The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-04-13

How the News az firing ON sumter
Was spread IN . Wssssrn Town.

AAVW WV N0W0 ~ GA1AU8 VM ous w
Was sprsad II wssssrn Town,
''I remember me news Of tine bsginntrg
Of the civil war ~ 10 came to our town."
said q man who Is not yet veteran. 81
wss about 10 years. old. Was returning
home In the afternoon. sew coming
toward ms horse ridden. a. recall ID
madly by q man. As they cane nearer
! heard the man shouting The horse
was blowing like . locomotive. noticed
that the man rode bareback. Every
time he relied ho plunged his heels into
the sides of the horse do not rernem-
bsr the exact words OF the rider. but they
were about war beginning As he rode
people IN the street who saw him stopped,
listensdr and asked one another about
IL, many windows along tho way were
hoisted, and as 1 proceeded honeward
ire womon who knew me called FROM the
lookouts and asked me what that man
said about tho war.
''When I reached home found my
mothers parlor q sosns Of confusion.
The ueighbors had called Ia TO tell her
what THY knew and to ask what she
knew about the war. The negroes about
my house were frightened. One Of them
took refuge in the cellar ana came out
only aftsr she had teen threatened. Her
fear WINS tho 'abolishinsrs. The word
Yankee rs an approbrious epithet had
not at that time come into use.
There was Dutch hotel In the town
on the roof OF which was triangle. For
many years 1t was the town olook. 1t
danRled out the hour for the three
meals, breakfast dinner and supper, aud
when it s;unde1 the house wives looked
at their timspisoes. This trian gle oanged
out that afternoon before supper time.
An earthquake would have caused no
more oommotion. Tne proprietor of the
tavern beat the triangle until the city
marshal made him stop II.
There were two newspapers in town
and each one got out what was called an
extra 1t was not much like tie extras
OF this generation. Tho news OF the
firing on Sumter consisted of less than
200 words was printed on small slip
Of white newspaper and was set In the
same width ss the columns Of the paI ers
which issued them. There was koasver-
tisement or otter news on the clips.
These extras sold for 25 cents Q piece.
From that time until the close OF tie war
that was the sort OF extra that was is-
sued by the papers IN the town where
lived.
"a long time afterwnrd I heard talk
about the man who rode the horse end
WIN spread the Dews He was the son
OF the town miller never hoard where
he rot bis inform alton hut ss soon "a lo
heard IL hc mounted the horse that hal
been hitched tn the rack In front Of the
mill und CARRIED the news OF his own
accord. There were four boys in THAT
miiler's family. Ttey enlisted early for
the Confederate cause. Not ons OF them
returned. The one VITO spread tte news
wss killed somew here Ia the Wilder.
ness; at least, ne was known to 60 into
one of tho er agements of that series Of
stubborn fights and never came out. His
body was never identified.
II recall that ct the time OF the fire on
Sumter. many OF our pesplc wsrs still
'on the fence. rs we said. The Linculn
electors had received few votes I'm tns
O"hs ~ Weo - DApth ihAiHkC rsVtiOUs i
remember that tho tendency was In favor
Of the preservation Of the Union, but the
people wers afaird OF Lincoln. At that
time they believed he had been elscted
for no ether purpose than that of
freeing the niRRer and stealing the
horses And 90 1t happened that negroes
and horses were looked no often ut niaht
together, not In the same room, OF course.
but often In adjoining rooms In the out
houses. have often thought that IL the
people had Understood Lincoln In tie
beginriDc of tire war as they came 10
know hi 'er. many a man WHO went
South w have fought for tue Union.
And II am correct In tsst would the
war have iastei as loag as 1t did?
II rsme nber n gathering nt the houss
OF my father one evening in which the
military ger ius OF Gen. Scott wss dis.
cussed. Some present had been with
Scott In Mexico. 1t was the concensus
Of that gathering, and this was tefors
the Bull Ruu fixht that Napoleon came
first and Wir fi,ld Scott second. What an
oppression that maze on my miud 1 /
remember hearing one of the SCOTT en-
thusiast' say that Scott would end the
war In ole fiyht.
~ shsll naver FORGET tina news Of the
first Bull Kun fsht. MY people had ar
ranged to leave the town on a short vata-
tio,, but this news Kept them st home.
The second days news gave more partio-
ulars. 1t told Of the rout of the Uaion
Army. And then I saw something In |
human nature which ! had never seen
before, Of which knew rotbiug. saw
the fence cleared, TO take up the old |
metaphor. And every man and family |
came of to join the southern cause. |
recall that Scutt was called granny, |
and very soon after his name was forgot
ten. lhe first Bull Run made re-ruits |
Tor the south. Saw raj repi .ents enlisted |
In my town and county. Succes. o. The |
south In the nrst en0ssement or nny /
consfqoer co csrried itn it the dot bters. |