Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-03-20

/ clutches Of rebel bushwackers.
These thoughts passed. through my brain
coat, and grasped, as my only means Of
| defense, q light stick which had used the
day before a. a walking stick.
Eyes" said the girl, "there were several
they went with the other soldiers at O'clock
towards Chattanooga"
| "God bless that girl" was my mental
| prayer.
Damn the luck" said tho horseman /;
and then added, care there any other houses
near here?"
| "Yes," said the girl, there Is one very
short distance down the road, and think
| some OF the officers stopped there"
Wheeling his horse quickly around. the
horseman dashed of at full speed and was
soon out of the lane and galloping down the
| main road, towards the other house.
Then Mr.. Mack leaned over the chairs
| with which had barricaded the door way,
and said to me in whisper.
"Stranger, you had better he getting out
| OF this; that man means you no good"
ais he rebel soldier % asked.
Gle is one of our people" replied the old
man, "and means you no good and he Is
not alone; he has companions"
mans words; "that is, they are BUSH
wackers?"
The old man said nothing, buthis daughter
said
at won't be safe for you 70 take the road
Go through this field and through the woods
beyond. You will not be far from the road,
and will be out OF sight OF the men who are
looking for you."
Thanking the Macks for the kindness
shown me, emerged from the room and
entered the field. 1t was over-grown with
rank weeds, many of them towering above
my head. A very heavy dew had fallen, and
every weed in my path shook down the
peariy drops upon me. Before was half
way through the field, which was a very
large one, was wet from head to foot and
shivering with cold. At last / reached the
woods, and hurried through 1t for some
distance. In the darkness / was impeded
by underground, and every now and then
i would step upon rotten boughs, which
breaking under my weight, made a cracking
report that sounded to my strained ears as
loud'as pistol shots o, how disgusted l was
with myself To think that l had passed
through three years of service. almost with
out a scratch, had been honorably discharged
and was within few days of home-within
arms reach almost of wife, and children, and
triends-when like a fool / had laid aside
my arms-had been stupid enough to act as
policemen over an old mans household
truck-had dallied in the luxury of a bed
oversight myself, and was now shivering
and shaking with cold, and wandering in
the woods through thorns and brambles and
briers, trying to save my precious throat
from being cut, or my brains blown out by
bushwackers. / knew l richly deserved
such fate but l couldn't bear the thought
OF it. Had died of disease or been killed
in battle, before being mustered out OF SER
vice, l thought wouldn't have minded 1t
much T; but to have the top of my head blown
of by rifle shot. or to be punched through
the body with a bayonet, or have my throat
cut with bowie knife on the hands OF
bushwacker, in the midst OF a forest, where
my remains would never be found--this was
too much! / stopped moment and kicked
myself Then the horrible thought came
into my mind, that If the bushwackers got
me and my body was not found, would be
suspected of having deserted my wife and
family! The very thought made me shud-
der.
Ny firm resolve was at once taken "Bet-
ter die on the road than in the middle of a
big woods" and | struck out in the direction
in which j thought the road lay.
| had a long walk before reached it, and
day was now beginning to dawn. Not
sound was heard except that made by my
own feet Keeping as much as possible in
the shadow of the woods, / peered up the
road and down the road, and seeing moth
ing, hurried forward on a run, and had per-
haps placed two or three miles between
Mack's farm and myself, when through the
mist OF the morning l espied two horsemen
just going over the brow of hill i'm front of
me. They and their horses appeared to be
OF gigantic stature but that j knew was
only an optical illusion, caused by the va
pory mist of the morning. As soon as the
horsemen disappeared behind the brow of
the hill hurried forward cautiously until
also reached the top of it, when, as 1 ex-
pected, the horsemen were in view lesurely
ascending hill beyond. l did not doubt
then, and do not doubt now, that they were
the men who expected to capture me at Mr.
Mack's house.
MEETING ANGELS UNAwAREs.
While secretly watching them from the
edge OF copse by the roadside, l was
startled by hearing voices but a short dis
tance off, l secreted myself behind a tree,
took very long breath, and looked and
listened.
4" How did you make out ~ asked one of
the party. There were eight or ten of them,
each dressed in blue uniform and carrying
rifle.
al got along first-rate," was the reply !;
90 took the old reb's mare and colt, had
good ride all day, and then sold them for SIS.
Not long afterwards picked upa mule and
sold it for -"
"Hello, boys" said /, stepping out into
the road you are on your way to Chatta-
nooga, i suppose, and, like me, oversight
| yourselves. The rest of the boys are not far
ahead we'll soon overtake them," and
joined the gang. They "eyed me- rather
suspiciously, but saluted me in true soldier
style.
They were a band of stragglers, and had
| been out on private foraging expedition,
| gathering in whatever they could lay their
hands on. Not one of them belonged to my
| regiment but as looked into their faces /
| thought they were the handsomest men l
had ever seen--if, indeed, they were no: an
gels, sent to rescue me from the hands of the
bushwhackers No matter who they were
or what they had been doing, was glad to
| claim them as comrades. / knew the bush
whackers had no business with that party.
| Right cheerily we marched on together and
ere long overlook the train, and before noon
reached Ringgold, and the same night Chat
tanooga, and next day Nashville, and next
Louisville and on to Pittsburg, and next day
home sweet home"
The reader must not suppose, however,
that the journey from Rnggold to Lancaster
was made without many an annoying and
more than one startling incident-which may
some of these days be made the subject o
| another sketch. j. NJ. j.