The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1865-04-04


pie, and offering to the houscless allt,le
accommodation possible to seeure..---
The lslrid blaze lit up every 7no. X md
corner, and ! could pick up a PIN or
read a newspaper in any street by the
ruddy light of the confagration.
have erred i'm ascribing fear to eH
I did see q, number of the bitter, ,yindic-
tive girls and women of the city laugh
ing defiantly, and threatening the ven
geance of the Southern army, as the r.
cry element licked up their homes and
property. ~,
Feb. ls.-The city is still burning.4
The fire, however, can extend to no
buildings not now in flames. Among
the buildings destroyed are the Catho-
lic Convent, the Mayors residence and
the Government Observation-Disclosures,
containing the plates ofthe national cur.
rency, and immense quantities of mate
rial of all kinds, and an arsenal stoyed
with rifle ammunition and small arrrisj
Explosions are constantly going on, and
some persons have been injured By ven-
turing too near the arsenal The prin-
cipal arsenal and magazines are out Of
danger. Lieut.. Mitchell, Of Gen. LoI
gan's staff, is engaged with party M
destroying. arms and armunitiop,, IA
terrible explosion occurred to-day, oc.
casioned by the careless handling ofamI
munition, by which over twenty men
were killed and wounded, The wound
ed were shockingly lacerated. ..sr
The scene In the city bcggars de-
scription. 'oai 'a,T'ollc' NFf
FLEEING FROM THE cff1rNr. ..,''. 'l,','
Feb. I9,-The destitution is so great
that Commissaries issue rations to the
people. Hundreds;apply forpermissiop
to accompany the army. They have
no dwellings,, no clothing, saye what is
on their backs, and not one ounce Of
proyender. Citizens are notified that
all who can find conveyances in addi-
ton to those who are assigned to army
wagons, will be permitted to accompany
the column. The mania for. refugeeing
spreads through the city Every piece
Of harness is eagerly e.zed. Every
mule, horse and OK is pressed into tho
service, and every piece of leather and
rope is worked op. into a kind of har-
ness fFp q" ~ 80.
Feb. 2o.-Left Col ,mbia today.
Muftitudes of people applied for per-
mission to accompany the column who
could not be accommodated. Gen.
Howard left in the hands Of the May
or, to be distributed to the needy, five
hundred head of cattle and q large
amount of salt and meal. When the
column had started out on the road, d
pageant was presented that l am suro
finds few if any parallels in history.
Every manner of conveyance choked
the road, A splendid carriage, ,cortaint;
ing an unfortunate family that fgiired
once among the elite of the Capital,
was sandwiched between an old market
wagon, with loose boards for a bed,
covered with few dirty blankets, on
which were seated an old negro woman
with her numerous half clad, dirty riosed
PROGENY, dxawn by an OK and a dis
tempered mule, rugged out'in harness
of Gotten cord, and negro cart loaded
in abort the same manner, and drawn
by d yoke of oxen. ~
Here again was fashionable family
in rough army wagon, preceded by
an elegant coach, drawn by good ami
mails, and filled with the. happy negroes
who had confisicated the conveyance
of their master as part pay for years of
unrequited toll. Following, perhaps,
was family of "poor White, trash" fully
as comfortably situated rs the fortunate
black family in front. One negro won-
an with several children started in a
rickety cart, drawn by mule that look
ed as though he had been discharged
from the rebel service on account of
chronic diarhea. fgl s9Fll
Ask any Of the negroes where they
are now going, and they, had but on6
answer: "Goin' for my freedom, sab. !"
Thousands of these poor blacks trud-
ged along on foots,either in the road
witch the trains or in the fields. l ac-
costed an old woman who had started
out in search of freedom, and asked
her age. She answered, "I'sc past nine
ty, massa; not much use for freedom
now."