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Show 24.0 ROEBUCK. of old Uncle Valentine, and it 'vas soon in a blaze. lie \vas carried frotn it'by some of the negroes, dread. fully burned, and in a few min~tes he died. It is believed that Joe 11erished in the burning mansion. lie ran towards it ·when he saw it in fia.n1 es, and hem·. ing that his master 'vas inside, he rushed in to rescue hin1. IIe 'vas seen running to and fro in the upper part of the house " rhcn the fire was licking tho hio-h. • b est 'v1ndows. IIe 1vas never seen afterwards. 1\frs. Fairfax, after being dragged a short distance by the solc1ierR, 1vas left by then1 lying upon the gronnd, her age and sex, perhaps, obtaining for J1cr the con1passion of neglect. Son1e of her servants car. ricd her to a negro cabin, ·where the :fitithful creatures 1nini~terecl to her 1vith assiduous care until Inornino- 'vhcn she 'vas conveyed to the house of a friend in thbe' neighborhood. Colonel Fairfax, after being drawn along the earth in great agony fron1 the spot whero he was 'vounded to a place 1nore retnote from the f:lan1 es, was guarded as if he had been able to fight or tly. IIe lay in pain and in view rf his burning home; but 1nore intolerable than his w..Jund ,vas his anxiety ~or _tlw safety of his wifC and daughter. He was kept 111 1gnorance of their fate, and ,vhen the rising sun shone upon tho sn1oking ruins of l1is mansion, he was thrown into a :art and carried to the village. He was there ]:>laced in a house ·which ,vas u ':led as a hospital. The surgeon in charge treated hitn vith professional RkiH and 'vith extreme kindness. :fie loft nothing undone that 1vas 'vithin his po,ver for the relief and con1~ort of the 'vouncled and bereaved gentleman. J)nnu_g the day a considerable number of Federal officers called upon him to express their syn1pathy anJ respect. Of these, son1e had eujoyed his hospi-llOEDUUK. 241 tality, and esteetnecl hitn from personal acquaintance. r~ro others he was a stranger, but they knew his char. aeter and acted in the spirit of generous courtesy which becomes tho profession of arn1s. vVhen Colonel \Vesel heard his snbordinate·s rc-· port of tho proceedings or operations of the night, he commeuded the captain's conduct, and 'vas enraged at the andaciou~ attack 1nado by Colonel Fairf.'lx on the Federal troops. IIe lookecl upon it as tho cnp-shcaf of crime in tho county. lie dcnonncet1 Colonel Fairf: tx not only as a "~ecesh," n rebel and an aristocrat, bnt as a "bush whncker "-an epithet commonly applied to those persons, ,\·ho, not being in the military service, 'vaylai<l enemies and shot thmn fro1n bushes, trees, rocks, hon ·es or other places of concealment. The insolent offences of the socesh citizenR, he declared, hacl been incre:1sing of late. 'Vomen had worn Confederate colors in their gannonts and had declined the acquaintance of Federals. :Thfen had refused to ren1ain at h01ne and till the geonncl Negroes had been chastised. R ebel ~o1diers had been harbored by their f~unilios . and others. Loyal citizens had been insulted. The venerable clergyman of the village had refused to pray for the President ofth~ Un~ted States These, and other enonnities, were recited 1n an order issued by Colonel 'V ese1, and it was added that la,v. less barbarity had at last culminated in an attempt Inade by a bad old n1an to assassinate a Federal o~cet• and several men at n1iclnio-ht by clandestinely shooting at them fro1n th' e conceabl me' nt of darl~ness and of a private dwelling. The colonel announced h.is detorInination to suppress n.ll these diabolical yractwes, and especially that of bushwhacking. lie threaten~d that other dwellings should be destroyed, and that, 1f 1 1 • |