Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-11-14


DO YOU know Sol. Street ?" said I'll
= cotton-buyer.
"Yes. | have known him for ten {
/, twelve wears. | knew him when
lived in Memphis, and then afterwar
when he lived on Island 40, and the
again when he moved up to the foot {
}. Island 81"
Now, see here" said Hall ;" "yo
I want TO make money and | want (
3 make money, and now is the time t
do it. If YOU are acquainted with Sol
) Street, you can arrange the matter S
as to make a handsome thing of it fo
both of u.s."
GLOW so?"
"Well, | will tell you. Sol Stree
! has got about eighty guerrillas station
ed back in the country few miles, anC
in their rear is large amount of cotton
l have seen it, and it is worth eight
cents a pound Sol. Street likes mon
ey as we'll as either you or l. Now, i
YOU will see him, and get him to give
YOU a writing that ne will withdraw
his men for ten days, and let Govern
ment teams in there, without molest
ing them, to haul the cotton away,
will give Sol. one-half of the proceeds
of the cotton, at eighty cents a pound
and | will give you FIVE thousand dol
lars of nv share, and you shall see the
cotton weighed and carry Soils money
to him."
THAT would really be a nice little
spec, wouldn't it ?"
| q ,,ory fc 4ho - -, -
"Well, am going down into the
Confederacy to be gone several days,
perhaps two weeks, and | will try and
see Sol. Street and find out what he
will do ABOUT it, and l will let you know
on my return"
"Well, do. lam sure that you can't
make five thousand dollars easier"
In the morning, resumed my jour
ney, and had proceeded as far as Wat
terford, when l accidently come across
Sol. Street. He Immediately recogni-
zed me as an old acquaintance. After
conversing awhile, said to him, "Sol.,
you like to make money and so do l,
and it don't matter much how we make
it, either. l know of chance for both
of us to make something"
"Well, what is it ?"
There is a large lot of cotton in the
country, to the rear of your men, and
there is a Yankee cotton-buyer, that
has seen the cotton, who says that it
is worth eighty cents a pound, and
that if you will agree to withdraw your
men for ten days. and allow him, un-
molested, to haul the cotton out with
Federal teams, he will sell the cotton
and pay over to me one halfo of the pro-
ceeds of the cotton for you, and will
give me five thousand dollars. What
do you think of that, Sol. 2"
"Will you be responsible to me for
my share ?'
ayes, l will, and l think it is as fine
a chance for you to make q little for
tune, and do it easy, as you will eyer
have. What do you say, will you do
it?"
"Yes, 1 will; l am bound to make
money out of this war, and don't care
a d-n'how l do it."
THAT'S the understanding then, is
Yes, and when you get ready to
nave tue COIbOH Oubs lCt NC hnOn lts
and Pll withdraw the men,"
However well had completed the
had no intention of
in a traffic of that kind
on my own responsibility. l relate it
merely that the reader may see one of
the internal phases of this monstrous
rebellion. Others have made money
in that way.
The journey from Waterford to Gre
NADIA was a painfully lonesome one
Not human being, save few citi-
zens at Oxford, were seen to enliven the
that prevailed. Scarcely liv-
ing being was to be seen, save perhaps,
now and then, poor, old, blind and |
crippled mule or horse, in the last sta
ges of starvation. Even the feathered |
of the forest seemed tc real
ize the utter desOlation that prevailed,
and lent, by their silence and seclusion,
to that inexpressible gloom. Scarcely |
4 fence Or plantation-house remained |
10 mark the place where happiness and
had once existed. Huge |
chimney-stacks pointed out where the
elements had been, and
stood as monuments Of retribution that
was being meted out to those whose
folly had led them 10 participate in
their own fearful dest. uction. | invol-
UNFAIRLY exclaimed, Surely, the way
Of the transgressor is hard !"
On my arrival at the rebel lines, near
l experience d no difficulty in
passing, and, without having met with
any obstacle after leaving the Federal
lines, found myself once more a so
ourner in Grenada. | found about
Il, 600 troops stationed there, eOmpo-
sed of infantry, cavalry and artillery,
and considerably improved in appear
lnce since my last visit to the place.
REPAIRED at once to General Prices
headquarters, and there found Gen.
Wheeler, whom | have mentioned as
having met before in the rebel army,
1t General Van Dorn's headquarters.
asked General Price for pass to Wis
t jackson, and for the privilege of
eaving my horse and mule with his
lead-quarter horses until my return,
which was granted. While there, l
ound out that General Wheeler had
ust received permit to visit Jackson,
% | proposed to accompany him, to
which he assented, and we both took
he cars together.
AT the depot met with an old &C
Iusintance from Arkansas, from whom
learned that three of my old bear
lunting comrades, by the names of
samuel Tsel, Henry Thomas, and Lem
lei Mcintosh, were in the 10th Arkan-
as Infantry, and that the regiment
vas at Edwards Station, four miles
rom Black River. l knew that Teel
lad been a regular canebrake ranger,
md concluded that, if l could find
lin, could contrive some way to get
afely to Black River bridge.
On our way down, General Wheeler
old me that President Davis was to be
It Jackson, and that his business down
here was to see the President. The
dea of seeing JEFF. Davis pleased me.
told the General that | was glad to
lear that the President was to be there,
or | had never been so fortunate as to
lave met him, and that 1 should be
Tery happy to make his acquaintance.
lie promised that if an opportunity
occurred, he would give me an intro
luction. l.
On our arrival at Jackson, we repair
d at once to the Confederate House,
egistered our names, and procured
ooms. Before had been shown to
ny room, General q learned after