The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-12-28
CAVE JEWELLERS.
How Some Confederate Deserters
in 1868 Lived Underground.
Ingenious Devices Employed to Avoid Dis
covery and the Peril of Capture-Not
All the Comforts of Home.

After the Confederate ranks were thinne
by the desperate fighting of 1868 the lines of
the deserters fell in hard places. The
Richmond Government set theoretically to
work to bring every available man to the
front.
President Davis by proclamation urged
every man TO hasten to his country's de-
tense. and promised pardon for all past de-
l'nquencies provided the offender now has
tened to do his duty. Stringent orders and
threats of punishment infused energy into
the officers of the home guard.
Detachments of Confederate troops visited
the neighborhoOd at short and Irregular ill.,
tervals, while the homes CT the deserters
we're watched and repeatedly searched
Then it was that the deserters, as we
called all who shirked military duty,
whether they had ever actually been in the
army or not, had recourse to a mode of
hiding which they had learned from run
away slaves. The fugitive in this region,
having neither the swamps of the East nor
the mountains of the West for refuge, like
al hard-run creatures naturally took to
earth.
He either enlarged and concealed some
natural cavity or dug cave into which he
hid by day, to sally out under cover of dark
ness in quest of poultry, pigs, sheep, fruit,
r0asting-ears, watermelons and other good
tnings in season, If he feared pursuit by
dogs he rubbed the soles of his feet with
Unions or odorous herbs in order NJ
TO CONFUSE THE SCENT.
II moderately wary or skillful he found
little difficulty in rema lining "Out" till the
crops were Laid by ami all the heavy
Work was over, or till the cold weather
drove him back TO snugger berth IN the
quarters.
The deserter made vast improvement on
the burrow of the runaway colored person.
His cave was larger, better constructed and
better appointed than his prototypes but not
better concealed.
Banding together in squads of two or
three, some unfrequented place would be
chosen, generally on a hillside to avoid
| moisture. and as near q stream as practical
bic for the easiest and safest way of dis
posing oil the earth thrown up in digging
| the pit was to dump 1t in running water.
The site being carefully selected and re-
cOunoitered from every possible way of ap-
proach, watch was set and work begun
| and pressed with the utmost dispatch.
! First the leaves or pine needles were
raked back and a space LINED off," usually
| six by eight feet but often considerably
larger. Then the ubiquitous bed-quilt was
| spread TO catch every particle of tell-tao
| clay, and grubbing-hoes, spades and all
| available implements were put in rapid
| motion.
As any prOlungation of the work increased
| the danger Of discovery, the object was to
| get it dug and concealed at the earliest pos
| sible moment. Every hand that could be
| trusted-old men, women and children
| was called i'll to assist. To these auxiiaries
| fell the hardest part of the task, that OF dis
| posing OF the dirt, which, of course, could
not be left near the cave.
This was generally "toted" away in
| buckets and pggins and dumped
| IN THE ADJACENT STREAM,
| And as the direction from " hch the cave was
| approached had to be constantly changed
| lest the faintest vestige Of path should be-
| tray the spot, the abOr of transporting eight
or ten cubic yards of earth in this primitive
| fashion was no light undertaking.
| The proper depth, commonly about six
| feet being attained, fireplace was cut in
| the earthen sides of the cave aud connected
with tiue cut through the adjacent earth
Across the pit. and slightly below the sur
| face, were then placed stout poles, and on
| these the roof of pine boards, while over
| all the earth and leaves were carefully re-
| placed so as TO conceal all signs of having
| been disturbed. Pne-needles made very
| good carpet
| A bed was constructed by driving forked
| stakes into the ground. and upon these were
laid small poles topped with pine boughs.
| Sometimes cupboard" was cut in the
| earthen walls.
What gave the cave-dweller most concern
! ney. Even under the best of circumstances,
| in the iairest, warmest weather and in the
driest soil, cave was dismal abode.
! There was darkness, chillness, a
strange and grave-like silence down there,
| which made fire, the only light obtainab BILE
| in those hard times an indispensable COM
! panion. When rainy weather came and
the walls oozed water, only heat made it
| habitabe.
Care was taken to use the driest and most
alnsc I'M hat 4,
| burnt ever so sparingly, in the daytime
| would cause some smoke, various plans
were hit on to minimize the danger of be-
| trayal from this source. When practicable
| THE CAVE
| Would be dug near dead tree which was
first blackened by fire, unless one could be
found already partially burned by the
chance fire of some coon or opossum hunter
Failing this, the old tree stump, after
being charred, was ingeniously planted over
the chimney-mouth so that the smoke might
rise through or around it. The object of
these devices was, of course. that should
any unfriendly eye discover the smoke it
would be attributed to one of the accidental
fires which sometimes SmOlder in dead tim
Der for weeks at time.
But as a rule the occupants, putting their
dependence on good eyesight and legs
would, when no especial danger was appre-
hended. betake themselves to the woods
during the day and use the caves only as a
sleeping-place.
Indeed, few OF the deserters took refuge
underground except in cases of pressing
need. which, toward the last, were very FREE
qurnt.
Entrance to the cave was usually had by
means of a small trap-dOor in the roof, in
the concealment of which much care and
ingenuity were also expended In addition
10 the leaves always kept on it tree
would often be felled over the spot, the
boughs serving not olly to screen the en-
trance from view, but likewise to lessen the
danger of any one walk ing directly over the
| cave.
AS it was all-important that no trace of
path should be seen thereabout, the trunk
of the tree afforded safe walk-way, care
| being taken always to approach it from diff
| ferent directions. The presence of a newly
felled tree, like burning one attracted lit
tie suspicion, being charged to the colored
opossum-hunter. David Dodge in At
| lantic.
This country has nearly 100000 acres
| devoted to the raising of fax aud hemp. 1t
| is proposed to make grand showing Of
| these industries at the Worlds Fair