The Hickman courier., 1868-07-04
Only a WOman's Heart ?
asEille Banner.

Tie most startlin Ind tragic occur
renee Of the late war, not even excepting
the wholesale slaughters of human be
iugs IN battle, was the killing of General
Van Dorm, Of the Cavalry Department
in the Confederate Army, by DR.. Peters.
at one time Senators in the Tennessee
Legislature. The tragedy occurred at
Spring II i'll, a short time previous to
the battle Of Murfreesboro The SAD
details of that affair and circumstances
which led to IL, are too familiar to our
readers 10 render repetition of them
necessary here. The recollection Of the
sad story is revived by a paragraph 90
ing the rounds Of the press to the effect
that a daughter Of Dr. Peters, young
accomplish ed and beautiful. had arrived
in ST Louis where she was about TO en-
ter a conyept and take the veil The
St. Louis Times, alludiue to her arrival
in that city and contemplated devotion
OF herself to the Church, says, feeling
ly, that every calamity that war may
beget has befaileu her family. kindred
fortune. and home. The residence In
which she dWelt from childhood was in
the path Of a destroying army that swept
wide districts with unspariug desolation-
Every species of property was destroyed,
and she and an only brother beggared,
and fated to encounter even greater ca
lamitIes, wandering among Strangers
The mother, a weaker woman than the
daughter, accustomed to ease, fattery,
and every pleasure that wealth could
buy, yielded, never crimiually, to the
hattery Of an army officer. and over
stepped rules of decorum prescribed by
the social habits Of the South. The
iather wreaked terrible vengeance
upon him who destroyed the delights Of
his poverty stricken home, and while
the people approved the decd there was
bitterness insuffera ble in the cup Of grief
pressed to the lips Of the faultless daugh-
ter The brother bore accumulated mis-
fortunes unsustained by that divine
faith which never fails to give consola-
ton aud strength. His sorrows made
him insane, and in moody madness he
dragged out q miserable existence Life
at length became insuferabie and in an
evil hour he put 2 period to his own ex
istence. The sister lived to soothe
fathers sorrows and tighten anguish
that almost dethroA1 his reason. She
was diyinely inspirS Her soft. sweet
voice never lost its tenderness, aJss its
very tones were silvery with hope that
bealned from her lustrous eyes She
was a divinity, to guard him IN the
midst Of adversity-
Bright as that oh too transcendent vision.
W hen hearts meets heart ia dreams Elysian;
Z#r-s.f Naat 0 t.r.-. ,
Pure as the prayer shat childhood watts
above.
Time sped. The fathers grief be-
came a fixed melancholy, and the church
his resource. The daughter, who reach
ed St. Louis few days since from
Southern city, has sought.repose in the
bosom of the holy Catholic Church.
During the week she viii assume vows
of q sisterhood famed the world over for
those charities which this daughter of
the South has learned so we'll how to
practice within the precincts of her own
unfortunate household. We are ia
duced to write this simple recital of her
misfortunes that a sad chapter of personal
history-an episode in that mighty vol
ume Of human woes TO which war gave
origin-might find place in the memo
ries of men and be conned over by the
good aud brave and true women Of the
land.