Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-10-25
an old negress. He did not hesitate,
but entered and said:

| Oil O4o Cos liz ALASA A1OL AASS-AeANN'
but entered and said:
"Aunty, I've escaped from Anderson
vile. I'm Union soldier; I want you
| to hide me until night, at least; I'll
| pay you well for it"
The old woman took him into low,
dark loft, going through a very small
| trapdoor, and covered him with some
| refuse cotton which she had stored
there, and as she was doing this she
| said:
Honey, Use takin' a powahful risk
TO- you; eff dey finds you dey'l jis nat
ally lam de life outen 20 ole aunty !;
but youse de bawn image of my young
massa dat died when / was a gyrul,
you talks jis' lax him, an I'm boun' to
hep you out eff it's in de wood to do 1t.
Now yo' Jis lay low an keep quiet; no
mattah what yo' heahs, don't yo' come
out ontil youse onkivered, an II yo'
does come out, yo' come a-shootin', be-
kaise yous sh' to be killed eff dey
kotches yo' and yo' might jis' as well
take a few of 'em wild you as to go
over de river by yo' lone se'f. Don't
yo' fergit it, honey, come a-shootin.'
All that day Dave lay in his narrow
quarters, suffering intensely from the
heat. He saw and heard parties pass,
and heard some of them question the
old negress, but none of them entered
| the cabin. 1t seemed to him all OF
them knew her, and none had suspl-
cion she would shelter all escaped pris-
oner This last party he saw, through
the chinks in the clapbcards, was re-
turning toward Andersonville; he
could bear the soldiers talking as they
passed, and he heard some of them say
they believed they were on the wrong
track. and that he had gone in differ
ent direction.
About 10 o'clock, the old negress
whose name, she told him, was Phyllis
came up and told him he had better
get out, as if the search should be re
newed the next day he might be dis
covered, to his destruction and to her
ruin. When he came down she told
him to wash his face, neck, hands and
arms in a basin Of some fluid which
she set before him, cautioning him at
the same time not to allow it to get
into his eyes, and telling him it would
make his skin darker in color. She
also gave him other clothes and diff
ferent hat, and at last handed him a
small bottle, saying:
Honey dis yer bottle am full O red
pepper; keep it dry, an eff yo' fine dat
de blOOdhOun's am after you, before
dey comes in sight of yo', sprinkle
some of it in yo' tracks, an when dey
shifts dat ar stuff into der noses it am
all up wild dem houn's TO dat day
Don't yo' fergit to remember what 70
ole aunty am a-tellin' yo.'
She gaxe him the first full meal he
had had for months, and another tied
up in a red handkerchief, and direc
lions to certain negro living about
twenty miles away. Dave gave her one
hundred dollars in Confederate money
she refused greenbacks, saying if she
were seen with Yankee currency in hel
possession she would be compelled tc
explain how she got it, and it would
cause her much trouble to do so.
Dave left the cabin and walked al
the rest of the night, at length reach
ing the cabin of the negro to whom
Aunt Phyllis had sent him. Here he
was treated kindly, remained two days
and nights, and the negro went will
him during a part of the day on which
he resumed his journey, at length turn
ing him over to an old negro with IN
structions where he should be taken
but before he left the cabin of the for
mer negro he was again directed tt
wash in a fluid Of similar appearance
to that which he had used in Aun
Phyllis cabin.
Without entering into circumstan
tial detail of his journey, it will be
sufficient to say that, with the help OF
the negroes, who everywhere We've
kind. reliable and trustworthy, ready
to share their humble cabins and theil
food with him, Dave at last reached
the lines Of the Federal army, and he
has been heard to say that never il
his life did he feel SO thankful as ht
did when he saw the Stars and Stripes
floating in the heavens found his owl
regiment, reported himself as a pris
oner escaped from Andersonville, anC
received furlough Of sixty days anC
transportation to his home in Missouri
At the end of the period Of his fur
Tough he returned to his regiment anG
served out his time Of enlistment, ant
when the war was over year or more
he went back to Andersonviile anf
found old Aunt Phyllis, whom he per
suaded to return with him to his OWL
home, where he provided for her as
though she had been his mother, an(
when she died in 1882, she had a f1oot
of tears wept over her by Dawes whole
family, and he himself, strong man as
he was, wept as though she had beer
his nearest relative; and there in 6
little graveyard-they don't call them
cemeteries out there-she rests beneath