The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-07-04


The report of euery 1nAsket reached her
cars.
and now and then as the firing died
away a little her heart stood still at tie
thought that Kenton and his comrade
had been captured by those who thirsted
for their lives. She could only weep and
pray as the hours dragged away. Hope
came to her only when she heard the
clatter Of iron hoofs on the frozen road
and looked out to behold the two COM
panies Of Federal cavalry sweeping up
the highway to the rescue. Uncle Ben
had been in time, and she murmured,
"God bless him. as she realized what
it meant. The dead guerrillas l:y in
plain sight as the troopers pushed on,
and she shudde,ed as she realized what
might have been. The dead were for
gotten for moment in her anxiety for
the living. There had been no firing fo-
the last 10 minutes. Had the camp been
captured? Had help come too late: She
stood in the open door and held herself
on her feet while she listened. A sud-
den crash of musketry told her what she
was yearning to know. The Federal
troopers had attacked, and they were
strong enough to beat off or aunihilate
the besiegers. Half an hour later she
was crying and sobbing and saying to
the men who bore the litter:
Carefully now! Bring him right in
this way! am so glad! was afraid
that he was dead!''
The prisoners were confined IN the
barn. OF the entire force not one had
escaped except Ike Baxter, and that
only because he was absent. There were
a dozen or more dead men to bury. and
after awhile detail was sent back to
perform the work. A dozen dead, but
no wounded. If you were in the valley
that winter, you will recall the bitter
ness existing between the ''irregulars,
who were practically bushwhackers and
guerrillas, and the Federal cavalry. No
prisoners were taken on either side. If
Federal detachment was cut of, never
a man returned to his lines. IT. a cou-
rier was captured, he was shot in his
kacks OF hung to the limb of roadside
tree. There was no more mercy shown
on the other side. The capture OF an
armed man in citizens dress or half
Uniform meant that he had only Is min
utes to live at the furthest. If he
claimed to belong to Mosby's band, he
courted death the sooner. Men who fell
in fight went down to be buried there.
Custer with his troopers found Uncle
Ben eagerly awaiting them. The old
man was given seat in an ambulance,
and within few minutes the general
had heard his story. The order was Civ
en- to push on at a faster pace. and the
command reached Rest Haven just as
the prisoners had been placed under
guard. A surgeon accompanied the
column, and while he was busy dressing
Kenton's wounds General Custer was
holding an interview with Marian Per-
cy. The result of this was an order that
the dead woman and the wounded man
should be taken back to the Federal
lines-the one for burial, the other for
proper medical treatment. Whatever
Marian wished to take away would be
transported for her, and the place would
be abandoned.
Steve Brayton had come out Of the
affair greater hero than he had ever
hoped to be. Although frankly &C.
knowledging himself an escaped prls-
oner and now again captured by the en-
emies of his cause, every Federal who
understood how be bad fortified the
camp and defended it to save wounded
and almost helpless fellow Confederate
insisted on taking him by the hand and
rendering him hearty congratulations.
Even General Custer himself did not
withhold word of praise after learn
ing from Marian and Kentcn Of Bray
tons bravery and. self sacrifice.
fTo BE CONTINUED