The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-05-15
CARRYING THE MAILS WHEN
OUR GRAYBEARDS WERE BOYS
"Gander Pulling as Tough Proposition. Took a
Yankee Soldier cross Her Knee and
Spanked Him.


sprung up, and is quite as large as
Raleigh was, when l was boy. The
country, by the way, will soon be all
town-or at least, will enjoy town
facilities With good telephone lines
and an abundance of churches, the
country will ere long be as much in
town as it need be. so far as real en-
ioyments are concerned. If l were
young man, and my ambition was 10
live long and be happy, L certainly
should try to locate in the country as
things now are; for, by the Tune one
paws town taxes and the high prices
for such things as he would IKE 10
have. (and would have, if he lived on
a FARM, he has paid pretty dearly
for the privilege of living on quarter
acre lot in town. Town privileges,
like spring chickens. cost more than
lthev are worth, unless a man has
railroad job with a good salary.
Speaking of JohnSOnVille Z. O., re-
minds me to say that when Shermans
army was approaching Fayetteville,
Fitzpatrick camped near that old time
post office the night before the army
entered Fayetteville. and although he
must have been very tired, and al
though it was said, he had lady(O
in his tent, General Joe Wheeler's
cavalry had the audacity and the ill
manners to make dash into his camp
in the dead of night. and run him
and his lady friend out in their night
clothes, thereby making scandal,
that had quite a run about the WIND
ing up of the war. WheelerS cavalry
gave Shermans army much trouble,
for like Stonewall Jackson's foot ca
valry, they turned UP at the most UNI
expected times and places and made
! a sensation wherever they appeared.
| was a refugee when the Yankees
| came to Raleigh: or, at least, L was
| ell route through the country, Tor
! Charlotte, as it was supposed, When
Richmond fell, that Charlotte would
be made the temporary abode OF
! President Davis and his cabinet. Col.
d. K. McRae, the editor of the Daily
| Confederate. informed me that the
Dress and fixtures of that paper would
| be carried to Charlotte, and told me,
as well as the other members OF the
staff, to go on there and be ready 70
commence publication as soon as tne
office material could be put In shape.
+, After hauling all my corn, wheat
| oats, fodder peas, hay etc, TO RAJ
| eigh and delivering them to the Con-
federate authorities for the use OF the
army. taking receipts which promised
to pay back in kind, after the yam
KEGS had passed by, | loaded my
wagons and, with my family, started
through the country to Charlotte. On
the second evening l camped about 10
miles west of Fayetteville, near
| Mrs. Monroe's, where the Yankees
had recently been. A Mrs Rober-
son daughter of Mrs. Monroe, enter
tanned and amused myself and wife
telling her experience with the yam
! KEGS The people of Fayetteville had
sent a cheese box tull OF watches
and ieWelry to her for safe keeping,
and by some means the Yankees found
il out, and they worried her no httle
trying 10 make her tell where the
/ box was hid. She told us of an
kee. of rather small stature and light
| weight who was very 1nSolent ordef-
ing her to get IN from her seat III
very rough language. 1t made me
SO mad" said she, II caught hold OF
| him as he stood near me, jerked him
across my lap, and spanked nm We'll
and then rolled him on the floor at
my feet. He jumped up as soon as
he could and threatened to shoot
me; but the other Yankees who saw
me spank him, and were almost dying
a laughing at him, told him II ne
didn't shut uD and behave hlmSelI
they would whip him for sure enough.
! mo" said she "they didn't find that
box. but thousands of Yankees walk
! cd over it, One fellow thought he
would make me betray myself, by
coming i'm and saying: we've found
it." thinking I'd look in the direction
of where it was hid. but l, didn't.
! simply said eff you've found it, all
right; but | didn't tell you where 1t
was. did /? He was telling a lie ana
| knew it.
Before reaching Mrs. Monroe's that
| evening / met Major Wright HuSke
who had been stationed at camp
! Holmes just north OF this city, ana 10
my establishment and CONSERVATION ne
INFORMED me that General Lee had
| surrendered; the war was over ana
1.-The Confederate Government was q
! thing of the past and that / need
| not go another mile toward Charlotte
in the expectation Of meeting Colohel
| McRae there: that the Daily Confed-
| crate" like the Confederate States
was a thing of the pasts
/ never felt so poor in all my ne;
though | had thousands of dollars OF
| Confederate money in my pocket, l
was not able to buy one feed for my
| teams. Next morning leaving my
wagons and teams at Mrs. Monroe
NV wife and I drove down to Fayette-
/ Vile to get the straight of the mat
/ ter. / was not personally acquainted
with T.. j. Hale, ESQ, the editor OF
! the Observer, but, as he and my IaLh-
/ err were boys together in the once
of the old Raleigh Register, in the
days OF Joseph Gales, about the time
of the war of 1S12-'13-and as they
were still friends l felt that l would
like to get his opinion as to the situa-
ton, and his advice as to my move
ments. He confirmed the statement
| of Maj. Huske, and advised me not
to go any farther toward Charlotte,
but let my teams remain where they
were for a few days and then move
them down toward Fayetteville. That
was on Saturday evening. Sunday l
Ispent in Fayetteville with Mr. Thomas
Pickett, my wife's uncle, a refugee
from near Wilmington. Monday
!, morning to my establishment I saw
my brother-in-law Mr. Richard
Koonce, driving into town, and re-
porting that the Yankees in a large
; body, with a great many wagons had
crossed the Cape Fear River at Nc
NeilFs Ferry and seemed to be head
/ ing toward Charlotte. l had parted
with Mr.. Koonce near Ellington; he
[ expecting to return home as soon as
the Yankees had passed Raleigh,
! while / expected to go on to Char
: lotte. The report he brought was
: stunning, because / knew that my
teams and all the Valuab leS I had