The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-10-09

the LUileI went. 1HtSe dIIdISt1ICit
we're made and Eclert fired again as be
fore and put the ball in the bulls eve,
and the bail after passing through the
target changed its course and sped by
the man who had lair Town near the tar
get, in such close proximity 10 his head
that he was badly scared. Great was the
establishment Of Eckert's four friends
They held q hurried consultation and BAD
Eckert good day and left. He heard
no more Of these men, but in a few lays
he was arrested by the Confederate mill
tary authorities and charged with treason
to the Confederacy because he was in
1raitorou5 correspondence with the pub
lie enemy and was furnishing them with
plans and information to be used in the
invasion Of tie State y drum-he&d court
martial ives organized and Eckert was
tried and notwithstanding he explained
what the letter meant, he was found
guilty and was sentenced to be hanged
on the 10th day Of June, 1861 He was
confined in the jail in the town of Troy.
Things had now become serious, and in
this dilemma Eckert remembered a physi-
clan who lived in the adjoining county OF
Randolph. who was his staunch friend. He
sent for this doctor and he came to Troy.
His name l have forgotten. The doctor
by some means induced the military au-
thorities to accept bail fer Mr.. Eckert in
the sun OF two hundred dollars to return
on the day appointed and be hanged as
-:o bond REQUIRED. The Randolph doctor
signed the bond and Eckert made him
safe against the determined forfeiture of
this bond. Eclert then left and went by
Salisbury. and made his way from there
| to New York, by way of Asheyille, Hot
! Springs and Knoxville.
c1,cr+ v-5iIa affor hic HSnono from
North Carolina Mr.. Eckert had occasion
to visit the city CT Atlanta, and, as he
went into the hotel, a mob was IN front
and he observed a man hanging to the
lanlp-post. He inquired the cause and
found that the dead man was a Yankee"
spy in the South, and that he had been
hanged without Judge or jury. Mr.. Eckert
then registered in his right name and
from some town in the North. And as
fortune Would have il, as he registered,
he observed the name Of Alexander II.
Stephens On the book, and being person.
ally acquainted with Mr.. Stephens, he
asked and was shown to the room Of Mr..
stephens. The Georgia statesman was
real glad to see Mr.. Eci3ert-his "Yal-
kee" friend. and they entered into q gen
eral conversation. Very soon there was a
knock at the door and it was opened by
NJ hCEI4tt1i5. : a ~ NS1S - 49,
, EN-, representing the mob down stairs.
They told Mr.. stephens that they desired
that he should send Mr.. Echert-his
"Yankce' friend down stairs, as they
had "a little business" to settle with him
that would not require much time. Here
was a second proposition TO hang Mr..
Eckert, and MI. Stephens SO understood
it. llr. Stephens politely but drrly told
the mob representatives that Fir. Eckert
was his personal friend, and when they
got through with their business Mr.. Eek
crt would come down stairs. After some
cine had elapsed Stephens and Eckert
went down stairs and mingled with the
mob, but no violence was offered to Mr..
Eckert. From Atlanta Mr.. Eczert went
home with Mr. Stephens in order to es-
cape from the mob, and from there he
made his way to the North, where he
remained until the war ended.
Early in 1852. Mr.. Eckert was appoint
ed by President Lincoln Assistant Score
tary Of War, and While exercising these
duties he acquired the title Of general.
lie was an intimate friend of President
Lincoln and thoroughly agreed with the
TartyreG President in all his acts Of
mercy ara kinuness towards the South.
On ere occasion when the Eleventh North
Carolina Regiment had been captured,
Cen. Eckert wont to see the nnn who
were confined III Washington. To his
surprise he oUrd q great many Of his
North Carolina Montgomery county
friends IN this regiment and prisoners Of
war. He talked and joked with them
and administered to their wants, and
when he returned to the White House,
where he won't eycrv day, he told Mr..
Lincoln of the capture Of the regiment,
1,I +1,at - 10 --D IL - It. r-,-+ =
Carolina friends were in the regiment.
President Lincoln told Gen. Eckert to 20
and see his friends Often and treat them
as his neiShbors. In treating the ragi-
mcnt as his neighbours" Gen. Eckert ask
cd them what they desired most and they
said to be allowed to return home. Cen.
| Eckert made known this desire to Mr..
Lincoln and added the request that the
regiment be paroled. Mr.. Lincoln as
sontcd and Gen. Eckcrt gave the order
and his neighborS and friends werc pa
rolled and sent home. Among the num-
! her parolcd was ''Tobc" Sanders, WHO
was Gen. Eckert's nearest neighbor While
be was running the sold mine IN this
county.
Some years later, near where Gen. Eek
ert mined, Sanders found q pocket which
retted him twenty thousand dollars in
gold. He wrote the general CT his good
fortune and urged him to return and com
rlctc his mining operations, and humcr-
ously suggested that that little matter OF
hanging which was set for the 10th day Of
June, in 1861, was now barred by past
events and the Statute of Limitations.
TWO of the four men with whom Gen.
Eckcrt had the shooting match are alive
ana live near the "Tobc' Sanders mine.
The other two were in the regiment
which was paroled and were afterwards
killed in the battle of Gettysburg. The
two living-Ewine and Nilljken-haye OK
tended the General a cordial invitation
| to return to the scene OF his mining o.
crations, with the promise Of 4 genuine
hunt and shooting match that viii in
cIudc bear and deer, quail and duck,
squirrel. coon and fox; and thai the whole
of Montgomery county viii turn out and
give hiln such an ovation that will be
sure to convince him that his '~'ncighb0rs
and friends" are real glad to see him,
and shake his HAND in renewal OF their
friendship; and that his return has moth
ing to do with the condition Of that BOND
which required that he should return OF
the 10th day Of June, 1851, to be hanged
fer treason to the Corfcdcratcy.