The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-07-09

| AOnnCooCOs ANOHOuOhJs 1hN U..S -.
kee States, have contributed literally
to aid you.p
20 Yes" she responded, but we live
so far away. The nearest point at
which I can get anything, is Gunters,,
vile, which is twenty miles. | will
have to. carry it on my back, and lam
scarcely able to walk alone; | tried to
borrow a horse down in the valley,
but the man told me that he had other
! business than taking care OF all the
paupers in the county, and was COM
PEELED to abandon all hope.
II had taken the advice of the gen
tleman who told me to provide my
self for the journey, and had IN sack
a peck of meal for my horse, and In
my saddle bags corn bread and bacon
for two days. | at once gave all | had
to the family, knowing that [ could
reach Guntersville the following day,
or even that night, by fast riding, and
my horse could subsist on grass, of
which, all along the way, there was an
abundant growth. [ had intended to
travel but few miles each day, but
now / determined to go direct to
Guntersville, and make daily trips in
the country, returning at night.
have seen expressions of gratitude
under almost every circumstance. A
hundred times have | seen the dying
soldier on the battlefield breathe out
his last breath in gratitude for drop
of water to cool his parched lips; but
never did / see so much fervency as
on this occasion: never heard |
more eloquent prayer than that mo-
ment fell from the lips Of that litter
ate woman. a95f
At this point I left the scene. I
could endure it no longer. had
heard of the suffering of the famine
stricken people, but never did /
for a moment picture to myself
1.-THE of the horrors spread out before
me.
A WOMAN OF SEVENTY
was the next person | addressed. I
had passed all the huts for three
miles, not desiring to give my nerves
second shock that day; but on the
road / met an old decrepid female,
clothed in a worn wrapper, of coarse
domestic, carrying on her back sack,
in which was half bushel of meal.
Madam, said [, you are wearied,
are you not; you are too old to carry
such load"
Il have toted it eighteen mile
clear from Guntersville," said she.
How far do you live from here?"
I asked.
Half mile.
And you have carried this all the
way from Guntersville; had you no
one to send?"
No, sir" said she; Il had two
sons who lived with me, and two
more who had families living near.
They were all killed in the war, and
the wife of one of them is dead, and
/ had to take care of his four chill
dren, the oldest of whom is eight
years of age; | had to carry this clear
from Guntersville, or starye."
| fastened by as rapidly as possible
to Guntersville, and reached the town
about midnight. | had expected to
travel the country over to witness the
actual condition of the people; but
had no need of that. [ had scarcely
reached the street, in the morning,
before L saw representatives from
every section within a circuit of thirty
miles, from which [ could obtain as
true picture of the prevailing desti-
tuition as was possible from an ex-
tended tour through the mountains.
DIED BY THE WAY.
While | was standing in front of
the door of the hotel, | was approach
ed by middle aged female who in
quired of me where was the place at
which rations were dealt out to the
poor. | pointed to the house, but be-
fore she departed, | asked:
" How far do you live from here?"
Thirteen miles, said she.
Is there very much suffering
there p | inquired.
! Yes, sir; you have no idea of its
extent"
" Do you not get enough here to re-
llieye you?"
Yes, sir-enough to keep us from
dying-that is, most of US; we get
little meal nothing else; meat we do
not expect we are glad to get enough
meal to keep US from dying"
Where does this relief come
from! L asked.
'Some from Tennessee, some from
Kentucky, but mostly from the Yam
kee States
How do you get it out homer"
: We carry it on our backs; we have
no horses"
I" Do you ever come here, and find
nothing to give out?'
9 Yes, sometimes; know a woman
who came sixteen miles, after having
lived three days without anything, as
she gave the small mite she had to
her children, and then got nothing,
and had to walk all the way back.
She has since died. -
: Are there many cases of starva-
ton among your / next inquired.
. Why, yes; the other day woman
walked seventeen miles for some food
for herself and four children, and she
nnt O 1nanL nf rnnal. hut rho ,r-nr c1.