"Of course, I no longer doubted that we were the victims of a
trick, and had been lured by Mrs. Roberts purposely to be made
prisoners. If I had had any doubts on the subject, her conduct
would have dissipated them. She received our captors with open
arms. They stepped into our places as guests, and the house was
thrown open to them. Our arms were taken from us, our hands
pinioned, and a scene of festivity ensued. A cask of wine was
brought up from the cellar, and the contents freely distributed
among the rebels, or gray backs, as we call them here.
"Once, as Mrs. Roberts passed through the little room where we
were confined, I said, 'Do you consider this honorable conduct,
madam, to lure us here by false representations, and then betray
us to our enemies?'
" 'Yes, I do!' said she hotly. 'What business have you to come
down here and lay waste our territory? There is no true Southern
woman but despises you heartily, and would do as much as I have,
and more, too. You've got my son a prisoner in one of your Yankee
prisons.
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