The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-04-01
WAR "ExrRAs. OF 1861.
How News of Firing ON Sumptcr Wns
Sprcnd in n Western Town.

HOW News OF Firing ON Sumptcr WIS
spread in n, Western Town.
81 remember the news of the beginning
of the civil war as Ii came to our town,
said man who is not yet veteran. 81
was about 16 years old. was returning
home in the afternoon. saw coming
toward me horse ridden, ;.s l recall 1t,
madly. By mar.
"As they came nearer heard the man
shouting. The horse was blowing like q
locomotive. noticed that the man rode
bareback. Every time he yelled he plunged
his heels into The side oil the horse. !
do not remember the exact words of the
rider, but they were about war beginning.
LAS he rode people in the street who
saw him stopped. listened, and asked one
another about it. many windows along
the way were hcisted and as ! proceeHen
homowaid the women who knew me called
from the lookouts and asked me what
that man said about the war.
When | reached home / found my
mothers parlor scene of confusion,
The nnghbors had called In 10 tell her
what they knew and 10 ask what she
knew about the war. The negroes ABOUT
cur house We're frightened. One oil them
took refuge in the cellar ana came out
only after she had been Threatened. Her
fear was the 'abolishiners. The wofd
at that time come iEtc use.
There was a Dutch hotel in the town
on the roof Of which was triangle. for
many years 1t was the town clock ~
dangled out the hour for the 'hrec meas
breakfast, dinner and snprer. ana when
1t sounded the housewives looked AT tneii
,imepieces. This triangle GLANCED out that
afternoon before supper time. An earth-
onake would have caused no more comtno.
ten The proprietor OF the tavern oeal
the triangle unit, the city mar5hai MUS
him stop H. a., ~
There were two newspapers In INV
town. and each one got out what was
called an extra. The news of the firms
ON Sumter consisted Of less than gao words
was printed ON a small slip of WIZ news
paper and was set in the same width as the
columns of the papers which issued theH.
There was no advertisement or other news
on the slips. These extras sold Tor 20 cents
apiece. From that time until the e.ose o.
the war that was the sort of extra that
was issued by the papers in the town where
| lived.
II recall that at the time OF the fire on
Sumter many of our people wer still on |
the fence as we said. The Lincoln elee-
tors had received few votes In tne i2wn.
1t was a breckenridge section. remember
that the tendency was in favor OF the
OF the Union, but the people
were afraid of Lincoln. At that time thy
believed he had been elected for no other
purpose than that of freeing the niggers
ane stealing the horses
Il shall never forget the news of the
first Bull Run fight, My people had ar
ranged to leave the town on short va
cation. but this news kept them at home.
The second days news gave more partic-
ulsrs. 1t told of the rout OF the Union
army
And then saw something In human
nature which had never seen btfore, Of
which | knew nothing. | saw the fercn
cleared. to take UP the old metaphor. Ard
every man and family came off to Join the
Southern cause. The first Bull Run made
recruits for the South Several regim nts
enlisted in my town and county. New
York Sun.