The Portland daily press., 1868-04-04

"Then YOU shall begin your evenings
sport at the other end and do YOUR murder
first"
The widow walked quietly up, and laying
her hand on Captain Blake,s shoulder SAID
III low but firm tones: captain Blake en-
treat that you will not subject yourself 10
any ayoidable severity, out of any regard fol
my sister or myself We have suffered too
much already in this unholy strife, not to
feel willing to endure all things, even to the
loss of lite, for the cause, or for the few to
whom we are dear"
With these bold words she took her sisters
hand, and the two withdrew to the farthest
corner of the room; and throughout the
whole scene which / am about to outline,
with the exception OF single moment, re-
NAMED kneeling with their faces toward the
wall.
A momentary silence was broken by a rude
laugh from the guerrilla chief, and coarse
Jest at the kneeling posture OF the id YAM
kee saints" and then he again addressed
CAPTAIN Blake: 'Since you prefer, my fight
ing-cock, to have us begin at that end, you
shall have your way. Jerry, go and bring in
a couple OF those plough-nes by the door,
Now twist the two together" he continued,
as one OF the gang returned, after a momen-
tary absence, with the desired articles, "and
then pass the end over one of these poles"
pointing to the ceiling.
This was summary indeed, and the blood
curdled IN my veins as a burly ruffian, stand
ing on the sideboard, thrust his hands up in
to my place OF temporary concealment, and
passed the end of the rope over one OF the
ceiin9-poles and down through a crack in
| the floor.
Captain Blakes face may have been shade
| paler, but he gave no other sign of any unu-
sual emotion. He quietly took his kid gloves
| from his pocket, and stood deliberately draw
| ing them on, while before his face the moose
was being prepared for his destruction. |
noticed with wonder, with what nicely he
| drew his glove clasps to the proper point, and
| with what scrupulous care he settled his
| closely-buttoned coat about his chest, while
enemies stood silently watching him. Even
the hangman of the gang paused, as he rove
| the moose, and glanced with savage admira-
| ton toward him. who seemed as serenely I'M
conscious OF then presence as if in another
world.
IKE scene was intensely dramatic. The
candle-li4ht halt revealed the kneeling figures
OF the two women on one side OF the room,
and on the other side, grouped in half shad-
ow, stood the guerrilla leader with his band,
while in strong relief, nearer the middle of
the room, stood a rough, shaggy haired fig
ure, the hali-formed moose depending from
his motionless fingers, and the impassive, SOL
dierly captain calmly smoothing out the last
| wrinkles IN his gloves.
The silence was broken by the partial open
ing OF the door and some whispered comnfu-
nlcat1on to the leader, who grutiy replied
| Oh the other one; be can't get out of the
house, and we'll finish this one first"
| Then, under his direction, the sideboard
was dragged out oil the way, a small table was
| placed under the moose, and Captain Bl Ike
required to mount 1T, and stand erect as hear
! to one edge as was practicable without fitting
| that q Cn1Inn tinpfn0 nj fba tah fpnu N
| other side would cause him to fall almost as
suddenly and etfectually as from the "drop"
OF regularly prepared scaffold.
| All these preparations were effected in far
| less time than is taken in the telling. Cap
tain Blake seemed to have deliberately made
| up his mind that his hour to die had come,
| and to have determined that he would 90 out
OF the world with the self possession which
always characterized him, nor give his foes
the slightest opportunity to taunt him with
| cOwardice, or even weakness.
| The guerrilla han oman was in the act of
| pinlonng his arms, when their leader, with
no apparent object but to prolong the scene
| OF murder broke in with fiendish sneer:-
| Hold on minute. May be the gentleman
would like 10 say something. May be he can
give some good excuse tor coming down here
to steal niegers. I'm in the humor for a
| speech"
IoO ue StlZeu Il CldlI duu SAL uOWu
| with all the air OF an auditor at a political
| gathering, his companions following his ex-
ample. cold, faint smile curled the cap
| taln's lip, and for moment he was SILENT
| Then the whole expression OF his face chang
| ed suddenly. | saw him dart a single glance
| OF fiery intelligence up into the darkness in
which half crouched, clinging to a rafter tor
support, which seemed to search me out and
burn itself into my heart, and then his words
plQ9r distinct and
be proceeded: ''Ol for the wings of an eagle
that might mount upward out of your ac-
cursed presence, even through the root of this
desecrated dweiling-euen through the roof"
he repeated in a yet louder t,ne, and looking
fixedly into the eyes OF the chief, sand bring
down upon you the iull punishment you de-
| serve!D
A loud laugh from the guerrillas for mo-
ment drowned his voice, but, needless of the
interruption, he went on loudly. fiuently, con-
tlnuousiy, denouncing vehemently southern
slavery, the southern cause, men, armies, and
leaders. 1t was at the beginning of this
strange and apparently insane outburst,
that the two sisters, Tor the only
time during that scene, turned their
wondering faces toward the captain. In my
sell, momentary astonishment was folio wed
by shock as OF galyanic life. AS if
through an instantaneous revelation from
heaven, saw his object and cursing myself
Tor the precious moments already lost. [
turned my attention to the immediate exc
cutl"n OF the conception his opening words
conveyed to me.
The root OF the house was formed of thin
boards some four leet in length, doubled and
overlapping to prevent leakage, and held in
place, not by nails, but by long poles laid
along the outside. Rapidly examining the
ROOF, L soon found place where some warp
ing or sprlnS1nS OF the pole outside enabled
me TO ship the boards aside until could get
my arm through, when board after board was
quickly removed until the opening was large
enough to allow me to pass out, and still the
| tide OF the captains defamation flowed on
louder and more fuently, and the half drunk
en- suerrillas clapped their hands and laughed
and stamped IN huge enjoyment OF what
seemed TO them the most ridiculous of farces.
Reaching the outside, was about to risk
leap from the low caves into the darkness,
when L cPu9ht sight OF the chimney outlined
against the sky. This was built outside the
house, OF sticks laid, like the logs OF the house
interocking at the corners, with the project
ing ends allowed TO remain; the whole secure
lY smeared with clay on the inside and having
an almost regular taper from the groun1 up
ward. Cilngng to these projecting corners.
L descended almost as rapidly as if on a lad
der. Arriving at the bottom, paused a mo-
ment and listened. Inside could still hear
the captain declaiming as vehemently as be-
fore, and the ribald laughter Of his auditors,
and outside could distinctly see the watcher
at the one window in that end of the house
gazing ntently at the strange scene within.
Even ID that brief moment, with death all
around me, could not repress feeling of
admiration, almost amounting to awe Tor
that man, who, with the fatal moose hanging
against his neck, utterly in the power of re-
morseiess murderers, with such wonderful
sell control sustained SO uninterrupted flow
OF thought and speech; with a well defined
object in yieH, displaying all the cullectedness
oil mind and fertility of resource of a trained
legislative debater speaking against time"
Throwing myself fat on the ground.
crawled as rapidly as possible to the garden
fence. and in its friendly shadow soon reach
ed the road in front OF the house, Here |
had expected to find a sentinel, but the clos
est scrutiny failed to detect one, and quickly
crossing the road, with an almost choking
sense OF freedom, plunged into the dense
forest on the other side. Once under this
cover hurried directly to the spot where we
had left our horses. They were both gone!
Some one or more OF the guerrillas, then,
must be acquainted with our habits, Buf
however this might be, there was now no al
tea native but to try to reach the post on foot.
and that, too in the shortest possible space
oil time; and nerying myself Tor the hazard
Gus run, picked my way back toward the
road at point lower down than where | had
entered the forest, had almost reached the
roadside when my ear caught the sound of
voices directly ahead and not far away. one
OF them evidently a neoro's Stea,ino 70 tho