The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1879-01-11

citizens of the hospitality extended to
Quantrellan his men by the old farmer,
and this was offense enough. They
called him out, and, after few unim-
portant questions, shot him down, then
burned the house. In less than an hour
they had made scene Of black desola-
ton, and the girl and the mother had
sought refuge with a kind-hearted
neigbbor. 1t was the way of the
times-a characteristic of guerrilla war
fare, and something that needs no apol-
ogy now, since time has dried up the
tears, buried the dead, and put out the
fires.
The pursuit of Quantrell continued
until ne be was overtakeD. There was
q close, sharp fight, which resulted in
the defeat and disbandment of the
guerrillas. John McKeene returned to
the ruins Of the Harris homestead 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 90 with
him and deal the blows of death as
he did
On horseback they went to humble
preachers house, and, without alight-
ing, had him make them man and wife.
She threw away her woman's dress and
donned male attire. She put on belt,
beside, and two revolvers, and her long
hair she tucked up under her hat. She
looked as much like soldier as many
young boy that went out with Quantrell.
The whole land was full of Federal
soldiers, and John McKeene and his
guerrilla wife had to share the dangers
and privations of all of their kind.
Their home was the saddle, their shell
ter the woods. They were together in
more than one ambush attack, and to-
gether 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 of squirrels, when they re-
turned to their constant battle-ground.
On June morning, 1868, 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 a detachment of the Sew
enth Missouri militia. There was des-
perate encounter, in which John Nc
Keene was shot dead and Anna McKeene
was shot through the shoulder. The
others of the guerrillas escaped When
the Federals came up to where McKeene
and his wife were lying, one of the sol
diers leveled his revolver at the head of
the woman in disguise, but before the
trigger was pulled she threw off her hat,
snatched her long hair down, and sat
up before him with the face of woman
The revolver was put up, and the mys
terry solved. She told them all she had
lived for was gone, but that she was not
ready to die herself. She begged them
to give her companion the best burial
they could, and said she wanted to go
to Kansas City. There was a tone of
voice and style of earnestness about
what she said that touched the hearts of
the rough soldiers, aud they buried John
McKeene out on the broad prairie; but
there was not stone nor piece of
wood within a half-dozen miles of the
place, and nothing was left to mark the
place Of the grave. But it was such
burial as many poor man did not have
in those days,
Annie Mckeene was taken to Kansas
City, where she recovered. under the
blessed care of some Sisters of Mercy.
She went to Memphis, Tennessee, and
there joined the Catholic Church, and
resolved to devote her life to the care of
the sick and distressed. She became n
Sister of Mercy, went to the front of
the army, and, during the remainder of
the war, was unremitting in her work of
love and mercy. After the coming of
peace she went to New Orleans, AMI be.
came attached to the Convent of the
Sisters of Mercy. In devotion to her
mission there was not one who sur
passed her in earnestness. She was al
ways ready to bear the heaviest burden,
and manifested the fortitude in good
work that she had in reckless guer-
rilla warfare as the wife of John Nc
Keene.
She bore the secret of her life well.
1t was memory that had grown sacred
by her expiation, and around it was the
sweet incense of a thousand prayers
that had gone up out of a soul OF tears.
When the last epidemic came on she
was among the foremost to go to the
bedside of the stricken and the dying.
She watched by day and by night-as
faithful nurse as ever saw the spark of
life go out. Not only with her hand
did she aid the suffering, but in word as
well, did she give strength to many a
poor heart. Thus she labored and thus
she fulfilled the sacred VOW of her life,
until the Father of Mercy claimed the
Sister of Mercy as His own. Annie
McKeene, of 1868. was the Sister
Celeste whose death is announced in the
nntinn at tho hond &c 4L;n N x4 ala