The Portland daily press., 1892-06-09

never physically vigorous he was active
and his mind was as clear and his nope
as strong and his desire to save his
fellow men as fervid as when he was
forty. He did not come Of a race that
could be cowed or discouraged. He had
the Puritanical temper that is slow to
wrath unless that wrath is kindled by
the divine spark, when it becomes de-
vouring fire for the glory of God.
After supper that night the old nan
said to his wife and daughter:
81 have been praying for the light,
and it has come. | see Gods hand in
this war. His wrath must be quenched
in blood. We are given over to our
idols as a nation, and he will consume
them in the furnaces of war. Brother
Bradley is about right, and | shall pray
that his lapse from grace may be brief"
For two weeks after this the crowds
kept away from the blacksnnith's shop,
and there appeared to be quiet in the
hills, but every one felt that it was the
quiet that preceded the storm. News
came that Het Magoone, who had for
merly lived in the Tennessee mountains,
had gone south with band of his fol-
lowers, and some people drew comfort
from this, but Bradley would shake his
head and say:
s'They're comm. Zollicoffer is rails
in a army down thar by the border,
and they're comm" And the black
smith was right.
In the latter part of November, 1861,
the mountaineers of southeastern Ken
lucky were in a state Of great alarm.
Rumors of Confederate invasion along
the line of the Cumberland river were
rife, and wild and entirely baseless
stories of the cruelties perpetrated by
Zollicoffer's men, at Zollicoffer's order,
were firmly believed. Now and then a
ragged refugee from farther south found
protection and a stoppage place with
Bradley; and these men told their stories
of suffering and escape, only to increase
the horror and Indignation of their breth-
rem along the upper Cumberland.
One day a Union man, who lived
about fifteen miles south of the Cross
ing, came running down to the black
smiths shop with the news that Het
Magoone, with a company of men who
called him captain" were in Laurel
county, and that they were either kill
ing or forcing into their ranks every
Union man they met. AS Bradley had
been expecting this he could not be sur
prised. In anticipation of just such an
occurrence and the better to assemble
the Union men within reach, he had
caused piles of dry wood to be gathered
on the highest hills for miles around,
the smoke by day or the flame by night
being the signal to the Union men that
they must gather at the Crossing.
AS soon as the sun had gone down
that night Bradley and few of his
friends went up to the peaks and lighted
the fires. On his way back he stopped
at Father Peters house and said in his
blunt way:
f'The time fo' fightin hez come, thank
the Lor, fo' hit can't be mo- KILN than
the worryin and waitin. Now git to-
gether all the things we ken tote and
we'll fotch EN- down to my place. Tharll
be no use in lockin up what's left behind
eff the doggone ours ez is a-comin har
wants to steal 'em. Now let we uns
hurry"
Father Peters and his family saw the
necessity for action. There was nc
nervousness on his part, no groans OF
outcries from the women. They gath.
cred up each a change Of clothes and
the few little things that are precious
because of association yather than fol
their intrinsic value. The blacksmith
prepared great load of meal and bacon
for himself to carry; then the stock
were turned out Of the Enclosure, SO that
they might be able to find water, if need
be, for themselves; the doors were closed
but not locked, and then, with the great
| fires burning on the hills about them
the little party started down to the
| Crossing.
By ten o'clock that night thirty-one
men and half as many women, the latter
wives or sweethearts, had assembled in
the blacksmith's shop. Those from the
farthest points south had seen the Con,
federates, and there could be no doubt
as to their purpose or their destination.
Bradley sent out pickets-'ss pies" he
called them-to give warning of the ap
proach of the enemy; then he started q
fire in the forge, fastened few tallow
dips to the black walls, and, having
commanded attention, he stood up or
the anvil block and shouted:
''Boys, what shall we uns do-retreat
fo' the moth or stand and fight?"
This was followed by few seconds
of a silence SO intense that every mar
could hear the beating Of his own heart
and with frightened eyes the women
looked from face to face. At length g
strong, clear, familiar voice rang out.
SIN the name of Great Jehovah we will
stand and fght!'
All eyes turned in the direction of the
sound, but not to ascertain the speaker
Into the full light of the forge, which {
strong arm kept blowing, walked Father
Peters with the battle light in his eyes
and rife in his hand. A moment Of
awed silence, then the blacksmith
shouted:
"For Father Peters, boys! Cheer, d.
you, cheer!'
And they did cheer and swung theil
I = II . -.