The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1885-10-01

go no faster. When I finally did
reach the gate l found two dead
horses lying beside the fence. AS ]
entered the yard 1 stumbled over
dead man, Half way to the door
was second, and almost on the
doorstep was third. The door was
shut and the house dark, but the
irsL thing I knew there was 8 blaze
Of light, and bullet passed through
my hat not an inch above my head.
l dropped to the ground mighty
fast, and l did heap O thinkin' fur
the next three minutes. At the end
of that time l called out:
''Hello the house! Hello Moth
er! 1 heard a move inside right
away. with the song of voices, aud
when had called ag'in my blessed
old mother sang out:
PRAISE God but is that my son
John?"
Aye mother, it's me-"
She struck light and opened the
door. and next minute | was inside
and she was crying on my shoulder.
What do you reckon l saw as |
looked around? No more nor less
than Yank in fall uniform, sittin'
On chair in front of the winder,
revolver in hand, head bound up,
face white but full O. grit, and one
leg useless, with bullet in it.
1t took me some little time to un>
tangle the skein. 1t seems that the
1ank was scout. de had stopped
at the house for bite to eat, and
when the raiders came in and began
to cuss and threaten and lay violent
hands on my old mother, he gets uI
and orders 'em out. That brings On
fight, and he jist dropped three OF
EN- as dead as crowbars and killed
two Of the hosses. The rest of the
gang didn't want any more of that
and got out. Afraid they would
return to play him some trick, thai
lplucky Iank, all wounded an6
bleeding rs he was, insists on stand
ing sentinel at the window, and il
was him who mistook me for one O
the raiders and sent q bullet fur m7
head.
You can imagine ny astonish-
ment, indignation and gratitude. Ii
ali hour we had him comfortable
fixed up, and durin' the rest of tlt
night | stood sentinel without bein
J., disturbed.
Next mornin' who should com,
ridin' up but a squad Of Early's men
They buried the corpses and l gil
them all the perticklers, and wha
, did they do but demand the scout
, There he was, painfully hurt an,
., helpless as a child, but they wer
going to take him away as pris
oner. Did they? Well, not much
2 Their were seven of 'em, but / had
Winchester and two revolvers, an,
they hadn't the sand to face 'em.
Howsomever, they rode away t.
l git more help, and realized that
l must make some other arrangement
, to keep the Yank out O their hands
He was jist as cool and hervy as a
> old veteran, and it didn't take lon;
4 to fix up plan. / had the back doc
It off III a jiffy, and we laid him on
n and propped him up rs well as w
O. could. Then mother and | pickle
Q him ud and toted him fur half q mil
. up the side of the mountain and lei
IL him In cave. We fixed him q con
'r Portable bed, left food and drink {
hand and were back at the house b
the time the soldiers came. The1
was a huls company this time, an
u there was high old time fur awhil
u They took me prisoner and carrie
<. me off to Early's headquarters, bt
,e they couldn't find the scout. 1 ws
p held prisoner for two weeks, and the
:, tried hard to make out some sort
case agin me, but finally was rt
of leased and sent back to Lee. Til
in left mother alone to care for tt
rs scout, but he was not neelecte
,f They got spies to watch her, az
- they secuted the neighborbood f,
days, but they had their trouble f,
n, their pains. 1t was nigh on to te
h, weeks afore that Yank got we'll 'nu
s, to walk off to his lines, bat he Q,
l there safely, aod from that time Z
k. mother was protected by Sherids
<. snd the pantry kept supplied by h
Quartermaster.-N