The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1875-10-27
MISCELLANY.
SAVED By ms WIFE-AN INCIDENT OF
QUANTRELL'S RAID.

AZ the Methodist preachers meeting, atth'
Matbo lis. Book Concern in Cincinnati few
davs aoo. Rev DR.. Fisher, of the Pittsburl
Conference, was introduced as " the man Wit
was wonderfully saved during Quantrell's rait
by the heroism of his wife," Methods
preachers always have tl.'ne TO relate or hea'
can experience" and such an introduoe'on, Q
course, set dozen or more OF tEem Gaining
Cor the story, which the Doctor re,,uctanti.
consented to tell. The Cincinnati Gazette tau'
reports it
After some preliminary remarks, DR.. Fisher
began the story. Said he; II was always an
ants man os .ha most "anti" kind,
and after I moved TO Kan. sas ! found myself
the object of the most vindics ave haereo %
the pro-slavcry party of the regio.' where
resided. My life was sought several III 'o0
When the war broke out went as Chapia u
Most of the male members of my church went
to the war, and went as one of Jim Lanes
Chaplains. The news of my connection with
the army, and of being put in charge of con-
trabands who were sent to Kansas, got
abroad, and the rebels hated me more than
ever. They got my photograph and distribut-
ed it throughout the country, and it was fixed
among them that was to be shot whenever
met. Once when | was sent up the river with
body of contrabands, not being well, went
home for little rest. / was living at Law
renee. The town had few guns in the arm
DRY, and there was an understanding with the
farmers of the surrounding country that upon
the ringing of an alarm, they should come in
and defend tho town, but the coming Of Guam
trell and his men was a complete SURPRISE
When the alarm was rung the arsenal was al
ready captured aud ON fire. was in bed, and
heard about three o'clock in the morning
horses galloping very rapidly away, and woke
my wife, telling her that it was singular that
horses should be galloping so fast so early in
the morning but she said she guessed it was
some farmers who had been in to a railroad
meeting the evening before, and were hurry
ing back to their work. We lay and talked
for some time. The children were going out
that morning to get some grapes and my wife
thought she would call them earlier than usu-
al, and herein, brethren I see the hand of
Providence. 1t was not yet daylight, but day
was dawning Having called the children,
she went and looked out of the front door,
and instantly called me : Pa the rebels are
in town. said that could not be, but, new
ertheless, sprang from the bed and ran to
the door.
There they were, just across the green, and
just then they shot the United Brethren
l..
yard. rushed back into the house my wife
caught up her babe. / have four boys one
was on my wife's breast, another was by her
side, and the two oldest were twelve or four
teen years old. We all rushed up the lot in
which our house stood. Then l left my wife,
and with the two oldest boys ran up the hill |;
but something seemed to tell me that l was
running away from safety. So told the boys
to run on, and I would go back to mother
1t was then in the gray light of morning, and
the rebels had divided into little squads, and
were ransacking the town, killing every man
they found, and burning houses. My boys
separated, the oldest getting with neighbours
boy, Robert Winton, and while the two were
running for life, the soldiers saw them, and
fired volley, killing poor Bobby, and fright
ening my boy almost to death. He ran in
and hid among some graves in the graveyard
My younger son ran off on the prairie.
In fixing my cellar had thrown up bank
of earth near the entrance, and crept down
there and laid myself between the mound of
earth and the wall in such a way that the
earth would partially screen me. | lay close
up to the kitchen door. / had not been there
long when four of Quantrells men rode up to
the house and demanded admittance. My
wife went to the front door and let them in.-
They demanded whether l was not in the
house or in the cellar. She replied "My
husband and two older boys ran off as soon as
the firing began" The leader swore he knew
I was in the cellar. My wife replied that she
had two young children by her, aud that she
did not want any more oaths uttered before
them. "You have doubted my word" she
replied "you can look for yourselves
lay SO near the floor that could hear every
word that was said. The men called for a
candle.
My wife replied that we didn't burn candles
Then they wanted a lantern, but she said We
hadn't any. They asked then, with an OATH
what we did for light She replied that We
burned kerosene in lamp. Then they called
for lamp, and my wife had to get it, but til,
men in their eagerness to light it, turned thu
1 wick into the oil. Failing to light it them
selves, they called my wife to light it.
"Why, you've ruined the lamp" said she
g 1t can't be lighted with the wick down il