The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-06-04

were allowed no communication with
the outer world, either North or South.
They could only buy what they could
get a permit to buy from the commits
sary there, and the permits, only given
to those who took the oath. limited
them almost to prison fare. Lights had
to be extinguished vigorously, for sick
or well, at o'clock p. m. And the
houses could be raided and searched at
any hour day or night, at anybody's
suggestion, or desire. Twice officers
were removed and once courtmartialled
on the openly perferred charge of being
too kind To the rebel citizens, and once
Col. Bell, who was commandant,
gave orders to have the old cathedral
levelled to seek for buried treasure, and
this infamous order was not carried out
simply because it was represented to
him that the wauton destruction of a
Catholic church would ALLEVIATE from his
father and himself the Catholic vote,
which was very large in their native
place.
This valiant hero who made war on
women and churches used every night
to take his repose in old Fort Marion,
SO as to be safe from the possibility OF
capture should the much dreaded rebels
make rad, as they frequently did,
upon the town. In one of these raids a
whole party of officers were captured by
the Confederates. And in retaliation,
all the inhabitants of the town who were
suspected of Southern sympathies, or
| who had relatives in the Confederate
service, were ordered to leave the city
at once, and old men, women and chill
dren were hustled on board q vessel,
| and penniless, homeless, and helpless,
were carried along the coast and disem-
barked, shelterless, and without sup
plies of any sort. on the banks of Mas
sua river, and there left to make their
way to food and shelter as best they
could
To this was added the forcible sales
and deprivation of property under the
most stringent construction of most
rigorous laws. And yet, through it all,
through silence, isolation, and absolute
disaster, the faith and loyalty CT these
people to the South never wevered, nev-
er faltered, and is true to-day.
There can be little doubt of the
Righteousness of a cause to which peo-
pie cling with such answering faith,
and in the teeth of such disaster and
sacrifice as it required.
There were many points of interest
near st. Augustine that we did not Wis
it, and some in the town. The old
Spanish Governor Generals palace,
which is now used as the U. S. Postof-
fce, city library, and reading rooms,
also as halls for Republican political
meetings where the black and tan and
tallow-faced Statesmen meet and enl-
brace in fraternal (and one feels tempt
ed to change the prefix, and come closer
to the state Of the CASEY union.
A number of Northern capitalists
have built winter palaces which are new
and handsome and utterly at variance
with the rest of the town.
Mr.. Franklin Smith. of Boston, has a
beautiful residence known as the
Moorish House." and built on a min
iature pattern of the Alhambra in
Granada. 1t is beautiful and furnished
in perfect taste and with great expense
with articles brought from all over the
world. Mr.. Smith certainly has shown
perfect taste iii every detail, and very
kindly opens his beautiful home for the
qualification of strangers and friends
alike. 1t will be five years before it is
finished as he designs, and l should like
very much to see it then.
But oh, how long my letter has
grown! All that saw and didn't see
must wait for the next visit, for with
this | bid adieu to st. Augustine, and
Florida. R.C.