Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-05-26

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 Buck,
who was a young man of 20, Joined a
party of the fleeing inhabitants hurry
ing up the valley. Uncle Ben, as he
was called, was a man of so, born and
reared in the Percy family, and though
sharing to ONE 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. | 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 hain't skeered,
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 gossipsof the town long
ago that Kenton was to carry off the
prize. He had written to Marian with
considerable fervor and without men,
tionin9 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 be and Ike
Baxter had a plan to carry out. Ten
minutes later one of his company was
saying to the colored women:
The Yankees are only a couple of
miles awayl 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 niggersl'
That was sufficient to start them off
to join the fleeing throng. Not one 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 one 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 l 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
ann folks as anybody. I'ze bin lookin
at heaps of 'em, an l can't 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 hat Ike fur a fool!" she sud
denly exclaimed as grief gave place to
Indignation. Didn't he un promise
me last thing befo' him went back that
if him ever got into another fout he un
would scroueh down SO the bullets
would fly over him! It's all in him-al-
lus wantin and hevin his own way spite
of all l kin do!'
like and the others would have been
all right if they had not been betrayed"
observed the captain.
"Shoo, that 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 IN
hadn't stood in Ike's way, Ike would
hev bin a gineral befo' this. The emery
skunk, to betray his own comradesl II
l could git hands or be un, I'd kill
him! III ever rest till l hev his life,
even if Ike lets up!"
fro BE CONTINUED.