The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-07-16
Eutaw.


In cabin buried in the wild and gloomy re-
county ofSouth Carolina, party of frufian tory
adventurers, known as Florida refugees, was
assembled. They were lawless marauders, COM
mitting robberies under sanction of the war, and
serving either party as suited their interests
They came hither not on ly to sup, but to try for
life and death one of their number-Mat. Floyd
for desertion. His brother-in-law, Nathan
Rhodes, having made off with the money port
manteau of the squad. After a scene of ofrecrim-
ination, in which the prisoner violently assault
ed Watkins, the captain of the gang, he was
led for execution to an cid mihouse not far off,
and strung up amid the jeers of his enemies.
But unexpected rescue was near. A cry-a
rustling sound-and slight female form, seen
in the light of the waving torches, ascended the
side Of the building by projecting logs, cut down
the victim by the stroke of her glitterng knife.
and turned to flash defiance and scorn on the
leader, whose chief grudge against Mat had
been owing to the sisters spurning of his suit.
This was "Harricane Nell, or Ellen Floyd,
young girl of wild spirit and strange gifts,
tenderly brought up BY the care of an aristo-
cratic lady. whose house she had left because
the son and heir was likely to love her, and
now dweller in the forest with no companion
but her pony, no object of affection save her
reckless brother, whom she had followed to save
This singular being was endowed not only with
youth and beauty, swftness of step, vigor of
frame and wonderful powers ofendurance, but
with a supernatural gift-a second sight
which modern spiritualists might call kind of
clairvoyance. She had seen in a vision her
brother on the gallows, and ever followed him
with fierce anxiety.
| While the girl spoke to the villains, the cul
prit, taking advantage of the darkness and con-
fusion, dropped through hole in the flooring
into the space below the mill and escaped
Nell informed the infuriated marauders that
their weapons had been seized by her own arm
ed party, then close at hand and watching
them, bade them remain motionless, on peril
of their lives, till the buyl sounded thrice.
On the return Of the outlaws to the cabin at
the signal, they found their weapons and the
money portmanteau restored by the intrepid
Nell. in spite of the anger Of her companions.
Watkins and his gang started in pursuit early
in the morning, but encountered party of Ma
rlon's troops, who charged upon, cut them
down, chased them towards Orangeburg, and
were themselves attacked by an army of Brit
ish soldiers ediately afterwards. The squad
of Rhodes, now joined by Mat. Floyd. FASTENED
to plunder carriage left in the road by the
troop, and finding in it two ladies apparently
worth rich ransom, seized them as prisoners,
and compelled the negro driver to take the
carriage through the swamp.
Nelly, who had returned to her home in the
cottage Of mother Ford, by the mysterious seer
ship she possessed, became uneasy at her broth
er's danger in the company of old Rhodes, and
learning from some OF Maron's horsemsh, who
chanced to stop at the cottage, that two ladies
left near the mill, had been probably captured
by some outlaw, resolved to 60 in search of
them and Mat. These captives were Mrs. Ira
Wis and her daughter Bertha. with their female
attendant, and negro coachman, Cato. Their
compulsory abode was in one or two rude huts
in the depths of pine forest, close to an almost
impenelrable thicket. Here they were impri-
soned and guarded, while others of the gang
went and came on their expeditions hav-
ing been dispatched to demand the ransom from
captain Travis, of his wife and child.
The poor captain, meanwhile was not in bet
ter hands. He and his son had fallen into the
power of his acknowledgement, a captain of
Ioyalist rifles. This unscrupulous villain was
in love with Bertha Travis, whom he wished
to marry also for the purpose ofsecurIng his own
safety in the event of the patriots success. A
famous scout of Sinclairs brigade of Swamp
Foxes"-one Jim Ballou-had been sent to fad
Travis by his friends. These scouts are prom
inent feature in any picture of the times. There
were several skful ones in the tory interest;
two of wbom-"The Trailer" and terrible
RI al I'll 81
Tophet,'' in the pay of Inglehardt, were char
acters of influence in this history.
Ballou traced the prisoners to a hovel in the
-Four Holes Swamp, where he heard Travis
and his son Henry, both handcuffed, in parley
with their brutal captor, Ingehardt. The lat
ter offered to release and aid them to escape
from the loyalists, on condition that the captain
would write to his daughter Bertha, entreat
her 10 come to him, and persuade her to be-
come the wife of his foe The offer was scorn-
fully rejected. The wretched father then saw
his son torn from him, to 60 to a separate pri
son, under the charge of dick Of Tophet. -
Ballou, who had climbed to the top of the
chimney, spoke word of encouragement to
HIM, and departed to report his progress to
Willie Sinclair, young American officer, to
whom Bertha Travis was betrothed
The guardian sister, Nelly, meanwhile fell
in with her recreant and drunken brother Mat,
and failing to persuade him to leave Rhodes
party, followed him to the den of the outlaws.
The cabin in which Mrs. Travis and her daugh
ter was imprisoned, was raised some four feet
from the ground, according to the still prevail
ent custom in Carolina. Kneeling under the
Hoor, Nelly spoke to the ladies TO comfort and
promise them succor. Suddenly she was seized
and dragged out by old Rhodes, furious at her
intrusion into his cabin to cross his Designs
He was about to stab her, when Mat Floyd,
summoned by her shrieks, rushed to the spot
IN time to save her. Butno danger could quel
her lion spirit. She boldly demanded the sur
render of the capt;ves, and warned her brother
of the murderous intentions of old Rhodes
Baffied i'll a second attempt on the spy girls
life, the outlaw resolved to make bargain for
ransom with his prisoners, and remove them.
This was done the next day. Mrs. Travis
promised to pay 100 guineas, if conducted in
safety to Nelson's ferry. On the road there
they were joined by the indefatigable Nelly.
Rhodes enraged at her nar1ev with the nrison-