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48 - My Story of the Civil War and the Under-Ground Railroad by Marvin Benjamin Butler · My Story of the Civil War and the Under-Ground Railroad

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  Speaker 1: Chapter forty seven of My Story of the Civil War
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  Speaker 1: and the Underground Railroad by Marvin Benjamin Butler. This libribox
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  Speaker 1: recording is in the public domain home Chapter forty seven.
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  Speaker 1: Prentice came in soon after my company left. He had
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  Speaker 1: been to the ferry and learned about the train next
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  Speaker 1: morning for New Albany, and then ran about the city some.
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  Speaker 1: He selected a room for the night, and we retired
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  Speaker 1: early on the morning of the eighth. We crossed the
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  Speaker 1: Ohio and planted our feet on free soil on the
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  Speaker 1: north of the Ohio. The boys call it God's Country.
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  Speaker 1: I must say I felt a thrill of pleasure when
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  Speaker 1: I stood in my own state. At Indianapolis, we changed trains.
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  Speaker 1: Prentice was loaded down with baggage, so I said, I
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  Speaker 1: can walk to the train alone. But as usual, there
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  Speaker 1: was a rush, and when halfway across the walk, a large,
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  Speaker 1: portly well dressed woman I'll not say lady, ran square
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  Speaker 1: against me and knocked me over on the hard pavement.
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  Speaker 1: She barely looked around, saw me and went on. Then
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  Speaker 1: a lady sprang to my side, helped me up, and
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  Speaker 1: commenced to brush off my clothes. As Prentice came the
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  Speaker 1: blood was then running down into my shoes. It hurt
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  Speaker 1: me cruelly so that they had to almost carry me
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  Speaker 1: into the car. The good samaritan that helped me up said,
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  Speaker 1: what a burning shame that woman must be. I rebel
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  Speaker 1: without a heart. Princess and the lady that helped me
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  Speaker 1: bandaged my knees and stopped the blood. As the train
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  Speaker 1: moved out to the station, Princess took a pullman, and
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  Speaker 1: as the train rolled along, the bruises hurt less and
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  Speaker 1: I was rocked to sleep. We reached Salem Crossing about
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  Speaker 1: four thirty am. The morning was cold, and the only
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  Speaker 1: hotel in town was locked. Printis found a place out
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  Speaker 1: of the wind and a seat better than none. I
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  Speaker 1: soon chilled. He threw a blanket around me. Still I
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  Speaker 1: was cold. Then he resorted to the brandy the doctor
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  Speaker 1: made us take, and I think, in the absence of
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  Speaker 1: a cup of hot milk or coffee, perhaps the brandy
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  Speaker 1: was the next best thing. The house opened about five
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  Speaker 1: twenty and in about an hour more we had some breakfast.
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  Speaker 1: Princess sent a telegram to our station that we would
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  Speaker 1: be there on the next train, and at ten thirty
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  Speaker 1: am the train rolled in At the depot. Two old
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  Speaker 1: friends and neighbors, John Emerson and J. C. Bodley, stepped
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  Speaker 1: into the car, lifted me on my feet and made
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  Speaker 1: a chair of their hands. I thrust my arms around
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  Speaker 1: their necks, and they took me to grandmother Bodley's house.
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  Speaker 1: As soon as the door opened and this good woman
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  Speaker 1: saw me, she burst into tears. Oh oh, she said,
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  Speaker 1: is it possible that this marion? And her tears ran
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  Speaker 1: down her face like rain. Don't Grandma, I said, I
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  Speaker 1: can't stand it to see anyone cry. Please don't, and
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  Speaker 1: she forced her tears back. They soon got me some
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  Speaker 1: hot milk and toast, and then I took a good
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  Speaker 1: nap for an hour and felt stronger than when I
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  Speaker 1: left the hospital. This good lady, who expressed her welcome
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  Speaker 1: by the tears, she sheid, was one of God's noble mothers,
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  Speaker 1: who laid her offering on the nation's altar. Her son,
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  Speaker 1: Lieutenant b fell mortally wounded shortly after this, and died
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  Speaker 1: alone on the field. How deep the wound and how
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  Speaker 1: sorely the iron lacerated at her heart, only God and
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  Speaker 1: the angels knew. The kind hospitality of this family warmed
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  Speaker 1: my heart and I I said to myself, then, how
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  Speaker 1: cold the world must seem to be utterly friendless. On
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  Speaker 1: the morning of the tenth day of May eighteen sixty three,
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  Speaker 1: at eight am, a two seated covered carriage was driven
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  Speaker 1: up to the door by G. A. Bodley. I was
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  Speaker 1: helped into the back seat. Pillows and cushions were placed
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  Speaker 1: around and under me, and with Prentice and Bodley in
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  Speaker 1: the front seat, we started for home. Only eighteen miles
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  Speaker 1: and home. The day was bright and warm, the first
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  Speaker 1: real warm spring day in northeastern Indiana for the season
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  Speaker 1: had been very backward. How different everything looked here There
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  Speaker 1: the forests were out in full leaf, and the fields
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  Speaker 1: were carpeted with green, while here all nature had been dreaming.
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  Speaker 1: The trees were as barren of foliage as in January.
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  Speaker 1: But the air was pure and bracing. And what a
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  Speaker 1: blessing to be out again in God's warm, bright sunshine.
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  Speaker 1: While I longed to get home, I did dread the
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  Speaker 1: first meeting. I was so poor, and my hair and
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  Speaker 1: beard were nearly all gone. I believe I should have
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  Speaker 1: been perfectly safe among the worst starved cannibals. They would
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  Speaker 1: have run for me, thinking I was but a skeleton
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  Speaker 1: of some fellow whose bones had already been picked. Every
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  Speaker 1: mile of road was familiar to me, and they counted
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  Speaker 1: off fast. When we reached the last four corners and
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  Speaker 1: raised the hill, we met a mess from home. His
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  Speaker 1: face was bright and cheerful, and as our team stopped,
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  Speaker 1: he announced to Prentice that when he got home he'd
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  Speaker 1: find a ten pound boy ready to greet him, whose
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  Speaker 1: birthday will be the tenth of May eighteen sixty three.
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  Speaker 1: Ten am. They couldn't wait any longer, he said, without
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  Speaker 1: great inconvenience. I called the messenger up to me and said,
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  Speaker 1: you hurry back home and tell mother, though I look
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  Speaker 1: very poor and bad, I am feeling well and improving
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  Speaker 1: every day. And say be sure and tell her that
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  Speaker 1: they must do no crying. I can't stand it. Don't
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  Speaker 1: forget this, And he started back with his horse on
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  Speaker 1: the lope. Mother met me at the door with a
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  Speaker 1: smile instead of tears. She took both my hands in
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  Speaker 1: hers and said, Marian, you really look better than I
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  Speaker 1: had expected from the letters just receive from the boys
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  Speaker 1: in camp. With good nursing food and plenty of fresh air,
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  Speaker 1: you will get your health again. Others in the room.
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  Speaker 1: Neighbors that had called greeted me cordially, expressing no surprise,
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  Speaker 1: talked a few minutes, and passed out. I looked around
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  Speaker 1: the room and often towards the door. Mother knew what
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  Speaker 1: was on my mind and said she'll be in soon.
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  Speaker 1: Give her a little time, Marian. You know how kind
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  Speaker 1: and affectionate she is, and perhaps can realize how she
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  Speaker 1: has suffered in the last four months. But she'll be
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  Speaker 1: prepared soon. She has been looking after our big boy.
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  Speaker 1: He's a fine fellow, and you shall see your nephew
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  Speaker 1: as soon as he's presentable. While Mother was talking thus
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  Speaker 1: the door opened from the adjoining room, and May entered.
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  Speaker 1: At the first look, the blood left her face, and
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  Speaker 1: I spoke cheerfully, a smile for a welcome, May, if
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  Speaker 1: you are glad to see me, and no tears please.
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  Speaker 1: But for a moment it was too much for her,
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  Speaker 1: poor girl. She kneeled down, placed her head on my knee.
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  Speaker 1: I stroked her hair to give her a little time.
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  Speaker 1: Then with a desperate effort, she raised her face to mine,
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  Speaker 1: moist with tears, and in a voice full of affections, said,
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  Speaker 1: glad to see you, oh, Marian. I am so glad
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  Speaker 1: to see you alive, But how you must have suffered.
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  Speaker 1: And the tears began to start again from her eyes.
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  Speaker 1: It is all over now, I said, Laugh and rejoice,
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  Speaker 1: for as long as God is willing, will never be
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  Speaker 1: separated again. End of Chapter forty seven.