The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-11-05

A friend writes me from Florida that
! bacon will not keep well in that climate,
| and that the old settlers say it always
gets rancid. He wants to know if there
| Is any remedy for this. Yes, | think so,
unless hogs fattened on pinders are diff
ferent from those fattened on corn.
This reminds me of q war story.
In 1864 my wife and half a dozen lit
tie children found refuge from the foul
| invader Mt her fathers plantation on the
npper Chattahoochee river There was
no white man there or near there save
her old father, Judge Hutchins. There
| were about hundred negroes, more
than half of them too old or too young
| to work. Food for Our soldiers was get
| ting scarcer every day and orders came
| thot every farmer should be tithed-
| that is to say, he should give up to the
government agents a portion OF his corn
and meat and beef cattle. A mounted
detail from the home guard was sent
ont with wagons to enforce the order
and gather in the supplies. There was
nobody to resist them, for everybody
was i'm the army save old men and IN
| yaGds and women and children. Late
one evening company Of thirty men
came to Judge Hutchins's house and
rudelv informed him that they came
for bacon and beef cattle. The judge
very calmly told them he had none to
snare. For while they parleyed with
| him. but finally demanded the key to
his smokehouse. My wife and children
and two other little grandchildren lis
tened in fear and anxiety. They knew
that the Judge was n fearless man, but
there were so many well armed men
against him, the odds were fearful, and
when he refused to give up the key, they
said they would arrest him and break
down the door.
Then he pleaded with them in a trem-
bling voice and said to the captain:
Here is my daughter and her little help
less children and here are two others
whose mother is dead and their father
is in the army. / have but four sons and
they are in the army. My two sOns-in-
law are there Here on this place are
fifty or sixty negroes who are too young
or 100 old to work and it is n struggle
for us all to live i am alone and gel
ting Old. ! have done my share for the
Confederacy and cannot do more. Now
| know that yon can overpOwer me or
have saved for these helpless ones, but
let me tell you, captain, the first man
who goes to that door to break it down
will be dead man before he can do it.
His black eyes flashed as il lit up by
sharks of fire and his voice no longer
trembled. He was desperateI Lightly
he assembled the stairs, where he had two
double-barreled guns well loaded. and
planting himself by the window that
overlooked the smokehouSe. he said,
Now break that door il you dare to,
ana the percussion lock went click, click.
The captain looked at the door and then
at the Judge There was an awful 81
lence for a few moments. My wife and
children had heard it all and trembled.
Some of the negroes had gathered at the
cabin. doors. and old Sam dared to eX-
claim in a low. husky voice, Better not
better not--old massa kill y0u--kill you
shore"
The captain suddenly reconsidered.
Come. boys said he, tits getting late,
and there amt no use in fighting about
q little meat. We can report the case
TO headquarters and il we are ordered
back we can try it again, reckon.
Without saying goodbye or farewell they
left.