The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-21
THE HEROINE OF ALABAMA.
Beautiful and Lovely. but with Nerves
of Steel.

THE HEROINE OF ALABAMA.
Beautiful and Lovely, but with Nerves
of Steel.
From the atlanta Journal.
History may furnish examples of heroic
conduct in one particular direction, bui
none to equal that OF Alabama's faii
daughter, Mrs Annie P. Shackeford III
Pleasant Hill, Dallas county. The hand
some face, radiant with smile, and bright
eyes full of Intelligence, indicate a woma |
OF tender senSibilities, shrinking from the
worlds gaze to turn the light of her love on
those at home. None WHO behold her fault
less form and winsome manners would ever
suspect that in that fair form dwelt will
invincible, spirit irrepressible, a nerve
power that enables her to do aud dare what
few women ever can or do.
A few years ago she gave her Rand and
heart to her young hearts choice. Her
happiness was complete and unalloyed, and
when the household was gladdened by tue
advent of cherub she thought that nothing
more could be desired or was desirable.
But the dread scourge of consumption came
and swept away her companion, leaving
her enveloped in sadness and gloom. The
brightness of her married life made her
sorrow the darker and gloomier. Her
father and mother having passed their
Jill etoCOI6 years anu IeD, UtlDS luNdlluS
and helpless, she, with filial love and hero -
determination, resolved TO make it her life
work to care for them and her little boy.
While attending to their wants daily and
nightly, as well as TO the duties of the
household, she conducts large farm, over
looking every detail. The p essure upon
her time and energy is enormous, and her
nerves must be of steel to keep up the
daily round.
Some twelve months ago she had ridden
upon horseback from the farm, and hitch
ing her horse outside entered her room to
write an order for some supplies she needed
While writing she heard the shutters of the
window opening out upon the porch rattle,
and snatching a pistol from the mantel,
leaped behind the door. She had scarcely
got there before the shutters opened and in
walked a burly negro over feet high,
weighing over us pounds. He did not see
her and went straight to her dressing case
and he took her money.
Mrs Shackleford tried to shoot, but the
pistol, being unloaded, simply snapped
This attracted the attention of the negro.
With a howl he rushed at her, grabbed Ter
with one hand, while with the other he tr. ed
to cut her throat. He succeeded in inflict-
ing several wouCds in her arm and one III
her breast, the latter painful and severe
one. Our heroine finding that the muzzle
end was powerlesS, reversed it, and rained
blow after blow upon the negroes head.
This felled him to the floor, and as he fell
she sprang past, and, procuring loaded
pistol, cooked it and brought it to bear
upon the PROSTATE negro. Just as she
vas about 20 pull the trigger the negro
made "a leap through the open window, and
ran like deer toward the woods. Although
every wound was bleeding profusely, and
the one in the breast extremely painful
Mrs. Sheckleford, pistol in hand, ran out,
and leaping into her saddle pursued the
fleeing negro. As soon as she got in shoot
ing distance she took deliberate aim and
brought the miscreant down, having shot
him through the thigh. She stood over
him with the cooked pistol in hand for
three-quarters of an hour, until the officer
arrived and carried the negro off to Jail.
In the conduct of her farm this year she
went on the bond of twelve of her colored
tenants for supplies, in sums from $500 to
$780, Two of them, one for 5000 and the
other for $500, skipped out of Dallas county
July 4, leaving Mrs. Shackleford to pay the
amounts But they had not calculated on
her push and nerve, On July 5 she left
home determined to run them down. The
run was long one. Starting from Selma
she visited Montgomery, Calera, Shelby
iron works, Birmingham, Pratt's mines,
Alice miles, Atlanta, Augusta, Macon,
Rome, Jacksonville, Ala, Montgomery
again, Caldwell's mills, Greenville Miss.
Mobile, New Orleans, back to Shelby iron
works, Montgomery, and Birmingham.
While at the Richards house she saw one
of the colored men pass by. He did not see
her. Hastily procuring pistol she started
in pursuit Aug. 1, at noon, and the sun was
as hot as fury. By this time the colored
man had caught up with TIE other man she
was in pursuit of. They discovered her,
and f~r fifteen blocks the race was lively
one. But the plucky and invincible widow
won When she got near enough she shot
at random several times, and demanded the
fugitives to halt or she would kill them.
Remembering the sureneSs of her aim, they
halted. The police came up and placed
handouts on them.
Fifty dollars being demanded as the price
for delivering the negroes to the sheriff of
Dakas county, the plucky widow refused to
give vt, and took them herself. At 4:20
o'clock that evening she started with her
prisoners to Selma, expecting to so through
without delay. But at CaIsra she had to
stay until $50 o'clock the next morning.
Here she guarded them all night, and it is
said cold shudder crept through the
darkies' frames whenever they saw the
''cold iron" in the steel-nerved hand of the
widow. They were as quiet as lambs.
On Aug. sne turned tnem over 10 Une
sheriff of Dallas county, after race of
twenty seven days.
In a crowd of thousand women Mrs.
Shackleford would not be singled out for a
woman of such rare fortitude and pluck,
but rather for the queen of some household,
ruling her subjects by love alone. Circunl-
stances have developed her nerve power,
and made her self-reliant a" d determined.