The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-11-05
MARTYRS OF THE REVOLUTION,

| 1t no time and under no circumstances
since the creation of the world have Peo-
pie been called upon to suffer more than the
patriot of the Revolution were doomed to
| endure at the hands of the unscrupulous
English and their native allies. the Indians
and the tories. History mentions many
Out.ages and massacres, but its cold wordt
immeusurnblv fail to impress the readc.
with anything like proper idea of the
scenes referred to. 1t wants a ylviier pen
TO bring the scene up before the reader in
all its horrid reality. The sudden alarms.
the midnight attacks, the burning. pllluges,
torturings, murders-The tiendsh eutra-
yes Of every shade and degree history to
frequently passes over the bare and brief
est mention of tho fact To the romancer,
the historian generally leaves the task of
gathering in the little points and incidents.
and OF celebrating the not half Guished pic
ture-of snatching from oblivion the minor
details, and Of rescuiug from obscurty the
memory of suherings which otherwise would
soon be entirely forgotten.
1t is to one Of such little incidents that
would now direct the readers attention.
stephen Barry was a Jerseyman of some
substance, and a gentleman of lncorrupta-
bic patriotism. He resided on welI-stock-
farm in his native State, and his family con-
sisted of his wife, an intelligent and nota-
bic woman, q son twenty years OF age, n
daughter eighteen, and several house and
farm servants, all the latter being colored
people.
At the particular period to which have
reference is this veritable chronicles, Mr..
Barry was over fifty years of age, but still
vigorous and active. Ia their progress
through the country the soldiers Of King
George had nowhere found more deter
mined opponent than our Jersey farmer
Manfuly and courageously, scornIng dan
ger and peril, he always stood up for the
land of hls birth, and for the liberty which
he felt the American people had an lnalien-
able right to enjoy.
" The fight to make our own laws ana
govern ourselves" he used often to say in
the early days before the great struggle,
" should be our indisputah.e privilege; and
am glad to see that the people of these
colonies are waking up to proper sense OF
their position. Let them once come to un-
dcrstand exactly how they are treated-aEd
thank the Lord God the scales have pretty
nearly fallen from their eyes-and neither
mower on the earth will be able to keep a
foothold on the soil of America. Long
have we been bowed by the iron rule OF
Engla DIS master, but patience has at
length ceased to be a virtue-the spirit OF
the people has been reused up, and ere
long Britain's colonial power will be thing
of the past. Well, thank God for it. for
one, long to hold my head erect with the
proud consciousness of freedom"
The wife and children Of Mr.. Barry and
in fact everybody about the place. even to
the negroes, were thoroughly imbued with
the same spirit. Such being the case, 1t
may ell be supposed that they could not
long escape the vengeance of those against
those whose tvranicai rule they boldly anl
openly inveighed. As deeply rs they, hated
their British masters, so deeply did the lat.
ter hate them, and all "rebeis" like them
At length, it appeared, the agents oil
"good King George decided to visit sum
mary vengeance upon the daring rebels a
the Barry farm. 1t was necessary to make
examples of all such. they allowed.
Forthwith, Capt. Frederick Vance, un'
feeling. unprincipIed, brutal man, was di
rected to take upon himself the task Of
teaching these rebels their duty to thell
sovereign king. With merely general or
ders the captain called out to his company
and depart upon his mission.
| If you please, reader, We will now pre-
cede the British to the Barry farm.
The gathering shades of darkness wer'
fast enveloping the face OF fnnture-the gold
en- stars were one by one bursting through
the canopy of Heaven-the farm was stii
and quiet. and betokened quiet and repose
Inside the house the family were assem-
bled around the supper table.
Mr.. Barry had Just said grace, and, a
usual, had concluded his appeal to tn
king of kings, in his customary manner
..Lord grant that these tyran's may 500.
be driven from our shores, and in Thy inf
mite good mercy voucbsafe to US the bless
ings of liberty and peace.
Scarcely had the family settled down &
the table, when they were startled by tn