The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-07-25
Loyal Southern Women who Could
Not Deceive Kind Enemy,

During the three days in July, 1864,
when General Hunter occupied Lex
ington, Va, with a victorious army,
the women and children left in the
town suffered much-in anticipation.
They had not seen Yankee" dur
ing the whole war, and in their heated
imaginations the shoots and horns "
had grown. 1t was intense surprise,
therefore, to one family at least to find
that the private assigned as their guard
was as kind and friendly as if he had
worn the gray. He was a plain, I'M
couth fellow, with the heart of true
knight, loyal and chivalrous.
When the inevitable searching
began, the ladies qusiled at the thought
of rude men tramping through their
private apartments, and the kind guard
came to their relief.
I" If you give me your word you amt
got nothing contraband," he said, "I'll
keep 'em off,"
They brought out an old musket,
rusty sword, an invalid pistol--that was
all.
They gave him their word they had
nothing else, and by some influence,
perhaps the mere weight of good char
acter and good record, he "bluffed
the searching party and drove them
off.
Hardly had the searchers gone when
one of the ladies turned to the others
with dismay. "The cadet coatsl"
Alas, there was half dozen trunks
in the loft filled with clothing belong
ing to the boy.cadets of the Virginia
Military institute. In the rush and ex-
element of getting away before Hunter
crossed the river, these young soldiers
to-be of the confederacy had begged
for a ,hiding-place for their buds, and
there they were.
If the mistress of the house had re-
membered them she would have SUBJ
mitted to the search on the chance of
keeping them hid; but now her honor
was at stake, and the safety, perhaps,
of her good, kind guard.
He looked very much vexed, and
even alarmed, when they told him of
their trouble, and for a moment he
seemed to repent that he had been 20
easily persuaded.
There is but one thing to do" said
the ladies promptly. "You have given
your word and we must make it true.
The clothes must be destroyed"
They could not burn them; the evil
smell on the summer air would have
betrayed them, but with infinite pains
and WEAKNESS they cut and tore every
piece of those thick wooden uniforms
into such shreds that they would hardly
do for carpet-rags.
The guards fears were appeased, his
sense of honor satisfied, and from that
moment till the army set out on the
eastward march, which proved fatal to
its further success, not dog barked
against the women and children over
whom this faithful private stood guard.
They cried a little at parting with
him, prayed God to keep him safe, and
asked if there was anything they could
do to show their gratitude. There was.
One of the ladies wore on her hand
the ring that had been "Stonewall
Jackson's wedding ring in his first mar
riage. Like brave enemy, the guard
cherished the memory of the great con-
federate soldier, and asked, as a part
ing favor, to be allowed to put the
precious ring on his own finger for a
few minutes.
Tears fell over the brown cheeks as
he reverently handled the relic, and
those who owed him so much felt that
in Gods sight the famous hero and the
unknown private were alike great in
simple devotion to duty.-Youth'S Com
pdniOn.