Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1864-12-29

are visible Were you ever in the mount
aims on such night "a night when dark
ness was upon the face of Nature, and
dark cloud lowering over your fortunes en-
shrouding those whom you held most dear
who where clinging to you for safety, de
pending upon your strong right arm an6
valiant heart to shield them from human
hell-hounds, who had driven them from THEN
| homes, and were on their track thirsting
for your blood because you would not hunt
under the same leash You have not p
| Then you know not what it is to be a Union
ist of East Tennessee, nor the price those
men have paid for refusing to bow down
to Geslcr's cap stuck upon q pole III the
market-place Talk not to these men OF
compromise, or "peace at any price," with
the besotted wretchcs who have wantonly
driven them from happy homes-thrust the
torch of the inccndiary under the rOof-tree
of the old homestead, and left their help pless
families to the mercy of the clements, un-
til Justice has been appeased and the devil
has got his due
1t was on such a wild night as this that
group of men, women, and children were
covering beneath a cleft III the rocks to
shield themselves, as much as possible, from
!
en- to encounter rather than enUust them
selves to the mercy Of their own race.
! When the storm had spent its fury, some
! leaves and brush were gathered from a
nook that had protected them from the wa
ter, and fire was kindled to dry the gar
mcnts of the women and children.
The fire had not been burning much over
an hour before they were surrounded by a
! body of soldiers The smoke had revealed
their hiding-place.
The poor hunted fugitives now gave
! themselves up for lost their number was
too small to think of offering any resistance
which, if offered, would only aggravate the
cruelty that would be practiced toward the
women and children However, their fears
were soon relieved for instead of enemies,
! the soldiers proved to be friends under the
| command of Bradford, who recognized a.
mong them two Of the neighbors who had
assisted at his fathers burial They had
been driven from their homes by Wharton's
| desperadoes.
The mission which Bradford had sought
was to destroy this ruffian band, and succor
refugees in the mountains, and enable the
men to gain the Union lines. He escorted
those whom he had found to place where
the women and children would be cared
for-.the men eagerly asking the privilege
Of Joining his command From them he
gained much needed information and ar
ranged his plans accordingly.
1t would be needless, for the purpose of
this sketch, to trace Wharton and his parti-
sans in all their outrageous acts upon al
most defenseless people. He took care, in
the regions which he passed through, to
avoid conflict with Union troops if their
numbers were nearly equal with his own
! he still wanted odds i'll his favor when he
| fought His mission was to carry the hOr-
rors of a savage warfare to the hearths of
! those SOutherners who were true to the
| Union their fathers had fought to establish.
| After an absence of some weeks he again
returned to the vicinity of DR.. C-'s res
idence, and made repeated efforts to gain
an interview with Emma, but they were of
no avail She persisted in refusing to see
him.
This action on the part of Emma chated
! Wharton terribly. He determined to make
her his wife whether she was willing or
not and would hesitate at no means, how
ever violent, to accomplish that object. Of
course, the first step to be taken for that
purpose was to get her in his clutches be-
yond the possibility Of escape Having
made up his mind on this point, he selected
a number of his most trusty followers, and
under the cover of night approached DR..
C-s residence, seized Emma, and bore
her off to place he had arranged for her
reception, and where she would be kept Sc
cure at his pleasure.
In the struggle to preserve her daughter
from the ruffians, Mrs. H was so Sc
ve-ely injured that, i'll conjunction with the
shock caused by her daughters abduction,
she died in a few days after. Her last mo-
ments were tenderly watched by Mrs. Brad
ford and her widowed daughter-in-law, from
whom young Bradford learned the particu-
lars short time after, he having succeed
cd in removing the remnants of once hap
py family to relative III Kentucky who had
kindly offered them a home.
Wharton, after months spent in solicita-
tions and threats to induce Emma-who
was ignorant of her mothers death-to con
sent to become his bride, determined on
still boldcr measures. Having secured the
old clergyman who had performed the fu-
neral ceremony at the grave of the Brad
fords, he one day, after stormy interview
with Emma told the woman whoha charge
of her to prepare for a wedding that even
ing, as he would no longer put up with the
girls whims He had been trifled with long
enough, and he would now finish up the
business, as he had a regular minister who
would have to perform the service.
When night came number of the partl
sans were grouped together i'll the main
room of the house to witness the wedding
of their leader the others, being encamp-
ed short distance off, were regaling them
selves with stolen whisky, which was lib
orally supplied them to celebrate the occa
sion The clergyman had received his in
structions. He was to proceed quickly witt
the ceremony, regardless of any interrup
tion on the part of the bride, whom he was
informed was remarkably strange girl
who did not know her own mind from one
day to another that her parents had con
sented to the marriage and that she had
several times wanted it to take place. The
penalty for refusing to obey orders would
be bullet through his skull.
Everything being in readiness, Emma was
brought into the room by the woman who
had been her jailer. A few months hat
wrought great change in her appearance