The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-03-07
By WORTH WOODBURY.


There has never been and never will
be again any such life as existed OF
the southern plantation up to the pc
Rod when the system of slavery ceas
ed to exist. In many respects It wal
an ideal life. Its pleasanter features
were more pronounced in Virginia thai
in any other state. it having beef
the first of the colonies and planted
by the cavaliers of England. Two
hundred years later their descendant.
formed unique people. The planta
ton was patriarchal institution. The
planter stood in the place of the pa
triarch, his children constituted this
next grade, the negro house servants
the next, and lastly came the field
hands.
The children Of the planter were ed
ucated In accordance with the some
what lofty ideas of their English an
cestors who lost their cause at Naseby
some two centuries before. The young
men lived an out of door life anG
mostly in the saddle The young wo
mems duties consisted largely in visit
ing the negroes on the plantation anG
ministering to their wants. There
was no actual work done except by the
negroes. and they were not overwork
ed. The plantation supported every
one on it and was administered usual
ly with justice to all
saw the end of this system not as
a part of it. but as a participator In
the military struggle by which 1t fell
The plantation on which the incidents
narrated in this story occurred is now
divided into thirty parts. Even the
beautiful grounds in which the manor
house stood and still stands. slowly
rotting away. are covered with potato
vines. and the immense trees that
shaded the roof from the hot southern
sun have been cut down for firewood.
One afternoon-it was In 1927 car
ried from a battlefield to this manor
house a brother officer who had beer
wounded. 1t was then as 1t always hai
been. but was not to be in future
Two soldiers carried the wounded maj
on stretcher through an avenue Of
trees to the front veranda and SCI
down the stretcher. while stalked In
side. A qnadroon house servant re
ceived me asked for the owner Of
the premises
''What is ii. Clariee?"
The voice came from person on the
second story and seemed to roll melo
diously down the great winding stair
case When | first heard the opening
strains of annie Laurie" fell in love
with the song, and when heard these
words. what is 1t, ClariceY" fell II
love with the unseen voice.
81 have brought young officer"
said, ''from the fight going on over the
river He Is badly wounded. Can yor
not find 1t in your heart to take him
in? He would die If left on the field"
AS spoke girl Of twenty. perhaps
came down the staircase Alas! she
was the last of long line of refined
danes who had passed up and down
that same staircase, built In England @
hundred and fifty years before HeI
complexion was that olive white mixed
with vermilion which was often to be
found among these highborn women
of the south She castsa quick glance
at the limp form. the pale face lying
on the stretcher. and her features were
TRANSPORTED to express profound pity
This way" she said and. turning
opened door that led to a chamber
on the ground floor. We followed
ordered the men to set down the
stretcher. and one of them assisted me
to lift the wounded man on to the bed
Then. telling the invalid that would
be back as soon as possible. left him
We were members of the same staff
and went at once to our general and
reported what had done He directed
me to find surgeon If possible and
take him with me to Kirkwood-
wounded comrade-and remain with
him until he was out of danger OF
dead | reminded the general that II
would not do TO ask a surgeon to go to
one from so many who needed him.
and he said he would send me one as
soon as be could be spared.
1t was week before we could
form any opinion as to Kirkwood's
recovery During that time my gen
erals headquarters were not far from
the Rutledge manor house where Kirk
wood lay. and ! was with the invalid
a good deal of the time. Ny presence
there was really unnecessary. for the
women of the family-the men were
all in the Confederate army-could not
have taken better care Of a son or q
brother. Lillian Rutledge who had
thrilled me with her voice before had
even seen her and afterward by her
personnel. was unconsciously leading
me to -fraudulentIy let the general be-
lieve that Kirkwood needed me.
fear ! wished my friend might lie
there hanging between life and death
till the war was over. but unfortu.
nately for me the surgeon at last said
he could be moved. and was Obliged
to move with him.
While he was there a medical direc-
tor looked at the house with a view to
taking it for a hospital. Miss Rut-
ledge showed him through the rooms,
l accompanying them. One room Miss
Rutledge at first declined to open and
on being pressed to do so told the
medical officer that II could not be
used. It required a deal Of prodding to
induce her to tell why. The reason
finally drawn from her was that the
room was haunted and any sick mar
put in 1t would be frightened to death
The officer decided against using tbs
house for the purpose, and had
caught the infection of curiosity. a:
soon as he had gone began to ques
ton Miss Rutledge about the haunted
room. She told me that during the
early part Gf the eighteenth century
one of her ancestors had been murder
ed there. He had married the daughter
Of neighboring planter. She loved
came to the house, and during an alter
cation between him and the husband
in this room the latter had been stab
bed there. Since then every one who
had tried TO sleep in the chamber haC
been driven out by the appearance Of
the murdered man.
The most natural thing in the world
for lover is to try to make hero
of himself. Virginia was full Of mill
tary heroes. and as such l was merely
one of thousands. resolved to dc
what ! could to show my courage by
sleeping in the haunted room. Miss
Rutledge begged me not to try it since
the last person who did was thrown
into fever which. being followed by
other symptoms. finally carried him of
l was resolute, because in the first
place l believed haunted chambers
to be myth. and in the second
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