Evening journal., 1909-01-30
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Pilgrim S Progress" T"
J, . go

ciation.l
One day soon after the close Of the
civil war, while in Savannah, Ga,
drifted into a secondhand bookstore
in search Of something with which
to while away the time during an en-
forced soiourn in that city. While
there the proprietor told me this
story:
zone day during the summer Of
1868 Tom Clark, a man whom we
knew to be opposed to secession, but
who had always lived here and pro-
posed to stay he said, at least till
the Union was restored, came into
this store and began nosing among
my books. He said he wanted some
thing for an old aunt Of his who took
no interest in anything except religion.
I had Baxter's Saints Rest Head
leys Sacred Mountains Pilgrims
Progress and several others the names
Of which / hive forgotten. He told
me that he would like to take the lot
TO his aunt. let her pick out those sine
fancied and he would bring back the
rest, paying for those he kept. let
him take all be wanted, and he went
away with them. In a few days he
came IN and paid for all except Pill
grim's Progress. which he returned,
saying that his aunt had a copy and
had read It through many times. Be
Sides, he added, the book is too heavy
for an old woman to hold anyway.
The covers alone must weigh a pound
"Soon after tliis a mulatto came into
the shop banded me scrap Of paper
with the words Pilgrims Progress
written on it and asked If l had the
book. saying that his mistress, who
lived on a plantation between here
and Augusta. had sent him for IL.
showed him the book. but he said he
couldn't read and asked II there were
any pictures in II. | showed him pic
lures OF the giant Despair. Apollyon
the Celestial City and other lllustra-
tions, which satisfied him. for his mis-
tress, II seemed, had told him that In
this way he might identify the book.
He paid me $40 for 1t in Confederate
money-less than a dollar I'm green
Somehow or another the darky ex-
cited my distrust While ! had been
at the other end Of the store had
caught sight Of him turning the pages
of "Piigrlm's Progress" as though hC
was reading It. When ] joined him
asked him II he wasn't deceiving me
about not being able to read, but he
denied doing so with all the voluble
$40 de Lordsw and "On ma wo'd OF
honahsi" for which the colored race
are noted. However, didn't care
whether he could or couldn't read, and
Eve minutes after he had gone ! for
got all about him.
There were a few Yankee prisoners
Of war in this town at the time who
had been captured the autumn before
at a big fight that had occurred on the
railroad between here and Charleston
! They were cohhped in the jail that
| had always been used for criminals
/ Captain Dan Mobray, popinjay, had
charge Of them. and he boasted that Il
any Yank could break jail when he
was IN command he was welcome tc
do so. he had a theory that most es
canes Of prisoners are effected by some
one smuggling in to them articles te
assist them in getting away, so he
wouldn't let any one get near then
without being Grst searched.
Despite Captain Dams precautions
one fine morning when the guard wen'
to feed the prisoners he found every
mothers son Of them had gone during
the night. All the bars necessary t
their escape had beeh sawed through
when CaptNin DAM came to the jai
and saw wnat had been done he liked
to have had a ft. lie summoned every
one who had had access 10 the prison
crs-there were only two or three per
sons in all-and questioned them close
ly. but gaincd no clew. Never was
man more puzzled. He cursed an'
swore. and if any Of the Hanks hat
remained think he would have tor
-urcd them 20 make them tell how IN
,ools had been smuggled into the jai
What bothered hita most was that b.
vas satisfied that no person who ha'
gisltcd the prisoners had done IN
smurgling. A few eatables had beei
cent IN, but they bad all been so care
-ully examined that by no possibiiit it
souid they have contained tools. Frot
somethlng l heard during the tai
about tie escape I got on TO a clew.
what heard was this: Only one NJ
dele cxcept food had been sent 10 th
prisoners. A pious old lady living u
tho river had sent them copy OF bni
vans "Pugslm's Progress. But N
book had been well shaken and car
exercised that nothing should be cor
ccaled between the lcavec u was nc
suspected that the bool: had containe
saws or files The only singular pai
OF this matter was that the prisoner