The intelligencer., 1889-11-02

MOore's Mill, about uine miles above
Williamsburg. This little place. whicb
could scarcely be distinguished ne a
: village, consisted of a store, postofice
! mill, blacksmith shop aud one preten
tious looking house above that OF any
| other dwelling in the place, owned and
inhabited by the Strother family perch.
ed high on hillside on the north side
OF the road as you approach from tho
| east. The federal troops engaged. out
numbered the confederates but they
fought desperately. 1t was hand TO
hand conflict with foeman worthy Of
their steel. The confederates, accus
toned to fighting behind trees or any
other way expedient, had this advan-
tsge, as the woods on either side were
dense. The struggle was awful aud
the contest wavered, until about 2 p.
M. Guitar was reinforced by Caldwell
and Shaffer's troops. Col Switzler,
in his history of Missouri, says: with
this reinforcement Guitar achieved a
victory heroically arising from men
vino fought with desperation to the
last" The fight had been protracted
and desperate. The roadsides were
strewn with wounded, dead and dying.
The jubilsnt federal soldier boy Of the
morning lay stiff and stark in the glare
Of the.summer's sunshine. Personally
the writer of this story knew at that
time many soldiers on both sides, but
now, after the lapse of 50 many years,
memory only recalls a few names
among them are those of Capt. Reeves
Leonard. of Fayette; Capt. Reed, of
Huntsville, and ex- Senator James NJ.
Proctor, OF Sturgeon, who was beard
less boy at that time Long years ago,
in the little town of Danville, the
county seat of Montgomery county
lived worthy family named III. Along.
in the thirties, perhaps '3S or ,39. was
born to this Ii. family son. DR. d.,
at that time resident of Danville, was
the attending physician. This boy was
uamed Charlie, and he grew into quite
promising lad IN the town, The play
mate and daily companion of the doc.
tors oldest sons and daughters. Years
passed on. the II. family moved away
from Danville to ST. Louis county, the
physicians family to the adjoining
county of Galloway. thus losing sight
of each other for many years. At the
outset OF the war Charley Ii. espoused
the southern cause, was with Col.
Porter at the battle of MOOre's Mil,
was terribly, wounded, and his brave
comrades carried him off the field or
battle under a shower OF federal bull
lets. The hot summers day was draw
ing to close and protected by the
lengthening shadows of evening, this
apparently dying man was taken by
his friends to the home of a relative
living on Loutre river, in Montgomery
county, distant perhaps fifteen miles
from the field of carnage. Six miles
south OF Williamsburg, in Galloway
county, near the Montgomery line was,
and is, all old country farmhouse beau
tifully situated on the southern slope
OF a hillside surrounded by gigantic
forest trees whose brawny arms bade
defiance to the sun god himself. In the
mi ist of q fertile farm of many acres
whose southern boundries touch the
banks of the placid little stream OF
Prairie Fork, known only to history as
the burial place of gallant Capt. CAL
away, whose body lies buried on the
hillside overlooking the confluence of
the streams, Prairie Fork and Loutre
riS er. AT midnight, after the battle of
Moore's Mill. when the inhabitants of
the old farm house were wrapped in
peaceful slumbers, n stealthy tootstep
approached the door, timid knock,
such as child might have made, took
DIR. M. to the door, hurried confer
ence, and they were both gone out into
the darkness and into the night. Ii the
parties interested hoped this affair had
passed unobserved they were mistaken,
two daughters of the house occupied a
room above, one OF them always a
light sleeper, heard the noise and the
departure. In the morning when the
breakfast bell rang the girls descended
to the dining room and 10! there sat
the father In his accustomed place with
an inscrutable look on his face that
never deceived any of his children, bnt
that family had been well schooled in
the tactics of war times in inverse
proportion to the curiosity felt did
they ask questions, but quietly awaited
developments. Night after night for
many weeks did the doctor make that
mysterious journey after the family and
darkies were abed. 1t seemed the more
curious, as for years the physician had
been in delicate health and had done
no night practice. The next day after
the Moore's Mill fight of course the
news was broadcast over the country,
there seemed to those girls, the doc
tors daughters, some significance in
the close proximity OF these two events,
a battle and these nightly pilgrimages.
Grim war makes one SO suspicious, but
time wore on, and as nothing further
developed itself to build upon, they
finally quit specializing and the matter
was lost sight of aud forgotten in the
changing panorama of other events and
phases of war times. Long alter the
cruel war was over, when little child
rem clustered around the home uest of
one of those farmhouse birdlings, there
came to the distant town where she
lived, man named H., to engage in
public business. OF course the name
was familiar to the lady in question,
which led to some inquiries in reply to
which the man shook and an empty
sleeve and said CDR. NJ. ." that lady's
father, "saved my life. He amputated
my shattered arm and carefully tended
me through the long fever and delerium
that followed" He recalled the event
of the Moore's Mill fight, of his stay
with his uncle during his illness and of
DIR. Ms nightly visits. Memory never
dead but only sleeping, went swiftly
back to the old home on the confines
of peaceful Prairie Fork and the long
forgotten curiosity felt over those
nightly rides, the old home had Icng
been broken up, the father sleeping
peacefully and his secret with him, but
to one at least the mystery was at last
solved.