Connecticut western news., 1881-12-21

ing each others hands and speaking of woodbined cottage and so forth when z-z.z-z-z came 0 cast iron ball from one of Grants guns and knocked off a gable of the house.
 "That's pop, and he'll bounce you p shouted the girl as she heard the crash, and the clerk threw up a window, leaped into the alley and ran for life. ssIs THAT ALL ?" .. On another occasion a bedroom in this same house was occupied bya Bap- tist preacher, who had seen plenty of ! war and was then on @ furlough. A thunder storm came on in the night, and during the midst of it Grants guns threw dozen balls into the town. One of them ripped off six feet of cornice over the preachers bed, and he sprang Gup, rushed out into the hall, and there met one of the servants and shouted
 "Get water-stfuck by lightning-the house is on fire P. .... a- l "Oh, no, it isn't" replied the woman, Sits only one of dem cannon balls from de Union army"
 els that a-a-l," drawled the preacher with sigh of relief, and back he went to finish his nap. .-, | THE LURKING FEAR.
 Walking the streets by day or in his bed at night no citizen could shake of the fact that the city was under the Federal guns, and that the next missile might claim him as it's victim. Men affected a bravado which they were far from feeling. As the days passed and Grant extended his lines and mounted heavier guns, many houses were entirely deserted, and certain streets were al- most constantly under fire.
 THE HORSE STARTED.
 It is remembered by a dozen resi- dents that one afternoon during the in- vestment negro's horse and cart were 'tstalled" on the street running up from the depot. The horse tugged and strained to no purpose, and the driver, instead of wearing himself out by using the whip or straining his muscles by a lift on the wheels, walked across the street and sat down in the shade.
 'Can't you budge him ?" queried a pedestrian.
 'I 'spects not"
 s'And what are you going to do?"
 "I'ze gwine to wait. In de course ob de next half hour dat ole hoss am gwine to be scart half to death."
 In about twenty minutes the sullen boom of gun was heard from Grants line, and directly solid shot was heard coming with it's "m-m-m P The old horse heard it and began to dance, and as the missile sailed above him and knocked splinters from the hotel, he "yanked" the wheels out of the rut and started off as if death was after him. POOLING A TANK.
 There was certain street corner which was under the fire of the Federal sharp p-shooters by day, and at least a dozen people were killed there. Citi- zens would hurry around the corner by night, and a sign of "Danger-Look out!' hung there by day. At length the boys hit upon an idea. Procuring federal uniform, they stuffed it with straw, arranged rope and bully to work him, and next morning the fun begun. The Yankee sharp shooter afar off saw a Petersburger standing upright on that forbidden corner as if it were the safest place in the world. Wiping his eyes to make sure he was not deceived, the Yankee drew bead on the reckless in truder and saw him drop. In ten min- utes second one appeared, and bullet likewise laid him low. When night closed down that sharp-shooter must have thought the war almost at an end as the boys had let him plug the straw man forty or fifty times. The bullets passed through him and were fattenei against wall, and even these long years have not effaced the lead-colored spots On the next day the dummy was killed about twenty times, and on the next h. was detected. The sharp-shooter hat probably secured a telescope and discov cred the cheat. Deep disgust prevented his firing another shot for several days UNDER THE HILL.
 The houses on the south side of tn
 city under the range of the hills were il plain view of one of Grants forts, an the residents had some wonderful es capes. On one occasion woman wh t was hanging out clothes in the yard ha
 the basket, standing not over te
 feet away, knocked sky-high by soli
 shot, which continued on through tn a pig-pen, broke soap-kettle, smashe
 into the woodshed and brought up LII
 der the table in the kitchen.
 e BRAv1Na IT OUT.
 t Connected with the Tobacco B, l change at Richmond is 8 gentleman wh
 was living ''under the hill' in Peters ] burg during the perilous days. Afte : several shot and shell had passed ovt l his house his family left it for safe @ quarters, but one evening he decided l return. Everything was quiet for a a hour, and then shot came boomin d over. This was enough for wife an p children, but the husband got mad an
 declared he would stay there that nigl
 if every gun in the federal intrenc1 o ments was turned loose upon him.$ Ha an hour went by, and he was pattir
 himself on the back over his grit, whe the Federals suddenly got mad an
 opened five or six heavy guns at tt >. hill. Shot and shell roared and hisse ' and screamed, and the mans hair bege lA @1 ek,