St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1893-05-27
Written for the FARxER.1
A Village Ransacked
AND A PRISONER At NINE.

AND A PRISONER At NINE.
A story Of scenes and incident.
in st. Tammany parish, during th,
late civil war;.
MADIsoSvnLE, La,
May "a, 1898.
PART SIX.
When the A left Vaudeville. she
had on board four prisoners, father
and the blOckade-runner, my step.
brother and myself, who was ther
. prisoner at nine years of AGE,
She pulled away to Fort Pike,
which was situated at the Rigolets,
between Lakes Borgne and Pontcha.
train. While on our way there
father was taken into . state-room,
where he was hand-cuffed and then
let out again. When 1 saw Linn
with irons on, it made me rs mad
- . boy can get. II / had been
half as strong rs Samson 1 would
have turned things upside down.
While promenading the deck nv
brother kicked his foot against .
ring-bolt, and one OF the Yankee,
remarked, "Look at that Young
rebel trying to kick the ring-bolt
out Of the deck with his bare feet"
This remark made my step-brother
raging, but he dare not open his
mouth. We remained at Fort Pike
about two weeks. While there .
cannon was fired each morning Is q
signal at six o'clock. The first Of
OF these that / heard while on board
seemed to jar every timber in the
boat. l was still on nv pallet,
half asleep, and I thought they were
about to have battle, and l called
to my step-brother and told him
they were fighting. On getting up
We found that all was just the same
~ it was when We retired. After
We spent one night at the Fort. they
planned what to be done with us.
So early one morning they took
father and the blockade runner in
their yawl, both in irons. Where
they went with them / did not know,
but father told rs when he parted
from rs that We must be good BOYS
and not be afraid, that they would
take US back home; but 1t was .
bitter cup for father to leave NJ
with those Yankees.
While on board of that ever re-
membered Al, the sailors would
sing: 'We'n hang JEFF. Davis on
, sour apple tree" but the captain
would stop them, saying the prison.
ers must be respected. After two
weeks had passed they started to 90
somewhere, but little did we sus-
pect what their intention was. II
10 not know how long they were
ander way, when we were called to |
come forward Immediately, and
I saw they were about to |
put our pirogue over in the lake. |
| had no idea where we were, but |
ny step-brother knew how the land |
aid. We were told to get in and |
70 home. It sounded musical to
rear those words Ego home,"
in our ears, but those
Yankees hadn't any thought that
re would ever reach home. They !
tut US over about two miles out
rom Mandeville, while the wind
blew . gale from the southwest,
he whitecaps ran high. Now inn
lgine two lads Of . and IA, in
IN open boat, fifteen feet long and
hree feet beam, and twelve inches
leep, battling with the waves.
3ut il those cruel Yankees could
ave thrown . rabbit in . brier
hlcket, they would have harmed it
ust IS much IS they did us by
,lacing rs in . boat on the water.
Although the lake was rough, the
hind was in our favor, which hasten
d 10 to the shore. l assure you We
added with al our strength until
re could reach bottom with our
'addle, then we were happy Is we
'ould be, with father still at their
mercy. As We neared shore We
aw lots Of crabs, and by placing
be paddle on them, then taking
hem up with our hands, we caught
Luite . large mess, then we made
or home. All were glad to see us
mt regretted that father was held
0 await his trial. We expected to
ee him come At any hour, but he
'as held in prison for eight months.
We planted and did whatever we
ould to obtain . living. Thus
nds my personal knowledge of the
'ankee doings. The rest Of this
tory is obtained through friends,
nd from father himself, after his
eturn from the Yankees. From
ime to time We would hear from
ather. through friends who hap
ened by chance to see him in the
'arisb Prison, where he was kept
, close confinement seven months
nd some days, having been lodged
, the hold Of . man-of-war, the
'ortsmouth, for . few days previ-
us to going in the prison He
aid that he was kept in irons on
be Portsmouth all the time. and
hat he had only . short passage in
'hich to walk to keep the mosque
pes and reaches from annoying the
fe out Of him. At the end of