Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1884-04-25

When the rebel mail had been put
ashore. Jones would sometimes get it
by slipping down through some of the
wooded gullies cutting the bluf. The
Federal patrol walked on the tnp Of
the bluff and rs the night grew dark
would be apt 10 avoid these places,
from which a shot might be fired. or
an assassin spring. Jones sometimes
ran risks getting down the bluff which
Was almost perpendicular, and after a
time lie constructed sort Of stairs or
steps down one portion of It. His ios-
ter brother Cox, who was more noisy
and expressive. had coutrived early in
the war set OF post offices for the de.
po>it Of the mail as il came mp from
the river, IN stumps, etc. One OF the
post .iices was pointed out 10 me
where the railroad now goes through
cutting below Cox's Station. The
Maryland ueighhors, however, became
so careless about sending their letters
throE-h these stump post offices, that
when Jones made his agreement with
the Confederate Government, he dis
pensc, with that system altogether.
a-A. nron more ordinary means.
~ TO payyruu for nr.e AZ, ~
praise. coutented To do his work ac-
corliug 10 his own ideas of right and
cxpcdiencv, he merely made use of
substantial, plain people, whose hearts
were in the Confederate Cause. but
~ hose methods were all discreet. Thus
he had young woman 10 hoist his
signal Of b, ack. aud il never was hols
ted If the course was or.n and clear
nu tie river. He arranged that no
mail matter should come close 10 his
home. not even to Port Tobacco,
that VAS perhaps ten miles distant.
II was generally sent TO Bryanto@
fifteen to twenty miles distant. and
collected there. or dispatched from
that office. and 1t WIS carried by such
neiChbors as Dir. S'uwton ". Dent,
who diei in 1888. nj the age OF eighty
This old gentleman had two sons IN
the Confederate armv, and was prac
ticing physician. riding on his horse
fr,m place to place, and it seemed TO
bs the case that some persons in Maj
or Watson's family was always sick.
There the good old doctor would go.
wearing a big ovcrcoat with immense
pockets. and big boots coming high
toward his knees. Every body liked
him, the Federal officers and soldiers
as well as the negroes and neighbors,
FIR he was impartial in his cures. At
the greatest risk, even Of his neck, the
old man carried the rebel mail which
Jones had delivered to him, and fire.
quentlv went all the way to Bryan
town with it. lie would stuff his
pockets. and sometimes his boots, with
letters and newspapers.
There were one or two other persons
sometimes made available as mail car
riers. Perhaps Mr.. Cox himself would
do a little work of this kind. \ man
on the opposite side OF the river. by
the name of Thomas II. Harbin. who
now lives in Washington, was a sort
of general voluntary agent for the
Confederacy, making his headquarters
now in Washington and now in Rich
mOnd, and again on the river bank.
In his desire to accommodate every
body, Harbn sometimes put too much
matter in tie maitland Jones's cautious
soul was much disturbed to find, on
one occasion, two large satchels filled
with stuff not pertinent to the Confed-
crate government. He sent wcrd over
that there must be more sense in the
putting up of that mail, as it would
be impossible TO get it off if it grew
larger.
Jones's house at this time was OF
dark, rain washed plank, one story
high, with door in the middle, an
outside chimney at each end, and a
small kitchen and intervening colon,
made which he added himself. The
house was about thirty yards from the
edge of the bluff. His farm contained
five hundred and forty acres. Besides
the Watsons below, Mr.. Thomas Stonv
had Il place just above him, across
Po"e's Creek, on a high hill called
"Elenborough," the mansion of which
was one of the largest brick buildings
in this region. Next above Stones
on Port Tobacco River, was George
Dent, who also had an interesting
mansion. The third farm. to tn,
north was Brentfield, and back of i
Huckleberry, from which Booth de
parted.
Mr.. Jones himself is man Of hard
ly medium height, slim and wiry, will
one of those thin, mournful faces com
mon TO tidewater MARYLAND. with hig