The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-08-06
A TROOPERS PRAYER.
HOW ONE OF MoRGAN's MEN TESTED THE
PRAYER-GAUGE IN AN ALLEGHA-
NY sNOW-STORM.

Soldiers rarely pray, but sometimes clrcum-
stances combine to wiring from them short,
earnest appeal. Old John Fox, of Gen. John
Morgan's brigade, was a queer Ola bachelor,
and nothing was more to his taste than quiet
soiourn of week or two in some one of the
pleasant mountain coves of old Virginia, far
away from the humdrum of camp life and the
crash and din of battle. He was not soldier
who shirked his duty, but his age-which was
about 43-and his serious habits untitled him
for the tolls of soldiers life. In the winter
of 1868, while Morgan's brigade was encamped
near Marion, Virginia, Fox and companion
named Burton, succeeding in getting furloughs
for sixty DAYS each Both of them had soldiered
for many months in Southwestern Virginia,
and had formed many pleasant acquaintance,
with whom they had spent many happy hours
To visit these friends and spend two or three
days, was the programme they mapped out,
and the morning of the next day found them
on their way. The day was clear and exceed
ground. The Allegheny mountains loomed up
| in their front and their intention was to cross
them before dark But the condition of the
roads interferred with their progress, and it was
sun-down when they reached the foot of the
lofty range that sweeps southwardly from Salt
Vile. To save time they chose by-path used
by the mountaineers of that region by which
to cross, instead of following the public road
Their route was perfectly plain for some dis
tance, being up the bed of little stream that
issued from the cave and springs high upon
the mountains. After several hours of hard
climbing, which began to tell upon their horses,
they emerged upon bench of land covered by
forest of huge pine trees, among whose
branches were signing the chilling winds of
the upper region. twas now dark as pitch,
and the snow was falling in huge drifts, blind,
ing both men and beasts. The poor, tired
horses staggered on the winding path, up the
steep, until all traces of path had disappeared.
Urged on by their freezing riders, they, soon
emerged upou bold projection, or peak, at
and cherries. The howling winds seemed
like breaths from the iceburgs of Greenland,
as they swept by, and the cracking of the trees
from the effects of the cold sounded like a
skirmish in the distance. The frightened hors-
es stopped and refused to advance and in what
direction or how to 60 any further was the
question.
Burton was an active little fellow, and in an
instant he was on the ground in snow three
feet deep feeling about with a limb ne had
broken from tree, to ascertain whether they
were near a precipce. In many places in that
locality the Sides of the Alleghanies are formed
of perpendicular walls Of stone, some of them
three hundred feet in height. Leading his
horse, Burton began feeling his way cautiously
with bis stick in the hope of again striking the
by-path. But that had long been covered up
by the snow, and death by freezing seemed to
be staring them in the face. Burton called
upon Fox to dsmount and assist in finding
way out of their predicament. But that indi
vidual declared that he was already frozen and
could not dismount if he would. Burton ral-
lied him on being frozen stiff, and told him If
he did not get off and assist him in finding the
way down the mountain, they would both Ger
tainly perish This picture added to the al
ready over-mastering fear that Fox had been
for hours enduring, and he burst forth in loud,
earnest prayer to the Lord for guidance and
deliverance from the death which seemed i'm
pending over him. Long and earnestly did he
wrestle with the spirit, and many promises OF
future works and sacrifices did he make to the
Lord of the storm. Burton in the meantime
worked on, awed into silence by Fox's heart
rending appeals for divine assistance. Even
to his intrepid heart the terrors OF the scene,
the cold bighting blasts of the storm, the
noise of the icices dropping from the groaning
pines, the shadow and the solitude of the place,
brought q feeling of fear and dread. But
knowing that the lives of both depended upon
his exertions, he plunged forward in the snow
that lay in drifts here and there to the depth
of six feet. For an interminable time he
CROPPED and searched about, and at last began
to descend the mountain by route that he
thought practicable. He finally struck little
ravine, and following it down between the rows
of laurel that bent above it under their burden
of snow, he joyousIy discovered that his pro-
eress downward was assured. Down the bed of
The ravine they travelled on until fence-a
sure harbinger of civilization-lay athwart
their way Cheered by the sign of life he gave
a yell, such as Morgan's boys alone could give.
They both paused to hear the echoes Hoating
far down into the calves below, and as the last
faint murmurs died away, their ears caught the
sound of the bark of dog away down in the
gloom beneath them. Following the fence,
they reached in an hour or so small hut, sit
uated in a little sequestered glen at the west
ern foot of the mountain. They were saved:
Food and shelter was theirs, and the blissful
rest that sleep affords to tired soldier. Fox
claimed that his prayer was answered, and
that to the goodness of God they owed their
deliverance. Burton did not desire to weaken
Fox's faith, and did not question his assertion,
but he always entertained the idea that his
own untiring efforts found the way and brought
them safely through. Upon their return to
camp, Burton told the tale, and regularly at
nightfall the boys called on brother Fox to
pray. But Fox had forgotten his VOWS and
was never known to pray again. The soldier
who needed the shield of prayer in combating
the elements, never thought of it when facing
bullets.-Kaasas CIty Times.
PEoBAB1LIT1Es.-The following beats old
probabilities out of sight:
When you see man going home at two
o'clock in the morning, and know his wife is
waiting up for him, it is likely to be stormy.
When man receives bill for goods his
wife bought unknown to him, look out for
'thunder and lightning"
When q man goes home and finds no supper