The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-04-10

volver, saying that he should have DO more
use for it, but would release the Mississip
plans and remain above on the hill till sue
cor came or he died, and he did not seem TO
have any choice in those alternatives.
Bell at once blazed up, and after damn
ing the war and all that brought it on he
became really eloquent in his pleading. AS
nearly as I can recall his words he ad
dressed the confederates after this fashion,;
"N on uns hez fit till yer comes in all
bloody and Ter spurs plum wore up to the
leg. Before you uns gifts well this har wah
will be done gone and over, and thar amt
no doubt in the mind of any man ez amt
q pl1m idiit, ez to which sides comm out
ahead. Now if you uns will agree to stay
and not so limp:n' around,we uns will send
out fob you uns jest as soon as we strike
our folks. l mout say we'd report you to
your own folks, eff SO be we uns was COB
bled agin, but that amt agwine to hap
zen, onless we uns is fit fob the grave or
you uns gives US a most powshful sur
prise"
The confederates discussed this PROPOSE
ton without any heed to our presence, and
they finally agreed TO stay where they were
for forty-eight hours, TO keep the fire burn
ing at night and to offer no resistance to
any Yankee who might approach their
camp. We understood what this conclu-
sion meant. Then, after refusing to take
our share OF the provisions. we shook hands
with them and hurried away from the fire,
feeling, somehow, that we had said goodby
10 friends even more helpless and unfortu-
nate than ourselves.
We came out to a treeless knoll and
halted to look about US. for it was a beau
tiful, clear night. The line of the Chatta-
hoochee was marked by camp fires. A glow
marked the whereabouts of Ma rietta, land
far TO the east, from the direction of At
lauta, we saw widespread pulsations of
light that famed up and died out, and then
over hills and streams came the dull BOOM
ing of g gun. Sherman was evidently
keeping Hood awake in Atlanta. On the
east Of Kenesaw to the right, and Stone
mountain on the direct left, signal fires
burned, and we felt that the former, at
least, marked the whereabouts of our
friends.
Keeping in the direction of the Chatta-
hoochee we descended the hill, and at the
foot of this we found road leading in the
right direction. Tough though the soles of
our feet were the ruIs and stones IN this
road punished US cruelty, and we awaited
ourselves Of every field to get out Al
times we stopped to listen, particularly be-
fore entering a wood, and twice we heard
the distant rumble of moving trains or ar
tillery, but it was impossible to tell the di-
rection from which the sound came.
Judging by the stars-the moon had
dropped out of sight-it was abour 3 o'clocb
in the morning when we reached the bank
of the Chattahoochee, and as we had been
staggering with fatigue we decided to find
3 secluded spot in which we might get {
few hours sleep. Near the river we came
upon the ruin of a pretentious house, whose
two chtmneys stood out against the SKY
like monuments Of desolation. Beyond
this we found g ginhouse, in front OF
which was fence with lot of recently
cut green corn fodder resting against it
We inferred that neither friend nor fot
had recently been near this place, or elsC
the fence and the fodder, it not the gin
house would be missing.
Our great fatigue Influenced our decision
The door Of the building stood inYitlngly
open, so we went in, and feeling on the
floor with hands and feet we found it GOV
cred with cotton seed and very dry fodder.
We gathered lot of this stuff close to tbs
door, but TO one side, and then lay down
must have dropped of 10 sleep the instant
] struck the floor
l could not have been asleep many min
utes, and l might have continued to my
own ruin, had [ not yielded to Belrs whisp
ering and shaking, and by desperate eff
fort of viii reused myself into conscious
ness. There was no need to ask the rea
son for my companions excited manner
Outside the door a number of horsemen
attracted by the fodder and the seclusioI
Of the ginhouse, were dismounting. TIT
accent, even before could wake up suffi.
GENTLY to understand, convinced me tina
they were confederateS, and that they werl
in no amiable mood. They swore at III
Yankees in way shocking to listen TO
but then they were very impartial witt
their profanity, for Hood and Ross came il
for their share.
suggested TO Bell with my lips to hi
ear that we slip out and make break TO
it, but he had his senses about him far bet
ter than myself. a glance through a spill
board convinced me that we could not ge
out unseen.
After singing their saddles and briddle
on the fences and tying the horses TO thi
same, with the fodder in front. the mel
entered the ginhouse and one of them wa
about to strike a light when the corporal il
command swore at him, called him d.
fool and asked him if he did not know tina
the ginhouse was as combustible as 81
much powder. They gathered up the fod
der with their feet coming dangerousl,
near to Bell and myself; then they pulled
of their boots, spread their saddle blanket
and lay down.
They swore they were starved to death
One OF them wished he was a horse, tina
he might 90 out and fill himself full to thu
throat with fodder. 1t was very eviden
that these men were sure that it was al
up with the contederacy," and equally Ger
tain they would fight it out so long as ont
OF them could Sit horse or poll q trigger
We learned that their scout had been il
the direction of the Chattshoochee bridge
but that they had been discovered anC
chased back by the Union videttes q few
miles away. They felt reasonably secur,
where they were, and their conduct al
well as their talk confirmed this fact
One of the men pushed his feet nearly
into my face, but dared not move, and 8
the risk Of bursting blood vessel 1 checked
back the desire 10 cough caused by Tn,
floating fragments of cotton lint stirred III
by the movements of these men. AT length
the talking died out. One man began I.
snore without calling out a protest iron
his companions, and this convinced US tina
all were asleep and that the time had COM
10 be moving
From the entrance of these men, Bel
and held firm hold of each others lef
hands so that we might not be separated il
the darkness. AS If moved by one will WI
crept out to where the weary horses wer
standing with lowered heads and droopini
hips. Bell tried 10 pull one away, but
whispered that ii would be safe to free tn
horses even if we could not ride them. w,
hurriedly pulled over the halters and tn
alarmed horses started away. One of tn
animals must have tried to leap the fence
for it came down with crash followed b
gnorting and the sound of flying hooft
Shouts and oaths came from the ginhouse
and a man in the door called out:
"Who in HI are youg'
yankees, cuss your' responded Bel
and at the same Instant he drew the pistc