The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-04-18
BRECKrNRIDGE'S RIDE.
how One OF the Members ofDavis' Cabi-
4 net Escaped.

how One OF the Members ofDavis' Csbi,
net Escaped.
Montgomery, Ala, Advertiser.]
Down among the piney woods ofSouth'
ern Georgia jeff. Davis was captured
Why he should have been captured in
that lonely land, supposing, of course
that he wanted to get away, surpasses
understanding. I haye ridden over the
ground and have visited that little,
dismal, out-of-the-way town of Irwin
vile, Ga, which, like Waterloo, name
less before, will now be ever remem.
bered.
After leaving South CaroEna the
company, consisting of Dsvis, his fam.
ily, several members of his cabinet and
an escort of soldiery, crossed the Savan.
nah river near the old town of Wash.
ington-by the way, the first town
named for, the father of his country in
the United States. There, apprehend.
ing the approach of federal cavalry, q
general breakup took place. Davis
continued his way toward the south,
still incumbered by considerable
wagon-train, until he crossed the Oc-
mulgee river at Poor Robin Spring,
and camped at Asheville. Thence he
started by the early dawn on the
weary journey through the SOL
itudes of the "wiregrass," made still,
more solitary by the war that had de-
populated Georgia of all the men able
to bear a ,nusket as well as the boys.
''Sixteen to go" was the last decree of
the conscript act, and only pale-faced
women and half-famished children re-
mained to gaze in wonder at the pro-
cession.
After the breaking-up of the cabinet,
General Breckenridge mounted his
horse and struck out for the Floridian
peninsula. Through lonesome byways,
where the people could not give him
directions which route to pursue after
ten mules, because they had never been
farther, ne rode, and thas escaped the
Union troops who were quartered at
different cities and towns across the
peninsula from Jacksonville to Tampa.
It was as wild ride as ever man
undertook, but by avoiding 5ae most
populeus sections General Breckin-
ridge finally reached a safe distance
below the Gordon of troops lying in
wait for him and other refugees from
the fallen confederacy.
Worn out he rode up to a log cabin
in the dusk Of the evening, and asked
if be could get shelter and refreshment
for himself and horse, and directions
how to reach Charlotte's harbor. AL
though dressed in citizens clothes, his
manners aud striking physique ex-
cited the curiosity of the squatter. But
true to the instincts of that peculiar
race, tie latter agreed to give the
stranger food and shelter, and asked
no questions.
stayed day and night at that hos
pitable hut soou after, was the recipient
of many kindnesses from the squatter.
Said he, in speaking of the night he
entertained General Breckenridge:
II tell you, I was mighty suspicious
about that feller, whether he was a
yank or a coafed, but I knew be was
one or the other. You see, had stole
ten niggers from old man Norman Nc
Dufie over at Pensacola, and had run
them down TO Tampa and sold them
inst about the breaking out Of the
war. I sold them for gold, several
thousand dollars done up in buckskin
bags, regular old Spanish gold in dou-
bloors, and bad the cash buried under
the corner of the smoke house, for fear
some of the soldiers might find it,
either running after confeds or run
ming away from the yankees. You see
how simple I live now, I lived the
same way then; plenty Of beef, venison,
hog meat, milk, butter, ho,niny and
potatoes. Sometimes we had bear meat,
and sometimes We had corn bread, not
often, though, because the mill was
thirty miles off and we never fooled
| with bears unless they got to pester.
! ing our hogs. AS for the 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 terrapin if found
it in the road.
"Well, that fellow looked so queer
and suspicious that I felt skittish, but
I gave him the best we had and turned
his horse in the pea patch to help him
self. We sat and talked awhile, buI
7 saw be was tired, so showed hin
the bed, ard me and my wife laic
! down on a pallet on the floor. The
more I thought of that man the more
I felt uneasy about my money. So
after all were sound asleep I slipped
out behind the smoke-house to get it
not even stopping to put on my clothes
for fear as being watched. In a few
minutes had it dug Up, but it was sc
heavy that couldn't hardly tote it
| and I stubbed my toes as crawleo
over the bars.
"Just then up came that blamed ole