Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-12-21

HOW raR WIDOW CROSSED fHF LINES.

"~" Vo~SSnD IL hsN99s
One afternoon In October, 1861, 4 lady
whom We shall here call Mrs. Potter wss
crossing foot-bridge over Q creek which
emptied into the Ohio, cutting in two n
struggling mill town on the Virginia side.
This town held. for the first year or two of
the war. the key to An important position,
and as the-population was half rebel and
half loyal, 1t had its full share Of tho hub.
bub. the stern tragedy and no less stern
comedy OF the time. 1t was made up Of
half . dozen streets Of SCOT blackened
houses. stretching monotonously for three
or four miles along . ledge between the
bills and river, with here and there an iron
or glass-mill whose great chimney helchsd
forth flame and smoke. There was moth
ing In the black streets to inducs sam
tering habit In anybody. but Mrs. Poessr
paused on the foot bridge and looksd down
to the Ohio shore. The water ofthe creek
below was of peculiar green; heavy
stone bridge crossed II just where Il opened
into the river, and the piers made piles and
arches Of soft shadow in Il; beyond was
the wall Of the Ohio hills flaming here and
there into autumnal colors Q little steam.
boat with futtsring Gag puffsd up and
down the muddy river; while overhead
the clouds Of bituminus smoke shut out
the sinking sun With rolling masses Of
black, touched here and there with bleod.
red or purple splendor. Looking at these
the lady did not notice . confusion on the
banks below her, which shelved down
from the back yards of factories and saw
mills. and were heaped with ashes and
lumber. A few ragged children playing
on the rats began to cry out shrilly. Mrs.
Potter heard them at last, and looking
down saw . woman In the creek wsdiu9
deliberately out into the deep current. No
one a. yet but these children had noticed
her. The lady above could not &c, cam; .
kind OF breathless horror seized her. There
were the humping. clashing mills, and
broad daylight. the dirty banks, the chill.
dren with their feeble little yells. and the
woman calmly sinking deeper, step BY
step, into the water. She was quite com.
posed; that added TO the horro1 Of it--a
tidy. sober. young woman with Scotch.
Irish face, and hair 20 neatly dressed
above her collar and blue crayst that 4
struck Mrs. Potter ~ oddly irscongruous
with the deed of death.
When the water reached her chin aha
knelt down. At that moment some work.
men saw her and put OF in scow tom
shore. Before the lady could run across
the bridge . crowd Of men and boys had
collected on the bank Rnd were shouting
out order. She turned to 20 down TO
them; 1t seemed ~ II somehow the wo.
man "rI;Sss Sslo9g'd to her,
It was her brother John, afterward Ma.
jor Pomeroy Of the Confederate service
indeed, he had his commission In his mock.
ct at that minute. and had bsen sscrstly
enlisting men all day to 60 with him across
the lines. The Pomsroys. like sll Virgin.
ians, laid down strict rules Of decorum
for their women. Where can You be
going. Elinor"
"Oh. l beg your pardon. John. But
there 10 woman drowning. She looked
at me--she called to me-"
"She will be attended to. I'm mot sur.
prised that any body should claim soousine.
ance with you. Your radical notions are
the towns talk just nowhere, Dickson /"
beckoning workman. Take this money
and see to that poor wretch. Come to
me If more Is needed. Mrs. Potter feels
an interest in her."
II doubt. zur. she'll want but q coadn.
by the looks of her. And money wosn't
livin'." --.
Major Pomeroy walked on, talking to
bis sister of the weather and like subiects.
His heart burned hot within him. Hewss
going into the Southern army, he might
never come back, and his sister, whom he
loved better than anybody in the world,
had come out openly ~ An abolitionist.
The society of the town (John Pomsroy's
world) was moved with amazement and
disgust. No wonder she rushed into q
crowd Of men after . drunken woman!
Something there had always been In Eli.
nor. he felt. Of headstrong insubordina.
ton alien to Virginia woman. She
might have been New England radical.
He turned into his mill. Mrs. Potter
waited until he was out Of sight. and then
went swiftly back. Dickson 7" she called
Dickson !" The man was . puddler
in her brothers employ. "Is she dsadi
Where il she ?"
She's on the scow, na'am. Whstev.
er am I to do with the boss's money!
What is it she needs that money won't
buy You said that Just now"
"Her baby. She's been . lookin' for II
these three weeks. It's that that's drove
her crazy and into the erik"
"Is the baby dead p
Dickson had never heard that Mrs. Pot.
ter had lost child. but be knew it now.
mo, it's not dead its bin tux. She's
a-lookin' for It oil the time"
"Tookp Go for . cab, and have her
put into it, and driven to my house. She
is recovering now"
"Your house7 She's a wet % . 6sh.
Shed better 20 to JAIL" mumbled Dick.
son: That's the place for mad people,
by law"
The laws will be altered soon In Vir-
ginia, thank God ?" thought Mrs. Potter.
hurrying away. She happened just then
to pass some prisoners from the fall At
work paving the streets. in chains. She
smiled bitterly at this hint Of the civilisa.
tion in her native town. Il Wa The out.
growth Of slavery. though there were noe
twenty blacks in the country. vIrRinian
though she was, she prayed God 70 crush
the tyrant and traitor. She passed the
gray stone custom-house, with The stars
md str A.xtk u