USA > Georgia > Irwin County > History of Irwin county > Part 11
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The Rock House.
On the western side of the Alapaha River on lot
Coleman Pond.
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FREAKS OF NATURE IN IRWIN COUNTY
of land number .... in second district, origi- nally Irwin County, now Turner County is an- other freak of nature. There is a large depres- sion or hole about three hundred feet long and one hundred fifty feet Coleman Pond. wide ; it is almost round and this depression or hole is probably two hundred feet deep and in the bottom of this depression is a rock house some fifteen feet square. This house is of rock and was not built by man, but by nature. God made it so. It is rather steep to walk down to this rock house but it has been visited by many for ages past and is still a show place and visited by many people. Many have written or chiseled their names upon the rock walls of this building. William Hamilton, a large cattle owner in Irwin County in the early days, was the first man to write his name on these stone walls, and he has been gone to his eternal reward many years.
In the early days my mother's father, Mr .. Lott Whiddon, lived about two miles from this place and being on a hunt one day, he shot and killed a bear at this point, the bear fell in death at the edge of the depression. His rendezvous was probably in the pit where the stone house is located.
The Bone Pond or Crystal Lake.
On lots of land number forty-seven and forty-eight in third district of Irwin County, owned by Dr. W. L. Story of Ash- burn, Georgia, is located one of the most beautiful bodies of water in all of this South Georgia coun- try. It covers about one hundred acres of land, is away from any stream of water; no water course empties into it except one small spring which
Crystal Lake or Bone Pond.
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does not afford sufficient water to maintain this lake, which is evidence that it is supported by hidden underground streams. This lake is sev- enty-five feet deep, in the deepest place and Bone Pond or Crystal Lake. has a beautiful sandy bottom and except at two places is shallow from the edge grad- ually becoming deeper for from thirty to fifty yards before it becomes deep as a man's head. It is surrounded by a beautiful sandy beach and back of this is a perfectly dry hammock cov- ered with oaks with beautiful foliage and attached to these trees are long streamers of gray moss. The water is crystal clear and has been analyzed to be pure. It abounds with all kinds of fresh-water fish which can be viewed from the banks or the pavilion, coming to the surface to gather bread when thrown into the water for them. It is one of the most beautiful and most healthful resorts for bathing, boating, picnics, etc. The name of this place is Crystal Lake. Its name in the early days was the Bone Pond, named after a man by the name of Bone who once owned it. Bone came to Irwin County about 1858, and the next year he moved to Crystal Lake and cleared a small farm. A man by the name of John Mathews cultivated this land for Bone.
During the Civil War two escaped Federal Yankee prisoners took refuge at Bone's home and he protected them. They remained hidden in the hammock on southwest side of the pond and cleared about twelve or fifteen acres of hammock land for Bone. During the time they were at Bone's place they went to the farm of Hon. MaNassa Hender- son, Sr., about twelve miles away and stole two
The Beautiful Alapaha River.
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of Henderson's horses. Everybody thought Bone instigated this theft as Henderson was a Secessionist and Bone a Union man. Daniel Henderson and others secured the trail of the thieves following them into what is now Coffee County and come so near overtaking them until the Yankee thieves fled leaving the horses which were captured and returned to the owner. One of the thieves stopped some distance farther on and committed another theft and was killed by his pursuers.
Bone was relieved from going to the war because he was a miller. He, having a steam corn mill on the bank of Crystal Lake. At the time Bone built this mill at the lake it was much smaller in size than at the present time. Where his mill was located at that time on dry land the water is five feet deep at present time. It is said that after Bone's death in 1865, the lake rose up to the eaves of the mill house, then in a few years it remained low for a number of years, but in 1928 and 1929 it gradually began to rise until at present time, 1930, it is as full as any of the old citizens have ever seen it, but is now on a standstill.
Bone proved to be a criminal of the vilest kind. In the spring of 1865, Toney, a negro slave belonging to Mr. Sam Young, ran away from home and went to Bone and he con- cealed him in the same hammock he concealed the Yankee horse thieves, and put him to work cutting growth off his newly cleared land.
Mr. Jack Walker was Justice of Peace and the neighbor of Bone, living about three miles west of the Alapaha River from Bone's place. Walker owned a large stock of hogs, many of which ranged near Bone's plantation in the swamp. He left home on Monday morning about April 20, 1865, carrying a wallet of corn, as was customary in that day, also his rifle gun, looking for his hogs to feed them and incidently to kill a deer for provision. In looking for hogs he went by Bone's hammock field and found the negro, Toney, there. Walker was a strong man so he decided to capture the negro. In doing this he got into a scramble with the negro but from the sign left on the ground Walker had the negro down and was preparing to tie him when he was shot from ambush.
Night came and Walker did not return home. The neighbors
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HISTORY OF IRWIN COUNTY
were notified and went in search of him but failed to find any trace. The news was spread of Walker's disappearance and the people turned out en masse to search for him. Wednesday came and still no trace of Walker could be secured.
Wednesday was mill day at Bone's mill. Dink Walker, a son of Jack Walker, and James II. Fletcher went to the mill. Bone spoke to them and told Dink Walker he had heard his father was missing and also said, I've heard that they say I killed him. Bone also talked very rough to Walker. A short while after this, Bone was taken into custody. He refused to tell his captors anything. Bone had two children, Mary and Tayler. Tayler was a boy about fourteen or fifteen years old. He was taken away from his father and was told by his captors that they believed he knew where Walker was and that the whole crowd would be hung unless he told all he knew about it. Tayler replied, "If you'll not hang me, I will tell you how it all happened." He was assured that if he would tell the truth and tell all about it that he would not be hurt. This is about what Tayler said. "Daddy carried the negro's dinner and called me to bring his gun which I did. The negro and Walker were in a scuffle and Daddy shot Walker from the gap of the field and hit Walker but did not kill him. Daddy went to Walker while he was down and hit him on the head with his gun until he thought him dead. He and the negro then took Walker up and carried him to an old bay north of the pond and buried him and his gun in the mud. I don't know what became of the negro."
The people who were there searching for Walker went to the field and found the sign of the struggle, found blood on the fence where Bone had crossed it with Walker and went into the swamp and found where he was buried. Evidently he was buried alive as his hands had worked upward through the mud and blood had come to the surface. Walker's body was taken to the pond and they attempted to cleanse it by washing but this could not be done, he having been dead so long decomposition had set in to such an extent the body could not be cleansed, the skin would burst ånd come apart. The negro Toney has never been seen or heard from. It was
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the supposition at the time that Bone killed him and put his body with weights attached in the deepest part of the pond.
All the people in the country had gathered to assist in the search for Walker. It being about the close of the war many soldiers had just returned home from the army. The best people of the county were there. They organized by electing Rev. Jacob Young, a Primitive Baptist minister and a former judge of Inferior Court, as chairman or judge and organized a court of justice and proceeded to try Bone for the murder of Walker. After hearing the evidence he was promptly and properly convicted and sentenced to be hung.
A scaffold was erected on the edge of the pond under a large oak tree with a large limb extending out over the newly erected scaffold.
Ropes in those days were scarce. Mrs. Jemimah Hogan, wife of David M. Hogan, had spun and woven a rope to use around a bale of cotton in place of ties and this new rope was used to hang Bone. All things being ready for the execution, John and Sam Walker, sons of the murdered man, were permitted to tie the hangman's knot and Sam Walker was allowed to climb the tree and place the rope over the limb, which he gladly did. Then Bone was made to mount the scaffold and told that he had fifteen minutes to make any statement he desired. These were his last words, "Take warning from me and don't come to what I have." He moved and the scaffold fell and launched Bone, the murderer, into eternity.
A grave was dug in the jamb of the fence of one of Bone's patches at the northwest corner of the pond and when the grave was ready, Bone's wife sent or brought a sheet with the request that his body be wrapped in it, which was done and the body was placed in the grave.
After Bone was hung, his wife told a Mr. Pridgen that Bone, after killing Walker, placed or hid Walker's shoes and hat in a hollow log and told where the log was and upon investiga- tion they were found to be there as she stated.
The family were notified to wind up their affairs, dispose of their property, and move out of the county. This was done as speedily as possible and they moved back to Taylor County, Georgia.
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I have learned that Mary Bone married and did well. Tayler made a good citizen, was a preacher of the Gospel and a highly respected citizen of the county.
Bone Pond, now Crys- Spot Where Jefferson Davis, President of tal Lake, is a beautiful Southern Confederacy, Was Captured on May 10th, 1865. spot; a more beautiful body of water is hard to find. There is nothing like it in this country. Many people visit it for a summer outing. It is perfectly healthy and away from the bustle and strife of the busy world, it furnishes quietude, peace, good bathing, excellent fishing and boat rid- ing. Were it near some of our large cities, it would be con- sidered a paradise on earth and a gold mine to its owners.
THE FLIGHT AND ARREST OR CAPTURE OF JEFF DAVIS, PRESIDENT OF THIE CONFEDERACY.
The last chapter of the War Between the States has never been faithfully and truthfully written. It deals with the flight and capture of President Jefferson Davis of the Con- federacy, after the fall of the Confederacy, a flight which lasted for a week and lead him through the lonely, yet lovely pine forests of south Georgia and ended near Irwinville, in Irwin County, on May 10, 1865. This flight began in Washing- ton, Wilkes County, Georgia, at the home of General Robert Toombs. The last meeting of the Confederate cabinet was held on Wednesday night, May 3, 1865, in an upper room of the old Heard home, also known as the State Bank Building. It was known that a price had been set upon the head of Mr. Davis and his cabinet. The present and pressing need was a place of safety for the president. It was decided that Mr. Davis should reach a southern port and embark for England with his family. On the morning of Thursday, May 4, 1865, Mr. Davis with a single companion rode on horseback out of Washington, Georgia, bound for the south. About twelve miles out from Washington, Mr. Davis and his companion,
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without disclosing their identity, secured lodging and had their horses cared for. Just after dark Thursday night, Judge Raggan of Texas and a small party left Washington and some- time Friday morning overtook Mr. Davis. Oth- Over 1,000 Miles Good Gravel Roads in Irwin County. ers who had left Wash- ington in small parties joined them until they had quite a company made up of some of the most distinguished men of the South. After traveling about fifty miles from Wash- ington, on Friday evening, May 5, 1865, they came to a prosperous looking farmhouse and they decided to camp if suitable arrangements could be made. This was the home of Mr. Lee Warthen who had just returned from the army to rebuild his shattered fortunes. He and his brother lived on an extensive plantation at what is known as Warthen, in Washing- ton County. The Davis party concealed their identity but secured from the Messrs. Warthens a wagon load of provi- sions paying for it in gold. When this was done, Mr. Warthen asked, "Where did you get all that gold, it's the first I've seen in four years." The man turned and walked away saying in a low tone, "I reckon we stole it." Upon inquiry of a suitable place to camp they were directed to a woody dale about two miles north of Warthen, known as the Griffin Pond. The camp was pitched about 200 yards from the road where tents and men were out of sight and sound of any who might pass the main road.
On Saturday morning Mr. Davis resumed his journey. That afternoon a small party escorting Mrs. Davis from Richmond passed, going south, spending the night at the home of Mr. E. J. Blackshear, ten miles from Dublin, where she and family were joined by her husband on Sunday morning.
General John C. Breckinridge accompanied by a single soldier passed along going south. Col. Jack Lane, of Sanders-
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HISTORY OF IRWIN COUNTY
ville, guided them through the country. Mr. Lee Warthen stated that Gen. Breckinridge rode up to his gate making him- self known and said, "The Yankees are scouring the country for us and I want all the information I can get." Mr. Warthen directed him how to travel with safety and he went on his way. General Breckinridge went to the farm of the grandfather of Judge E. D. Graham in the piney woods of Montgomery County and was safely kept unmolested for a number of weeks. When it was safe for him to resume his journey he asked what his bill was and he was told there was no charge, so he ex- pressed his thanks for the many kindnesses shown him and pulling out of his pocket a handsome gold watch presented it to the old gentleman as a keepsake for his service to him and his loyalty to a cause sacred to the heart of all southerners. This watch was given by the grandfather to Judge E. D. Graham who owned it at the time of his death. I have seen this watch, it was very fine and beautiful. General Breckin- ridge made his escape.
After an early breakfast at the house of Mr. Blackshear, Mr. Davis and family, he riding in the carriage with his wife, resumed their journey in a southerly direction arriving at Dublin, Laurens County, about noon. The carriage was driven by a negro named John Davis. The carriage stopped at the store of Judge F. H. Rowe, and the Judge, being informed that a party was at the store desiring to buy provisions, came down to his place of business; learning that Mr. Davis was in the party, he gave them a cordial invitation to his home for dinner, but it was deemed prudent to decline this invitation and after securing the needed provisions the journey was resumed.
While the carriage was waiting in front of the store, quite a number of people gathered about to ask questions of them, among them were many negroes. One of them a comely young woman attracted the attention of the driver of the carriage, John Davis. He entered into conversation with her and learned her name was Della Connaway. She made a deep im- pression upon him and he impressed her as being a young man of more than usual importance. After the capture of Mr.
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FREAKS OF NATURE IN IRWIN COUNTY
Davis, John Davis, the driver, was released at Macon, Georgia. Not for- getting the girl he saw in Dublin he made his way back to hunt her up. He found her, courted her, married her and set- tled down as a farmhand in Laurens County. They lived there many years, Irwin County Jersey Cows. then they moved to Dodge County, near Eastman. They had thirteen children, three of whom died in infancy. He named his youngest child Jeff, after his "old marster." He lived in the Davis home in Mississippi, and went with the family to Richmond.
Mr. Davis and his family, unconscious that the enemy was anywhere near them, enjoyed that Sunday's drive through the piney woods of south Georgia's wiregrass country. It was springtime, new buds on the trees were giving out their spring- time odor and the honeysuckles were filling the air with their fragrance. The mockingbirds were mating. The new leaves on the trees contrasted with the darker color of the murmuring pines. The magnolias and bays which were beginning to bloom along the water courses must have reminded them of their beautiful Mississippi home. They camped on this Sunday night about four miles from Eastman, now Dodge County.
The next day they resumed their journey and crossed the Ocmulgee River at Poor Robin Ferry. They were ferried across the river by Mr. Alex Willcox. They camped in the town of Abbeville, Wilcox County, formerly Irwin, camping under an oak tree which stands in the yard of Ordinary J. M. Warren of Wilcox County.
Tuesday morning they resumed their journey south and reached a point one mile north of Irwinville in a pine grove on south side of a branch where they pitched camp. Mr. Davis came into the town of Irwinville, spent quite a while talking with different people but did not let any one know his identity. Dr. G. E. White lived at Irwinville at that time and ran a hotel.
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HISTORY OF IRWIN COUNTY
Mr. Davis spent some time on the porch of the hotel conversing with different people.
At this time there were two roads leading from Abbeville to Irwin- ville. One was the di- rect road south, the road Mr. Davis traveled and Irwin County Watermelons. was camped upon, the other one came by Bowen's Mill and from thence to Irwinville.
The Yankee Cavalry who were following Mr. Davis and had been on his trail from Washington, Georgia, reaching Abbe- ville, learned they were not far behind Mr. Davis, also learned of the two roads leading to Irwinville, consequently they divided their force into two squads, one squad taking the direct road south to Irwinville, the other squad following the road by Bowen's Mill to Irwinville. This latter squad, upon arriving at Irwinville, learned they were ahead of Mr. Davis so they turned back north on direct road to Abbeville, hoping to secure President Davis. After traveling about one mile they came to Mr. Davis' camp. The squad following Davis down the main road, arrived about this time on the north side of the branch. Each squad of Yankees thought the other was a company of Confederate soldiers with President Davis and a battle was fought between themselves until daylight came, so they could distinguish themselves as Yankees, although they had been repeatedly told by Mr. Davis that he had no one with him fighting.
Mr. Davis was captured and the story told by some Yankees that he was captured with women's clothes on was as base a falsehood as could have been uttered. I knew personally a Mr. Clute, a Union soldier, who was one of the Michigan Cavalry who captured Mr. Davis, and he said that that story was a base falsehood. He said that as Mr. Davis walked out of his tent, it being early morning and somewhat cool, Mr.
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Davis threw the cape belonging to a man's overcoat over his shoulders and remained with it around him. That he made no attempt to disguise himself or to escape at that time or any other. Mr. Clute was a truthful man, even though he was a Yankee Cavalryman and assisted in the capture of President Davis. I knew him personally for many years. My father, R. W. Clements, who was a thorough unreconstructed rebel and Confederate soldier, knew Mr. Clute for many years and had great respect for his veracity.
Mr. Davis was captured between midnight and daylight Wednesday morning, May 10, 1865. In the battle the Yankees fought among themselves, one if not two were killed, one horse killed and two or more men and horses were wounded. The dead were taken to Abbeville and buried. The pine trees had many bullets in them. Quite a few of these were cut out by people to melt and run into bullets to use to shoot game with, others were cut out by souvenir hunters. My father had just arrived home from the war, when this capture took place and in a few days he visited the scene and saw quite a few bloody rags on a stump beside the road, a dead horse and signs near Mr. Davis' camp next the branch, where a keg of peach or apple brandy had been poured out.
If Mr. Davis had let himself been known upon his arrival in Irwinville, the people would gladly have secreted him, which they could and would have done and kept him for months with- out his being molested, until he could have made his escape out of the country and avoided the horrors of Fortress Monroe.
At the time President Davis was captured, Rev. Jacob Young, a Primitive Baptist minister, lived one mile east of Irwinville. Wednesday, the day of the capture, had been as- signed by Mr. Young as the day to gather and shear his sheep and he had invited his friends and neighbors to come and assist him in the work. In response to his invitations they came, many of whom were ex-Confederate soldiers. It was customary on such occasions for them to carry their guns and after the sheep shearing was over they would engage in a deer hunt or upon returning home, try to kill a deer to take home for the
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family larder. On this occasion many were at Mr. Young's house, their guns being stacked along the yard fence as the day's work had not commenced. No one knew of the capture of Mr. Davis, some had heard the report of the guns but no one knew what it meant. Just at this time there appeared upon the scene two of the Yankee Cavalry, who rode into the yard and went to Mr. Young's smokehouse and looked at his meat, then rod to his crib and looked at his corn and then told Mr. Young they had to have the corn to feed the Yankee horses and the meat to feed their men. Mr. Young prevailed with them not to take his meat and corn; that if they did, his family as well as quite a few widows and orphan children he was assisting, would suffer. This had no effect upon them, they stating that wagons would be along as soon as they returned, for it, but it was noticed that the Yanks kept their eyes on the men and guns. They soon left and the wagons did not appear. It was supposed that they decided the men with the guns were there to protect Mr. Young's prop- erty and to molest it, they would again have to face the bullets of the southerners as they had to their sorrow in the past.
They returned with Mr. Davis to Abbeville, where they camped on the same spot Mr. Davis camped on Monday night. They also buried their dead.
While in Abbeville the whole population turned out to see the distinguished prisoner. Many of his loyal friends and admirers called to pay their respects and tender their sympathy. Among them was Major Ried, a patriotic fire- eating old rebel. After seeing Mr. Davis, he approached the leader of the Yankee soldiers and asked what would be done with the prisoner. The soldier replied, "We intend to hang him." Major Ried flew into a just rage and cursed the whole Yankee army and dared them to try the hanging game. He told them it would be a d-m shame and a stain on the whole civilized world to hang Jeff Davis for being a gentlemen, a soldier and a patriot.
Arriving at Macon with their distinguished prisoner, the
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party was broken up and Mr. Davis was sent to Fortress Monroe.
My father, Mr. R. W. Clements, after viewing the spot where they captured his chieftain only a few days after it happened, made a vow that if God would endow him with strength and health to rebuild his fortunes, the war leaving him only about twenty head of piney-woods cattle and 245 acres of land in the woods in Worth County, worth about $100.00, that so soon as he was able he would buy lot of land number fifty-one, in third district, Irwin County, upon which the capture was made and that no Yankee should ever own it. God prospered him and he soon bought it, and kept it until his death. In his later years Fitzgerald sprang up as a colony town with numbers of ex-Union soldiers as its inhabitants. He had many friends among them, all of whom, if they came to him in the proper spirit, expressing a desire to see the spot upon which Davis was captured, he would stop his work and go with them to the spot and permit them to secure canes or souvenirs to carry home. Unfortunately, Fitzgerald, like other boom towns had some who were not as desirable citizens as they should have been. One Sunday after dinner a neighbor Dr. W. L. Julian, sent word to my father that a crowd of those old Yankees were at the Jeff Davis camp ground cutting down the light-wood stump which stood nearest to Mr. Davis' camp and had wagons there to carry it away.
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