Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1892-06-25

travelling correspondent does not Ecsi-
tate 10 do in obeying orders, writes
W ]. c. Neiehan, In Lipp;ncot;. In
1868 / was making tour OF some
of .he Southern States. especially with n
view of getting a. the bofom OF tho
doings of the ku.klux, fairly aud
saualeiy, withou; bias. Sometime. had
10 sleep in u negro's cabin on tie road
side in loaelv par. Of tle country: al
other times | farel well At city hotels.
Had known when started from New
York what i was expected to do.
think would have shown the "whi,e
feather" was, in starting, simply told
10 90 10 Nashville and attend conven-
ton that was 10 be held there. When
arrived | found orders for me which
said. "You will maze a tour OF these
States, AMI avoid, when possible, the
beaten roads II travel. aud then the
details were given rs 10 what should
do. This meant an across the country
cut, evidently. Well, | went to Nash
Vile, expecting to return in three days.
| never left the South for several months,
thanks 10 that "avoid the beaten roais
OF travel order BuI i will give only
one incident of this ''tough" assign
ment, to show what correspondent has
IA do to succeed sometimes, even at the
risk Of his life.
managed 10 get Fort Pillow
Forrest, the famous Confederate cavalry
officer, 10 consent 10 talk 10 ne fully
about the ku-klux. ! was III Nashville,
and he was in Memphis. | had TO meet
him on Il certain day, otherwise my great
opportunity was gone. BESIDES, knew
that Cincinnati newspaper man was
ther on his way 10 Memphis for the same
purpose That knc wiedgc OF itself made
| me desperate left Nashville one even
ing, but during the journey, 10 my dis
NAV, the train brolp down. | found
| that the only way | could make up for
| lost time was to walk several miles, but
| was warned tha. should have to cross
a rocky stream on the narrow sidc-plank-
| ing Of q huge trcstc several hundred
J feet long and thirty or forty feet high.
/ did the walk ing we'll till reache that
! tIeste. It was shaky affair, and
wonder how on earth a train in those
,iays ever got over it safely, after the
wear and tear i. had got from sey trans
| nortaton work Fortunately, thc moon
was shining an the sky was CHAR.
used my grip. sack ~ = balan e-,ncdium
al times, and WAS fully mali way over
when heard a whistle blow aud the ow
rumble Of train behind the elf, ahead
i Of me. Il VAS single track was
walking on. too don't KNOW, but
think mr. hair stood On cn' like needles;
ANYHOW telt a. il somebody hal sud
denly pulled them up ~ the roots and
then dropped a piece oI ice down my
back.
There was a slight curve i. the end OF
the trestle, toward which | was making
my way, and | could then sec no train.
But saw il soon enough. The simmer
ing Of tie headlight through the trees
away beyond the trcstlc grew brighter.
and the rumble Of tie cars grew louder
anl outicr. There was no time 10 be
lost. Tie engineer could never scc me
until he struck the tres:lc, AMI then all
the brakes in the world couldn't stop
the tram from rushing over where /
stood Well, tina. traia sent completely
over ne, ye, met Forres. the ncI. day,
lined with him, and hal !. three column
iutcryiew 'sith him oa the wires twenty
four hours s.IterxaEl, ahict interview
an happy T. say, Henry Wattcrson, tho
bflliiaa. editor OF the Loaisviie Courier
Journal, copied in his paper with biz
! ncasl.l.aee ashen he saw it in the Herald