Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-03-30
NO. 13.
HISTORICAL PdPERS.
"Men and Women of the Revolution"
A SERIES OF VALUABLE AND ENTERTAINING
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE PEN OF THE
EMINENT HISTORIAN,
BENSON ]. LOSING, LII. d.
No. III.
The Fair Courier.


and gig for the journey. The steed was
feet and the road was level and smooth
most of the way. 1t lay through cultivated
fields and dark pine forests and across dry
swamps, where the Spanish moss hung like
trailing banners from the live oak and cy-
press trees.
At sunset had Travelled thirty miles
lodged at the house of planter some dis
tance from Vances Ferry on the Santee,
where passed the evening with an nteli-
gent and venerable woman Mrs. Ruxton)
eighty four years of age. She was maiden
of seventeen when the armies of Greene
and Rawdon made lively times in the region
of the Upper Santee, Catawba Saluda and
Broad rivers. She knew Marion, and Sum
ter, and Horny, and other less famous par
tisan leaders, who were frequently at her
fathers house, on the verge of a swamp not
far from the high hills of Santee
1--WE were Wings" she said "but the
Tories were so thick and cruel around us
when Rawdon was at Camden that father
had to pretend to be kings man to save his
life and property. Oh, those terrible times,
when one was not sure in going to bed that
the house would not be burned before morn
ing"
"Did you witness any exciting scenes
yourself ~ inquired.
eyes, many. One in particular so stirred
my young blood that l actually resolved to
put on brother Bens clothes, take our old
fowling piece, Join the Swamp Fox, as the
British called Marion, and fight for freedom
to call my soul my own"
"What was that event ~ l asked
"You have read, maybe" said Mrs. Bux-
ton, "how Lord Rawdon, after chasing Gen
eral Greene far toward the Saluda, sudden
ly turned back, abandoned Fort Ninety-six
in Abbeville district, and retreated toward
Charleston. Well, Greene sent Harry Lee
with his Lighthouse to get in front of Raw
don before he should reach the ferry on the
Congaree at Camden He was anxious to
call Marion and Sumter to the same point to
help Lee. Sumter was then encamped a
dozen miles south Of our home"
The venerable woman's dark brown eyes
sparkled with emotion as she proceeded with
the story. She said her cousin, who was on
Greenes staff at the time, told her that
when the General called for a volunteer mes
senger to carry letter to Sumter, not one
of the soldiers offered to undertake the per-
lous task. for the way was swarming with
Tories. Greene was perplexed. Brave and
pretty Emily Geiger, the young daughter of
German planter in Fairfield district, had
Just arrived at headquarters with import
ant information for the General She rode
a spirited horse with the ease and grace of
dragon. Emily, aware of the hesitation
of the soldiers and Greeue's anxiety, ear
hut 20 flo
May l carry the letter 2"
Greene was astonished. He was unwill-
ing to expose her to the dangers which he
knew awaited any messenger, for the Tories
were vigilant.
They won't hurt a young girl, | am
sure, and know the way" said Emily.
Greenes want was great, and he accepted
the proffer of the important service, but
with many misgivings. Fearing Emily
might lose the letter on the way, he inform
ed her of its contents, that she might deliv-
er the message orally. She mounted her
feet horse, and with the Generals blessing,
and cheered by the admiring officers she
rode off on a brisk gallop She crossed the
Wateree river at Camden Ferry, and press
ed on toward the high hills of Santee.
Emily was riding at rapid pace through
an open, dry swamp when one of the Tory
bride and bade her halt. With perfect COM
posure and firm voice she demanded by what
authority she was arrested. The young
scout was confounded by the appearance
and manner of his prisoner. They had OBJ
served a woman riding in apparent haste
from the direction of Greene's army toward
the camp Sumter, and suspected her errand.
She proved to be a young maiden, fair as a
lily, with mild blue eyes and profusiOn of
brown hair. The young scout, smitten with
her beauty and air of innocence, released
his hold upon the bride, when an older
companion, made of sterner stuff, seized
the reins and led the horse to an unoccupied
house on the edge of swamp and bade her
dismount. The younger soldier gallantly
assisted her to alight, and she was taken in
to the house With proper delicacy the
scouts sent for Mr.. Buxton's mother, living
a mile distant, to search Emily's person.
II went with mother, " said Mrs. Buxton,
ito see a woman prisoner. The door of the
house was guarded by the younger scout,
who was Peter Simons, son of a neighbor
two miles away, and a right gallant young
fellow he was. After the war he married
my sister, and that youngster who took
| your horse when you alighted is their grand
child"
''Then you saw the young prisoner %
asked.
Eyes, and helped mother search her
| We were amazed when we saw, instead of a
brazen-faced, middle-aged woman, as we
supposed spy must be, sweet young girl
about my own age, looking as innocent as a
pigeon. Our sympathies were with her, but
mother performed her duty faithfully. We
found nothing on her person that would af-
ford a suspicion that she was spy She
| L., Il, l.
many apologies for OBTAINING her She had
been too smart for them. While alone in the
house guarded by Peter Simons she had
eaten up Greene's letter piece by piece So,
secure from detection she willingly sub
mitted to our search, and told us frankly
who she was.
My name is Geiger-Emily Geiger,
she said. Ny father is a planter near Winns-
borough, in Fairfield, and am on my way
to visit friends below
Wasn't she smart ~ said the old lady
"She lOds going to visit friends below
Sumter and his men-our friends likewise
for that matter. When the scouts dismissed
her we took her to our house, gave her some
refreshments, and urged her to stay with US
until morning. But she could not be per.
suaded, saying the two armies were so neaI
it might soon become impossible to reacf
|
us home and offered to escort Emily to heI
friends as a protector. She declined hii
offer and rode away, bearing our silen
blessings We saw no more of her unit
after the war"
''Did she reach Sumter's camp in safety =
I inquired.
Eyes, and delivered Greene's message al
most word for word as he had written it. "
Sumter and Marion joined forces and has
tened to Fridays Ferry, at CRANKY. Raw
don, baffled, did not attempt to cross tn,
Congaree, but fled before the pursuin,
Americans toward Orangeburg, on th'
Edisto
''You say you saw no more of Emily Gel
ger until some time after the war, / re
marked. What was her fate y
"a happy one. She had married a ricl
, young planter on the Congaree, name,
Thurwitz They had been on a visit at he
fathers house in Fairfield, and went out o
their way to visit the scene of her exploit il
1881. They had crossed the Wateree a
! Camden Ferry, as she had done before, Wis
tied the house in which she had been search
, ed, and rode to our house to thank m
mother for her kindness ON that occasion
They had with them sweet little baby
. few months old. Peter Simons was the
my sisters husband and at our house Emil
, stood face to face with her jailer for a
hour. She freely told her story, and owne
, that she was much startled when Pete
} seized her bride, but she controlled he
, feelings. She told us of her dinner o
Greene's despatch, and thought how sill
the young scout was in leaving her alone i
the house while he guarded the door on th
J outside. Peter wasn't much of Tory, an
we all rejoiced that kind Providence ha
protected Emily from detection
"The ways of God are mysterious, sal
the venerable matron, laying her hand o