Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1890-09-18
chances. and run almost any risk for

chances and run almost any risk Tor
freedom.
Weary and disheartening months
passed in the stockade. It was always
impossible in such situation to keep
great news from the prisoners; the I'M
guarded talk of the sentinels, the eau
tious whisperings of casual negroes,
would acquaint the captives with what
was happening in the campaigns. So
it was that few days after Septem-
Der l it became known to Smith and
his fellow-prisoners thht Atlanta had
fallen. With the news came rumor
that all were to be removed further
south. Upon this rumor Smith lost
no time in effecting his escape from
the stockade. How he managed it is
one of the details of this history that
I cannot furnish. To get away from
such a place and to elude pursuit
for twenty-five miles was not COM
mon thing, yet there were instances OF
that being done. Our fugitive had re-
solved to reach Atlanta if possible.
The distance was more than hun
dred miles, but with the greatest eau
ton he knew that it might be done.
He carefully avoided the roads, travel
ed only at night, lying concealed by
day, and shaping his course by the
north star and the information of
friendly negroes. Any description Of
his sufferings will be omitted.
Fatigue, hunger, thirst, and the
agonizing fear of recapture were the
common incidents of such adventures.
One evening some ten days after his,
perilous journey had begun, he was in
formed by negro that Atlanta was
less than fifteen miles off. The intel
igence made him impatient and incau-
tious. He pushed on before dark, and
was crossing road when he heard a
challenge:
"Ho, there-halt, you Yank!"
Three rifles covered him from the
side of the road. He was ordered to
"come in," and found himself in the
company of three Confederate soldiers,
one of them being sergeant.
Smiths heart sank within him. He
obeyed the order to sit down and not
stir, and in despair watched his cap
tors. The men were cooking some
thing over a fire. The sergeant babe
them go on and get it done, and said
that he would look after the prisoner.
Smith studied his face. and saw that
he was thoughtful looking, middle
aged man. With a sudden impulse to
appeal to his mercy, he said, in low
voice:
Sergeant, you don't want to take a
poor fellow like me back to the stock
ade! I've travelled thousand miles
as prisoner, and I've suffered dread
fully down there at Macon. Give me
a chance to get away"
The man he addressed gave him a
peculiar look, and replied, in a whis-
per:
Keep still about that for while. |
Well talk about it again"
With new hope. Smith gladly kept |
silence, and awaited developments. |
He was presently served with some
bark. The repast over, the sergeant |
told his men that they might go to sleep
a while, and he would guard the pris-
oner and wake them up when he wanted
them.
Waiting only till he was certain they
slept soundly, the sergeant said to
Smith:
"Tell me that again"
The captive answered with brief |
history of his adventures and suffer
ings since his capture, and was going |
to make plea for liberty, when he
was interrupted.
Never mind that I wouldn't hear
word of it-only I'm going into At
lanta myself. The Confederacy is
gone up; I'm tired of fighting with no |
show. It's got to end pretty soon; I'm
going to end it now, for my part of it.
Come along, and keep quiet"
Before daylight the two had reached
the Union pickets outside Atlanta, and
Smith soon had the pleasure of being
refreshed, re-clothed, and telling to |
General Sherman what he knew of the |
inside of the Confederacy.
I asked him if he had ever heard of |
the sergeant since.
No." he said; "but I would like to
meet him, right WELL"
If the sergeant did not manifest the
highest type of soldier, it may be
said for him that he deserted only
when the cause that he fought for had
become hopeless, just as many others
did. And in the mood in which Smith
found him "a fellow-feeling" was very
natural.-Chicago Ledger.