Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1861-01-11

All, if we may believe the legends of
that time, few men, few warriors, who
dared the terr6rs of battle with smile,
could stand unabashed before the solemn
presence Of Washington!
For it was Washington, exhausted
with long journey, his limbs stifened
and his face ,numbed with cold; it was
the rebel of Valley Forge, who, return
ing to the camp sooner than his usual
hour, was forced by the storm to take
refuge the farmers -hoaas, and .elaiia-
little food, and an hours repose at his
hands. In a few minutes, behold this
stranger with his cloak thrown off, sit
ting at that oaken table, eating the food
spread out there by the girl, who stands
trembling at his side.
And look her hand is extended as if
to warn him of his danger, but she
makes no sound. Why all is silent ag-
ony for the man who sits so calmly
there?
One moment ago, as the girl, in pre-
pairing the hasty supper, opened yonder
closet, adjoining the next room, she
heard the low whispers of her father and
the tories; she heard the dice box rattle,
as they were casting lots who should
stab Washington in his sleep!
And now the words, "Bewarel on this
night you dier tremble half formed uron
her lips, when her father comes hastily
from the room, and bushes her with
look.
"Show the gentleman to his chamber,
Mary, Chow calmly polite murderer can
be, "that chamber at the head of the
stairs, on the left. On the left, you
mind ~
Mary takes the light. trembling and
pale. She leads the soldier up the oaken
STAIR They stand on the landing. in
this wing Of the farm house, composed
of two rooms, divided by thick walls
from the main body of the mansion
On one side, the right, is the door of
Mary's chamber; on the other, the left,
was the chamber Of the soldier, to him a
chamber Of death
For a moment Mary stands there
trem bling and confused. Washington
gazes upon that pale girl with look of
surprise. Lo2kl she is about to warn
him of his danger, when, see there her
fathers rough face appears above the
head of the stairs.
"Mary, show the gentleman into that
room on the left. And look ye, girl, it's
getting late, and you had better go into
your room and go to sleep
While the tory watches from the head
of the stairs, Washington -eaters-the !
chamber on the left; Mary on the right
An hour passes. Still the storm beats
on the roof; still the snow drifts on the
hills Before the FIRE, in the dim old
hall of that farm house, are seven
drunken men, with that tall tory, Jacob
sitting in their midst, the
murderer's knife in his hand; for the
lot has fallen on him. He is to go up
and stab that sleeping man.
Even this half drunken murderer
turns pale at the thought; how the knife
in his guilty hand; trembles
against the pistol barrel; the jeers of his
arouse him to the work; the
light is in one hand, the knife in the
other, he goes up stairs; he listens, first
at the door of his daughters room on
the right, and then at the door of the
soldier on the left. All is still. Then
he places the light on the floor; he en-
ters the chamber or the left; he is gone
a moment. Silence! there is a faint
groan. He comes forth again, rushes
down the stairs, stands before the fire
with th> bloody knife in his hand.
"Look!'' he shrieks, as he scatters the
red drops over his comrades, and over
the hearth, into the FIRE. .Lookl' it is
the blood of the traitor Washlngtonr'
His comrades gathered around him
with yells of joy; already, in fancy,
they count the gold which will be theirs
for this deed; when 10! the stair door
opens, and there, without a wound,
stands George Washington, asking calm
ly for his horse!
s.What!' shrieked the tory, Mannheim,
''can neither steel nor bullets harm you?
Are you living man? Is there no
wound in your uniform?'
The apparition drives him mad.
He starts forward; he places his hand
npon the arms and breast
of Washington. He then looks at the
bloody knife, still clasped in his right
hand, and stands there duivering as with
a death spasm.
While washington looks on in silent
the door was thrown open, the
bold troopers from Valley Forge throng
the room, with the gallant and bronzed
visage of Capt. Williams in their midst.
At this moment the old clock in the
room struck twelve.
Then hurried thought crashed
through the brain of the tory Mannheim
He seizes the light, rushes to the room of
his daughter, on the right. Some one
had just arisen from the bed-the cham
Der was vacant. Then toward the cham
Der on the left, with steps of laden heav-
mess. Lo! now the knife quivers in
his hand. He pauses at the door-he
listens His blood curdles in his veins.
courage, he pushes open the
door. Toward the bed, through whose
curtains he struck so blindly a moment
ago. Again he pauses-not sound
stiffness more terrible than the grave.
He filings aside the curtains.
There, in the full light of the lamp,
her form but half covered, bathed in her
own blood there lay his daughter
Mary.
And do not look upon the face Of her
father, as he starts silently back, frozen
to stone; but in his pause of horror,
listen to the mystery Of the deed.
After the father had gone down stairs
an hour ago, Mary silently stole from
the chamber on the right, her soul
shaken by thousand fears. She
opened the door On the left and beheld
sitting at the table. Then,
though her existence WAS in the aet. she