The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1894-06-23

but effective appeal to Secretary


Stanton.
APPEAL TO THE SECRETARY OF WAR,
She had known Mr.. Stanton in
former years, and felt that perhaps
she could persuade him at least to
stay the execution of the order I'M
til she might appeal in person to
Gen. Hunter. The message was
written, and the rider dashed at top
speed toward the telegraph Office at
Martinsburg. The electric current
was to make her appeal to Washing
ton and to bring back the reply, if
reply should be vouchsafed ia less
than IS minutes. There was not a
moment to be lost.
The soldiers lounging by the
roadside, at the gate under the
shade trees looked in wonder at the
man dashing down the road and, sur
missing his errand, made bets for and
against the success of his mission.
Then the hoof beats died away. the
dust that he had raised blew off into
the fields, the hot sun beat down and
all was still again. Capt Martin
dale and his men at the house dis
mounted and sat upon the porch.
Mrs. Faulkner and her daughters,
scarce daring to hope success busted
themselves in packing a few trunks,
while the frightened servants ran
hither and thither, wailing and
weeping
The minutes sped. Ten, twenty,
thirty were gone. Still no sign of
the messenger. The women at the
house had lost all hope, and one of
the daughters urged the captain to
give them a little more time.
II am very sorry, madam, he
said, shut / have no authority to
grant a single minute beyond the
hour. / have no taste for my errand,
l assure you, but must obey orders"
Forty five minutes were passed
and the road was still as death. The
soldiers at the gate grew boisterous
in their assurance that the house
was doomed. Fifty minutesl TO
the trembling woman, standing on
the portico the clock seemed alive
with demoniac energy. The second
hand fairly flew around its dial. Fiji
ty-one, two, three, four.
SAVED JUST IN TIME.
Suddenly from the gate there
came the sound ola cheer-it grew
louder, but not so loud that it drown
ed the noise of the horse galloping
at full speed. The messenger had
been deserted at the top of hill a
quarter of a mile away, and fearful
that he was late, he dashed his horse
to furious pace, and above his head
he waved paper. Infected with
the spirit of the driver enthusiasm,
the federal soldiers cheered him on
and as he passed them swinging in
to the gate they forgot their parti-
sanship and babe him speed.
The clock lacked just five minutes
of the hour when, with his horse
fairly blown, the messenger drew up
in front of the porch. He did not
need to descend from the saddle,
for the captain had sprung up from
his seat on the porch and with eager
hand took the paper from the rider
and quickly passed it up to Mrs.
Faulkner, who, with tears in her
eyes, stood eagerly awaiting the
news from Washington. SO agitated
was she that she could hardly open
the envelope in which the telegram
was inclosed, but when at last she
unfolded the paper she read aloud
as follows:
The property of Charles James
Faulkner is exempt from the order
of Gen. Hunter for the burning of
the residences of three prominent
citizens of the Shenandoah Valley
in retaliation for the burning of Gov.
Bradford's house in Maryland by
the confederate forces.
"ABRAHAM LINCOLN"
And so the grand old home was
saved. The other houses, however,
were burned that day, one of the
two being that Of a cousin OF
General Hunter.