Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1846-03-24
SOUTHPORT WISCONSIN, TUESDAY, MARCHa4 1916.


.ering some forced jest, or looking towar
the door way, crowded by officers and Ia
dies, he gaily invited them 10 share in thi
remarkable argument:-Which was tn,
most beautiful women in the worlda
As he spoke the hour struck.
Twelve o'clock was there, and with il
foots,ep, and then bold Indian form cam,
urging through the crowd Of ladies throng
ing yondrr doorway.
| Silently his arms folded on his war blan
ket, look Of calm sioicism on his dusk,
brow, The Indian advanced along the room
and stood at the head Of The table. There
was no lady with him!
There was something awful in the deer
silence that reignsd through the room, a.
the solitary Indlon stood there at the heac
OF the table, gazing silently in the lover.
| face.
Ware IS she;' at last gasped the Ref
| ugee.-S.e has not refused TO come! Tel
me: has any accident befallen her by the
way? know the forest is dark, aud the
wild path most difficult. tell me, where i:
the lady FOR whom | sent you into the reb.
els linesf'
The Indian answered first by an action
then by the ord.
First the action: slowly drawing his
right hand from his blanket, he held it IN
the light. That right hand clenched with
blood stained fingers BLEEDING scalp and
long and glossy locks ofbeautl. ul dark hair.
Then came the words: Young warrior
sent the red man for The scalp of the pale.
faced sqnaw!-Here it is
The rude savage had mistaken his mes
sage. Instead of bringing the bride TO her
lovers arms he had gone on his way. de.
termined 10 bring the sc lp OF the victim 10
The grssp of the pale faced enemy.
MOI even a groan distul bed the deep 81.
ence of that dreadful moment Look there
The lover rises, presses The long hair, so
black, SO glossy, SO beautiful, to his heart,
tnd teen. as though huge weight, falling
on his brain nld crushed him, he fell with
one dead sound on the hard floor.
He lay there, st fl, and pale, and cold his
cencbed right hand still clu,chng the bloc
dy scalp, and The long dark hair failing in
glossy resses over The floor! This was
his bridal eve!
Now tell me, my friends, you who have
heard some silly and ignorant pretender
pitluly complain of The dsstituion of LIE
gend, Poetry, Romance, which character
lses our National History; tell me did you
ever read tradition Of England, France
or lt,lly, or Spain, or any p,her land unde.
the Heavens, tbat might ) point Of awfu
tragedy. compare vsssfi. ysssSiople history
of David Jones and JAne sss~@.sia For !
is but scene from this narrative, with which
you have all been familiar from childhood
that have given you.
When the bridegroom, flung there OF
the floor, with the bloody scalp and Ions
dark tresses in his hands, arose again tt
the terrible consciousness of life. these
words trembIed from his lips, in a faint ane
dusky whisper.
'.Do you remember how. half an houl
ago, | stood there by the table, silent anc
pal and horro: stricken, while you all star
ted up round me. what horrid GIT saw
Then, oh then | belleld the horrid scene
that home yender by The Hudson River
mounting 10 Heaven in smoke ard flame
The red forms the Indians going TO anc
fro amid flames and smoks, iomhawk arc
torch in hand! There. amid dead bodies
and smoking embers. beheld her form
my bride, for whom sent tho messenger
kneelng, plead ng. for mercy. even as the
tcmahawk crashed into her braln!''
AS the horrid picture again came over
his mind, he sank senseless again, Sill
clutching that terrible memorial-ihe bloody
scalp and long black hair!
This was an awful BRIDAL Eve!