The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-02-10
A SOLDIER OF GREENE.
THE PATRIOT GEE. AND HIS
BRAVE WIFE.
Interesting Incidcs<s I'm the Life Of a
Fayetteville Eanzly - Their Last
Resting Piace-IItampi of David
Reid as Governor Of North Csrn-
Ifna-


t For The Messenger.
Riding in she country ~est OF Fay
etteviile a short time siacs, I passed
the excessive Zellmore trsck farms:
II when opposite bat section devoted
to the beautiful dewberry crop, 1 r.
called the fact that Just there, jill a
I tall two-story frame-house set on he
crest Of a small hill. once dwell \ MAJ
OF remarkable eharacterJarneS Gee.
Uncle Jimmy Gee" as his friends ia
miliarly but a~ffeetionately called him.
His was no common ancestry either,
Tor his forbears had their share in'n,ak-
nag the history Of their country. This
elder Gee. father of the subject OF this
sketch, was a solsler Of the Revolution.
in the army of General Greene, and
gaS, if l mistake not, at the battle OK
Guilford Court House. He was after
wards a friend and warm a~dherentIsf
Nathaniel Macon, then a young hHt
already prominent nam, and was, ike
Macon, a bitter opponent OF Federal
ISM L do not know whether Dr. not the
old Continental soldier i've to the
time of William Barry Grove, the Fed
eralist member of Congress from the
Fayetteville district for many years;
but, if he did, we may be sure that he
did not support or vote, for Grove.
Like stern, sturdy old General Dolpn
Davis, of whom l wrote to the Messen-
ger some months ago., the patriot Gee
had a. wife worthy of him, and who,
barring the actual ~Shou1dering OF a
musket, did all in her power to advanc
the cause of American independence.
Il is SAID that the evening before Gee
started from home to join army, a
neighbor, going to the house, foun1
Mrs. Gee. like Mrs. Peggy O'Dowd in
Thackery's vanity Fair brushing
the uniform, and furnishing up the old
fire lock&af her martial husband, while
the tears ran down her cheeks. The
neighbor asked why, IL 1t grleVed her
so much, she let her husband go. CO.
she exclaimed, "he shall go. He belongs
to his country, and I'd poison his coffee
if he didlnot go!" During the absence
Of her husband on the field the Gee
house was a harbor of refuge to the
Wing, pursued and oppressed, for Mrs.
Gee hated a Tory worse, il possible.
than she did a British soldier. The
Tories harried and vexed and robbed
her; buzz. Gsw and then ste got the
best of both Tory maruder and British
invader.
One morning. while the army IF
CORVALLIS was marching through this
section, Mrs. Gee vas intention house.
hold CANES in her kitchen, when SIZE
was startled by the entrance of an
armed negro in British uniform, who
ord cred her to cook breakfast for h!nl.
There vas no resisting the command.
for she VAS alone in the house, and
on the PREMISES were only two or three
o,, a0rnn Shn cot ahINt nrpn4r-
ing the, meal, making it as elaborate
as pos sble, in order to secure delay;
and, while it was cooking, sine mauag-
ed 10 slip out, and gave this message
to an Intelligent negro boy: Run TO
John Lomax, and tell him to come
here just as quick as he cag1, ana 10
come with his gum" But it seemed 10
her that bread and meal never baked
so ias1 . before and do what she would
the negro all the while urging her
with brutal words to hurry up-she
was obliged to dish up the o But
just as her uuwelcome guest had seat
ed hi x1self az the table, IFS musk@t
across his knees, John Lomax strobe
through the door, and presented a gun
at his head. Lomax kept the British
negro captive till all the army of Corn
wallis had passed, and therEagave him
CD to the patriot authorities at Fey-
ettevGie.
John LOnaX was a free negro thor
0ughly im5ue3 with the patriotic san
timests of his white friends and neigh
bora. and devoted all his life TO the
Gee-family. His son. also nEned John
livt4 until some time after the civil
wa- and I lave often seen him on the
str .ets of Fayetteville. He was much
given to drink, and was disorderly and
gu zTrelsome~ when intoxicated. He
would go staggering out ofrtown, over
HsyTnount N his way to his home IN
Serenty-Ffrst township, muttering 10
himself: Yes, drunken John Lomax;
fighting JOHN Lomax; but honest John
Lomax, for all that!" He prided MINI
self on his honesty, and those h
knew him acknowledged that he was
honest.
One day Mrs. Gee was raided by a
band of Tories, having with them a
squad of Wing prisoners, and they
commanded her to prepare dinner for
them. Leaving their captives in the
yard, SO securely bound that there was.
they thought, no chanc Of their escdp-
ing. they all entered the house. Ms. |
Gee placed an excellent dinner on the
table: AMI, while the raiders were do
ing foil: justice to 1t, she dashed oTt
into the yard with a carving knife and
in a Nash cut the cords OF the Wings,
who, with only time for a wave Of I'VE
hand in gratitude, were out of sight in
an instant
When the Tories trooped u Of she
house. wiping from their mouths he
unctuous signs OF .heir good cheer,
they were so much enraged at tine es-
caps, OF the Wings that hey threatened
to burn the Gee dwelling to the grou,.d,
but their leader, whipping out his 2.s-
ssl. swore hat ne '1honored the: damn
ed Wing Woman,s pluck. and that ne