The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-06-19
PeytOn's Adventures.
Washington (Miss.) Gazette.


ain 1868, Gen. Pemberton com
manded at this point. Col. Heming-
way owned a faithful slave-Peytor
by name, a noted negro fiddler, known
for miles around, and highly respected
by both black and white. When his
young master w. Lynn Heminway,
at present State Treasurer of Missis-
sippi, Joined the old "Carroll Rifles, "
he took Peyton along as IL trusted SER
want. He went with him into Vir-
ginia and returned home in 1868. In
February or March of that year, a
faithful spy was needed to visit the
Federal gunboat then coming down
the river on Fort PembertOn. Peyton
at once undertook the mission, and
representing himself as fugitive
slave to the commander of the boat,
was we'll received. Being bright far be-
yond ordinary, he managed to secrete
their official papers, maps, ETC., and
escaped to Fort PembertOn with these
documents. After the fall of Vicks-
burg, in July following, PeytOn went
with his young master again to VIr-
ginia, where he remained until the
surrender of General Lee. The form
er being compelled to remain a num-
Der of days afterward in order to
comply with the fOrmalities of the
surrender, sent Peyton ahead of him
to his home near CarrolltOn, Miss. On
his way, however, he was betrayed to
the enemy by some Confederate, as
the SPY who had deceived them above
Fort Pemberton, was CAPTURED and
carried in irons to New York, and
thence to Cuba, and sold as a slave,
together with many others. The ves-
sci on which he was taken, was Fed
eral gunbooat. In Cuba he worked
as a slave in factories for nearly fifteen
years, being entirely cut off from all
communication with home and friends.
He made seven attempts to escape
from bondage, all but the last, of
course being unsuccessful. Finally he
found an American vessel, command
ed by a Southerner, to whom he re-
lated the history of his capture, en-
slavement and forced exile, and beg
ged to be returned to his home and
family. The captain secreted him in
the hold of his vessel, carried him to
Costa Rica, and thence to New York.
Peyton then worked his way to Nir-
ginia, where q number of ladies raised
the means to return him to his
home after an absence of seventeen
years. He reached WinOna, Miss, on
the 18th of April, 1880. PeytOn says
that numbers of mulatto women are
being constantly sold in Cuba as
slaves, Northern men marry them,
take them to Cuba ION a bridal tour
and there sell them as cooks and fancy
He saw one sold, last
fall. by the man who married her, for
five hundred dollars; and further,
that as he came through Cincinnati
on his way home, he saw the man
and recognized him, who sold her III
Cuba. The facts above given are
from one of the most reliable and re-
spOnsible gentlemen in MISSISSIPPI
written to a member of Congress from
that State. Closing his, letter. he
saws of Peyton: He was delighted to
again meet his wife, who had married
I'M his long absence, though her second
husband was drowned several months
ago. Hence, he found her a widow.
With both husband and wife ii was
like return to life from death. Pey-
ton is an exceedingly intelligent negro,
and saws he can hardly realize the
changes that have taken place. He
left hi children babes, and finds them
married and with children of their
own. If anyone doubts the truth of
this story, he OF she can write to Capt.
II. +. Jones, Winona Miss, OF to {. \. +
+. Merriwether, Oakland, Galobusha
county, same State"