Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-09-11
RIDE FOR LIFE.
NOW ONE OF THE coNFEpeRArEcA CAB
MET OFFICERS ESCAPED.

i ,asa.seAs lneideat In the wtids sfts~er-
=. VIE. That whole Section Of the
c..,try Wa Patrelied By Caioa Soldiers
A Anxio1s Farmer.
Down among the piny woods OF south
srn Georgia jefferson Davis Was cap'ureu-
Why he should ever have been capiared IN
that lonely land. supposing OF coarse THAT
he really wanted to set away, SURPRISES
understanding l have ridden over IN.
ground and have visited that dismal, oa'
Of the way town Of lrwinsille. Ga, which,
ike Waterloo. nau,eless before, will now
be ever remembered.
After leaving South Carolina tee COM
pany. consisting Of Davis. his family, sew
erai members Of the cabinet and an escort
Of soldiery, crossed the savannah rises
near the old town Of Washington-hT the
way, the first town named fer the iatnes oi
his country in the United States There.
auprehending the approach of Federal cav
airy. "A general breakup took place. ifayls
continue. his way toward the south, still
encunbe III by a considerable wagon train,
until lie crossed the Oenluisec river at Poor
Robin Spring and eamped at Asheyille.
Thence he started by the early dawn CT. that
weary journey through the solitudes of the
.wiregrass," made still more solitary by
the war that had depopuiated Georgia u
all the men able to bear nusket, As We'll
as the bows sixteen TO sixty" was tn
last decree of the eanscript act, and only
pale faced and half furnished women AMI
children remained to gaze in wonder at the
procession.
After tbs. breaking up of the cabinet zen
eral Breekinridge mounted his horse and
struck out for the Floridian peninsula.
Through lonesome byway<s where the poo
pie could not give directions which route To
pursue after 10 miles because they had new
er been further, lie rode and thus escaped
the Union troops, who were quartered at
different cities aud towns across the PENN
sula from Jacksonville TO Tampa 1t was
as wild ride t. ever q man undertook, but
by avoiding the most populous sections
General Brts-aIi.. Is. ge finally reached a safe
distance beiou; L.. Gordon of troops lying
in wait for him and other refugees froiI the
fallen Confeleraey.
Worn out, lie rode up 10 q log cabin in the
dusk of eveuing aud asked if he could get
shelter and refreshnent 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 Ia the instincts of that peculiar
race the latter agreed to give the stranger
food and shelter and asked no questions,
staid a day and night at that hospita-
bic hut soon after md was the recipient Of
many kindussses fron the squatter. said
he, in speaking of the night that he enter
tanned Geuersl breckenridge;
Il tell you ws.s mighty suspicious about
the Teller didn't exactly catch on to him
whether he ....5 a lank or a Confed, but |
knew he was one or the other You see, |
had stole 10 niggeri from old mau Norman
McDuilie, o'cr 1t Pensacola, and had run
them down 10 Tampa and sold them just
about the breaking out Of tlANar. ! sold
them for god. several thousana dollars done
up i'll buck.kin bags, regular old Spanish
gold ia dol.bloons, and had the cash buried
under the corner Of tie smOkehouse for
fear some of the strollers might find it,
either running after the Confeds or running
away from the Yankees You see how sim
pie live, now. i lived the same way then
plenty of beef yepison, bdy meat, milk,
butter, hominy and potatoes. Sometimes
we had bear meat, and sometimes we had
cornbread; not often though. because the
with bears unless they got to Fostering our
hogs. As for biscuits, my young ones never
saw one, and they Il have put coal of fire
on one. just rs 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 apallet on the floor. The
more Thought of that man the more felt
uneasy about my money. So, afterall were
sound asleep, ! Slipped out behind the
smokehousc to get it, not even stopping to
put on my clothes, for fear of being watch
ed. In u few minutes had it dug up, but
il WAS SO heavy that couldn't hardly tote
it, and | studied my toe as / crawlel over
the bars.
just then up came that blamed old
horse rs If Old Nick was after him. and
before | knew it he was right on to me, and
then came chase that | don't ever want
to go through with again. The cape-s 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 silke of Iny
family pray ed him to spare my life.
why, you numskuli, ] don't WANT
your money nor your life. Do you not guess
who am"
"'No'
I" i 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 will pay
my bill aud get out
lyon don't owe me a cent, general. said
|, trembling like "a leaf, but for God sake
don't tell about my money il you get
caught
II then caught his horse, sadtlled him
filed 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 harbor-l Il fugitive and at the
same time given refuge to one of the lead
ers of the Confederacy. New York Post.