The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-07-31
.,,JsT A CENTENNIAL ROMANCE.

, from Its worship the God Of Light
Ue dansions "beyond the skies"
.,,JsT A CENTENNIAL ROMANCE.
1t was Sunday, July Il, 1776-iust
ninety nine years ago to- day-and the
rudely constructed fort at Boones-
borough lay IL drwosy stiffness on the
bank of the Kentucky river. Daniel
Boone and his friend and associate,
Richard Galloway, had been absent
since early in the morning; and the
good wives, sharers in the toll of the
early pioneer days, were enjoying the
rest that the Sabbath brought even to
the unbroken wilderness. In the
grateful shade of tree in one corner OF
the Enclosure sat three young girls, just
blooming into womanhood, and giving
an unwonted charm to the rough evil
dences Of civilization which had but
recently forced themselves upon the
primitive harmony of the surrounding
scenery.
The eldest of these maidens was
Elizabeth Galloway. The experiences
of life rather than the observance of
nature seem to have given turn to the
thoughts and tastes of the early settlers,
so, while the euphonious name of Bes-
sie might have harmonized well with
the murmuring river and the soft and
languid aspect of nature in her summer
garb, the hard, every day life of the
adventurous dwellers in the dark and
bloody ground seemed to comport best
with the harsher name of Betsy. So
Elizabeth was known simply as Betsy
Callaway-not name suggestive of
romance, yet she was withai gentle
and q loving girl, and had maiden
fanciee that gave the deep color of
romance to one of the incidents of her
life in the wilderness. She wss just
turned of sixteen, and as she sat under
the tree that sultry summer afternoon,
ninety-nine years ago this day, the sun
that now and then stole through the
foliage and played upon her roandin 3
form and athwart her wellset head
seemed to bring out more fully the
hthesomeness of her young woman
hood, the glossy blackness of her raven
treeses, and the rich olive color of her
dark complexion.
The other girls were younger by two
years, and differed FROM her in appear
Ance. Fanny Galloway was fairer than
her sister Betsy, but not more pleasing
in appearance. The third girl, Jemima
Boone, was also naturally fair and, like
Fanny, owed whatever Of fairness she
may have lost to constant exposure to
the weather. Nor were these younger
maidens without their fancies, too, for
the wilderness natures its occupants
rapidly, and though but fourteen years
counted the lives of the two girls, each
had q lover who was a hardy and bold
pioneer and ready to encounter any
danger for his ladylove.
Perhaps these young girls were silent
and sat there cOmmuning with their
own thoughts or thinking of their alb
sent heroes, who had gone out that day
with Boone and Galloway perhaps they
were conversing about their matrimo-
NAL arrangements perhaps they were
idly chatting about anything, and
everything, and nothing; for fem.
mime nature hundred years sgo
and In the widest wilderness,
was not unlike it is now, and in the
most civilized communities. But az
evening drew near, the last lingering
breath OF air seemed to lull itself to
rest, and the July heat seemed to be.
come still sBQSs oppressive gnu The z1tiat
of the river ss its subdued murmul
hoated mp the river bank, and she pro
posed that they should go a short dis
lance below the fort to where a cano,
was lying, ami drift out upon the bosom
of the river to catch the rising GOODNESS
OF the evening waters.
Hardly were they seated, and pre-
pared to push from the shore, whel
they detected slight rustic in the brush
and In a moment more five stalwart ant
hideously- painted Indians leaped to tn
side of the canoe and pulled it close {.
kI,<az la bot II Is
he equal to such an emergency?
was here that the true heroine displaye,
herself. 1t was here that the sentImen
tai girl. who had Just been dreaming O
her absent lover, and wandering through
the realms of maiden fancy with love
sick girls like herself, in an instant con
verted herself into the daring and hard
woman of the frontier it was here tina
Betsy Getaway, without a moments hes
itation, determined to defend the homo
and the lives of herself and her youn
companions, and wrote her name in tn
annals of Kentucky. Standing erect i
the canoe, she seized the paddle, and q
single blow laid open to the bone th
head of the foremost savage. TIL
other Indians pressed on, but, still un
daunted, the brave girl fought ther
with the ferocity of a mother protect
ing her young. Finally exhausted, sh
sank to the bottom of the canoe, an
with her trembling sister and frien
was dragged ashore, and hurried OF
to meet whatever fate might be in stor
for them.
ne have honored the memories O
the heroes Of Bunker Hill; we bav
reverently celebrated the occasion whe
George Washington turned his bac
upon the delights OF home and gave hi
sword TO q cause in which failure woul
be ignominy and death we are prepa,
ing to celebrate with impressive spier
dor the centennial anniversary of th
memorable event that gave us independ
ence, and illustrated the exalted courao
OF the statesmen of 1776 lie. us pans
Tor moment to do honor to this brav
girl, WHO battled SO heroically with
zoe that even strong men heeitated I
encounter let us Lift the romance {
her rude life out of the common run {
gIrl1sh sentiment and make her love on
OF the episodes of our history.
The CONSERVATION at the fort can we
be imagined. The fathers of the Cir
soon returned, and, before the nief
n '1ed in, Daniel Boone, at the head {
on foot, and Richard Callawa,
- lad of a party on horsebac1
pursuit. In Boone's part
Henderson, John Holde
" 'llaway. What CAV
'erniined looks an
,agerly? VS.
prompte