The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-07-30

Ouf greatest lear Ill travelling
westward, was the danger Of running
up with Gen. Stoneman, Of the Fed
eral army, who was on a raid from
east Tennessee, with ten thousand
horsemen, through North Carolina.
We had heard of this movement-of
yStoneman connecting with Gen. Sher-
man-before we left camp, but in
tended to dodge him, if possible. For
tunately for US, the raid was called
off as soon as Johnston surrendered,
| but the pickets were continued at all
fords to arrest soldiers without pa
roles.
have no remembrance Of counties
but in passing Salem, the seat Of the
great female college Of the South At
lantic States, curious thing happen
ed to me, something I could never ac-
count for on any hypothesis. While
scouting on the Salkehatchie, in the
coast regions Of this State, we passed
one night through deserted little
hamlet. Every living soul seemed to
have left, black and white. In passing
out Of town, some one looked back
and discovered a light in one OF the
deserted dwellings. Going back eau
tiously, We discovered woman IN
one of the back rooms with light,
! apparently looking for something
about the bed. We asked admittancer
which was readily granted by the wo-
man and searched the house from bot
tom to top. She seemed to be cultured
and very polite and not the least ruf~
fed by our nocturnal visit, but she
would give no reason why she was
there alone. She was very uneon-'
cerned and gave us to understand that
! it was none Of our business. The
little town was about three or four.
miles from the Yankee camp, and was
entirely ont of the zone Of our army:
We questioned her very closely, but
she would give no explanation. We
left and started up the street, but
could see her still hunting something
about the bed or in the room. Tom
Paysinger, the closest observer and
best scout I ever knew, said:
"Boys, there is man in that
house, and I am going to find him.
He went up in the garret. in every
closet, crawled under the house and
in the outhouses, but no man was
discovered.
Passing through Salem, or Wins
ton-Salem, as it is now called, early
in the night, when the moon was
shining as bright as day, as we pass
ed a large building, with a double
piazza, 1 saw the woman Of the Sake
hatchie. 1t had not been more than
six weeks since I saw her there. She
was standing with group Of ladies
on the upper balcony, watching our
troops go by. To make sure that she
was the same lady, I went close under
the balcony and hailed her. She was
as much surprised as at our meet
ing, and to my question, "What are
YOU doing here?" she replied, "And
what are you doing here?" I never
could account for it. She was four
or five hundred miles from where l
first saw her, and there were no rail-
roads running to Salem at that time.
I figured it out in this way: She was,
perhaps, Northern lady, who had
come South in her young days to be
educated at this aristocratic lnstltu-
ton of learning, had married North
ern soldier, and he had come South
with Sherman and was stationed TOR
some weeks near the hamlet on the
Salkehatchie. She had joined her hus-
band and this was the only place near
the camp where he could put her.
Then when the great Northern move
ment began, she thought of some Of hs<A
former professors or former school,
mates. and had asked the benefit Of
their hospitality, until times got
quiet. This is the only explanation I
could ever give.
In travelling through North Caro-
lima We passed through the most fer
tile portion Of the State, and the
hospitality Of the women was un-
bounded. We kept in regular order
while marching, no struggling being
allowed, only small parties being per-
mitted to stop at time to allow the 4
ladies to get them something to eatA