Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1862-02-05
From the Nashville Banner JAN 18th
Norah IL M'Cartey-A Reminiscence Of the
Missouri Campaign.


Norah n M'Cartey-A Reminiscence of the
Missouri Campaign.
During the stay of Col Jones in Nash
vile we had tho pleasure of many fresids
talks with him upon affairs in the West,
which he discussed with ready frankness,
with many anecdotes and IL
These stories have led us to
believe that, thus far, Missouri has the bet
tel. of other seats of hostility for the real
romance of war. Most assuredly the fight
there has been waged with fercer earnest
ness than almost anywhere else. The remote
geography Of the country, the rough, uu--
known character Of the people, the inten
sity and ferocity of the passions excited,
and the general nature of the completely
reduced to a warfare essentially partizan
and frontier, gave to its progress wild
aspect, peculiarly susceptible to deeds, and
suggestive of thoughts of romantic inter
est None of these struck us more for
cibly than the story of Norah McCartey,
the Jeanie Deans of the West.
She lived in the interior of Missouri
little, pretty, black-eyed girl, with soul
as huge as mountain, and form as frail
as fairy's, and the courage and pluck of
buccanneer into the bargain. Her father
was an old man-a secessionist. She had
but single brother, just growing from
bovhood to youthhood, but sickly and
lamed. The family had lived in Kansas
during the troubles Of '57, when Norah
was mere girl of IA, or thcreabouts.-
But even then her beauty. wit, and devil
may-care spirit.were known far and wide /:
and many were the stories told along the
border of her sayings and doings. Among
other charges laid to her door, it is said
she broke all the hearts far and wide, and
tradition does even 60 SO far as to assert
that, like Bob Acres, she killed man
! cnce week, keeping private church yard
; for the purpose of decently burying her
, dead. Be this as it may, she was then.
, and is now, fine looking, lively girl, and
a prettier heroine than will be found in n
novel, as will be seen if the good natured
reader has mind to follow US down to the
bottom of this article.
, Not long after the Federals came into
: her neighborhood, and after they had
forced her father to take the oath. which
; he did partly because he was very old
! man, unable to take the field, and hoped
thereby to save the security of his house
| hold, and partly because he could not help
5 himself; not long after these two impor-
tant events in the history of our heroine,
body of men marched up one evening.
I | ~ kcbo
and arrested her sickly, weak brother,
: bearing him off to Leavenworth City,
: where he was lodged in the military guard.
house.
+. Itwas nearly night before Norah reached
: home When she did so, and discovered
S the outrage which had been perpetrated,
q and the grief of her old father, her rage
: knew no bounds Although the mist:
: were falling, and the night was closing in,
dark and dreary, she ordered her horse te
/ be re-saddled, put on thick surtout, belt
e ed sash round her wasit, and, sticking :
s pair of ivory-handled pistols in her bo-
n som, started off after the soldiers. Tht
is post was many miles distant. But tha
:, She did not regard. Over hill, through
II marsh, under cover of darkness, she cal
loped on to the headquarters of the enc
It my. At last the call of sentry brough
'e her to stand, with hoarse-
u who goes there p
l. mo natter she replied, L wish to se
$, Col. Prince, your commanding officer, an,
le instantly, too
le Somewhat awed by the presence of
ot young female on horseback at that lat
m hour, and perhaps struck by her imperiou
Ie tone Of command, the Yankee guard, with
Id out hesitation, conducted her into the 70,
n, tifcations, and thence to the quarters 9
ty the Colonel commanding, with whom sh
J, was left alone.
e, eWell, madam quoth the Yankee off
Ne Ger, with bland politeness, to what hay
p the honor Of this visits'
Id is this Col. Prince 2 replied the bra,
% girl quietly.
ut 1T is, and yourselfg
ne No matter. | have come here TO i
ed quire whether you have lad By the nan
'ty of McCartey prisoner ?
nd sThere is such prisoner
II! May | ask, for whyr
e Certainly for being suspected of trea
'ys enable connection with the enemy
'Treasonable connection with the EN-
Al -