The New era. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1865-1871, 1865-10-26

flag ana lis fair owner became objects OF
hate to the rebels of the town. Threats
of violence began to be murmured by
the crowds that often collected about
Mrs. Belmont's house. Her husband
inn bred her, as she valued her own
safety, as she loved him, to take down
the colors, Or allow him to do so. But
entreaties and threats were alike useless.
Each day theenemies of the glorious old
standard saw it waving proudly from it's
staff: each night they beheld it floating
defiantly in the bright moonlight.
BY this time the danger to Mrs. Bel
mont had SO increased that she was
obliged to arm herself, which she did ac-
cordingly, in the most effective manner,
with splendid pair of revolvers, the
property of her husband, whose fears,
both for himselfand his courageous wife,
now amounted to perfect agony.
Just previous to GOrdOnsville becoming
a valuable point for Johnston's strategy,
Mr.. Belmont had succeeded in inducing
the towns-people to believe that his wife
was actually deranged, and obtained
from them the privilege of allowing her
to indulge her "foolish fancy" as he
callen it. Butsoon after this the coward
ly husbands anxiety was awakened
afresh by the rumored approach of seve-
raj regiments of Confederate troops. He
knew they were collected from different
localities, and would not be SO easily
pacified as the Gordonsville people,
Again, therefore, he besought his wife
to remove the flag from its insulting
position, for fear it would incense the
coming soldiery to acts Of violence, and
perhaps rapine."
This poetic appeal amounted 70 the
all - Da1,
vious efforts. He was in despair. He
being so very timid, did not dare to at
tempt to enforce his wishes against her
positive assurance that "fOrce should be
repealed by force" What could he do?
He sent for friends to reason Mrs. Bel
mont out of her Union ideas but these
retired, discounted by the stern strength
of that lady's logic.
A crisis was approaching. The Con-
federate troops were expected to enter
Gordonsville the next day, and Mr.. Bel
mont felt that a terrible tragedy would
then be enacted at his residence, as they
could not fail to see that now, to his
eyes, detestable flag flying over its roof.
He became desperate, he raved, and
swore, and threatened, but uselessly.
Mrs. Belmont remained mistaken as
rock in her determination to keep the
only flag of the Union in GOrdonsville,
flying until the last. The distracted
man by this time learned that john
ston's troops would certainly arrive the
morning following. Half beside himself
with grief and fear, he went, at length,
to his room, and began to drink furious
ly in order to calm himself. Unfortu-
nately, however, he took too much, and
hot
was exceedingly calm and quiet-so in
toxicated as to be actually almost in
sensible.
Entering his apartment, Mrs. Belmont
discovered his condition, and a new
thought sprang into life within her,
Calling servant, she had her despi
cable husband conveyed below stairs.
Quickly following, she carried with her
sheet that she took from spare bed
as she passed along. According to her
orders, the helpless man was laid gently
down upon a sofa, when she immedi-
ately began, in the eyes of the servant,
a most inexplicable operation.
Spreading the strong, white sheet
beneath her inebriated spouse, the lady
coolly proceeded to envelope the latter
in it's folds. With each turn or lap that
she took, she cut the sheet with a pair of
scissors, in such manner that, while
the lower part of Mr.. Belmont's arms
was free to act, the upper half thereof,
from the elbow to the shoulder, was
tightly and securely bound 10 his body.
When the last fold was made, Mrs. Bel
mont coolly took strong needle and
some coarse thread, and sewed over the
edges from top to bottom, so that her
husband, with only his head and FORE
arms visible, strikingly resembled an
Egyptian mummy. This portion of
Mrs. Belmont's strange task over, she
ordered her servant to bring her some
restoratives, with which she addressed
herself to the labor of bringing back her
semi-insensible husband to his full con-
seriousness. This she at length accom-
plished. .
just as she did so, a shouting and the
rolling of the drums announced that the
expected arrival ofthe Confederate troops
had taken place. AS these sounds broke
upon her ear, Mrs. Belmont hurried into
thenextroom, seized two books that lay in
a conspicuous place upon the handsome
centre-table, and then hurried back to
the side of her husband.
"Go down to the hal, Rosa, said she
L.. L ~. no~xy,,.% kl,.,<l k<,H Mr. Do;YIov<nr