The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-07-01

: we spent tho last exciting and eventfr
y months Of the war.
8 This uncle kept boarding school TO
I young ladies, In q building formerl
used as q hotel, occupying corne
! whore the main streets of the villag
crossed, and facing on two streets. /
Is strange fact that all through thes
trouble us times this school was sustain
ed, teachers and pupils keeping at thei
work, though with frequent interrup
tiOns toward the last. | remem ber how
the teachers and my young lady cousin
often entertained the officers Of passing
troops, and one night remnant of Nor
The Bonny Blue Flag" "All Quie,
Along the Potomac" and that most
pathetic Of all wartime songs, "Thc
Vacant Chair" WHO could hear it
| without q tear?
When Sherman's army entered the
State, headed toward Columbia, it was
thought that our little town could not
escape as he would certainly move on
| TO the northwestern towns. With tele-
graph wires down, and railroads torn
up, the enemy sometimes travelled
more rapidly than news of his whore
| abouts ; SO we had stirring times max
ing ready for the coming of "tho yam
KEGS"
| ltumors had reached US from other
parts of the State,of their penchant for
Jcwclry, silver, and all such "portable
property :" 1T being stated. with how
| much truth | never knew, that in the
| lower part Of the State, earrings were
torn by them from the ears of tho ladies.
so, many ingenious devices were resort
cd 10 Tor SecrGting our valuables. The
large hoOpskirts then worn by he ladies
were very scrvicable for this purpose,
null tTlr Il
them without weighting down the
wcarer. Quite number OF our Young
ladies were transformed into walking
spoon and fork racks. One Of the teach
crs, ] remember, concealed her watch
IN her hair, which was worn in T. low
knot coniined in net, then much in
vogue.
My one treasure, a so.callcd. alabas-
ter doll buried by Il sage bush in the
garden to save from the indiscrimnu-
ting grasp Of the omniveous foe. That
night " heavy rain fell, and next day
when concluded that the yank ;c."
we're not coming, anyway, and went TO
exhume my beloved doll, found to INV
great grief that tho beautjtul alabastcr
head was utterly dissolved. A kecner
grief | have never known; for c;thcr
Iolls nor money wore then to be had ,
SO ] knew 1t meant an irrcparable be
reavcment.
but far moro serious loss bcfell my
uncle and brother, who in the dead OF
night when tho negroes were suppD sHd
to be asleep, had sunk h0gshead in
the cellar. and in this stored their
china, cutglass, and silver pieces. At
ter the surrender, when they thought
1T prudent to unearth their treasure,
not one article remained in the hogs.
head, and not one was ever recovered.
One novel mode Of preparing for the
"coming OF The yankees" did not come
TO our mothers knowledge until years
after, fortunately for us. by some un-
accountable freak Of the child-mind,
my eldest sister and ! conceived the
idea that we would have need Of extra
agility in getting away from "thc yam
kces.' What indclinablc horrors the
very name suggested to our excited
childish imaginaLiOns So in order to
become expert in escaping the cluIches
Of these monsters, VIC bcto0k ourselves
every afternoon after school to d very
deep gully, near at hand and exercised
ourselves by jumping from point to
point over really perilous heights on
ly a kind providence saving US from a
danger lar greater than failing into the
hands OF the yani1cns.
in my unclc's household it was the
custom to have family prayer in the
dining room, imMl uiately after the
mOrnin" and evening meal. One night
while we were all on our knees around
the supper table, this sanity man pour
ing out his soul in prayer for our all c.
ted land, aud for his helpless family,
were suddenly stopped by q terrible
the door the M
the cook, "Mustcr Master Judgment
day is como. The world Is burning
up - That prayer was never finished.
The frightened crowd nf women and
children rushed into the yard to find
the sky seemingly abazc from horizon
almost to zenith. 1t aid look like that
dreadful day Of wrath" had indeed
/ come. After IL Jew minutes survey Of
the glowing heavens, my uncle said
quietly; 81 think it is Columbia burn
ing" In u short time he succeeded in
quicting that crowd OF hysterical wo-
men and tcrrOr-stricknn "darkies." )"
Can one Of us ever forget the horrors
Of that uight? The memory OF it is burn,
ed into tho brain there to remain while
live lasts. 1t was impossible to forget
the urid glare Of the sky, the terror OF
the negroes, the awful gloom that set
tied on our spirits as we realized that
Columbia, the pride Of the State,
the gem Of the South, Columbia, with
its avenues Of stately trees, its beauti-
full homes, and delightful gardens
Columbia with its evergreens, it's foun
tains, its wealth Of iiowers perish
ing in this whiriwind Of fire. Even tC
my childish mind came some realiza
ti0n OF the awful calamity, for we had
spent the previous summer in this YER
table earthly paradise, and had re-
yelled in its beauty and delights.
The next day courier came, con
tirming our belief that Columbia was
burned, and reporting Shcrman's army
rs starting in our direction. Thon the
fear seized the people that the same
unmerciful torch was lighted for our
fair town oconfusion reigned many
He'd, taking with them servants and
valunbles many determined to stay by
their homes till the last. AS my uncle's
home was tho most prominent building
in town, an most likely to attract AT
| h, thcnrht il nr,,Iapt tf