The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-02-10
FERGUSORS AVENGERS.
A Story Of Partisan Days.

''Ihis fOr the gallent Ferguson
The foregoing five words had institut-
ed reign of terror in one Of the loyliest
districts of the Palmetto State-a dis
trict watered by the Catawba and Paco-
let rivers and their gentle tributaries.
In the month OF September, 1790,
CORVALLIS detached the notorious Col.
Ferguson to the frontiers of North Car
olina, for the cstensible purpose Of en-
couraging the tories of that region to
take up arms for the king. Ferguson's
force consisted in part of the most prof
ligate and abandoned characters of the
partisan days, and his march was mark
ed by atrocities of the most shocking
description. The hardy men of the Car
olinas, Kentucky 81 4 Virginia, rose up
against the marauders, and, led by
Boone and other backwoods worthless,
gave them de cisive defeat at Kings
Mountain. Ferguson was slain in the
battle, and his fellow foragers, number
ing about one thousand, were nearly all
captured or killed.
This conflict revived the hopes of the
Southern patriots, and forced Cornwall
lis to return to Charleston discomftted
and cast down.
''We shall have rest now," the patri-
OTIS said, after the battle. Ferguson.
the dreaded, is dead, and the few tories
who escaped with their wretched life are
not strong enough to do US any harm. ,"
Everywhere in the vicinity of the bat
tle-feld the Americans breathed free,
and the loyalists in whose interests Fer
guson had marched to his death, curbed
their loyalty, and in secrecy swore re-
venge.
But the settlements were soon to learn
that the victory of Kings Mountain had
nerved the arm of foe more terrible
than any which they had ever hitherto
known.
The existence of the new terror was
discovered by boy one morning about
a fortnight after the battle. He found
the family of Archibald Mettson muir
dered in their own house, and to the
oorpses had been pinned a paper bear
ing these words
''This for the gallant Ferguson
This terrible atrocity aroused the
country, and the excitement was quickly
heightened by the finding of the body
of another murdered patriot. On the
cold breast, which had been pierced by
pistol balls, was the palid paper and its
words of terrible import, and the coun-
try knew that a terrible vengeance would
be taken for Kings Mountain.
During the week that followed the
discoveries I have mentioned, the work
of the Avengers was terrible. They fell
upon patriot houses at the dead of night
and left on the bosom of their victims
the five words that had already terroriz-
ed the country. 1t was in vain that the
patriots summoned their cunning and
energy for the capture of the band of
demons which, as it had been discover
ed, numbered six men, masked, and
mounted on black horses. They came
and went like ghosts, but always left be-
hind the terrible sentence which had
made their existence execrable. At times
they fell upon their hunters, and left
them by the roadside marked with the
sign of vengeance.
Fear began to paralyze the Carolin-
ians; many abandoned their homes for
the sake of their families; and it is prob
able that the entire district would have
been depopulated in short time, had it
not been for the courage Of one woman
Her name was Alice Beauchampe.
1t was a dark night in the last week of
November, when the heroine OF my story
left the house of friend. Her own
house, which had been deserted for sew
eral days, was not far away, and she had
determined to return to it for the pur-
pose of securing an article of apparel
LETT behind in her recent flight.
Before she set out on her journey sire
was warned of the dangers that environ
ed it but she smiled, and declared she