The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-12-12
ANNIE MckEENE.
From St. Louis Cor. N. Y. Herald. J

ANNIE McKEENE.
From St. Louis Cor. N. Y Herald.)
A remarkable romance has recently
come to light by the death Of young
woman by yellow fever in New Or
leans. Annie McKeene was the wife
of a noted Missouri guerilla. herself
for a long time a veritable rough
rider of the border, and finally a Sis
ter OF Mercy, in which capacity she
met her death during the scourge in
the Crescent City. The story of her
singular career. as authenticated and
told to the Herald correspondent, is
as follows:-During the month of Sep
TENDER, in the year 1862, there rode
up to the farmhouse of Andrew Har-
ris, near Independence, Mo-, band
OF seventy men, armed to the teeth
with shotguns and revolvers. They
all sat well OIL their horses, were
strong and young and had an uncon-
cerned air Of determined bravery. a
few were but boys. while others had
boards and long hair. They were
dressed in diverse styles; some in red.
blue or checked:fannel shirts; others
wore coats. All had boots coming up
over the pantaloons above the knee,
and most with big spurs at the heels.
Their horses were magnificent and
well decked off with fine saddles and
snowy brides. At the head Of the
company rode a small man, with a
pale face. light, short hair, blue eyes
and slight mustache. 1t was Guam
trell and his men. Who needs be told
what they were? Not such robbers
or frightful looking people as some
would imagine, but bad enough in
deed. They opened the gate of the
| barnyard. went in and dismOunted,
having left a guard on the hill half a
mile back. They pulled down the
hay, opened the corn crib and made
themselves at home without saying a
word to Andrew Harris, the good old
farmer they had come to despoil. But
he was not diSturbed-he was ready
to give them all he had, for he was
one of that numerous class who lived
in that section who were but too
ready to succOr anybody whose mis-
sion it was to fight the Kansas JAY
hawkers. The guerillas have found
Mr.. Harris a friend, warm and ready
to aid them, even at the risk of his
life. Quantrell was invited to take
dinner at the house with the family
and the officers were invited to come
with him
JOHN NJ KEENE.
One who went was John Mckeene,
in courage or stature the peer of any
man in tho command, and one of the
guerilla chieftains most worthy coun-
sellers. He had become famous for
daring deeds as we'll as handsome
appearance. He had come from Cass
county, and, in the breaking out of
the war. his father and two brothers
had been killed by Jennison's men
from Kansas. Mckeene took an oath
that no grass should grow under his
feet in his pursuit of the murderers of
his father and brothers, and he kept
his oath with frightful vengeance.
He, like most of his companions in
arms, became a desperate with re-
venge rs the impelling motive. He
had killed men, both young and old.
He had learned to shoot them down
with ~ much deliberateness as if he
were engaged in single practice of
craftsmanship. But he was handsome
for all that. He stepped like an ath-
lete. and had rude manner that was
graceful in its way. He wore "a wide
brimmed, light colored hat, on which
was pinned IL black feather; wide
belt of red morocco, with gold en-
broidery and the cavalry boots of
federal colonel. TO his belt there
III sc
navy revolvers. These were all the
arms that he used and all that he
carried. With these he was master,
ready always, quick as panther and
deadly in his aim.
AMONG FRIENDS.
There was then, insteud of fear. en-
thusiasm at the house of Andre W
Harris on the September day that
Quantrell came to forage on him.
Never were corn. hay, and oats. or
food for the men, given away with a
better good viii. But Andrew Har-
rss was not alone in his hospitality.
| His wife had son with Price and
another buried on the field of Wilson S
Greek. She was doing labor of love.
And there was another, the only child
| Ictt at uOulC. d gil ScsSutccH YEAR,
old. who. like many of her sex in that
time and country, had wished hun
dred times that she were man that
she might go into the war. She was
rather pretty. Her eyes were black
er than an Indian maiden's and as
piercing. and her hair was as long and
AS straight-a type or women well
known to those who lived in western
Missouri in those troublesome days.
She had made flags, large and small.
which she gave to those of her neigh
borhood who went out to fight. She
had made herself dress of red and
white. Any sort of rebel soldier to
her was a demi-god. The wild insan-
ity of the times found in her a splen-
did representative. Her name,
young as she was. was familiar
| through half a hundred countries.
She was known at every federal post
in the state. and the authorities had
often threatened to Danish OK inn
prison her. As a woman she was as
notorious as John McKeene was as a
man. They had heard of each other
many a time and had longed to see
each other. He had said she was the
hrAycCf srrorn1u IN Asuonr,~s. So NJ