The Richmond palladium., 1875-01-20
SPIRITED AWAY.


/ Il
fishes the following strange story Q
farmer, who was spirited away from
Savannah:
Some time in January, 1874. Mr.
Jefferson Clay, a respectable younl
farmer Of Thomas county, was in Sa
vannah: on business of a private ma
| ture. His friends and relatives knew
this much. and they were also inform
| ed that he might be expected to re
| turn by the first week in January.
! Week after week fitted by. The
middle of February came, and still
young Clay remained, as 1t was thought
| in Savannah. About the 1st of Marcel
| the friends of the missing man begaI
to entertain the most serious appre
tensions. They were plain people
quainted with the ways of the world
The idea Of advertising for the los,
man never entered their heads. Clay
uncle, it is true, went to Savannah and
spent a week in making inquiries in
reference to this nephew, but the re
suit did not enlighten him in the
least. The people he consulted sug.
gested various explanations, none o1
them very consoling. One party said
that Clay had doubtless run away
Another thought that he had been
murdered for his money, and thrown
into the river. The police knew moth
| ing about it.
And with this feeble and futile at
tempt the search was abandoned
Everybody gave Clay up for dead
But there was one exception. The
young lady who was engaged to the
unfortunate man did not hesitate to
declare her belief that her lover was
alive, and would yet return to his
home and friends. She trusted to in
tuition, and as a natural consequence
the men shook their heads, and even
women ceased to hope.
The months rolled on, and, when
last October came, poor Jefferson Clay
was almost as completely forgotten
save with a few, as If he had been
dead a century. But one night old
Adam Clay, the uncle who had search
ed SO unsuccessfully in Savannah. was
aroused from his slumber by loud
and furious knocking. With some
miseivings, he opened the front door
and confronted haggard wreck of a
man, whose tattered garments and
general appearance told a tale of suf-
fering almost without a parallel.
Great God" cried the old man.
who and what are your"
II am Jefferson Clay, your long lost
nephew, replied the stranger, and
am ~ near dead as a man can be-
give me food and question me after
ward"
The worthy uncle was at first in =
clined to think that this was another
case of the ''prodigals return" etc,
but he called up the servants, and in
few moments a hearty meal was
spread before the half -famished wan.
derer.
Young Clay ate with the appetite of
. alf-famished wild beast and not
until his hunger was fully appeased
would he utter one word in response
to the many questions asked by his
curious kinsman.
At last, however. the wants of the
inner man were satisfied, and then
came from the lips of the traveller one
ct the strangest stories of adventure
over poured into mortal ear We
only give the substance; it 10 impossi-
BILE to place before our readers that
wild, haggard man as he actually ap-
peared; nor can we recall the rugged
words with which he electrified his
solitary listener.
1t appeared that Clay attended to
the business which had called him
away from home, and was on the eve
OF leaving the city, when he stepped
into . low groggery and called TOR
drink. There were no other custo-
mers present; but behind the counter
stood two men, of rather sinister as
pect. The young man was far too in
experienced to entertain any fears,
and after draining the proffered glass,
he readily accepted an invitation from
one OF the bar-keepers to play game
of dominoes. After that nothing was
clear to him. He fell into a kind of
stupor, and then into a sleepy slum-
Der. When he awoke, as he express
ed it, scorching sun was shining full
In his face, and the sandy bed beneath
hIm was almost roasting his body.
He staggered up, and found that he
was clad In ragged uniform of some
kind, but he was hatless and bare
footed. When he partook of the
drugged liquor (for drugged it must
have beenl. his face was smoothly
shaved. When he awoke he had
long, tangled beard. Another strange
thing-he was penned up in one cor
ner OF huge stockade. BY peeping
through the bars into the other part
Of the inelosure he discovered several
hundred men, evidently foreigners.
all dressed In a uniform similar to the
one he then had on
Clay told his uncle that this scene
almost drove him frantic He cried
out for help, and in a short time
little man, In gorgeous
costume, came to the pen and spoke
to him In strange tongue. Our hero
replied in English, and the officer
(for such he was) responded in the
same language. He informed the
prisoner that he was in Spanish
camp of instruction on the coast of
Cuba; that he was all right, and he
should be marched to the front to
light the Cuban insurgents. Clay
asked innumerable questions, ex-
planned who be was, and begged TO be
released. But the officer was inexor-
. Die, and terminated the conversation
by walking off.
Two meals were sent to the prisoner |
that day. oranges and bananas being /
the principal articles.
At night the stockade was attacked |
by party of insurgents and captured. |
after a lively fight. Fortunately one
Of the officers among the vietors was
an American, and to him the afflicted /
Ieorgian unbosomed himself.
The ofhcer 5 sympathies were touch /
ID. He took good care of Clay; and l
n two weeks time succeeded in ship |
ping him on blockader to Key West.
Arriving at that point our unfortu-