The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-03-09
DAN ELLIS'S STORY.
The Adventurous Career of a Loyal
East TenneSSeean.
CHAPTER XLIII.

| turn trip l. accom- panied Dy 4 NUMBER OF young
men who had Joined me at Vale Springs. where
the 4th Tenn. was camped. arrived at Union
| lists house here We got breakfast. The man
| told US to look out for gang of rebels who
were some distance ahead of us, watching fol
| Union men returning home from the Federal
| lines. He said that they had already captured
and killed several men who were returning
loaded with goods. He thought they would
consider me an excellent prize.
| We did not tarry ut this house, but immedi-
ately went up higher OH the mountain, and
| then travelled on without difficulty until we
came to Shells Cove. We had almost sue.
cceded in getting across the cove when we saw
| five horses hitched at the door of little cabin
| at the foot of the mountain.
| / called halt and proposed that we capture
| them, but to my surprise but one man in the
company could be prevailed on to 60. and
| that man was Peter Shelton. The balance were
! too fearful that mammals darling boys would
! get crippled or killed. They begged to be ex-
| cused Shelton and laid down our knapsacks
and made all necessary preparation, while our
| comrades retired to safe position on the side
| of the mountain.
| The snow was about four inches deep aud
| the wind was blowing extremely cold. conse-
| quently the occupants OF the cabin as well as
| their visitors seemed to be keeping very close
indoors for there was no person 10 be seen NOV
| ing about the premises. We pursued our
way toward the cabin along fence row to
prevent the dogs any person in the cabin
from seeing us until we got to the house, wien
Shelton Immediately ran to one door and L to
the other but the door that l went to seemed
not to be in use as it stubbornly resisted all my
efforts to burst it open. | rushed around to the
other door, where l found Shelton standing
with the muzze of his pistol presented to a
crack i'm the door. pushed the door open
instantly and both of us rushed into the cabin
together. when we found ourselves in the
presence Of two rebels soldiers and the family
which consisted of an old man and old lady
and some small children.
had my 16-shooter Henry rids with the
hammer drawn ready for shooting if the rebels
offered any resistance but one of them sur
rendered to Shelton and the other to me, with
out a word.
never saw men so badly frightened in all
my life and the uproar which proceeded from
the family circle was somewhat amusing, for
it was good deal worse than tempest in
teapot"
The old man fell down upon his knees and
offered up very devout prayer, asking tho
Lord to have mercy on them all. especially
himself. and not suffer them to be killed, and
the old lady fell down upon the floor crying
and praying at terrible rate, while the chill
dren, four or five in number. under the
bed and howed piteonsly.
Alter lew minutes OF tufDutent excltemenG
quiet was again restored. The old man in
formed me that two Of the horses belonged to
him, and the other three to the soldiers. We
took possession of the three horses. together
with the navy pistols belonging to the rebels,
and. ordering our prisoners to start before us,
we decamped to the mountain. When we got
up on the side Of the mountain We saw COM
pany of some 60 rebels in the valley below
just about the time they observed us: but
,o bel, If rfy ho
were on another spur of the mountain, they
Immediately turned and started away. So did
we. They could have captured US very easily,
for the mountain we were on could have been
travelled over with horses in almost any part.
Two more days travel brought me to the
hills that surrounded my home. For three years
/ had not staid about my own house, and but
very little about any other. l was again where
l had already experienced so many adventures,
and / soon found that the rebels had been wait
ing with great anxiety for my return; for by
this time they had become pretty well acquaint-
ed with my coming aud going, and it afforded
them the utmost pleasure to seize and appro-
pirate the Yankee goods and the greenbacks
which / brought into the County for the fami-
lies of the Federal soldiers
did not believe that they expected to get
anything from me, for had always successfully
defeated all their arrangements 50 far as was
personally concerned. Their only hope of OBJ
tanning these articles was by robbing the houses
of absent Federal soldiers after their families
had received the money and goods which had
been sent to them By me; for the rebel scoun-
drcls were always very particular about search
ing the houses of the absent soldiers, and even
the persons Of their wives whenever they were
apprsed of my return to tue County.
One lady living in Carter County who was
the wife of Federal soldier, had her clothing
torn off of her entirely. and the belt containing
her money and jewels taken from around her
waist. But even this was not rs bad as the
treatment received by Mrs. Ebert Treada-
way at the hands of two of the sconndrels
who belonged to tho command Of the infamous
Duvall They went to her house at midnight
where she was alone with three young chill
dren. They called her up, and forced their
way into the house. and compelled hor to re-
move her clothing TO an extent which was at
once shocking in order to search for money,
and she only escaped further outrage by tell
ing these villains where she had concealed some
of her clothing near the house, and while
they were gone in search of it she took her
babe in her arms and sought refuge in a cedar
thicket close to the house. 1t was cold night
in January, aud she and her little children
suffered greatly, as all were nearly naked for
she had been compelled to leave her house
without taking time to procure clothing for
herself and children. After she had concealed
her children IN the thicket she ran to the
est house. half mile away, to obtain the assist
ance of the wife of an absent soldier The two
women returned to the thcket, and conveyed
the children to place Of security. The two
heroes continued to watch her house until
daylight, and returned TO their camp carrying
off with them all of the property that they
thought would be Of any service to them
Mrs. Treadaway went to Elizabetbton in
order to report the base conduct of these two
fp I'm von rfat,, Ia h,,.o al.
he would at least have the magnanimty to
urge them to restore her property But Duvall
treated her supplications with the most perfect
disregard, and very abruptly said that his SOL
ders should not be punished for anything
they might do to the Lincolnite women, who
ought to go through the lines to their Yankee
friends.
This was tho kind Of consolation which the
poor, helpless women received from this Ken.
lucky seoundrel, whose black heart was en-.
tirely impervious to any feeling of human
sympathy for all, both male and female who
entertained desire for the success of the
Union cause And these were the kind of men
from whom the Union men had to seek refuge
in the mountains in order to save their lives
found the hills and mountains were now
swarming with escaped prisoners and rebel de-
sertcrs, and also with number OF Federal SOL
diers who had not yet returned to their regi-
ments, all of whom were now anxious to 90
through the lines with mo. Many of my
friends were entirely unwilling for me to take
rebel deserters through with me, as they were
afraid that they were only EXPRESSING a dasira