The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-05-30

"The Yankees are coming. The town
will be given up to sack! Winchester
is to be burned, and women and chill
dren must feet
So rose the cry from house to house.
Some locked their doors and rode away
on horseback or in their carriages.
Others left their doors wide open and
took the turnpike to the south on foot,
carrying whatever they had at first laid
hands on as a burden. Furniture was
b1oughtout ard piled in the streets and
set fire to, and had not Jackson's adj
vance arrived as it did the people of the
town would have applied the torch to
their own 1ooftrees. The Yankee SOL
der was popularity supposed to be with
out honor or pity-a ruf6an who stopped
at no crime. jackson paused to refresh
his men and allay the excitement. Those
who had not fled decided to remain,
though fearful of consequences, but the
general excitement scarcely abated.
The Percys were among the first to
hear Of Jackson's defeat and the news
that the Federal army was following
him up and would soon be in Winches-
ter. They were excited, but not terrified.
I'VE will remain right here, and we
shall not be disturbed, said Marian to
her mother. 1.-THE Federals have not
burned towns elsewhere nor made war
on women and children, and they will
not do so here. We have no cause to be
afraid
Neither had they, but circumstances
which could not be foreseen soon caused
a change in the programme. Among
Jackson's troops was the remnant of
the Shenandoah guards. AL the house
servants about the Percy mansion were
colored people and slaves. Like others
of their color, the. general excitement
had made them half crazy. They had
left the house for the street to see and
hear and were ready to catch up and
believe the most absurd tales. There
were two men and four women. Buck,
who was a young man of 25, Joined a
party Of the fleeing inhabitants hurry
ing up the valley. Uncle Ben, as he
was called, was a man CT so, born ard
reared in the Percy family, and though
sharing to some extent in the general
excitement he would not leave his post
of duty. He had said to the fepale
servants:
81 nebber dun did see 40 Yankees in
all my life, but I hain't gwine to be
afraid an run away. I didn't bring on
dis wah. l hain't killed nobody. What
dem Yankees want to hurt me fur?
Miss Marian hain't skeered. Her mud
der hahn t skeered. Ifdey hain'tskeered,
what yo' all want to be skeered fur?"
The four women were on a street cor
ner in a group when Captain Wyle
passed by and recognized them as be-
longing to the Percy family. He had
heard from the gossips of the town long
ago that Kenton was to carry off the
prize. He had written to Marian with
considerable fervor and without men
tioning the news, and she had replied IN
a very brief and formal manner. To
revenge himself on a woman was quite
foreign to his nature, but as he saw the
four servants and noted their state OF
alarm he remembered that he and Ike
Baxter had q plan to carry out. Ten
minutes later one Of his company was
saying to the colo1ed women:
The Yankees are only a couple Of
miles away! If you all don't hurry,
you will be taken prisoners. and that
means that every one of you will be
burned at the stake! They shoot down
white folks and burn niggers!."
That was sufficient to start them off
to join the fleeing throng. Not n of
them returned to the house. Jackson
sent out couriers to advise the panic
stricken people to return, but hundreds
had gone too far to be ove1taken. Among
them were the four women. Shields
entered Winchester without opposition.
Within an hour the excitement had sub
sided. The Yankee soldiers had neither
horns nor hoofs. No n was molested
nor made afraid. Where timid women
requested it guards were placed at their
doors, and instead of the merchants be-
ing robbed and ruined, as most of them
had fully expected, their properties
were safely cared for.
Didn't I dun told you all SOP ex-
claimed Uncle Ben on the street that
evening as he was out looking fer the
missing servants. Yankees am jist de
same folks as anybody. I'ze bin lookin
at heaps of 'e1n, an I can see no differ
ence. All dem folks who got skeered
an run'd away was fools! Yankees
hain't gwine ter hurt nobody onless 20
unbehave yo'self fust!"
Captain Wyle knew where to find Ike
Bakers wife. She had moved into
town. two weeks before, leaving the farm
to take care OF itself. That was u Of
the points in the plan presented by Ike
and accepted by her. She knew that
jackson had been beaten and was on the