The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-07-18
WORK OF A MIME BALL.


six Scars Left by One Bullet Upon ne
Body of an Ex-SIave In virglnia.
There is a negro man now living IN
Fauquier county, Va, who bears. the
evidence on his person OF the damage
that one of the old mimic balls were
capable of infiicting. He was, prior to
tie civil war, the butler in q fine Old
mansion where he was as nearly his
own master as a 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
NEST when he was allowed to be with
Jim. When, however, the federal army
approached within q days march OF
the old homestead Jim ran on one night
to freedom.
About year aftcrward he returned
unexpectedly and resumed his old
duties. He would say little OF his life
as a free man, save that he had been
engaged as body-servant by an officer.
Not for long time afterward was 1T
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
IDENTIFY been bullet wounds.
One summer morning he was sent
with an assistant and his young master
to draw 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 tel
how it happened.
Jim had in some way aroused the
enmity of one of the guards attached
to headquarters. One afternoon he hat
gone on foraging expedition alone be
fore the countersign had been selected
Returning about dusk, he was unluck.
enough to be halted on lis approach
to camp by his enemy. His story wa
that he wished to avoid a discussion
and so, when he found that there woul'
be difficulty in passing the guard, h
turned, saying that he would go else
where for the night, and that the guar
shot him without more ado. The bal
from the musket struck him in the mus
cles of the back behind the arm, passin
through them and into the under pal
of the arm. twas detected by the bon
and passed out of the arm about an inc
forward of it's entry, entering the flesh
part of the chest, and out again at abor
the same spot in front from which
would have emerged had it gone directl
through the body from its first poir
of impact. The soldier was tried, bt
exonerated on the ground that he ha
reason to believe that Jim had turne
in order to draw pistol.
His old master suspected that iii
had returned only to prepare his famil
for another fight, and told him that I
was willing that they should go on OF
: condition, and that was that the depa
: ture should be made ut night, and |
it happened. Jim was not seen aga
!, until years after, when the old plant
= ton had been sold to pay security debt
r At the close of Virginia October ds
= Jim led away one of the old horses tn
+; he had bought to use on little far
l he had rented days journey from h
Y old home.-N. Y. Sun.