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

let himself down by q rope used TO
draw up water from the river. He
was q good swimmer. He swan TO
q boat some distance at anchor,
upon which a Yankee officer and his
family we're staying. He lowered
one of the life boats. Some of the
crew heard him but fearing it wal
the work of d~esperadoes, abstained
from giving an alarm. He rowed
back to where Shadburn lay anx-
iously waiting and watching, jerked
the rope as a signal, and shadburn
came down into the boat. This was
done under the flare Of the ship
lights, beneath the shadow of the
cannon and while a guard was pac-
ing the deck.
"When the pursuers found the
row boat floating upon the water at
sunrise, they concluded the prison
ers who had been handouffed, had
been drowned and so reported. The
fugitives concealed themselves in a
swamp all day, and marched through
the Federal lines at night, as often
they had done before. Sloan had
taken the precaution TO wrap Shad'
burns handouts in a rag, so they
would neither rattle in his descent
from the boat or on his tramp
through the army. His cuffs were
out off at Hampton's headquarters:
and Hampton on commenting upon
the conduct of Sloan, said that not
one man in 100, 900 when under sen
tence of death and who had gained
freedom, would have ~jeopardized his
life by voluntarily returning TO lib.
crate a friend. Is was probably the
most unselfish act of heroism that
he had over known.
"The Washington paper Of 1856
contained the full details of the es-
cape. I have forgotten the exact
date, but 1 read the account in
print.
''Some time before ali this hap,
pened that l have been telling about,
Sloan and I were at the house of a
widow in Virginia where we had
often been kindly and Hospitality
cared for. The house was on a high
knoll in the midst of extensive
cleared grounds. Her ten.year. old
son saw the Yankees creeping up
from the bottoms, and gave Us
warning. We ran, and the Yankees
in pursuit, the bullets whistling near
our heads; but we blazed back as we
ran, and 1t increased the distance
between US and lessened the gait of
the Yankees. A man can pursue
mighty fast when the feer has no
weapon, but this thing of popping
back, takes the enthusiasm out of the
pursuit.. When we reached the
woods about half mile away they
let US alone. We were dressed in
blue and that was why we could go
with comparative safety through
the the Yankee camps at night.
eve saw them return 80 the house
from which they had run us and
after they left we went back, fear.
ing that they had ses fire TO the
premises. We found the lady in
Mysteries crying out that they had
taken away her boy. She was dis
tressed beyond measure. Sloan
quieted her as best he could by
promising to return him. When we
left l said, Sloan, how could you
tell that woman such a lie? You
know you oan't return the boy:
WE'LL he replied, she was crying
and orazed and 1 had to promise her
something
"About two weeks after this, as
we were riding along the road in
Loudon County, the Yankees sud
denly fred upon us. Sloan's horse
was killed and a whole company
rode down upon him. 1 made my
escape. Sloan was taken to Point
Lookout and there he found among
the other prisoners our friend, the
ten-year old boy. A certain dis
tanoe was staked off in the bay in
which the prisoners YER permitted
TO battle. The prisoners were also
allowed half barrels for the purpose
of washing their clothes. Sloan
placed the boy with himself under
a barrel and walked nine miles in
water of varying depths, often
swimming out of deep places When
the boy became tired anu started to
cry, Sloan would quiet him with the