Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1878-12-12

=
neighbo'liood who went our to
fight. She had made herself G
dress of red and white. Any ri
of rebel soldier to her Was a dem
god. The wild insanity of the times
} found in her a splendid represen-
tatlve. Her name, young as she
was familiar through half a hun
dred counties. She was known al
every federal post In the State, and
the authorities had often threaten
ed to Danish or imprison her. AS
J q woman she was as notorious as
John McKcene was as a man :
They had heard 0. each other many
a time and had lonSed to see each
other. He had said she was 'he
bravest woman III Missouri sbe
said he was the bravest man Of all
the rough riders of the border
Consequently when they met at
heI fathers table it was cordial
meeting, aud each was more than
pleased.
AS tie sun went down Quantrell
aud his men rode away, and as they
passed along i'll front Of the house
Annie stood at the gate and recciy-
ed salute from each one Then
il was that she wished more fervent-
Iy than ever that she was man,
that she might go along.
On the following morning, be
tore lie sun had come up, the ad-
vance guard Jf the pursuing feder-
ais came NJ to the house of Andrew
Harris in hot pursuit They had
been told by Il dozen friendly citi-
z"na of the hospitality extended to
QuAntrell and his men by the old
farmer and this was otfense enough
They called him ont and, after Il
few unlmp 'rtant questions, shot him
down, :hen bnrucd the house. In
less than an hour they had made Il
scene OF black desolation, and the
girl auG the mother had sought
refuge with kind hearted neigh
Dor. 1t was the way of the times
"a characteristic of guerilla war
fare, and something that needs no
apology now since time has dried
up tears, buried the dead and put
ont the fires. The pursuit of Guam
trell continued until he was over
taken. There was a close, sharp
fight, which resulted in the defeat
OF tne gGerillas.
John McKeene returned to the
ruins of the Harris homestead and
learned the whole story. He met
Annie Harris, and they who pleGg-
ed their VOWS of eternal vengeance.
There was more than that She
said she would 90 WITH him and
deal the blows Of death as he did.
On horseback they went to an hum
bic preachers house, and, without
alighting, had him to make them
man and wife. She threw away her
woman's dress and donncd a male
attire. She put on belt besides
and two revolvcrs, and her long
hair she tucked up under her hat
She looked as much like soldier
as many young hoy that went ont
with Quantrell. The whc!e land
was full of federal soldiers, and
John McKeene and his guerrilla
wife had to share the dangers and
privations of all their kind. Their
home WAS the saddle, their shelter
the woods. They we're together in
more than one ambush attack, and
together saw more than one of the
hated enemy bite the Dust 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
CT the squirrels, when they return
ed TO their constant battle ground.
On June morning, in 1868, as
they, with half a dozen others, were
riding alo"g over the prairie near
wh' re now stands the little town of
! L. e's Summit, they were met by a
detachment OF the Seventh Missou-
RI State mlIitIa. There was des-
! perat. encounter, in which Mr..
Mckctne WAS shot dead and Annie
Nj Is enc WAS shot through the
shnu.der. The others of the guer-
illas escaped. When the federals
canle mp 10 where M..Keene and his
vile were lying one of the soldiers
lcveled hls revolver at the head of
the woman in disguise, but before
4 the trigger was pulled she threw off
her hat, snatched her long hair
down aud sat mp before him with
the face of Il ~"riIari. The revol-
yer was Put up and the mystery
solved. She told them all she livec!
for WAS gone but that she was not
ready to die herself. She begged
them to give her companion the
best burial they could, aid said she
wanted goalo Kansas City. There
was a tone of voice and style OF
earnestncss about what she said
THAT touched the hearts ofthe rough
soldiers, and they buried John Nc