Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-08-28

three or tour, went around to the house
OF Don Manuel, in order to escort them
to our quarters, whence we were e
start. The old don and his daughte,
were to accompany us in a private car
rage OF their own, attended by single
female servant.
My friend had hardly stepped be.
You'd the threshold when heard him
addressed by woman's voice, evident.
ly In great excitement and tribulation.
"Ah, senior, for the love of the Ma.
donna, hasten! They are there. the
wretches Senior Pedro and the rest
and they are cutting off the ears of the
two servant girls, and are going 10 cut
oftmy mothers ears, and"
Before she could utter another word
Royal, with sharp cry to his men.
had vanished down the street, closely
followed by the others.
Lame as | still was, l pursued with
all possible speed. 1t was no great dis.
lance TO the house of Don Manuel, and
as, turning a corner, came in sight OF
it, l saw several figures rush out of the
doorway, followed by others in pursuit,
while the quick report of pistols rang
sharply upon the air.
One of the fugitives escaped, and an
other was shot dead; but when l enter
ed the great hall of the house. | saw
that our friends had succeeded in can
turing no less than four Of the desper-
ADDE'S, and had them secured in corner
of the room.
In nnnthnr IhA,,
with his hands still bound, while kneel-
ing at his feet, with her face buried on
his shoulder, was his daughter, fortu-
nately unframed.
Not so, however, were the two unfor-
tunate girls--the servants of the house
hold. The cowardly wretches, believing
that we had all left the village, had cut
off the poor creatures ears close to
their heads, and branded one of them
who had lover among our soldiers
with the letters ~. s." marked upon
her cheek with red-hot wire.
My blood boiled at the sight. NV
anger, however, was as nothing COM
pared with the fury that blanched
Royals very lips, and transformed him
into an avenging spirit.
For moment his eyes blazed us he
looked upon the cowardly miscreant.
Senior Pedro, who, pinioned in the cor
ner, returned the gaze with one in
which was more of demoniac hatred
and vindictiveness than l have ever be-
held IN a human countenance.
He glared and clenched his teeth as
he saw Royal turn to Corale, and, lift
ing her tenderly from the floor, held
her in his arms, and speak words of
soothing and tenderness.
Then he turned to me.
"You will stay here, G., and take
care of her, and of these poor creatures.
Call Doctor Burns" he added, to one Of
the men; "and let him do what can be
done for the women. Well" he con-
tinued, with . sudden, irresistible burs,
of fury, " it is enough to turn mans
blood to liquid fire to look upon a thing
such as this! The cowardly, devilisf
miscreants. But they shall pay for it.
and that quickly. Come, my men :
march those wretches through this door
way, out into the garden here, under
the China trees"
"You are not going to act rashly,
Royal? You will not shoot them? 1t
might be dangerous for us as we are
now situated"
"Who cares for danger? | would
kill them, if had to die for it the next
moment! Such beasts are not fit to
live! Shoot them? No, indeed-no
soldiers death for them! Bat, c., it
will be better, perhaps, TO take her away
at once-also the other woman lest
they should suspect what is going on.
1t is not a thing for women to see or
hear. All, there is the carriage at the
door, Put them in as quickly as posi-
BILE, and get them out Of the way. We
will overtake you in twenty minutes"
Glad to be spared the horror Of the
coming scene, exerted myself to exc
cute his directions. But the doctor was
now hastily attending to the mutilated
women, and as this delayed us, l caught
through the closed door the indistinct
sound of voices, struggles, curses, and |
shivered-I, who had never felt qualm
amid the horrors of the battlefield.
l was thankful that Coralie was spar
ed even a suspicion of what was going
forward so near us.
An hour after, and we were all safe
out of Los Angeles, following rapidly
on the track of our comrades, with
whom we soon came up.
Only, just before leaving Don Man
uels house for the last time, he and l
had given one look into the garden,
where four quivering forms hung in
ghastly array from the branches of the
Pride-of- China trees under which my
friend and his betrothed had passed so
many happy hours.
Some years after the conclusion of
the war, visited my friend on his plan
tation near New Orleans, and nowhere