The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-05-26


tenant. passed hurriedly from place tC
place, and by his highly agitated man
ner spreading serious alarm. as con
tagion in the tropics so that when
[ the Colonel, little later, reached his
front door, citizens were approaching
from every direction, and his practic-
ed eye discovered that the whole gar
rison was in commotion, as if momen-
tarily expecting to be led forth by him
to the rescue of his beloved daughter
and the young lieutenant, who were
supposed to have been captured by the
hated "red skins The general ex-
citement was greatly augmented, half
an hour afterwards, by the discovery
that Lieutenant George Wilson
(brother of Hon. Thomas S. Wilson,
of Dubuque, Iowa,) and Miss Street,
daughter of General Street, were also
among the missing. The opinion pre-
walls generally that the four young
friends had been captured and scalped,
as it was not to be supposed that even
the courage of those gallant and chiv-
alrous young officers could permit them
to pass, especially with ladies, beyend
the picket lines. Hence. at an early
hour the good French pioneers of the
prairie came from every direction,
mounted on their heetest ponies, and
armed with guns, pistols, butcher
knives. etc., while the women wept in
anguish over the loss of their favorites
of the fort. In the midst of this con-
fusion. and before Col. Taylor had
quite decided upon the precise course
proper to be pursued, an old pioneer,
more calm and self. possessed than the
great mass about him, deserted, far
over the prairie, two gentlemen and
two ladies on horseback, approaching
the fort with apparently all possible
speed. Attention being called to the
JOYOUS sight, and all divining that they
were the missing ieuteuants and Ia
dies who, by special interposition of
Providence, must have escaped, but
were hotly pursued by their merciless
captors, the whole body of impetuous
and brave-hearted Frenchmen were
rushed with headlong speed to the
rescue, and were soon face to face with
the late lost onas whom they greeted
with such shouts of joy, it was aver
red, as had never before come from
the lips and hearts of men on that
beautiful "Prairie of the Dogs"
To say that the two Lieutenants and
their fair companions we're greatly as
well as most. agreeably surprised at
these unexpected greetings and cor
dial congratulations, would be but to
convey a faint idea of their astonish-
ment They indeed had no concep-
ton of the real cause of all this tu-
multuous rejoicing until the old pio-
neer, before mentioned, rode forward,
and in accents of broken, almost sob
bing eloquence, depicted the intense
excitement and grief which the dis
covery of the capture of the Lieuten-
ants and ladies, by the ruthless sava-
ges, had occasioned throughout the
village. Lieutenant Wilson essayed
an explanation, but the old man mo-
tioning the Lieutenant to be silent,
gave his order, and away dashed the
whole party toward the village-the
''rescuers" filled with Joy over the for
tunate turn of events and happy re-
suits of the morning, while the sides
of the rescued were splitting with
laughter at the ludicrous mistake of
their friends.
Arriving at the village, the lieuten-
ants and ladies, without being permit
ted a word in explanation, were rap
turously greeted by men, women, and
children, in every manner calculated
to manifest the great joy of the popu-
lation consequent upon their miracu-
lous escape from tomahawks and scalp
ing. knives, after passing that dreadful
night in the custody of savages.
Few men have lived who, at any
period of their existence, possessed
stronger seIf-will or control over him
self than Lieutenrnt Davis; yet, in
vain did he on that occasion exert ev-
cry faculty and power to repress the
risibilities of his nature in order to
render an explanation possible
Much less was it possible for the ever
merry and great-harted Lieutenant
Wilson to do so. These ludicrous
circumstances, with the exuberance of
public rejoicing-all jabbering in
French and English at the same time
rendered it utterly impossible for
cllutI VI buc ICSCuCA Hdll " 81
in a word edgewise or otherwise, and
so the crowd gradually dispersed.
Colonel Taylor, however, "smelt
mice" and was not long in ascertain
ing the true state of affairs, that is,
that JEFF. and his daughter Knox had
engaged in a ''runaway match" with
Lieutenant Wilson and the beautiful
Miss Street as groomsman and brides
maid. Truth would out, and in less
than an hour every man, woman and
child in the village knew all about the
wedding; and as they discussed the
singular affairs and adventures of the
morning, the most uproarous shouts of
laughter arose from every group and
household.
There was, however, one face amid
that widespread scene of mirth and
gayety that was livid with rage; two
lips tightly compressed, two eyes
flashing with indignation, and one
strong hand grasping, now and again
the hilt of an oft-tried sword. The
reader may well imagine that I refer
to Col. Zachary Taylor, before whose
angry glance brave indeed must have
been the heart that did not. become
FAINT. f..
Col. Taylor having declared, with
an oath strong as he ever used, that
under no circumstances would he ev-
er forgive Davis or become reconeiled
Tr.sa u a.