St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-12-09
ARP'S WAR STORY.
Tells Of the Days When Food Was
Scarce in the South.
How His Father-in-Laxv Saved a Lot
of Meat-A Plueky Old Man
Advice for Cotton
Growers.

mate, 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 different from those fat
tened on corn.
This reminds me of a war story.
In 1864 my wife and half dozen lit
tie children found refuge from the foul
invader at her fathers plantation on
was no white man there or near there
save her old father. Judge Hutchins.
There were about a hundred negroes,
more than half of them too old or too
young to work. Food for our soldiers
was getting scarcer every day and or
ders 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.
A mounted detail from the home 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 chill
dren. Late one evening company of
so men came to Judge Hutchins' house
and rudely Informed him that they
came for bacon and beef cattle. The
judge very calmly told them he had
none to spare. For awhile they par
leyed with him, but finally demanded
the key to his smokehouse. My wife
and children and two other little grand
children listened in fear and anxiety
They knew that the judge was fear
less man, but there We're so many we'll
armed men against him the odds were
fearful, and when he refused to give
up the key they said they would ar
rest him and break down the door.
Then he pleaded with them in a
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. I have but
four sons and they are in the army.
My two sons-in-law are there. Here on
this place are so or 60 negroes who are
too young or too old to work, and it is
a struggle for us all to live. 7 am alone
and getting old. have done my share
for the confederacy and cannot do
more. Now l know that you can over
power me or kill me and take away
the little meat / have saved for these
helpless ones, but let me tell you, cap
tain, the first man who goes to that
fn l. II will 1a 5oa
man before he can do it, His black
eyes flashed as if lit up by sparks
of fire and his voice no longer trembled.
He was desperate. Lightly he ascend
ed the stairs, where he had two dou-
ble-barreled guns well loaded, and
planting himself by the window that
overlooked the smokehouse, he said:
Now break that door if you dare to-"
and the percussion lock went click,
click. The captain looked at the door
and then at the iEdge. There was an
awful silence for a few moments. My
wife and children had heard it all and
trenbled. Some of the negroes had
gathered at the cabin doors, and old
Sam dared to exclaim in a low, husky
voice: "Better not-better not-old
massa kill you-kiH you shore"
The captain suddenly reconsidered.
Come, boys said he, ''it's getting late,
and there amt no use in fighting about
a little meat. We can report the case
to headquarters and If we are ordered
back we can try it again, l reckon"
Without saying good-by or farewell
they left.
That night about midnight the Judge
called up old Jack and Virgil, whom
he knew he could trust, and had the
joints of the meat and a part of the
sides carried quietly down to the old !.
blacksmith shop on the bank of the
river. With pick and shovel the cinders
and earth in the old hearth were soon
and a chamber fashioned
that would hold and hide thousand
pounds. It was buried there and the
hearth was covered just like it had
been. Some scattering charcoal filled |
n the spaces and some was left on top
and the black old basket placed where |
It long had been. With shovel and |
the surplus earth was
taken down the river bank and tumbled |
n and then all was quiet on the Chat |
tahoochee. The burial of Sir John |
Moore was not more silent. In Janu-
Try, 1865, / joined my family at the I
plantation and not long after the judge
furnished US good mule team and
wagon and we returned to our home
n Rome. The day before we left his
lospitable mansion he opened the
:ache and found the meat all sweet and
iound and we brought good portion
# it with us and it was as precious as
yold. My wife says the charcoal puri-
led it and kept it from tasting old or
ancid.
Now then ] have answered my friends
question. He must get up another civil
var and hide his meat in the hearth
( an old blacksmith shop. Earth and
harcoal are both good disinfectants
nd preseryers of flesh, and il was
n Florida l would pack my meat in
harcoal, not dust. but small crushed
cal. Before putting the meat down
would powder it from a pepper box
nth boraS. Borax is almost uniyer-
ally used now. It is sure death to |
kippers ard other Kerrnin. and a drug
ist told me that the sale of it has in
reased thousand per cent within
1e last five years.
When my family got home we found
hat it was not good to live by meat
lone and re had TO send down the
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