Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-02-24

day. left Nashville that morning on
the cars for Louisville. When we app
preached the latter city about dusk, I
noticed q difference in the air, as though
il was about to clear of. took supper
at the Soldiers Home, expecting to
stay there until the next day, but ]
took sudden notion that I would
strike out that night and cross over to
JeAersonville and seek the first train
north. When I started from the Home
on the south side of the city, the mud
was quite soft. but when I reached the
Jacksonville ferry the wind was o
gale and the mud was frozen SO that
it would bear me. had to wait more
than an hour for the ferry-boat, and
when it came the captain refused to
make another trip, saying it was i'm
possible to land on the other side ow-
ing to the severe gale. There were at
least fifty passengers waiting for the
boat, many of whom were soldiers, and
they used such, persuasion that the cap
tain consented to make another trip,
but he said it would be of no use. In
the meantime the mercury was getting
right down into the bulb, but the boat
started off as though it meant business
and rounded up against the wharf on
the Jeffersonville side, but before any
body could land or the boat be secured to
the wharf, the wind carried it out again
into the stream, and then another at
tempt was made to land. While making
the circuit / took q notion that if the boat
came as near to the wharf as it did be-
fore ] could Jump the gap by spring
ing from the upper deck. So I
shouldered my knapsack and got every
thing in readiness, and at the favorable
moment threw my knapsack and then
jumped after it, clearing the gap by
about four feet, There were some per-
sons who screamed as jumped, being
sure that 1 would fall in the water, and,
had they known my intentions, would
probably have prevented my jumping.
! picked myself up all right, but BY
this time the boat was hundred feet
out In the stream and never landed I'M
|, til near daylight the next morning.
That night Rugged stove in the
depot, waiting to go out on the next
train, but as I afterward learned there
had been wreck on the road, and be-
sides the drift Of snow made it impos-
sible to send out train, but no ac-
mmodating official volunteered us
this inform alton, and so q number of
us spent miserable, anxious night in
that dingy depot. going occasionally to
the door and looking out in order to
bring out more wildly the comforts Of
the waiting room by contrast with the
outside. The next morning I went to
9 cheap hotel and paid fifty cents for
one OF the best meals i had eaten for
more than year, for now there was
butter on the table and milk for my
coffee. / then learned it was colder by
several degrees than ever before known
in Jefiersonville. There were on the
cars standing ct the depot some 200
rebel prisoners on their way ia
Chicago, and in keeping up the
fires and standing guard over
these prisoners, the Union soldiers
really suffered with the cold, while the
rebels had better opportunity to hunt
comfort. succeeded aftex.a day Of
two in getting through to Lafayette,
Ind, north 0f which place all trains
ESwere now bound. Il was on : Satnr-
day night, I remember, that the train
with the rebel prisoners came in. They
were out of rations, and the officers il
charge were in q quandary rs to how
to feed them. On Sunday mornins
they were endeavoring to raise money
enough to buy few hundred pounds
of meal to make some mush. I hit
upon plan to give these starving
febels something to eat, and proceeded
Quietly to put it into execution. I wrote