New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-05-20
AN ANTE BELLUM EPISODE
BY C. t. FERRIS

.~or,caI heat And less fcrvid than the yehow
sunlight lay on the brown and scorched prairicS %
southern Illinois, lay the stress ana passion VI e"o
-o,,,,caI canvass on the minds Of men. The age was
r., ,,h events soon to become monstrous Dirth
NJ Mains Of that pregnancy rritatcd the public fancy
r,ehod,nrs though scorned by the busy crowc rasco
tbcir shrill notes. like the cries Of seabiros IN e
storm The many, however conscious Oh theii III
articulatc dread sought to exercise the ghost VII" o
c,b formulas of an ordinary Presidential canvas
Yet all were secretly stirred with tho thrh Vi Ca
pectancy uor,on
The little village OF Heathclif was In region
,here the ferment seehed like the must OF nc" "Io
The many families New England born OF uesccnuou'
vrre easily matched by as many proud Oh 'hor Nol
tuckv or Missouri breed. The village s'oio, ava"
The rustic clubhouse, was the scene OF unehuine ~
which easily rose the beat OF fever puiSc
tongue ducls often ending In hStcuns' ''"''
barely stopping short of knife OF ps'o" -.
po.ontlv emancipated from college, was ous'ou
A., n. task of breaking and fencing large idhu
purcbase the pater had recently mauo' Inc e"'
of directing others tolls served as pre'oA' ioi
deal Of shooting, then all that the average sPoi
could wish In my long ramps over 'ho 'ou'
had become friendly with tho many sturdy sc.'iois u
- s,averv views Though known to DO not ifoo
- nersonal popularity had helped me 10 checA
r. than one fiery skirmish before 1t became ooou'
broi -, , In the nrcsence
=, a number of runaway negroes among u.s. A'
turitives from the adjacent slave states, 'nes "e
,d,v hired nv tho frce-so farmers; While their Up
Moments snared and showed their teeth over 'hs Do,
- oontsn,,on like angry bulldogs Yet, most OF inc
latter much as they growled over the ID nissol''
vere too proud to play the despicaoie roie Vi
arc oven II 10 some vile wretch among ucn' mus -
sv.n the credit of the initiative in series OF lhci
dents which made certain sunday ai'erho'n - '"'
onc Of surprising dramatic interest
#
A.. ~ souIre King formerly Boston merchiht'
whom business reverses had driven to be prairie
farmer. He was justice of the peace ana iorw@u III
all Village concerns. His wife ana daugh'oiS i".
HE homo little social centre and was IN inc haO
~ riding over TO his place, just in tho outskirts OIL INC
village tina. sprawled on either SIDE OF inc rai""9
track IN while away the ennul of Sunday Tho housc'
h.ro myself and brother lived lonely bachelor ule
80 ,,vo miles away Gathering over the hard road
,unhoked and resoundng with the strokes OF the hoo
could not help feeling the loneliness Of the very
desert on that blazing summer AFTERNOON
No other sounds were to DC hcaiu
c1cent perhaps the faraway rumDnng of
nra,rswagon Thes suggestions of the living,
,nd,ed only deepered the impression Of death ana
silence made by the interminable plain grcal
slouch I'm spring almost lakeet, lay not iar ironi
thu edge of the roadtrack but the high rushcs ana
grass drinking some last reserves OF moisture oeeP
down at their roots, mado 1t now an island insolch1y
%>~
ing keeny into this covert, yet in motveless way
7 c,ugbt plimpse OF the heads Of half dozen or
moro horses obscure In the midst of the greenery
There was no water there to quench the thirst OF
wandering animals. The sight for a moment hai
almost the shock Of the discovery of masked battery
But he who expects nothing rarely wonders. so l
rode by with scarcely second thought. Nearing the
village street my attention turned to low
tavern standing back by itself which was kept by ono
Simmons somewhat disreputable Engishmen.
Through its opon door unusual number OF customers
could be seen. Yet rudlanly and brutal as these
men, evidently strangers seemed from casual look,
there noise Perhaps 1t was this fact, so rare
in conjunction of bad whskcy with bad men, that
struck against the note of ALARM and carried thought
10 the dim vision OF horses heads ambushed in that
green paririe Jungle. But was too anguid With the
intenso heat TO be curious about anything long, and
was glad TO dismount at Squire Kings gate. Tom
and Jonas, the squre's colored boys, and Missouri
runaways, evidently bont for pleasure as they were
dressed In their best, stopped moment to take my
horse to the barn. AS they politely tugg.d at their
wool and grnned. Tom said Dis yer day hot enough
to sunstrucS oven Niger Marse George. Wese
gwino over to Simmons" showing perfect grave
yard of ivores, for good time. But done yer tell
Marse King ned raise debbi" tossed quarter to
these grownup children, not dreaming that the light
hearted creatures going straight into the jaws Of
dovilIsh ambush in the spite of circumstances which
which aerward in the clearer light seemed to stamp
mo idiot that had not more sharply suspected
treachery.
few hours still found me ,lolng on the King
piazza, sucking lazy pipe. The sun had dropped
for down. and the slant OF his rays shot cool shadows
from the few in front of the porch the FILL length
of the lawn. Half asleep with the drowsy afternoon
was thinking with what touch the hne-spun magic
Of light and haze could glofy the squat uglncss
OF a prairie hamlet The Squlre's ford oratory had
talked itself into silence in settling the burning issues
OF the day to his own liking. Due attention had been
paid TO the oscapade Of tho late pulpit supply" who
chewed tobacco worshipcd Bacchus the "sly,' and
had finally eloped with the schoomasters pretty wife
Peter Tatrcau, the Canadian foreman OF the farm had
been called in TO give flip by spinning yarns of
adventure out Of stirring life, in his quaint French
English patois. man Of herculean frame, his high
check bones and sunkcn black told of strain of
Indian blood Peter had been for many years voya-
gcur and hunter in the employ of the Hudsons Bay
Company, aftcrward a conductor on the underground
railroad, ard HIS rife had cracked fatally from the
ranks Of John Browns men in Kansas.
We were languid and had ceased our idle chatter.
rattliug gallop would do me good and i had risen
TO order my horse TO DO brought. in swift second
startling as the blaze OF lightning black midnight,
came change that sent each slow drop Of blood boil
Ing through sluggish pulses. Pistol shots, one,
two, three. four, quick trIggcr-inger could work,
rang on the still summer air. Piercing yells, mad
yells, in which frenzy of fear blended with a
no less wild rage, mingled with the echoes Of the
firing. We dashed down the lawn to the gate where
met awful black figures the clothes nearly torn
from their backs, whom scarcely knew as Tom and
Jonas, the spruce darhcs of few hours earlier Their
bullying eyeballs sbono all white with deadly terror,
foam like that OF rabld dogs drppod from their jaws,
the dark skin had become almost palld with anguish
Such look had only seen in buck at bay facing
tho stag hounds. Toms woolly pate was red with
slotted blood where pistol-butt had been baied by
his skull, and his breast gaped with ugly bowie
cash Jonas held one bullet-shattered with the
other, and his limping gait speedcd It with the
wings OF fear, showed that another ball had found Its
target The poor wreches, unhaltln. rushed on, Tom
screaming between broken parts, /" Dogs got all do
oddcr boys, de hdnapper debbns are after us. wcse