Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-05-16


swaying among the bushes about the
house something like the low rustic of
the wind among the trees-and spring
ing to her feet, she cried: Cup, my
boys. we are surrounded ~
Strongly barricading the door, the
mother and the sons took each rifle,
and posted themselves at rents In the
wall. whence they could watch and
bring down the enemy.
The woman stood at the left of the
door, where, if forced, it would first
open, and her youngest son--the boy Of
16-was beside her The moon was at
the full, but dense clouds obscured its
light, giving sort of spectral hue to all
surrounding objects. Soon every bush
and tree about the house seemed in mo-
ton, and creeping slowly down upon
the devoted dwelling. Nearer they
came, dim and shadowy, till they took
the form of men, seventy in alas the
intrepid woman had the GOODNESS to
count in that perilous moment. Direct
ly in front of her, and not forty yards
away, was body of about twenty hud-
died together, and bearing among them
a felled tree, evidently to batter down
the doorway. Halt p she cried cor
some of you is dead men,"
No heed was given to her summons;
the platoon moved forward step or
two. when four rifles cracked and five
souls passed into eternity, two sent by
one bullet.
Then a yell went up that shook the
hillsides, and volley poured into the
beleagured dwelling. The most of the
bullets buried themselves in the logs;
but one struck the clay filing near the
doorway and entered the body OF the
boy, who stood there beside his mother.
He uttered a sharp cry, pressed his
hand upon his breast, and sank down
at her feet, saying only: ooh, mother !"
She clutched him in her arms, tried to
stanch the blood, which spurted upon
her clothing, and then, bending over
the boy, kissed him on the forehead,
saying: "God has called for you, my
son. He is taking from me my baby"
81 know, MOTHER" he gasped, "but [
shall die like man"
"Don't think of that or of me now;
think of Jesus, the Savior"
eyes, mother" faltered the bov.
Good by; give them another shot,
mother"
Then his head fell back and he was
gone from the sound of human conflict
She closed his eyes and kissed again his
forehead. Then she rose to her feet, re-
loaded her gun, and gave that other
shot to the rebels. Meanwhile the two
other young men had reloaded and fired
twice, and the assaulting party had fall
en- back, evidently disconnected by the
determined resistance. Half an hour
followed. during which the besieged
neither heard nor saw anything OF the
enemy; and they were beginning to
think that they had been beaten off,
when suddenly the four corners of the
roof above their heads were in blaze.
The building had been fired, and to
this they could offer no resistance.
Nothing remained but to run the gaunt-
let of their enemies. Giving one look
to her dead son, and one prayer to the
God Ii whom she trusted, the woman
opened the door and, followed by her
sons, sprang out into the darkness.
Dense bushes were about the house,
but they were fifty feet away, and be-
fore they could be reached the three
would be fair mark for more than
fifty rifles. The woman gained the I'M
dergrowth in safety, but the young men
were shot down under the very caves of
the dwelling.
"I seed them fall she said to me,
Hand knoweG thar warn't no hope for
them; for them men would have took
their lives, even if they'd surrendered,
At first [ couldn't see why the Lord had
took them. who was men, and had left
me behind, who am only woman.
But afterwards | seed into his ways
more clearly; and | reckon [ done more
for the right cause than any three men
IN all this region; for, bein' woman, |
could come and 60 whar man couldn't;
and somehow the native folks never
seed me and knowed what I'd gone
through, but they sided 10 onct for the
Union, and went to join Cunnel Kirk,
-I0TA1N 6n r h,nId hn
Springs. l reckon [ sent him, first and
last, more men nor he ever had at any
one time in his regiment"
What the woman said was true, as /
was assured by a number Of people who
were personally acquainted with her
history. But her work Tor the Union
was attended with vast deal of diff
Guilty and danger. Often did she walk
all night THROUGH mud and rain and
snow to convey intelligence to the Fed
eral lines or to carry food to some out
lying Union man who was hiding in the
woods, and three times her house was
burned over her head and she was suf-
fered to escape with only her clothing
never disheartened. When her dwell |
ing was burned down she had it re-
built, though never upon the site Of the
first one, where her sons were buried
and when stripped of all, and left with
not clothing enough to protect her from
the weather, she cheerfully said: GA
little will do for me, and the Lord will
provide that, certain"
With no revenge in her heart, she
was yet an avenging spirit to the Con-
federates, carrying death and destruc-
ton among them whenever she moved, |
until at last they left her unmolested,
content to wage with the lone woman
simply defensive warfare. But this re-
solve they did not come to until she had
Inflicted upon them bloody calamity.
When she had rebuilt her house a |
third time she determined to resist
fourth burning. To this end she applied
to Col. Kirk, at Warm Springs, who de-
tailed for her protection dozen sharp
shooters. each one armed with revolv-
ing rifle. She hid them away among
the underground, on the rising ground
in the rear OF her dwelling, and then
selecting time when the moon was at
the iull and the nights were likely to be
Il i i It,