Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1876-05-12

| toward morning, were not pleasant. lit
had been brave soldier, and now TO De
forced to hide his face from the enemy was
| hateful to him. He resolved he would have
no more of it. His history had been fuH
| of wild romance-it is hard 10 resist telling
it here; but now, having escaped from a
prison ship, and reached his present place
with the utmost difficulty, he was dong a
piece of ditching to earn a huntlng-shlrt,
for he was poorly covered with rags. His
brave heart rebelled against flinching from
| the enemy, and in the morning, wearing
his new shirt, he started with the determl-
| nation to join the army again. He intend
ed to seize the first good horse he found,
and set off for the army under Greene,
| then retreating from Gulldford. He kept
on till near noon, finding nothing. till at
last he heard bell tinkling through the
woods, and following the sound came ont
upon pretty domestic scene. Around a
neat house some little children were play
ing, while young girl WAS letting horse
into the yard. AS Green approached a
young woman came out, and looked
anxiously to see if he were friend or foe.
Entering into conversation, she invited
him In, and he soon learned that she was
the famous widow, Nancy Anderson. They
talked on till dinner-time, when the young
soldier gladly accepted her hospitality
In the afternoon he returned to this en-
ployer, forgetting the army for this day at
least. That night he thought long and
deeply. The widow was famous charac-
ter, having been thoroughly tested by the
perilous times, and found equal to any
emergency. She was young, Of splendid
figure, and great, robust beauty. And then
she had been so kind and sociable to him!
How handsome she was as she recounted
her sufferings! With soldiers quickness
his mind was made up. He would go again
the next day. In the morning the young
girl whom he had seen with the horse came
to the house for corn. Green was glad to
see her, for here was an excuse. He load
ed the corn on the horse, and then offered
to help'her home with it. But the girl
was afraid to trust the stranger, after
hearing him say thu day before that he was
looking for horse to bear him to camp,
and so the disappointed lover was left
without an errand. He soon determined
to 60 boldly, and trust to his wits and ad-
dress. In few hours he was again at the
widows table, delighted to find himself so
welcome. 1t was has story now that was
told, and well might it draw tears to the
beautiful eyes. At last he came out
plump:
II suppose, now, you think we'll of the
men who fought with Tom Morris?"
81 do, indeed My own dear Willie died
the death of a soldier.''
''Then you would marry a soldier?"
She hes1tated a little at this: it was car
rying her by storm.
II have not thought about that" she
soon said, ''but, if I ever should marry
and-think- do qooau, none but soldier
would havev'
1t was enough: three days after they
wended their way through the woods, and
began together life that brought them,
through long years, happiness, peace, pros
perity and honor.
But the most romantic Of these South
ern love affairs was that of the first Gov
ernor of Tennessee. He was then only
plain Captain John Sewer, in command of
the Fort on the Nolachucky. Near by was
''Daisy Fields" the residence of Mr.. Sher-
ril. One day a party of Indians made
sudden descent upon the station, and the
frightened women fled in every direction.
One tall, beautiful figure shot out towards
the Fort with the speed of a deer. This
was Catherine Sheriff.. She was a wood
land beauty, and famous through the
country for her courage and agility. 1t is
said "she could outrun and outleap every
other woman; could walk and ride more
gracefully and skilfully than any other wo-
man in the country" She was the prize
the savages wanted, and with fierce yells
they sprang to intercept her way She left
the direct path, took a circuitous way, and
came upon the back side of the Fort, in
tending to scale the palisade. Gathering
all her powers, she sprang into the air. An
officer was reaching over the top to catch
her, but his foot slipped and they both fell
to the ground. with the wall still between
them. A loud shout f1om the Indians, as
they left the prize in their hands. gave adj
ded, strength to the maiden's limbs She
said, when telling the story in after years,
'Their bullets and arrows came like hail;
it was leap or die, for I would not live
captive" With one terrible effort she
leaped into the air once more, cleared the
palisades, and came down into the arms of
her future husband.
The first thing this noble girl did after
her marriage was to make with her own
hands the suits worn by her husband and
his three sons at the battle of Kings Noun
tain. She was peculiarly adapted to the
requirements of her position-that of the
highest lady in new country. Another
attack was threatened soon after her mar
rage, and families fastened away to a
place of greater safety. II shall not 60"
said she, though her husband was away in
the army; ''the wife of John Sewer knows
no fear ~ At another time large band
OF Tories game to the house, determined to
hang her husband. She hid him, and faced
them at the door. They threatened to
shoot her down if she would not tell where
her husband was.
"Shoot! shoot u she cried; II am not
afraid to die. But remember that while
there is Sewer upon the earth, my blood
will not be unavenged.
The sea had also it's share in the love
history of our Revolution. One of our
first privateers was the Revenge, COM
manded by Gustavus Conyngham. This
brave young soldier was great terror to
the British. The widest stories were cir
culated and believed about him, and En-