Bloomsburg democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1867-1869, 1867-10-23


At length, a cowardly assault upon a fam
lily, composed of an aged widow. and her
three lovely daughters, who after being cru
! ely outraged by the brutal soldiers, were
beaten nearly to dcath-and the old woman
thrown in the "Well' OF the Devils Hall
Acre" so cxaspcratcd the young men, that
they resolved upon vengeance.
a secret meeting was held, and they re-
solved to meet the next evening ut the foot
Of the ridge, to punish the towards, who
were cncamped in iancicd security, about
quarter of Il mile from the scene Of out
rage. The greater part Of the day was
spent in moulding bullets, and preparing
their weapons, which being accomplished,
they waited with icvcrish anxiety the ap-
pointed hour.
Twas IA splendid eve, such one as we
rarely see in our too changable climate. -
The sun, ba,hcd in halo of golden light,
slowly descended behind the towering steep
of Shanock. The bright stars looked down
from the pure ether with seemingly en-
couraging smile. upon the band Of youthful
heroes who had silently gathered in Il corps
at the base of the mount. Each moment
some brave boy would noisclcssly approach,
with his rifle upon his shoulder, and with a
simple nod olrcoguition, take his place, and
quietly await the order Of the person who
was TO be their leader.
The one chosen to command them was a
sturdy youth of about lSycarsof age, strong
ly built, and very athletic; he carried a
long rifle, and was clad in a plain rustic suit
Of homespun. His quick movements and
hurrcdy whispered instructions, showed
that he iult the importance and understood
the danger Of the attempt they were about
to make and the fire that flashed from his
dark eye, proXcd that he was equal to the
emergency.
At length the party, numbering fifteen.
were all assembled; the ages Of none exceed
ed eighteen, while the majority were still
younger. The order to march was given
and the young band followed their leader in
profound silence.
Twas noble sight! those brave young
spirits, setting out to avcngc the wrongs Of
their mothers and sisters, at thcrisk Of their
OWL lives, and aguinst fearful odds Of num-
bers aud experience; but stern resolve sat
upon every brow, anl firmly beat each heart
Soon the approached the spot where lay cn.
clmped the object of their hatred; the
British numbered twenty, and were all wrap
in profound slumbcr. Slowly and stcalth;y
they ncarcd the enemy, their hearts beating
violently as they saw them in their power
but not "A word escaped their lips-their cal
cuIations had been well made, and they con-
tuued to advance cautiously until they were
within about thirty feet of the red coats,
when a GESTURE from their leader brought
them to stand. Zach boy singled out his
man-thc command was given in low tone,
and the sharp report of fifteen rifles broke
upon the stiffness Of the night, and rc-cchoed
along the hills and crags of Shamrock. In
stantly under the cover of the smoke, they
rushed in upon the survivors, and pinioned
them ere they could recover from their sud
den surprise The aim of the boys had
been fully tru-iiftecn soldiers (among them
Capt.. Saith lay woltcring in their blood,
groaning and minsiins curses and cxccra-
tons with their departing breath.
The five prisoners, securely bound, were
marched ut once to the copsc from which
the youthful band lad set out; there
consultation was held to determine their
fate.
Some who had individual wrongs to
avengc were desirous at once to hang them
upon the nearest tree. Others, more lcnient,
wished to allow them soldiers DEATH
Many, and various were the opinions and
methods proposed but they all agreed to be
guided by the decision of their leader, Dan
Lount.
During the whole affair Dan had scarcely
spoken except to give the necessary COM
mands, and now when appealed to, to de-
eide the fate of the prisoners, he merely
said-'to the Devils Half Acre!'
Arespousive "Aya," burst simultaneously
from all, and in few minutes they stood |
near the mouth cf "thc Well"
I'm with them" cried the excited boys;
"horc they buried the widow Gale, and old |
Pomp! In with thcm," and in spite of the
desperate struggles of the captives they were
already upon the very verge of the yawning
pit, when their leader exclaimed" hold
Not yet, boys" said Dan; Il wish to say
a few words before you throw them in :"
and when the prisoners had been led back
few feet, he continued with voice trembling
with emotion:
"You all knew the widow Galc-you knew
her lovely blithcsome, aniaLlc.
Gght-hcaried, happy girls. You knew them,
bat not as do; you love them, but not as
well as /. The Oldest is my aflancied BRIDE
My whole soul is wrapped up in Lcr-she is
my guiding star-I love her better than my
life, and the wrongs she has suffered wrings
nv very soul Before Won. vol, see tbc