Middletown transcript., 1876-05-20
Avengers had been deprived Of their

Avengers had been deprived Of their
horses. z.ss.
Flushed with triumph, Alice Beau
champe returned to the house, and
again looked in upon its hilarious ten
ants.
She now held pistol in her hand
a weapon which. "a holster had granted
her, and she crept to the edge Of the
porch before she halted. There was
the flash of vengeance in the dark eyes
Of the partisan girl while she gazed
upon the party beyond the threshold.
Once or twice she raised the weapon,
but lowered it again, as if playing with
the life of the leader Of the six. whose
burly form was revealed by the light Of
the fire. .
She saw the fowls. smoking and we'll
burned, placed on the table, and watch
ed the greedy men crowd around for
their shares. Their tongues and move
ments told her that the stolen liquor was
doing its accustomed work on all save
the giant, who had superintended the
cooking Of the late repast This man
appeared perfectly sober, and the angry
glances which he often cast at his com
rades told that he did not sanction their
bacchanalian conduct.
Come enough of this!" he sud
denly cried. rising from the table. which
had been dragged to the centre Of the
room. "Get up, boys. and let's be
going told you at Wiley's that you
had wine enough. but you must bring
some here and drink yourselves stupid
Tom Scott, and you Blakeson, l am
ashamed of you! What would We do
if gang of rebels should catch us in
this condition You know the mercy
we would get, and yet you sit there as
careless as statues-drunk as old Bac
chus himself"
Then an expression of contempt pass
ed over the mans face, and, STOPPING,
he cried:
up! up! the rebels, are coming"
But his cry of alarm did not infuse
much life into the men at the table
One or two heads were raised, but the
drunken leer that made the faces hide
GUS was enough to provoke smile.
even from the mad tory.
'.Men !" he snecred. contemptuously
dogs! every one of you I've mind
to ride down to the Pacolet swamp and
tell the rebels hiding there that the
men they hate are in their power. /
have thought that l commanded men,
not druukards p and be struck the table
with the butt Of his pistol, but could
not rouse his stupid followers.
The next moment, with an oath on
his lips, be strobe to the door, which
be jerked open, and stepped upon the
porch.
Course such dogs as l lesd!" he
hisscd. II suppose l must lead the
horses up. and tie each fool in the
saddle"
He was stepping from the porch for
the purpose of attending to the horses
which he supposed we're still tethered
at the trees, when form rose before
him and be started back with gasp Of
terror. &aa
"Who 10 the mischief"
"Alice Beauchampep' was the in:
terruption of the apparition. 1.-The
daughter of the old man basely mur-
dered by your hands Down on your
miserable knees, Godfrey Lang, and
beg for the mercy you have never
granted others! Down, I say!'
Perhaps the shadows of the window
| sash did not permit him to see the pis-
tol that was clutched in the hand Of the
fearless girl, else his fashness might
have been curbed.
..Kneel to you? Never!' be cried
The weapon which he raised dropped
before the flash that followed his last
| words, and with a groau Of pain he
| staggered back to drop dead among his
drunken comrades
Alice Beauchampe, amazed at her
| own courage, stood silent amidst the
| smoke Of her own pistol. She saw the
bacchantes try to shake off their torpor
at sight of their stricken leader. and
one rose to his feet to fall as soon as he
needed support.
"Now for the swamp" she cried,
with triumph, and the next minute
| rushed from the disgusting sight.
An hour passed away. and the
drunken tories began to recover their
chief, who had dropped to the floor,
seemed to sober them with his cold face
and staring eyes. and when they had
almost recovered their scattered wits,
the foe they dreaded was upon them.
Alice Beaucbampe's voice had fred
the hearts of patriot band for ven
geance. On her way to the swamp she
had encountered the partisans who had
captured one Of the flying horses, and
we're following the trail.
The conflict between patriot and tory
was brief and almost bloodless.
The five avengers were made prison
ers, and sued like towards for the mercy
they had never granted to living
being.
need not describe the scene that
followed Suffice it to say that the
trees in front of Alice Beauchampe's s
home bore the strangest fruit that ever
hung from living limb.
| The vengeance of the patriots was as
complete as terrible, and when the
glorious sun rose again, the dreaded
men of the lovely district had ceased te
frighten people with their name.
Alice Beauchampe. whose courage
had led to she extermination Of the
avenging band, became the heroine Of
the day, and after the termination
of hostilities welded lieutenant o.
Marion's men. Her heroism is vener.
ated, and her gallant exploit narrated
daily by hundreds of her descendants
IN tho po1matfo State