The Illinois free trader. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1840-1841, 1840-08-14

same time presenting from the window
heavy horseman's pistol, ready cooked.
, a, the sight of this formidable weapon
the companions of Van Zandt, who ha'
crossed the street at his call, returned.
d" Whatr' cried their leader, $ YOU
towards are you frightened at the threats
of girl ?" and again he threw himse.
upon the door. The weapon was dis
charged, and Van Zandt fell.
The report was heard at the church, anC
males and females at once rushed out t,
ascertain the cause. On looking toward
the residence of Judge v, they per
celved five men running at full speed, t.
whom the Judges negroes and sevcra
others gave chase and from an uppel
window of his residence, white hand
kerchief was waving, as if beckoning fol
aid.
All rushed towards the place, and upon
their arrival, Van Iandt was in the agones
of death. He still retained strength to
acknowledge that they had long contem-
plated robbing that house, and had fire.
quently been concealed in the neighbor-
hood for that purpose, but no opportunity
had offered until that day. when lying con-
ccaled in the woods, they had seen the
Judge and his family going to church.
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 there
abouts, the negroes returned, having sue
ceeded in capturing Finley and one of the
strangers who were that night confined,
and the next morning at the earnest solici-
tation of Judge v, liberated on the
promise of amending their lives.
1t was in the month of October of the
same year that Catharine " was sit
ting by an upper back window of 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 the barn, huge old-lashioned
edifice with upperand lower folding doors;
the lower doors were closed, and inciden-
tally casting her eyes towards the barn,
she saw a small back door on a range with
the front door, and the window at which
she was sitting open, and a number of men
enter.
The occurrence of the summer mme-
dlately presented itself to her, and the
fact that her father and the other males of
the family were at work in field some
distance from the house, led her to suspect
that that opportunity had been improved,
probably by some of Van Zandt's friends
to plumber and revenge his death. Con-
cealing herself, therefore, behind The cur
talns, she narrowly watched their move
ments. She saw mans head slowly
rising above the door, and apparently re-
connoltering the premises--it was Fin
ley's. Their object was now EVIDENT
Going to the armory," she selected
well loaded musket, and resumed her place
by the window. Kneelingupon the floor,
she laid the muzzle of the weapon upon
the window sill between the curtains,
and taking deliberate aim, she fred
What effect she had produced, she knew
not, but saw several men hurrying out of
the barn, by the same door they had en-
tered. The report again brought he faith
or and his workmen to the house, and on |
going into the barn, TIE dead body OF Fin
ley lay upon the floor.
Catharine v afterwards married |
captain of the Continental army, and she
still lives, the honored mother of nu-
merous and respectable line of descend
ants. The old house is also Sin the land
OF the living" and has been the scene of
many a prank of the writer of this tale,
in the hey-day of mischievous boyhood.