Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, February 22, 1888, Image 1

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lewis mc. grist, Proprietor. J Jfaiitgtitbtnf Jfantilg fUfospajifr: Jfor f|c ^roitiotion of tjjt ^ulrtical, Social, ^grinilfnral anil Commtrrial Jntmsfs of t()f .Soutl). TERMS?$2.50 A YEAR, IN ADVANCE. VOL. 3L " YOBKYILLE. S. C.. "WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1888. NO. 8. _ - . ; | " ~ _ i JWefted ?0et*g. THE LIFTED HEATIT. BY MARGARET E. SAXGSTER. Day by day I look above, Craving guidance, needing love. Day by day there comes to me Love and guiding, Lord, from thee. Night by night my lips repeat . Praises "for the moments sweet, When, for all the toil and strife, Heaven itself enfolds my life. Let me lose earth's dearest thing, Let my fairest hope take wing, I shall yet most blessed bo, Saviour, clinging close to thee. Jesus, better than the best, Heart's desire and royal guest, Make me more and more thy own, In my spirit raise thy throne. Day and night I lift above Praver for truidance. prayer for love. Night and clay there comes to me Love and guiding, Lord, from thee. So I tread the mortal way, Grace divine my strength and stay. Glow* the hidden name apart. DARING AND SUFFERING. A History of the Andrews Railroad Raid Into Georgia in 1862, The Most Heroic and Tragic Episodo of the Civil "War. Embracing a Fall and Accurate Account of the Secret Journey to the Heart of the Confederacy, the Capture of a Railway Train In a Confederate Camp, the Terrible Chase That Followed, and the Subsequent Fortunes of the leader and His Party. The expedition, in tho daring of its inception, had the wildness of a romance; while in the gigantic and overwhelming results it sought and was likely to obtain it was absolutely sublime.? Judos Advocate General Holt's Official Report. R was all the deepest laid scheme, and on tho grandest scale, that ever emanated from the brains of any number of Yankees combined.? The Southern Confederacy (Atlanta, Ga.), April 15,1SG2. Despite its tragic termination, it shows what a . handful of brave men could undertake in AmerI ica.?Comte de Paris' History or the Civil War i in America, voL 2, p. 187. PwTXTTT.T.TAlW PTTf PWrt'E'R. " ..... ? ? ; X MEMBER or THE EXPEDITION. [Copyrighted, 1887, by "War Publishing Co., N. Y., and published by arrangement with them. J INTRODUCTION. The following narrative is no "war romance" or "story founded on fact," but a genuine history, authenticated in every part, of real events far stranger and more thrilling than any fiction. The facts were investigated at the time by the order of Edwin M. Stanton, secretary of war, and as a result the official war records, now being published by government, contain fuL proof of every material allegation. In the first series of that work, tenth volume, part first, and beginning ou page 630, will be found the official reports of Judge Advocate General Holt, Maj. Gen. Buell and CoL Lee, of Atlanta: together with statements by surviving members of the expedition and by Confederate Gens. E. Kirby Smith, Braxton Bragg, the Confederate secretary of war, Gen. Randolph, and the president, Jefferson Davis, with many others. I have used also my own recollections and phonographic notes and dates, jotted at the very time of the events, and am thus able to make a more life like picture than would otherwise be possible. I have only taken the liberty of passing more hastily over those events and explanations which, while necessary for a full understanding of the whole, are more in the ordinary line of military experience, in order that more space be given to those elements of tragedy and thrilling adventure in which this raid stands separate and unrivaled among all the many heroic deeds of the terrible struggle for maintaining the American Union. Not a single fictitious incident or an embellishment of fancy has been introduced. Wherever conjectures as to unknown motives or incidents have been hazarded they are clearly distinguished as such. CHAPTER I. THE ANDREWS RAID REACHES THE HEART OF THE CONFEDERACY. At Nashville, in March, 18G2, while Gen. D. C. Buell commanded the Army of the Ohio, a spy in his employ, J. J. Andrews, proposed to him to take eight men and destroy some of the principal bridges far to the south, on one or more important Confederate railway lines. Buell consented and gave the men; but though the daring spy took his men to Atlanta, Ga., the enterprise failed from the absence of a Confederate railroad engineer whose help h|id been promised. The men, with Andrews, succeeded in reaching the Union lines again in safety, at Murfreesboro a^id Shelbyville. These pomts were then under the command of Gen. O. M. Mitchel, the celebrated astronomer, who had been detached with 10,000 men from the army of Buell for the purpose of guarding Nashville on that side, and of indicting any injury in his power upon the e.iemy. The report of Andrews, who brought full information of the condition of the enemy south and east of Mitchel, probably condrmed the daring schemes he was already entertaining, and between them they arranged for the boldest push of the war. What they meant to do may best be inferred from what they actually did. Mitchel moved his whole division to Shelbyville, Tenn., and prepared to move rapidly and secretly upon the line of the enemy's communications d'rectly southward. To Andrews he gave authority to take from twenty-four to thirty volunteers ?probably a man from each company of the 2d, 21st and 33d Ohio regiments. The twenty-three of these who reported were dressed in ordinary suits in place of their uniforms, supplied with side arms only and with an abundance of Confederate money, and met their leader in a lonely wooded spot at night near the Union picket line. Here he directed them to break into small squads, and getting into the rough and unguarded country in the Cumberland range of mountains, proceed by unfrequented routes across the mountains to different stations on railroads far within the Confederate lines, where no guards were placed and where travel was as yet free and unrestricted by passports oro her dangerous formalities. Then it would be easy to reach any part of the south. If questioned while on the way &ey were to state that they were from Fleming county, Ky., on their way south io escape "Yankee" tyranny and to join A C Al* f U AMn A xm 1 tile ouuiiiciii akuij. Fleming county was tho home of Andrews, and there is a thread of tender and pitiful romance connecting it with his name which the writer learned on the spot from parties concerned many years after. Andrews loved, wooed and won a Kentttcky lady of that vicinity?Miss Elizabeth J. Layton?who, like himself, was an ardent Unionist. She was described to me by neighbors as not strikingly beautiful, but attractive and estimable. Before their marriage the war t broke out, and he entered soon afterward on his perilous business as a spy for the Federal army. To the southerners he represented himself as their friend, and carried over the line" V.from the Union r; side articles such ' as qui nine?of ' ' great value to miss layton them?thus driving a very profitable trade and furnishing them plausible excuse for his frequent passages from one side of the militaryline to the other. He gained the entire confidence of the southern officers, and was able to travel at his will through their territory. To the Union officers he reported all his operations and brought them information of priceless value. It was this acquaintance with the south | which alone rendered possible the daring : expeditions he meditated. But the dangerous business in which he was engaged was a great source of grief and apprehension to his promised bride; and through her persuasions he was induced to pledge her that when he succeeded in one more enterprise he wouldretire from the deadly dangers which are the daily company of a spy; and with that understanding their wedding day had been fixed for some date near the middle of June, 1862. The expedition which was to be his last was this raid upon which we were now engaged. The writer and the men with him, as well as the other squads, directed their course first eastward till well in the mountains, and then southward, meeting with few obsta- AagSSvi cles except almost ceaseless rain, 5?B<? iiratt-everywhere, jS ^jj. and ^ swol lcn IS ^ ^2^ stations west of JjL Mm that point on the *yjLii*fcL Jpl railroad were passage was taken on different trains ians gained us PPfVv^ ready hospitality. j. j. axdrews. Two of our number, however, were suspected, and as the readiest way out of their dilemma, joined the Confederate army?which we had all been expressly authorized to do in case of need, and which was the easier now, as the conscription was being relentlessly enforced, and it was assumed that all travelers who could not give a good account of themselves were fleeing from it. At Marietta we spent the night, intending to capture our train in the morning in a camp of the enemy's and making our way northward, burn the bridges, which constituted the object that had brought us more than 200 miles away from the nearest Union forces. But everything had worked well so far, and we were very hopeful. CHAPTER n. GEN. MITCHEL MAKES WAR WITI1 ASTRONOMICAL PRECISION. The promptness and celerity of the movement by which Gen. Mitchel surni-icnfl tKio momv In >ila frnnt. nnrl rlpnrprl the way for still greater enterprises was hardly, if at all, equaled by anything on the Union side during the whole contest. Pouring rain, flooded creeks and bridges swept away did not delay him a moment beyond his calculations, though they added enormously to the discomforts of the army under his command. Probably his scientific training was to some extent re sponsible for his appreciation of the value of minutes. Astronomers are accustomed to deal with the thousandth part of a second! and Mitchel, in his backwoods observatory, had invented instruments which made stellar records with more precision than any astronomer who had gone before him, and thus won world wide fame in this department. He carried the same qualities into the army. Leaving Shelbyville for a forced march the morning after the Andrews raid had started on its perilous way, and in exact time to secure the langest results from its co-operation?for its work was also to be done at a fixed period?he reached the vicinity of Huntsville before the enemy had the slightest intimation of his approach; then rousing his men at midnight by the light of the setting moon, he finished his march in the darkness, and came upon the sleeping town in the morning twilight, capturing everything?stores, messages, locomotives, trains and all the supplies of the railroad. This was a glorious triumph, but it was only the first of the three parts of which Mitchel's plan consisted, and he at once entered on the second. Friday, April 11 ?the very day on which we had reached Marietta?he arranged all affairs connected with the railroad management on a new basis, and started two trains loaded with troops right into the midst of the enemy's territory. The first went westward to possess all the road in that direction and to open communication with the armies of Buell and Grant, then at Pittsburg landing, which was successfully and promptly accomplished. The other, commanded by Mitchel in person, started directly eastward. How far it should go depended partly on the resistance met, but i still more on the news that might be re- ! ceived from the Andrews raiders. The little division of Mitchel presented on that j clouded Saturday morning a most active | and imposing spectacle to an eye capable ; of embracing it all. Three different railroad expeditions were rushing forward in rebel territory?fof ours was also j launched, and the other two, east and i west, were in full progress?while his reenforcements and the regiments which ; had been outmarched were closing up on i the central position at Huntsville. When Mitchel halted a short distance from Bridgeport, Ala., and only about thirty j miles from Chattanooga, he knew that j the greater part of his work was still j undone. The whole north was thrilled I by his success; he was made a | major general and congratulated by the president, and ordered to report directly to Washington; but he knew that the key of the enemy's position, the grand strategical position of the war, at least in the west, was still unwon. And he also knew that whether he could take and hold it | depended upon the degree of success with , which we met that day in disabling the , Georgia State and East Tennessee rail- ' roads. Could he capture Chattanooga at this early date, that town, which with its southward connections afterward cost scores of thousands of lives and around which struggled Rosecrans, Thomas, Grant, Sherman, Bragg, Longstreet, Johnston, Hood and their brave armies for two years of deadly conflicts' .Mitchel saw the value of this point, and before breaking camp at Shelby ville had sent our party to destroy the bridges on this road and the Chickaraauga bridge on the East Tennessee road, thus with his own ad- , vance from the west cutting oil all possi- ' blc succor and leaving Chattanooga, now 1 denuded of troops, at his mercy. He had now halted until he could hear what he had done. But one'mistake already bad been made. We were to strike the bridges on Friday, the very day that Mitchel struck Huntsville. It was now Friday evening and we had done nothing, while Mitchel %vas within two hours' run of Chattanooga, with the road open before him, abundance of rolling stock, and the enemy in panic ] in his front. The cause of this delay was ! that Andrews, reasoning in a way that j would have been justified in the case of ! any other Federal general, was assured ! that Mitchel would inevitably be delayed more than one day by such torrents of | i rain as had fallen since we left camp; and I that for us to strike too soon would impair the value of our work and might even call the enemy's attention to Mitchel's own advance; so he had sent word to our different squads that the grand attempt would be Saturday, the 12th of April, instead of Friday. That would yet be in full time for Mitchel's enterprise, but it ! increased our own difficulties and dangers ! in a way that will soon be made plain. On our morrow's work, therefore, de, peiuled the possession of Chattanooga, and probably the whole after course of the war in the west. This is an inference only; but it rests upon a mass of evidence of which the reader who Jias not attentively studied the subject can scarcely form an idea. CHAPTER III. tVE C APT ORE THE TRAIN*. The Andrews party were greatly crowdj ed in the large hotel at Marietta on Frii day night, having to sleep three or four to i a bed, but soldiers are not fastidious, and ! the greater number slept soundly. We ' had unbounded confidence in our leader, whose part it was to provide for all contingencies. The names of the men who reached Marietta to take part in the railroad raid were as follows: James J. Andrews, leader of the expe, dition and a citizen of Kentucky. The Second Ohio regiment contributed: Marion A. Ross, Company A; George ; D. Wilson, Company B; William Pitten| ger, Company G; Perry G. Shadrack, I Company K. From the Twenty-first Ohio regiment were detailed: "\f"oT?lr "\X7V-*r*rl fVimnntiv _T A WilcflTV ! Company C; J. R. Porter, Company C; j William Knight, Company E; Wilson F. j Brown, Company F; Wilson Bensinger, J Company G; Robert Buffura, Company H; E. H. Mason, Company K; John Scott, Company K. The Thirty-third Ohio supplied: Martin J. Hawkins, Company A; William Reddich, Company B; John Wollam, Company C; Samuel Robinson, Company G; D. A. Dorsey, Company H; Jacob Parrott, Company K; Samuel Slavens. William Campbell, also a member of ; the expedition, was a citizen of Ohio on a visit to the camp, and managed to enlist j among the raiders. Andrews scarcely slept at all that night. [ He first went to the hotel and saw that j those who lodged there had made arrangements for being called on time in the morn| ing. Porter and Hawkins, who had come down the evening before, and had gone to bed much earlier, were not seen, and as they had not paid the waiter any fee for rousing them early, they were left behind; a diminution of our force much regretted, as they were both brave men and Hawkins was an experienced engineer. This left us but nineteen men in addition to the leader. We were all roused promptly at the railroad hotel a little before daybreak. Andrews, who came back to us, now went from room to room while we were dressing, seeing every man, giving him exact J M _ Lf A. Al.. uruers us uj ins pari; 111 tnu wwn ul uiu morning. There was suppressed lire in his low, almost whispered words, a calm confidence in his tones that was contagious. There seemed to be no doubt, hesitation or shrinking on his part, but, on the contrary, an eagerness and joy that the time was so near at hand BEDROOM COXStTLTATIQN AT MARIETTA. When we were ready, as it still lacked a little of train time, we gathered in Andrews' room for an informal council of war. Some were seated on the edge of the bed, one or two on chairs, and the remainder stood around as best they could. We did not speak very loud, as wo wished no sharers in our plans. Andrews gave no exhortations?the time for that had passed?but rather cautions to prevent too precipitate action. He said: "When the train stops at Big Shanty for breakfast, keep your places till I tell you to go. Get seats near each other in the same car, and say nothing about the matter on the way up. If anything tinexpected occurs, look to me for the word. You and you"?designating the men? "will go with me on the engine; all the rest will go on the left of the train for- j ward of where it is uncoupled, and climb j on the cars in the best places you can, j when the order is given. If anybody interferes, shoot him, but don't fire until it ! is necessary." Sergt. Maj. Ross, the ranking man of the party, and as brave as any, offered a respectful protest against going further. He said that circumstances had changed since we set out; that it was a day later llilill |JiUililCUj tliCVU ILL a LI J iliuio I were at Big Shanty than formerly; that j we had noticed the crowded state of the road as we came down, and that Mitchel's ; movements would make the matter worse, i For all these reasons he thought it better j to put off the attempt, or give it up altogether. Oui heads were very close together as we talked, and the words softly spoken; the door was locked, and the windows overlooked the railroad, so that we were sure to see the train coming. Andrews very quietly answered the objections of Ross, admitting all the facts he stated, j but claiming that they only showed our ! way the clearer. The military excitement and commotion and tho number of j trains on the road would make our train the less likely to be suspected; and as to the troops at Big Shanty, if we did our ; work promptly, they would have no chance to interfere. Capturing the train J in the camp would be easier than any- j where else, because no one would believe it possible, and there would therefore bo ! no guard. Andrews could always And a reason for 1 everything; but these plausible arguments j were not perfectly convincing, Several ; others, among whom was J. A. Wilson, | joined in a respectful protest against pro- j ceeding. Then Andrews, speaking even j lower, as was his wont when strongly ' moved, said: ' Boys, I tried this once before and i failed; now I will succeed or leave my j bones in Dixie." The words and manner thrilled every hearer, and we assured him that wo would stand by him, and, if need be, die with him. He grasped our hands and wo hurried to the platform, for the train was now almost due. I had said nothing in the discussion, for I felt that we were under the leadership of Andrews, and should simply obey, leaving the responsibility to rest on him. I am not sure that, on a later critical occasion, we did i not carry this principle a little too far. Although we only needed tickets to Big [ Shanty, we purchased them to various j points along the line that attention might not be attracted by sucli a number bound to one place. As the train came up we noticed three closed box cars attached. Every passenger train, as I have since been informed by Conductor Fuller, was at this time required to carry empty cars northward, which were brought back Ailed with bacon and other provisions, vast quantities of which were then being gleaned out of Tennessee and stored in Atlanta. We all took our places close together in one car, that we might be ready to help each other in case of need. Kuight e-.?f wo.m tliA ft'Aiif ilnnr BflVC tVlJlt". fill looking buck he saw that most of our men were pale, yet resolute. The passengers hud that listless and weary air always seen in the early morning 011 board a train. The conductor, whose name we afterward learned was William A. Fuller, entered and began to hike the tickets. He I looked narrowly at us, for it was an uncommon thing for so many persons to enter in a body as did at Marietta; besides, he had been warned r'cry recently to watch that 110 conscripts used his train for the purpose of escaping, and ordered, i in case of suspicion, to telegraph for help at once. No doubt we looked soldierly enough, but he afterward told me that lie did not suspect us of being conscripts. We also scrutinized hint carefully, for it was possible that lie might, if his snsj picions were in the least aroused, endeavor to prevent us from taking his j train. He was quite young for a conductor, I being, as we afterward learned, only 2(i, i though lie had been for seven years in ! that position. He had a frank, genial, | but resolute face, was of medium size, 1 and looked active and strong. We had little leisure for looking at the grand form of Kenesaw mountain, which 1 rose 011 our left, and around the base of [ which the road describes almost a half circle, and then turns away before it reaches Big Shanty. Here was fought one of the severest battles of the war between Sherman and Johnston; but this. with their prolonged struggle over the whole line of this railway, did not come until two years later. The question of deepest interest to us, and one which would be quickly solved, was, "How much j of a fight will we have at Big Shanty? j If the train is left guarded during breakfast time we will have to overcome the guards; if anybody sees us going on the engine, and a rush is made to prevent, we will have to fight 'sharply and at close quarters?the most deadly kind of fighting." Every revolver had been carefully examined at Marietta before we slept and i every preparation made, so there was nothing to do but to wait as patiently as we could. It was a thrilling moment when the conductor called out, "Big Shanty! twentyminutes for breakfast!" and we could see the white tents of the rebel troops and I xl J,. 4"\xrxi~ Knntn CVCH LI1U (JUU1U9 OilMVl.y lJtu.111^ bliv.11 uuiw. Big Shanty (now called Kenesaw) had been selected for the seizure because it | was a breakfast station, and because it had no telegraph office. When Andrews had been here on the previous expedition, few troops were seen, but the number was now greatly increased. It is difficult to tell just how many were actually here, for they were ?twUiiitly coming andgoing; but there seems to have been three or four regiments, numbering not far from 1,000 men each. They were encamped almost entirely on the west side of the road, but their camp guard included the railroad depot. As soon as the train stopped, the conductor, engineer, fireman, and most of the passengers hurried for breakfast into the long low shed on the east side of the road, which gave the place its name. No guard whatever was left? a fortunate circumstance for us, but not at all unusual on southern roads even when not so well guarded by soldiers as this train was. Now was our opportunity! yet for a moment wo were compelled to keep our seats and wait the appointed signnl by our lender. It required a strong effort of will to keep from rushing forward. We had no desire for eating as we saw the passengers leaving their seats around us and pouring in to breakfast. The moments seemed hours; for we knew that when the signal was given, we must do our work in less than half a minute or be slaughtered on the spot; we also 1--?... ? no i?*Va foilnrl f/"? rrnf. KllCW 111UI uuy UUU vjl no niw xmivvi i,\j on board with the rest would be lost; but we did not know how long during the twenty minutes Andrews would wait. If anything could be gained by waiting five or ten minutes we wore sure that he, with his marvelous coolness, would wait and expect us to do the same. It seemed already a considerable interval, for the last passenger who wanted breakfast had left the train and disappeared within the room. But Andrews did not mean delay. He had been absent from the car for a time as we came up the road and had only just returned, and taken his seat close to the door. Now he quietly rose, and without turning his head toward us, stepped to the door with the crowd that was pouring SEIZING THE THAIN. out. Engineer Knight, whether from natural impulsiveness, or at a signal from Andrews, rose also and went out with him. These two got off on the side next to the camp, and opposite the depot. They walked forward at an ordinary pace until abreast of the locomotive, which they saw TIJE START. t ft glftnce to be vacant?engineer and fireman had gone to breakfast. That was very good! Andrews walked a few steps further forward with Knight still at his side, until lie could see ahead of the engine that the track was clear as far as a curve a little way up the road which closed the view. Then they turned and walked back until just in advance of the llrst baggage car and behind the three empty freight cars, when Andrews said with a nod, "Uncouple here and wait for me." Knight drew out the pin and carefully laid it on the draw bar. Andrews came back to the door of our car and opening it said 111 his ordinary tone, not a shade louder or more hurried than usual, "Come on, boys; it is time to go now." Our hearts gave a great bound at the word, but we rose quietly and followed him. Nothing in this was likely to attract the attention of the few passengers who still remained in the car; but it mattered litt le, for the time of concealment was now past. Andrews glided forward very swiftly, and Knight, seeing him coming, hurried 011 before and jumped on the engine, where he at once cut the bell rope and, seizing the throttle bar, (stood leutiing forward with tense muscles, and eye flxed on the face of his leader. Andrews did net follow, but stood a step btick from the locomotive with one hand 011 the rail, looking at his men as they ran forward. IJrown and Wilson (the other engineer and lireman) darted forward at the top of their speed and took their post beside Knight on the engine. As soon as the rest of us reached the hindmost box car we saw that its door was wide open. Whether this was a mere happy accident, or whether, as is more likely, Andrews had gone forward before we reached the station and opened it, with his usual audacity, 1 do not know. But he motioned with his hand to us saying, "Get in! Get in!" We needed 110 urging. The floor was breast high, but tlie hindmost shoved nnd lifted the foremost and were themselves pulled up in turn. I helped to throw Slmdrack up and had my arm almost pulled olf as I was dragged in by him a second after. All this time a sentry was standing not a dozen feet from the engine quietly watching, as if this was the most ordinary proceeding, and a lium1 -n .mi;,,,, i.,,f i I JCIT U1 UlUVl PUlUll'13 ?uc JUiiiij^ uuu C4> j short distance away. All this work was [ of seconds only, mul as the last man was being pulled in, Andrews stepped on board, and nodded to Knight, who had j never taken his eyes from his face. Quick as a flash the valve was thrown open and 1 the steam giant unchained!?but for an ' instant which seemed terribly long the lo! comotive seemed to stand still; Knight | had thrown the full power on too sudj denly, and the wheels slipped on the j track, whirling with swift revolutions and | the hiss of escaping steam, before the in| ertia of the ponderous machine could be j overcome. Hut this was an instant only; none of the soldiers had time to raise their j muskets, give an alarm, or indeed to recover from their stupor before the wheels "bit," and the train shot away as if fired from a cannon! We were now flying on our'perilous .journey. The door of the box car was pulled shut to guard against any shot that might he fired, and while partially opened afterward to Rive us some view of what was passing, it was always closed again whenever wo nearcd a station. This capture was a wonderful triumph. To seize a train of cars in an enemy's camp, surrounded by thousands of soldiers, and carry it off without a shot fired or an angry gesture, was a marvelous achievement. There are times when whole years of intense enjoyment seem condensed into a single moment. It was so with us then. CHAPTER IV. THE FIRST STAGE OF T1IE REX NORTHWARD. Various manifestations of triumph were made as soon as we were off. Dorsey sprang to his feet, crying: "Boys! we are done playing reb. now I We are out and out Yankees from this time on." But George D. Wilson, who was older than the rest of us, cautioned him, saying: "Don't be too fast, Dorsey; we're not out of the woods yet." Ann inueeu ic soon seemea as lr we were to have serious trouble at the outset. The engine ran slower and slower, until it finally came to a full stop. "We were not' yet far from camp. There had ono burst> ? speed, and then tmjfffiCfcening and alarming failure of power. We usked eagerly of those forward what it meant, and the answer was far from reassuring?"The steam has gone down." In a few moments we learned the reason. The dampers were closed on the engine fires when the stop for Big Shanty was made, and they were not opened by our boys in the hurry of the start; consequently, the lire was almost out. A little oil and some fresh wood promptly mended matters. No time was lost while stopping here in this enforced manner, for we had started ahead of time, and had leisure to obstruct the track. The telegraph wire was also cut. This was necessary, for though there was no office at Big Shanty, a portable battery might be found, or a swift messenger be sent back to Marietta, and a single lightning flash ahead would blight our fondest hopes. Breaking a wire is not as eiusv as it seems; but we adopted a plan which worked all day, and took up no time that was not also utilized for other purposes. John Scott, who was agile as a cat, ran up the pole, and knocking off the insulating nf +r\r> ortmnrv /l r\rrrrr nn it A UUA cvu tUU lV]i} OHUlig UV IT 11 \Jki IV. -k A> small saw found on the engine easily cut the tightly stretched wire close to the box. This did not take more than one or two minutes. At this ilrst stop Andrews, who had not shared our uneasiness about the fire in the engine, came back and clasped our hands in ecstasy, manifesting more excitement than I ever saw in him before; exclaiming that we had the enemy now at such disadvantage that he could not harm us or save himself. "When we have passed one more train," he declared, "we'll have no hindrance, and then we'll put the engine at full speed, burn the bridges after us, dash through Chattanooga and on to Mitchel at Ilivntsville. We have the upper hand of the rebels for once!" By saying tliat we had only one mora train to pass before doing this, Andrews did not mean that there was but one train coming toward us. There were three, which had already left Chattanooga; but only the first of these, a local freight, which might be met at any point between this and Kingston, was a real obstacle. Andrews knew the time schedule of the other two, and could plan to meet them at any given station, even if we were far ahead of our own time. Had there been none but these threo trains his triumphing would have been well warranted. The following is the basis upon which Andrews mnde his calculations: He bert rA. ' ' " " "i lieved that no enaPs/fip r. m k r.. gine could bo had -?i for pursuit nearer to J J wi f 'hg Shanty than // $ i Kingston on the '!( north, or Atlanta Y/yjitlt ' k.q-vX on the south, each T* hli t"H V? ll1)0Ufc thirty miles "J# v J n^l distant. If the rebels ' / :/ i ^r\i i rinrsiiod toward ( ) 't| j Kingston the best \J(i / / t hey could do was iif( If O to '?N?W us wn fl?e" Aji horses, nndthe time, * c( allowing for delay ' in starting and the /f&"'state of the roads, COU'(^ UOt Wt'^ ^'e short of tliree orV^?^ four hours, by which\ v-i time we ought to bc\ 'Lr" \out of reach, with all\ *= sf\ JT our work done. If they V"7 a"*"*a rode or sent back to Mari-V / VW ett?*i (where we had lodged for\ the nighti. which would seemX/^N. to be tlieir best plan, that wou]d^*'u"'^"5 take at least an hour; ther> a tel-^ tiie western atlantic or georgia state line railroad, egram to Atlanta could very soon start a train after us, but it would be forty or lifty miles behind; and long before it could come up bridges would be burned, the track and telegrapli cut and the road completely destroyed. We expected to run on our regular time to Kingston, which would thus take about two hours, but to obstruct the tragk at several places on the way; then with the local freight safely passed, hurry on to the Oostenaula (or Resncn) bridge, twenty-four miles further, in half an hour more, burn that, and sweep on over the eleven bridges of the Chickanmuga, and leaving them in flames (ulso the one of the East Tennessee road, over the same stream), pass by Chattanooga on the "Y" running over to the Memphis and Charleston road and press as rapidly as possible westward to Bridgeport, and on to Mitchel, wherever he might be. It will be seen that leaving out of account any accident to our train, and any difficulty in passing the trains we were to meet, our calculations were almost dead certainties. With two experienced engineers, and caution in running, accidents were not likely to occur; and Andrews trusted to his own marvelous address (and not vainly, as the result showed) to disarm suspicion from any truins met. On Friday, so far as human vision can now penetrate, these calculations would have worked out with the precision of riTmachine, and all the results indicated have followed. To-day there were new elements which were to task our powers to the utmost, but of these we as yet knew nothing. All careful and prudent preparations were now made for a long run. A red liny placed on the last- car showed that another train was behind, and served as a kind of silent excuse for being on the time of the morning mail. The engine was also carefully inspected by Knight, whose mechanical knowledge was most useful, ancl found to he in excellent working condition. It was thoroughly oiled. Then we moved leisurely onward until we came near Moon's station, where some, workmen were engaged on the track, and the opportunity of getting necessary tools was too good to be lost. 11 rown sprang down and asked a man for a wedge pointed iron bar with which he was prying. The man gave it tit once and Brown stepped back with his booty, but a little disappointed, for one of the bent, clawfooted bars for pulling out spikes would have been worth much more, but they had none. The bar taken was the only one of their tools that seemed likely to be of value, or more would have been borrowed ?by force, if not otherwise. As we went on Andrews cautioned his engineers not to run too fast, which they inclined to do; all of us would have relished more speed in this lir.-t part of the journey. But running on all southern roads in war times was slow; our train was not scheduled tit over sixteen miles tin hour. The road itself was exceedingly crooked, with abundance of short curves, and, having but light iron rails, was unfitted for ldgh speed. We were anxious to get past the local freight that we might test the road's capabilities. Those on the engine were very much amused, as we ran by station after station, to see the passengers come up with their sachels in their hands, and then shrink hack in dismay as we sped past without a sign of halting. But when by we would stop and cut t he telegraph wire, so that 110 suspicions or inquiries could be sent ahead. Thus we passed through Ackworth and Allatoona, and then stopping again to cut the wire, also endeavored to lift a rail. While we were sure that no train from Big Shanty could follow us, we wished also to make it difficult for one from Atlanta, if any should he sent from there, to run rapidly; and what was of equal importance, we did not wish the local freight ' to proceed southward after we met it, to | he turned hack hy any pursuers. A lifted rail is almost sure to throw an unsuspect- < ing train from the track; and we put such an obstruction before each train that we ( met on this journey. Yet the process of j taking up a rail, though we made much i of it, was far from easy with the imperfect tools wo possessed. A single tool?a . bar constructed expressly for drawing out ! spikes?would have enabled us to baffle all pursuit. But this we did not have, and more than Ave minutes were consumed for each rail taken up, in battering out some spikes with our iron bar and afterj ward prying the remainder loose with handspikes and with the rail itself. This delay was of no great importance now, for we had a superfluity of time; but in the quick and terrible struggle further up the road, when seconds were decisive, it was far otherwise. -Th^.rails when lifted were carried away with us, and the break thus left was for a time a barrier (to a train not supplied with track laying tools) as absolute as a burnt bridge. The feeling of security after such obstruction was very delightful and not unwarranted. In 110 case did a pursuing train pass a place where we had torn up a rail in time to do us any damage. There was an exultant sense of superiority while running along in the midst of our enemies in this manner, such as a man in a balloon might fee! while drifting ever hostile camps, or o' er the raging waves of the ocean. As long as all is well with his balloon the man need not care what takes place in the world below; and as long as our engine retained its power and the track wtis clear before us, we were in a similar state of security. But ? -'Si") 1^? ^?- ? / W -is/ ( , /jsawu4 *- th t* t; i ' TEARIXG UP TRXCK^^j ; a knife blade thrust in the silk globe over- 1 head, or the slightest tear in the delicate ] fabric, will in a second take awjw tho ( security of the man in the clouds. So tho ( loosening of a bolt, or the breaking of a j wheel would leave us powerless fin tho j midst of our deadly enemies. It was such possibilities, always so near, that imparted thrilling interest to our passage J through towns and fields and w >ods in tho heart of the enemy's country. ' TO BK CONTINUED. , n?p?cbi i hi f The Wild Animal Trade.? 1 "But the wild animal trade his nev- : er flourished as it did beforeu873," 1 said a dealer. "It was during; the ' war times and immediately Rafter, j when every one was flush of money, j that the greatest seasons werfe ex- 1 I perienced. Then there were bun- * ; dreds of circuses, big and little, 'and j | various side shows, which patrolled i the country from ocean to ocean. ' { Out in the west, too< many of the 1 ! small shows had gambling attach- 1 | ments, which helped materially rp j ; rake in the money. A proprietor of j one of these thought nothing of pay-\ ! ! ing ?1,000 for anyf animal that hapI pened to strike his fancy. Why, I v j remember one case in point about 1 : twenty years ago. One day a woman 1 j came into my place, and looking . i around, spied a cage containing two j baboons, just arrived from the steam- 1 i ship. 'What is the price of them?' 1 she asked. / ' "'One thousand dollars, madam,' ' I answered. j j "And she reached down into her 1 ! pocket, drew forth a roll of bills, ( counted out the money, ?ive her adi dress, and went on her way rejoicing. ! ; She probably wanted them for some 1 ; gambling saloon or steairiboat out in 1 1 Mississippi or Louisiana. "But many of these/parties made money so fast that/they shortly ' : closed up business and quit. Then ' ; came the financial crash of 1873, and 1 | the stagnation of every kind of busi- j ! ness and the failure ff most of those : circus and show men remaining. Then the new men/who came into ' the business did not have much ' money, and juld riot afford to buy j ! large numbers of animals or very . i valuable specimena So it has been 1 | ever since, with a consequent stag- ' : ; %% fUrt r? r* 5 ?villi +l*cif\ck 'j Wl/! ' ; iiiiui'iJ in nic miiiiiai tiauvi ?*iu.v i York Evening Sun. Mormox Supei stitjox.?"You ( j can tell a Morino i house by the j j number of doors," ! heard some one ; say as we approache 1 Salt Lake City, ' writes a Minneapolis Tribune rorres- ' | pondent. Sure enough ! There they ! were, two doors, siqe by side, even 1 ! in the smallest hou.4es. Sometimes 1 | there were two wooU-sheds, or two 1 wells, and we saw tone house that j had begun with a single room, and been lengthened out noom by room ' and door by door. That patriarch must needs look abouk him sharply ! ; on the resurrection morn, or he will 1 I overlook some poor wife and have J her sleeping through all eternity, j The Mormons have a doctrine that j in the resurrection the m^n rise, but 1 the women lie in their graves until j ; their husbands please to call them. 1 i If the liege lord pleases\to be so 5 gracious he goes to the grave side of his spouse and speaks the new. name 1 he received in the endowment house 1 at the time of his marriage,\ which * has never before crossed hrs lips. ( i She answers with the name which 5 she received at the same time\ind * rises. One of the most potent me^ns ' : of domestic tyranny among the igr ( ! norant Mormons is the threat, fre quently resorted to by the head of ^ ; the house, that he will not raise his r! wife on the resurrection morn "uu- . less," etc., etc. 1 Auk Stones Alive??We generally think of minerals as dead lumps of inactive matter. But they may be said to be alive, creatures of vital pulsations, and separated intoindii yiduals as distinct as the pines in a j forest or the tigers in the jungle. The disposition of crystals are as dij verse as those of animals. They ( throb with unseen currents of energy, I They grow in size as long as they have opportunity. They can be killed, too, though not as easily as an i oak or a dog. A strong electric shock discharged through a crystal will decompose it very rapidly if it is of j soft structure, causing the particles i to gradually disintegrate in there- f ! verse order from its growth, until t the poor thing lies in dead, shape- t i less ruin. It is true the crystal's i 1 life is unlike thatof higher creatures, t ! But the difference between vegeta- c j bio and animal life is no greater ( I than that between mineral and veg- I j etable life. Linmous, the great s I Swedish naturalist, defined the f ! three kingdom by saying: "Stones t grow; plants grow and feel; ani- } j mals grow and feel and move."? 1 i Wide Awake. c pisccttanfous Reading. For the Yorkville Enquirer. REMINISCENCES (IF WESTERN YORK. We will, for the purpose of these 'reminiscences," define the geographical boundaries of Western Y'ork, as principally embracing that section of country lying along Broad Itivor between the mouths of King's 2reek and Bullock's Creek, and up die latter stream to the vicinity of '.Smith's old field," (the regimental muster ground of the ante bellum militia), thence across the section known as "The Nation," to King's Jreek and down that stream to its mouth. Many incidents we will relate do lot come within this scope, but if :he merit of the case warrants it we 1 Ti ?Ml I. - win give me location. n wm ue ieen that the section mapped out includes Hickory Grove as a central point. From our extensive knowledge of the country, a more healthful"tfnd fertile section cannot be found in the State, much less in the county. The illimitable treasures of ore that lie iormant within its bosom; its pebjly brooks that bear their crystal treasure on to "old ocean's gray and melancholy waste;" its fertile fields :hat yield an equivalent for the labor )f the husbandman; and last, but lot least, a water power sufficient to manufacture all the goods that can je brought within its reach. Near the residence of Dr. K. It. Darwin, on Wolfe Creek, has been pointed out to the writer a spot jy old settlers who said that this ivas a great haunt for deer. The jround contains salt, and in olden :imes hunters would scarcely ever 'ail to start or kill a deer at that place. This "lick," was the most ibted in the country; for it contained strong salt. ( On Bullock's Creek, below the jridge on Quinn's road was what kvas known as the "Buffalo Stamp." Here was another "lick" where deer tvere killed. Hunters would somelimes "prime" the lick. This was lone by filling canes with ?alt and sticking them in the ground. The salt was not so plentiful here as on Wolfe creek. Near the headwaters )f Wolfe creek, tradition has it that yast treasures of gold and silver were juried by the British just before their defeat at King's Mountain. Beyond a doubt there is ground for this conclusion, as old gun Hints and pieces of gun locks, chains and such jther paraphernalia as support the conclusion that this was once a military campingground have frequenti? horo Tho tlipfirv iy uetrn IUUUU nvivi advanced for the gold and silver deposit is quite surrounded by doubtful circumstances, yet, at the same time plausible. It comes through the lineage of the old settlers as part pf the unwritten history of those stirring times. No one will for a moment doubt the astuteness of the British commanders. They well knew that they were in a country whose motto was "Liberty or death and their first encounter must seal the issue for or against them. With these facts staring them in the face, 2an the reader for a moment conclude that the Britons would risk their treasure on the issue ? That some of them would survive the death strugy ?le, or escape in case of defeat, w^s quite probable, and in that eveht their treasures would be quite intact. These considerations support /the traditional statements, that, between King's Mountain battle ground and Broad ltiver a vast treasure is'hid? though beyond the hope of a resurrection. Nit is but just to say that Western York to-day numbers among its best people the descendants of those heroes who represented the American 2ause in the struggle for American Independence. The proof of this assertion can, in many cases, be obtained from the old records at Halsigh, N. C. Many tracts of land in Western York are still in the possession of the descendants of the original grantees. By marriage and intermarriage the names have been 2hanged, but the blood can be traced to its legitimate fountain. They inherit not only the blood, but the spirit of independence that actuated their progenitors to appeal to the 2ourt of last resort?the court of arms, to establish their rights to liberty. Could the stately oaks that have resisted the storm's of centuries speak, they would bear testimony to the privations of women and children wnose nusoanas anu miners wcic battling for liberty. They could tell if the triumphant march of Ferguson to Kino's Mountain, where he fell, and his army received a blow that sent a thrill of horror to the iccupantof the British throne. They ?ould tell how the son was torn from the arms of his mother, and the husband from the fond embtace of his wife, and marched otf to prison at ;he point of British bayonets. They lave witnessed the landscape lit up with the blaze of burning houses, while the widow was mocked and insulted as she pointed with trembling land to the flames that leaped around ber once peaceful cottage, and finally :hey have seen the British lion skulk :o his den, smarting from the blows nflicted by the talons of the proud American eagle. A few of the peoile who witnessed and took part in ;hose stirring and memorable scenes ived to give our generation an ac;ount of them, and we propose to land them down as a souvenir to succeeding generations. Old Uncle Robin Wilson, who lived icar Blairsvilie, and died at the advanced age of OB years, was a Re vol u:ionary soldier, and the writer has >ften heard him tell of his battles, ind how the yeomen of the country stood firm and received the charges of ;he well disciplined and gayly dressid soldiers of the enemy. This good )ld man passed to his reward begrave a few years after the writer became acquainted with him. 1'he place where he lived and died s now owned by ex-Congressman 8. Wallace, and is one of the oldest settlements in Western York. He was buried at Bullock's Creek, )iie of the oldest and largest burying grounds in that section, if not in the :ounty. Until the beginning of the late ,var, signs of military eainps could be ieen near Smith's Ford, on Broad Itiver, on the plantation of Mr. John smith. Old Mr. Adkins pointed out lie spot to the writer about the year 8")S. He also bad heard his mother ell of the British ripping open the ieds and scattering the feathers to he four winds. j. l. s. + -+ Tiiey Weren't Diamonds.?Ev>ry cheap jewelry "fakir" regards he South as his special territory, ind the darkies, when they have noney, will buy of him anything hat does not cost more than fifty :ents. I met a queer character in Georgia. He told me that he had ieen peddling cheap jewelry, either iingly or in combination envelopes or nearly fifteen years. Evidently ho business paid, too, because he nit up at one of the best hotels and ived pretty high when he wasn't )ut "trading," as he called it. So : much "jewelry" used to go in his packages that I often wondered how on earth he could give even so much brass for twenty-five cents. In one parcel, which a darky bought one night, I saw him put a watch, six colored stone rings, two plain band rings, six cuff buttons, a watch chain, half a dozen collar buttons, and two rings with enormous white stones. When the last two articles dropped into the bag the buyer who had been watching every move, passed up his quarter and left the crowd with protruding eyes. | Half an hour later, while I was i still watching the fakir's operandi, | his customer came back with a look j of scorn on his face and demanded I his money back, because "dem stuns wa'nt dimuns at all." The Advantages of Rest.? ; There is no better preventive of ; nervous exhaustion than regular unhurried muscular exercise. If we could moderate our hurry, lessen our worry, and increase our open air ex| erciae, a large proportion of nervous ; diseases would be abolished. For those who cannot get a sufficient holiday the best substitute is an occa; sional day in bed. Many whose | nerves are constantly strained in their daily vocation have discovered this for themselves. A Spanish merchant in Barcelona told his medical man that he always went to bed for two or three days | whenever he could be spared from his business, and he laughed at those who spent their holidays on toilsome ' mountains. One of the hardest ! worked women in England, who has for many years conducted a large wholesale business, retains excellent nerves at an advanced age, owing, it is believed, to her habit of taking one day a week in bed. If we cannot avoid frequent agitation we : ought, if possible, to give the nerI vous system time to recover itself ! between the shocks. Even an hour's ! seclusion after a hurried lunch will deprive a hurried, anxious day of much of its injury. The nerves can often be overcome by stratagem when they refuse to be controlled by ! strength of will. ? She was Ahout Like the Best of us.?A furniture dealer tells a little story that shows how some people are constituted. A lady ordered an elegant easy chair of a peculiar kind. It was made and sent j to her house. She examined it carej fully and critically, finally remarki ing that it suited her exactly, with j one Exception?it was too soft. She had the man take the chair back to ne macie a irine naraer. me cnair i was I returned to the store and put aside. Nothing was done to it. Afj tor the lapse of about a week the chair was sent out again. The woi man again examined it, and this timfe the chair was too hard. She was sorry, but when she paid so much to getjfan article for her own comfort, she wanted it about right, so she sent it back to the store for another change. The chair was again put aside for a \v;eek or ten days and sent out for the third time without having a particle of change made. This time It was just right. She took the chair, paid for it and was sorry it had not suited her at first. The poor t woman never knew that the chair had not been changed a particle.? Nashville American. About Blackbirds.?A noisy, wide awake, impudent fellow is the blackbird, which comes from its winter home at the South, to the North quite early in the spring. The blackbird feeds either upon seeds or insects. He is much disliked by our farmers because he steals their grain. When the corn is in milk the blackbirds descend upon the fields like a black sweeping tempest, strip off the husks, lay bare the corn and leave little but the cobs. . r Most small birds are afraid of larger kinds. The blackbird, however, is a curious exception.' It often builds its nest in company with the fish hawks' nests. Of course hll blackbirds cannot build in fish hawks' nests* Many occupy tall trees, generally in companies of from fifteen to twenty. The nests are made of mud, roots and grass, and are lined with fine, dry grass and horse hair; they are about four inches deep and contain five or six dull green eggs, spotted with olive. r, The Terror of Riches.?Statistics of suicide show that, after all, the poor man rarely commits suicide owing to poverty. Hundreds of - .t* good fellows, with rarely 50 dollars ahead, and five or six in the family I to clothe and feed, go on with more equanimity than men with good margins. They are generally looking for a job, and frequently have no work ahead for longer than one to six months. Tens of thousands of day laborers in the United States rarely know what their income is to be three months ahead, yet they are neither depressed nor miserable. They readily spend their last dollar; liberally, as long as food can be had, j and economize when they must. I The terror of poverty is not so overj powering, as the terror of riches, j The fear of losing is greater than ; the fear of not getting?From the I Globe Democrat. Right Choice of Words.?The : right choice of words is the highest art of writing. It is a rare accomplishment. Few writers, even of those who have achieved distinction and won enviable estimation, have anything like perfection in that art. Most writers are satisfied if they present gracefully their meaning to the reader. They study style, pracj tice to be elegant, and if they beget a certain facility of expression do not concern themselves with precise meani ngs in selecting words. Enough attention is not given to the fact that I words have soul as well as beauty, and that there are different degrees I of word soul. One word will not do I as well as another, simply because i the two have the same general meani ing. Not many evils of lax writing ! are as grievous as the indiscriminate i use of synonyma.?Chicago InterI Ocean. + ? Tiie Slaves of Tangier.?The slaves form a considerable part of the ' population of Tangier. They are j mostly of the deep black/Guinea negro type, brought from across the desert of Sahara, though sometimes i unfortunates of other races ate kid; napped and sold into slavery. Pub' ' - AM/, AMA fHAnnnnfltf 1 n lie Hueiiuua ill O iicijucuuj iiciu iu the main street of the bazaar, at which children can be purchased for from $12 to $20, while full grown men and women are sold at prices ranging from $o0 to $100. Masters have absolute power over their slaves, even that of life and death, and in case of sale, transfer them, by means of a deed, just as we transfer a farm. Under the circumstances it is a little difficult to say whether they are real estate or personal property.? The Cosmopolitan. SOT It should be remembered that ; godliness consists, not so much in a j system of right notions, as in holy ! and spirituai affections, regulating i the whole conduct.