Connecticut western news., 1878-12-04


 REBEL aUERLLA-oNE OF QUANTRELLs
 BAND-HER DEATH IN NEW ORLEANS
 FROM NURSING THR VICTIMS OF THE
 sCoURGE.
 A somewhat singular and romantic story IS now told in the southwest. An drew Harris lived near Independence, Mo. On several occasions he had enter tained Quantrell and his command, and this gave offence to the Federal troops. One morning, just after Quantrell's s party had left Harris's place, the advance guard of the pursuing federals came up to the house in hot pursuit. They had been told by dozen friendly citizens of the hospitality extended to Quantrell and his men by the old farmer, and this was offence enough. They called him out and, after few unimportant ques- tions, shot him down, then burned the house. In less than an hour they had made scene of black desolation, and the young daughter of Harris, beauti- full girl, and her mother had sought
  was the way of the times-a characteris- tic of guerilla warfare. The pursuit of Quantrell continued until he was over taken. There was close, sharp fight, which resulted in the defeat and dis bandment of tho guerillas.
 John McKeene, who was one of Quan- trell's men, and favorite with the girl, returned to the ruins of the Harris home stead, and learned the whole story. He met Annie Harris, and the two pledged their VOWS of eternal vengeance. There was more than that. She said she would go with him and deal the blows of death as he did. On horseback they went to an humble preachers house, and, with out alighting, had him make them man and wife. She threw away her woman's dress and donned a male attire. She put on belt besides, and two revolvers, and her long hair she tucked up under her hat. She looked as much like a soldier as many young boy that went out with Quantrell. The whole land was full of federal soldiers, and John Mo- Keene and his guerilla wife had to share the dangers and privations of all of their kind. Their home was the saddle, their shelter the woods. They were together in more than one ambush attack. When the winter came and the leaves left the trees they rode away to the south, and waited there until the leaves were again as big as the ears of the squirrels, when they returned to their constant battle ground.
 On June morning, in 1863, as they with half dozen others, were riding along over the prairie near where now stands the little town of Lees Summit, they were met by detachment of the Seventh Missouri State militia There was a desperate encounter, in which John McKeene was shot dead and Annie McKeene was shot through the shoulder. The others of the guerillas escaped. When the Federals came up to where McKeene and his wife were lying one oi the soldiers leveled his revolver at the | fore the trigger was pulled she threw off her hat, snatched her long hair dowr and sat up before him with the face of 6 woman. The revolver was put up anG the mystery solved. She told them al she had lived for was gone, but that she was not ready to die herself. She begged them to give her companion the bes burial they could, and said she wanted to go to Kansas City. There was tone of voice and style of earnestness abou what she said that touched the hearts O. the rough soldiers, and they buried Johl McKeene out on the broad prairie; bu there was not stone nor piece of woot within half dozen miles of the place, anC nothing was left to mark the place o the grave. But it was such burial a many 0 poor man did not have in thos, days.
 Annie McKeene was taken to Kansas City, where she recovered under tn, care of some Sisters of Mercy. Sh, went to Memphis, Tenn, and ther' joined the Catholic Church and resolved to devote her life to the care of the sicl and the distressed. She became Siste of Mercy, went to the front of the army and during the remainder of the war wa unremitting in her work of love ant mercy. After the coming of peace sh tached to the convent of the Sisters o Mercy. In devotion to her mission ther was not one who surpassed her in earn estness. She was always ready to bea the heaviest burden, and manifested tn same fortitude in a good work that sh had in reckless guerilla warfare as tn wife of John McKeene. She bore tn secret of her life we'll. It was a memor that had grown sacred by her expiation and around it was the sweet incense of :. thousand prayers that had gone up ou of soul of tears.
 When the late epidemic came on sh was among the foremost to go to tn bedside of the stricken and the dying She watched by day and by night-a ,, faithful @ nurse as ever saw the spark c | life go out. Not only with her hands di , she aid the suffering, but in word as vel did she give strength to many poo ! heart. Thus she labored and thus sh fulfilled the sacred VOW of her life, til the Father of Mercy claimed the Siste of Mercy as His own. Annie McKeene :. of 1863, was the Sister Celeste who's death was announced as follows in tn :, New Orleans papers
 "SIsTER CELEsrE.-In this city, (