Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-06-23

Il
der was popularity supposed to be with
out honor or pity-a ruffian who stopped
at no crime. jackson paused to refresh
his men and allay the excitement. Those
who had not fed 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. 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
change in the programme. Among
Jackson's troops was the remnant of
the Shenandoah guards. All 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 young man of 25, Joined
party OF the fleeing inhabitants hurry
ing up the valley. Uncle Ben, as he
was called, was man OF so, born and
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 female
| servants:
Il nebber dun did see no Yankees in
all my life, but l hain't gwine to be
afraid an run away. l didn't bring on
dis wah. hain't killed nobody. What
dem Yankees want to hurt me fur?
| Miss Marian hain't skeered. Her mud
der hahn t skeered. If dey hahn t skeered,
| what yo' all want to be skeered fur?''
The four women We're on a street cor
ner in 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 hat kenton was to carry off the
| prize. He had written to Marian with
| consio rable fervor and without men
| tlonlns the news, and she had replied in
very brief and formal manner, To
| revenge himself on a woman was quito
| 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 plan to carry out. Ten
min FOG Lotto 3 I,
saying to the coloIed 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 one of
them returned to the house. jackson
sent ont couriers TO advise the panic
stricken people 10 return. but hundreds
had gone too far to be overtaken. 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 one was molested
nor made afraid. Where timid women
requested it guards We're 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 / dun told you all sol" ex-
claimed Uncle Ben on the street that
evening as he was out looking for the
missing servants. Yankees am jist de
same folks as anybody. I'ze bin lookin
at heaps of 'em, an ! 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 yo'
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 one of
the points in the plan presented by Ike
and accepted by her. She knew that
Jackson had been beaten and was on the
retreat, but she did not know of the
fate of Ike and many of his comrades.
Some of those who escaped beth death
and capture had seen Ike go down, and
it was certain he had fallen into Fed
eral hands. Mrs. Baxter fell to sobbing
as she heard the news from the captain,
but her sorrow did not last long.
"Drat that Ike fur fool!' she sud- |
denly exclaimed rs grief gave place to |
indignation. Didn't he IN promise |
me last thing befo' him went back that |
if him ever got into another fout he I'm |
would scrouch down SO the bullets |
would fly over him! It's all in him-al- |
lus wantin and hevin his own way spite |
of all kin do''
Ike and the others would have been |
all right if they had not been betrayed,
observed the captain.
''Shoo, that s what Ike was afraid of! |
Was it that Yankee agin-that Lawyer
Kenton?''
The captain nodded his head.
Ike hates him. So do l. If he I'm |
hadn't stood in Ike's way, Ike would |
hev bin a gineral befo' this. The onery |
skunk, to betray his own comrades! If |
could git hands on he un, I'd kill |
him! I'll never rest till hev his life,
even if Ike lets up!''
Have you seen the-the Percys late