The native American. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1840, 1840-05-23


old BIT Catharine v possessed her
fathers spirit" the spirit OF the times" Van
Zant was standing on the stoop, rapping at
the door, while his companions were talking
in a whisper on the opposite side of the way.
lis Judge v at home q asked Van
Zant, when he saw Catharine at the window
above.
i" He is not" said she.
owe have business of pressing importance
with him, and if you will open the door," said
Van Zant, 1--WE will walk in till he returns"
NO." said Catharine, {" when he went to
church he left particular directions not to
have tn doors opened until he and his family
returned You had better call when church
is dismissed"
"No I'll not" returned he, I'VE will enter
now or never"
Impossible" cried she, "yon cannot enter
until he returns"
"Open the door," cried he, cor We'll break
it down, and burn you and the house ND to-
gether" So saying, he threw himself with
all the force he possessed against the door.
at the same time calling upon his companions
to assist him. The door, however, resisted
their efforts
bo llot IlltI dSuiil, Soe'iu
rine, ''or you are dead man." at the same
time presenting from the window a heavy
horsenans pistol, ready cooked.
At the sight of this formidable weapon the
companions of Van Z,nt, who hadcrossed the
sire t at his call, retreated.
"What ?" cried the leader, you towards
are you frightened at the threats Of girl %
and again he threw himself violently against
the door. The weapon Was Immediately dis
charged and Van Zant fell.
The report was heard at the church, and
males and females at once rushed out to as
certain the cause.
On looking towards the residence Of Judge
". they perceived Eve men running at
ful! speed, to whom the JUICES nagr 'eS and
several others gave chase and from an upper
window Of his residence handkerchief was
waving. as reckoning for aid.
All rushed towards the place: and upon
their arrival Van Il tat w IS in the agonies of
death. He still retained strength enough to
acknowledge that he had long contemplated
robbing the house, aud had frequently been
concealed in the neighborhood for that pur
pose but no opportunity had offered until that
day, when lying concealed in the woods, they
saw the Judge and his family going ochurch.
The body of the dead tory Was taken and
buried by the sexton of the church, as he had
no relations in that vicinity.
After an absence of two hours or therea-
bouts, the negroes returned having succeeded
in capturing Finley and one of the strangers,
who were that n ght confined, and the next
morning, at the earnest solicitation of Judge
v, liberated OH the promise of amend
ing their lives
It was in the month of October Of the same
year, that Catharine v was sitting by
an upper back window in her fathers house,
knitting though autumn, the weather was
mild, and the window was hoisted about three
inches About sixty or seventy feet from the
rear Of the house, was a barn, huge old
fashioned edifce, with upper and lower fold
ing doors the lower doors were closed, and
accidentally casting hereyes towardsthe barn,
she saw small door, on a range with the
front door and the window at which she was
sitting, open, and number of men enter.
The occurrence of the summer i'm nediately
presented itself to her mind, and the fact that
her father and the other males of the family
were at work in field at some distance from
the house, led her to suspect that that oppcr-
tunity had been improved, probably by some
Of Van Zant's friends, to plumber and revenge
'isdeath. Concealing herself thetefore, behind
tie curtains, shenarrowl Y watchedtheir move
ments. she saw mans head slowly rising
above the door, and apparently accommodating
the premises was Fnley's. Their object
was now evident. Going to the armory, she
selected we'll loaded musket and resumed
her place by the window. Kneelng upon the
floor, she laid the muzzle of the weapon upon
the wind wv sill, between the window curtains,
and taking deliberate aim, she fired. What
effect she had produced she knew not, but saw
several men hurryilg out of the barn by the
same door they had entered. The report
again bro ght her father and the workmen
hone and OH going to the barn, the dead body
of Finley lay on the floor.
Chatharne v afterwards married a
captain of the continental army, and she still
lives, the nonored mother of numerous and
respectable line Of descendants. The old
house is ,lso in the land of the living" and
has been the scene of many pranks of the
writer ofthls tale, i'll the heyday of mischev-