The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-05-15
TALES OF THE B0RD KRS.
LORD DURIE AND CHRIS les
WILL.

WILL.
ALrxAsbzA LEiosroK.
Who can journey, w-A-dsys, along the
L higL parts Of SelkirksEire, and hear the mire-
-uipe whistle ia the morass, proclaimlng IL
self, Ia the silence around, the unmolested
. occupant " the waste, or descend into the
green valley, and see the lazy shepherd lying
folded Up III tis plaid, while bis aOcks grsEt
10 ace around him an1 in the distance
and not think of the bold spirits that, 10
The times ~ Border warfpre, sounded tde
var horn .ill ID rang IN rtYerbeTsung echoes
from hill 10 hdlf The land Of TIE Arm
strJu q knows no longer thsir kindred.
The hills, rayIHes, masseS, and mutrs- that,
only a few centuries ago, were animated
/ by the 5oliest spirits thai eser sounded =
( var -erv. and defended % The death by men
whose swords gere their only charters OF
night have passed into other hands, sr1 ths
nam Of the warlike holders ivv row 0nO
to give a grim charm % q Border b4 lad. An
extraordinary lesson may he read on the
20 ks OF tue l. ddel and the Ek-ihere is
strange eitqlenee il the silence ot tnesg quiei
talt1
+ Stand for a while smo1g he graves Of tho
chisf Of Giinockie a0i bis tiftY followers. in
thc lonely -hurchyard ~ enrig-cast
c1uiemplAt. eve on the rootess tower Of
that brave river, then glance At the gorgeous
policies of B,whiIl, ard resist If you can,
tde deep sign that rises a. a tribute to the
memo res &C men who, having. by their
sieepis-s spirits, kept kingd ~ in c0mmo-
ti1u, a.ld on the ga.lnws ana 'eft no gene
ration to claim their lands from those Sho.
a.H g. ~
right, tsd The subtle policy 70 rise m their
ruins Poorly. INDEED, nov sound the names
II Johnny Armstrong, sim of Whiitram,
SIN Of the Cattill, kinmont Willie, 0r Chris
tle's VIII, hasites those ~ Dukes nf Buc-
eeuch and X r2burgh, Scott OF Harden, and
Elliott OF Stobbs and Wells; and vet, with
out wishing to AXE away the merit Or the
eTt nt NJ their = cestOrs' own "relf snd rel
urie,' how much 90 they owe 20 their sue
cession 70 the il-got gear of those handy
Borterers whose names and scarcely crcd-
ble achievements are All that have escaped
.he rspsciiy that-n0t satisfied with their
lands-toOS also their lives Flr smaller
1spredauons, the Old laws 0f the Border
ana I'll would n0t be air "a exclude those Of
the present day-awsrded a halter; for
lhefs Of a larger kind, they gave a title
Oh Wat Ol BucClguch deserved ne hor or
Or tie meek # the garter jpst as much az
poor Johnny Armstrong; yet ali he got vas
a reproot sni cukedOm.
"Thsn up ara ipass tbe mobile King
Ald a. ansrg man. 1 trov YES he
II m becomes w. bola Bu.clew
u TAX @ re- or ieloDie
fcr if every hHj MS ain rap
right pu'r elan JED name would be''
Tbere is a chang nov. The bones Of the
NafT Arfuztrnf7.Fa 1.a fr q 'arfaurrw ard ha
descendants III their brother-rievers who got
their lands st IN high places, and speak
words Of legislative command. But these
things viii be a. they ave ever been We
cannot change the world, far less remske II,
but we caL resusciia,e a part Of its moral
wonders, an5, while the property Of Chris
tie's VIII, the last Of the bid Armstrong;,
IS now possesses BY another family, under a
written tide, We VII do well TO csmmit to
record a par of his fame.
II il well known tnSt the chief u the fam-
is Of Armstrong; had his residence al Man
gerton 10 Liddesdale. There is scarcely DOW
any race Of His tower, though time has not
pxerted 20 cruel hand against bis brother
JohL7v Ara slroug's residence, which lies
10 the bellows near Lsnghoime. We know
10 tumult IL the emotions d wAAt may be-
called sntIqGaran sentiment, 80 engrossios
and curious as that produced By the head
less skeleton Of ''auld Glnockie's Tower
a. il Is seen ia the grey & aiming, with a
breeze brstting through IT'S dry RIBS, and
stray owl sitting on the top, and sending his
4dIilch scregh through tile deserted hol
lows. The mind becomes busy on the 10.
slant With the former SOC Of festiVity,
when "their stolen gear" bath nOlt and
sheep" and "hesh, ard bread, and ale" as
Maitland SAYS, we're tsgen aud drunk with
the kitchen Of { viot hunger, and the
sweetness Of stolen things; and when the
Wild spirit of the daring outlaws. with John
ny at their head made ihe old tower Of the
Armstrong; ring With their Wassail shouts
This Border turret came-aiter the execu-
ton Of Johnny Armstrong, and when the
clan had btcome what was called broken
c.an--lUt0 the possession of William Arm
trong, who figured ID the times 81 Charles
I. lie was called Cbristie'S win, though
from what reason does not bow seem very
clear; neither is il At All evident why, after
,he TX, cution Of his foFbesI, johnny and bis
6ftv followers, at Csr.eBrig. re Tower Of
nlnocke vas not forfeited 70 the crown,
aad taken FROM the rebeihous clan altogeth
e.; tut, "a be sure, II was, IA those days,
more easy 10 axe man ) NE tnAn ulh prop
eriy, insomuch as the former needed no
guard, while the other would have required
d small standing army TO keep It and the new
pr pret0r together. Ceriain, however, it j.
that Christe's Will did get possession cf
The Tower OF GIlncckie, where, according 70
the practice # the family, he hveI ION Scot
tish ground ana + giish kys,," and, when
the latter could not easily De had. on the
poorer land Of bis neiehbors Of Scotland
This descendant II the Armstrong; was
not unlike JohHny; and, indeed, il has been
observed that throughout the whole branch
es II the family there was extra0rdinary
union Of boldness and humor-two qualities
! which have more connection than may, at
first view, be apparent Law-breakers,
among themselves, are seldom serious
Nghtness OF heart and . turn of wit be;r x
necessary for the sustenance OF their out
lawed spirits, as well as for . quaint justi6-
cation--resorted to by all the tribe-of their
calling, against the laws OF the land. In the
possession Of these qualities, Will was not
h.tind the most illustrious Of his race but
he, perhaps, excelled than all in the art Of
''conyeying"--a polite term then used for
that change Of ownership which the affected