The Military Sketch-Book. Vol. 1 (of 2): Reminiscences of seventeen years in the service abroad and at homeMaginn, William
General
The Military Sketch-Book. Vol. 1 (of 2): Reminiscences of seventeen years in the service abroad and at home
Maginn, William
Bushrangers; Military biography; Soldiers -- Conduct of life
“We were on our way back to the Governor's house, when I thought o'
the necessity o' sending to the rigiment to which the breast-plate
belonged, to secure success, an' I asked the commanding officer to do
so: but it had been already done; he had sent off his adjutant on the
moment to the proper quarter.
“It was now not more than eleven o'clock in the day: the news of the
affair had spread, an' a greater number of officers crowded to spake to
us now, than to see us before the thrial.
“We were all brought into a private room, where the Governor was, (an'
that was the General that spoke to us about joining the French the day
before)—The officer who found the breast-plate, up an' tould him all
about it.
“‘But this breast-plate,’ says the General, ‘only gives the _number_
o' the regiment. We are still at a loss for the man, should he have
obtained another breast-plate.—Besides, this is not direct proof.’
“‘Turn the other side, Sir,’ said the officer, ‘an' you will see the
man's name scratched upon it with a pen-knife.’
“Oh! by the powers! this was like Providence, an' we all thanked God
Almighty for it.
“In a few minutes the adjutant who was sent to find the man, returned;
the sargeant was with him, carrying a kit, an' every thing belonging to
the fellow that was suspected. He was then brought in before us; an'
when we saw him, an' he us, any body could have sworn he was guilty.
‘Look at the villian,’ says I; ‘look at his neck, where I left the
marks o' my knuckles:’ an' sure enough the marks were there, black as
you plase.
“The General looked like thundther at him. ‘Where's your breast-plate,
Sir?’ says he. The fellow shook.
“‘It's on my belt,’ was the reply. The belt was produced. It had
no breast-plate on it! The passporation dthropped off the fellow's
forehead.
“‘Sarch his kit,’ says the General. The kit was opened, and amongst his
things was found a purse of money, a miniature picture of a lady, an' a
gold watch—_all belonging to the curnel_!
“This was convincing. The General demanded him to answer to these
proofs. He was silent. In a few moments, however, he confessed the
crime; but pleaded that he was led into it by the sarvant, an' that
both intended to desart to the English.
“We were immadiately liberated. The General himself came forward and
shook hands with us. Maria acknowledged her disguise, an' the whole
story of her getting her lover and myself out o' the church was tould.
Every officer of the garrison came to congratulate us. They all seemed
as happy as if they were our relations.
“The rascally sarvant that swore against us was sazed, an' both him an'
the soldier were thried in an hour afther by the same court that thried
us. We were the evidences; an' in less than two hours, the murdtherers
_were hung on the gallows which they had prepared for us_!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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