Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1881-10-13
No. 46
..: BIG HUSH MONEY.
The Large Amount Paid Georgia
Woman by Governor Murray.

Governor Murray, of Utah, tells a laugh
able story of his experience on the "March to
the Sea-" We copy from the Salt Lake
Tribune:
::Speaking of the famous march through
Georgia" said the Governor, Il never shall
forget the amount of money it cost us to keep
an old woman from crying herself to death.
Of course we were obliged to subsist off the
country as we went along, and we naturally
took about the best in sight. One day we
took possession of a chicken ranch kept by an
old lady, who stood at the front gate with
broom and threatened to lick all of Sherman's
forces if they did rot move ON. Now, chick
ems were considered as officers meat, and as
we were internally hungry we went for these
old hens pretty lively. When she saw that
her favorite fowls were being caught and
killed she keeled right over and began to
cry. Presently she began to scream, and
finally you could hear that woman's yells
clear to Atlanta. ] sent the surgeon in to
quiet her, but he failed and then all the
officers took turns, but the more attention
paid her the more she hOwled. ] then got
pretty nervous over the internal noise, be-
cause the whole army would hear it, and
they might suppose somebody was tOrturing
the woman. Finally, Sherman rode up and
asked what it was all about, and when we
told him he said, Give her bushel OF Con-
tederate bonds for her hens, and see if that
won't stop her. Acting on this hint, pro-
ceeded to business. We had captured Con-
federate train the day before with four mil
lions of Confederate money, and | hunted up
the train at once. The money was worth
about two cents on the dollar. Well, | stuff
fed about half million dollars in an old
carpet sack and marched into the house.
Madame" said l, opening the sack
8 III give you fifty thousand dollars to quit
this noise 1t was as still as death in min
ute, and then her face expanded in a broad
smile l laid the packages Of money on the
table and never saw such a delighted wO-
man. The effect pleased me, and continued.
General Sherman presents his compliments
and a hundred thousand dollars | never
in my life saw such a pleased old woman,
and wound up by dumping the contents OF
the sack right down on the foor and telling
her that when it came to contributions to
females I could be outdone by no
man Ilvlng. - la.ssAti4ssxls Il .3ss.-j }..5
She invited the officers to. supper and she
cooked every chicken on the ranch and set
out cider as free as water. We were having
a pretty good time, when a long, lank old
coon came in, and she said it was her hus-
band. Pretty soon his eye fell on the money.
Sarah said he, where in blazes did you
get all this darned truck 2"
"A present from General Sherman said
she.
''Taint worth a continental cent; they're
kindlin' fires with it down at New Orleans.
The old woman rose up her face as white
as your shirt-tront, and her eye wasn't pleas
ant to meet.
$50 you are the blk that give me this are
you," she called out, reaching for the old
broom.
The entire mess rose and started from that
house. We never heard any more of her.
and there isn't man of the crowd who
would meet that old woman for all that Con-
federate money, if it would one hundred cents
On the dollar at the Treasury Department,
Washington