The Portland daily press., 1881-12-06

the richest planter end Shareholder in that re-
gion, who lives in very large frame house
with huge chimneys, surrounded by abundant
slave quarters, barns and out-houseS, on hill
half mile or more back from the river. He
is still the richest man in King Georges Coun-
ty, raising choice crops, owning steamboat
wharf and well respected by the whites and
blacks. He was entertaining number of bis
kinsmen and connections, who had come home
on the dispersion of the Confederate army,
when the forbidding figure Of Harold ap-
preached the house and asked to share In the
feast with his friend Boolh. DR.. Stewart was
too prudent man to take any interest in these
persons, but he allowed them to go to the barn
or quarters and sent them food by the negroes.
This was irritating to Booth, who wrote q let
ter to DR. Stewart, couched in a tone of sad
rebuke, and inclosing three dollars, to say that
he could not accept such display of unexpect-
ed iliberal treatment from a fellow country
man. That letter is still to be seen, copied in
pencil in Booths diary which the War De-
partment possesses.
Booth could not have been man Of much
common sense, or he would have grasped the
fact that the Confederates were tired OF the
war and wanted to be at peace, while he, llv-
ing on the Union side all the time, entertained
a wholly ideal conception OF the joy with which
he would be received as the last bloody hero OF
the conflict.
The negroes all spoke we'll of Dr. Stewart,
and was told that although he was uractic-
ing physician he had always hired another doc
tor to attend to his negroes whom they were
sick.
Having made some sketches on both sides of
the river, returned to Port Royal and was
met by the widow of one of Booths ferrymen,
a thin woman, quite black and worn down
with chlls and fever. She knew nothing
whatever about Booth and Harold, and had
not seen them either going or returning. OF
Champ Thornton, who owned the ferry, the
only information vouchsafed by his neighbors
was that he had several "trifng" sons, one of
whom seduced the beautiful daughter of a
Northern settler under promise of marriage
and had given her child and then run away
and married another woman. To the credit OF
the Virginia people they ran this fellow out OF
the country into distant Sate, from which
he has never returned. / soon found that the
former prejudice which had existed against
northern people was now completely dissipated
by the poverty OF the people, who greatly
needed the capital and the example OF the
Yankees and had found them on acquaintance
to be reliable neghbors. Yankees, generally,
however, get disguised with virginia ianos.
Pennsylvanians take more to them. The Vir-
ginia women, though retaining much unneces-
sary pride of family, are altogether better
than the men, The young women have learned
how to work in many cases and to dispense
with servants and are almost invariably virtu-
GUS. Too many of the young men are frolic-
some and gamble and can do nothing to inn
prove the ruined condition of their parents and
sisters. Although entirely alone, making my
self know to nobody was just as safe in this
rather lonesome country as II had been IN
my own garden or native town.
Taking further look at Port Royal found
it to be a town of about sixty houses CO 26O
of all kinds, including three or four churches,
laid out with wide streets, on a grassy level,
which reached back mile from the river
front to series OF hills which climbed to
plateau, possibly $50 feet above the level OF the
river. Three of these streets ran down to the
river at right angles, and here descended
through gullies or ravines to the river margin.
The street up which Booth and Harold passed
is called Ferry street, and hanks the town to
the north passing behind the gardens, and be-
ing visible from only three or four houses,
The next parallel, called Main street, has on
it half dozen or more stores, most OF which
have a whsIxey attachment. generally under
another roof. to furnish juleps, toddes and
drams to whites and negroes. The third
street, parallel to the other two. is called
King street, aud portrays the ancient charac-
ter Of the place, and three or four of its resi-
dents have neat looking villas, with large side
gardens. In one of those houses, as under
stood, lives the widow of a son OF John Taylor,
of Caroline, whose trustee is Mr.. Pendleton,
who is in business in New York. The cross
streets are numerous, and there are signs OF
many houses having tumbed down and totally
disappeared The formidable chimneys stand
ing outside of and Iartly separated from all
Virginia houses have remained erect like mon
uments, though not chip or piece OF the
house remains to call to mind ahe once hospita-
bic tenant of its walls. Most or these chimneys
have three thicknesses AT the top they are
big enough for Two men to descend them; at
the ridge of the roof they are twice as broad,
and at the second story are four times as broad.
It is very hard to overthrow them. The other
houses in the place are sometimes only one sto-
ry high and very low, like old taverns They
generally have porch somewhere and 1t IS
Sometimes two stories high. Stone, probably
brought from Earope, or the North, frequently
front door, and in some cases the doors are
made Of green sash.
Considerable minute carpentering Is seen
about the buildings, on the lintels of the doors
and in the window jambs. The'gardens are an
acre to three acres in extent and abound IN oox
bush, evergreens, fruit trees, etc. Most OF
these improvements at Port Royal are crum-
bling away: decay has got the town fast as
rheumatism. / saw single tine carriage driv-
en- by a white lady, Mrs. Pratt, whose husband
has the most complete residence on the Kappa
hammock river. A white fellow, hearing that
/ wanted carriage, loitered around for an
hour wishing to drive me to Fredericksburg,
a distance of twenty-five miles, for two dollars,
asked him how he could afford to give his
time and that of his horse for that amount of
money since he would have to return to Port
Royal, making drive of forty-four miles for
two dollars, or little over four cents mile.
They told me that the rent of a horse in that
part of Virginia was fifty cents day, and for
a laborer fifty cents day. SO that there would
be profit of one dollar ii I took the convey
ance It has been my observation, however,
that the negroes are more cheerful companions
than the whites throughout the South. hired
struggling old vehicle, at least thirty years OF
age, should think, to take me to Milford on
the railroad, a distance OF eighteen miles for
two dollars.
,;aJe fnr I'D
breakfast was one dollar. The breakfast con-
sisted of corn bread and -four bread, both hot.
and cold mutton stewed, the mutton previous
ly cold, and fresh milk They live on little,
but must have coffee. Bowie once had several
slaves, but has now taken clerkship in little
store. He is religious, and said grace before
we broke bread, which would have been more
consistent If he had not afterward expressed
himself rather severely on young Garrett and
Captain Jett for having, as he supposed, sold
out Booth. An impression prevails largely at
Port Royal that Jack Garrett received large
sum from the Government for merely telling
that Booth was hidden in the barn, and that
Jett got part of the reward for telling the Of
fcers, when he was captured at Bowling Green
at what house the fugitives were hiding at
that moment; and his wife and mother said
that young Garrett had been rich ever since he
gave Booth up.
About eleven O'Clock started for Bowling
Green; upon leaving Port Royal paid the own
er of the horse, young widow with nve chill
dren, her money. She gives the negro one
third of all that he Makes he putting in his
time. Without the negroes the white people
in Virginia would starve to death in one sea-
son. Almost everything that is done, either
manual or mental, in the towns or on the
farms is negro work. The negroes handle
nearly all the money in Virginia. The store
keepers whether native or German, told me
the negroes had nearly all the money in Vir-
gnia, and that their trade kept alive the little
towns. This widows husband when he died
owed my negro thirty dollars, which he had
the right TO collect out of any moneys he after
ward received, but he said in an affectionate
way that he couldn't think of going back on
dat little woman no way for thirty dollars; 1t
would be too mighty mean to do dat" so ne
was the widows cruise, the husband and son to-
gether. This darkey had been all through the
war, first on the Confederate side, then, being
captured, in the Federal army and was IN Gen.
Grants army on the march from the Wilder
ness to Richmond. asked him If he was not
frightened in the Battle of the Wilderness
mo- he said "After de fust year OBJ de war
got SO used to it dat neber paid any more
'tention to bein killed" He said the first
part of the war he thought the rsbels were the
braver of the two, but afterward, toward the
end of the war the rank and file of the rebel
army paid very little attention to fighting, and
the bravest men in the Confederate army were
then such as never went into battle.
Had it not been for the warm weather and
the occasional bursting of the harness by
which the old shafts we're raised straight IN the
-. .r1 1faran n Ia a