Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1869-06-11
BELLOWS FALLS, VI, FRIDAY,

over there, and began firing. wonder
ed what had become of my wife, for the
bullets from both sides began to knock
the shingles off the house. One side
there, where you see the cellar like =
Well, that's where she went to get away
from the shot, she and the waiter girl
All night | stood out there by that tree,
wishing | might go and see my wife. But
she didn't know that was there at all.
But determined to desert to the Union
lines the next night, so | arranged to be
on picket, and | was set out there, in the
corner of the field. Just as it was COM
ing dark, lay down on the ground, so
that the other pickets might not see me,
and crawling along slowly toward the
house, and when | got within few rods,
/ jumped and ran for the house. When
| came round the corner, a picket dis
covered what was and fired at me, and
the bullet went over my head. Iscreamed
Mary, Mary and she knew my voice,
and came right out to meet me on the
step, and said, ooh dear, dear George,
let's hurry away from here and opened
her arms to put them around my neck
and kiss me but some of the Union
pickets, thinking there was an advance
ip the direction of my house. opened fire
Just then, and--and--shot my wife
through the heart, and she fell before
she had time to kiss me or her. The
bullet that killed her went through my
arm right there. / took her up and ran
for the Union lines shouting, I'm de-
serter' They finally let me in, but my
wife was dead The batteries over there
hearing the muss about the house began
shelling it, and set it on fire, and how the
maid got out of the kouse / don't see
But l came back here when the Union
lines advanced, and buried her the next
day, an Illinois chaplain saying the pray
ers. And that's just why | wish ] was
dead. l can't do anything nor think of
anything but her. Oh, she was such a
good wife" Here he paused and wiped
| his eyes with his sleeve, and went on trim
ming his rose bush. So sad a tale and
SO real, being in the very place where it
happened, brought tears to our eyes in
spite of us. We could not find it in our
heart to disturb him with more questions
after finding out his name, and so left
to pursue our search in The fields beyond
AS we were getting over the fence at the
outskirts of the plantation, we looked
back and saw him still bending over the
bunch of rose trees. After travelling in
the woods, marking the bullet and shell
: SCARED oaks, we turned toward Vicks
burg, crossing one corner of the field as
we went. 1t was getting dark and the
stars were appearing, bu- we could just
see his form leaning over the bush a
though he had not stirred since we lief
him an hour before. We paused upor
: the old rail fence and said to ourselves
Great God, wilt thou not heal this brok
en- heart d?
We cannot close this letter withou
reference to
JEFF DAVIS PLANTATION,
which we visited yesterday. 1t lies oil
the banks of the Mississippi, about thin
ty miles below Vicksburg, and is an ex
ceedingly lovely place. jeff never owne'
it himself, though he staid upon it from
1882 to 1861. 1t belonged to his broth
er Joe, who lived in Vicksburg and CAV
JEFF the use of it, Cor what is more like
ly, Joe managed to cook up title whe
he was pardoned and he saw that jeff
property was to be coniscated by tn
. government.) The buildings all renal
~ :, as they we're when JEFF left, except a fe'
negro quarters that have been torn dowI
. An old negro that used to be one of JEFF
slaves, now leases the plantation of JC
for ten thousand dollars year, and hir,
= : a hundred and fifty hands to work it
Not white man is to be seen about II
place. Strange as it may seem to M
Davis, his old slave is making none
:, fast, and feels as proud as any viii
= man, libin in ole Jeff's parlor de
= days" The whole plantation of sever
" thousand acres is planted to cotto
=, which appears very promising, and fro
. this one plantation, cotton enough W
be produced to run mill in Lowell f
" weeks.
=, ~ ave jist lets ole Massa JEFF make P
~ = litical speeches, an we'll see that the CO
: ton grows" said the darkey who show
us about, and who had queer habit
n' showing the whites of his eyes whenev
~ Jefferson Davis was mentioned.
- "Golly, who sposed dat dis chile wou
- ben free and libin on dis yer plaptati
~ wild my Dolly? yah, yah, yah ole JET
" come to grief shuah. He'd be hopp
:" mad, to see dis niger yere. Yah, va
" YAH"