The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 1905-1908, 1908-04-15
webb. Miss. March 8


C., 70 write some experiences aarl
the sixties for the Mississippi pap
realizing that our work Is promnfea
love and truth" e behooVes us 10
sist in establishing a history Of far
This is my apology for the onerlne.
very personal as L has 70 be on
count OF location, ] cannot rehea|
those terrible realities without
most an Outburst Of thanksgiving d
war Is over with as.
Let every wOman's hearth. north
south, echo this reminder, Lord {
OF hosts, be with as yet, lest we foTl
lest we forget" the horrors OF VI
Lifting the curtain, we 20 back to
border counties Of Missouri for Z,
story. jackson and Cass, the great
sufferers, comprised Of southern faf
lies, beautiful homes. broad acrea
fine land, stocked with thoroughbrs
in every domestic line.
We see them devastated, fens
down, stock driven on or shot. hou :.
barns and every vestige OF house, en-
chicken coops, burned. The menili
gone and many beneath the sod Sd
places Of burial az any unknown e.
iHpSssd -0l2es> The wives and qnltf.
were given ten days In which 70 ~.
their escape IN thnf Nnuman
known as Nell's Orldar so. II.
remember one bleak october
1868 a dilapldated two wheel Ii n
peared in front Of our Tome drawnby
two oxen, or yearlings as they wee
An aged man riding d pony, an old
lady shaking with palsy. so thinly lad
she was nearly frozen, two retr
young girls walking completed the ou-
Mt A thrilling story of how they gail
cred the little they then possessed q
debris from the burning and destruc
ton of their once lovely home Thii
was sufficient to iEsTfe shelter. The
problem was bow 70 supply food for s.
many. which was quite an item az tha'
time with the writer. Our farm vas Il
Lafayette county, twenty-five miles ea9
from Lexington. the county seat where
a regiment Of federal soldiers (undel
Col McFerTen) we're stationed We
had no terror of Col McFerren. Il was
often jokingly said that he and Guam
.rel's band of Confederate guarrillas
played games between fights on the
opposite side of the Missouri river
Unfortunately we were only six miles
rom Concordia, where a company Of
federal home guards. so-called, erected
1 fort and fOraged from our place and
others. At the time of my husbands
departure with Gen. Joe Shelby in the
all of go we had 500 barrels of corn,
Xix large Oat stacks, several hundr ID
bushels of wheat In the barn, which
vas duly appropriated by that galls Of
land. | was called to the sick bed 81
ny mother, ten miles in the count j.
During my absence they not only
lauled with their own teams, as they
lad been doing. but had our negroes
Ind wagons with OK teams busily
soing. They also robbed the house Of
comforts, blankets. quilts, my hts.
. ...l,r = soi,,- " sh e &c.
oiled up, leaving orders 70 bring with
he next load. but a heavy rain storm
Right here is a case Of
legro fidelity that is worthy OF men.
ion. Lewis, our foreman on the place
walked after night ten miles through
mud up to his knees most of the way
o tell me what those fellows were
loing- The POOR negroes seemed to
eel so troubled because they could not
prevent the robbery. We could only
20 on an OK cart. because the roads
we're bottomless. 1t took us Ave hours
o get home. That afternoon | rode
horseback four miles to Mr.. VIM. Prigg-
nore's, a Union man, broad in princi-
de, granting to others the privilege ne
ook for himself of differing in thought.
lie had been a staunch friends and pro
ector TO our husbands in the neigh
lorhood and so ready to advise their
wives. / requested him to 90
With me to Lexington to see Col. Ne
Terrin and report those thieves. He
said. Il will go. You could
lot stand that long horseback ride
,ver these roads" He went and an
rider was issued forbidding any pass
ng to or from Concordia. Davis creek
icing the dead line" After this kind.
less we had no more thieving. but
,ften fed soldiers and Witnessed Skin
nishes between bushwhackers and
ederal scouts, which my refugees thor
,ughly enjoyed. | must say for them
hey proved very useful and cOmpan-
enable to me. as / was entirely alone
With two babies, and the negroes my
lnly home protectors. AS l write the
iweet songs of those dear girls echo
n memory, especially our favorites
Dixie" and I'm a Poor Rebel and Far
from My Home" Mr. Fitzpatrick, tAe
ather, succeeded in getting a smsl|
school, which aided them.
found the dear old lady useful hs
mother and grandmother IN our little
lone. But the question of bread be.
anne alarming, as my larder was
'mpty. However, the plan that vas
,racticed during Christ's life vas
idOpted by our neighborhood. Those
Who had kindly divided. as did our
riend. Mr.. Priggmore, giving wheat
nd corn.
Hearing that the mills adjacent we're
nder martial law because of the re-
'ort Of Price raid. two women and
myself went in an OK cart twenty-five
niles to Touring mills. This trip
vas tedious because of our load and
he condition of the roads. II was after
light when we arrived ! was suffer
ng with a severe sick headache. Mr..
'ivian. the owner Of the mill. being
sked for directions 70 a hotel took us
D his spacious home. The wife and
aughter kindly administered to our
omfort. The third day, starting for
ouna oulrfng for ottr hill - charua