled me to take off every stitch‘df clothing. These they ripped up. into ribbons, but of course nothing afidlwas beginning to feel Safe, when, Standing before them there, perfectly “nude, one of the fellows Stepped .up ta me and slapping me on the back, said: " ■ ■ “ ‘Ain’t he fat? He’d make good beef.’ “The slap was so vigorous that out popped my false teeth. That settled it. The jig was up and I began contemplating my fate. Seventeen men jumped for those false teeth at the same time, and it didn’t take long for them to find the dispatch, which read: ‘ Send us 300,000 men at once.’ “ ‘So you were on your way for reinforcements, were you ?’ said a big, rednosed Captain, sneeringly. ‘Well, we’ll just help you along on your journey. Bring up that mortar.’ “Great heavens! thought I, they certainly don’t intend to blow me to pieces. The mortar was brought up and planted and pointed in the direction in which I had been traveling. “ ‘ Double-charge her and stick this fellow in head first,’ said the Captain. They double-charged her and then forced me in head first. Vivid recollectiorfls of everything mean that I had ever done in my life flitted across my mind, and, boys, I actually prayed. But while I prayed I felt them ramming the charge home, and I concluded that my prayers were of no avail. “I smelled the powder right in front of me, and a happy thought struck me. Something told me to eat the powder, and I began on it. At every jam of the ramrod I swallowed an extra-sized mouthful, and when the ramming ceased I could see daylight through the touch-hole. A fuse was inserted and torched off, and no doubt the fiends retreated to a safe distance to watch my flight into Alabama. I heard the fuse sizzling as the fire drew near me, but I felt safe, for not a grain of powder had I left lying around loose. The fuse went out with a sudden spurt, and I felt that my life had been saved. The would-be murderers couldn’t understand why the gun missed, fire, and they began drawing the charge to see what ailed her. Just about the time, they got me out a lot of our cavalry charged upon them and I was saved; .but, boys, I can taste that saltpeter and sulphur to this day. ”