Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1864-10-13
What an Indiana Colonel Said.

not one OF them would now consent 10
any peace that did not destroy it root and
branch. Nine months ago. left home a
Breckinridge Democrat; anu now, sir,
I'm as black al sbolitionist as Wendell
Phillips"
And what pray. turned you about. so
suddenly"
Seeing slavery. as il is. One little
incident convinced me that o negro is o
man Just a. much of enc as l am-and
therefore not IL TO he slave. It OCCUR
red TO No st Triane. where l am now
stationed. Jast outside of our lines. lives
aplanteT who Processes strong Union
sentirneu.s. Ho used to mix freely with
oUr officers. keep open house for them,
and was apparently whole-souled.
hospitable fellow. he owned a good
many negroes. and among them quiet.
respectable old darkey of about sixty,
who supplied my mess with eggs and
poultry. Not long ago, our pickcts.
stationed about enc hundred Yards from
tais planters house, wero fired upon,
several times. from the woods near by.
twas regularly twice q week, and on each
occasion occurred about two O'Clock in the
morning. at last. one OF our boys was
hit; and being IN command Of the pickets.
| set about Investigating the mstter.
There was nothing to point suspicion at
the planter, except the fact of his being
slaveholde but that convinced me he hal
hand it. / never knew one OF them,
however strong his professions of loyalty,
who vas no. at heart rebel.
AZ sent for the old darkey. questioned
him, and, learning of it. the planter came
10 my quarters and insisted that be had
RICH, to hear what his negro said. was
sstisfei couldn't get the truth out Of the
slave in the masters presence. but con
scented TO go on with the examination. |
put som. leaiing questions to the old man,
and in 4 quiet, straightforward way he
told me that al officer Of Bragg's army
had been in the habit OF visiting the man.
sion every fow nights for several weeks
BE said he came about midnight. left his
horse and orderly concealed in the woods.
and went Up to the mistress room as soon
as he entered the house. There the mas
ter would join him. and remain with him
generally an hour or two. And he added.
&c
CABIN wud leab. sar. II alters here d.
shootiR' 'nong de trees. l rcckoned dai
was berry guar, till finally, ono day,
ye!ed msssa a.tellin' missus dat lie cabin
war bound to wing one ob dem Yankees
anyhow. ! asked him why tho officer
wen. there. and ths old fellow, scratching
ans wool, and assuming q very stupid
look, said:
i doesn't kaows, crnnel. 1t alters
'pesred berry quar- ter me dat he shu
come, bat reckons ds secesh wants ter
larn whot's gwine on in dc camps.
Mssss, heseif wus alters berry curious 'bou,
dat, sar, an he sot me ober an ober sgin.
ter fine oUt-tole me [ muss keep nv
yeres wide open wheneber toted you de
truck; but, you alters had your mouth
shet SO berry close. cunnel. dat | neher
could the oat ting-not q ting. sar.'
Here the Colonel burst into fit of
Laughter. rs soon as he could reaijn~t
the muscles Of his mouth to the English
dialect. he continued:
Through the whole Of this the planter
threatened him. and he finally stormed.
and rsvcd at him like a mailman, but the
old Christian went ont as quiet as a Qua-
ker meeting, only once in a while answer
ing his master, with-'You knows tim de
Lords truth. massa. l karn't say muffin
else. massa; Use berry sorry. massa--'pears
like Ia die fur you, ma.sa. case l toted
you when you's chile, an l'>e alters
iubed you; but karn't say muffin else
de Lord woant left me say muffin else,
massa. No, Ia wosntl'
1.-THE Dsrkey knew we might march
at sny moment. and thai. when wc did,
there we're ninety mine chances ir hund-
red OF his being whipped to death bv his
master, or by some of the neighbors, If his
master wasn't left TO do it; and vet he was
as cool as am. Martin Luther, when he
went into Worms. expecting to meet the
devil himself didn't show the moral cour-
age of that old negro. He convinced me
that the black is altogether too much of a
man to be a slave
"'And wha: did you DO with the mas
ter?'
"'Noihing. Our Brigaiier, who had
been frequent guest at his house. thought
1t not exactly the thing to hang a white
man on "nigser's" testimony, and so
let him OF. If had had my way. he would
have been hung higher than Hannah"
land what became of the negro?'
mot many days after his master was
released, he came to my tent one evening.
aud with q little hesitation, said: Gun
Eel, / don't want ter 'sturb you, but de
Lord come ter nus lass night. sar, an he
telled me ter left you know what's gwine
on
.And what is a goin on? asked.
Wall. you see. Cnnnel. de 1ebil have
got inter massa; an he swear hem gwine
ter kill me fur tellin' you bout de secesh
cap'n.'
81 assured him / would protect him.
and accordingly, in a day or two. Ipacked
him of, with his traps aud family, to the
free States. It wasn't exactly according
10 Tennessee law, and his owner protested
warmly against it, but l advised him to
prove his loyalty and claim bis property
Of Uncle Sam.
THE old darkey lived in a little log
cabin near his masters house, and the day