Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-08-17
EVENING STAR.
AN INCIDENT IN THE REVOLUTION.

~ "a,
lived v, one of the finest and truest pa
triots within the limits Of the ''0ld Thirteen ~
and d d,ep in the confidence of Washington.
Like most men of his time Gnd substance, he had
furnished himself with arms and ammunition
sufficient to arm the males Of his household
These consisted CT three sons and about TWEEN
ty-fve negroes. The female part Of his house
consisted of his wife, one daug ghtcr, Cathsrine,
about eighteen years Of age, the heroine ol
our tale, and several slaves. In the second
story of his dwelling house, Immediately over
the front door, was = small TO IN called a. the
armoTy," in wbi:h the aims were deposited.
and always kept ready for immedilte use.
About the time we introduce our story the
neighborhOod of our village was much annoy eI
by the nocturnal prowlins and depredatiOns oi
numerous Tories.
1t YVES on a calm, bright Sabbath afternoon
in the aforesaid summer when Judge v. and
his family, with the exception Of his dau, hter
Catherine and an Old indisposed slave, were
attending service in the village church. MOI
a breath dis s'urbed the serenity of the atmus-
phere-not sound profaned the sacred still
ness Of the day. The times were da"gerou.
md Caiharine and the old slave remained in
the house until the return of the family from
church. A rap was beard at the front door
Surely" aid Catharine To the slave, /" tt,
family have not yet come hVme-churcb can't
be dismissed"
The rap was repeated.
II will see who it is" said Catharine, as
she ran up stairs into the aImrry On ope.
irg the windows and looking down she saw six
men standing at the front door and on the op-
pOsite side of the street, three Of whom she
know were Tories, who formerly resided ia the
village. There names were Van Zlrt. Finley
ard Sheldon the other three were STRANGER
but she mad reason to believe them 10 be oi
the same political stamp, from the company in
which she found them
Van Zant was a notorious cbarsctcr, and
the number and enormity of his crimes had
r,ndeIei his name infarn"u US in the vci il
Not a At urder or robb; ry was committed with n
NE OF - III II be G.i Gut get the creuit nf
planning or executing. Tie character of Fin
Is y and Sheldon were alsD deeply stained with
cIIme, but Van Zant Was master-spiTit of in
lquity. The appearance Of such characters.
under such circumstances, must Lave been
truly alarming TO any ypung lady OF C4tna
!..eS age, II not to any lady, young or old
But C"thaiine V possessed her fathers
Spnlt, the spirit Of the times" Van Zaut
was standing Oh the stoop rapping at the door,
while bis companions were talking in a whis-
per on the opposite side of the Y.
SIS Judge Y. at home 10 asked Van Zant
when he saw Cathsrne at the window above
90 He is not" said she.
"We have business of pressing Importance
with him. and if YOU will open the door, ,; said
Van Zant, - we viii walk In until he returns
'No, said CathaIine. "when he went to
church he left p trticuiar directions not to have
the door opened until he and his fImily re-
turned. You had better call when church is
dismissed"
No, I'll not, - returned he, "we will enter
now or never
Impossible, " cried she, "you cannot enter
until he returns"
"0pen the door," cried he, or we'll break
it down, and burn you and the house up to-
gcther."
81 saying, be threw himself with all the
force he possessed against the door at the
same time calling upon his companions to rs
SIT him. The door, however, resisted their
efforts
do not attempt that again" said CatLs.
rlne, = or you ale dead man :" at the same
time presenting from the window a heavy
horseman s pistol, ready cooked.
At the sight of this formidable weapon the
companions of Van Zant, who had crossed the
street 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, amt Van z lnt fell
The report WAS heard at the church, and
males and females rushed out to ascertain the
cause.
On looking towards the residence OF judge
V, they perceived five men running Il
full speed, to wnOm the Judges negroes and
several others gave chase; aud from an upper
window of his residence handkerchief was
waving, as If beckoning for aid
All rushed towards the place and upou
their arrival Van Zant Was In the agonies of
death. He still retained strength enough 10
acknowledge that they bad long contaminated
robbing that house, aud had frequently been
concealed in the neighbOrhOod for that Dur.
pose, but no opportunity had offered until that
day. wnen lying concealed in the woods,
they saw 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 relatives in the vicinity.
Alter an absence of two hours or there
abOuts, the negroes returned, having succeel-
ed In capturing Finley and one OF the strang-
erS, who were that night confined. and the
next morning at the earnest solicitation If
Judge v, liberated on the promise of
amending their lives
1t was In the month of October of the same
year that Catharine v was sittin, bv an |
upper back window in her fathers house Init |
ting; though autumn, the weather was mid. |
and the window was hOistsd about three inch. |
CO. Aoout elANl VI seventy Icet trum the rear i
OF the house was barn, huge oId-fashion.d |
edifce, with upper and lower foIding-doors; |
AMI accidentally casting her eyes towards the |
barn she saw email door ION a range with
the front door and window at which She wa.
siJting) open, and Q number of men enter.
The occurrence of summer immediately pre- |
sented itself to her mind. and the fact thatber |
father and the other males of the family were |
at work in ie al some distance frlm th. |
house. led her to suspect that tnat ODD ,rtuni- |
ty had beeu Improved by some Of Vau Zant's |
friends to plunder and revenge his death. |
COLcealing herself behind the curtains. s Q
narrowly watched their movements Sac san |
a man head slowly rising above the door ana |
apparently recUnnoitering the premises; it was |
FInley's.
Their object was row evident. Going t. the
armOTy, she selected a el.-loaded musket,
aud resumed her place by the window. knee!- |
ing upon the door, she laid the muzzle OF the
weapon upon the window-sill, between the
window curtains, and taking deliberate aim,
she fired. What effect she mad produced she |
knew not, but saw several men huTryIug out 1
of the barn by the same door they had en-
tered. The report brought her iather and
his workmen TO the house, and going to
the barn, the dead body Of Finley lay on |