The evening times., 1899-10-03
sHELBY's OLD BODY SERVANT.
Remembrances of the
Dead Leaders, Former Slave.
From the Kansas City star.)

From the Kansas City Star)
Gen. Joe Shelby's old body servant,
Uncle Billy Hunter in spite of his sew
entytwo years, is still sturdy and vigor-
Gus. He remembers the war times re-
markably we'll and likes nothing better
than to talk of the many fights and Incl
dents in the life of his "old massa,'' the
famous Confederate general whose body
rests in Forest Hill Cemetery. With the
exception of Shelbys expedition into Mex
ico-one of the most dramatic events in
our hstory-and the thirty years after the
war when the general lost sight of him en-
tirely. Uncle Billy was with him from
the time he was twelve years old. Billy
is at his best when he gets started on Cen
eral Shelby during the war.
"Dere never was man like GenI Shell
by, sah,' said Billy the other day to a
reporter for the Star His sojers jes
thought the world of him. 'Twan't never
Go fight but Come on, boys an he was
always in de front, a-leadin' 'em on.
Manys the time I've brought up a fresh
hoss for him when his was shot, an carried
coffee an bite O. something to eat to
him on the field. Wasn't no one else could
cook for the gen'l 'cept ole Billy. Come
here, you damned black niger, an get me
something TO eat!' he uster yell, an you bet
did right smart. He would cuss me aw-
full, but Lor. that wasn't nothing When
he didn't, knew there was trouble on.
"Al through the war l tended him. an
when he was shot in the wrist at Cape
Girardo ! nursed him. Lots O. men went
hungry in those days, but l generally could
pick up something for the genI Had to
be mighty careful bout it, for he didn't
allow no stealin
"Yes, sab, l was captured jes once. Lem
me see. that was at Lone Jack. GenI
Shelby sent me 10 Colonel Jordan's camp,
bout mile away, an the Feds scooped
ME and took me into the village, but in
an hour an half the James brothers came
chargin through and drove the Feds off.
They pulled me out from between two
feather beds, where l was keeping away
from the bullets. and took me back to
Shelby. When he saw me he looked mad
clean through. Where in hell you been,
you black rascal"' says he. Go get me
some breakfast damned smart.
When Genl Shelby started for Mexico
with his one thousand picked men he says
to me, Billy, you take Miss Betty-that's
my missus- and the children back home
an you're free man. So l left him at
Galveston an carried them cross the Gulf
of Mexico to New Orleans an from there
to Lexington safe an sound. After that
drifted off on my own hook, working as
porter in hotels an tending bar, an
never heard of the genI for more'n thirty
years. One day While l was working for
Jim Baldus in Chicago heard that my ole
massa was United States Marshal in Kan
sas City an l let him know where / was
He sent for me to come back, but 1 guess
l didn't start quick enough to suit him,
for one Sunday when was reading the pa
pers in the barroom in walks r.an an
says:
I'm Deputy Marshal Potts, of Kansas
City, an I'm looking for William Hun
| ter
''I's the man, sah,' says I.
What you done, Billy?' said Daldus.
I'll stand by you
General Shelby told me to bring you
back with me- Potts said. He said, that
damned niger worked for me more than
thirty years, an he's going to take 1t easy
now. You bring him back and I'll give him
all the land he wants..
I'd go through fire for the ole massa,
says l, and back I starts. The missus
| give me two horses and l stayed with 'em
till the general died. l done lost the best
| friend had then. An now I'm living with
Joe Shelby, jr.. sab, and tend his children
| jest as did him when he was little fel-
ler But every Decoratioh Day goes over
to my ole massa's grave and put flowers
on it in memory of the finest man that
ever lived, 'sahAGen'l Joe Shelby