Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1889-08-30
OLD FARMER ANDERSON.
Aftor Twonty-ciehs Ysars He Celobrat
tho Ending OF tho Civil war,


house of old Davy Anderson's farm
three miles up the valley from borC
was celebrated recently strange event
which Is the talk OF tho country folk
horeabouts. The center OF group G
friends and neighbors was old Dav
Anderson himself, and at his righ
hand was Porcival, his long g-absent son
On tho table was n domijohn OF whisky
the like OF which has probably move
been heard OF in this country, be
cause IL was at tho bottom OF Dav,
Anderson's mill-dam for twenty-eigh
years.
The story runs back TO tho days whel
the Southern rebellion begun. For
Sumter had been fired upon. Dav,
Anderson then was rank Democrat o
the State rights persuasion. During
the war ho was known as "Old Copper
head OF Cushion Valley" His son Per
cival was thon n young man, just pas
twenty-ono years OF age When news
reached tho farm that Southern soldiers
had opened fire on General Anderson
in Fort Sumter, Percival said it was q
shame. He stood up for General An.
derson and the cause OF the North, Ill
though there was no relation between
the two families. Old Davy, however,
maintained that il the Southern States
wanted TO secede they had right to,
and that there was nothing in the Con-
stitution to prevent it. Percival said
the Union ought not to be divided, and
ho was for General Anderson, for the
family name, anyhow. Words between
father and son soon ran high the
father being in towering rage because
his son dared to oppose him in politi-
cal dispute.
This was in April, 1861. A few
months quickly passed, and father and
son continued their disputes. News Of
tho war was very slow in reaching the
Anderson farm At length, when hay
making began, father and son had a
bitter quarrel in the hay field. In
those days, as now, farmers generally
had a demijohn OF whisky in the field
for the haymakers. Davy had drank
moro than he should, and when Perci-
val called his father rebel sympa-
thizer tho old man raised rake and
broke it over Percival's head. The
farm hands then rushed in and stopped
the fight Percival went to the farm
house, put on his Sunday clothes, kiss-
ed his mother and sisters goodbye,
walked all the way to Harrisburg und
enlisted for the war. He was the only
son, and when Davy Anderson sobered
up and got to the house, he found the
women folks in tears They would not
be comforted, and Davy was roundly
censured. He wept with them, OF
course, and had nothing to say. The
next day Davy went into the hay field
and dragged from under the brush,
near the spring, that demijohn of
whisky. 1t was nearly full, as the hay
makers had not touched it, having
named it lighting whisky" Davy
took the demijohn to the house, corked
it tightly, encased the cork end Sc
curely in ball of tallow, and threw
the demijohn in tho mill dam, saying:
Stay there until Percival comes
home, and we'll take drink and make
up"
Percival went to the front, wrote
few letters home, but finally he wrote
no more. He fought in number of
battles, and his long silence led his
parents to believe he had either been
killed or taken prisoner. Percival was
captured and taken to Andersonville
prison, from which he escaped and went |
on foot to the Everglades of Florida
For twenty-seven years nothing was
ever heard of the missing soldier. The
Anderson family heard from some of |
his comrades, who wrote saying he |
must have died in the prison pen at
About month ago Jacob Shu,er,
l well-to-do farmer at Brecknock, re-
,eived a short letter from Key West,
and, TO his utter astonishment, it was
signed Percival Anderson. 1t asked
whether the old folks were still alive
md II they were, to visit them and
irop few hints that their long absent
ION might still be alive, and might
,ome home again. Shuler did so, but
he old folks shook their heads sadly.
10 make n long story short, Percival
Anderson arrived two days ago. tall,
brown-whiskered man,
iis German brogue all gone, and his
anguage OF the true Southern twang.
10 first called on Shuler, and together
hey went to Anderson farm. In all
he long years of his absence things
lad changed but little. The farm
iouse, the spring-house, the willows,
he barn and stables looked about as
hey did when he left. The old folks
;ere at supper on the back porch. Two
listers that had never married were
llso there. The meeting OF the long
!bsent son with the family, was touch
ng indeed, and there was not dry
we among them. 1t was midnight be-
ore they went to bed; before each had
old his or her history, since they sepa-
ated. Percival said he had not writ
en- homo simply because he had gotten
nut OF the habit of writing, especially
|
rom Florida, but which the old folks
ever answered because they never re-
eived them. Percival bought farming
and, and now owns an orange grove
nd large truck garden in western
florida. The next day Davy Ander-
on took his son out TO the mill dam,
ud pointing to spot near the middle
10 said:
"Percival. twenty-eight years ago.
he day after you left, threw that
emijohn OF whisky We had in the hay
eld into that water. and said it should
emain there until you came home
gain. 1t is still there"
The farm hands were ordered to draw
fl the dam, and after long and care
III search among the leaves, rubbish,
nold and mud, the demijohn was found,
yell covered with black mud. The