Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-09-29
Al RIDE FOR LIFE.
HoWoNt OF THE CONFEDERATE CAB
NET OFFICERS ESCAPED.

An Aorious farmer.
Dow among the piny woods Of south.
81 Co ia Jefferson Davis WINS raptrrrd.
I WHY he should ever have been captured N
that lonely land supposing OF course that
| he really wanted to get away, surpasses
! understanding. | have ridden o,es tbU
/ ground and have visited that dismal, out
/ Of the way town Of Irwinville, Ca, which,
like Waterloo, nameless before. win now
be over 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 Washlngton-by the
way, the first town named fer the father Of
his country in the United States. There,
apprehending the approach of Federal cav
airy, a general breakup took place. Davis
continued his way toward the south, still
encountered bya considerable wagon train,
until he crossed the Ocmulgee river at Poor
Robin Spring and camped at Asheville.
Thence he started by the carly dawn on thnt
weary journey through the solitudes of the
"wiregrass," made still more solitary by
the war that had dopopulatcd Georgia Of
all tho men able to bear n musket, as well
as the boys. sixteen TO sixty was the
last decree Of the cOnscrpt act, and only
pale fnced and half famshed women aud
children remained to gaze in wonder at tho
procession.
After tue breaking up Of the cabinet Gen.
ergtl Breckinridge mounted bis horse and
struck out for the F'loridian peninsula.
Through lonesome byways, where the peo'
pie could not give directions which routeto
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 penin-
sula from jacksonville to Tampa. 1t was
as wild ride as ever man undertook, but
by avoiding the most populous sections
General Breckinridgo finally reached a safe
distance below the Gordon OF troops lying
In wait for him and other refugees from the
fallen Coniederacy.
Worn out, he rode up to q log cabin in tho
dusk Of evening and asked il he could get
shelter and refreshment for himself and
his horse and directions how to reach Char
lotte's hnrbor. Although dressed in citi.
zcn's clothes his manners and striking ply
siquo melted the curiosity Of the squatter.
But true to the instincts Of that peculiar
race tho latter agreed to give the stranger
food and shelter aud asked no questions.
staid 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
tained General Breckenridge:
81 tell you was mighty suspicious about
the teller. didn't exactly catch on to him
whether he was o YanlS or COnfed, but
knew he was one or the other. You see,
had stole 10 niggers from old man Norman
| McDuilie, over ut Pensacola, and had run
them down to Tampa and sold them just
about the breaking out Of the war. sold
themtor gold, several thousand dollars done
| up 10 buckskin bugs, regular old Spanish
| gold IN doHbloons, and had the cash buried
| under the corner Of the smokehouse for
| fear some of the strolers might find it,
eitherrunnng after the Confcds 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
cornbrcad; not often though, because tho
mill was 30 miles OF, and we never fooled
with bears unless they got to Fostering our
I hogs. 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 done to q terra
pin il they'd found it in the road.
well, that fellow looked so queer and
suspicious that 1 felt slSittish, but give
him the best we had and turned his horse
in the pea patch 10 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 apnllet on the floor. The
more thought OF that man tie 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
{ nn n "a fnNN IutuItf4u / huA II a Iy,t
it was so heavy that Icouldn't hardly tote
II, and l stubbed my toe as l crawled over
the bars.
Just then up came that blamed old
horse 0s il Old Nick was after him, and
before knew 1t he was right on to me, and
then came chase that don't ever want
to go through with again. The capers of
the horse awuke 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, / don't want
your money nor yourlit Do you not guess
who / amp
"'No.l
al am General Breckenridge Of the Con.
federate cabinet, and all | desired was a
little rest Now tell me the most direct
! road TO ChaflotteS harDor, ana VIII pay
my bill and get out
"'Nou don't owe me cent, general said
/, trembling like u leaf but for Gods SAX,
don't tell about my money II you gel
caught
81 then caught his horse, saddled him
filled up his saddlehags with beef and pc
tatucs, showed him the road, and he WA
gone half nu hour before | realized the fac
TINT had harbored fugitive and at thu
same time given refuge TO one Of the lead
\ eIs OF the C0nfederaoy.' New York Post
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