The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-04-25

j
war? Remember, eutreat of you, that
am a poor, trembling girl, with no pro-
tector." --...---
/ al shall have no trouble in remembering
/ the last I'll warrant. | shouldn't trusted
myself here if you'd been surrounded by the
! cursed rebels. Come, gal, our home is in
/ Laurel Swamp" ai- .'7f7 --
With quick, unexpected movement,
Vantassle drew her to him, lifted her in his
arms, and moved toward the dark and tam
gled mass of wood lying in the rear of the
mansion at the distance of a hundred rods
and covering an area Of ten miles in cir
! cumference 80 80 {. zs'i s-4A-ii-A i' ts@
Bv this time Ruth and Judith had missed
her, and came running TO the spot as he was
bearing her away. They cried loudly for
assistance while terror nearly deprived them
of sense and yoltion At the moment
| when the catastrophe seemed complete, a
tall man, with large black patch over his
left eye, and long rifle in his hand sprang
from clump of shrubbery, seized Vantassle
by the throat, wrested Jessie from his grasp,
and choking him till he was black in the
face, hurled him to the ground. While Van
| tassle lay stunned upon the earth, his van
quisher took his musket from his unneryed
hand, discharged it into the air, and broke
the stock against the trunk Of tree. He
then drew the pistols from the Tory's belt
and thrust them into his own, from which
already protruded the butts of four The
blade of VantaSsle's knife he snapped by
thrusting it into the cleft of a rock, but the
heavy sabre he buckled to his side, leaving
the rufian entirely unarmed.
In, int Por
your doors, and say your prayers, for the
Tory hounds have scented blood and will
not rest till they have gorged themselves"
The tall, wild looking man glanced at
Jessie, and observing that she was faint,
caught her up as if she were an infant and
carried her to the door. Placing her care
fully within the threshold, he repeated his
startling warning, and vanished in the deep
ening shadows of night. He was gone be-
| fore the young ladies had recovered sufficient
ly from their dismay to thank him.
While they gazed at each other in a stu
por of wonder, a man leaped high fence at
the right and crossing the intervening
ground, stood before them, painting and COW
cred with perspiration. 1t was Tom Hutter,
the partisan and scout who was known to
the neighboring loyalists as a staunch and
answering patriot and a brave man, shrink
ing from no danger, and stunning none of
the responsibilities of the part he had
chosen.
atom Hutterp exclaimed Judith and
Ruth, simultaneously, "what has Eappened2
You are excited with effort; you can scarce
ly stand"
al have been pursued" said Hutter. al
have had race for dear life. In, and bar
rieade the doorsl A party of the miserable
renegades will be here in q minutel Where's
BInko?"
al don't know" said Judith ale went
out few minutes agor
(which way p asked Hutter.
Judith indicated the direction with her
finger.
Hutter started off like race-horse. He
saw dark object suspended from the branch
of tree 1t was Blinko who was swaying
to aud fro and quiyering in the agonies of
strangulation. Hutter cut him down in an
instant, and tearing the rope from his neck,
staggered toward the house beneath the
weight of his great body. A half dozen
musket shots were poured after him from
the nearest copse. The balls perforated his
| clothes and grazed his skin in several places,
but he reached the house in safety with the
half dead black. Leaving him to the care of
Jupe, the mulatto girl, he barred the doors
and fastened the windows.
Jessie, who had partially recovered her
self-possession, looked out and saw forms
moving to and fro among the shrubbery.-
Her heart misgave her. How could they re-
sist so many enemies She thought of the
strange man who had SO opportunely ap-
peared to save her from Vantassle. Ste
wondered why he had left them at such
juncturel His deep, resonant voice still
rang in her ears.
"Stand back from the Windows" said Tom
Hutter.
The warning was timely; charge of
buckshot crashed through the panes as she
stepped aside, some of which perforated her
dress, while one of the hurting messengers
| drew blood from her white neck.
"These miscreants make war upon wo-
menl' exclaimed Ruth Haviland. @
(" Make war upon women, Miss Haviland? |?
They are more savage nor the wolves and
catamounts that prowl through Laurel
Swamp Neither beauty nor tears can move
'em. They are ten times worse nor. the
| Britishers themselves They've marked
/ tuCiI way Nof shifN
blood, outrage and robbery"
Tom Hutter suddenly thrust his rifle
through the shattered pane and fired. A
cry came back trough the smoke.
"There was mischief in that" he said,
quietly, reloading his piece.
Resistance" cried Jessie, is hopeless
What can you expect from them if you are
taken, Tom Hutter2p -E 2. 81
A rope from the nearest tree, replied
he, coolly. sss e1-r1E a.g,
"Then fiy-escape from the back door
when you mayl They certainly will not
be SO brutal as to harm us young girls," /"
said Judith entreatingly. -rE sa-W
any poor gals, you don't know EN- so
| well as do. Pve followed their terrible
trail, and looked upon their internal work.
know what happens to sich as you, and
should be tempted to Kill you with my own
hand, rather than leave you to their ruffian
violence. If my times come, and I'm to 60
the way of all the airth, I'll die here in the
defense of beauty and innocence '-
Noble Tom y cried Ruth. ro
+" If you've any firearms and ammunition,
hurry to bring 'em and lay EN- down beside
me, and be keerful to keep out of the range
! of the vinders y ---e.- Ifs rri