The National tribune., 1897-08-26

| since we had eaten food, except the morsel OF
cornhread we brought ont Of the prison, and
| the hard corn, which, with the copiOus use
Of river water. WAS beginning 10 cause great
distress in our siomachs, which only added
to the unpleasant panrs of hunger. We lay
down to sleep the day away, but between
| our great hunger and the swarms of mus
ketoes we could get but little rest. ] could
while sleeping see in my dreams tables
spread and grooming with loads of good
things 10 eat bread, meat. cheese. coffee,
biscuit and butter were all within my
reach and were vanishing before my raw
epous appetite when, in the midst of the
great pleasure of this least, | would suddenly
waken TO sense OF the reality of the case,
and what maddening disappointment /
would feel With this disturbed sort of
rest we worried through the day, the de-
mands of hunger and our stomachs getting
the better OF Natures demand for rest, until
at last we grew desperate and at early twi-,
light in tue evening pulled out of the little
bayou determined on raid of some sort on
a house for food, peaceable, if possible, forci-
BILE, if Necessary
At last and before it grew too dark, we
spied house some distance from the river
bank, which we thought, rom appearances,
we could capture with plausible story or
by force, so we lelsurely concealed our boat,
and, in order to let it get quite dark, delayed
our visit until little later in the evening.
On approaching the house we saw in its
Immediate vicinity quite number of negro
cabins, and In the yard surrounding the
house, about 20 blood-hOunds chained to
the fence, indicating that these were the
premises OF an extensive planter The only
occupants OF the house were an old nan and
woman.
We apologzed for disturbing them, and
told them we were soldiers who had been on
furlough, returning to our regiments at At
Ianta, and wished directions to the ferry 1--WE
had discovered ferry rs we Came DOWN.;
also, that we were hungry and wanted to get
something o eat, provided they felt like feed
ing hungry soldiers without money, as we had
had no pay for some time, and were both
moneyless and in bad health, Mark s appear
aDce proving this latter assertion. 1t was
quite dark, however, and they could not see
us very distinctly, but they evidently credited
our story for they told us to be seated and
we would soon be made welcome to such
food as they had.
They were couple of quite intelligent,
but unsophislicated, old people in comfort
able circumstances, living, as most South
erners did, away from any highway. aud We
gained their confidence so far as 10 feel our
selves assured from suspicion. l had been
III Dixie so long that i had acquired, from
the guards and citizens, their vernacular of
speech quite perfectly; besides this, we had
learned the names Of officers aud the number
of different regiments, such as the 9Th Ga.
Cav, D h Tenn, etc, until we were able to
tell quite plausible story, If not too closely
questioned. ia
HEARING ABOUT THE ESCAPE
We asked the old man if there was any
late news. He said: Nothing, except that
the Yankee Raiders had seized the Atlanta
jailer, overpowered the guards, and a num-
Der of them escaped and had not yet been
caught" We expressed great surprise that
such piece of audacity could be made sue
cessiul in Atlanta.
The old man said" They were desperate
dangerous lot of scoundrels, who ought to
have been hung long ago" He said many
of them stood mp and fought the soldiers
with clubs and bricks, even after the guards
had shot them through, and finally they
jumped the high fence and ran like deer.
He expressed his doubts about the South
being able to beat back such Il reck less band
of robbers and free-b0oters as were swarm
ing down from the Yankee country. He
said ali the worst class OF low-down thieves
| and the scum of all the great cities of the
North were hired to Come down and take
part against the South. We assured him
that il would all come ont right in the end,
and the South wonld triumph; that one
Southern man could whip five "Yanks"
any day and that there was no doubt Of the
| final result.
| In the meantime we had devoured every
| thing the good woman had set before us on