Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-12
a GEORGIA FARMERS STORY
"reminiscences Revived by a Letter
from the Pacific Coast.
From the Neao York Sun.

Il
farmer, whose home and fortunes in North
Georgia have never recovered from Sher-
mans ''March to the Sea-" was found at
our country post office few days ago
lingering letter bearing the Mariposa,
Cal, post mark
.sWho's your letter from ?'' queried.
GsFrom old Bob Bailey. l reckon he's
old. tor Pm old, but hain't seen him since
left California, thirty-Jwo years ago come
next April. He was a powerful likely
refer when me and him took that trip to-
pether | stayed something over two
Years and come back. He has been there
ever since. This is the fust letter Pve had
from him in nigh Onter twenty years, and
Pm nifty proud to git it. He's we'll and
doin' well, Pm glad to hear. l sometimes
wish I'd stayed out thar myself, but me
and Sally was sorter promised before |
went. and that brought me back. The trip
out was blamed hard 'un, and bearing
from BOD brings DacK the remembrance Oh
it."
The old man was in aloquacious mood,
and blessed with pretty fair audience tor
Cur backwoOds "Shake-rag" court
ground, and it took but little cOaxing to
set his tongue to going steadily. Seated
on an empty dry goods box, and supplied
wi h a Ouid of strong, pungent tobacco
was ready to spin yarns all day.
",SquIre AllgoOd, who lives over thar"
nojnting 10 a dilapidated farm house in
sight ''can tell you that me and Bob was
both likely Youngsters when he jned the
crowd that went to the gold diggings, and,
If do say it myself, we could hold our
own with any man that belonged to the
gang. ttook a long time to make up our
minds to resk 1t, for Bob's folks was not
willing, and Sally was awful pesterad to
have me 20. but so many concluded to
20 together that we went. found thirty
SIN colleor ed at the depot on the day APP
pinted. There was Methodist preac her
along who married Squire Algood's dar-
ter Nancy, and they DO say there was tall
dOings over thar the Sunday night before
we started on Tuesday. Old Mis- ALL
COED Just rared and quoted Scriptur on
the teller until his wife was just about
rraZv, for she thought the Judgments of
the Almighty was shore to Overtake him.
1t did look leetle like the parsOn was
fonder of mammOn and filthy lucre than
the gospel, and l expect he wished hisself
In Halifax when they totch him back home
with one leg OIL"
The speaker shifted his quid to the other
cheek and chuckled:
CLOVIS that, Uncle Dick~
"When we got down to Atlanti, to meet
the balance Of the party, we took on the
Youngest son of a Presbyterian preacher,
who had run away to jine us, and l did
hear they had powerful solemn time at
their house after the chap slipped off arter
dark. He and the 'Squire's son-in-law
was both restless arter the bell rope was
pulled, and the conductor hollered All
ab0ardr Instead of setting down, like
the balance, they kept running out to
stand on the platform; and, shore as Cos
pei, we hadn't gone mOre's six miles
when freight car run into us, and
mashed 'em both up. The doctors cut off
leg apiece, ana returned 'em to the
bosom OF their family-so we heard when
letter reached us. We couldn't wait,
for the Cbagres steamer was published to
sail from Charleston on certain day,
and we hadn't mOre'n time to ketch it.
We didn't ketch it there. but it was to
teton at Savannah also, and we hired a
saiIboat and put out arter it. Somehow,
or somehow else, that accident that told
you about laid heavy on our minds, but
we couldn't afford to go back, unless we
was jest Obleeged to, because folks have a
fashion of laughing and making a body
feel so cheap when you start and turn
back
1--WE had an old man of go along-one
Of our nabors-and the boys just begged
him to lay over at Savannah and return
home, for il did look skeery when our sail
black rolling vessel, and they told US we
must crawl up her slick, dripping sides
by rope or miss that chance altogether.
Me and Bob made it all right, for we was
bully climbers allus, and had skinned
the cat thousand times to show how
smart we was, but the old MAJOR fell back
in the water three times before he made
the trip, and rolled over on the deck
a-pantlng like porpus. he was game
FUN, thOugh-now, want he? He went
the whole way, dug gold eighteen months,
cum home, and was alvin up in hurry
some years back. l believe he 'winked
OUT at last with the shakin' palsy.
But of all the miserable, stenchy, dirty
holes had ever been in, that vessel beat
me. 1t was crowded plum full of all
sorts of people, some nice and a heap
nasty. III be blamed if | relished any
bite OF their vittles while l was on the
ship. If it hadn't err bin that Sally and
ole Mis- Baily had ar cooked up site of
gingerbread for us, me and Bob would
Almost starved. The smell of that vessel
has never left me, for l can just think
about it now and git sick at the STUN
mick. To make it 'wus and wus' sorter
sickness broke out among 'em, and pas
Sci of our boys was powerful bad of, and
teller from down in Henry died day or
so before we landed. We wasn't joyful
enut to dance Jig when we halted out
side the bar where Aspinwall now is, and
they told us our time had come to make
tAe Yentur, and try to reach the land. We
piled over the deckrail, and done our bes t
10 drap inter the little boats that was a.
tossln' underneath, but powerful few got
OH Without duckIng.
1T was warm in the water, and the
DuiA oil us could swim like our mammy's
geese. We got to shore in a sorry fix, for
every stitch of clothes we had on was wet,
and our bundles and knapsacks was
ultto. IL was the most mserableist
country | ever seen. IL was hot, mucky
weather, and it rained over half the time.
we didn't git dry fore we was drenched
agn. You couldn't buy thing unless
you almos' paid Its weight in gold. A
sorrler set Of white folks l never wish to
see, and the fool niggers didn't under
strand word we said. We looked about
10 see If we could hire some way to get
across 20 Panama; but nary thing could
Weget. The rush was so great that there
was nothing TO do but ride our mammy's
pony"
Your mammy's ponyY What's thatr'
We're the next questions, as Uncle Dick
matted to fit another piece OF tobacco to
his mouth.
our own feet, you goober grabber.
Dlu you never hear OF your mammy's
pony before? We shouldered our bum
uies and started, and Pll swear by the
lNWanN