The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1884-09-05


The Georgia railroad. The old
reliable. The first railroad | ever
saw. How tondly memory goes
back to my amazement and awe
and childish fear when for the first
time | saw tie huge leveatbun come
steaming down the track breathing
fire and smoke aud making the
earth to trimble with its noise.
Forty.six years have passed, and
| am on this venerable road again,
steaming away to Carolina. Ru
minatlng thoughts CONE tree aud
unbiddeu, and as we pass Coving.
ton | am reminded OF the time
when my good wife and seven
children, with one at the breast,
we're flying from the foul invader
seeking a refuge somewhere out.
side Of Sherlnan's fiery belt, aud
when they arrived here IN the
good old town were overtaken by
Soneman's raid. The nurse, a
good, faithful family servant, was
walking out with our youngest
child, Il little black.eyed brunette,
aud the raiders came clattcrlng
down the road aud stopped her,
and one OF the vandals said: i"Put
down that child. What are you
carrying that child for! Oou't
you know that you are free"
The nurse was amazed and in.
diguant. "Nhat yer want me to
put down de chile for; dc chile
cant walk"
"Whose child is iti' said the
brute.
"ll's my chile" said tue nurse,
huggiug the little thing to her
breast. "Whose chile did you
reckon it was ~
"Well, if it's yours it's u dam
strange color,' he replied, aud
galloped on.
Unprotected and almost nm.
known, my wife and children bid
until the raiders left the village,
and having no transportation did
not know how they wonld escape
from the next brutal hero that
came along. But about midnight
they were aroused with smothered
voices at the window and friendly
greetings from familiar faces, for a
friend in need from Madison had
heard Of their perils on the wings
of tue wind, aud sent u carriage
and wagon after them, and sc
they were hurried on with bag
and baggage and about sunrise
arrived at bis hospitable home
A friend in need is q friend indeed
A thousand times have | thought
of that act of disiDterested kind
ness, aud wondered at it, tor il
was q perilous thing to do in peril
ous times when the foul invader
was only too happy to captur,
good stock, and u horse or a mule
was worth nearly his weight il
Confederate money. That on,
deed of kindness stamped Eugen,
Harris as q noble, large.hearte,
man and a friend IN need. shal
always love him. In a few days
found my lost family in his honse
and we thought tae raiders ha,
left the country aud felt secure
but one bright morning they cam
tearing by and took the town o
Madison by storm. Our folk
were two miles in the country, an,
when the Yankees rode up an,
wanted water the good old mother
who was alone, came to the doc
and saluted them, and said: "Cel
tainly, gentlemen, you shall hav
water. Do you think there is an
danger OF the Yankees coming thi
way y They laughed and toll
her they were Yankees, and sh
quietly remarked: swell yo
seem to act like gentlemen;" an
this pleased them aud they sale
"Some of US are madam l hope
. and thanking her for the waite
they rode away. Well, some {
, them were gentlemen, aud all sue
we respect. | recall the few su,
ceeding days when Harris and Jo'
/, Abbot Blllups and and two {
three friends hid out the mules an
the horses In canebrake aud fe
them at night, and hid ourselv,
out in o. pine thicket In sight ,
! ! the horses aud played cards on I'll
ground and eat melons and tol