The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-11-09
A WAR STORY OF BILL ARP.
HOW HUTCHINS SAVED HIS MEAT.

Hid it In tho Hearth OF an Old Black
smith Shop-Advice to tho Cotton
tots.
A friend writes me from Florida
that bacon will not keep we'll In that
climate, and that the old settlers say
it always gets rancid. He wants to
know W if i1 there is any remedy for this;
Yes, think 50, unless hogs fattened
on pinders are different from those
fattened on corn.
This reminds mo Of q war story.
In 1864 my wife and half dozen lit
tic children found refuge from the foul
invader at her fathers plantation on
tho upper Chattahoochee river. There
was no white man there or near there
save her old father, Judge Hutchins.
There were about q hundred negroes,
more than half of them too old or too
young to work. Food for our soldiers
VAS getting scarcer every day and
orders came that 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. ~ mounted detail from the
hndle guard was sent out with wagons
to enforce the order and gather in the
supplies. There was nobody to resist
them, for everybody was in the army
save old men and invalids and women
and children. Late ono evening a
| company Of thirty men came to Judge
Hutchins's house aud rudely informed
him that they camo for bacon and bcef
cattle. The Judge worry calmly told
them he had mono to spare. For q
while they parleycd with him, but
finally demanded the key to his smoke.
house. My wife and children and two
other little grandchildren listened in
fear and anxiety. They know that the
judge was fearless man, but there
were so many we'll armed mon 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 O
trembling voice and said to the cap
tain: Here is my daughter and her
little helpless 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 too old to work,
and 1t is d struggle for us all to live
ain alone and getting old. ] have
done my share for the COnfederacy and
cannot do moro. Now | know that
take away tho little meat l have saved
for these helpless ones, but let me tell
you, captain, the first man who goes tC
, that door to brs ak It down will be q
dc6d man before he can do it," Hi,
black eyes flashed as If lit up by sparks
Of fire and his voice no longer trem bled
He Was desperate. Lightly he as
cendcd the stairs, where he had two
double barreled guns well loaded, anC
| ,ln.. ft,.r hi al 1,,k En mi, tho,
overlooked the smokehouse, he said
Nov break that door if you dare to,
and the percussion lock went click
click. The captain looked at the door
and then at the Judge. There was ar
awful sllenCe for Il fcw moments. My
: wifo and children had heard it all anC
trembled. Some OF the negroes haC
gathered at the cabin deGfs, and ole
Sam dared to exclaim in a low, husky
voice, "Better not-better not-o!(
massa kill you-kill you shore"
The captain suddenly reconsidered
"Come, boys" said he "it's getting
late, and there ain't no nse in fighting
about little meat. We can repor
= ordered back we can try 1t again,
reckon" Without saying goodbye o.
} farewell they left.
|
called up old Jack and Virgil, whom
( he knew lie could trust, ana, ,od tn,
joints OF the meat and n part Of th,
r sides carried quietly down to the ole
blacksmith shop on the bank of tn,
river. With pick and shovel the
. cinders and earth in tho old hearth
2 were soon cxcavateG and a chamber
. fashioned that would hold ard hide
. thousand pounds. 1t was buried thcr
3 and the hearth WAS covered just lik
| it had been. Some scattering charcoa
q filled in the spaces and some was lef
! on top and the black old basket place,
! where it long had been. With shove
l.. and wheelbarrOw the surplus earth wa
Q taken down the river bank and tumbet
4 in and then all was quiet on the Chatta
o hoochec. The burial OF Sir John Moor
r was not more silent. In January, 1869
}, joined my family at the plantation
It and DOT long after the Judge Furnished
It US good mule team and wagon an
" we returned to our homo in Rome
r The day before VIC left his hospitabl
,, mansion he opened the cache and fOun
IS the meat all sweet and sound aDd W
IT brought good portion OF it with u
1T and it was as precious as gold. nj
,r wife says the charcoal purified it an
At kept it from tasting old or rancid.
IN friends question. He must get up al
'e other civil war and hide his meat |
n tho hearth OF an Old blacksmith shol
ot Earth and charcoal are both good dis
10 infectants and prcservcrs OF flesh, an
III IN If | was in Florida | would pack m
v meat in charcoal, not dust but sma
&c crushed coal. Before putting the mca
n down | would powder it from q pcppe
ic box with borax. B0rax is almost un
Is versally used now. 1t Is sure death
X shippers and other vcrmin, and
Is druggist told me that the sale Of it ha
&c increased thousand per cent With
the last five years.
~ ~ When my family got home we foun
~ that 1t was not good to live by mef
80 alone and VIC had to send down tn
river q hundred miles for o few bushe
!, OF corn and hid 1T near 8 mill in th
- ~ country, because the outlaws and d.
~ scrters were patroll;ng the land an
at taxing everything they could find.
~ good friend brought Us half Is bushel (