Iron County register., 1896-05-28
WORK OF 4 MIME BALL
Six Scars Left by One Bullet Upon the
Body of an Ex-SIave in Virginia

Six Scars Left by One Bullet Upon the
Body of an Ex-SIave in Virginia.
There is a negro man now living in
Fauquier county, Va, who bears the
eeidence on his person of the damage
that one of the old mimic balls were
capable of inficting. He was, prior tc
tie civil war, the butler in a fine old
mansion where he was as nearly his
own master as slave could be. He was
unusually intelligent and had been
taught to read by the children of the
family. The boy of the house was hap
piest when he was allowed to be with
Jim. When, however, the federal army
approached within a days march OF
the old homestead Jim ran off one night
to freedom.
About year afterward he returned
unexpectedly and resumed his old
duties. He would say little of his life
as free man, save that he had been
engaged as body-servant by an officer.
Not for long time afterward was it
discovered that he had been in serious
trouble, and the discovery was only
made when he was urged to explain
the presence of six scars that had evil
NSheiS DOCh puiISO " "ouIluS.
One summer morning he wEs sent
with an assistant and his young master
to draw a seine through the deep holes
in the stream that ran through the plan
tation, in order to secure fish as course
for an approaching war dinner. The
seine was made of coffee bag that had
been picked up on a camp field. The
bag was ripped open and fastened at
the two ends to long poles that it might
be showed under overhanging banks.
Clad only in trousers, the men prepared
to drag the first hole, and then the
young boy saw that his pet. Jim, had
been injured. After much coaxing Jim
consented to explain that the six scars
were the marks of one bullet and to tell
how it happened.
Jim had in some way aroused the
enmity of one of the guards attached
to headquarters. One afternoon he had
gone on foraging expedition alone be-
fore the countersign had been selected.
Returning about dusk, he was unlucky
enough to be halted on lis approach
to camp by his enemy. His story was
that he wished to avoid a discussion.
and so. when he found that there would
be difficulty in passing the guard, he
turned. saying that he would GO else
where for the night. and that the guard
shot him without more ado. The ball
from the musket struck him in the mus
cles of the back behind the arm, passing
through them and into the under part
of the arm. 1t was detected by the bone
and passed out of the arm about an inch
forward of its entry, entering the fleshy
part of the chest, and out gain at about
the same spot in front from which it
would have emerged had it gone directly
through the body from its first point
of impact. The soldier was tried, but
eNonerated on the ground that he had
reason to believe that Jim had turned
in order to draw pistol
His old master suspected that Jim
had returned only to prepare his family
for another flight, and told him that he
was willing that they should go on one
condition, and that was that the lepar-
ture should be made at night. and so
it happened. Jim was not seen again
until years after, when the old planta-
ton had been sold to pay security debts.
At the close of Virginia October day
Jim led away one of the old horses that
he had bought to use on little farm
he had rented days journey from hi,
old home.-N. Y. Sun.