The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1866-07-05
JULY ,. 1866.
The Starving Poor of North Alabama


FREGHrFUL sckSks AMONG THE sUFFKREKS.
\ correspondent of the Chicago ri.
Dune writes from Bellefonte, Ala, under
date of June 9.
| passed number Of cabins. around
which were half dozen nearly naked
children, hut did not stop at any Of them
till had reached q point about three
miles from the edge of the Coosa valley.
within ten feet of the road. was one of
those huts IN which The banIshed poor of
the South, who have been driven from
tile fertile valleys and plains by the ex-
elusiveness and grasping OF the wealthy
land owners, have for years taken refuge
SeN eral children, ranging IN age from
Four TO twelve years, and clothed only
in what Is an excuse for an underIar-
ment, were sitting around, while two
females were, with emaciated counte
! nances. picking some wild vegetables in
the vicinity, from which to make a meal
j for themselves and suffering children.
/ / could not mistake their condition of
destitution, even at glance, but L de-
! teTmned to hear their story from their
! own lips. and | accordingly halted my
horse and asked one of the females:
Madam, could YOU accommodate me
/ with dinner to day
She paused moment, and l repeated
/ the question.
God knows" said she, and tears
+ began to trlckle down her checks, THAT
would not turn a stranger and travel
Ter away. but there has not been an
ounce of meal or meat in the house for
! five Gays. we and our children have lived
entirely during that period, upon boiled
greens, with neither salt nor pepper
How many children have yoa:' l
asked
"Three, and this lady two more-all
small, as you see, We have no way to
live: we cannot even get seed to plant
our gardens. How we are to live God
only knows"
Are your husbands dead>'
Yes. both were killed in the army
''Why did they 90 into the seryice?'
All" she said. '.ah, they staid ont a
long as they could. They lived for two
year. in the mountains, but they were
finally taken aud carried away in irons
and both were killed, just TO save some
of those rich men
y WOMAN OF SEVENTY
was the next person | addressed ! 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 a sack, in which was half a
hushel Of meal
Madam" said /, 'Syou are wearied,
are You not? you are too Old to carry
such load.
Il have toted it eighteen miles; clear
f. 4 60. l-l,,
How far do you live from heref l
asked
Half a mile"
And you have carried this all the way
from GuntersyiIle, had You no one to
sendE'
no. sir, said She, Il had two sons
who lived with me, and two more, who
had families, living near. They were
all killed ia the war, and the wife of one
of them is dead, and had to take care
of his four children, the eldest Of whom
Is eight years of age; had to carry this
clear from Gintersviile OF starye-
NO MEAT SINCE AUGUST.
met boy about thirteen wears Of
age carrying peck OF meal. and | asked;
How far 10 YOU live from the city:
Five miles
Are the people ittd OH t8efes
~ es. we have had to live on the corn
meal given Us We have had no meat
in our house since August last, and the
Lord knows when we shall have any
more.
''Do You Ct corn meal euough?"
NO. sir We don't average more than
peek q week, and there are four OF Us
in the family
Where Is your father:
"He was killed at Mission Ridge"
Are the people around you as bad Off
as yon are =
Yes. sir. some are worse off, and
only 4 few are better of, We expect to all
starve, unless the Yankees help Us
l conld fiji columns with particulars
IS heart rendering as these. ! converscd
with at least a hundred persons during
my stay, which lasted till the morning Of
the 4th of June. and all Of them gave
accounts as dolefnI A. these narrated.
| made inquiries OF different parties,
well informed on the condition of affairs.
ami they estimated that in five counties
south Of the Tennessee river, there were
At least twenty thousand persons border
IuL on = state OF starvation. All looked
to the I Iankees, and to them alone. for
assistance. No one ever dreamed Of
obtaining assistance from the wealthy
planter Of their own state