The National tribune., 1897-09-23

yeard tell, l reckon Leeshug is about 20
miles right smart down that away" and
the woman pointed in the general direction
of the pole-star.
Poor Johnny Hayes He did not remain
| long with the army Of the Potomac, but IN
| the Spring of 1864 he was sent 10 the De-
i partment of the Gulf, and for while lost
| sight of him. AT the close of the war, and
during the Reconstruction days, he under
took to publish Republican paper in
Savannah, Ga.
The citizens of Georgia, and particularly
of Savannah, did not realize the need of a
Republican newspaper, and they had no use
at all for a Yankee editor. So young
Hayes was bullied, threatened and perse-
cuted-arrested and thrown into prison on
all kinds of trumped-up charges. Perhaps
three-iourths OF the time his paper was
edited from prison cell. At last, driven to
despair he committed suicide by shooting
| himself
| A Mr. F. drew salary from the New
! York lHor}d, and was supposed TO represent
that newspaper. He was a good-nafured
! Englishman possessing plenutnde oil COCK
! ney solecisms and magnificent disregard
! for the actual as we'll traditional nights OF
! the letter "h.n He seldom sent a letter 10
! his raper and when he condescended TO DO so
| its contents usually had ceased to be- news
/ There was hard fighting at Spottsylvania
! Courthouse on the 18th of May, 1864. 1t
was begun by Hancock at early morn, ami
| continued until late at night. Johnson's
Division Confederate hai been surprised,
and The most of it captured, ard among
other SPOTS OF battle Is pieces of artillery
had fallen into our hands.
The r-ifpr concluded In make an Hffpmnt
10 reach fredericksburg, then our hase of
supi lies, and set the news of Grants
operations through to the New York
Herald. ] took 10 he saddle at daylight on
the morning OF May Is Tor the hazardous
ride. ] was splendidly mounted. Young
JIM Bennett had furnished me a trained
running horse, and, in tie language OF
Falsiaff, Z" cared rot who saw my back"
About two miles in the rear OF Army
Headquar ers | came across +. IN Il strip
Of woodland slirtlng the road. He was
sitting on a rail fence smoking n brlarwood
p;le aud holding the bride of his horse IN
on rand and canteen in the other HIS
mount was an immense Pennsylvania
draft horse.
'''Eilo, melad; Were are you hoff TO so
hearty ?" was his greeting.
Fredericksburg, to catch a transport"
was nay reply.
Wy, you don't mean to tell me that you
ave written Imp tbs bloody scrimma4e, co
you? j 'sren', written a line; 'pon honor,
/ 'aven't. / cawn't get down to the trout, ye
know, me lad; Tor the front is right down on
the baTsted heDemy's lines. Tried ii, but
before 'ad got 'alf way down to 'Aneock' S
headquarters halong comes one of them
beas.iy shells, and directly it got habore me
ead hit buIs:ed hnto five and twenty frag-
menis! OF course We know. l lad to ALT.
Bat wat the dickens ave We found to
i! write hup?" he continued. No one man can
write hup the history of this great battle
no more e can. / sha'n't try. Ave some,
me lad?" and he proffefed the canteen.
/ declined with thanks, and was moving
away when T. detained me.
say, me lad, suppose mounts me 'orse
and ri es to fredericksburg with you2
cawn't get u hliem of news ere, hauyow
and at Fredericksburg / can find both II iii
GERS and men 90 were wounded in he VIII
| derness, and ] can get some points from
them. / ayen't written line haiout that
haffair yet; couldn't find out hanything, ye
/ know
F.. . said /, "you mustn't think me un.
kind, but really have no time to waste with
you. If you had a dispatch prepared
would willingly undertake TO carry il
through for you. The ride is dangerous
one, and ! cannot afford to lose any time on
tie road. Mounted on that hIppopotamus
| you cannot keep IN sight of me-"
But the bearded Anglican proceeded tc
mount, with the remark:
You're wrong, me lad; you're wrong
| Els a galus mammal, e is. / bought
81.
han Hi. o. u ye know. But 'e's fin,
Use, e Is, and 'e's a powerful 'orse, e is
hand ell carry me halong way in day, ;.
will me lad"
J.. could not mount his horse as the ac
was usually perfoi med by gentlemen in III,
army, because his stirrups were drawn s,
high that, although a tall man, be could no
stand on the ground and reach them witt
his loot.
Why don't you let down those stirrups?
inquired. You certainly cannot rid,
with any comfort in such a cramped posi-
ton"
Bah," returned he contemptuously
Wat do you fellows hover ERE know
habout orse, hany'ow? You're hold cav
airynlan, but you cawnt ride, you know
Wy, at 'ome, I've ridden halter the 'ounds.
Honly yesterday / saw cavalry hoffice
trying TO ride a balky thoroughbred, and tn
'orse knew more than the rider. The 'orse
you see, me lad, was hafraid of the clank
ing saber and the gilt fxings on the Goa
OF The hoificer, and e naturally lodged an,
then henconntered a spur on the rider
, right eel, and he jumped haway from tina
and struck a spar on the left 'eel; and thel
the poor beast kept jumping from side t
side ID terror, for e didn't know wat t
make of it, you know. And the 'arder ,
jumped the 'arder the blooming fool 100 rod
i'm stuck hin lis 'eelsi"
No incident occurred during the long rid
worthy Of recording until we reached Bell
Plain, hamlet a few miles southwest c
, Fredericksburg. At that place my frien
declared he was so hungry that he "coul
heat rawr dog"
He inquired of woman who stood in a
. open doorway smoking a cob pipe, If sh
! could get him some dinner and after du
: negotiations she promised him some cor
faplaeks and iried bacon. ! pointed out
] HIM the danger and folly of stopping be
8 tween the lines, and actually begged him I
: keep on TO Fredericksburg with me. ha
5 eaten absolutely nothing that day nysel
had started too early, because time. Tor
r few hours, was Of more value than food.
:, Seeing that he was fully determined
t halt for dinner. j gave the woman som
: coffee and sugar | happened to have, an
S telling +. to ride to the river front and fin
o DR. AgBew, then in charge of the Sanitar
4 Commission If he wished IN COO M. \ .,d