Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-01-06

deceive the house and senate VI INV
United States, answered with lie to d.
rect inquiries as to the employment OF
the lobbyist and his expected pay
have been a Methodist for so years and
nothing has ever so completely strained
! nv confidence in our church leaders as
those falsehoods and that deception. The
end of 1t is not yet, because church
must be a clean institution or suffer in
more ways than one. The lobbying in
Indian affairs bids fair to be the next
sensation in congress. There are sharp
tricksters who aim to amass fortunes
by deceiving the Indians. Perhaps it IS
always to be expected. nevertheless
these outrages are humiliating TO dis
cover
/ NY clock is ON the stroke of 6 and the
| old year, 1910, will go out when it strikes
u tonight Whatever of good and what
lever of i'll that we have done In the
il last II months will be complete or be-
lyond redemption at thar hour 1t be-
longs to past and has lapsed into a
memory My mind goes back to war
times that last fateful winter of 1S64-65
We were refugees, living IN the edge OF
Jones county, few miles from the city
of Macon: the lonely shelter we procured
when we fled before General Sherman s
advancing army, when shelters were
knowing scarce and the difficulties
were very many.
1 The year had been full of excitement,
many trials. .Stoneman's cavalry raid
passed over us, and while the federal
troops attacked Macon, we were afflicted
with the ravages. and overrun with ma
RAIDERS for a day anc night When
sherman destroyed Atlanta later on and
began his march to the sea, we were
driven from home, near town on the
Georgia railroad, and for three weeks
we were racing around trying to get
back to our temporary lodging place, pc
tween Clinton and Macon. The confu-
sion, the destruction, the anxiety OF that
year are indescribable, put at last Sher-
man had gone through to Savannah, and
we crept back to the on-s home we had
in sight where the main question was
the securing of enough to eat to keep
going at all.
1t was the gloomlesf Christmas that
Georgia had ever experienced since Brit
ish troops had occupied sne Georgia coli
ony, and the future was full OF dark
and ominous forebodings. There was con-
siderable dissension among our own lead
ers az, to the comduc- or our military
affairs The conscript law had been car
ried out relentlessly. Old men and boys
were. being pressed into service The
tension was fierce and dangers were
looming up all the time We were glad
to go to bed without alarms-we were
lvigilant although helpless.
| The country was full /of negroes and
white men were scarce.
The last day of 1864 was Sunday, and
quiet in that remote farm house. we
had no glass windows, but we fastened
the big shutters ON the inside, said our
prayers and went TO sleep.
/ Sometime before midnis.t was awak-
ened by series of taps on one OF these
shutters near the head of the bed, ana
directly / recognized the whispered voice
! of the colored boy who waited in the
house. When he got inside, in the dark,
he told us there was an awful row go,
ing on down at the negro quarter where
some of the negro men had been gam
bling all night and one had cut another
and he was bleeding to death. Gladly
wounded, but he lived.)
! We started a fire, dressed, and watched
until daylight, and woulc not have been
surprised at any sort of attempted vio-
lence before morning.
1 The darkey boy crept outside again, for
fear he might be missed and suspected
of going to the big house.
Although we were not molested, can
never forget that vigil, where I watched
an old year go out and new year come
in, with my heart IN my mouth, so to
speak, and ready to scream when the
least noise outside was heard.
!, Tonight, As years later, lifetime in
Itself. / am watching the clock, to bid
.adieu to the old year, l5I0-and to well
leone In the new year. 1911.
! How different How blessed the changel
Peace, plenty. quiet, good home, good
ineighbors, and able to Thank merci-
full Heavenly Father for preserving care
and merctes,
| All who were near me during that long
wretched night, have gSre to death-or
far away from my knowledge and mflu-
sence-and there comes to my mind a de-
sire to say to all our readers, that the
blessing of civil and religious liberty Is
not appreciated as it deserves to be.
i We should be the most rejoicing peo-
pie under the shining sun, that we are
free to lie down and rise up. and that
there are none to annoy or make us
afraid.
| Shall we not incline our hearts to the
duty of patriotism in the years to come,
and can we not truly thank our Maker
that the year 1911, with it's forceful be-
ilongings. is coming toward us. with a
smiling face and glad promise for the flu
Il ure7
| 1t is great thing to 1--we in land of
glorious freedom and unlimited oppor-
H.