Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1855-08-09

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forest solitude around them, the silence o
night, and the darkness, must have added tc
the terrors conjured up by busy fancy. Pre-
sently the courier appeared, with his attendant
guards. AS they came close to the spot. the
disguised women leaped from their covert in
the bushes, presented their pistols at the off
GERS, and demanded the instant surrender OF
the party and their dispatches. The men
were completely taken by surprise, and their
alarm at the sudden attack, yielded prompt
submission The seeming soldiers put them
on their parole, and having taken possession
of the papers, FASTENED home by Il short cut
through the woods No time was lost in send
ing the important documents by trusty mes
Scnger to Genenal Greene The adventure
had singular termination. The parolcd off
GERS, thus thwartcd in their mission returned
by the road they had taken and stopping at
the house of Mrs. Martin, asked accommodate
tion. as weary travellers, for the night. The
hostess inquired the reason of their returning
50 soon after they had passed. They replied
by showing their paroles, saying they had been
taken prisoners by two rebel lads The ladies
rallied them upon their want Of intrepidity.-
= Had you no arms - was asked. The off.
GERS answered that they had arms, but hai
been suddenly taken off their guard, and Were
allowed no time to Use their weapons. They
departed the next morning, having no suspi.
clon that they owed their capture to The very
women whose hospitality they had claimed.
The mother Of this patriotic family was 4 na-
tive Of Caroline county. Virginia. Her name
was Elizabeth Marshall, and she was probably
ofthe same family with Chief Justice Marshall
as she belonged to the same neighborhood. -
After her marriage to .Abrqm Martin, she re-
moved to his settlement bordering on the In
dian nation, in Nincty-Six, now Edgefeld
District, South Carolina The country at that
time was Sparcely settled. most Of its inhabi-
tants being pioneers from other States, chiefly
from Virginia; and their neighborhood to the
Indians had caused the adoption of some Of
their savage habits. The name of Edgcticld
is said to have been given, because it was at
that period the edge or boundary Of the rcspec-
table settlers and their cultivated fields Civ
ilization. however, increased with the popula-
ton. and in the time Of the Revolution, Ninety
Six was among the foremost in Sendin" into the
field it, quota Of hardy and entcrprising troops
to oppose the British and their savage allies.
At the c":uulcn".-,-- '"T the contest, Mrs.
N,rtin had ,,:-, children. seven of whom were
con M enough t" bear arms. Th.S. brave
young men, under the tuition and example Of
their parents. had grown up in attachment to
their country, and ardcntly devoted to its ser
vice, Were ready on every occasion To encoun
ter the dangers Of border warfare. When the
first call !Ur volunteers sounded through the
land the mother encouraged their patriotic
Zeal, "Go boys" she said light for your
country. Fl ght till DEATH if you must. but new
er Let your country be dishonored. Were [ Il
man would 90 with you.
At another time, when Col. Cruge comman-
ded the British at Cambridge, and Colonel
Browne at Augusta, several British officers
stopped at her house for refrc$hment; and one
of them asked how many sons had she. She
and to the question where
they all were, replied promptly " Seven Of
them are engaged in the service Of their coun-
try" Really, madam observed the officer,
sneeringly, "you have enough of thenl."-
"No sir" said the matron, proudly, Il wish |
had fifty"
Her house in the absence Of her sons was
frequently exposed to the depreciation of the
Tories. On one occasion they cut open her
feather beds, and scattered the contents
When the young men returned shortly after
wards, their mother bade them pursue the ma
rauders. One of the continental soldiers hav-
inc been left at the house badly wounded,
Mrs. Martin kindly attended and nursed him
till his recovery \ party of the loyalists who
heard of his being there, came with the inten-
ton of taking his life, but she found means to
hide him from their search.
The only daughter of Mrs. Martin, Letitia,
married Capt. Edmund Wade, of Virginia,
who fell with his commander, Gen. AIontgome-
ry, at the siege of Quebec. At the time of
the siege of Charleston by Sir Henry Clinton,
the widow was residing with her mother at
Ninety-Six. Her son Washington Wade was
then five years old, and remembers many oc-
currences connected with the war. The house
was about 100 miles in direct line west of
Charleston. He recollects walking in the pi-
azza on calm evening with his grandmother.
A light breeze blew from the east, and the
sound of heavy cannon was distinctly heard
in that direction The sound of cannon heard
at that time, and in that part of the State they
knew must come from the besieged city. AS
report after report reached their ears, the agi-
tation of Mrs. Martin increased. She knew
not what evils might be announced; she knew
not but the sound might be the knell Of her
sons, three of whom were then in Charleston.
Their wives were with her. and partook of the
same heart-chilling fears. They stood still for
few minutes, each wrapped in her own pain
full and silent reflections, till the mothor at
length, lifting her hands and eyes toward heaven
exclaimed fervently-"Thank God, they are
the children of the Republic"
Ofthe seven patriot brothers, six were spar
ed through all the dangers of partisan warfare
in the region of the "dark and bloody ground. y
The eldest, William NJ. Martin, was captain
of artillery and after having served with dis