Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, January 27, 1876, Image 1
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VOL. 22. YOBKYILLE, S. C., THURSDAY, JANUARY 27,1876. STQ. 4.
JU ?rigi#al Jteg.
A THRILLING STORT OF WESTERN LIFE.
BY MRS. HENRY DEAS.
CHAPTER VIII.
Having made this brief digression, we will
now return to Esther and the other inmates
of the little household, which had become en^
shrouded in so dark a cloud of sorrow and
suspense.
It was now midsummer. The tropical vegetation
of the valley was at its richest point
Flowers of wonderful magnitude, beauty and
variety were scattered far and wide, delighting
the eye, and filling the soft air with their
subtle and penetrating perfume. The atraos?
* ? Otiri wKlofl
puoru WHO pciicvii y mo uim
might otherwise have been too ardent, being
tempered by refreshing breezes from the surrounding
mountains, which protected this favored
nook alike from too oppressive a heat
and from the rigour of the cold northern
blasts. Had Raymond been with her, how
' would Esther have revelled in all this loveliness,
which dawned on her unaccustomed eyes
like a glimpse of the storied Arcadia, realizing
what had hitherto seemed but the flights
of fancy, or the rainbow pictures of a dream.
But alas! his presence wanting, and
without him at her Bide to point out Nature's
charms, and be her companion in their enjoyment,
they fell almost unnoticed upon her
senses, all dulled and unfitted as they were to
appreciate them. One absorbing thought,
haunting her day and night, excluded gladness
from her heart. Yet the intense love
she bore her child sustained her, and prevented
her yielding, without restraint, to the bur?
den of her grief. % In his infant, features she
was consoled to trace a daily-increasing resemblance
to those of his father; and she never
wearied of gazing upon them, as they developed
in beauty and intelligence. He was
a child of much promise; large, active and
vigorous, and early manifested unusual precocity
both of mind and body. He was the
light of his mother's eyes, the centre of her
saddened life. No wonder she poured out
? ?k - ?? . 1 svrat l/l/vlniiiAlia fUo
upon 111Ul WIVU aiUJODb luuiatiuua muui iub
fall tide of the affection which had no other
channel to flow into, since its once most fondly
cherished object bad been removed.
To Picciola, too, the little fellow was a
source of great interest and delight. She constituted
herself his nurse, at those rare times
when he was not under his mother's care, and
her devotion to him was almost equal to that
of a near relative.
One day Esther was sitting near the front
door, watching her young attendant as she
walked to and fro with the baby in her arms,
WtretTshc perceived S?fior Alaaquaa, an hownn ,
back, advancing toward the house. A con- !
siderahle time had elapsed since she had seen i
him last, and her heart beat with the hope j
that he might possibly briog her some tidings
iD regard to her husband.
He saluted her, as usual, with much defern
ence; aQd noticing the child, spoke a few
HV words of admiration of its beauty, as it lay
asleep in Picciola's arms. Then, at Esther's
invitation, followed her into the parlor, to rest
and partake of some refreshment after his
ride.
Her feelings in regard to this man were no
R wise changed. They were a curious compliesW
tion of dislike, fear, and a desire to propitiate,
for she felt as if in some way he were mixed
up with Raymond's fate, and as if there rested
with him her sole chance of ever finding out
anything at all about him. She had the species
of horror in approaching him that she might
have felt in regard to a snake or other reptile;
yet an instinctive dread of making him
her enemy forbade any manifestation of her
repugnance and dislike, which, in former
nhfl had scarcely cared to conceal. His
glance, his voice, his smile, the touch of his
hand, were alike hateful to her; but she endured
them all with a show of courtesy, hard
as it was for here to assume it.
After the exchange of some desultory remarks,
the Spaniard said, lowering his voice
as he glanced toward the open door?
"Sefiora, I would gladly speak a few words,
in private, of much import to you. Can I venture
to do so here, or will you retire with me
to another room ?"
"You may speak here without fear of being
overheard," replied Esther, resolved not
go out of sight of^Picciola, who was, however,
too far off for their voices to reach them.
"Good. Understand, then, that I come
here to-day to offer you a suggestion?a proposition?which
I desire you very seriously to
consider; and as my time is limited, I must
present it to your notice at once."
"Is it?does it relate in any way to?to my
husband?" faltered Esther.
"No, Seflora. Of him I can give you no
news. I have already, ere this, tried to convince
you of the improbability of my ever
obtaining any information in regard to him."
"I can never cease to hope," murmured Esther,
the shadow of renewed disappointment
sweeping over her face.
. "Hopes, alas I too often are deceptive,"
said the Spaniard. "Is it wise to cherish them
when they are so liable to be destroyed ?"
"It may not be wise," she replied, "yet I
cannot relinquish them, nor would I if I
oould."
a a " ka flrla nrnncr af Kpp
ilUU TCb | UO 1CJV*UVU| giMuvtw^ ??? MV>
drees, which was black, "you wear, outwardly,
the emblem of despair."
"Not of despair, but of sorrow," said Esther.
"This dress corresponds with the gloom
I feel, yet it does not indicate the total surrender
of hope."
"What I am about to say to you," said
Alasquez, after a moment's silence, "relates
to your present situation, and, I may add, to
myself also."
Esther looked inquiringly at him, but made
no reply.
"You are entirely alone and unprotected,"
he continued. "It is a most unhappy and unsuitable
life for one of your age, and in your
position."
"It must necessarily be unhappy," she rejoined
; "but it is most suitable to my feelings.
Solitude now, is a boon to me. Any society,
any attempt at diversion, would prove distasteful
in the highest degree."
"Yet, this solitude, which is so congenial
to you, is very bad, very unhealthy for you.
Pardon me, Sefiora, if I seem to interfere, unwarrantably,
with what, it might appear to
you, does not concern me, at all; and yet, believe
me, it does concern me very nearly."
"I do not understand you, Sefior Alasquez,"
she coldly replied.
"Ah 1 Sefiora. Isyour comprehension, then,
so dull r
"It certainly is, in this case; since I must
admit that you are quite right, in believing
me incapable of divining the cause of your
interest in my affairs, which I supposed coni
cerned mvself alone."
"But now learn your error," he rejoined.
"To me your welfare is of the highest importance.
Your happiness, oh! beautiful, adored
Sefiora, is the object which lies nearest to my
heart!"
His voice, while sinking almost to a whisper,
had suddenly assumed, at the same time,
a tone of passionate and intense devotion,
while his glittering eyes were fixed intently
on her face. Esther started from her seat,
her cheeks aflame, her breast heaving with
suppressed excitement and indignation.
"Sefior Alasquez," she replied, with difficulty
controlling her emotion, "this is not fitting
language in which to address me; nor can I
listen to the expression of a regard couched
in such terms as yon have just used. If you
feel an interest in my welfare, I must thank
you ; but remember, you are an acquaintance,
and nothing more."
"An acquaintance only! Seiiora, your
coldness wounds me, inexpressibly! Do I
not, then, merit even the name of friend V'
"Friend, if you will," she answered, still
struggling to maintain a show of composure.
"And I would be more. Oh! so much
more. Listen to me, Sefiora. Nay, I entreat
you, do not look so haughtily upon me. I
crave your pardon if I have offended you by
too sudden, too unexpected a betrayal of my'
feelings. Yet it was from an irresistible impulse,
which hurried me beyond the bounds
of prudence ere I was aware. Tell me that I
have not transgressed beyond the hope of forgiveness."
"I will endeavor to forget your offence,"
rejoined Esther, in an icy tone, and still
Btauding as she spoke, "only on condition that
you do not again allow yourself so far to
overstep the bounds of common propriety and
respect. A sentiment of real respect and regard,
Sefior, would lead you to consult my
feelings more carefully."
"I stand rebuked," said the Spaniard, bowing
low as he uttered the words, with an air
of humility that had something almost of
mockery in it?it was so exaggerated and
overstrained. A covert smile, too, gleamed
for an instant over his features ; but this, Esther,
who kept her eyes averted from him,
did not perceive. "Since, then, I am restricted
to such formality of speech, permit me, at
least, in friendly language, to continue the
discussion of the subject upon which we had
entered."
"If you allude to my position here, I prefer
not discussing that, or any other of my
? JI'M i. m MHP?n?j m m mm?I i
auuirs at picocui., sue icpueu,
"Even at the risk of again arousing your
anger, Senora, I must repeat that you are
wrong?very wrong," he continued, with a
pertinacity which her freely expressed dislike
to the subject did not seem to affect.
"Believe me, you are exposed to many dangers
here, though you have been fortunate in
escaping them hitherto. Why not be persuaded
to remove to a safer locality, and accept
of ray guidance and protection in roa,
king the move ?" I am well acquainted with
I the country around, and could, without diffi|
culty, transplant you into something like civi
ilization, where you could be comparatively
secure."
"I have already told you that I feel no
fear here," said Esther, with much impatience.
"Why will you persist in trying to force upon
me a change for which I have no inclination,
and one, moreover, which I most positively
decline making?"
"You do, then, refuse to accept my advice?"
"I do," she replied, with unmistakable decision.
"After this, Senor, I trust to your
I A I JI rvt Ck mr?ra in rA. I
j ^UUU UlCCUlUg h\j U4U uv Uiwiv am A v
I gard to the matter; but consider it laid at rest
1 at ODce and forever."
"Alas!" said the Spaniard, "if I but had
j the honor of occupying a higher place in your
| esteem, Sefiora, I might hope ultimately to
! prevail in my arguments; but I am unhappij
ly aware that I am the object of your dislike
and disdain."
"Whatever estimation I may hold you in,"
rejoined Esther, "has nothing to do with my
yielding or not yielding to your representations.
I prefer to exercise my own judgment
| in regard to my movements, aod as my mind
j is quite made up, all farther argument on the
subject would be wasted."
"Then, of course, I am reduced to silence,"
said Alasquez reluctantly. "I trust, howev- j
er," he continued after a pause, "that you |
will attribute the persistency of which I have 1
j been guilty to entirely disinterested and most
I friendly motives ; and also that if at any fu- j
i ture time you should reconsider your decision, |
j you will call upon me to serve you, in any j
capacity which you may desire."
"Thank you," was all Esther said, for she
could not bring herself to make any more
j cordial acknowledgment of bis offer. After
J lingering a few moments longer, her unwel- j
! come visitor, to her inexpressible relief, took t
1 t-2? n kim oitrotr !
j U1B 1CUVO , nuu as sue nnccucu uiiu I luu <*n>?j, |
| a devout wish arose in her mind that it might
i be long ere his presence should darken her 1
doors again.
This visit of Alasquez, and the interview !
which had taken place between them, filled ;
! her with new uneasiness and apprehension.I
She had shrunk in horror from his declaration J
of love?or what would have been so, had she j
' |
not checked it at the outset?for it had been :
uttered in a manner that could leave no doubt j
I in her mind of its signification. And now
the fear arose, which at the time had not oc-1
j curred tojier, that by her disdainful repulsion !
of him, and the severity of her rebuke, she j
I might have made him her enemy and awa- I
kened in him a desire for revenge. This idea ,
made her tremble; not for herself, but for
those dear to her?her child, her husband, if
he were yet alive. Malice might prompt him
to punish her in some way through them.
Yet, if Raymond were living, he could not
cherish a scheme of winning her affection?
unless he were making them both the victims
of some nefarious plot What if this were
the case ? What if he actually knew of Raymond's
existence. What if, oh! horrible
thought, he had him in some way in his power?what
might his fiendish p issions not accomplish,
in working out any end he had in
i view ?
"Some demon has put that torturing idea
; in my mind," she said to herself over and
over again, while considering the possibility
of Buch a case. "It cannot be?it is only
my disordered imagination, my weakened
nerves, which permit me even to fancy so
dreadful a conjunction of circumstances possible.
Better, far, that Paul were dead, than
that he should be in the power of that creature?for
I feel convinced of his baseness, his
vile character. His conduct to-day has justified
me more than ever in my opinion of
him ! To think of his daring to offer me the
insult of his love?his love!?and I, but four
months left a widow?if, indeed, it be widowhood
; for the blackness of suspense must hang
around me still. May Heaven protect me in
my loneliness and desolation. My heart warns
me of some evil to come 1"
In the tribulation of her spirit, the sorrowstricken
woman fell upon her knees and prayed,
with bitter tears, for help from the Al
mighty, against all threatened dangers. Her
heart was very heavy, and the fresh excitement
she had undergone seemed, for the time,
completely to have unstrung her nerves. She
continued all through the remainder of the
day in a state of the deepest dejection, and
not even the presence of her baby-boy, which
usually diverted her from sad thoughts, could
in any way dispel the shadow that hung over
her.
CHAPTER IX.
A month had passed since the visit of
Alasquez, when one day a letter was brought
to Esther, by an unknown messenger, who
rode away without waiting for any answer.
She was surprised at receiving any written
communication in so unusual a manner; and
on opening the missive, her surprise was
heightened, and only equalled by her displeasure,
at hnding the signature of Alasquez
at the bottom of the page.
It was a single large page, closely written,
in small, but remarkably distinct, characters.
Her first impulse was to tear it into fragments
without reading it; but a second
thought made her pause, in consideration that
it might possibly contain some information of
interest to her.
It ran thus?
"Profoundly Honored Senora?Since I had
the misfortune so deeply to incur your displeasure,
on the occasion of our last interview, I have
not had the courage to intrude myself again upon
your notice. For days I have, been meditating a
visit to you, but have been restrained by the
thought that my appearance would only create
anger in your breast, and I feel that I could ill
bear a repetition of the expression of your scorn.
Having, however, a communication of the deepest
importance to make to you, I feel it my duty
to lose no time in doing so, and will, therefore,
transmit it to you in writing, hoping that you
will receive this dumb paper more kindly than
you would myself.
"Senora, be not too much startled when I assure
you that your husband still lives."
At this period of the letter, Esther uttered
a wild cry, and dropping the paper from her
hands, yielded herself, for an instant, to the
most iutense excitement; but a frantic desire
to more, made her nnicklv resume its
perusal.
"He lives; but he will not return to you. Lady,
Know inac you uttve uebu u?Moiy uei>rnyeu ; luul
lie in whom j'our faith was so confidingly placed
is all unworthy of your affection, your trust?for
he has forsaken you for another. I will, with all
the brevity 1 can" command, acquaint you with the
circumstances of the case.
"Before the Senor Raymond went to visit the
Eastern States, some two years or more ago, lie
was deeply enamoured of a young Mexican girl,
very handsome, and well brought up for one in
her station. She belonged to an inferior class,
but this did not deter him from making advances
to her, which she feared, however, openly to reciprocate,
being promised in marriage by her
father to one of their own race, a cousin) who
was then absent from this part of the country.
Your husband was not eastly daunted, and made
every effort to induce the girl to leave her home
secretly with him, but she refused, fearing discovery
and punishment, as she stood greatly in
awe of her parents, who treated her with some
rigor. After a time Senor Raymond went east,
whether on business or not I am not aware; ana
there, Senora, he won your unsuspecting heart,
and obtained your hand in marriage, though solemnly
pledged to the girl I have told you of, who.
on her part, had promised to remain unwedded
for his sake. The cousin, to whom she was espoused,
soon after appeared on the scene, and her
father compelled her to marry him. She was at
the time little more than a child in years, and had
not the courage or strength of purpose to oppose
his will farther.
"The newly wedded pair moved to a ranche not
far from the home of her parents, and have lived
there, (more or less unhappily, I am told, since
she still cherished in secret her first love) since
that period until within a few months ago?up to
the time, in fact, of your husband's mysterious
and hitherto unaccountable disappearance. The
latter, after parting from me in returning from
General K?'s quarters, went to their ranche,
from which the husband was at the time absent,
and prevailed on the girl to fly with him from
her hated home. Whether she was ignorant of
nw wxioirn wifK trnii T lrnATw ?rvf nnf of. oil
Uli3 lUtaua^D ?? 1WU JVU, jl nuvir tlW ) w%? yj w? >?
events, i.erown bonds seem to have been of less
weight, in her estimation, than her attachment to
him. Whither they went I have not been able to
discover; though the family, who were overcome
with rage and grief at her conduct, have been
searching for some trace of her ever since her
flight. They have probably goue to some foreign
land to elude pursuit.
"Now, Senora, believe me when I say that this
is no idle tale, which cannot be substantiated, but
a true and faithful representation of facts. I have
proofo of its correctness, which I can give you, in
the testimony of the young woman's own relatives,
should iny simple word not be convincing
to your mind.
"I cannot conclude without offering you my
sincerest sympathy, in this grievous trial, which,
to one of your sensitive and delicate organization,
must be peculiarly hard to bear. Yet I am consoled
by the hope that your pride and self-respect
will sustain you, and tha? in your knowledge of
the base treatment you have 'received, you will
be enabled to overcome the grief you have so naturally
felt, at the loss of one in whom your affection
was unsuspectingly, and alas! too fataily
centred.
"I remain, Senora, with sentiments of the most
profound regard,
"Your humble and ever devoted servant,
"Pedro Alasquez."
The concluding sentences conveyed no
meaning to Esther's mind. She scarcely saw
the words, so absorbingly, and with such agonized
intentness, were her thoughts concentrated
on the fatal news she had just read.
She was trying to take it in?trying to force
her understanding to a moment's steady consideration
of the subject, but her brain was in
a whirl, and her powers of reasoning, for the
time, were suspended. The letter fell from
her hands, and clasping her forehead she
f a knnioU fko miata frnm kat* nr\m nro.
Oil UtO IV l/ailioil Vuv iuiow it vuj uvt vutu^/i v
hension, to realize clearly her own situation
as it had been put before her.
Paul false?Paul a base betrayer of her
trust! Paul, to whom her confiding heart
had gone out with such perfect unreserve?
the idol of her affection?the very centre of
her existence. Paul, for whom she had forsaken
her home, her friends, and broken every
tie of her former life?could it be that he
had used her thus ?
"No?no I" her heart cried out. "It cannot
be! It is a slander?a vile fabrication ;
believe it not." "
She took the letter up again, and read over,
word by word, the sentences that seemed to
brand themselves like living coals upon her
heart. And as she followed out the plausiblywritten
tale, who can wonder that for a brief
while the possibility of its truth seemed apparent
to her?that her faith was temporarily
shaken, the cry of her heart stifled, and that
her outraged love struggled, like a wounded
animal, to hide itself in obscurity and die!
But that love was too ardent, that faith too
firmly fixed, to be thus destroyed. The
struggle was agonizing, but brief. Then the
black cloud of uncertainty, of suspicion, rolled
away. A thousand tender memories rose up to
confute the testimony of a treacherous hand.
Who was Alasquez, that she should credit his
word, or what did that word weigh in the
balance, against the tried affection which had
so long been her stay ? No, he was endeavoring
to deceive her, for some purpose of his
own. And yet, what could he gain, by thus
trying to blacken her husband's character in
her e/es? Certainly not her favor; but rather
additional loathing and hatred. The bearer
of unpalatable truth is seldom welcome?
still less the coiner of malicious slander. Was
he merely revenging himself upon her for the
iu:? ?
Hllguta BOO UttU UUCICU UlLUj ui noD uc laj
some deeper scheme, which time would bring
to light ?
She tore the hateful epistle into a dozen
fragments, and citing them into the fireplace,
watched tuem as tbey shriveled and
blackened, and fell into ashes. "So perish
calumny," she said aloud, as she turned away.
"Oh 1 my husband, would that I could pray
to you, on my bended knees, to forgive me
for suffering one instant's doubt of your honor,
to darken my soul 1"
A feverish excitement possessed her all that
day. She felt no inclination to indulge in
tears or grief, but an intense craving to take
some active measure, to break through the
narrow limits which kept her, as it were, in
solitary confinement?to obtain Borne 6ort of
redress for her wrongs, burned within her and
allowed her no rest Picciola looked anxiously
at her crimsoned cheeks, her glittering eyes,
and followed her with wistful glances as she
moved nervously about. "Sefiora," she said
once, gently touching her arm, "what ails
you ? I fear you are ill. Let me do something
for you."
"No, I am not ill, child. Nothing is the
matter," said her mistress, forcing a smile.
"Why should you thi3k so?"
"Because you have such a bright color, and
you are always pale, and your hand burns so!
Do, Sefiora, lie down and take some rest"
ft T om oltvaira roa finer " Hilid Rsthflr.
impatiently. "I am sick of this weary, idle
life. No prisoner in a cell was ever more
truly fettered than I am. This valley shuts
me in like dungeon walls, and I see no means
of escape. Picciola, sometimes I think I will
take you and my boy, and wander off somewhere?a
long way from here."
"Where ?" asked Picciola, wonderingly.
"Ah 1 where indeed ? Anywhere, to change
the scene?to break the monotony of existence,
and open a new field of thought. I
fear, sometimes, that I will lose my reason, if
this life lasts much longer."
For an answer, Picciola brought little Paul
and laid him on her lap. The instinct which
prompted her to the act was a true and womanlv
one, and Esther's heart responded to
it, as she clasped the cmid yearningly to her
bosom.
"For your sake, my treasure, I will endure
anything," she murmured tfiib emotion.
"Heaven grant me the power to shield you
from all harm !"
[To be Continued.]
pisterg sf tarfiita.
Written for the Yorkville Enquirer.
HISTORICAL SKETCHES if-j
OF THE '
Early Settlement of South Carolina.
BY REV. ROBERT LATHAE.
THE CHEROKEE WAR.
James Glen was succeeded as Governor of
South Carolina by William Henry Lyttleton.
One short sentence will give an accurate desscription
of Lyttleton. He was a vapid coxcomb.
He belonged to that class of men who,
with but a small amount of sense, and incapable
of turning to any wise account either
their own experience or that of others, still
think that they are competent to govern the
world.
Evidently, Governor Lyttleton was anxious
to secure the approbation of the Board
of Trade. The good of the colony was consulted
no farther than it would concentrate
the power of England over the American
people, and advance, to positions of honor
and offices of profit, a few favorites.
After the treaty which Glen made with the
Cherokee Indians, peace and harmony sub
sisted between the Cherokeea and the English
colony of South Carolina. Not only were
the Cherokees friends to the South Carolinians,
but they were friends to the English
colonies generally. During the period of the
French and Indian war, which was so destructive
to the Northern frontiers, South Carolina
enjoyed comparative peace. The Cherokees
sent their brave young warriors to assist
in repelling the assaults of the French and
Indians in the North. South Carolina became
an asylum to which many, exposed to
the cruelties of savage warfare in Maryland,
Pennsylvania and Virginia, fled. The fields
of South Carolina began to bring forth in
abundance, and the exports of the colony increased
rapidly. A stream of immigration
poured in from all the countries of Europe.
All lived together in the enjoyment of peace
and plenty.
An unhappy end was brought to this prosperous
and peaceable state of things by the
foolish resentment of Governor-Lyttleton.
We will not say that he had sinister motives
in view, but we are forced to conclude that he
was either a knave or a fool He acted as if
he were ignorant of the fact that the Cherokees
were the friends of the English. As he
could not, however, have been ignorant of
this fact, his acts towards them were in open
violation of previous treaties, and showed
that his heart was as cruel as bis judgment
was weak.
He was not the only individual who acted
cruelly and in bad faith toward the Cherokees.
In 1757, a number of the Cherokee
braves volunteered to assist in protecting the
English frontier settlers south of the Potomac.
After they had done their part faithfully and
rendered material assistance to the English
Colonies, they were totally neglected ; and but
for the prudent forethought and consummate
wisdom of Washington, would have been left
to starve or to be cut to pieces on their return
home by the common enemies of both the
English and Cherokees.
The proud savage of the New World was,
no doubt, cruel; but the colonies were not al
i ways generous. The party of the Cherokees
i which had left their homes and joined the
Ohio expedition, found that they were treated
with neglect. Cut to the heart, they determined
to return to their homes. No provision
was made for them. They were in a
starving condition. As they passed through
Virginia on their way home, they supplied
their wants from the country through which
they passed. In, the expedition, they had
lost their horses. The horses of the Virginians
were unceremoniously taken to supply
their present wants. The Indians did not have
very correct ideas with regard to property.
This was especially the case with regard to
animals. Possession of an animal amounted
to ownership. The Virginians, in an ill-fated
moment, urged on by basty resentment, set
upon these tired and famishing bands of the
common allies of the English, and in three encounters
killed fourteen and took several prisoners.
The remnant of the party returned to
their homes in the vicinity of Fort Prince,
Georgia, on the head waters of the Savannah.
The tale of their suffering was soon spread
abroad. The shrieks and cries of those who
had been robbed of their relations, echoed
from mountain top to mountain top, and
through the winding valleys of the Toogaloo.
"The blood of your murdered kinsmen calls
for vengeance," was proclaimed by proud
chiefs, and the young braves were sent out to
retaliate. The war belt was sent from town
to town. The region of country which had
enjoyed almost uninterrupted peace, now became
the theatre of fearful hostilities. The
French learned the existing state of things,
Ja/I PKoMlrnno f Vio f iVio in tan.
UUU pci Oliauuu l/ijc VUOIUMVO vuhk wuv auwm
tion of the English was to kill all the Indian
men and make slaves of the women and children.
The aged ohiefs, who had long known the
English, and from whom the Cberokees had
received many and valuable favors, were opposed
to war. Even the young warriors
would have laid down the tomahawk, when
tbey had avenged the blood of their murdered
kinsmen, had tbey been dealt with prudently.
Fort Loudon, on the Tennessee, was garrisoned
with two hundred men under the command
of Captains Demer? and Stuart. Some,
soldiers having gone out into the woods to
hunt for game, were attacked by the Indians
and several killed.
Captain Cotymore was in command of fort
^ ^ - - a ?i _!AL n ? I
frmce lieorge. Jtie commumcaceu wrni \jruvernor
Lyttleton at Charlestown. The hazardous
condition of the northern frontier of the
province was made known. Governor Lyttleton,
either fearing a confederation of the
Creeks and Cherokees, or anxious to make a
gorgeous display of his military talents, summoned
the militia of the country to arms.
The neighboring colonies were solicited to
send him aid. The banks of the Congaree
were appointed as a place of general rendezvous.
The signal guns were fired, and the
' colony began to prepare lor war. Soon tiie
Cherokees learned that Governor Lyttleton
contemplated invading their territory. In order
that the disastrous consequences of war
might be avoided, adelegatioa of thirty chiefs
set out from their mountain homes to entreat
for pardon. The Cherokee nation, with only a
few exceptions, were still the warm and trusty
friends of the English. When these chiefs,
of whom Oconostata was the principal, arrived
at Charleston, Governor Lyttleton received
them with no small amount of empty
parade. He recounted, in a threatening tone,
the injuries which the Cherokees had done to
the frontier settlers. When Oconostata attempted
to reply, the Governor assumed a
dictatorial attitude, and told the chief he
would "hear no talk from him." The chiefs
were told to march with his army, and, by so
doing, not a hair of their headB would be
hurt.
Fourteen hundred militia assembled at the
Congaree. Here Lyttleton showed his littleness
of soul. Twenty-eight of the chiefs were
put under guard, two having previously fled.
The proud chiefs now showed by their grim
and sullen countenances, that they felt that
they bad been dealt with contrary to promise.
On arriving in the neighborhood of their principal
town, the twenty-eight chiefs were confined
in a miserable hut, scarcely sufficiently
large to contain, with any degree of comfort,
one-fourth of their number. Lyttleton, as if
about to make a treaty of peace with some of
the enlighted nations of Europe, sent for the
old chief Attakulla-kulla. From this old
and trusty friend of the colony, Governor
Lyttleton demanded that the twenty-four individuals
who bad been guilty of perpetrating
the wrongs complained of, should be delivered
up to him that he might put them to death,
or else he would hold the chiefs in his possession
as hostages.
The old Indian knew nothing of the customs
respecting hostages. Although a chief,
he knew that such was the nature of the government
of the tribes, that one individual
hftH nn flnntrol over another. In despair of
effecting anything toward peace, he retired,
determined to await the result as a brave old
man. Scarcely had be gone,- until Governor
Lyttleton recalled him, and succeeded in having
a treaty signed, in which was embodied a
number of articles which the chiefs either did
not understand, or were forced to sign from
the necessitous condition in which they were
at the time. In the meantime, some of the
perpetrators of the violent deeds complained
of, were delivered up to Lyttleton. By him,
an equal number of hostages were released.
It was now ascertained that the small-pox
was raging amongst the Indians. Lyttleton's
army became panic-stricken, and a disorderly
rush was made by each one, separately and
alone, for bis home. The governor ordered
the hostages to be kept in close confinement
in Fort Prince George, and with his few prisoners,
beset out to follow his army to Charleston.
These poor prisoners were kept in
Charleston until they died. Not a drop of
bloood was shed during the expedition and
"ft ornrvl wftR accnmnliflhed. but much harm :
yet it cost the province more than one hundred
thousand dollars.
When Lyttleton arrived at Charleston, he
was received by his party as a mighty conqueror.
Scarcely had he arrived in the city,
when it was learned that hostilities had broken
out again in the neighborhood of Fort
Prince George. Fourteen indiyiduals were
killed within the range of the guns of the
fort. For Cotymore, the commander of the
fort, the Indians had contracted an irreconcilable
hatred. They surrounded the fort,
determined, if possible, to release their twenty-six
chiefs imprisoned within its walls nnder I
the refined name of hostages. Unable to effect
their purpose by assault, they determined
to have recourse to stratagem. Oconostata
placed a body of Indians in a dense thicket
near the fort, and sent a friendly Indian woman
to the fort requesting Cotymore to meet him
at a certain point on some important business.
Without reflecting, Cotymore, with two lieutenants,
Bell and FoGter, went to the spot
Oconostata was present with a bridle in his
band. He told Cotymore that he bad determined
to go to Charleston that he might
solicit Governor Lyttleton to release the prisoners,
and that he desired a guard. He was
then, he said, on hunt of a horse to ride.
Cotymore at once promised the chief the desired
guard. In the midst of the convereatinn
rWktinatafa dinner thfl hrirJlfi ftronnri his
head three times*, This was the signal to his
ambushed colleagues. Out of the thicket
they rushed and fired upon the unsuspecting
captain and his two lieutenants. Gotymore
| fell mortally wounded, and Bell and Foster
dangerously. The men in the fort seeing
what was going on, attempted to put in
irons, the prisoners in the fort. The Indians
resisted, severely wounding three of the gar
rison. Enraged by this resistance, the men
in the fort put all the prisoners to death on
the spot.
Every move, either by the English or by
the Indians, only made matters worse. The
inhuman butchery of the hostages, as they
were called, in Fort Prince George, aroused
the Cherokees as they never had been aroused
before. The cry for vengeance pierced the
darkness of the night. The wild natives laid
aside all restraint. The houses of the frontier
settlers were visited by hideously painted savages,
aud children were merfcilessly put to
death and scalped without distinction. The
small-pox was raging in the low country, and
but few of the militia coald be induced to
leave their afflicted families to render aid to
their distressed countrymen. Never was their
such a time in South Carolina before. The
whole country, from Ninty-Six in the present
county of Abbeville, to Fort Loudon on the
Tennessee, was exposed to the tomahawk and
oMilnincr knife. Dosrs ffrew fat oo the car
1 o ? o 0
| casses of human beings. Tender babes were
I snatched from their mother's bosom, and their
brains dashed ont against trees. The savage
war Bong and the shrieks and cries of helpless
women and children were heard above the
howling of the wolves.
In order to relieve the afflicted colony, a
dispatch was sent to General Amhurst, the
commander of the British forces in America.
Amhurst detached Colonel Montgomery, with
six companies of Highlanders and six companies
of the seventy-second regiment. In
April, 1760, Montgomery arrived in Carolina.
He was joined by a company of volunteers
from the low country. Previous,
however, to the arrival of Montgomery, Ly ttleton
was appointed Governor of Jamaica, and
William Bull aucceeded_Jiim_aflJaneauMi*-a?.
SAulfl Carolina, .bull applied to Virginia
and North Carolina for assistance, and seven
companies were sent to assist in keeping .the
Indians from penetrating into the interior farI
ther than Ninety-Six.
After bis arrival m the province, Colonel
Montgomery encamped at Monk's Corner.
All tkinrra Kainrr ftrrnncrpH fnr tllA mmnftian.
"" -" "6- a? 1 o?'
; he set out with all possible despatch for the
Cherokee country. His time was limited, and
he was forced to act promptly. On entering
the Indian settlement, he literally laid it
waste with fire and sword. New Keowee,
Estatoe, Quacorelchie, Toxawaw, SugawTown
and Aconnee, were reduced to ashes. The
Indian women and children, together with a
few men, were made captives.; but the multitude
of the warriors fled on the approach of
Montgomery.
Thinking that the Indians were not yet
sufficiently humbled, Colonel Montgomery
pushed into the middle settlements, the abode
of the over-hill Cherokees. The march lay
through a pathless forest. Rugged mountains
and streams, with precipitous banks impeded
his progress.
When within five miles of Etchoe, a town
of the over-bill Cherokees, Mongomery was
attacked by the Indians. The battle-ground
was chosen with consummate skill. It was a
deep valley, densely covered with underwood.
In this the savages were concealed. Captain
I Morrison led the van-guard. No sooner had
| he ontered the brake, than the savages sprung
from their ambuscade and poured in a des
tractive fire upon him and his men. Morrison
fell dead, and many of his men were
wounded. The main body of Montgomery's
men came up and the fight became general.
The forest echoed and reechoed with the Indian
warwhoop. The fight lasted about an
hour and terminated to the advantage of the
British; but it was a dear bought victory.
Montgomery lost twenty men killed and seventy-six
wounded. The savages were routed
but not subdued. In the recent fight they
lost, in killed only forty; and Montgomery, in
order to save his wounded, was obliged to
make a hasty retreat to Fort Prince George.
All the way from Etchoe to the fort, the savages
kept annoying him. On arriving at Fort
Prince George, he announced that he was under
orders to set out, immediately, for New
York. This announcement filled the frontier
settlers with grief. To quiet their fears
and afford them some protection, he left four
hundred men, and in August set out to join
General Amhurst.
The departure of Montgomery left Fort
Loudon in a most critical condition. From
its location, it was cut off from the civilized
- - ' - . t _ _ti. 1
world and exposed to continual assauiis uy
the savages. In the fort there wefe two hundred
men, but the Indians kept it so long
blockaded that the officers were reduced to
the alternative, either to surrender or submit
to starve to death. It was decided that Captain
James Stuart should go to Chota, the
town of which Oconastata was chief, and
make the best terms fbr a surrender that he
could. It was agreed, that after delivering
up the guns and ammunition of the fort, except
what each soldier might need, the garrison
was to march out with a kind of military
honors and be escorted either to Fort Prince
Qeorge, or to some point in Virginia. The
sick and disabled were to be taken care of by
the Indians in the neighborhood, for which
they were to be paid.
Having surrendered everything except ten
bags of powder, and ball in proportion, which
were buried in the ground, the garrison
marched out and proceeded, on the first day,
fifteen miles on their way to Fort Prince
George. During the night the Indian escort
left them. Early on the next morning a I
band of savages was discovered near their
camp. Captains Demere and Stuart had
scarcely time to arouse their men, before the
Indians poured in a deadly fire?killing Captain
Demere and twenty-six of the men. The
rest were all surrendered and hurried back to
Fort Loudon. Stuart was the friend of Attakullakulla.
This old chief bought his friend
Stuart and released him from captivity. The
other prisoners suffered unutterable hardships,
and were afterwards, at great cost, redeemed.
I*
The condition of things were now gloomier
than they had ever been before. The Cherokee
towns had been burned, and multitudes of
their old men and women and helpless children
had been starved to death; but tkey
! were still masters of the field.
In the early part of 1761, Lieutenant Col.
James Grant was sent by General Amhurst
to South Carolina to reduce to subjection, or
to annihilate, the Cherokees. His force consisted
of a regiment and two?oempanies.
' 5-1 L_ n.l TT
AQOtner regiment, commanded oy v/oi. xieury
Middleton, was furnished by South Carolina.
Th?other officers of this regiment were
Francis Marion, Isaac Hnger, William Moultrie,
Owen Roberts, Andrew Pickens, William
Mason, Adam McDonal and James McDon- .
al. These men made names for themselves
during the Revolutionary struggle. Several
individuals of the Indian tribes; also joined the
expedition.
With all possible speed, Grant hastened to
the Cherokee country. Salona, the young
warrior of Estatoe, was shouting amongst his
fellows: "I am for war; whoever will not follow
me is no better than a woman."
On arriving near the same spot where the .
engagement between Montgomery and the* ' >
Indians occurred the year before, the advance
party, under Capt. Quantine Kennedy, met
the Indians. A terrible conflict took place.
For three hours^he Indians fought with
desperate courage. At last the undisciplined
sons of the forest way. Grant pursued them
with Are and sword. The towns were reduced
to ashes, the cornfields were destroyed, the
hogs were killed, and men, women and children
were put to the sword. The strength of
fko Phomlroaa or a a hrnWen. The name of
V1IU W WW IT*W M*
Grant was a terror. Afterward, when they
would drive the cattle oat of their fields, they
woald shout "Grant, Grant" Cel. Grant returned
to Fort Prince George. The Indians
had gone beyond the mountains
Whilst at Fort Prince George, ' .ttakullakulla
came to his camp and begged for peace.
He was sent to Charlestown, and a treaty
was made and signed by Governor Ball.
Thus ended the Cherokee war. Both parties
had suffered much and neither had gained
anything. The Cherokees simply made a
virtue of necessity. They remained the bitter
and uncompromising enemies of the Carolinians.
During the Revolutionary w* ,
they joined the British and gave the settlers of
DRY AND WET WOOD.
In the year 1828, says the author of Ben^k
and Bar, in the Buffalo Courier, Reubet H.
Went worth, then one of the Circuit Judges,
was appointed Chancellor of the State. Esek
Cowen, then an eminent and successful number
of the Saratoga bar, was appointed a Cir
cuit Judge in his place.
He was once holding a circuit at Borne,
New York, when there came up Sne of those
ejectment suits that, in those days, occupied so
much time in the State courts. During the
trial a witness by the name of Wood was
called by one of the parties. He was ajery
old man, but gave his evidence with sin^lar
precision and intelligence, and withal he was
an admirably preserved old man. Judge
owen, struck with the manner and personal
appearance of this witness, said to him, as he
was about to leave the stand; .
"Mr. Wood, how old did I understand you
to say you are?"
"I am seventy-seven years old."
"Will you be good enough to tell me what
your habits have been f"
"My habits have, I trust, been good and
quite regular. I have always been temperate,
have never indulged in the use of intoxicating
drink, and I really think that I should not
know tbe different kinds of liquors by their
taste. I .have been in tbe habit of going to
bed early and getting up early. I never
! gambled, never went to but one horse-race in
my life?preferring camp-meetings to that
kind of amusement, because I was at home
"?a. l?a.1 a lament* in mV !!& npvpr
illicit? UOfgi unu m JC?wv???w *? ?^ ?v ;
thought much of lawyers?always supposing
them to be a set of fellows who, while saving
a man a hundred dollars, would be sure to
make a hundred and fifty out of the affair in
some way before it was through with, although
I must confess that Mr. Cady there, ain't
quite as bad as the rest of the lawyers."
The next witness called was also a Mi*.
Wood, a cousin of the last witness. He also
gave his evidence with remarkable clearness
and intelligence. He, too was a wry old and
a very well preserved man, and tfrb subject of
much interest to the judge. After the counsel
had dismissed the witness Cowen'.detained
him by inquiring his age.
"I am seventy-nine years of age," was the
reply.
"If you have no objections," said the judge,
"I would like to ask you what your habits
have been through life ?"
"Well, judge, I can't say that I have been
very much of a temperance man, but I've
been a pretty discriminating sort of chap,
much more so than my cousin that's just been
sworn. I can tell you all kinds of liquors by
the smelL; unless, as is quite often the case,
I've sampled too much to be clear in my sense
of smelling. To tell you the truth, judge,
there has hardly been a day since I was a boy
that I have not drank from five to ten drinks
a day. Half of my days I have never gone
to bed sober; and never waited long after
getting up before I commenced getting on
steam, and I regard a good square drink of liquor
as the staff of life. I have not been in
the habit of going to meeting, because I should
have to go without my drink too long. I
never missed a horse-race that I could get to,
because I think a horse the most glorious
thing that ever lived, and his speed one of the
triumphs of life, and the man that can't appreciate
a good square horse-race can't enjoy
religion, for he hasn't brains enough. As for
lawyers, I think they are on a par with ministers;
both would stop their gab if they
didn't get their money for it. Finally, I think
and believe that if I get my drinks regular,
and keep up .my usual habits, I shall live to
be a hundred and thirty years old."
"Well, Mr. Cady," said the judge, "I can't
seeaa it makes much difference with the kind of
wood ya&fefrlFe, brought here, whether it is
wet or dry7if?lift lasted a great many years,
and accotdiifg&Mk!} accounts ft will last a
great many years longer."
* '4 m
I^The latest definition of a lover is a
man with whom one woman deceives another,
[ with whom she deceives herself, and whom
she deceives.