The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-02-16
LETTrR PROM apoIfEMIAN.r

appearance, giving the recoiecuohs VI IL, ~
friend Blue, who Is, believe tue '.os horr in
1t. Nor il this making him out TO De so Wy ~.
old for it WINS not many years ago tns c ..y
was a forest-speakirg Hiberntcally-aniu t tse
lands upon which IL Is located coYerSu oy sns
wigwams of the Creeks. NJ. 4. biue has
already published his memoirs In the paper
he now edits, fthe Montgomery Led9er,1 anu II =
still hale and hearty man. who cohiIuersy
expects to live the century out. mon tgou ,s
Is not an old city it was laid out ABOUT 1910 "
1919, and the Greek Indians remained up 70
1897. Il have played with them many
time" said Mr.. Blue; "haye shot hIIo ,",
with them for pennies, and have paduiea WIZ W
them in their canoes. Inns Was eaId 80
was going with me to the steamer upon when
| was to 20 down the Alabama river Al thaC
moment we passed soldier who was takins
leave of wife pro temp0re, 4, 80 caIieu, -; -
Bill Arp would say,) the latter WeepitE, DIT.
tprIv Mt the prospect of n separation. Ihere
bad been an order issued during my stay III
the CITY reducing the number OF troops, ana
two regiments were making their diLeuS, pre-
paratory to departure 10 ONO ana inulana,
ar somewhere in the Northwest Noticing
this Mr. BIue told me of the scene at the de-
narture of the negro troops lew lnonthS ago.
Nearly all had wives, and some having mar
ried tCidOlCS, L presume, nad u rev Chiiuien
under their paternal care Wheh tue oFuci
came for their removal, the women were IN
high glee at the prospect of going North, ana,
packing their feather beds, win the peL"tteS
of their little cabins that could be put III DUN
dies started down TO the steamboat landlhS:
The soldiers were marched down on board, and
were kept under orders upon the deck, guard
being stationed at the gangWay. Even theii
the noor creatures on shore were light hearted
and merry, and sat by their little househoid
goods watching the preparations, rs they sup
posed for their departure. The whistle blew,
the bell rang, the officers stepped on board,
but still the women sat patiently waiting
their turn, looking with fond eyes upon their
dusky husbands on the deck NO one VINO
witnessed the scene could doubt Tor one mo-
rocnt that the passions of n higher race were
also in their hearts, and no one could iail
TO see in too many instances the iona rove,
the look Of affection, the tender smile OF the
wife for her husband. All reader, laugn
NOT If Won are Southern, and have been
raised among negroes, / know You VIII not
for it is one merit that must be given us In the
South we have never refused 10 the negro
that tenderness of heart III love ana aIecLon
which we have heard so often in the neld OF
kitch en- breaking out into melodlous song, ana
we have given him the same feelings ana pas
sions that we have ourselves ielt, uetracllhS
only in SensibiGty and constituencies Oh mature.
Again the bell rang, and the captain gave the
order to pull in the plank. with one pro-
longed howl of agony and despair, the poor
women saw the steamer move away from tne
leyee, many of them sinking down upon the
spot, weeping as if their hearts would surely
break 1t was n cruel thing, and the wonder
is that no one of the officers should have mad
humanity or consideration enough TO have
told them before that it was impossible they
should go. For two days there was weeping
and wailing in Montgomery, only equalled,
parture of the Greeks in 1887. 1t was
Il rule with them for every poor man even
10 keep one dog, while each rcy poor
man would have two or three. In the party
there were perhaps three thousand dogs
The Indians fully expected TO carry them
along in their Journey westward but At the
steamer they were told the dogs would not be
allowed to come on board. The Greeks left:
the dogs remained Wheh theIr lhastcis WeIs
gone they took TO the woods and kept up such
n howl the citizens had to turn and XIII them.
1.-THE Couuette, >" said Nix, Blue, catching
glimpse Of the steamer, and stopping his story,
" YOU will have Il pleasant companion IN cap
tain Jesse Cox, who now commands her.
The sun was Just setting as l babe my friend
goodbye and stepped on board the Go
uuette" Captain Cox met me courteously
and kindly, and rendered me the Inequalities
of his boat ut the same moment giving his
first Officer orders to shove of. We dropped
down with the tide for n short distance under
n bluff some sixty or seventy feet high, swung
round into the stream, and headed down the
river The bluff l have mentioned merely
to state that, high as it is, the water some
times reaches its top and Captain Cox in
formed me that he had often run alongside the
iron gas post that stands upon its edge. Such
n rise seems almost incredible, but II Is true'
As dusk came on the new moon was NlsiDle,
and hung beautifully above our bows as we
ran RAPIDLY along the Autauga shores.
OF the trip down l need not particnlaTiZe.
The scenery is mOnOtOnOuS. The next morning
we were at Selma. 1t was raining heavily.
When opened my eyes, and looking upward,
suffered horribly by the wdr-more, perhaps,
than any other place in Alabama. Wilson's
raiders sacked the town, and ii is told the
stranger as positive fact that only two ladies'
IL. s,,Ff ha9fr.
in the city escaped without the loss OF tlleit
rings and ieWelry. Along the high bank
the river were some fine large
brick warehouses, and there now one sees only
the ruins of what they were. Ihcy are
en- tirely DESTROYED. 1t was too stormy tor me
10 20 ashore but l was told that, under the
rule of the enterprising young Mayor who
now sets in the chair OF Justlce-one OF the
editorial fraternity, by the way,-Selma Is
again entering upon q new career OF usefulness
and prosperity. 1t is not everywhere the peo-
ple have the good taste TO elect newspaper men
to office, but when they do, it is gratifying TO
see them run far ahead of their neiShbors
Mobile was prosperous last year II had an
very good one, too-for its Mayor
New Orleans was never so prosperous: Mayor
Kennedy was for many years bne OF the fra
ternity. l mention these things TO show the
people what their true policy Il, and Il they
do no. credit my inference, point with prldc
to Selma and say, " Behold" We remained
some time at Selma taking on cotton, and then
ran down TO Cahabee before nightfall. Here
we got more cotton, and during the night
stopped 1T many landings, taking on each time
from four to thirty bales.
The next night we were at Claiborne, where
the cotton bales slide down Il railway near
two hundred feet in length, and where one
has to take three hundred and thirty steps to
reach the top of this novel staircase. One by
one the bales came sliding down upon the
gangway planks, the momentum gained in
the descent shooting them upon the steamer
where they are stopped by other bales. For
some hours we sat upon the deck watching
this amusement AS soon as the cotton could
be slowed away we were again IN motion,
going down the tide. Supper came-our last
supper on board. There were several emf
grants among the passengers, on their way TO
new homes in MeXico-men led by the glow
ing tales of the EldoTado at Cordova 10 sell
out their lands here and try their fortunes
there in the land of the MonteZumas. |
rather envied those their trip, for / should
like very much to see Mexico under the bene
ficent rule of King Macmillan. 1t seems 10
me that he has made great sacrifice in accept
ing that throne and l firmly believe that
nothing bat desire to do the people OF that
permanent and lasting good would
have tempted him away from the delightful
position, 10 n literary man IKE him, OF Arch
duke of Austria. Many, | know, take an
view; but l have seen Macmillan at
home, and know that he is both respected and
beloved, and that he lived a life Of quiet ease
any literary man would coyet.
Beside me, ut the table, sat one Of these
- - a Er