The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1874-06-28
THE RIDE or COLLINS GRAVES.
an Incident OF the Flood In Mass
achus, It's.
BY JOHN BOYLE O'REILLY.
prom the Rnsinn pilni.1

From the Boston Pilotl
No song OF soldier riding down
| TO the raging fight from Winchester bwn:
No song Of "A Time that shook the earth
With nations thrOr ut nations birth
Tut the SONG of a brave man free from fear.
As sheridan's self or Paul Revere:
Who risked what they riskcd, Tree from
strife
And it, promise Of glorious pay-his Ii @.
The peaceful valley has walked and stirred
And the answering echoes Of lite az
heard:
The dew still clings to the trees aud grass,
And the early toilers. smiling pass,
As they glance aside at the WhitC-Wal ed
homes,
or up the valley, where merr ~ come.
ihr brook that sparkles IN diamond rill-
A. the slin comes over the Hampshire hills
What was it, that passed like an ominOu'
breath
Like a shiver o fear or touch Of death
What was ~ Tho valley IL peaceful stli.
And the leaves are aiire on the top Of the
II was not a sound, nor a thing OF scnse--
But pain, Ike the pang OF tile shvrt sus.
Icuse
That " apps the being Of those who see
AZ ;r".r feet the gull Of Eternity.
The air of the valley has ielt the chill;
The workers pause at the door Of the mill
The housewife, Keen to the shiNering ar
Arrcs her foot on The cottage stair,
lnstinctivcly taught by the mOthcr-love.
And thinks OF the sleeping ones above!
Why start the listeners; Why doe, the
course
or the miil.sfrcam widen? 7. il a borsey
liark 10 the sounds OF hi- hoOi-. they cav,
That gallop 20 wildly Williamsburg wuyy
God what was that like human shrek
From the. winding valley; VIII nobody
srcaky
VIII nobody answer those women who srv
A. the awful warning thun dered by
Whence come they' Listen And now they
The sounds of the gaIloping households
near;
They watch the Lend Of the vale, and see
Inc rider who thuniers 20 menacingly.
W It'll waving arms and warning scream,
To the home hlled banks oi the valley
stream,
lie draw, no rein, but he shakes the street
With "A shout and the ring of galloping feet
This i the cry that he fiings 70 the wind;
''To the hills Tor your lives: The hoed i. be-
bindw
lie cries and Is gone but they know the
The treacherous Williamsburg dam has
burst
The basin that nOurishes their happy homes
IL changed 10 demon-It comes Ii
comes.
A monster IN aspect with shaggy front
OF shattered dwellings, to take The btunt
VI the dwellings they shattercd-white-
named ana hOarse.
The meTciless terror nils the course
OF the narrow valley, and rushing raves,
With death on the iirst OF it, Kissing waves,
Til the cottage and street and crowded
mill
Ara crumblnd and crushed
But onward still.
In front ofthe roaring Hood f. heard,
The galloping horse and the warning word.
Thank God that the brave mans lie is
spared
From Willmingsburg town he nobly dared
10 race with tue Hood and to take the road
In front OF the terrible swath II moved
For miles u Numbered aud crashed be.
hind,
But he looked ahead with steadfist mind :;
They must he warned was all he said
As away on hi- terrible ride he sped.
When heroes are called for, bring the
crown
To this Yankee rider send him down
Ou the stream of time with the Curtius old
His deed Of the Romans was brave and
bold,
And the tale can as noble thrill awake.
For he offered his lie for the peoples sake