The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-05-20

filed his promise. The boy often
went with us in the day time after
wards as a pilot and could shoot as
we'll as a man. Sloan has his name
and 1 have it too, if I can lay my
hand upon my memoranda. He is
living now.
''Sol Legare was a royal fellow, a
gentleman by birth and son of a
large planter who lived near Charles
ton. have told how he died.
"shadburn was a Catholic. Ihave
often seen him pray and count his
beads. He was as brave a man as
ever lived. He was in charge of our
squad, but he didn't begin TO know,
as Sloan did, how to extricate him
self when trapped or in a real dan
gerous position. Sloan was the best
I ever knew about such strategems.
When captured Shadburn was as
helpless as a child, but Sloan was a
devil all the time. He never gave
up, and never failed to outwit his
captors or enemies.
"Shadburn was from Louisiana
and was educated in Kentucky. He
is now living in San Francisco, and
is reported to be quite wealthy.
Sloan married a sister of Conner
Davidson, of Iredell County, and
now lives in Texas. He has a family
of five children. I tell him he is too
good.hearted and liberal and doesn't
know how many cents are in a dol
lar. When he left North Carolina,
I divided my ready money with
him, and / divided again when I
met him in Dallas. Hampton always
said that the things Jim Sloan did
ought to be put in book form. AS a
brilliant, daring SCOUT, he had no
match. I used to go to see Gen.
Hampton nearly every year and the
old commander never tired of talk.
ing about the clever tricks and
thrilling adventures of Jim Sloan"
Mr.. Harris was told he would be
excused from further talk, if he
would only tell of his last ambush
of the enemy after the war.
ooh, yes," he said, "thst was
after the surrender. A garrison of
Federal troops were stationed in
Concord and they had been terror.
izing the people, depredating and
stealing nightly nearly everything
they could find. One Sunday they
came to our house near Poplar Tent,
thinking there was no n at home.
Father, mother, sister and Brother
Jay, had gone to church. l caught
three of them in the act of stealing
and marching them to the house at
the pistols point l made them pull
off their coats, I took a cow-hide in
one hand and a pistol in the other
and gave each one a hundred lashes.
They Dried for pain and offered to
pay any price to be let off. Brother
Charles who had been asleep was
awakened by the noise. l was ex-
hausted, and he then laid on the
raw-hide while I continued to cover
them with the pistol. The shirt of
every one of them was red when
they left, and no Yankee or freed
man ever stole anything from Us
for four years afterwards.
Father, fearing they would take
my life for the c~hastisement, went
to consul Gen. D. 81. Hill, who was
then editing The Land We Love in
Charlotte. Gen. Hill laughed till
he was weak, and assured father
that depredators would not trouble
as again, and they didn't"
1t is just to Mr.. Harris to say that
he will be surprised to see this arti-
ole in print. Shakespeare Harris is
a modest man, and can rarely be
prevailed upon to talk about himself,
and when he does, he always mini
mixes his share in the exploit or bat.
tie. I have just discovered the
"open sesame" to his heart. Start
the conversation about Jim Sloan,
the friend and sharer OF his priva.
tions and dangers, and he will Incl
IDENTIFY introduce the parts he also
played in important dramas. He
could not do otherwise, for the lives
of Sloan and himself are interviewer
in the same crimsoned warp and
wool.
Our new postmaster ran so fast for
office that he didn't have time to get