Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1861-03-29
A Revolutionary Story.

came through the thickly clustered leaves,
that two men met in deadly conflict near
the reefs which rose like the rock of some
primeval world, at least one thousand
feet above the dark waters of the Wassa-
hicon
The man with the dark brown face, and
darker grey eyes, flashed with deadly light,
and muscular form clad in blue frook
of the revolution--is q continental named
Warren
The other man, with long black hair
dropping along his cadaverous face, clad
in half military costume of tory refu
gee This is murderer of Paoli, named
Delaney.
They met by accident, and now they
fought, not with sword and rifle, but with
long and deadly hunting knives they strug-
gled, twining and twisting on the green
sward.
At last the tory is downtown on the
turf, with tho knee of the continental on
his breast--the appraised knife is flashing
death in his face.
Quarter l yield |" gasped the tory, as
the knee was pressed upon his breast
"Spare me, yield p
my brother" said the patriot soldier,
in tone Of deadly hate, ''my brother cried
for quarter on the night of Paoli and even
as he clung to your knees you struck that
into his heart. Oh, I will give you the
quarters Of Paoli
And as his hand raised for the blow and
his teeth were clenched with deadly hate,
he paused For moment, then pinioned the
torys arms, and with rapid s,ride drag
ged him to the verge of the rock, and held
him quivering over the abyss.
"Mercy," gasped the tory, turning ashy
pale by tur s, as that awful gulf yawned
below .t.rnsrcyi l have a wife and child
at home-for their sakes, spare me
But the soldier held him once more over
the abyss, and then hissed his bitter sneer
in his face
"My brother had wife and two chill
dren The morning after the night of Pa
eli that wife was widow, those children
orphans Would you not like to go and
beg your life Of that widow and her or
phans?"
The proposal made by the continental
in mockery and bitter hate was taken in
serious earnest by the terror stricken tory.
He begged to be taken to the widow and
her children, and to have the privilege Of
begging his life. After moments serious
thought, the patriot soldier consented
He bound the tory's arms still tighter, pla-
ced him on the rocks again, and led him
to the woods. A quiet cottage, embossed
among the trees, broke on their eyes,
They entered the cottage. There, beside
the desoate hearth stone, sat the widow
and children.
She sat there, matronly woman oi
about % years, with face faded by care
Deep dark eye, and long black hair hang
ing in disshevelled state about her shoul.
, ders. On one side was dark haired boy oi
some six years, on the other side girl, ono
year younger, with light blue eyes. The
Bible, an old and venerable volume, lay
open upon tho mothers knee And now
the pale faced tory flung himself upon his
knees, and confessed he had butchered hel
husband on the night of Paoli, and begged
his life at her hands.
"Spare me for the sake of my wife and
child"
Hehad expected this pitiful moan woulc
touch the widows heart, but not one re
lenting CLEAN softened her face.
"The Lord shall judge between US, sh'
said in cold, icy tone that froze the mur
derer's heart. "Look, the Bible is in M
!, lap I will close the volume, and this boz
shall open it, and place his fingers at ran
dom upon line, and by thai you shal
!, live or die"
: This was a strange proposal, made il
good faith of wild and dark superstition
of olden times. For a moment the tory
pale as ashes was wrapped in deep thought
$ then in faint voice he signiAed his con
. sent
. Raising her dark eyes to heaven, tn
mother prayed to the Great Father to di
$ rect the finger of her son. She closed tn
book-she handed it to that boy who's
: cheek redeemed with loathing as he gaze'
i upon his fathers murderer He took tn
Bible, opened its holy pages at random
and placed his finger upon verse.
It There was a silence, The continenta
) soldier who had sworn to avenge his broth
! er's death, stood with dilating eyes an,
: parted lips. The culprit kneelng upoi
y the floor, with his face like discolored clay
felt his heart leap to his throat.
It Then in clear, bold voice, the widow
IS read this line from the old Testament. /
|, was short, yet terrible;
" |. .That man shall diel'
. Look The brother springs forward :
plunge knife into the murderer's heart
ir but the tory, pinioned as he is, clings t
- !, the widows knees. He begs that on
" more trial may be made by the little gir
that child of Ave years old, with the gold
en- hair and laughing eyes.
The widow consents.
: There is an awful pause. With smil
j in her eye, without knowing what she wa
: doing, the little girl opened the Bible q
= it lay on her mothers knee; she turne
:. her face away aud placed her finger upO
!. a line.
: ! The awful silence grows deeper Th
= deeper drawn brsaths of the brother, an
Il broken gasp Of the murderer, alone distur
the stiffness the widow aud dark-haire
L.. ILL., l,ttla civil aa eh