The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-10-10
A RIDE FOR LIFE.
HOW ONE OF THE CONFEDERATE CAB
MET OFFICERS ESCAPED.


gia When That whole Section Of the
Country Was Patrolled by Union Soldiers.
An Anxious Farmer.
Down among the piny woods of south
ern Georgia Jefferson Davis was captured.
Why he should ever have been captured in
that lonely land supposing of course that
he really wanted to get away, surpasses
understanding. | have ridden over the
ground and have visited that dismal, out
of the way town of 1rwinville, Ga, which.
like Waterloo, nameless before, will now
be ever remembered
After leaving South Carolina the com
pany, consisting of Davis, his family. sew
eral members of the cabinet and an escort
of soldiery, crossed the Savannah river
near the old town of Washngton-by the
way, the first town named fer the father of
his country in the United States. There,
experimenting the approach of Federal cav
airy, general breakup took place. Davis
continued his way toward the south, still
encountered by n considerable wagon train,
until he crossed the Ocmulgee river at Poor
Robin Spring and camped at Asheville.
Thence he started by the early dawn on that
weary journey through the solitudes of the
"wircgrass," made still more solitary by
the war that had depopulated Georgia of
all the men able to bear musket, as well
as the boys. sixteen to sixty" was the
last decree of the conscript act, and only
pale faced and half famished women and
children remained to gaze in wonder at the
procession.
After the breaking up of the cabinet Gen
eral Breckenridge mounted his horse and
struck out for the Floridian peninsula
Through lonesome byways, where the peo-
pie could not give directions which route to
pursue after 10 miles because they had new
er been farther, he rode and thus escaped
the Union troops, who were quartered at
different cities and towns across the PENN
sula from Jacksonville to Tampa 1t was
as wild ride as ever a man undertook, but
by avoiding the most populous sections
General Breckenridge finally reached safe
distance below the Gordon of troops lying
in wait for him and other refugees from the
fallen Confederacy.
Worn out, he rode up to a log cabin in the
dusk of evening and asked if he could get
shelter and refreshment for himself and
his horse and directions how to reach Char
lotte's harbor. Although dressed in cti-
zen's clothes his manners and striking ply
sique melted the curiosity of the squatter
But true to the instincts of that peculiar
race the latter agreed to give the stranger
food and shelter and asked no questions.
L staid day and night at that hospita-
bic hut soon after and was the recipient of
many kindnesses from the squatter. Said
he in speaking of the night that he enter
tanned General Breckenridge:
II tell you | was mighty suspicious about
the Teller. l didn't exactly catch on to him
whether he was a Gank or Confed, but
knew he was one or the other. You see,
had stole 10 niggers from old man Norman
McDufiie, over at Pensacola, and had run
them down to Tampa and sold them just
about the breaking out of the war. sold
them for gold, several thousand dollars done
up in buclssllin bags, regular old Spanish
gold in doubloons, and had the cash buried
under the corner of the smokehouse for
fear some of the strollers might find it,
ether running after the Confeds or running
away from the Yankees. You see how sim
pie live now. lived the same way then
plenty of beef, venison, hog meat, milk,
butter, hominy and potatoes. Sometimes
we had bear meat, and sometimes we had
| cornbread not often though, because the
mill was 30 miles off, and we never fooled
with bears unless they got to Fostering our
hogs. AS for biscuits, my young ones never
on one, just as they'd have done to terra
pin if they'd found it in the road
well, that fellow looked so queer and
suspicious that | felt skittish, but give
him the best we had and turned his horse
in the pea patch to help himself We sat
and talked awhile, but | saw he was tired,
SO l showed him the bed, and me and my
wife laid down on pallet on the floor. The
more | thought of that man the more / felt
uneasy about my money. So, afterall were
sound asleep, l slipped out behind the
smokehouse to get it, not even stopping to
put on my clothes, for fear of being watch
ed. In few minutes | had it dug up, but
it was so heavy that couldn't hardly tote
it, and | stubbed my toe "a / crawled over
the bars.
Just then up came that blamed old
horse as if Old Nick was after him, and
before | knew it he was right on to me, and
| then came n chase that | don't ever want
to go through with again. The capers Of
the horse awoke his master, and out he
came-a pistol in each hand. got right
| down on my knees and told him he might
| take my money, but for the sake of my
| family prayed him to spare my life.
Why, you numskull, l don't want
your money nor your life. Do you not guess
| who l ann
| Ono
| 4 am General Breckenridge of the Con
federate cabinet, and all l desired was a
little rest. Now tell me the most direct
road to Charotte's harbor, and will pay
my bill and get out
"'You don't owe me cent, general. said
|, trembling like a leaf, but for Gods sake
don't tell about my money if you get
caught
II then caught his horse, saddled him,
filled up his saddlebags with beef and po-
tatoes, showed him the road, and he was
gone half an hour before realized the fact
that had harbored fugitive and at the
same time given refuge to one of the lead
ers of the Confederacy. New York Post