The National tribune., 1901-06-06

+o NV tent. Grim" said he, q know
where there are some ripe perSimmOns.
'sWhere?" said |. Just over the picket
line in the edge of that old feld,' indi
eating the direction.
There were three or four of us seated
on gum blanket at the time. in the shade
of a friendly tree, playing 'lO-cent ante
and after watching the game for while
long enough to see me Straddle the bllnd
and lose the pot Wells said, Throw up
YOUR hand Grim, and come along with
me. and we will get some perSimmons.
Inasmuch as | had lost all my chips, L
did as requested, and we were soon on
our way after the luscious fruit.
The tree was not over a quarter of n
mile from the picket line. and, of course,
we were not long in reaching it, and be-
ing the better climber, and having no
thoughts of rebels being in the neighbor-
hood, l was soon perched upon limb,
eating the ripe fruit and occasionally
dropping some down to George, who stood
under the tree, holding his cap to receive
the plump simmons. The persimmons
were dead-ripe and if the reader is at all
familiar with the fruit, he will understand
the condition of Georges cap as wen as
though | told him. As | sat astrIde OF
the Iimh | could hear Georges jaws snap
ping. as he munched the persirmons.
| thought what good joke it would
be on Wells if | could land a handful OF
the biggest and ripest right on the top Oh
his head, and l actually smiled at the
thought how he would look with the per
simmons smeared all over his head, ana
how he would swear and threaten to Hex
me as soon as | came down from the tree
and how | would refuse to throw any
more persimmonS down to him until he
got in q good humOr again. Selecting a
handful of the largest and rIpeSt could
find, | was in the act of letting drive at
Georges head. when l discovered MN,
bareheaded. running toward the picket
line. | was just going to yell at him
when nv attention was drawn to the
ground under the tree, where l beheld 4
half-dozen Johnny rebels grlnnlng at me-
One of them had Georges cap and was
coolly eating the persimmons NeliS had
left in his haste TO get away, whle lhe
others ordered me to throw some down TO
them; an order, it is needless to say
obeyed.
| tried to treat the matter as good
Joke. The rascally rebs kept me up the
tree, throwing down persimmOns until L
had filled their capaciOuS maWs, when
they ordered me to come down and go
with them ! thought this poor return
for the kindness l had shown them, and
told them so. They insisted, however,
that | was their prisoner. ] argued the
case with them: told them that L was the
pet of the household, far away from home;
besides / was not there with my free
will and accord, but the victim of the
cruel draft. and a lot of other stuff, that
ought to have brought them to tears, but
it didn't: and, finding it was no go, like
Davy CrOcketts coon, concluded to
come down. | made up my mind as
crawfshed down the tree that my time
had come and my usefulness to the Union
cause was over. What the army would
do without me was a perpleXing question
to nv mind, and gave me considerable
food for unselfsh thought as | slowly
very slowly | might say-backed down
the tree A few more feet and | would
be on the ground, when bang, bang, bang,
went a haIf-dozen musket shots, and down
dropped two of the Johnnies, while the
others took to their heels for the woods;
but before they reached its friendly pro
lection I had brought another one down
with shot from one of the guns which
belonged to rebel who fell at the first
fire.
Only one was killed, the others being
wounded. not seriously. however, and we
marched them into camp.
Wells, the rascal, had seen the Johnnles
coming. and without saying word to me
broke for the picket post, leaving me to
get away as best | could. As 1t turned
out, it was perhaps the best plan, for he
returned with the boys from the picket
post, with the result already described.
On the whole, it was not such bad
DAYS work. except that when we marched
our prisoners into camp and reported now
we captured them, Wells and were put
in the guard-house for going outside the
lines without orders. Two days policing
the quarters let us out. We thought this
tough. after what we had done; but it is
ever thus-great deeds are not always ap'
preciated.
A DANGEROUS LOCALITY.
Nv division CThird, Fourteenth Corps,
was the last to leave Atlanta when Sher
man cut loose from his northern base OF
supplies, and started south to Savannah
Ca, to establish a new base on the AT,
Iantic coast. 1t was an unfortunate cir
cumstance that caused my division to be
detailed to support Kilpatrick's cavalry
on this march, one which brought to us
many rapid and hard marches, sometimes
our line of march leading us far to the
right. or the left, and not infreQuently We
would be ordered miles to the rear, fol
lowing that dauntless leader and his rougl
riders. who had for opponents a worth!
foe in Gen. Wheeler and his Confederate
cavalry Scarcely a day passed from thu
time we left Atlanta until Savannah wa:
reached that we did not have bout witt
Wheeler's forces. In point of fact, tht
rebels hung on our rear and TANKS witt
such reckless persistency as to make for
aging somewhat dangerous.
The column reached Miledgeville, the
then Capital of Georgia, in the afternoon
of q very warm September day, and wen
into camp in the outskirts of the town
A small detail was made to accompany
two or three teams which were going af
ter forage for their mules. About TIVE
hours after they had left camp one O
the teamstcrS returned with the informa
tion that the party had been attacked b.
guerrilas, and all but himself had beeI
killed
Five minutes after the news had beel
received 20 volunteers, among them tn
writer. were on their way TO the scene o
the massacre, guided by the escaped team
ster. About two miles from camp w
found one of the teamsters lying by
fence with his throat cut. The poor fel
low was still alive, but Unable TO speak
and died soon after we reached him. Far
ther on We found the teams, or rather tn
wagons, as the mules had been take
away by the guerrillas. These wagon
stood in the road in front of large plan
tation house. where we discovered fey
more of the boys, lying where they ha
been shot by the rebels secreted In tn
house and barns close by. Like the frs
one found in the fence-corner, thei
throats had been cut after they had bee
shot down. Not a man was left, exceI
the one who had brought the news I
camp.