The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-26
SHE rAKHs THEM BY SURPRISE.

| iuk, dbslbteu py OeF HbVle uauRuIeTI boI1e
| or II years OF age, and now and then b,
one of the soldiers. with whom she SCENE,
TO be in good humor, exchanging rude jest
with him aud partaRing of the liquor thu
| tories had brought with them, who, pleased
with her freedom of manner, invited her t,
| join them in a drink. Now, just at tn,
edge of the swamp there was a spring, as
usual to be found more or less near every
settlement, and a short distance within i
was high, snag-topped stump, on which
rested conch she'll This quasi-trumpe
was used by the family as a signal Of in
formation to Mr.. Hart or his neighbours
who might be at work in the field or clear
ing beyond the swamp, that the " Britishers
or tories" were about, and by its different
intonations, or variation of notes. admon-
ished them ito keep close" or ''make
tracks for another swamp, or else that the
master was needed at home.
Pending the operation of cooking Mrs.
Hart had dispatched her daughter to the
spring, with instructions to blow the conch
in such q way as to inform him that there
were tories in the house, and that they must
keep close, he and the three neighbors until
the conch was sounded again. The soldiers,
who by this time had grown hilarious over
their Jug, were scattering devastation and
havoc among the remains of the slaugh-
tered turkey. They had stacked their arms
WlLull easy Wow anu IbdCL Ol 4uIbs IldEJ,
who in her assiduous attentions upon them
at the table passed frequently between them
and the muskets. Justify calling for water,
none was found to be in the
house, an ingenious and purposed
delinquency on the part of Nancy
Hart, who, Selling the occasion for q ruse
hastily summoned Sukey to 90 TO the spring
for fresh supply. with instructions to her
10 call up Mr.. Hart and his neiRhbors i'm
IL To. ahaf r,NA III
slipped out piece Of pine which forms the
"chinking" between the logs OF cabin,
and through that outlet had dexterously
put out two OF the guns She was detected
in the act Of putting out the third. The
party spranR to their feet Mrs. Hart
seized one of the guns, and dealt threats and
defiance to any one who dared to approach.
Ii is related that Nancy's obliquity Of vision
caused each one to fear that her deadly aim
was directed at him. 50 all stood stock still,
terror-stricken and amazed.
CUNNING WITH A VENGEANCE.
One made motion to advance. True to
her menace she fired. The soldier dropped
dead to the floor. Instantly grasping
another, she brought 1t to her shoulder in
readiness to fire. By this time Sukey had
returned to the house, and taking up the
remaining gun she carried it out of the
house, saying 10 her mother: Daddy and
them will soon be here" This information
struck the tories with CONSERVATION, and q
desperate effort was to be made, because
they knew what Sukey's intelligence meant.
A concerted movement was proposed, but
each soldier hesitated, because, as before in
dictated, each OF the deadly aims of Nancy's
infalllble musket upon them. Anticipating
or rather, appTehensive of general rush.
she fired az ain, bringing down another tory.
QnOthAF no
handed to her mother, who, posting her.
self in the doorway, summoned the party to
surrender their - tory Carcasses to
whig woman" They agreed to surrender,
and proposed a shaking of hands aB a pledge
of good faith, but the sly and crafty Nancy
kept them at bay until her husband and his
neighbor came up to the door. They were
about to shoot down the tories, but Mrs.
Hart protested, saying that they had
surrendered to her, and, her
temper touching the boiling-hoat point,
added, with an imprecation, shooting
was too good for them" The dead man was
dragged out OF the house, the wounded tory
and the others were bound, taken out of the
house beyond the barn ami hanged. It is
narrated in historical circles that the tree
upon which these self-same tories were
hanged was pointed out as late as 1888 by
one who claimed to have lived in those san
spot once occupied by Mrs. Harris cabin 9,
accompanying the designation with the
significant remark: Poor Nancy, she was
a honey of q patriot, but the devil OF a
wife,
There are several anecdotes told of Nancy
Hart which are characteristic Of this
woman, who, ''ungainly in figure, with
broad, angular mouth. rude in speech and
awkward in manners, as we'll as cross
eyed, had a woman's heart for her friends,
but that Of Catrine Montour for the enc
mics Of her country
On one occasion, when information was
desired by the troops on the Georgia side Of
the river as to what was transpiring on the
Carolina side, no one would venture to cross
the river to secure it, Nancy offered to
perform the hazardous duty.
A SCOUTING scRAPE.
The heroine repaired to the Savannah
river unperturbed by fear, and failing to
find means Of transport she obtained a
few logs. tied them together with a grape
vine, constructed raft, upon which she
crossed, procured the desired information,
and, returning, im parted it to the Georgia
troops At another time, having encount-
cred tory on the road. she entered into
conversation with him 80 as to distract his
sttentio 4, and, snatching his gun from him =,
by or she would shoot him. The fellow
was SO intimidated that he actually walked
in front OF this courageous woman until,
reaching their destination, she delivered
him to the commander of the American
fort. Nancy and number of friends,
women and small children, were once left
IN fort, the men having gone forth, posi-
bly, for provisions, when the fort was at
tackled by a band of tories and savages
At this critical juncture the heroic re-
sources OF this woman we're severely taxed.
The others we're paralyzed with fear aud III
a state of indescribaole confusion. The in
domitable Nancy discovered one cannon in
the fort, but she was unable to adjust it in
the proper position for firing so as TO reach
the enemy. Espying young mal hid un-
der a cow-hide, she drew him from his re-
treatened his life If he did not assist her
Conscious Of the woman's determination of
purpose, he Immediately yielded his assist
ance, when she fired the cannon,
which 50 frightened the enemy that they
took to their heels. Once more, when Au-
gusta was in the possession of the British,
the American troops in Wilkes county, then
under the command of Col. Elijah Clarke,
were very much concerned to learn some
thing definite of the designs and movements
of the British. Nancy donned the habili-
ments of man, wended her way to Au-
gusta, boldly entered the British camp un-
der the preJense Of being crazy, and, after
securing all the information she wanted,
she hurried back to lay tue valuable intelli~
gence before Col. Clarke. Subsequently, a
new county was formed named Hart, and
the seat Of justice has been called Nancy
vile.
One of the most curious circumstances