Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1878-04-18


crossed Confederate notes be
came almost valueless. Gran
4 had his hand on the throat oil
the Confederacy at Petersburg
The wages of the workmen die
not purchase food Cor their fam
lies. They protested, but il
vain. They were too patriotic
TO or'ganizsaa revolution. Thei
women, however, formed a Sc
cret society, based on Commu.
nlstic principles. They seen
; TO have held that their husbands
were working for the Confeder.
I. acy, and that the Conicderacy
: was the only safety Of the gro
GERS and shop-kcepcrs. With
ont clothing and provisions
their husbands and sons must
stop work. This would cut
off necessary munitions and
supplies, the Government would
fail and al be involved in one
common ruin. To avoid this a
general division Of food and
clothing must be made. The
wives and daughters Of laborers
and mechanics throughout the
Capital generally joined in the
movement.
While standing on Main street
one morning the Major witness
ed an extraordinary scene. Sud-
denly hundreds OF women APP
peared. THE broad avenues
were filled with them. They
came fling m from the cross
streets by platoons, and began
to sack the stores. Hollow
eyed and gailnt with hunger,
nobody dared resist them. A
crowd of men hung upon the
outskirts, offering no interior
encc, and expressing no sympa-
thy for the shop-keepers. The
women took the stores in line,
one after another, They pro-
ceeded Systematically. The
goods were piled upon wagons
drawn by horses driven by ie-
male sympaihizcrs. Not a word
was spoken. The work wds
done with terrible .carnestness.
Whenva a mob entered o grocery
certain percentage OF them
piled the goods upon the oat-
stretched arms of the others,
and they were borne TO the street
and dumped into wagons. The
women had it all their own way.
. Neither soldiers nor police were
in sight. Meanwhile the crowd
incrcas.d.e Other women heard
what was going on, and fiocked
to Main street for some of the
plumber. Not man Joined
them, and fer long time no one
made an effort to stop them.
At last Congressman Baldwin,
Of Virginia, jumped upon a box
and made an impassioncd appeal
for law and order. He might
have as well talked to the wind.
n o one paid tie least attention
to him. The women went on
with their saclSing, and the by
ISLANDERS drowned Baldwin's
voice with their whoops and
cheers. r
"While | was gazing at the
scene," said the Major, Il saw
a Captain of an Alabama cav
airy regiment, with whom | had
a slight acquaintance. Doth of
us were in uniform. We agreed
that something ought to be done
to stop the robbery. At his
suggestion we stationed our
selves at the door Of a store al,
ready ovcrrun. In few Sec
onds a yirago tried TO pass us.
/ can see her now. Her cheeks
and lips were red, but she had a
pinched, starved look and an
eye like q hawk. She carried
in her arms half dozen bars
of yellow SOAP, q piece of dress
silk, and long box Of stock
ings, and some raisins and her.
rings. ] said;
/" Madam, | beg your pardon;
but you are forgetting yourself.
These goods are not yours. You
have not paid for them, and you
will not be permitted TO leave
this store with them"
She looked at me- said the