The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1900-07-24
FREDERICKSBURG, VA, TUESDAY, JULY 24 1900

room and just like l tell you, Captain
Siringfellow is in the cabbage-bed ont
in the garden Ard then she added
"Y0u may trust me t0 fell on these
Southern soldiers, II know where they
are. because they arc always coming to
orr house. AID have the beds to make
Up and cleaue up their room, and am
getting tired of this business As the
enemy fled down the steps one by one
their heads csme in full view. and |
counted eight men. ono Of them being
a sergeant He was standing so near
Martha" at the time she urged aim
10 seek for me in the garden that l
could have touched his trousers with my
hand and yet the thought Of a surrend-
or had not presented itself l expected
10 he dead in less than minute but
I did not expect TO die alone Martha
hastaned them and as they disappear
ed below the line Of floor | felt sense
Of relief. though | knew that the place
misht be searched again at any moment,
ard I might be discovered AS Martha
followed them down the steps, she
showed that peculiar presence OF mind
which belong TO all women, and dis
PLAYED that cunning which is peculiar
{, her race and also the geninue attach
meat which the old servant felt for the
ruling race. She said Sergeant, while
I am satisfied that Captain Stringfellow
was in the garden. IS ! told you, yet l
may be mistaken. He Is very cunning
man. and II he ia found in this build
ing. he may make his way TO the gar
ret. and / advise you TO prevent him or
any other soldier from getting in the
upper part Of the building The only
safe way is to keep a soldier on guard at
the garret door until the search Is
over. " This believe. was the best
generalship which came under my OBJ
sarvation during the war.
Frequently during the night | heard
Martha stop searching parties by telling
them that that room had already been
searched, aud by appealing to the guard
TO confirm her statement and the guard
would reply to the effect that ne had
searched il in person, and had been
kept at that post in order to prevent
any one from reaching the upper part
Of the house unobserved AS soon as |
ascertained that l had two guardian
angels-Martha and the United States
soldler-I fell asleep within thirty min.
uses Of the time the search began. All
during the night. as l awoke from time
TO time, could hear the tread OF SOL
diers, the olanking Of sabres, scattered
pistol shots, the threats Of the officers
and the defiant words of Mrs Skinker ;
but would soon doze off again, and
really felt that was in no special dan
ger. About 2 O'Clock the ladies went
up to the room to find me. and, as did
not answer when they called, they sup
posed that had been killed or captured
without their knowledge. I was fast
asleep. | recalled hearing the rustling
of skirts as the ladies went down the
steps then l heard ladies talking at the
foot Of the steps; otherwise the house
was quiet. Another short nap. and /
was aroused by having Martha to shake
me and call my name Then all the
ladies began TO talk at once saying In one
breath: "What shall we do? Father
was struck over the head with a pistol,
and he and Charlie are prisoners in the
hands Of the enemy" Mrs. Skinker
was still pouring out the seven vials OF
wrath upon the Yankees" when two
cleaning eyes were seen Gust over the
cracking timbers, and one Of Mosby's
men crept out Of the dark hiding place
some distance behind me. After finish
ing my supper, which one Of the young
ladies had the presence OF mind TO slip
under an ottoman in the parlor, we left
the house wiser, sadder and poorer than
when we entered 1t. l think MosbJ's
man had lost two horses. Captain Rich
ards two and l had lost three very fine
ones, one Of them being GENERAL Gregg's
"We had sll had hot time in the ole
town that night. "
Martha had not only hidden the
writer. but also one Of Mosty's men.
She had never seen either one Of Us be-
fore. and had saved as for the one
reason that we were Southern soldiers.
Many colorod Virginians loved their
homes and the "white people" as
thew did their own kin. feel safe in
making the statement that many a
colored woman has loved the children
of the master with the same tender.
ness ss her own. Nearly thirty years
ago Martha "entered into rest. % re-
spected by her own race and beloved
bv the "white people" If the oolored
man had not been tampered with by
besieging politicians in the South and
"carpet. .bsggers" from the North, he
would this day be our trusted political
ally. and be would feel that the South
ern man is his truest friend.
Now / stand with very sad heart
as see q cloud lowering over the
children Of my colored plsymates- The
gap is widening between the white
and the colored brother. used TO eat
with Tom, John, Nelson, Page, and
Spencer. my chosen plsymates but my
children do not eat with their children.
The colored man is 10 thousand
times more critical condition than In
the sos. He will glide out Of the life
of the American people little By little.
Even now he seems to me in y land
that is far away, and ne is a mar