The National tribune., 1905-11-02

knew the location Of the former road
but had not seen 1t that day. They
took me In charge, gave up the chase
for the women and turned back toward
RAYMOND. Having proceeded about q
| mile we came upon three other scouts
| having in custody three prisoners.
These prisoners were Tom Heelon
Tom Reynolds and Ed Rankin, machin-
lists. making their way from Mobile to
st. Louis. The two women I met were
the pretended wives Of Heelon and
Reynolds. Rankin afterwards told me
| that Heelon and Reynolds were not
| married to the women. Those three
men had been working for the Con-
| federate Government in Mobile.
1t is now 40 years past, and 1 can
| not remember whether it was the first
or second night Of our captivity that
tinctly that when within 10 miles OF
Raymond we four prisoners were very
tired, and in passing a plantation where
a negro was hauling sweet potatoes
with a mule and two-wheel cart, we
asked him what he would charge to
haul us to Raymond.
Wreck of the Mule Express.
After considerable bargaining we
persuaded him to take us in the cart to
Raymond for $40, being $40 each. We
paid him before we started. We pu,
lWo dCTOSS Tic cart, 11SGlOu dHO
Rankin sat on the rear seat, Reynolds
with the negro on the front seat, with
his feet resting on the shaft, and / sat
down in the bed Of the cart, behind. We
approached Raymond after dark. There
is little hill the road ascends there
and the driver got down to walk. When
we REACHED the level road at it's top he
climbed up while the mule was walk
ing, and in doing SO touched the mule
accidentally, and started him on the
run.
When he got the mules speed down
to something like 45 miles per hour
l jumped out and Topped over like an
acrobat in circus, and about the time
stopped rolling the cart struck a post
which was on the corner Of the road,
or street, to keep vehicles Off the side
walk, and in the words Of our chariot
knockermost,' hurting the driver
slightly, and Tom Reynolds severely
we thought for a while seriously. We
picked him up and carried him into a
house and got doctor. He was
bruised about the shoulders and his
head cut: They bathed him and
dressed his head with courtplaster; and
the negro, after catching his mule,
came back to see how many of his
passengers were killed.
Penned With Rebels.
Our guards look us INTO the WOOuS,
where there was a small portion of
LOrings Division in camp, so they
could rest and get fresh men to guard
us.
1t was late in the evening of the
fourth day after leaving Gen. Leggett's
tent that l was landed in the third story
of the Masonic Temple at Canton. in a
hall about 25 or 80 feet wide by about
65 feet in length. There were all sorts
of prisoners in there. They were
bringing men In every day, and they
were taking them out at about the
same ratio, to be put into the army.
The town was under martial law, and
all the prisoners Of the place were put
in that hail. civil and military.
There were never less than 65 pris-
oners in there at any time. There were
three men in the hall under death sem
tence and there were seven or eight
Yankees in there for two days and
nights, but l steered clear of them, CIV
ing them the middle of the road"
Our prison food was corn bread and
soup. The soup would be served in
two large pots; sometimes In one pot
and one slop-bucket. There being no
dishes of any kind. each man would
get chunk Of corn bread, about a
half pound, walk up and dip 1t in the
soup. which was sitting on the floor,
and step back and let some one else
get dip.
For the first four days did not eat