The National tribune., 1901-02-14
BEGINNING OF THE MARCH TO THE SEA

BEGINNING OF THE MARCH TO THE SEA
The Boys Revisit the Town Where They So
Narrowly Escaped Hanging-They Meet
ana Recognize Number OF Old Acquaint-
ances-They Give the Georgians an Un-
looked-for ana Very Impo- tant Lesson.
EDITORIAL NoTE.-For the benefit of
new readers of The NATIONAL TRIBUNE
we Will say that 81 klegg, Shorty and the
| rest of the boys, in trying 10 escape from
AnderSonyilie to the Union lines the pre-
yIouS August, had been recaptured and
put in a noIsome jail i'll a little Georgia
village, where mob, instigated by Harp
of of-a-thousand-strings Elder, tried to hang
| them.-EDIToR NATIONAL TKIBUNE.l
81 and his squad soon came to the top
of a hIll which overlooked the struggling,
squaiId nltle vlIiuge OF Hang Town., as
Shorty and the rest persisted III calling It.
" IInUut showing themselves out IN the
road, they hated Tor few minutes 10
stuuy II, ana recall their miserable expert
ences there the previous August. L nat
was onIy little over two months away,
DuL II seemed Ii century. Such an mtnty
OF things had happened since. Then they
were hungry ana haggard, unutteraDiy
sore III every limb, hunted down by day
and night, IN the midst of a community
where every white man was more DANGER
Gus than a wIId beast, and their brightest
hopes were merely 10 escape with lie anu
lIInD from periis which Deset every step.
1t seemed that there was not u drop i'll sUr-
rows cup left untasted by them. The
vicious rabble into whose hands they had
failen were confident, lmpudent and de-
Hant-heaping hatred, conIumeIy and de-
riSlon on the sacred cause which was
uearer to them than life Itself. After hay-
hyaa StIi
mocked ana detied the Union army. Inc
DoyS had only been rescued from an ignO-
mInIous death by a fortuItouS chance.
Since then they had been home, and
drunk new and greater drafts from the
fountain of the Beauty and Glory OF Lie.
oI had had the crownlng JOY OF union with
the beloved of his heart; Shorty had felt
that some measure OF the same happiness
was vouchsafed him. Zach of the others
mad had something come in to greatly
WHY and broaden life. Atlanta was now
but Il heap of smoidering ruIns-a tnlng
OF so little moment that tney could marcn
off ana leave 1T without further care or
thought. The Union army was sweeping
rcsIstiessly over Georgia. 1t seemed as IL
the world had turned clear around since
those drehuful August days, but that
miserable little village had not changed
particle. 1t lay there IN the bright No
yenber sunshine, just as they remembered
II In the glare of August. There was the
same gang Of long -haIred, unkempt, shaD-
DIly-attIred loa1ers hanging around the
rambling, shackilng, weatnerbeaten old
tavern; the same ragged, gnarled iocusts
III front, suiung with the dllapidatIon of
men and buliding; the same IorlOrn meet
ing house, the same ylllalnous grocery,
with emptied whisky barrels in front; the
same evll-looklng little jail. The boys even
made out the eight scrub oaks, which had
been trimmed UP for their gallows. And
as they looked, they saw sour-visaged
man, with broad hat, and riding a nne
horse, pace GignItiedly up to the tavern,
where he was received with marked dis
JUNCTION by some OF the more respectable
looking men, who had apparently gathered
there TO meet him.
Il declare, If there isn't Elder Horn
blower, even" exclaimed 81. Il wonder if
ne has come to preach his famous sermon
about the spoilers coming upon all the
high places through the wI,dernessr His
sermons coming truer than ne dreamed o.
We're playing IN great luck to lind him
here, said Shorty, with grim signIn-
cance, that boded no good to that sand
hill Boanerges. There'll be some spoIlIng
now that he can preach about with feel
mg-if he lives to preach any more. I'm
glad those trees are still standing, and all
ready. They'll come handy now
81 noticed to the right a creek flowing
from the hills, with u deep, wiilow-yailed
rayine, which would enable them to get
quite near the tavern without being dis
covered.
there, Shorty" he said, which they We
saved from the rebels pressing agents, and
which our army needs. l want that one
myself which the Elder Is riding
''Confound 1t, 1 wanted that one my
SELF grumbled Shorty. Trust you to pick
out the best boss on sight. You amt the
son.of a Baptist Deacon for nothing"
We'll argue that at some future time"
said 81. ''Ihe main thing now's not to
let any o them get away, nor their hosses.
L think l recognize several gents there that
we've an account to settle with. Let's
skirt along through the woods until we
come to the head o that hoiler, and then
foller the crick down to the road. Don't
anybody make the least noise. Pete, you
and Sandy can stay back here, keeping
under cover, until you see US raise the
bank, and then you gallop down, yelling at
the top O. your voices"
The crowd about the tayen were SO en-
crossed by the arrival of the Elder, with
his budget of news of the war, that it was
easy for 81 and his squad to make their
way unsuspected to the point aimed at
Apparently, the Elders message was so
important that it had to be communicated
in the form Of public speech. He was
not reluctant TO this. He was one of those
old-time Gospelers, who felt it their duty
to improve every occasion with a few re-
marks" He suffered himself to be led to
the horse-block, which he mounted, -four
ished his red bandanna like signal flag,
and blew his nose with trumpet sound,
10 give his hearers time to settle around,
and get in properly expectant frame Of
mind.
Friends -ah, feller-cltizens - ah, be-
loved brethren-ah," ne began. I've bina-
preachin' L yo' the Word fer many years
ah, and I've fE-.ekTently took as my text
ah, the 18th verse-ah, O the 18th chapter
-ah, of the Prophecies OF Jeremiah-ah,
which says-ah:
The spoilers are come upon all high
places through the wilderness-ah. The
sword shall devour-ah, from one eend of
the landau, even to the other eend of the
landau No flesh shall have peace-ah.'
Same old string-same old hurdy-
gurdy," said 81, looking at the cap of his
gun.
Il declare, there's that weazened, knock
kneed, little sardine, Tite Brown" said
Shorty, "the orneriest little whelp in the
gang, that'd picked me out to hang, be-
cause l was the biggest in the squad. II
won't do nothing to him but naturally
break him in two, and throw each half to
the dogs"
Hist! not so loud" warned 81. "Yes,
and there's that pot-bellied old loafer, Tim |
Scads, who got my rope ready for me. I'll
bring him down here to the crick and |
souse his face In it. That rum blossom