Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-12-27
a1l)reIin9 Re9istrr
At LIMESTONE RIDGE.
How the Fenians Drove Back the
Queens Own Rifles,
Relics Of the FigF..--The tablet Erected
IN the Lite Methodist
CrurCN.

K,pGrwAr. CAN December 22.-Nine-
teen wears go last Juue | accompanied
the Fsnians il ,asic attempted invasion OF
Canada. Vas Only L and twenty years
old then. but | bad served two years IN the
Northern army du.log the reoellon.
lived 10 tue hoye OF some day seeing the
..r.zn above ths red. y feeling IN which
r.gr-v all the lri.h soldiers shared We
sd 10 talk aoou, II around the camp
los and lhiak Of It on
n,rk.t unit, the relief aroused
~ from our r~ryeries In a ooylsh way
o.,.n t,rci,L that . vas IN duty, pacing
my beat. Oh u green hillside 10 Ireland,
and that the rrUel camp 6res which uIcA'
cred in the distance Sere surrounded oy
men Who wore England cruel red. Inere
VAS a sulleu 10Y IN that boylsh dream, rs
need 10 picture my native vale OF uIen
mshlss Guarded by boys in green, with
Fpglands union JACK tutterIng on one
.ltr and The harp, without the crown ny
me over Ihr heads Of an army OF ex'lrish-
American soldirs on the other.
The war ended, and the Irish men OF
action made Canada their cry. driited
into the Roberts wing, and IN Juns, 1917,
found myself scrambling through the
clustering yineyards around this Canadian
vill,g- ruhe in hand, one Of the Fenlans
who invaded the Dominion. From where
write | can see the Ridge road along
which Ne marched while birds waroled IN
the bushes which, park like, here hedge
the highway with their closely matted
sides While blossoms gave a FRA
GRANGE 10 the air OF tins
garden OF the Canadian conted
Grafton. Fields OF clover. with ourslug
PODS. waves in patches before the refresh
IN breeze which blew across the road that
Gsv IN June and cattle OF a superior breed
wandered about the rich fields which dot
ted the country. The large and comfort
a4l- homssrsaGs, the spacious barns, the
we'll KEEP, fences, the extensive orchards,
the sleek and Sell-Ged cattle, the latest
AGRICULTURAL machines for farming, and
the cir OF comfort, thrift and neAtness
which We passed on our way, bore evidence
~ q n-opIa who were well TODD. these
rural slgh,s of peace and prosperity might
have been q peaceful effect were It not Tor
IN. sigh, of the union Jack which hutIered
from rhs iags,at on the Town Hall at
RdseSsy 8,
can stand q; the door o; my hotel and
see the ledge Of limestone, the slop'Dg
r;tge crowned with wood, and Old Berthe
Station. which Was one Of our objective
DoiDts and 20 capture which We formed IN
omen order ike a ladder, aud moved tor
W.rf for SUCH cover as the nature OF the
ground afforded our long, thin line. There
i the old brick house Vt Farmer Athol be
hiud which l. with some others, took cover,
and on which can still be seen the
nafss of the bullets bred
from English rifles. Behind 1t is
tho orchard IRON which our men kept hr-
ing AZ the dark uniforms OF Toronto S
crack corps. the Queen 5 own militia.
am told that the very iogs We used TO
form IA hrpas'wOrk across the road are no"
a mart of The outhouses. There is the very
fence rphipG which the Canadians opened
fire Al our sstrluish hue. There Is where
s- r,owd-d along the orchard and began
'brs.truiu, their tank. Ihen-hOT well
L remember it-cluIss their OugIe call,
and soon their scattered lines were form
iuy square into which we poured q saAlng
arr under which We could see men talI
dead and wounded.
Major Alexander Muir Macdonald, who
lately died in New York, was close beside
me tha day. His lus,y voice grow hoarse
With ioy as b. saw the enemy soon after
break aad scatter across the heIds and
mast Tor Rilgrsay. All along the road
The dust from many vehicles, buggles,
sa,ous and carts, crowed with citizens
sho come TO see the show, made the air
,hlcs a. With the smoke OF battle, while
We .ollO~ei up Our advantage aud drove
the Canadians beyond the village they had
tried 10 defend They should have beaten
us that day. They were more numerous,
better armed. were in o friendly country
and were not 10 danger OF being sent to
the ppul,rntiary it taken prisoners OF war,
A. or late was sure 10 De II we tell into
the hauds Of the enemy. The Canadians
were armed with the converted Euield
rfg tina, during the late troubles
in the Canadian Northwest
Sa5 pronounced gu excellent weapon tor
The Geld. They had plenty OF good ammu,
milton. We were armed With old muzLIe-
leaders and We had 70 pare the balls, which
~eye 100 large tor our guns, 80 that We
could rau, them down the mUzZle. 1t was
somewhat awkward 20 be obliged 10 hold q
Denkults between your teeth when hrlng,
aud then after tearing OH the top OF a fresh
cartridge u cut down the ball before 1t
could De rammsd houe. let that Is what
We had to DO at R~Idgsway.
Bur il WA d Joyous day. The birds, IN
nv ears, never sang 50 swee.iy, nor the
blossoms never gave out 81 sweet a per
fume. nor lid blushiug rose or hedge dow,
er ever look so deliCately tinted as they old
when we pressed the English rear in their
retreat on the village. | mad often stepped
over the isad.aud dying on many battle
fields in the war for the | Mon, but never
before telt such stern joy as when our men,
mounting one OF the public buildings,
usrued the halyards to which an English
Union iack was tied, and, loSering 1t from
the flagstaff. threw it TO the ground, where
We tralled /. IN the dust, hen ~sprlnkled
NTH beads OF rain. which spstIered over
the groaud snd against ths houses, sound
ing ike peaI ,bro~u sgaiust . plate glass
window.
Irs, the green sas Above the red that
dsy We entered R,dgeway 10 triumph. TO
ind IT'S people gone, It's streets deserted. ITS
stores closed. and wounded men, attended
ed by Canadian doctors. scattered over the
village Ia zoe distance We could see q
cloud OF dust. made bY the panic stricken
soldiers aud the villagers who preferred TO
accamp5uy them rather than risk the ter
sor OF Eeulau laws
We saw Ii iew dead. From SEsre write
Ican throw q stone to the spot Hnare a
Canadian officer lay pierced by many but-
let's, The Villagers still speak OF him as
the heroic M~vEachEeu, whose !ast
words sre preserved with ye'.Sl9us ZEAL IN
the martSrojoSy Of the nation. csn see
too the memorial chagch which the Meth
o8ists built ia l~73. and TO dag saw the
table, erected 10 the memory OF the militia
men who fell in that little sklrmish IN
June ts6S. and which stands against the
wall on the sOusE side Of the pulpit. lnder
the frst Eue. which is se2IclrcuIar, crossed
sword and ride are cat, surmounted ey 3
bal-,s- and underneath the words