Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1894-02-15
MRS. 'GUSTE.

A couple of years ago my husband
and chanced to be spending winter
in Vicksburg. The house we rented
was near nice old fashioned market,
where went as much for an occasional
chat with the proprietor as for the very
good things she sold me. She was a
stout, brisk old French woman, wild
ow, Nine. Auguste Dieulouard by name,
rather German in appearance, but very
French in her manners as she talked
from behind her bars or hustled about
her shop, directing and sometimes scold-
ing her underlings. She was delighted,
the first day ! went to market, to have
me speak French to her, and soon we
were quite intimate. Before the win
ter was over and had returned to New
York she had told me. bit by bit, a
great deal of the story of her life.
Translated from her queer half German
patois and pieced together, it ran some-
what as follows:
II was born in 1880, in Lure, near
Alsace, in the old Franche Comte. Aft
er my mother died | lived with my
grandmother. When my grandmother
died. could not go back to my father,
for he had married again, had large
family and was very poor. Some Of
our neighbors were coming to America,
and came with them. We took sail
ing vessel to New Orleans, and the voy-
age lasted "A days. Two years after
reaching New Orleans l married a
young Frenchman who had nice little
sum of money. Then my troubles be-
gan, for he would not have settled
home, as l wished, but wanted to trav-
ell all the time. | kept him in New
Orleans most of the time for two years,
but then he got too restless, and we be-
gan to gad about the country. We went
up the river to Memphis and st. Louis,
then we travelled through Kentucky and
Tennessee. Later we went to Califor-
mia. When the war broke out, we were
back in Kentucky. My husband en-
listed in the southern army, leaving me
in Columbus with very little money.
lived there until my money was near
ly gone and then took boat to vicks-
burg. reached Vicksburg just before
travel was stopped. The siege lasted As
days. | helped nurse in the hospitals,
and one day, when was sent out for
drugs, was struck by a Yankee shell
and wounded in the forehead. At the
end of the siege Yankee doctors and
nurses took charge Of the hospitals, and
had no work and no money. Some of
my neighbors were without money and
food and came in to see me and said:
Madame, what shall we do? We are
starving | said, Go home and will
think what to do. Then was offered
rations- Rations for what?' asked.
i am no Yankee soldier. Why should
take rations Of your Then | said to
the neighbors: We will make beer.
Get me two barrels of water. some
yeast, hops, molasses and corn. When
the Yankee s whisky is gone, hewill be
glad to drink my beer and will have to
pay for it, Sometimes he did not pay,
but mostly he did, and we lived year
by making beer.
There was military law in Vicks-
burg. General D. was in command for
long time. There was very strong
feeling against him. | think he was
the meanest man that ever lived.
knew everybody hated him. One day
said, ! am going to General D. to get a
permit to open store Every one said,
He is too mean to give. you one. |
said, / will try went to him and
said very politely, General D., 4 want
permit to open a store. He asked
me, why should give you permit?'
said, Because must make some mon
ey to live He said, Are you Irish?'
No. Are you Dutch?' No Are
you German?' No. Are you French?'
Yes. Then go to Napoleon for per-
NIT.
After awhile General D. left Vicks-
burg, and General s. was in command.
One morning | went to see him. He
was lying on couch. l asked him for
a permit. He said: MY good woman,
you shall have one if you will get me
pen and paper from the next room.
have been at ball all night and could
not get up for the president General
3. was not SO bad for Yankee. But
General Grant was the incest Yankee
ever saw. His headquarters were on
the river, but we often saw him in
Vicksburg, and he used to walk about
and talk to the people. He was very
kind, and every one liked him. One
day he came into my store with a
friend. He said: What kind Of stuff
is that in your window? am hungry,
and it looks very good Washington
pie. answered. Why do you call it
that2' said he. That pie is named aft
er the great Washington whose memory
all good Americans adore, ! replied.
That is good, said he; how much is
a slice of Washington pier j, said,
Some slices are 10 cents, but some i
cut are cents He said to The officer:
/ am SO hungry believe l could eat a
10 cent slice, could not your Ma
dame, please cut me two 10 cent slices,
and will trouble you to wrap them
up for me- So / did, and he would
not let the dandy young officer carry
my Washington pie, but when he had
paid me took the bundle himself out in
10 the street. Then the neighbors came
In and said, What did General Grant
have in his paper?' replied, Wash
lngton pie-a 10 cent slice for himself
and one for that young officer.
'The war was over, and had never
heard from my husband and thought he
must be dead. | was doing we'll in my
store. ! bought all my things in great
quantities and sold them we'll. I had
many friends and was much respected.
] remember very we'll that one day
bigger came into my store and said,
Have you got any cheap cigars2 |
gave him one and said, This is cents
He bit it and then threw it into my
face, crying, Have you nothing better
for me than that?' Yes, l have some
thing better for you, said, and hit
him over the mouth and nose with a
poker, and he rushed bowling and
bleeding into the street. In half an