The Elberton gazette. (Elberton, Ga.) 1866-1872, July 14, 1866, Image 3

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LET US HELP THEM. In a recent number of the New York Evening Express, we notice the following headed as above, in behalf of the suffering poor of Alabama and Georgia. We presume that the editors of that Journal were influ enced in making the earnest appeal they have, by the article which appeared in the same column which they copied from the Chicago Tribune and which we append to their appeal. The picture drawn in the ar ticle referred to is not an over-wrought one. Well may it excite the sympathies of the benevolent in every section of the Union. — But we forbear-^let the two extracts speak ior themselves !— Atlanta Intelligencer. From the New York Evening Express. It seems almost incredible to us, living in this great city of New York, with all the evidences of wealth, abundance and luxurv on every side, that within a few days jour ney is a vast population, absolutely perish ing of starvation—but incredulity must give way, in the presence of such facts as those narrated in the reports we publish elsewhere irom Alabama and Georgia. These unhap py people it is to be noted, are for the most part helpless women and children, whose natural protectors and providers, were swept off by the hand of war, in the rebellion. — Hence, they suffer and die for no misdoing of their own. Let it be borne in mind, moreover, that these sufferers are Americans. If an appeal made to us for aid to keep from starving the inhabitants of some for eign land who cau doubt but that it would be readily and generally responded to ? Why not appeal now for those famine strick en inhabitants of our own country? Charity and mercy alike demands it—and if it is only made by a committee of citizens, or by the churches, say next Sunday, we have no doubt the summons would be as prompt as it would bo liberal. AWFUL SCENES. IN THE SOUTH —FAMINE IN GEORGIA AND ALABAMA. Bellefonte (Ala.) Cor. June 6tli Chieage Tribune. In this famine-struck region—-the Coosa valley; I passed a number of cabins, around which were half a dozen nearly naked chil dren, but did not stop at any of them till I had reached a point about three miles from the edge of the valley. Several child ren, ranging in age from four to twelve years, and clothed ouly in what is an excuse for an under garment, were sitting around, while two females were, with emaciated countenances, picking some wild vegetables in the vicinity, from which to make a meal for themselves and suffering children. I could not mistake their condition of destitu tion, even at a glance. But I determined to hear their story from their own lips, and 1 accordingly halted my horse, and asked one of the females: “ Madam can you accommodate me with dinner to-day ?” She paused a moment, and I repeated the question. “ God knows,” said she, and tears began to trickle down her cheeks, “ that I would not turn a stranger atad traveller away, but there has not been an ounce of meal in the house for five days; we and our children have lived entirely, during that period upon boiled greens, with neither salt nor pepper.” “ How many children have you ?” I ask ed. “Three, and this lady two more all small, as you see. We have no way to live; we cannot even get seeds to plant our gar dens. How we are to live, God only knows.” “ Arc your husbands dead ?” “ Yes, both were killed in the army.” “ Bo you never go down into the valley plantations for aid?” I inquired. “Yes, but what is the use?” and with emphasis she repeated, “ what is the use ? They will do nothing for us; they tell us to go to work and help ourselves; But what can such as we do? With families to look after, how can we earn a livelihood ?” “ But,” I suggested, “ the people of Ten nessee, Kentucky and all the Yankee States Lave contributed liberally to aid you.” “ Yes,” she responded, but we live so far away. The nearest point at which I can get anything, is Guntersville, which is twen ty miles. I will have to carry it on my back, and I am scarcely able to walk alone; I tried to borrow a horse down in the valley, but the man told me that he had other bu siness than taking care of all the paupers iu the country, and l was compelled to aban dou ali hope.” I had taken the advice of the young gen tleman Who told me to provide myself for the journey, and had in a sack a peck of meal for my horse, and in my saddle-bags THE ELBERTON GAZETTE. corn bread and bacon for* two davs. lat once gave all I had to the family, knowing that I could reach G untersville the follow ing day, or even that night, by fast riding, and that my horse could subsist on grass, of which, all along the way, there was an abundant growth. I had intended to travel but a few miles each day, but now I deter mined to go direct to Guntersville, and make daily trips into the country returning at night. I have seen expressions of gratitude un der almost every circumstance. A hundred times have I seen the dying soldier on the battle field breathe out his last breath in gratitude for a drop of water to cool his parched lips, but uever did I see so much fervency as on this occasion, never heard I a more eloquent prayer than at that moment fell from the lips of that illiterate woman. At this point I left the scene. I could endure it no longer. 1 had heard of the suffering of the famine stricken people, but never did I for a moment picture to myself a tythe of the horrors spread out before me. A WOMAN OWSF.VENTY was the next person I addressed. I had passed all the huts for three miles, not de siring to give my nerves a second shock that day; but od the road I met An old decrepid female, clothed in a wrapper, of coarse do mestic, carrying on her back a sack, in which was half a bushel of meal. “ Madam,” said I, “ you are wearied, are you not? you are too old to carry such a loa<L” .“I have toted it eighteen miles; clear from Guntersvilla,” said she. “ How far do you live from here ?” I ask ed. • • “Half a mile.” * / “And have you carried this all the way from Guntersville; had you do one to send.” “ No, sir,” said she, “ I had two sons who lived with me, and two jgore who had families living near. They were all killed •in the war, and the wife of one of them is dead, and I had to take care of his four children, the oldest of whom is eight years of age; I had to carry this all the way from Guntersville, or starve.” I hastened by as rapidly as possible to Guntersville, and reached the town about midnight. I had expected to travel the country to witness the actual condition of the people; but I had no need of that. I had scarcely reached the street in the morning, before I saw representatives from every sec tion. within a circuit of thirty miles, from which I could obtain as true a picture of the prevailing destitution as was possible from an extended tour through the mountains. I)IED BY THE WAY. While I was standing iu front of the door of the hotel, I was approached by a middle aged female, who inquired of me where was the place at which the rations, were dealt out to the poor. I pointed to the house, but before she departed, I asked : “ How far do you live from here ?” “ Thirteen miles,” said she. “ Is there much suffering there ?” I in quired. “Yes, sir; you have no idea of its ex tent.” “Do you get enough here to relieve you ?” “Yes, sir—enough to keep us from dying —that is, most of us; we get a little meal; nothing else; meat we do not expect; we are glad to get enough meal to keep us from dying.” “ Where does this relief come from ?” I asked. “ Some from Tennessee, some from Ken tucky, hut mostly from the Yankee States.” , “How do you get it out home ?” “We carry it on our backs; we have no horses.” “ Do you ever come here and find nothing to give out V* “ Yes sometimes; I know a woman who came sixteen miles, after having lived three days without anything, as she gave the small mite she had to her children, and then got nothing, and had to walk all. the way home. She has since died.” “ Are there many cases of starvation amoDg you.” I next inquired. “Why, yes; the other day a woman walked 17 miles here for gome food for her self and four children, and she got a peck of meal; buc she was so exhausted that she died before she got home. She was found by the roadside and buried, and the neigh bors went to her house and found one of her children dead.” “ W T hy don’t the men come after provi sions f ’ I asked. “ Why there is not one man in ten fami lies,” was the response; “ they were all kill ed or died in the war. If they had known the Yankees were so kind as they are, thev would never- have gone into the Confederate service.” % NO MEAT SINCE AUGUST. I met a boy about thirteen years of age, carrying a peck of meal and I asked : “ How far do you live from the'city V* ‘•Five miles.” “ Are the people very bad off there ?” “ l T es; we have had to live on the corn meal given us; we have had no meat in our house since August, last, and the Lord knows when we shall have any more.” “ Do you get corn meal enough ?” “No sir; we don’t average more than a peck a week, and there are four of us in the family.” “ Where is your father ?” “ He was killed at Mission Ridge.” “ AYe the people around you as bad off as you are ?” “ Yes, sir, some are worse off; and only a few are better off; we expect to all starve, unless the Yankees help us !” I could.fill columns with particulars as heart-rending as these. I conversed with at least a hundred persons, during my stay, which lasted until the morning of the 4th of June, and all of them gave accounts as doleful as' those narrated. I made inquiries of different parties, well informed on the condition of affairs, and they estimate that in five counties south of the Tennessee river, there arc at least twen ty thousand persons bordering on a state of starvation! JOHN A." TRENCHARD & CO. Will keep constantly on hand „ A GENERAL ASSORTMENT Os all such goods as are usually kept iu up country stores. One of the firm has gone to New York to PURCHASE GOODS Which will be sold at a VERY SMALL ADVANCE ■ ** On New York cost FOR CASH. Two barrels of syrup for sale on consignment. February 10th 1866. CLAYTON & MARTIN, MERCHANTS, AUGUSTA, GA. The undersigned have formed a partnership for the purpose of transacting a Warehouse and Commission Business In the City of Augusta, to commence on THE FIRST OF AUGUST NEXT, And will be prepared to receive, store, sell, or forward COTTON AND OTHER PRODUCE entrusted to their care. Their strict personal attention will be devoted to the business. They solicit the patronage of their friends and the public generally. Will also receive and forward ALL MERCHANDISE sent to their care. E. P. CLAYTON, of Augusta, Georgia. L. H. 0. MARTIN, of Elbert Connty, Geo. ASSISTANT ASSESSOR’S OFFICE U. S. INTERNAL REVENUE. The undersigned having been ap • pointed Assistant Assessor in place of J. S. Lamar, Esq., resigned, would notify all inter ested that he has Removed the Assessor’s Office To the Printing Office Building. MANUFACTURERS would do well to remember that their monthly returns must be made by the TENTH of EACH MONTH. Parties who have not mads their Annual Re turns, for 1865, must do io at once, or suffer the consequences. C. W. FENTON, Assistant Assessor t3th Div. 3d Di»t. Ga. A meeting of negroes was lateljr held in Cherokee County, Alabama, where they bound themselves together not to work for less than two dollars per day during the present harvest, upon the penalty of receiv ing filly lashes. Consequently the negroes are idle, and white men are gathering har vest at one dollar and fifty cents per day. Brevet Major Gen. John C. B*binson has been ordered to relieve Gen. T. H. Ruger as military commander of North Carolina. A Isolul Table. In consequence of numerous inquiries daily as to tlio price of Gold for Confederate .Notes during a certain period, we have for the convenience of our citizens, who may have settlements to make, prepared » table from our books, showing actual sales from January 1,1861, to May 1, ISGS, which is at your service, should you think proper to publish the same F. C. Barber & Son, Exchange Brokers. Augusta, Ga., June 9,1865. Prices of Gold for Confederate Notes. 18G1—January 1 to May 1, 5 cts. prom. May Ito ()cfoher, 10 “ “ October Ito Oct. 15,12 “ « Oct. 15 to Nov. 15, 15 “ •< December 1, 20 “ « December 15, 30 “ “ 18G2—January 2, 20 “ « January 15, 20 “ “ February 1, 25 “ “ February 15, 40 “ “ March I, 50 “ “ March 15, 65 “ “ April 1, 75 y< “ April 15, 80 “ " May 1, 00 “ “ May 15, 95 “ “ June 1, 95 “ “ June 15 to July 15, $2.00 for $1 August 1, * 2.20 “ 1 August 15, 2.20 “ 1 Peptmnber 1, 2.50 “ ] October 1, 2.50 “ 1 Nov. Ito Feb. 1, ’63 3.00 “ 1 18G3—-Feb. 1 to. March 1, 3.10 “ 1 March 2, 3.25 « 1 March 15 to May 15, 5.00 “ 1 May 15, * * 6.00 « 4 June 1, . 6.50 « 1 June 15, 7.50 “ 1 •Tuly 1, 8.00 « 1 July 15;. 10.00 “ 1* August 1, 14 00 « 1 August 16, 15.00 “ 1 Sept. Ito Sept. 15, 14.00 “ 1 October 1, 13.00 “ i October 15, 12.50 “ 1 November 1, 13.00 “ 1 November 15, 15.50 “ 1 December 1, 20.00 “ 1 December 15, 21.00 “ I 18G4—January 1, 21.00 “ 1 Jan. 15 to Feb. 1, 20.00 « ]. February 15, * 21.00 “ 1 March Ito March 15,20.00 “ 1 April 1, 19.00 “ 1 April‘ls, 21.00 “ 1 Mayl, 20.00 “ 1 May 15, 18.00 “ 1 , June Ito July 15, 18.00 “ 1 July 15 to Aug. 15 20.00 “ 1 August 15, 22.00 “ 1 September 1, 20.50 “ 1 •*> September 15, 22.50 “ 1 October 1, 27.00 “ 1 October 15, 25.00 “ 1 November 1, 26.50 “ 1 November 15, 28.00 “ 1 December 1, 32.00 “ 1 December 15, 88.00 “ 1 December 31, 51.00 “ 1 1865—January 1, 60.00 “ 1 January 15, 65.00 “ 1. February 1, 50.00 “ 1 February 15, 46.00 " 1 March 1, 55.00 “ 1 March 15, • 50.00 “ 1 April 1, 70.00 “ 1 April 15, 80.00 « 1 April 20, 100.00 “ 1 April 26, 200.00 « 1 April 27, 300.00 “ 1 April 28, 500.00 u 1 April 29, 800.00 “ 1 April 30, 1000.00 “ 1 Mayl, 1200.00 « 1 Which was the last actual sale for Confede rate Notes.— Constitutionalist.