Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1891-12-19
A REFUGEES STORY.
BY H. NJ. SYLVESTER.

Hank OWlngS naQ IN war times Deen
a Union refugee.
was on his circuit, and had gone
to his home for the night, where, after
the supper things had been put away,
he told this story OF the days When
that part of the country was common
forage ground for all the outlaws and
guerrillas of East Tennessee:
East Tennessee was Union, and
mostly mountains. There weren't
many Shareholders hereabout, so the
folks didn't care to fight, and kept
out OF it as best they could.
II had just turned 10, and was
strapping fellow, tall like am now
| hain't shortened up much" with a
soft laugh.
Father and had started for the
cornfeld, Just around the knoll over
there in the meadow, when a troop OF
guerrillas rode down the road to halt
in the old dooryard. They wanted to
know where the men folks were-when
they'd be back-how many boys be
longed to the place; how old they
were, and all that. Then, with most
OF the poultry slowed away in their
saddlebags, they rode away laughing,
| saying as how they'd be back after
the boys some day.
after that it was settled I'd better
60 to Nashville than be conscrlpted by
| the rebs. reck'n there was a dozen
| boys that were Union in the neighbour
hood. We had agreed upon thenight,
| fer all there weren't one OF us who had
been any way from home; but we got
a map from one OF our old school
books, and after studying it bit
lowed we could get there.
1.-The old church ut the mouth OF
the Post Oak road was the rendez-
vous. When the night came around
the boys we're on the ground, and inn
patient to be off. Crossing the valley,
single file, we crept mp the side OF Wal
den ridge, to throw ourselves ON the
grass at it's top Just at the edge OF
Lookout Rock With onelong, linger-
ing look we plunged into the wilder
ness that makes the great Cumber-
land plateau, and that covers third
almost OF the state OF Tennessee.
"a wild, mountainous region now,
it was wilder then; and whichever way
one might turn might be into a guer-
rilla camp, or against one OF their
pickets.
1.-THE third night ont we struck Dad.
dy's creek. The trail westward de.
scending sharply into a deep rayine
brought us to q broad, shallow
stream. There was an opening in the
woods so we could see the the SHARP
roof Of building against the sky
Along the edge OF this stream was O
jungle of laurel, into which the boys
crept, while went forward to recon
noitre. Keeping in the shadow OF the
laurels, forded the creek to find my
self beside broad, level stretch o
highway. The fresh hoof marks
startled me, and made memore careful
in my movements. The building was al
old deserted sawmill There were
holes in the roof, through which thu
moon shone, which, by the way, wa!
in it's second quarter. | approached
the mill over the logs that once sup
ported it's clumsy hume. Nearer anC
nearer ] crept, feeling each piece o
timber that was likely to feel a pound
of my weight
Crack
"'Who goes theres'
~ had merely time to drop amonI
the foundations OF the fume when tn
figure OF man was dimly outlined il
the gable Of the mill. Standing Their
sometime he afterward withdrew
reluctantly, it seemed to me, into tin
deeper shadow, yet felt his eye wa
still on the broken flume.
II peered over the log and in tn
gable again. stood the gray, ghostl,
vision | had before seen. 1t wa
motionless, yet dared not move, TO
! saw the CLINT of rifle against th
black background.
at was o sentry--a guerrilla, N
, doubt.
There was little chance of gettin
out OF those logs without discovery
with the sentry within pistol shot
How long lay there / do not know
: 1t must have been an hour. Itseemec
much longer. Across the creek cam
the cry OF night hawk. It was on
signal--one for danger, two for safety
heard it but once; then there wa
a tramp OF horses feet, grinding o
/ heavy feet in the gravel, as If on a de
? scending road, splash in the stream
squirt along the road, and halt al
the old mill. There must have beer
half-dozen troopers in the party.