Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-06-30

WITH i NV " ~ "cA : ~
utes..
What yo' mean" asked the old
man, who was badly upset over the sud-
den attack.
I'VE mean just this: We've been fol-
lowing two Yankee spies along the
mountain nearly all day. One of them
was wounded about an hour ago. They
were headed this way. and yo' must
have met them and know where they
now are. Did they send yo' for a doc
tori
"Nebber, sab, nebber! tole yo' de
troof. | nebber did meet up wild nobody
sence / started from de housed"
From what house,"
.'Dat house back dar which b'longs
TO Missus Percy. Mchbe yo' knowed de
Percys of Winchester
THE Percys, eh? Are you a Percy
niggert'
Yes, sab, an de only one dat's left"
".And where were you going:"
Down to H~arrisonburg, sab, to git
news bout Dat battle dey fout dar de
odder day. hain't seed a single pus-
son on de road, an if 20 was to kill me
l 4 dun couldn't tell yo' muffin bout no
Yankees!''
They had looked upon it as just a
chance that Uncle Ben had encountered
the men they were after, and their Wig
orous measures were intended to fright
en- the information out of him. While
he was trembling and afraid, his tones
! co4i-Eal +l,a n,nv+1 fhof ha u-ou fo11jnn
the truth. 1t wouldn't do to let him
down too easily, however. The negroes
of the country were breaking oven all
rules and regulations and travelling
about at night to confer with each other
and plan escapes to the Federal camps.
Now, them" said the leader of the
band, '.yo' have had a powerful close
call, and yo' want toremember it! Mig
gers have no business away from home
after dark. Yo' were probably going
TO H~arrisonburg TO give yo'self up to
the Yankees, but We'll spoil that little
camel This will do yo' a heap of good.'
And thereupon, holding Uncle Ben
with his left band by a firm grip on his
collar. he used a rawhide over the old
mans back and legs with his right and
administered the first whipping of his
life. When his arm had grown weary,
he stopped and said:
Now, yo' make a beeline for home
and don't stop to rest on the way VII any
other prowliDg niggers ask yo' about
that battle at H~arrisonburg. yo' tell
him yo' was in it and got licked! Gee
upl''
AS the old man headed for Rest Ha-
ven the gang Of men rode i'll the other
direction. he stepped out at a lively
pace until hidden by the darkness and
then stopped and turned to shake his
fist and whisper:
white man, I'ze only a pore ole Mig
ger, but somebody has got to bleed fur
dis! Nobody ebber put a whip on Uncle
Ben befo' sence he was a ~pickaninny, an
I'll kill yo' fur dat as shore as | ebber
git de chance!''
He at first thought of resuming his
journey toward Harrisonburg, but a mo-
ment's reflection convinced him that if
be fell INTO the hands of the same party
again his life would be in peril. He re-
allied how much disappointed Marian
would be. but he would return and re-
port and perhaps make a new start. He
had covered two miles of the back track
when at a turn in the road a man step
ped ont from the rocks at his left and
ordered him to halt and added:
"Who are yo'?"
"Uncle Ben Percy"
"What, is that yo,' Uncle Benz"
Fur shore, but | hain't dun met up
wild no Yankee spies, jess as 1 told yo'
befo'."
''Uncle Ben, don't yo'un know me?"
asked the man as he came nearer. I've
talked with yo' many a time in Win
chester befo' the war. I'm Steve Bray
tom
"Fo' de Lawd! Yes, | member yor
voice. ] dun reckoned yo' was some mo-
of dat crowd what was gwine ter kill
mel
"Hev yo' met up with anybody"
"De Lawd furgive me, but l has.
Back dar bout two miles a gang O.
white men stopped me an war gwine to
shate me dead an cut my froat. Dey
said l had sawn some Yankee spies, an
DeKase du1 hadn | seen NOBODY tan
dey CIV me de moas powerful llckln on
alfth!
splest = queried steve. An,
understand! ana are 20 with the
Percy ram ~, Uncle Ben:
run shore.
they nns hve nlgh yereF
Bout a mile away, sab.
ana whar war 20 goln when yo
met up with that crowd
I'd dun started fur Harrisonburg to
GIT news bout DAT big battle. Dat
Cap an WYE he was long yere today an
told Miss sunshine dat Mars kenton
was killed ober DART
He did,
"9es, sab, an den Miss Sunshine cum
out to me wild her face as white as snow
an tears in her eyes an a big lump in
her froat, an when seed how powerful
she felt | dun said would go an find
out dat Mars Kenton was all right
See yere, Uncle Ben, I've got sun
thin to tell yo'H' said Brayton as he
drew him 0ut of the raad Mar Ken