The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-01-20
Persecution Of Southern UniOnists.

The following case of rebel persecution
will afford an instance, out of thousands. O.
what these people often suffer in the south.
and on their journey to a place of refuge.
Last summer there came to the Refugee
house, a mother, with her four children,
trying to reach her friends in Kentucky.
She was an intelligent woman, of the bet
ter class of refugees. She said she had
lived near Jacksonport, White River, Ar
kansas that her husband owned farm,
well stocked with cattle, horses and pro-
visions, and was in prosperous circum-
stances. He was known as a Union
man, and often had to lie out in the
woods-called in the south the "brush $
for weeks, to escape being eonscripted in
the rebel army or murdered. Sometimes
the guerrillas would come and take away
whatsoever suited them of his property
his horses. cattle and corn, as they pleas
ed. and even the bed-clothes from their
beds. and their apparel AT last they
caught him once at home. where he had
come to see his little family, and spend a
few DAYS with them under his own roof.
They called him out into his door-yard,
told him he was a id traitor to the
south, tore him away with violent hands
from his weeping wife and children,
marched him short distance down the
road. and murdered him in cold blood, the
report of their murderous weapons reach
ing his own doors.
After this they returned and told his
weeping widow that she had better pack
up and 90 to Pilot Knob, where the feds
would take care of her. or they would
burn her house over her head. Some
days later, she yoked the last OK team
that had been left them, and putting her
bedding and her children in the wagon.
with their clothing and some of her hus-
bands apparel that she wished TO keep.
she started for Pilot Knob. distance of
about two hundred miles. Travelling
about fifteen miles day, when she had
been nearly week upon the road, and
her little stock of corn and bacon was
nearly exhausted, she was met by band
of rebel marauders, who stopped her in
the road and inquired where she was GO
ing. The poor woman, being much
alarmed, answered that her husband was
dead. and she was trying TO 60 to her
friends in Kentucky.
''Well," said they, what have You got
here J" and they began to rummage the
wagon, from which they took her deceas-
cd husbands clothes. and her bed quilts.
and the corn meal and bacon that was
left, and then they unhitched the yoke of
steers from the old wagon, and said TO
her" We cannot allow you 10 take these
things into the federal lines. You say
your huaband Is dead: how did he die
Put TO death for being = traitor: Cd
d-n him, served him right. And YOU
are going to your friends in kentucky :
Union people, ehl Then You can travel
on foot 10 Pilot Knob. and the feds will
take care of You there They'll give yon
more blankets and clothes. and give YOU
rations besides
The poor woman pleaded with her
tears. and her little children CRYING around
her, that they would leave her the team,
and the bedding. and the little food she
had, and LET her 90 on her WAY: but
they jeered at her. and Knocked and
laughed at her distress, and took her
team and everything she had, and left her
with her little children crying on the road.
after which she pursued her way on foot
with the little children to Pilot Knob. and
received free passage by the Iron Noun
tain railroad TO ST Louis. On their ar
rival al the refugee home there, they were
kindly cared for. and assisted TO reach
their friends in Kentucky, where the poor
woman and her children found her own
fathers house and a welcome to the pa
ternal home. Hundreds of instances like
this. differing only in the kind and degree
of persecution. might he narrated.-Re-
port cf' the Western Sanitary Commission.