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COMPLIMENTS OF
RHODES-HAMINS
FURNITURE CO. Inc
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Complete House
FURNISHERS
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Augusta, Ga.
COMPLIMENTS OF
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L. SYLVESTER & SONS
AUGUSTA, GA
“Established Over Half a Century”
SOUTHERN WELDING CO.
J. A. OUZTS, Prop.
552 Broad St. Augusta, Ga.
AUGUSTA’S OLDEST AN DONLY EXCLUSIVE
WELDING SHOP
BROKEN PARTS OF AUTOMOBILES
And all kinds of Machinery Welded by Skilled Workmen
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Prices Reasonable. See us before Buying New Parts
Phone 1332 Night Phone 6365—W
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Out of town business given prompt attention
COMPLIMENTS OF
L. J. SCHAUL
JEWELER
AUGUSTA,
GEORGIA
World War Veterans and Auxiliary Form
Active Organiation in the Local Post of the
American Legion and Woman’s Auxiliary
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The veterans of the World War are
organized in the American Legion and
there is also a unit of the Woman’s
Auxiliary attached to the Post here.
O. M. Gresham was the first comman
der, followed by E. H. McElmurray.
Alvin Neely was next followed by W.
'L. Sulivlan. Dr. H. J. Morton is the
’present commander. He has a mem
bership of about 75. The Post is nam
led for the old and honored Burke
Light Infantry and is known as the
B. L. I. Post No. 120.
It has taken a prominent stand in
Legion affairs, not only in the state
but locally.
Twelve Hundred Dollars for Founders
Roll to Be Solicited by Twelve of the
Representative Men of Burke County
The Margaret Jones’ Chapter U. D.
C are much pleased upon securing
the oc-operation of twelve
splendid friends to take part in soli
citing contributions for the Founders
Roll Tablets. It was the hope of
Chapter to have completed this fund of
$2,000 by Memorial Day, but now they
are hoping to have it in hand by June
3, the birthday of President Jefferson
Davis. With the help of the following
gentlemen we feel safe that this great
work of love will be completed with
D. A. R. Chapter Is
Being Organized
in Waynesboro Now
A chapter of the Daughters of the
American Revolution has been recent
ly organized in the city and member
ships are being solicited.
Mrs. R. M. McMaster was appoint-
Od organizingßegent and Mrs, J. A.
Redd is assisting as Secretary. The
organization will be perfected soon
THE TRUE CITIZEN, SATURDAY, JUNE 7TH, 1924
The officers are:
H. J. Morton, Waynesboro, comman
der.
J. M. Cook, Sardis, Vice-Comman
-1 der.
J. H. Walters, Waynesboro, Adjt.
W. G. Green, Jr., Sgt. at Arms.
O. M. Gresham, Historian.
The officers of the Woman’s Aux
iliary are:
Mrs. Frank Brinson, President .
Mrs. H. J. Morton, Ist Vice-Pres.
Mrs. H. C. Hatcher, 2d Vice-Pres.
Mrs. J. H. Walters, Secretary,
iss Barbara Reynolds, Treas.
out fail and with out any hardship
upon any one. They are going to give
everybody in Burke county the oppor
tunity of contributing to the making of
this memorial, sacred to the memory
of our Confederate dead. The men
who will help a,re: Messrs John D. San
ders, Sim Bell, Battle Sparks, T. G.
McAllister, Hugh M. Blount, F. M.
Cates, Sr., Hosea Blount, E. S. Palmer,
F. S. Burney, E. E. Chance, J L. Boyd
G. F. Cox.
Story of Bravery One
of Romantic Interest
in Life of McCathern
(C'ontiiiued frorr p ige eighteen)
tbe truest heroes. McCathern led sliding
down a post into the dark, moaning, turbulent
waters below. Next followed Tanner and
then the rest whose names have been lost to
us. Are any of them alive today? We know
three of them are not. In the black waves
they sank after a long struggle and now
await their comrades on a shore where free
dom is eternal.
As they passed into the darkness each was
to swim for himself. It was suave que peut.
Below and around was the deep river; above
the cloudy sky.
It w\as impossible to give aid in the long
swim before them. One who swims knows
what a test of strength and endurance it is.
It is the practiced swimmer who kitows how
to favor himself and it requires much edu
cation to acquire the art. Long afterwards
it came to light that the unpracticed three
went down. In the dark they were all guided
by the lights in the fort'at first as they swam
away endeavoring to make directly to the
western shore. The tide carried them in the
start slightly up, hut soon turned hack to
wards the sea. Then all that could he done
was to drift as much as possible to the west.
The current could ont he resisted. It was
death struggle for a whole long night. They
found themselves gradually drifting towards
Delaware City seven miles below and to
reach land near it or below was their only
chance. They saw the distant lights dimly
shining in the small town and guided them
selves by these beacons. An object in the
water more than ten feet away. They, of
course, soon lost sight of each other and in
the lonely darkness, with only the gloomy
sky above and the murky waters beneath the
fearful struggle went on. Imagine this nine
mile fight with the Delaware River. Wash
ington crossed it once, you remember, hut
the struggle surpassed even that of that great
countryman.
After swimming a long time Tanner has
said he saw near him a dark object. It
moved noiselessly along as he moved. For a
long time he tried t» make out what it was.
He swam and swam, but got no nearer nor
further away. After a while he called in
a whisper, hut no answer came. He kept on
as near as he could. He wanted it near,
whether man or a log or a chunk; he wanted
its company. After some time he passed, mid
McCathern whispered it was he. Oftentimes
Tanner said, he felt like he was going to
give up, that he couldnt’ hole! out; but Mc-
Cathern cheered him up, begging him not p*
surrender. All things have-«their humorous
side. McCathern drew pictures of home, hog
killing time, spare-ribs, sweetheart, back
bones and everything he could think of that
the Confederate soldiers longed for. Then
Tanner responded with renewed force artfi
energy, and he thinks to this day that the
lovely pictures Mac drew out of nis exuberant
fancy saved his life.
At last the faithful struggle ended and
almost dead these two dragged themselves
into the high grass of the marsh just as day
was breaking and laid down to rest. Four
others got together below Delaware City.
McCathern and Tanner landed a mile above.
They must work their way through the coun
try. Not far off was a flourishing cornfield.
This was pie they said, for a “Rebel,” and
as the shades of night drew on they
supplied themselves and started out. In the
distance they spied a wood after passing
around the city. It proved to he a swamp
into wdiich they went and had a fearful time
in the water and mire. Maybe this saved
them, for they were pursued. After a long
time they got out. They kept away from all
highways and from meeting people. Fields
and orchards were their only resources. For
seven days they starved by day and traveled
by night, avoiding everybody till at last
they reached the eastern shore of Maryland.
There they found a friend. He was true
blue and when he learned he had two gen
uine rebels before him he almost wept at
„ the sight of their forlorn condition. Their
story to him was like a romance indeed, that
stirred his blood to enthusiasm. He took
them in and transformed these ragged
tramps; then rested them for days. When
at last they felt recruited his neighbors of
the right stamp came in and six hundred
dollars, in green backs, were made up and
divided between them. These kind friends
of the South sent them on to Baltimore with
letters directing them to their friends there.
There they found these other friends as
staunch and true as ever breathed the air of
the South. They tarried there 13 days treated
to everything money could buy without spend
! ing their own. At last they found a way
to the Potomac and dressed as ordinary citi
! zens. cautioned ancj directed by their friends
boldly took the train towards Harper’s Ferry,
so as to get into the valley of the Viginia
where friends in Confederate uniforms would
soon be found.
But that old saying which the poet Burns
gave the world, that ‘‘The best laid schemes
of mice and men, gang aft aglee,” met them
at the very door of safety. They got to the
very last step, descended from the train and
i large guard of soldiers in Federal uniforms
confronted them. “Who are you?’’ said
the corporal of the guard? Of course, they
put on the best face they could and said
“friends.’ There was no chance to run. They
vere taken before the captain. He said .
few words to the guard and they were sep
arated to be examined apart. A long ex
uiination followed. Tanner first. Oh
irony of fate! The captain was almost satis- j
fled that he should let them go on, when he
took from the pocket of Tanner a little pocket
Testament that a tender soul had given him.
■M; ny a time it had solaced him in the ;r
'h '• hours of his soldiers’ life. But now
-- t give him and his friend up to the
prison again. On the fly leaf he had written
“tieirge C. Tanner, Cobb’s Legion, Confed
erate Volunteers.’’ When he wrote it it
was an honor to him. Now he wished he had
burned it. Why had he no* remembered that
it was there when he wa« flying from Fort
Delaware.
The ca; tain rea 1 it with a smile. Then
' ; ther. was hr -ught and questioned. He
lied all he could and told quite a straight
story, but it did not tally with the other. At
la; t he was confronted with the Testament.
As soon as he saw it he said to the cap
tain: “I give up, captain, and now let me
say I am a Confederate soldier and have shot
every Yankee I got a chance to shoot, and
ii i ever get back into line I’ll do it again.’’
Tiie captain took it good humoredly and as .he
turned him over•to the guards again said
any indignity offered to these two brave
young Southerners would be severely pun
ished. Then they, who had been free now
nearly a month, were soon going back to
prison, and next day were safe at Point
Lookout, not Fort Delaware as before. Point
Lookout ’s on the sharp little promontory or
cape just where the Potomac empties into the
Chesapeake Bay.
Detei nined to breathe again the air of
heaven in freedom, each one made up his
mind to escape again. The spirit of liberty
was so inherent that no dangers deterred
them. Still nearer to Virginia than at Fort
Delaware everything seemed brighter. The
very skies looked bluer. The vast swarm
of prisoners had been increased by those
being moved to Point Lookout that were con
fined in Fort Delaware.
Neither McCathern nor Tanner made any
plan to go, but watched for a chance. For
many days every avenue seemed so guarded
that a feeling of desperation and hopeless
ness began to prey upon, the feelings of those
brave young men. But 'they had tasted lib
erty and refused to despair.
One evening late a batch of nearly 1,000
were carried out as usual under a heavy
guard to cut wood for the camp. Tanner
happened to be one of them. He cut wood
like a hero—like he loved it better than all
the rest of humanity. At the same time he
pjiled up brush in the most careful Way—
just to get it out of the way he said, so
the boys could get around easy. Oh! you
deceitful wretch—playing on treacherously
on that poor ignorant, Yankee guard! He
cut wood and piled and piled. The poor
Yankee had never seen so neat a chopper,
nor brush—perfectly useless brush—piled so
artistically. Many a ragged old Confederate
smiled and said to himself; he is a • —•—fool
for doing all that extra work, hut Tanner
kept on playing the fool.
Presently the crowd gathered up their
quota of wood. Tanner was near by pre
tending to get his together. Then the march
was taken up to return. There didn't seem
to he any trouble whatever. Certainly there
was none with Tanner for Tanner was not
among them. He was under the brush pile,
not receiving company now: invisible to the
outside world. The shadows of evening rap
idly grew on. If a prisoner was missed the
guard did not mention it. He didn’t dare
to, for it meant that he was to he put at
once on the firing line where “Johnny Reb”
had a gun and was everlastingly 'shooting it
carelessly toward the Federal line. Tanner
didn’t have, like the Arab, a tent to fold,
but he stole away all the same in the dark
and was lost to Yankee prisons forever. The
next we hear of him he was shooting care
lessly.
Where was McCathern all this time? Do
you think he was idle ? Not a hit. He
was -hunting about on his own account for
something for idle hands to do who had no
tools to work with. Sometimes the simplest
things suggest the greatest possibilities. He
saw a piece of iron hoop. At once the great
ocean of liberty lay before him. He got it.
Whether he stole it or not he made no parade
to any Federal guard about his having it.
Day in and day out he was quietly making
a liberty hole. The dirt was successfully hid
from common observation. ’The hole in the
wall grew and grew. He saved from his
scanty rations little by little, so that he would
not starve while he hid away in deep swamps.
One dark night the passage of freedom was
large enough and out alone he passed. He
could not cross the wide Potomac by swim
ming and there was no boat at hand. He
ran as long as he could; then he walked as
fast as he could and all night he was busy
putting distance between himself and the
hated prison. When the morning broke once
more he was many miles away. Then he
hid in the darkest swamp he could find and
though hungry, sparingly he ate of his scanty
food and laid down to sleep. Then as dark
came on he pursued his unknown way watch
ing for a chanec to cross the wide Potomac.
At last he crossed and was in Vidginia, hut
still in the enemy’s lines. When provisions
were gone it was starvation or risk capture.
He starved, sa c e when an orchard or a corn
patch provided him with unripe provisions.
Finally he got a glimpse of the far off Blue
Ridge Mountains. He guided his course to
wards them and one weary morning he Was
at Snicker’s Gap. Is he free yet? This
was disputed territory. Sometimes “Yanks,”
sometimes “Reb’’ had it. Still cautiously
he felt his way. All at once he ran up face
to face with trouble —it seemed. Yonder
was a man with others nearby. He could
not run, so he met him boldly and was or
dered to stop. He didn’t know whether he
was of the South or not. There was a good
deal of fencing between them in order to
conceal identity; however, it came out that
he was a Confederate. Who was the other
man do you suppose?
It was Moseby. He heard the half-starved
MoCathern’s story from end to end and then
gave him his hand and said, “I am Moseby.”
Free once more. Free as the air of the
blue heavens! Once more with the hoys in
the ranks, once more with the firing line,
happy as an old Confed. could he.
THE BEST FOOD IS BREAD
THE BEST BREAD IS
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BUTTER MILK NAD)
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H. H. CLAUSSEN’S SONS
AUGUSTA, GA.
I, • ,
Star Luggage Shop
218 Jackson (Bth) Street
See our Complete line of Leather Goods
at Popular Prices
Phone 544
Expert Repairing Augusta, Ga.
W. J. Mulherin Chas F. Marks
Mulherio & Marks Shoe Co.
844 Broad Street
AUGUSTA, GA
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Fine Footwear
SOUTHERN TEA ROOM
Corner Bth and Broad Streets
AUGUSTA, GA
Dinners 12 to 3.30
Salads,
Sanadwiches
Home-made Pies
Home-made Ice Cream
Out of town Patronage Solicited
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