The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-18
SOUTHERN WAR STORIES:'
CUMMINGS he
LArES SOME GOOD ONES

iaulin - A south OafoA'no
finder Fire-Martin Riley's Friendly
Tribute.
E,o,a the Neie York Sun.
WASHINGTON. July l2-Gen- basil DUKE
of Kentuclxy stoJd in the rotunda Oh the
Fbbitt house the other day converslng with
col Dick Wintersmith, Col Cummings OF
| Louisville. the Hon. Asher G. Caruth and
.,ther distinguished Corncrackers. A men,
her of congress was introduced to the gen
eral The representative saw slight gen.
tleman. shaped like pipestem. with flash
ING ewes and hair aud beard barely streaKed
with silver. His head was crowned with
bri1ht straw hat with rim about an inch
wide. There was a broad white ribbon
around the hat. The congressman remarked
that in physique Gen. Duke hardly filled
his ideas. 81 fancied." he said, from
what had read, that Basil Duke was at
least six feet tall ana broad shouldered as
the late Senator Beck"
At this Gen. Duke smiled. 1t reminded
him of a story of the war. He speaks with
great exactness and rapidity. The best
steuographer would find it hard work to
stake him down" He said that the con-
Gresham was not the first man who had
been disappointed in his personal appear
"When Burbridge made his last raid in
Kentucky" said Gen. Duke, my command
was quite active. While l was in camp one
morning an old mountaineer walked into
nv tent. He was six feet tall and as thin
as a shadow. He had sharp gray eyes, with
shaggy brows, and beak like an eagle.
He carried a long-barreled rifle, and was
arrayed from head to foot in buckskin. To
tell the truth, he looked like hickory
hammer in buckskin sheath. The weather
was quite cold. Without saying a word,
he sat down in front of the
fire. He made such an impression upon me
that | can see him at this moment just as
clearly as l saw him then. He gazed at the
blaze for a minute or two, wiped a bead
from his nose with the back Of his hand, and
then glanced at me- | thought that the
boys had been appropriating one OF his
horses, and that he had come to seek salts
faction. The confederacy needed horses
Just then. We were like st. Paul-in want
Of all things. | was cogitating as to what
was best to do / wanted. if possible, to
satisfy him and yet keep the horse. He was
evidently man of few words and of action.
He sat gazing into the fire some time
longer, cast another glance in my direction,
emptied his mouth of tobacco juice, and
then said This is Gen. Dukes headquar-
tiers, | take it
o., Ttplieu, IL le.
He clasped his hands over his knee, fes-
tened his eyes on me, and, after full
scrutiny. said:
"'Well, sonny, I reckon the old giner'l
must be at breakfast, jisu now, hadn't he"
His GOODNESS unnerved me. ! was rat
tied. There was no doubt of the old mans
honesty. He had taken me for an orderly.
He seemed so positive chat, for the world,
would not have had know that | was Gen.
Duke. l replied firmly:
Yes, sir the old general is in at break
fast. I'll go and call him for you
Il went into an adjoining tent, where
Gen. Davis, my adjutant, sat. The general
was the personifcation of dignity. He had
bald head, massive face, grizzled mus
tache, broad shoulders and a naughty bear
ing | asked him to represent himself to
the old men as Gen. Duke and hear his COM
plant. At first he demurred. but finally
consented. He was gone some minutes
Upon his return he asked me why had
urged him to play the role. Pledging him
to secrecy, told him the circumstances.
Gen. Davis was man of honor. He an
doubtedly kept his pledge, but the next day,
when mounted and rode to the head of
my brigade, every man in it shouted: We'll,
sonny, reckon the old giner'l is in at break
fast. jist now, hain't he'"
4 X
Gen. Forney 1of Alabama told a good
story of the war, not long ago, in a cloak
room of the House of Representatives. He
heard it from the lips of confederate Off
Ger, who got it direct from Judah P. Ben
jamln, the confederate Secretary of State.
Jefferson Davis and his cabinet were at
some little town in Western North Caro-
lima on their way to Texas, after Lees sur
render. when they heard of the asSassina-
ton of Abraham Lincoln. The news
appalled, them. a council of war was held.
All felt that the indignation of the north
over Lincoln's death would be so great that
summary vengeance would be wreaked
upon any members of the confeder-
ate cabinet who were captured. Ben
jamin struck out for himself. He
tried to make his way to the seacoast, and
take his chances of escaping to Europe He
had little money. AT first he was assisted
by the members of his own religious faith.
But IN time his supplies ran out, and ne had
anything but pleasant experience. He
understood that there was large reward
offered for his arrest. The country was
secured by federal cavalry, and several
times he narrowly escaped capture. He
finally reached the boundary Of Florida and
Georgia. 1t was unsafe for HIM to apply
at plantations for shelter. He slept in the
thickets and wherever he thought 1t would
be safe. One night, hungry and footsore,
he went to sleep upon bed of pine needles
oSi uD VI saw DdIIuebUOS. COOu dll6I
daylight he awoke. A sharp falsetto voice
shouted. "HurraE for Jeffm
1t startled him. At first he thought that
1t came from some Yankee trooper on his
trail, and trying to lure him out The
hooking birds were singing in the pine trees
above the palmettos, and finches were twit-
terlng in the tops. Occasionally cardinal
groesbeak flew over him. All the time,
however, he heard the words, "Hurrah for
Jeit! uttered in the shrlll falsetto tone. At
last he ventured to raise his head and
cautiously peer over the scrubby palmettos.
Nobody was in sight He raised himself to
MS full height, which was very short, and
looked around him.
"Hurrah for Jeffm was repeated. He
raw, a few yards away, parrot sitting
upon the limb of burned pine He quickly
concluded that the owner of the bird could
oe trusted. He approached the parrot,
winch gazed at him with apparent interest,
ana then began to whistle away down in
4 pixie" A moment afterward the bird
new new 100 yards or more and again shouted !:
q Hurrah for jeff"
Benjamin followed and soon arrived at a
plantation in the edge of a hammock.
shaded with live oaks. Its owner lived in
large log house, with cartway through
the middle. The chimneys were built upon
Of fho