Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1896-03-31

tile to pay expenses, was Aunt Lucy's
parting adm0nition.
In all this region the mountaineers
divide politically just as they BUSH
wacked during the war, and il parties
snapped policies not man would
swerve from his allegiance to the party
name. They are jubilant over the tariff
OH mica, but up in arms ut the mention
of the force bill The old wartime feuds
still control public opinion.
As we came down into the valley be-
hind the horse and mule team, my driv-
er, who happened to be Of Confederate
antecodents, told me the story OF the
murder of his uncle during the war. A
crowd Of "outliers" had surprised him
in the night and dragged him from his
bed After rifing the house and burning
the books, they riddled their victim
with balls and finished by crushing his
skull with the butts Of their rifles.
mentioned this to Mr.. Hooper, who said
il was true and that he deserved it. His
(the uncle's) party had captured
Union man shortly before, and after
shooting him and believing him dead
Abe's uncle had gone back and snapped
q rusty old pistol again and again at his
head. The Union man, having recovered,
organized counter attack and did up
Abc's uncle in mountain fashion for
swapping his old rusty pistol so freely.
On the second day, with "Colum"
Long for guide, made an expedition ON
foot, seven miles up the Yellow noun
tain in search Of my old guide, Man
Heady. Long carried rifle and l q
camera as we worked up the same trail
my party had gone over in 1864. We
found Headen 5 cabin locked. but in re-
ply 10 my "Hellol" came voice from
the hillside above the cornfield.
Are you Headen!" cried.
Yes. 4"
well, come down here; you've got
just - minutes TO live.
Those were the words Major Parker
had addressed to him one morning after
our capture at his house and just before
stringing him up three times IN the or
chard. Soon we saw his long figure COM
ing down through the stalks. Going ont
at the back If the house TO meet him,
well, Headen," said, "do you know
me:"
"well, I can't tell you rightly till
get little nearer. Before quite reach
ing mo he added, well, | reckon hits
Henry shelton. "
"Yes," | said, "old man, you are
quite right, and | am delighted 10 see
yo,'.
IL hearn tell You was comm, said
Headen. but | allowed you wouldn {
git here What has become Of Sill and
where is Lamson:"
wouldn't 60 into his house until |
had posed him on the steps, planted my
camera on bee gum and taken adyan-
tage Of the sun which was shining clear
" through break in the clouds.
Headen had been separated from his
wife for 10 years, and here he was, liv-
ing alone. making his own butter and
keeping his own house on one end Of his
domain. Several years before, | learned,
he had taken up with a m0rgaDatic
wife. but the court at Webster interfered
and after trial sentenced him 10 term
Of Imprisonment. a man in Georgia bid
off the convict and poor Headen worked
out his sentence.
He went up the hill to the old place,
with us, TO see the old woman and Julia
Ann, who lived together Oh the scene OF
our capture, in house which he had
been building in 1864, and which was
now, in turn. old and weather stained.
The door was open on the porch ana
entering stood in the presence Of the
woman who, % years ago, wanted to
stomp the men through the turnpike
and who turned ont Of bed at all hours
Of the night TO spin. She was totally
blind, sitting at the corner OF the empty
fireplace chewing tobacco and splitting
in the ashes. Her yellow face. mottled
with white spots, was shaded by paste
board sunbonnet standing erect on her
head, and her thin fingers were pulling
the strings of bean pods, several bushels
OF which were spread Oh the floor. After
the greeting, in which she said my voice
didn't sound mat raj, " she wanted to
know if / was married.
NO." said, Mrs. Headen, ! am a
miserable old bachelor. y
"Ah, said she, with a sigh, that S
what all Of um says when they come
down here from furrin parts.
We persuaded her to be led ont into
the sunlight by the gateposts, the same
cedar sticks well remembered with the
slender bar mortised III the top, and
there photographed the family group.
Then Headen conductea us mile
around the side of Yellow mountain to
see the rock house" where we had
been directed to stay the night Of the
capture, and which we recklessly left
because the wind blew the smoke Of the
fire into our eyes.
Returning down the hill toward Head
ems cabin, we stopped to shake hands
and say "howdy" TO a son, whose wife
and children filled the cabin door. This
son in the old days was No. in the
family bed when we three lieutenants
slept on the floor before the fire.
On the rafters of Headen's s cabin We're
great lunches of pennyroyal and snm'
mer savory, which he said was fright
good for table tea" High up in the
corner the clean churn dasher was thrust
through the siding After lunching on
cold corn pone and sweet milk we sat
Oh the beanbags and heard the story OF
his escape, fording the icy Tuckaseeee
and reaching home half starved in the
deep snow, and of his subsequent trip to
Tennessee with Knapp and old Tom
Hancock. / had brought the old man a
wonderful jackknife with endless tools
and blades unfolding from the handle,
which pleased him greatly.
1t was a constant disappointment TO
find so few of the houses remaining
where we had been voluntary and in
voluntary guests. Old Roderick Nor
toms, where we spent the first night OF
our captivity, had been burned soon aft
er the war. Squire Hooper's house in the
valley was hay barn, the apple trees
interlacing thicket Of boughs close
against the kitchen windows. Rank
weeds grew before the open door over
which the squire had been wont to keep
his rifle and powder flask. but the
stanch walls and stone chimneys were
as sound as ever they were in the
squire's day.
Tom Hancock's house, the first we
| had enfered I'm the mountains. bereft Of