The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-07-01
LETTER FROM Mr.. GOWN TON


DttNtuoANitr - Jhh' -
heard Hon. Vim. i. Jones TRADE
AGAINST Senator ThOs. $ Martin over
a We ago. but did not think
singlo sentence OF his worth record
ing. consequently did not write you
OF il.
! visited G. Jones Rix y last Fri
day aud Satucday. lie seems TO be
perfectly well and al work. paint
ing a roof OF his sOn-in-law dwell
ing until il gets hot and then en-
ters his shop, working upon other
things He is on the farm known
as Hall Farm. owned by his son-in-
Jaw. Mr.. Frank Stearns. Jr.. who Is
ii bank. r at ROslyn. Va. This place
has about 500 acres and has many
portraits and hangings of de-
scnndanis OF Edgar Allen Poe. The
gr,af poet. who was hOnOred with a
monument lat, ly. This farm Is
about y miles from RaccOon Ford.
was camped upon ~ several months
during the sixties. and If / DO not
occupy too much of your spac' viii
tell you OF some of my war recollcc-
tons there. One Of our company
was bully. continually imposing
upon me-. challong, him FOR a
duel and he accepted ! proposed
We get second each. our carbin's
and pistols, step off so PAGES and
fire al each other until one fell,
which would satisfy me He ac-
cepted. and when We entered the
place he backed cut.
fully. and the day before the Cedar
Mountain fight u lot Of North Caro-
lima soldiers passed our camp. One
Of our men said, Say. Mister, give
me chaw Tobacco" The reply
came. Il got no barker. but as good
rOsin as you ever stuck a tooth on.
Another Of our men said, say. Mis-
ter, does your mamma know you are
from hOme?" The reply from the
Tarhecl was. Yes; she gave me 3
cents to buy monkey; are you for
sale?" Well. there was such a thun-
doTing applause it echoed and re-
echOred through those woods That
was the first time | ever heard that
slang.
Another remarkable instance oc-
CURED there One of our commits
stoned officers was always full Of
fun and pranks. so he gathered up a
few men, went opposite our camp,
deplOyed them. advanced upon our
camp and began firing blank cart
ridges. / tell you there was hust-
ling amongst us. The fellows came
near being court martialed. but as
tg. l.t OF fnhIn
again my mother and Aunt Susan
Phillips sent me and my cousin, VIII
ton. a great big lot of good things
to eat and | was so excited over IL
| jumped on my horse with only the
halter and bareback and rode to
Waterloo. clear through Culpeper
county, to tell my cousin, Wilton
Phillips. of it, | did not know the
distance. 1t was thirty miles. re-
turned the same day, making COL
miles | rode bareback on a horse
that day. Well, it made me so sore
| was unfit for duty for a long time. !
When these North Carolina SOL |
diers were passing our camp it was
the day before the Cedar Mountain
battle and many of those poor men
who wereso cheerful and happy that
day did not know ii was their last
on earth.
/ went from Mr.. Rixey's to Mr.. |
Bob Faulconer's and spent the night
They are happy, kind and hospital !
people. God bless them. From there
| went to Palmyra Methodist church |
of Orange Circuit to Children's Day
services. and how splendidly did
they carry out their parts. After
dinner went to hunt
the preacher. He was back OF the
church smoking an old pipe. He
then went into the church and took |
for the subject of an address Flow
ers." and he fairly raked the boys
for smoking cigarettes.
Goodbye.
T. r. Covington.