Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1896-03-24

pruder|t TO disclose this place of hiding.
The |elder Case pulled roll Of leather
and a kit of tools out from under the
bed and cut me ont pair OF shoes IL
the TO ish, and il was decided to take
me balk 10 Bishops brother Pink. Hav'
ing accomplished all this, Bishop and
climbed nearly TO the top Of the noun
tain, tbrned q hundred yards into the
woodsl and walked into moonshiner' 4
still ia full operation. Two men were
attending the fires and stilling the mash,
one of whom was Pink Bishop, to whose
care kas to be committed until Smith
came There was a light fall Of snow
ON tht ground, plainly showing our
tracks as we had come from the road.
and fir this reason il was deemed un-
safe fCE Us To remain at the still
So Pink and packed our traps, laid
in sjpply of provisions rs we passed
the hot tse. and followed the crest OF the
Blue Ridge back to log house which
was u sed for storing cornshucks. We
dug the bundles away from the fireplace
and disposed them against the cracks,
wherelthey would do the most good, and
ligh,eE fire Pink was blacksmith.
but bib could make shoes for human
wear hs well and we set TO work M
once. | split the pegs from section Of
seasonbd maple, and sewed the two
parts the uppers together under his
direction and he did the rest In day
OF twtl the shoes were completed and on
my feft.
Every night we watched for the arri-
val ofI Smith. but Monday came with
out kls appearance and we reluctantly
gave Him up. went down the noun
tain d Cases aud had supper with tho
famil1 before starting. AS l was 10
| travel|the mountains alone, decided &c
make nv way back. q distance OF 40
miles, to the Hoopers, in Cashiers val
| lev. ahd thence 10 Headen's, on Yellow
noun lain, where we had been captured.
Ii Mas Sunday night. the goth day OF
| JanusEy, when we left Grrenville Jail,
and il was the night of the 9th Of March
when | set ont from Cases. The sky
was dear. and / intended 10 make a
long Ibarch. keeping the general direc-
tion bk the stars, but thick clouds soon
blotieH out my guides. and as 1t grew
dark the snow began TO fall rapidly. To
travel any distance was hopeless. ! saw
a lighk ahead at the end Of the road
WAS tlaveling and concluded TO try its
hospitality.
WhIn | reached il, | found q snug
looking brown house, with deep porch
cut int o the front. A girlish voice an
swereb my knock. and after some par
lev thb door was unfastened and the
owDei Of the voice came out on the
porchlto give me the directions | was
askint for. BY this time had deter
mined the complexion of the family pol
itics Ind made clean breast Of the sit
uatiu1 TO the girl. She took me in at
| once. telling me that her father. the
Rev. bames Duckworth, now the post
niastet at Brevard, would be home III
the rLorning. and, more than that, he
would he glad TO see me.
Before noon the next day the minis
| ter's oae horse wagon came creaking
over he snow. His daughter went out
70 me eEt him. and when he entered the
room | stood with my back 10 the fire
place contemplating the we'll filed book
case. which was such remarkable sight
| in thJ mountains. he came directly 10
me with extended hand. looking over
my ubIfOrm and eXclaimlng, Know
who Eou are, and giving me the
warn lest welcome.
Thk Rev. James Duckworth was 50
patribtic aud so overjoyed at the oppor-
tunii \ TO talk with Yankee officer that
he eI treated ne TO stay over another
day. hnd we sat on the floor in the gar
ret Il |r safety and talked war and poll
| ties. hbout which we entirely agreed.
Wheil night came, however, and nothing
woulh induce me to delay my departure,
he whlked with me little distance on
| the rbad while at the same time he was
repe,lting the directions which would
brind me that night to another BAPTIST
preacher, who would be going my way
| in the morning, but who was then tar
ryinI at the house Of a miller who kept
a very ferocious dog. Aware of the ne
cessi " of arriving before bedtime out OF
respt| |ct for the dog, | made such speed
as to| find the miller's family still up
and Eeated in the light Of the fire wiLh
preakher No. > in the circle That night
/ slIpt with the parson, who wore a
stripfd woolen nightcap, and awoke the
hous bhold in the morning by announc-
ing that il was the very first time he
had ever slept with a Yankee. This
caus id general outpouring Of ghostly
figurk Is into the morning half light, con-
spic,Inus among whom was the bobbing
tasse|l Of the parsons nightcap, AS, bal
ance b on one leg, he vainly struggled
|. to Lodge the other i'll his blue jeans.
Alter breakfast started on with the
prea ther for guide, it being no longer
danaerou to travel by day. Along the
roadside were numerous holes, in some
easel quite extensive excavations where
rude attempts had been made to move
the hative copper We must have been
trav bling the regular Baptist road, for
we bdged that night at the house Of an
othet lay brother The minister contin-
ned with me for few miles in the
NOR orbing, intending to put me in COM
pan'E Of "a man who was going toward
Casl Liers valley on hunting expedition,
but the hunter having gone l set for
warh through the woods, following the
tracks of his horse The shoe prints
verb sometimes plainly impressed in
the snow and again for long distances
oyei| dry leaves and bare ground, but an
occa|sional trace could be found.
ID was past noon when arrived at
the house, where the hunters were assem-
blet| on the orch. Blinded by the snow
ovei which had been walking in the
QlaIe of tre sun l blundered up the
steIs asking for the rider who had pre-
ced,ld me and met with rather gruff
eception, owing to the fact that some
Of the hunting party were Confederates.
III was sunset in the mountains OF a
cold February evening when set forth
to q bmplete my days tramp and at the
samIe time to finish the first stage OF my
Ill
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