The Arizona sentinel., 1886-07-10

claimed; "Massa, de red-coats are fly
 in; dey done got whipped, shoa." There
 they were, on the outskirts of the vii.
 lage. in full retreat to their ships. Was
 it any wonder that Dr. Beanes and his
 neighbors became jubilant? Any won
 der that they should have retired to a
 neighboring dell where a delightful
 spring bubbled up out of the cool earth,
 and here made bowl of punch to cele-
 brate the American victory which they
 confidently believed had been won?
 The flowing bowl had been filled again
 and again, and the doctor and his friends were becoming rather hilarious, when three British stragglers came to the spring to get drink of water. The red-coats claimed the victory for their side and the Americans for theirs. From words they fell to blows, and the En- gliShmen were overpowered and carried
 off prisoners of war to the court-house by the doctor and his friends. But Cockburn heard of it, and that night he sent back a troop of horse to iberate his men and bring in Dr. Beanes. The poor doctorwas dragged from his couch, carried off and imprisoned in the fore part of one of the ships, where he was treated with the utmost harshness. Key resolved to release his friend at all haz- ards President Madison heartily sec onded his efforts and ordered that the vessel used as cartel should be placed at his service. The President di- rected MT. John S. Skinner, agent for the exchange of pris- oners and well known to the British to accompany MT. Key. They came up with the epemy's fleet at the mouth of the Potomac, and were received courte- ously by Admiral Cochrane. But on making known the object of his mission Mir. Key was replied to by Admiral Cockburn in characteristic terms. ''ln- stead of being released" said the marauder, sDr. Beanes should be hung at the yardarn1 of this ship" Thus re- pulsed. Key turned to General Ross and handed him letters from English pris- behind after the battle of Bladensburg. They spoke in grateful terms of the kind treatment of the Americans. Ross was naturally humane man and was moved at this agreeable news. Seeing his ad- vantage Key again made an earnest plea for the release of Dr. Beanes, and this time General Ross consented that the doctor should be returned to his friends. but added that the whole party would have to be detained pending the attack on Baltimore, then about to take place. Key and Skinner were transferred to be frigate Surprise, but Beanes was still confined on the flagship among the sailors and soldiers, who treated him with rudeness. No officer spoke to him; he was not allowed a change of clothing, and the vindictive Cockburn requited the doctors former hospitality by ordering him to be held as a culprit rather than aprisoner of war. Again the story reaches a memorable historic scene, the attack on Baltimore, the bat tie of North Point and the lombard ment of Fort McHenry. Ross landed and led his army to the sack of Baltimore; Cochrane moved up the Patapsco, transferres9 ms flag to the Surprise, of iSh6er draugnt than the flagship, and when all was Tn readiness the bombardment of the fort began, while he roar of battle from the shore told fiat America and England were once more locked In the tug of war. Meantime Key, Skinner and Beanes had been transferred to their. own vessel under guard of British sailors to prevent their escape during the conflict. The American Yessel occupied position from which the flag. at Fort Henry was distinctly seen. Night fell and the darkness was taade visible by the glare of shot and she Il playing alTsnight long on the defefed fort. It was grand spectacle: and Key and his friends paced the deck the night as the rockets whizzed. and shells exploded. But the fortsha1 not fallen, for the bombardment; cen tinued. Suddenly, just before dawn, the firing ceased, but nothing couMbes seen, and the Americans were unabfeto tell on which, sside victory had fallen. MT. Key often afterwards spoke of that as.the most trying of his life. He consulted his watch and counted the moments before dawn. At last a gray twilight spread over the face of the deep, and our watchers eagerly peersat through their.glasses to find whether the enemy flag or their own foated over the beIesguered fort. At length the light came, and they saw that our flag was still there! When MT. KeE=be-. held the flag of his country above the frownng battlements his ecstacv found' nthe first and second stanzas' of the ''StaraSpangled Banner" and his full heart overfowed in the second chorus. -ts "What is that which the breeze o'er the
 towering steep, -s1
 As it ftfuIly blows, half conceaIs, half dis
 closes?
 Now 1t catches the gleam of the mornings
 In full glory reflected now shines on the
 S'reanl- ssJ1 'Tis the starspangled Banner, OnI long may
 it wave V-1l
 Der the land of the free and the home of
 the brave."
 He had not to wait long before, he. saw the retreating to the sh ps and the body of an officer of distinction solem n- ly borne on board. It was General Ross, who had been killed by an Ameri-; can sharp-shooter. Bladensburg was avenged, and the vandalism at. Wash ington had met with bloody reprisal at North Point. The defeated enemy set sail and Key and his friends returned to Baltimore. The poet began to write his verses on the back of a letter he found in his pocket in the fervor of the moment when he saw the American flag floating over the fort and the land forces to their ships. He finished the poem while still on the vessel and while he was on his way to the shore ~ In order to remember some of the lines, as his paper was scant, he made notes instead of writing them out in full On his arrival at Baltimore he immediately went to hotel and wrote out the song as it. now stands from the rough draft