Show L pi IIE Y J l3w t 1 J W I Jr I 1 ffu 4 ilW 1D 64p tJ 1 l 3 it IjBTAlJREPRCALIIOUN jW9 r Jf I vTSa J WLL < 0FRUfHTEfr BYAMERICA PRESS SloCIfTloN 1591 Bell sought to confirm himself in the ahilds good races by assuring her that although we were barefoot and didnt have our best clothes along we really had lots of money and to prove the latter statement he pulled out tho wad of confederate money be had won on the island and gave a bill to each of the children On the instant their timidity vanished and they cheerfully consented con-sented to pilot us to their home over by the harricau and as they were sure that their grandfather and one hand were the only men on the place we thought it quite prudent to RO with them About a mile further on wo came upon a double log cabin on stilts that left a space I I underneath for a swarm of yellow curs and a lot of disconsolate looking chickens As ive neared the house the children ran ahead and when we halted before the steps leading up to the open space between the two cabins the little ones were showing I their money to a yellow faced hollow eyed woman whose faded calico dress appeared to be her only garment ana who held cigar fashion between her thin lips a willow wil-low stick which told at a glanco that she Was addicted to the habit of snuff dipping I Howdeo strangers was the womans alutation as Bell and I doffed our hats and itood before her Boll said that he was feeling very well excepting that he was a little damp and hungry and that if the lady would get us something to eat and permit us to dry our clothes before going on that ho would gladly pay her her own price as he cared tar moro for the accommodation than ho did for the money Come in and Ill send for dad replied the woman We followed her in and the oldest girl was sent for her grandfather That gentle Plan must have been within easy reach for Bell and I had hardly taken our seats by the fire when Mr Dillard the owner of the place and the father of the woman came In He woro no shoes A ragged straw hat and a pair of butternut trousers held up by a single suspender that had loft a blue stain on his unbleached and unwashed cotton cot-ton shirt constituted his simple attire His hair and beard were shaggy and gray and his long leathery cheeks and bony cin camon colored hands gave him the appearance appear-ance of an Indian He was very distant at first He knew nothing about the war and did not want to know except that a passel of doggone hounds kem to his house moren two years ago and toted Jack Long his son inlaw off to de wan He didnt bring on the war and he wasnt going to fight unless un-less they came to toto him oft then he would alloW his hand and he motioned to the long hunting rifle and powder horn I above the dresser Bell understood the old man perfectly Their vernacular was nearly the same and they were soon agreeing on every point Bell had been conscripted like Mr Dil I lards son and I had been conscripted and fairly dragged away from my old mother whose only support I was Now we had lit out and we were trying to make our way home to our friends in the mountains for we were determined to take no further part in what had come to be a I rich mans quarl and a pore mans fight Bell really had a genius for stock fiction of I I this kind and he was so intensely earnest and picturesquely profane in his narrations tbat I often found myself believing them I felt very sure that if we had tola this old i man the truth he would have befriended us i i particularly as we were able to pay but I having begun with one story it was needs I I sarv to stick to it 1 With the old mans help the woman soon had a dinner of corn bread bacon and milk ready and we complimented the cooking by a display of appetite that seemed to I I alarm the group of children looking on Bell paid in advance and when Mr Dillard suggested that we rest till next day and said that he would cobble our boots for us we readily agreed He made us up a bed in the adjoining section of the cabin and as Bell felt absolutely abso-lutely sure that he could trust the old man I lay down with my clothes off and the feeling that next to the food that satisfies a burning hunger there is nothing quite like a bed that banishes fatigue I reckon you mout as wed have soma breakfast then if so be youd like to go on and sleep some more you ken do so for its still rabin This is something like I the salutatioc with which Mr Dillard woke us up the next morning and without which I am sure we should have rounded out our twentyfour hours of what Bell called downright sold old sleepin The breakfast was much like the dinner of the day before except that our bacon was hoiled with some sort of greens that tome to-me was very palatable Mr Dlllard told us that he was going to Allendale that day and ho advised us to hang around till the following morning saying that in the meantime mean-time he would consult with some friends who could be trusted and sea if a plan could not be hit on that would further our venture ven-ture and prevent our leading the wretched vagrant existence of the present Feeling the necessity of having papers about us that would look and read like furloughs fur-loughs I commissioned Mr Dillard to buy me some pens ink and paper for he had no such articles about his house and also to get me if possible some kind of a citizens coat Bell gave him the money and then returned to bed wh lo I went off to the woods with the children These little ones knew nothing about books and were entirely ignorant i of the fairy stories on which the children of civilization civili-zation are brought up They had an idea that Yankees wore fierce cruel animals from which they would run on sight for they had killed the r father Their ideas of religion were vague and would horrify an orthodox Sunday school They firmly believed in ghosts and Min the girl assured as-sured us with much sincerity in her voice and awo in her big pray eyes that one night when she was searching for a cow in the harrican she saw two ghosts and they looked jnst like Yankees or devils dev-ils She was very sure that In the heart of the swamp there lived a rabbit a heap sight biggern a boss and be dont never come out cept when somu ones gwine to die Ef its a old pusson he crawls kinder slow an ef its a young one he skips round powahful lively an wouldnt think nothin of jumpin clar ovah de harrican Min further informed me that she was goin to git married when she was nigh bout sixteen ef so be the Yankees dont kill off all the men And she seemed quite converted woen I told her that I had no wife and that I might come down to see her again when 1 got my best clothes and she nigh bout sixteen Siiico that lime I have played with the children of the Nav ajoes Utes and Mojaves in their own villages vil-lages and I found them quite as enlightened as these interesting little white savages of the South Carolina pine lands Lato in the afternoon Mr Dillard returned re-turned bringing writing materials and also a butternut coat which in addition to being several sizes too large had seen service before be-fore That night two men who looked enough like Mr Dillard to be his twin brothers came to the house and we found them like our host very much down on the Yankees and still more bittery opposed op-posed to tho war and the men who brought it on They had vague stories about great battles in Georgia ann Virginia and a man over at Allendalo had told Mr Dill rd that Lincoln was killed This intormalion was thought to be reliable as tho man who told it had seen it with his own eyes in a Columbia paper One of these men was decidedly original in his way and bo pave us an idea which we subsequently carried out to our great advantage He seemed to have a particular particu-lar hatred for the men who had been exempted ex-empted from army duty because of their v negroes Ef so be he said as near asI can recall I re-call 1 was a irmkin fo the Blue Ridge I neah like I wouldnt go no largo towns Gusta fo thems chuck mil of fellers I playin sojers Id stick to the country Id I j find out what plantations had the best J bosses or mules and as I prefer to rifle I rather than to walk Id do as most sojers do an that is take a critter when 1 wanted one Of course it wouldnt be wise to hang on to the same critters but change off every chance This man was rocrarded by his friends asa as-a great traveler He had been down the river to Savannah and he bad also made a trip in his younger days way out to Pick ens which was tho extreme northwestern corner of the state Wo talked far into the night and the next morning Bell and myself my-self in excellent health and spirits bade farewell to Mr Dillard and his interesting family We had a rude map of the roads leading to AiKen and we were asured by Mr Dil lard and his friends that if we kept on tho tracks indicated and did not put up at tho larger plantations that we might trust tho poor whites fo thoy was our own kind of folks This advice was certainly good and acting on it we passed through Aiken Edgefiold and into the Abbeville district We met many deserters on the way and the men with whom we spoke were all convinced con-vinced that tho south was whipped If the F demoralization and desertions were as great in other parts of the south and 1 am inclined in-clined to think they were it is certain that the southern men hastened the inevitable endOn On the night or rather early morning of July 7 we were concealed in a dense wood between a place called Lowndesyillo and the border of the Anderson district about I three miles from the Savannah river We had been traveling hard about sixteen I hours and made up our minds to rest before be-fore going on We lay down in a deserted cabin that must have been used at onetime one-time by hunters for there were plenty of birds in that section We had not yet dropped off to sleep when we were startled b > hearing the tramping and snorting of horses and looking out through the chinks ci the cabin we saw six well mounted well armed men approaching They came directly di-rectly to the cabin as if sure that the parties par-ties they were in search of wero secreted there Reining in one of the men halted before the opening and with his carbine thrown into the hollow of his bridle arm ho shouted I Hello in there I I cano to the opening and with as much boldness us I could assume I asked the man what he wanted We want all you fellows to come out and surrender he said Bell came to my side and together we stepped out Theres more in there persisted the man who appeared to be in command We invited him to search for himself which he at once proceeded to do CHAPTER VI WE ARE CAPTURED liT TIIE HOME GUARD WHO II BELIEVE Us TO HE DOUSE THIEVES o f i 1 r UII l ff j 1 h J7 1 r > tJYi r7 Tr7 J J I lL i8f t I i i Qift16 = o r i3 I wt J W d I I WE LAUNCHED IT AND PUSHED OUT The fact that the horsemen searched the cabin convinced Bell and myself that we were not the men they were looking for but this assurance did not make the prospect pros-pect look brighter Our situation and appearance ap-pearance were not in our favor and that our captors were not prepossed was evident l evi-dent from their oaths and scowling faces Before our escape form Millen we decided on the story we should tell once wo got away and stick to it without any variation I This we had done except in the ease of the negroes who had befriended usso that now wo were ready to confront any of the whito men with whom we had spoken to prove that we had been persistently consistent in our statements It was not our policy to volunteer information but we were not slow to resept in a spirited way any attempt I at-tempt to reat us with Indignity From force of habit rather than the result re-sult of any agaeoment Bell always told his story first and after he haduworked him self into a high pitch of indignation and become be-come reckless in his profanity and eager to fight any number of men in any way they chose but not morn two at a time I assumed as-sumed a lofty manner and used my finest language tho latter I found was always potent with even southern men of education educa-tion The leader of the gang of horsemen was a loud voiced bully and that his military mili-tary record was confined to the home guard was evident at a glance With aloud loud oath and threatening gesture in the direction of his pistol he addressed Bell perhaps because he was the older and stronger looking Well jou dd horde thief I You infernal infer-nal cowardly deserter we got you and this boy now it j you dont tell us whar the rest ot the pang is b well take our halters and swing you two fellows up right hero To prove that ho meant business the man his name was Holland flunp himself from the saddle and the others followed his example Bell did not quail indeed I there was that in his manner that alarmed the horsemen He strode toward Holland and looking him full in the eyes prefaced his introductory speech by informing the fellow that if he dared to intimate that either of us was a horse thief he lied like a sneak and the truth was not in him and further that if be Holland was not tho biggest coward that ever wore a beard he would either apologize or else give the man I he had so grossly insulted an equal chance to prove his houor and his courace his bold course had an excellent effect and I Bell was quick to see it Turning to the other men with a manner that indicated he was sorry to seek lot of fine fellows in such company as Hollands he said Ve uns is sojers on furlough atryin to make our way to the mountains Wo uns hez been whar the man that dares to insult we uns never was and never will oe and thats whar Yankee bullets hez Deeu flyin around Just look at tbat with a araj malic intensity and a force of action such as I have never seen surpassed on the stage Bell tore open his shirt and pointed to the still uuhenled bullet hole in his breast It bad been made by a rebel but who could tell that I Holland calmed down somewhat thousrh I he was not inclined to yield gracefully Ho and his men were out bunting deserters I and horse thieves They had Dean tracked into these woods and while Bells story might be true it was the part of prudence to make us prisoners until we could prove that we wero honest men and away from the army on furlough And now I seemed to side with Holland I assured him that his precaution was right and reasonable but I urged at the same time that it was hard for men who were I I good soldiers and who had been wounded and los their health in the service to be treated like deserters and thieves Every days delay shortened our furlough and to prove it I showed him the papers 1 had prepared at Dillards They were in proper i iorm they were water soaked and had all the evidence of having been issued by Mijor Huger at Pocotalipo three weeks before We belonged to the Thirtyseventh North Carolina but had been detailed I while at Wilmington for battery service further down the coast Holland and others looked over the I papers and if they doubted my story it was not indicated at that time But one middle aged man with a long beard and a campmeeting cast of countenance asked very solemnly i Ls it not tho rule to furnish transportation I transporta-tion to the men who uro furlouRhedl As this was one of the questions I had prepared for in advance 1 replied with a bowI see sir you are well acquainted with the service We did have transportation to Raleigh and the quartermaster there I would have seen us through as far as ho could but we lost our papers everything but the actual furloughs and a little money at Branchville Then we knew that we must either go backand lose time or be arrested ar-rested as deserters and lose more time so we made up our minds to take to the woods and get home in that way That is why we are here Now gentlemen we do not fear arrest indeed we have done nothing to merit it You can search us if you will willHep Holland interrupted Search hl I Cant we see you aint got no horses about I your clohesl At which speech the others broke into a roar of laughter while I breathed easier for had they searched we they would have found in my trousers pocket the memorandum book given me by Turners adjutant Latouche in Richmond and this was now pretty full of notes indicating indi-cating my prison experience and giving a brief daily record of our domes since our escape nearly three weeks before After talking apart with his companions for some time Holland came back and said I reckon gents youll have to como I along we cant afford to take no risks If I youre all right why well and good for you and if you aint all right well and good for I us I But where do you propose to take us1 I asked To the court house I Where is that a Abbeville court house its nigh bout fifteen mile from bar and the jails comfortable com-fortable So theres no way but to come right along The men mounted Bell offered a vigorous I vigor-ous protest and I tried to make light of the whole affair though my heart was down in my boots and we started off the horsemen formed in front and rear as if we were a brace of the most daring criminals I crim-inals Ash was now about the middle of the afternoon it would be impossible for us to make the distance on foot before U or 10 oclock and although Bell and 1 could have traveled last enough if there was anything to be gained by making a run we chose togo to-go along slowly Holland triea several times to urge us into a faster gait the others with more humanity protested that we were doing our best and one of them said with a motion of his whip at myself It looks to me powahful likes if that boy would sin plum out before weve gone half tho distance Ho was a kindly man but I noticed that he did not offer to take me up bcamd or to MVC me a turn in his saddle The country we passed through was known as the Calhoun settlement It had been the home of the great nullifier and so might be called tho cradle of secession seces-sion Just before sunset we halted at tile plantation of Patrick Caihoun and that hospitable gentleman after a careful survey sur-vey of Bell and myself invited the party to remain to supper The horses were taken to the stable and we were left on the wide piazza in charge of a guard A black woman brought us out an ample meal of bread meat milk and berries After supper Mr Calhoun and the guards I came out and smoked and talked with tho greatest freedom about the war They were very certain that Lee had the best fit f-it in Virginia and they were equally sure j that some line day when he got good and ready as our host put it he would rise up and wipe Grant and his army off the face of the earth Affairs in Georgia did not please those gentlemen They discussed dis-cussed Sherman and Joa Johnston with an intelligence that showed that they knew the proper thing to do a great deal better than the man in command Johnston has lost his grip Hes lever got over the wound the Yanks gave him in the seven days fight Hes agittin too oldwe want a younger man but I noticed that they never once took into consideration that Sherman had a stronger and better army Though all the speakers seemed to feel certain of winning in the end there was an undertone of sadness and depression in their voices that told they wore whipped if the men at the front were not From the war the talk drifted to the gangs of deserters desert-ers then plundering the planters and they said that these outlaws were mountaineera from Kentucky and Tennessee who had deserted de-serted and were now proving themselves a greater curso than the Yankees Tho only thing to do with these wretches urged tho host is to shoot them down or hang them up like dogs as loon as they are caught The same authority was sure that there weN fully a hundred of these outlaws I then hiding in the Abbeville district and I ho advised Holland to leave Bell and I myself in charge and keep on tho searcb I with his men till they had cleaned out the I neighborhood It wont look like business busi-ness he said to have six strong well armed men going up to the court house with a couple of such creatures as these and he motioned at Bell and myself with his pipe TO BE COSTISUED |