Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1905-10-06
A POT OF POTATOES.
The Captain Tells the Big Price Ho
Paid for Them and How He
Got Them Cooked.

"At Milledgeville," said Capt
Fowler, ION the march to the sea, l
paid $3.50 for a peck of potatoes.
That was pretty steep, but we were
all potato hungry, and the matter of
price cut small figure in the transac-
tion. But after had secured the po-
tatoes circumstances were against me.
We were waiting on the streets of
Milledgeville, where we could build
no fires and where every house had |
guard to prevent intrusion by SOL !
diers.
"My cook was absent without leave,
and for the time being Aaron Catlin,
one of the company, was looking after
me with, as he said, the honorable in
| tention of not letting me starve. He
insisted that his oath and his consti-
tuition and all of his bylaws compelled
him to see that those potatoes were
cooked. He loaded camp kettle to
the muzzle with potatoes and wheedled
a colored woman to take them over
her back fence and boil them.
1.-THE boys were betting three to one
that Catlin would never see the pota-
toes again, when the colored woman
appeared with the kettle of steaming
potatoes, and Catlin received them
with enthusiastic expressions OF
thanks. He was surprised and discon-
certed when the woman said:
doesn't wuk for nuthin', sah.' Catlin
said, heartily: of course not. How
much for boiling the potatoes? To
, which the woman answered, without
hesitation: Three dollars, sah.
: This was a sumner, but Catlin was
( equal to the occasion.
; e.. HE fished out of his pockets a con
e federate postage stamp and ten-cent
y note federal money!, and rendered
e the collection to the boiler of potatoes
n Unexpectedly she accepted with eager
t ness, and Catlin brought the boilet
It potatoes to headquarters, where tn
e officers mess had feast. / never hat
e. been as potato hungry as L was Of
l. that occasion, and | never tasted any
t. thing quite as good as those boile
e. potatoes, eaten with a scant ration G
+ salt in the streets of Milledgevill'
e. Catlin insisted that the old colore
| woman gave llllIl d nttNOuS Nliill NhS
re she demanded three dollars for boi
10 ing the potatoes but he soon divine
Iy that she spoke at random, scarcel
er knowing the difference between dollar
e. and cents.
~. Before that campaign was ov'
| Catlin and his chum were capture
d. One wore a pair of nearly new boo
i'd. and the other a pair of nearly ne
to shoes They knew that the re
en- would levy on the boots and sho
lid as soon as an inventory was take
in and during the night they concoct
nd scheme. The next morning Gait
Ize. wore one boot and one shoe, and
ad- comrade wore one shoe and one bo
si- "The exchange gave them the
pearance of job lot, who, in
t tremity, had picked up minated TO
md gear and neither was molested. Th
oh we're exchanged little later, and
1ne soon as released Catlin wore two bo
and as good as new and his partner t
the shoes. The rebel guards didn't KIN
lin what had happened to give tn
the prisoners a more genteel appearal
He until the matter was explained
for them, and then, with look at tn
he own well-worn shoes, they failed
ing express their appreciation of
no trick."-Chicago Inter Ocean.