The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-01-08
A RIDE FOR LIFE.
HOW ONE OF THE CONFEDERATE CAB
MET OFFICERS ESCAPED.

MET OFFICERS ESCAPED.
A Midnight Incident In the wIids of Geor-
gia when That whole Section Of the
Country Was Patrolicd by Union Soldiers.
An Anxious Farmer.
Down among the piny woods Of south
ern Georgia Jefferson Davis was captured
Why he should ever have been captured In
that lonely land, supposing of course that
he really wanted to get away, surpas1es
understanding. l have ridden over the
ground and have visited that dismal, out
of the way town Of Irwnville, Ga, which,
like Waterloo nameless before, will now
be ever remembered.
After leaving South Carolina the com
pany, consisting Of Davis, his family, sew |
eral members of the cabinet and an escort |
of soldery, crossed the Savannah river |
near the old town of Washington-by the |
way the first town named fer the father of
his country in the United States. There, |
apprehending the approach of Federal cav |
airy, general breakup took place. Davis |
continued his way toward the south, still
encountered by considerable wagon train,
until he crossed the Ocmulgee river at Poor
Robin Spring and camped at Asheville.
| Thence he started by the early dawn on that
weary journey through the soltudcs of the
| "wiregrass," made still more solitary by
| the war that had depopulated Georgia OF
| all the men able to bear n musket, as well
rs the boys sixteen to sixty" was the
last decree of the conscrpt act, and only
pale faced and half famished women and
children remained to gaze in wonder at the
| procession.
| After the breaking up Of the cabinet Gen
eral Breckinridge mounted his horse and
struck out for the Floridian peninsula.
Through lonesome byways, where the peo-
| pie could not give directions which route to
pursue after 10 miles because they had new
! or been farther, he rode and thus escaped
the Union troops, who were quartered at
| different cities and towns across the PENN
sula from Jacksonville to Tampa. 1t was
as wild ride as ever man undertook, but
by avoiding the most populous sections
General Breckinridge finally reached n safe
distance below the Gordon of troops lying
in wait for him and other refugees from the
fallen Confederacy.
Worn out, he rode up to a log cabin in the
dusk of evening aud asked If he could get
shelter and refreshment for himself and
his horse and directions how to reach Char
lotte's harbor. Although dressed in citi-
zen's clothes his manners and striking ply
sique melted the curiosity of the squatter.
But true to the instincts of that peculiar
race the latter agreed to give the stranger
food and shelter and asked no questions.
staid day and night at that hospita-
BILE hut soon after and was the recipient of
many kindncsses from the squatter. Said
he, in speaking of the night that he enter
tanned General Breckinridge
II tell you was mighty suspicious about
the Teller. didn't exactly catch on to him
whether he was n Yank or "a Confed, but
knew he was one or the other. You see,
had stole 10 nggers from old man Norman
McDufiie, over at Pensacola, and had run
them down TO Tampa and sold them just
! about the breaking ont of the war. | sold
them for gold, several thousand dollars done
up in buckskin bags, regular old Spanish
gold in doubloons, and had the cash buried
under the corner of the smokehouse fol-
: fear some of the strollers might find it,
eitherrunning after the Confeds or running
away from the Yankees. You see how sim.
pie live now. lived the same way then
plenty of beef, venison, hog meat, milk
butter, hominy and potatoes. Sometimes
we had bear meat, and sometimes we had
, cornbread; not often though, because the
mill was 30 miles off, and we never fooled
with bears unless they got to Fostering oul
hogs. AS for biscuits, my young ones ncvel
bdW Ouci anu tucy uuNt pun u to'ti VI
on one, just as they'd have done to II terra
pin if they'd found it in the road.
!. "Well, that fellow looked so queer ant
suspicious that / felt skittish, but civ,
him the best we had and turned his hors,
in the pea patch to help himself. We sa
and talked awhile, but / saw he was tired
SO showed him the bed, and me and m,
? wife laid down on pallet on the floor. TIL,
more l thought of that man the more fel
uneasy about my money. So, after all wer
sound asleep, / slipped out behind tn
smokehouse to get it, not even stopping Il
put on my clothes, for fear of being watch
ed. In few minutes had it dug up, bu
it was so heavy that Icouldn't hardly tot
it, and studied my toe rs crawled owe
the bars.
- "Just then up came that blamed OLE
horse as if Old Nick was after him, ant
before knew it he was right on to me, ant
then came a chase that / don't ever wan
4 to 20 through with again. The capers q
tho horse awoke his master, and out h
cane-a pistol in each hand. got RICH
down on my knees and told him he Nigh
take my money, but for the sake of IN.
family prayed him to spare my life.
"'Why, you numskull, / don't wan
your money nor your life Do you not CUES
who l ams'
"'No'
81 am General Breckenridge Of the Cor
federate cabinet, and all l desired was
little rest. Now tell me the most direC
road to Charlotte's harbor, and will pa
4 my bill and get out
"'You don't owe me n cent, general. sal
|, trembling like II leaf, but for Gods SAX
don't tell about my money if you e
caught
~ then caught his horse. saddled hin
filled up his saddlebags with beef and p'
tatoes, showed him the road, and he wa
gone half an hour before l realized the fat
that had harbored fugitive and at IL
same time given refuge to one of the Leaf
ers of the Confederacy."-New York Post
A ruby Of the best quality and NOR
than three carats Is worth more than