The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-09-18
How One Of the Cabinet Officers
of the Confederaey
Escaped.
Ono Of tho Incidents In the
Struggle for the
Union.
A Midnight fair In tho Georgia Wilds
Whom the Country Was Full of
Union Soldiers.

Down among the piny woods of south
ern Georgia jefferson Davis was captured.
Why he should ever a 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 Irwinville. 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 Washington-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, IL general breakup took place. Davis
continued his way toward the south, still
encountered by a 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
"wiregrass,' made still more solitary by
the war that had depopulated Georgia Of
all tho men able to bear n musket, as we'll
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 upof the cabinet Gen
eral Breckiuridg &c mounted his horse and
struck out for the Floridian peninsula.
Through lonesome byways, where the PEG
pie could not give directions which routeto
pursue after 10 miles because they had new
err 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. It was.
as wild Il ride as ever a man undertook, but
by avoiding the most populous sections
General Breckinridge finally reached a safe
distance below the Gordon Of troops living
in wait for him and other refugees from the
fallen Confederacy.
Worn out, he rode up to a log cabinin 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 citi-
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 a day and night at that hospita-
bic hut soon after and was the recipient of
many ~klndnesses from the squatter. Said
he, in speaking Of the night that he enter
tanned General Breckiuridge:
Il tell you was mighty suspicious about
the Teller. didn't exactly catch on to him
whether he was a ank or q Confed, but |
knew he was one or the other. You see, |
had stole 10 niggers from old man Norman
McDuffie, over at Pensacola, and had run
them down to Tampa and sold them Just
about the breaking out Of the war. I sold
them for gold, several thousand dollars done
up in buckskin bags, regular old Spanish
gold in doubloons, and I had the cash buried
under the corner of the smokehouse for
fear some of the s~trollers might find it,
either running after the Confeds pruning
away from the Yankees. You see how sim
pie live now. lived the same way then
plenty of beef, v%enison, 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
nogs. AS for biscuits, my young ones never
saw one, and they'd have put a coal of fire
on one, just as they'd have lone to q terra
pin if they'd found it in the road.
'SAA3 cAuo 4CAloN lOohGu 50 queer ana
suspicious that l 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 I saw he was tired,
SO | howed him the bed, and me and nv
wife laid down on a pallet on the floor, The
more l thought of that man the more | felt
uneasy about my money. So, after all were
sound asleep, | slipped cut behind the
SmOEphGHcp 10 frnt II mt aus,, t{,~,;,,4-
put on my clothes, for fear Of being watch
ed. In q few minutes | had it dug up, but
it was SO heavy that Icouldn't hardly tote
it, and | stubbed my toe as | crayled over
the bars.
Just then up came that blamed old
horse as if Old Nick was after him, and
before l knew it lie was right on to me. and
then came Il 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. I got right
down on my knees and told him he might
take my money, but for the sake Of my
family l prayed him to spare my life.
why, you numshull, | don't want
your money nor your life. Do you not guess
who l amp
mo
~ am General Breckenridge of the Con
federate cabinet, and all | desired was a
little rest. Now tell me the most direct
road to Charlotte's harbor, and I will nav
my bill and get OUT
You don't owe me Il cent, general. said
/, trembling like a leaf, 'but for Gods sake
don't tell about my money if you get
II then caught his horse, saddlcd him,
filled up his ~SaddlebapS with beef and ma.