The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-07

yet of the south. They were marauders,
murdcrers masquerading as soldiers,
and equally dangerous to either army.
The engineer told the conductor what
he had seen, and, taking couple of
muskets and one of the brakenen, The
captain put himself into the wood tank
and set out to hunt the bandits. IT was
an odd way to go to work, but the con-
ductor considered it better than re-
naming at the run to be piundered II
not murdered by the band. The BUSH
men must have heard them coming, for
they We're sitting on their horses, still
as statues, when the old woodburner
came creeping round a curve, her links
and chains rafting like draw on cob
blestones.
Halt" cried the leader, and the en-
gineer hooked her over.
What do you want?" demanded the
conductor.
What have you got?'' asked the
bushman.
The negro fireman must have seen the
humor of the mans reply, for he poked
| his head round the corner of the cab
and laughed a laugh that seemed to
come from the very bottom of his bare
feet. 1t filled the forest and rippled
away down the wood like the song OF
a reaper reaping in a valley near the
! hills.
''F'o' de Lawd, dat am funny said
the negro, Wiping his eyes.
Nothing that you can have,'' said the
! conductor back to the bushman.
Immediately the negro opened his
chimney and began to ripple again;
| but this time the flow of his mirth was
broken by the sound Of musllets. Bang!
bangi bickety-bang! went the guns of
the marauders, and the negro, changing
| his laugh to a cry of pain, fell upon the
deck and begged the brakeman to shoot
| him.
Use done killed. Fo' de Lawd, Use
shot plumb frew de hat"
Then die, you crazy niger" shouted
the brakeman; think I'm goin' to
waste a load on you"
When the conductor and the brake
man had emptied their guns at the
gang, the engineer opened the throttle
and backed away, with the bullets rat
Ting at his front end and smashing the
glass in the cab windows.
Upon arriving at Shady Rill they
| found that only the tip of one of the
negro's. fingers had been shot away,
and when the engineeT had bathed 1t
in black oil, bound it up with rag,
and had kicked the negro three or four
times the fellow was able to take his
place at the furnace door.
The conductor instructed the operator
to report what had taken place to the
| army officer in charge of the railway,
and then went to Shady Rill plantation
to warn the women there of the coming
of the bushwhackers. He had been over
once or twice for supplies, which were
given, if not grudgingly, reluctantly,
for how were these poor ladies, whose
fathers and husbands and brothers
We're down there where the steady, mo-
notonous booming of cannon spoke of
10
people Of the north? These men were
come into the country, the women We're
able TO persuade themselves. to take
the property of the people and lay the
country waste: so now. when the con-
ductor lifted his hat in the presence OF
the venerable dame and her proud
daughter, the women drew themselves
up and looked down upon him from the
Veranda.
IF they ali no'the'n soldiers. reckon
they can't MORN kill u.s. and If they all
southern soldiers they ah southern gen
tlemen, so we might better take ouah
chances with them than with you all,
who All not soldiers at all.
Neither are these soldiers they are
bashWhackers and murderers. Come
I beg of you, let me help you to es-
cape
At that moment the sound of musket-
nv was heard from down behind the or
chard, and a moment later an old
white-haired wench came falling round
the house, rolled up the yeranda steps
and threw herself at the feet of hel
young mistress.
"Fo' de lawd, honey" she howled
de wood fatty fun o Yankees.
fought dey dun been our folks, case
dee dun hab on blue clos, but mint dat
fool Jim poke his head obeh de fence
an shout, Git out dis yeah o'chad,' dee
ali bang loose at him, an fo' de Lawd
honey, dee dun tax he heat out an
eat it right TO my ole eyes"
a negro can always be depended
upon to supply the details in an ex
citing narrative, and to fill in with edts
of pathos, but the women, making duf
} allowance for the eXaggerations of {
frightened negro, made no doubt tina
they were now in great danger.
t Shall we have time to dress. sah? 2