Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1865-01-05
Correspondence ofths Mobile Advertiser.

3 Tangtpaho, Alabama, at first felt fierce
| and defiant under the protection of the
3 chlValric pumpkin Studs" encamped al
That place. Pumpkin Studs is the YER
nacular for the militia and reserves in this
country.l The few that had guns were
sent out on picket duty; those that hadn',
remained to keep up the courage of the
town. Passing by several minor alarms,
come to the big scare on "Wednesday
midnight. The picket guard on one ol
the roads fired their g1hs at some harmless
not imaginary thing in the dark, and
Lgalloped into the town with the report that
the tedarals Wora4 right hshiad tlzeut. II a
mine had been exploded beneath the town
the soatterment couldn't have been greater,
J In about thirty+fve seconds there was not
Pumpkin Stud in the town, and very
few others. l must except a few officers,
who remained behind, in frantic endeavors
to rally the flying studs.) One man jump.
ed from second story gallery, and knock
I ed away post from under said gallery in
the violence of his start for the swamp.
A recruiting officer stopping in the town
undertook to bride q buggy, which in the
darkness he mistook for his horse; finding
the animal at last, and jumping for the
saddle, he went clean over.
young doctor, just on the eve of get
ting married, ran out of one of his boots,
and next day, in company With his intend.
ed went up the road wearing one torn
boot and an embroidered slipper. A can
tain en- route to Mobile took to the swamp
and remained till morning. Wading up a
branch, the better to elude pursuit, he
heard report of firearms, and soon after
that he Was frightened by an affrighted
soldier, who jumped into the branch lust
ahead of him. 81 surrender" shouted the
captain, taking the fellow for a Yankee.
''Yes, surrender" said the soldier, not
hearing the captains personal pronoun,
and mlstaking him from an officer in pur-
suit, he himself being an escaped deserter
from the guardrhouse, with others, and
the cause of the firing that had been heard
Having mutually surrendered, they looked
very fOolishly at each other for moment
or so, when the deserter started to run,
The captain, still believing that Yankees
were lear, started in pursuit, shouting
Don't run so fast, I'll keep you companyl"
But the deserter soon vanished, and the
captain stole into town, much disgusted
with the state of affairs generally. When
state that, owing to the recent heavy
rains, the whole surrounding country was
a swamp of mud and water, you may i'm.
agine What luxury there was in stampede
to the woods. The pickets on several oc-
Casions acted very ridiculously, firing their
guns at imaginary enemies and running
like scared dogs.
AT Osyka the state of affairs was pretty
much the same, if not little worse, as
there they have telegraph Office to add to
any general confusion that may arise.-
This telegraph Office was the centre OF ex-
citement, and the radiating point of the
several stampedes that occurred. The live.
. Saaf 1nt, E9.sl
In the back room OF the telegraph office,
assembled around the FIRE, and discussing
the situation, we're the operator, the post
commsndant and q number of the honorable
and respectable members of the "Osyka
| News Club" The particular subject under
| discussion was the genegal nervousness of
the community, and the ease with which
panic might be started at that late hour
| Indeed Lieutenant B had suggested
what geod idea it would be for some one
to gallop his horse through the town and
FIRE shot or two as he rode, in order to
see the natives get up and skedaddle, when
a clattering of horses feet was heard, and
DR.. Nc, who had been keeping watch
outside, rushed in pop-eyed and said, in
a low voice, "Getoutquick-the Yauks are
at the door ~ If that party had been dis.
charged out of mortar, their evanishment
|
plete.
They bolted out at the back door like
drove of mad buffaloes, and went charging
over the back fences for the woods. They
had some six or eight high board aud
pailing fences to get over, and the way
they did it was a caution to tom cats. 1t
is stated as an actual fact that in their
flight they scared a calf to death and scared
another out of years growth. The dead
calf was the property of Mr.. Michael Hart,
a well known and respected citizen of Osy-
ka, and the stuuted calf belongs to Mr.. Ad.
dis, the worthy postmaster, to either of
! which gentlemen any one may write who
! doubts this statement. The torn clothes,
iacerated hands and bruised knees and
hips of the stampeders, when they reached
the friendly shades of the sWamps, vouchr
ed for the maguifcence of their hegira
over the fences. The Lieutenant who had
suggested the plan for soaring the town,
didn't consider the swamp safe, and was
for swimming the Tangipsho river, in ad-
ditiou. Captain W, after getting
breath, set sboutlightiug his pipe. "Don't, I"
said one, whose nerves still vibrated,
"they'll see the light and be after us."-
"But I'll light the match in my hat, be-
hind tree" said the Captain.
f"Oh, no, DON'T" was the added remons-
trance; "it is a still, quiet night, and they'll
smell the smokel' Afraid to return to
town, they groped about in the swamp
awhile, getting into all SORTS of mudhoIes
and bitches, and barking their shins ia the
dark, until they came to an old crib with
fodder in the lott, and in this fodder they
hid themselves and slept till morning.
When they finally ventured back to town
they found that the supposed Yankees
were merely squad of frightened Pump
kin Studs, who had dashed into the town,
not to take it, but to claim it's protection.
Other incidents might narrate, but the
: above will serve for sample of the excite
ment that prevailed. Now. that the Yau.
: KEGS are reliably reported to have put back
to Baton Rouge the excitement has sim
mered down, and Osyka and .Taugipaho
are themselves again. The Studs are all
L. L--.l s.r.a ALnr. n.n nnl.. -nr.r.