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

This story ends really with our entering
orr lines on the Chattahoochee but l feel
that those who have read so far are inter
ested in Bells subsequent career; they
naturally infer that l, who am writing
twenty six years after the events I have
4 tried to describe, am all right I can say
/ with truth that l never met more original
or more manly man than Tom Bell. If
he had been educated and lived at differ
ent time he would have made his mark and
! left the impress of great talents on the re-
cord of his times. Physically he was.
! think, the handsomest man l ever saw
He was strong as lion, active as a tiger
and affecuonate as a child At first his
profanity, or what took 10 be profanity.
shocked me, but at heart this gallant fel-
low was as intensely religious as Peter the
Hermit, and he had a sense of duty
stronger than his fear of death.
1t was the custom of the authorities dur
ing the war to give at least thirty days'leave
of absence, or furlough, to all men who had
escaped from the ener1y, but the men from
the border states could not, as rule, avail
themselves OF this privilege. To 60 home
did not mean peace or rest. The enemy
was on every side, often the nearest neigh
Dor, and the guerrilla was prowling when
the raider wSs driven OF; and so there
&. were no leaves for Tom Bell or for myself;
at least, we elected not to accept them.
We were most generously treated by our
comrades in and about Marietta, and after
we had seen the paymaster and borrowed
such articles of clothing as the quarter
master could not supply we decided to run
up to Nashville to get our outfits, to 70
back to the army then besieging Atlanta,
I and Bell to make his way to General Gill
lem's command, then operating in the
neighborhood Of Cumberland Gap. Before
leaving Marietta we had the pleasure Of
greeting the three wounded confederates
with whom we had messed in the woods
the night before we struck our Ines. We
had reported their whereabouts, as we
promised, 6nd they we're placed in our hos
pitfalls, TO the great delight Of the poor fell
lows.
At the hotel in Nashville, Bell and silent
in room with two beds, but on the night
of August 10 we were TO part next morn
ing-he said to me:
1--WE uns is gwine to part, cap and hit
may be ez how we won't never meet again
this side of etarnity.n
-" Nonsense, Bell" interrupted, "We,T
pull through the war and live TO talk over
! as old men, our adventures down in
Dixie"
Bell shook his head. had never known
him to be more solemn in his manner M,
even when we were burning with hunge,
and footsore and weary we tore through
the jungle with the pursuers close behind
Let us sleep together Tor the last nichr
Hipll be easier to talk, and hitll not be 81
hard to recall the id hard times we nm,
hez hsd together. / sometimes nigh give
plum up belieyin' in God, but he took WIS
4 uns each day by the hand and pulled II,
squar through, and so preserved US tina
we uus mouJ give the enemy HI, and Pm
gwine to do hit, jest as quick ez l kin gi
down to whar our folks is in the noun.
tains."
We slept together that night and Bel
opened his heart to me as he never haC
done before. He deplored his lack of edu
cation, but he had made up his mind Il
study as soon as the war was over. w,
had called that day on Andrew johnson
who was then military governor of Ten
nessee and living in Nashville. With tn,
career of this remarkable man in his mind
Bell said:
''My dad knowed Andy Johnson when HI
left Moth Caliuy and oome over the noun
tains to Greeuville to start a tailorin, ant
he didn't know b from a bulls foot Nov
see whar he ISL and Bell lifted his arm
into the darkness.
told my friend that Governor johnson
had been helped very much by his wife
and 1 suggested thai if he got a good wifi
she would no doubt aid him to achieve hi
laudable ambition.
ldORuSQ IOE SOuu6 llLlG, GS IL CuIOylQ
his secret thoughts, and in reply to m
question as to the cause, be said:
AZ was jist thinkin' of how many time
durin' our 'scape I've told that cussed stor
about my bein' wounded confed, tryir
to get back TO my pore wife and chillen j
the mountains. WY, / was nigh mos
comm to believe that was regularly maj
ried, and had a lot of yaller headed youn
uns a-watchin' TO- my return. But II
a-gwine to give you uns a dead secret"
Seeing that he paused, assured him tia
/ should remain silent as to any commun
cation ne chose to make until he gave IN
leave to speak. Very slowly and wit
solemnity that struck me as being yer
Inappropriate, Bell continued:
ppm in love with gal down Ashevil
way, and have been since the yeah befo
the wah. She cottons up to me. you Ike
bet yer last picayune. And jest ez soon {
the fuss is ovah me and her'll splice"
In response to my inquiry as to her al
pearance, wealth and. intelligence, he sale
as nearly as l can recall.
"Waal, cap, Their amt none of we uns c
is what folks that live in towns and o
Plantations ed call even tollably well of
Molly's a preachers daughter, and c
thar's another preacher in Moth Calm
can come up to him In offhand talkin' an
prayin, or in down right Screpture argy