The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1869-12-24
A REVOLUTIONARY TALE.

God is everywhere His words are
in the heart. lie is on the battle
field, and in our peaceful home
Praise His holy name.
Itwas in the Wilds Of Wissahicon,
on the day Of battle, as the MONDAY
sun came through the thick clustered
leaves, that two men met in deadly
conflict near the reef which rose like
a primeval world, at least a thousand
feet above the dark waters of the Wis
sahicon.
The man with dark brown face,
gray eyes flashing with deadly light,
and a muscular form, clad in the blue
frock Of the Revolution, is a conti-
mental, named Warren.
The other, with long black hair,
dropping along his cadaverous face, is
clad ia the half military costume of
Tory refugee. This is murderer of
Paoli, named Delaney.
They met by accident, and now they
fought, not with sword and rife, but
with long and deadly hunting knife
they struggled, twining and twisting
on the green sward.
At last the Tory is downtown on
the turf, with the knee of the conti-
mental on his breast-the upraised
knife flashed death in his face.
"Quarter 1 yield r. gasped the
tory, as the knee was pressed on his
breast. "Spare me, I yield
"My brother" said the patriot in a
tone of deadly hate, "mY brother cried
for quarter on night of Paoli; even
as he chung to your knee you drove
that knife into his heart. will give
you the quarter of Paoli.
And his hand was raised for the
blow and his teeth we're clinched with
deadly hate he paused for moment
and then pinioned the tory's arms,
and with a rapid stride dragged him
to the verge of the rock and held him
quivering over the abyss.
Mercy" gasped the tory, turning
ashy pale by turns at that awful gulf
yawning below, "Mercy have a
wife and child at home-spare me. ;"
The continental with muscular
strength gathered for the effort, shook
the murderer once more over the abyss
and then hissed his bitter sneer in
his face.
"My brother had a wife and two
children. The morning after the
night at Paoli, that wife was a widow;
those children orphans Ask mercy
of them T.
The proposal made by the continent
al in mockery and bitter hate was
-aken into serious interest by the
,rror stricken tory. He begged to
be taken to the widow and her chill
dren and to have the privilege of
begging for his life. Another mo-
meat of serious thought aud the patri-
otic soldier consented. He bound the
tory's arms still tighter, placed him
on his feet, and led him through the
woods. A quiet cottage emboWered
among the trees broke on their eyes.
They entered the cottage. There, be-
side the desolate heartbstone, sat the
widow and her children.
She sat tkere, a matrohly woman Of
about twenty eight years, with face
/ faded by care; deep dark eye, and
long black hair, ,hangingin dishevell-
ed state about her shoulders. On one
side was a dark haired boy of some
six years on the other side girl
one year younger, with light blue
eyes. The Bible-an old and vener-
aOle volume-lay open upon tbs
mothers knee. And the pale faced
tory flung himself upon his knees, and
confessed that he had butehered hel
husband on the night of Paoli, and
begged his life at her hands.
"Spare me for the sake of my wif'
and child"
He had expected this pitiful mOar
would touch the widows heart, bu
not one relenting gleam softened he
face.
The Lord shall judge between US,
she said, in cold, icy tone, that troz
the murderer's heart. "Look tn
Bible Is on my lap. l will close tn
. volume, and let my little son plac
his finger at random upon line, ant
by that you shall live or die
This was a strange proposal, mad
5 in good faith, of a wild aud dark su
lperstition Of olden times,