The Caucasian. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1874-1875, 1874-05-16
@EsEEsHa's' NASH.
BY los NTH.
From The New Orleans Picayuuc.

| rom iHf lNfW Sllei1S lGis HiF-
Financial misfortnues having
forced me ~ dispose .ofmy plantation
in A'laslsippi, ] managed to save
cnongloont Of the wreck to pur
chase six good mules and q wagon
with which | concluded to rmIgrato
to Texas with inS family, consist
ing Of myself, my wife and two
daughters, aged fifteen and scven
teen Years respectively, and light
conpleXiuled negro man | hired,
who called himself "Bcn Butler"
Passing thrdagh Louisiana, / was
induced to take the road from I!ar-
risonburg to C1lIax, instead Of to
Alexandria, thGTlsual route. When
not.lar from CoIlax we came to !,
Creek which was so swclcd by re
cent rains that we could not deter,
mine its depth, but, oupposing II
not dangerous, | concluded to cross,
it, and directed Ben, who was driy-
ing, to go ahead. After getting
well On the nfales reached swim
ming water, which, running with
great srapiudity- took mules,
wagon and all down below where
the road came ssout, and as the wag,
on w;as sinking we all bcgal8 to
struggle for our lives, the women
screaming for help. in jumpin.
out became entangled in the har
ness, and after Struggling some
time, became SO exhausted Rhat |
became insrnsihIc.
When Consciousness rctnrucd ]
found myself 'yingupon the ground
surrounded ~ my wife :ehd daugh-
{eE2ss and about u dozen aefs, the
cItIef ot' whom was q Young man OF
about twenty-five summrrs, OF me
ilam height, spare build, with coal
BLACK eyes and hair, and rcsoIute,
determined lock, that bosEokr him
1T once the leader. The =. others
were quiet ioolslH,, young men, vrlE
AIMED, viii, Il serious look pc1ya-
ding the whole that convinced me
they We're not hunters, norm search
OF sport.
Seoinr my eyes open, the leader
said: Il an glad to sea, y0l, coming
round, sir, and TO assure YOU that
yonl family and effects are all safa.n
| attempted to thank him, but he
interrupted me weth, "You owe me
no thanks, sir, for the person does
not i've hat | would not havr done
as much for and added I am
sorry to say Your man has hurt his
eye, but truss, will, Il little care
his sight may he restored.' ] then
noticed Ben lying near me, with
one OF his eyes injured by coming
i'll contact with Il limb oycrhanging
the creek. lie was ugly before, but
il struck me that IT,, occasion of
hIear eye was no improvement to
him.
The stranger-t1,en saying Sic was
compelled TO leave, ordered his men
'ae mount, badc us adieu, raising his
hat to my wife and daughters with
us l.such ceremony as if they he
longed to the royal fami's-, and dis
behind hill, followed by
his men in a sweeping galIop.
Ey this time | had begun to re-
rover my strength, and getting up,
went to look after the wagon aud
mules, all OF which | found safe
Ihongh the contents os she wagon
Wer@ so wet we concluded to re
main there all day to dry them.
On the next morning we started
III towards Collax, aud had got
within u few miles OF that place
when we were confronted by a
:roWd OF about twenty negro men,
Oh mules, the leader o.'
ahom, Il mulatto, about thirty
,ears OF age, with scar across his
nee, asked me in gruif tone whore
was going. | replied that ale
sired to cross the river at CoIfax.
"You can't go to ColfaX,' said he,
no damn white people can 60
here. u+c have the place, and will
oon have the whole country. Not
white face shall be left to tell the.
ale
! tilen asked him if there was any
yay for me 50 get mound ColfaX-
nd he said there was a road short
Iistance ahead, lee ding to the right,
'1at would tske me around, "that
$ he added "it yon have a mind
0 walks for qcaat these mules"
An l. wants one oh de gals" said
ne 81 his men, riding up. "An l
must hap one too" said half doz-
Il more at once, AL yancing to the
wagon, And naw commenced a !
more terrible than the one F.,
u the creek. There my wife and
-aughters were trying to escape
Ieath; here they we're trying to t