Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-11-05
THE BELLS OF ST M1CHAEL's.

An Interesting Renaissance Of the Rebellion. /
Mrs. Psugrue Carson, sbo daug h'er OF tue |.
l,ts distinguished James Petigrue, OF South .
CsrolinA, contributes 10 1pplct1R's J0HrRa!
"A interesting s.cguaJ o; st. MiehaeIs /.
Cl1rca aud tho caIue belle that oaes sound I
ed in its stcspIe csnlou a, sWees IS floats
tren the sp're Of A5twerp CATHEDRAL. |
These balls we're connected with 1he lsavo.
luton, but, having escaped the psrils of the
siege OF Charleston by the British il 1;sJ. F.
they we're destroyed near " century later
by a mischaucs OF the war Of secession.
Bl,ws must let Mr,. Carson tell the story OF
their fate alter Sumter:
Tine went ou, AID CharIesson behind
her defence OF sand rssist-d ali the efforts
TO carry her. Duuug the I've hundred tjiGJ
days Of the bOntugtnent all the lower pars
OF the towu bai 10 b. abandoned Houses
and churches we're shattered, the cAuoou
balls tore up 1he gravsyards, ADD the bo0es
Of the dead were scattered. We. the spire
OF 81. Michas.J was untouched. Perhaps
the cauuoneers tried 10 spare it-perhaps
good angels guarded H. BuI Wha. neither
Toe spite OF toe enemy or toe spite OF Fer
tune did, the Peep Themselves effected.
For the bells we're aten dOwa aad sent 10
Columbia 10 be cast iuto cannon. General
Bsauregard, perhaps shocked at the desc
Grafton, pronounced them unhs for tho pur
pose a1d the fate which heapoi up =; Co
lumois for safe keeping ever Ting Of value
10 the State, there detained the BELLS also.
Then ohefmsus army passed through leAv-
Ing ita track Of Lightning. A party Of half
drunken soldiers, out Tor u lark aud for
piunder, we're SocOsted OF negro who
offered TO show them the bells which had
rung 10 secession. Never, said the men,
shall they play that tone again add IAey
smashed them into e hundred pisess.
sad was the return to the desolated
homes and ths meeting in tho dumb church,
to which no miracle might now restore the
voice of tbs chimes they loved.
But they wers men Of pluck still, and,
as soon as they had shaken themselves up
aud provided for the first pressing needs
they resolved to tex themselves to the Ut
most 10 get new chime.
" Scarcely had the Rector bread, and the
congregation we're all very poor, but they
wrote 20 & u. Priolsau, Of London, to IN
quire the cost Of new set. This gentle
AAAA ihA ilFFN ~ A1uA ~ Iva iahA ~ " nave
become almost an Enghshmau, with a fair
English wife, aud bluff, handsome Enghsh
children, bot bis heart stirred at the reool.
lection Of the dear Old voices that had called
him IN childhood, and he undertook the task
with n loving zeal that brought about Tue
most surprising results. There Was no rec
ord a. Charleston Of where the bells came
from. But Mr.. Prio.sau searched the d.
Ca ~ aINaab f.uaHara Of a..
and vent from one TO the other, until al
MeGrss & Co., White Chapel, London, a
frm which has been 10 existence three hun
dred years he found, by patient examine
ton, the record Of bells cast for ST. Michae's
Church, Charleston, S. c., in 1859 The
proportions Of the metal aud sizes Of the
bells we're al entered in the books aad tn,
present Meares engaged to turn out nsv
SET WHICH, when hung, should make the
CharIrStonians themselves think they heard
their vsrtAbIe old bells Bot Mr. PriolsAu
was not Content with this he wrote back To
have all the fragments shat could be found
sent out and this was done. Meanwhile
Msares found still IN their service an OH
man OF ssVsniY-slx, who had been apprenuc a,
under the very foreman Who, more tb An d,
hundred years before, had caat those hells
and be, stimulated by PriolsAu's re neyo,;tv
never rested till he brought 40 Eah
the very original moulds tor The ca,
ings. Into thsm the new y,e,,l -,
melted With careful distri haitian !
the broken fragments, so as to make thu IL
luslon reality. All tbAt vas wanting !.
make up the cost Mr.. Prioleau added, an
the reward OF bis perseverance, and generoI
IVY was to send TO the vsstry these ne
bells, which are the very old onos sul
Again did the oongre CATION with tears al
tsanE'siVinR reee I'VE the bells from TIL
sneii teird voJ' ss across the Atlantic, an
n'SE men - IN g. MiobssPs steePls.
may icy never again be removed by tn
Ious9 hand Of war, or ever sound aughs b.
Pe' co on earth and good will toward men.