The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-04-27
FERaUsoN's AVENGERS.
A STORY OF PARTISAN DAYS.
This for the gallant Ferguson 2

h. tricts of the Palmetto State--a district wa
tered by the Catawba and Pacolet rivers ant
their gentle tributaries ~ =" .s'' :
In the month of September, 1880, Corn
wallis detached the notorious Col Ferguson
to the frontiers of North Carolina, for tn,
ostensible purpose of encouraging the torie!
OF that region to take up arms forthe king
Ferguson's force consisted in part of the
most profigate and abandoned characters Of
the partisan days, and his march was mark
ed by atrocities of the most shocking, .des.
cripti0h. The hardy men Of the. Csrolinas
Kentucky and Virginia rose against the ma.
rauders, and, led by Boone and other back.
woods worthless, gave them decided defeat
at Kings Mountain. Ferguson was slain
in the battle, and his fellow foreigners, mum.
.bering about one thousand, were nearly all
captured or killed.
This conflict revived the hopes of South
ern patriots, and forced CORVALLIS to return
to Charleston discomftted and cast down.
we shall have rest now,' the patriots
said, after the battle. Ferguson, the
dreaded, is dead, and the few tories who es-
capped with their wretched lives are not
strong enough to do us harm
Everywhere in the vicinity of the battle
field, the Americans breathed freer, aud the
loyallsts in whose interest Ferguson had
marched to his. death, curbed their loyalty
Ind in secrecy swore revenge. Attn,
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 hitherto known.
The existence of the new terror was dis
hu a 4.
night after the battle. He found the family
OF Archibald Meltson murdered in their
own house, and to the corpses had been pin
ned paper bearing 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 MUIR
dered patriot. On the cold breast which
had been pierced by pistol balls, was the
pallid paper and its words of terrible import,
and the country knew that fearful ven
geance would be taken for Kings Noun
tain.
During the week that followed the dis
coveries | have mentioned, the work of the
Avengers was terrible. They fell upon
patriot houses at the dead of night, and fcft1
on the bosom of their victims the fivewerds
which had already terrorized the country.
1t wSA in vain that the patriots summoned
theircunning and energy for the capture of
the band OF demons, which, Us it had been
discovered, numbered, six men, mounted on
black horses. They came and went like
ghosts but always left behind theterrible SEN
tence which had made their existence exc
cradle. AT times they fell upon their hun
fnrS md I,ff . J., a. L. l.ol
with the signs Of vengeance. Fear began
to paralyze the Carolinans; many aban.
doncd their homes for the sake of their
families and it is probable that the entire
district would have been depopuated in
short time, had it not been for the caurage
of one woman.
Her name was Alice Beauchampe.
1t was dark night in the last week Of
November, when tho heroine of my story
left the house of friend Her own house,
which had been deserted for several days,
was not far away, and she had determined
to return to it for the purpose of securing an
article Of apparel left behind in the recent
fight.
Before she set out on her journey, she
was warned Of the dangers that environed
it; but she smiled, and declared that she
did not tear them. She could enter the
house through the kitchen, in the rear, find
the garment without light, return safely
to her friends
The path she had often traversed was
barely discernible, but she made good head
way and reached her home without Incl
dent The silence of the gave hung about
the forsakcn place, and the lifting Of the
latch sent chill of terror to the young
girls heart. Through the kitchen, across
the deserted parlor and up the stairs, she
crept up to the room where she had left the
object of her nocturnal quest. The drawer
Of the old bureau yielded without noise, and
Alice was drawing forth the garment when
the voice of men fell upon her ears
She started, dropped her prize, and with
her heart in her throat crept to the window
that overlooked the porch in front of the
house.
She could see nothing, for the night was
too dark but the voices of men mingled
with champing of bits, continued to salute
her ears.
This is old Bcauchampe's house, said
one. 1T has been deserted for several days
The daughter, frightened by the manner in
which we treated her father, has fled some
where for protection
These words drove every vcstigc of color
from the listiner's face; they told her who
the men below were, though she could not
see even the outlines Of their persons.-
One week prior to their visit, her father,
one of the Kings Mountain heroes, was
found dead in palmetto grove, and the
words of Ferguson's Avengers lay on his
breast. Then she had deserted her home,
knowing that the hand that had struck the