Camden commercial courier. (Camden, S.C.) 1837-1838, July 29, 1837, Image 1

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agggggggs ' ? ?=gg-ggBHi. i asgas^gggg^ L. M. JQNES, 6l Co. Publishers. "at tiie public good we aim." M. M. LEVY, Editor. , ' 1 . ' VOL. I. CAMDEN, SOUTH CAROLINA, SATURDAY JULY SO, 1837. NO. 13. TMIRJTIS OF THE ' dOMM3BB3LA.il dOITF.IBBj Published weekly every Saturday morning at 83 per annum it paid in advance, or ' $1 if not paid until the expiration of the year. Advertisements inserted at 81 per square tor the first insertion, and 30 cts. for every continuance. Persons subscribing: out of the State, are required to pay in advance. Advertisements that do not have the number of insertions marked on the margin I will be published until forbid, and char-j gcd accordingly. No subscription received for less than one year. I WUIIllIIUUIOilUUUS U1IISI OP pOSl P 31 * I. From the Portland Transriipt. THE COTTAGE ON THE CAPE. BY CIIAULBS P. ILSLF.Y. 'Put the large lamp in the window, wife? it is a dismal night, and hard will it he for the poor sailor if he has no beacon to guide hiin through its darkness.* | Hard indeed, James, unless the Almighty should watch over him and guide his ves sel. Terrible?terrible storm! may God have the poor seamen in his keeping!' solemnly ejaculated the woman as she hung a large brilliant lamp in the window of the Cottage facing the sea. i 'Amen?amen!' was the hearty response' of her husband. At the time of which wc are writing, light-' houses were not so plenty as at present.? Beacon lights are now gleaming all along our coasts, so that the mariner proceeds on his course in the night season with as much safetv. nearly ns lm tlima ?n il>? .1.... Then rarely was (he sailor blessed with the sight of a'light:'and it was the custom of those who lived by the sea side, when the night was unusually dark, or stormy, to .put a bright light iu their window facing the sea, in case any vessel should be passing. Where now the revolving ?the colored, and the double Mights' are seen, directing the mariner which way lies his course, and warning him of dangerous points and sunken ledges,. then a few scattered house lamps gave forth their feeble rays, which were rarely seen in the distance in nights when the atmosphere was thick. James Richards lived 011 Cape *??*?**?. II is.house, a neat one story building, was situated on the furthermost part of the cape toward the sea. lie was an old sailor, and had followed the sea until ho was three score Voars of affp when ho h??ii?rUt iliio ? - -e> -1 ? ci|n? uuu built him a house. It was a dangerous part of the coast: and this was one great reason, he said, why he settled there. 'For he meant to keep a bright light burning in a dark night to light his brother tars on heir way.' And so he did while he lived, insomuch, that 'Richards' light* was proveibial for being the brightest and the most const int of any along shore. Another reason why he liked the place was. he had so long, lie said, been used to the roar of the sea. that lie was like a child who could not sleep unless its accustomed lullaby was sounded in its cars: and here the sea kept up a perpetual roar. It was never so calm that the surf did not give out its sullen echo. But when the storm had stirred up the deep, and the wind came from seaward, then did the lashing of the waves against the rocks come like full thunder to your cars. And then would the look of anxiety be visible upon the features of the old sailor, as he sat in his chair listening to the dash of the spray, forced by the hi<fh winds hard against the side of his dwelling: and then loo would the well-trimmed lamp .send from his window its bright rays, which, if they benefitted no one, showed the b nevolence and good heart of the - Id man. Richards' family consisted <>f himself, wife and two sons, the eldest thirty and the youngest twenty-five years of age. " And smart active boys they arc loo," the Id man would say, " as any about these parts. CM ' oiiuw iiie out: stronger at, mo oar man John, or quicker at (he line than Samuel! For catching fish I'll put them two boys agin any the Ca]>e ca i produce; mid for (-leaning 'em, Sam Steobjns is no touch to them!' In truth this was not all a parent's boast; for John and Sam Richards were noted from **** Island to Capo********, for being the smartest hands at an oar or a line ol any in that neighborhood: and this was no moan praise in these days. : The afternoon of the day on which our j story opens had been lowery, and appear-! an jos betokened a tempest. The two young moii lifirl l\i>An o ?? - "?I r nwu vvvii uusi;iii ft UOUI a WW It UII a Ibmng cruise. They were therefore anxi-1 ously looked for all the afternoon by their pa- J rents; more especially, as they had th^n outstayed their usual time of absence. As the day wore away, and the appearances of a , storm increased, the mother's fears arose j proportionally; although th? father wan too much of a sailor to be frightened, as ha ex- 1 pressed himself, at a bla?.k cloud, '.lowever, as the day drew near its close, and the 1 wind began to increase, the old man became ( uneasy, and his eye was directed oftener than usual seaward. The sun went down luridly in the west, and the large waves began to heave in with their feathery tops. The old man left the house and proceeded to the phore. There was a smooth sandy cove) which made a snug little harbor; but save i this, the Cape was lined with high jugged i and shelving rocks. Mr. Richards seated i himself on the highest eminence?Broad* stone it is called, directly on the pitch of the Ca-pe, from whence he could overlook i the sea at all points. Here, as he sat gazing off, he would mutter to himself?'I don't like that white i streak in the east; it is a wether-lifter ami bodes no good; and the scud there in the south looks badly skimming over the water at such a rate. It will be an ugly night, this. < The plague is in the boys that they don't come home?they ought to know better than to be abroad in such weather as this!' Time! and again as the dusk crept on, he would vis.t broadsto e, and throw anxious glances about in hopes of detecting an approaching | mil, and then he would give vent to his spleen lor their absenting themselves, in which,1 however, fear, as could be easily seen, rather than anger was pcrdommant. Darkness set- < tied down on earth and ocean, stil! nothing i met the eyes of the anxious watchers, but the dark green waves, rolling turbidly to the i shore with a sullen fearful murmur. Thc'? wind blew fuiiously and the rain cnine with a heavy plash to the earth. The light had i been put to the window of the cottage, and I the solemn *God have the seamen in his keeping,* said by Mrs. Richards, yet neither i the husband nor wife had said a word to oacli i other about the peril of their absent sons.? i They seemed to hold back with fear from i from speaking of them as in danger, an-' wondered only at their long stay, and hoped I ihey would soon come. As the hour grew late, and the heavy gusts of wind swept by, and Mr. Richards had b?-en once or twice ' to the shore without any signs of their ap- I proach, their anxiety became too great for t silence, and impassioned prayers were put 1 up by the mother tor her sous' safety; while the father ill a voice slightly trembling tried i to comfort her, by saying?'Fear not, wife? the boys are strong, and a belter sea boat never swam; they are well acquainted with the coast. Besides, God will have them in ' his keeping, and will not leave us childless in ; our old age. Cheer up, and put your trust ' in Him, at whose bidding?'peace, be still!' J ?the waves cannot harin.' , 'Fen o'clock came ai.d went by. The t boys came not. The storm Was at its height After walking the room a while, Mr. Richards asked bis wife to prepare a lan'hern.? 'I am going' said he, in answer to his wife's enqiueries, 'to kindle a fire on Broad.stone, if possible. Keep a good heart- trust in God and all will be well/ So Saying he left the house. It was but a short time before he had a bright fire kindled on Broadstone, which ihrt-w its light far on to the troubled waters?'Pray God the youngsters may see it!' the old man uttered to himself i as he heaped on the brush. *He will not I Lave me desolate in my old <gc! Take me, < Father Almighty,' dropping on his knees i and raising his arms on high in a prayerful i attituee?'take me, but spire my children! I lake me who am nothing worth?a worn out ! hulk, hut spare the hoys to comfort and sup- i port i heir a^ed moiher!' A hand this moment was laid on his shoulder, and a trembling voice, said hastily?'James, James?His 1 will, 1101 ours be done/ i 'Wife, how came you here? You should ] not be out in this? tempest " I 411 ark! there it is again?I was sure i 1 heard it!' 4ileard what!'said her husband in astonishment. *11 ark?listen!' said the woman pointing her arm seaward Hero was a fine scene for n painter. By the fitful glare of the fire, now blazing high in the air and now quivering low to the earth, as the wind hilled and increased, the 1 old man might be seen with his head hent, and his body placed in that attitude which i denote the seines of the man entirely fixed < on i?nc object. Mis wife stood beside him, with one ai in resting on his sh uldcr and i the other stretched toward the turbulent sea, < dashing and foaming around, and her whole I appearance exhibiting the same intense at- ' tention. Her head being bare, her long grey I hair hung loose about her neck and gave her I an air of peculiar wilderness. i It was but a moment when a bright Hash t was seen and a faint report was borne on ; .1.^1 A use ureeze irorn seaward. i 'They are coming?the boys are coming!' i burst simultaneously from the aged pair. 1 < 'They see the light,'said the wife hurriedly?'let us heap on more wood, James-praise | God!' 'We have reason to praise Him. wife, and ' may He who has protected them thus far restore them to uu in safety!* ? 6 'He will?He will,' 6aid the agitated wife * as she heaped large quantities of brush on ' to the fire. As the flames shot up in the air, * and were curled about bv the wind, the old 1 man and his wife seated themselves to await A UA A IW/V ifajadl tUfti J <*11 t me elf/pi uiiiyiiiu^ fcoDtij mai uumaiiJUU clll that waa dear lo them. Their eyes were r strai'icd toward the cove in the hope of see- r ing her in that direction; but happening to r turn their eyes, they saw the little schooner 1 dashing over the waves right towards the 1 high rocky part of the Cape. They both * uttered a cry of horror. Death?inevitable f death seemed the doom of those on board. Onward she came, now rising high on a towerieg wave, flutterring on its top like a p frightened bird?and now plunging down in t the gulf of foaming waters, as if to dcstrucI ion then slowly rising again, still struggling 4 towards the rocks. The aged pair stood for t a moment like statues gazing 011 the scene I' before them, until the little bark shot into the t shade made by the cliff and .^as lost to sight i Instead of running franticty about, accomplishing nothing, as is too often the case ir> I scenes of alarm and danger, the 'old sailor' I was put on. Bidding his wife advance to I the edge of the cliff with the lunthcrn, Mr. t Richards, with the speed of one some two t scores younger, went to the honsc, procured c a coil of rope and a fishing line, and was 6 back to the cliff nearly as soon as his wife. At this place the ciiff rose forty feet, perhaps, above the level of the sea. About two 1 thirds or more of the way down was a shelf,' a projecting out three or four feet. It was j < horn lha KaoI <r?n Oi/* nnU/\?>n I kwiw iiiv* i/uui vtiiiiu tniiui c ? 'Husband!' said Mrs. R. wringing licr 1 hands in agony?'what shall he done?what a can be done! Father in Heaven, couldst ? ihou not have spared them to usl' t 'Peace?wife, peace!?wouldst thou chide 1 thy maker! say not a word, but attend to me t ?it is no place to bo womanish here. Now, ? wife, pitch your voice to its shrillest tone, ' above that of the wind, and see if the poor I boys arc alive to make answer.' 1 The woman did as she was bid; and bend- < tug over the clilT, screamed in a high sharp * tone?'John?Samuel! my children!' I llcr voice rang shrilly nbove the dash of^ the waves and the blasts of the gale. j I 'Mother!'came faintly up with the foar ol a the sea. ? -Quick ?the light?there is hope!' said t Mr. Richards. Immediately the lantheru * was lowered down by the line, and by its fee- '1 ble light the oldest son could he seen 011 the ( shell leaning back against the jagged rocks I looking upwards. 'There is but one?it is John!' said the old man wildly, as he bent in his eagerness fearfully over the edge of the cliff.?'The rope, wife?the rope!'shouted he. In a second it I was lowered down, swayed to and fro by the I wind. John was not lontr in possessing him jelf of it. Hut what was the man's horror, when he saw his son ca*t off Ins jacket, and rasping the end of the rope, walk to the . sdge of the shelf, as if to jump into the wa- [ ^ icra mai loomed at ms teat. 1 'What is lie doing?lie is leaping into the' sea! Merciful parent!?bov?-hoy, will you ! leave me childless in my old ajie!' shouted! he, in a voice hoarse with emotion, as hei saw his son dive into the sea. ile stood I transfixed with horror. In a few minutes, I however, John appeared on the shell' antl made signs for those above to pull the rope. The old man commenced, giving directions to his wife to watch the motions of John - He soon made signs to stop hauling, and then was seen to lift the apparently lifeless j body of his brother on to the shelf. After | examining the rope he made signs for them to hoist again. It was a sad sight to witness J j that old man, hy the uncertain light of the ( fire?the rain beating upon his grey head? t straining himself to raise the corpse of his ^ own son from the dark depths below:?-and when the body was raised to the cliff", to sec | the aged mother clasp it in her arms, and t hear her voice, thick with agony? 'Samuel,! my son?would to (jJ^d I could have died for ; u fou!'?the wind and the heavy rain the while j AO'itinrr tlAit/n nrtMii hnr nn/?.kVnrn/l lionrl si rwi I . tunning her grey and langlod tresses wildly lo the air! The old man's attention was now directed { toward rescuing his other son, who was in : j irnminet danger, as the tide was setting in,! and ere long would probably wash him of]', j' the force ol the wind having raised it to more I ( than its usual hoight. lie made fast the rope to a neighboring tree, and bending over the c 1 iIT. gave diiections to his son to avoid the f sharp r>>cks that jutted out, as lie attempted the pcnloiis ascent, steadying the rope and encouraging him the while. r 'Father, your hand!' said John, breath- j j( ing thickly, lifting hi< arm to the edge of the t cliff, well nigh exhausted. At the moment ^ he uttered these words, the rope, which had ^ worn against the sharp roeks, parted, leaving ^ h'tn dangling over the horrid depth below, t holding by one hand to the edge of the cliff, j ' and by the other to the tired arm of hi^ fa- t lher . v 'Wife! wile!' shouted the old man, in a j, roice hoarse with agony; 'leave the deadly and 'attend to the living.' His wife was so ? P ibsorbed iri grief she paid no attention.? j'Woman!' shouted he in a voice of des- ^ ?air, 'will ye sac- ifice the living to tho dead?' J j] Will ye see your first-born perish? Quick- j y, for my stength lailsl' 'What?what would ye, my husband?' said ihc, starting up, and seeing the situation of r tcr husband, stretched on the ground at full tj ength, holding one arm of her son, 6he ,j sprung forward, and bending down, grasped tj he other hand, and with almost supernatural itrength, by one effort lifted her son safe on ^ o the cliflf, and then sunk beside him with j, io more strength iban a child. She soonljj eeovered. and the excitement of ihe mo- a nent being over, their attention was turned M o the younger eon, who he stretched out op ^ he wet ground without sense or motion, ex- -| nbiting a pale ?nd ghastly fare as the light w rom the faat expiring fire occasionally flash- ^ id over it. ^ 4< Is he dead, father?" said John, as he E fazed wildly in his faco. 44 It was an ugly t] >!ow the main boom gave him as we 6truck.' a 44 Heaven be praised," said the father, ' that we have one left?and thankful am I hat the waters did not devour him. Wife, et us be comforted that his grave will be on he land, and that lie was not fated to float n the cold caverns of the deep." 44 Father?mother!" said John, who had >ent beside his brother?44 he lives! I feel lis heart beat!" and truly enough it did >cat with returning life, and by midnight hey were all gathered, a happy group, in he front room of the cottage, congratulating sach other, and thanking God for their ;afety. Where stood the humble cottage of Jamrs tichards, a brilliant lighthouse now stands; ind it is the 44 best light" on the eastern mast. Old John Richards is tli? kppnpr r?f . - - " ? 1? t. Visit him, and he will tell you the st ?ry j i have related, far better than 1 have done;1 ind will show you the graves of his father md mother; and will tell, how he and Sain vorkcd for them and made them eomforla-j )!c in their old age: how, after they wercj lead, Sam Went to sea and found a'\er all,; t grave, in 14 the cold caverns of the deep;" | md that he never lights the lamps in the! ighthouso, without thinking how anxiously le watched the fire, kindled by his father, >n 'Broadstone,' in the night of the tempest vhen he was olV in the boat tumbling about! >v the waves: and how, upon the dark and mgry waters, he vowed, if God spared his ile, he would consecrate it to him, foreVer md ever, and try to sin no more; how; 5am broke his vow that he made on his knees 1 )esidc him ai the same terrible hour-?ever! ince which the word went hard with him, intil he was punished l>y a drowning death; i >f his own vow bespeaks not, but from ap- j I icarances he has not forgotten it. WONDERFUL ESCAPE FROM INDIANS. 1 A HISTORICAL NARRATIVE. J . . I James Morgan, a native of Maryland, ; narried at an early age, and soon after : iettlcd himself near Bryant's Station, in i he wilds of Kentucky. Like most pio- ( icerS of the West, he had cut down the ] :anc, built a cabin, deadened the timber, i inclosed a field with a worm fence, and \ danied some corn. I It was on the 15th day of August, 17^52; he sun had descended ; a pleasant breeze , was playing through the surrounding wood ; the cane bowed under its influence, and the broad green leaves of the corn waved in the air; Morgan had seated himself in the door of his cabin, with his infant on his kiipc ; his young and happy wife had laid aside her spinning wheel .. I !l? i - <iiju iviis uusiiv riigiigpu in jtrijinriiiif uie frugal meal. That afternoon he had accidentally found a bundle of letters, which lie had finished reading to his wife before he had taken his seat in the door. It was i correspondence in which they had acknowledged an early and ardent attachment for each other, and the perusal left evident traces of jov on the countenance if both ; the little infant, too, seemed to isrtakc of its parent's feelings, by its', dicerful smiles, playful humor, and in- 1J antile caresses. While thus agreeably | mploycd, the report of a rille was heard, t nother and another followed in quick ( ucccssion. Morgan sprang to his feet, t lis wife ran to the door, and they simulla- 1 leoualy exclaimed, " Indians'." ,j The door was immediately barred, and i lie next moment their fears were realized >y a bold and spirted attack of a small , larty of Indians. The cabin could not be successfully defended, and time was pre- j 'ions. Morgan?cool, brave and prompt, . ;o??n decided. While he was in the art i ?f concealing his wife under the floor, a nother's feelings overcame her?she arose j ?seized her infant, but was afraid that its I ries would betray her place of conceal- c ncnt. She hesitated?gazed silently upon j t?a momentary struggle between aflec- j ion and duty took place. She once more i tressed her child to her agitated bosom, j gain and again kissed it with impassion- t d tenderness. The infant, alarmed at | he profusion of tears that fell upon its ; i heek, looked up in its mother's face, j j hrew its little arms around her neck, and j j /ept aloud. "In the name of Heaven, 't 'liza, release the child, or we shall be J j ust," said the distracted husband, in a c oft imploring voice, as he forced the in- jc ant from his wife, hastily took up his gun, r nife and hatchet, ran up the ladder that ( bcI to the garret, and drew it after him. t n a moment the door was burst open, and (, he savages entered. I By this time Morgan had secured his J hi Id in a hag, and lashed it to his hack ; j 'ten throwing off some clapboards from j lie roof of bis cabin, resolutely leaped to lie ground. He was instantly assailed by j wo Indians. As the first approached, he | nocked him down with the butt end of < in gun. The other advanced with up- t fled tomihawk ; Morgan let fall his gun P nd closed in. The savage fnadc a blow, |lissed aim, but severed the cord that v I'und the infant to his hack, and it fell, p he contest over the child now became p 'arm and fierce, and was carried on with a nives only. The robust and athletic | lorgan at length got the ascendancy. loth were badly cut and bled freely, but *r he 6tabs of the white man were better \ imed and deeper, ape] the savage ?pon , sunk to the earth in death. Morgan haftlily took up his child and hurrfod off. The Indians in the house, busily engaged in drinking and plundering, were not apprized of the contest in the yard, until the one who had been knocked down gave signs of returning life, and called them to the scene of action. Morgan was discovered, immediately pursued, and a dog put on his trail. Operated upon by nil the feelings of a husband and a father, he moved with all the speed of a hunted stag, and soon outstripped the Indians, but the dog kept in close pursuit. Finding it impossible to outrun or elude the cunning animal, trained to hunts of this kind, he halted and waited un'il it came within a few yards of him, fired, and brought him down?reloaded his gun, an'd pushed forward. In a short time he reached the house of his brother, who resided between Bryant's Station und Lexington, where he felt trie child, and the two brothers set out for his (Jwelling1. As they approached, a light broke upon his view?his speed quickened, his fears increased, and the most agonizing apprehensions crowded upon his mind, lie emerged from the cancbrake, beheld his house in (lames, and almost burnt to the ground. 44 My wife !" he exclaimed, as he pressed one hand to his forehead, and grasped the fence with the other, to support his tottering frame. He gazed for some time on the ruin and desolation before him, advanced a few paces, and sunk exhausted to the earth. Morning came?the bright luminary of Heaven arose, and still found him seated near the almost expiring embers. In his right hand lie held a small slick, with which he was tracing the name of 44 Eliza** on the ground ; his left hand was thrown 1.:? c .1 i i uii ma lavwruu ?"g? inuv lay uy ins siur, looking first on the ruin and then on his master, with evident signs of grief. Morgan arose. The two brothers now made a search, and found some bones, burnt to ashes, which they carefully gathered, and silently consigned to their mother earth, beneath the wide-spread branches of a venerable oak, consecrated by the purest and holiest recollections. Several days after this, Morgan was cn gaged in a desperate battle at the lowct Blue Licks. The Indians came off victors, and the surviving whites retreated across the Licking, but were pursued by the enemy tor a distance of six and thirty mile?. ! James Morgan was amongst the last that crossed the river, and was in the rear until the hill was decendrd. As soon as he beheld the Indians re-appear on the. ridge, he felt anew his wrongs, and recollected the lovely object of his early affections. He urged on his horse, and pressed to the front. While in the act of leaping from his saddle, he received a rifle bail in his thigh, and fell: an Indian sprang upon him, seized him by the hair, and applied the scalping knife. At this moment, Morgan cast up his eyes and recognized the handkerchief that hound the head of the savaue, and which he knew to l?e his wife's. This added new strength o his body, and increased activity to his ury He quickly threw his left arm around he Indian, and, with a death-like grasp, sugged him to his bosom, plunged his knife into his side, and he expired in his arms. Releasing himself from the savage Morgan crawled under a small oak, on an elevated piece of ground, a short distance 4* l. . cpt r _? a . j irom nun. i no sceno 01 action simica, and ho remained undiscovered and tinscalped, an anxious spectator of the battie. It was now midnight. The savage band titer taking all the scalps they could (ind, eft the battle ground. Morgan was seated at the foot ?f the oak ; its trunk sup>ortcd his head. The rugged and uneven ground that surrounded him was covered vilh the slain ; the once white and proectcd rock, bleached with the rain and tun of centuries, were rrimsofned with alood that had warmed the heart and animated the bosom of the patriot and the soldier. The pale glimmering of the noon occasionally threw a faint light upon he mangled bodies of the dead, then a massing cloud enveloped all in darkness, tnd gave additional horror to the feeble ;ries of a few still lingering in the last tgonies of protracted death, rendered louhly appalling by the coarse growl of he bear, the loud howl of the wolf, the ihrill and varied notes of the wild cat and ^anther, feeding on the dead and dying. VIorgan beheld the nceno with heart-rendng sensation?, and looked forward with he apathy of despair to his own end. A large ferocious looking hear, covered til over with blood, now approached him ; le threw himsolf on the ground, silently commended his soul to Heaven, and in )reathless anxiety awaited his fate. The atiated animal slowly passed on without toticing him. Morgan raised his head? ras about offering thanks for his unex* 'I-1. ?ru IIICBI I ?BUUII, Wlltu me VIJT UI >ack 01 wolves opened upon him, gnd gain awakened him to a sense of danger, le placed hi? hands over his eyes?;fell >n his face, and in silent agony awaited lis fate. He now heard a rustling in thct lushes?steps approached?a cold ch^ll rau ever him. Imagination?creative, by*