The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-03-28
f Mountain Missionary,
BY ALFRED R. CALHOUN,
Copyright, 1896, by American Press Associa'
toni
Continued
Continued.

and prayin, the wah, ez we uns tried to
pray Off hez come to the Cumberland
hills, and hit do look powahful like to
mo oz eff she'd come TO mighty long
visit. Wah means fightin and fab and
blood and DEATH Wah and religin |
can't nevah gee Yo' can't yoke 'em.
One pulls moth, the other south. One
means trustin in God which is all
mighty nice and Comfortin in peace; the
other means trustin to yersef and yer
rifle, and that's the only thing to do in !
time of wah. I'll go home from har
and mold bullets in the forge while the
lead holds out, and I'll take the good
book 70 waddin, to help kill the foes
of tho Lor, d-n 'eml
Go to yer homes, folks, and think
hit ovah. Tell yer wives and chillen,
yo' uns ez ken tote rifles, that yo'll be
'bleeged to leave 'em mighty soon, TO-
the CHI ice IL come to be shot down like
dogs in these hills or to git together and
fight our way to the old flag. The men
that fired the meeting house today
b'foah our eyes, tonight may burn our
cabins ovah our heads. If so be they
don't do hit, hit won't be COZ they don't
want to, but coz they re skeert. A man
with rifle will have noah powah to
keep 'em low than fifty thousand mil
/ lion meetin houses full Of folks pray
/ in.
$50 that's why l think religin's all
right in hits place, and hit may give a
powah of comfort to the wimmin when
we uns hez to light out but ez fo' me
I'm in fo' wah, and l feel that I'll be
'bleeged to give my religin rest till
we decide with our rifles whether lot
of id ribils or we Union men is
a-gwine to hev the free run of the hills
along the Cumberland. Thar, that's all
have to say, and hits right smart
noah than l tended to say when sot
out "
Father Peters saw that it would be
folly to attempt to change the black
smith or to try to hold to his own peace
full views the Union mountaineers that
heard him. And then, as his daughter
confessed in telling the story, he fully
appreciated the force of the blacksmith's
reasoning about the war, though the
change in the mans religious views had
! ~
Even the women and children present
on this occasion seemed to realize that
the war had come to the hills, but they
made no cutlery, gave no sign of nerv-
business. If anything indeed, they ap-
peared to rejoice at the prospect of an
excitement that would break in on the
dull and brutalizing monotony of their
lives.
Promising to keep to themselves and
to come together at Bradley's Crossing
when the danger became more threaten
ing, the people went sadly to their cab
ms in the mountains, and that night
the children CREASED patches, the wom-
en- nodded bullets, and with the grim
stolidity of Indians preparing for the
warpath, the men made ready their
arms. Father Peters went home with
his wife and daughter with the feeling
of man who has tried to do his duty
e and will not be deferred by failure from
continuance. He was at this time over
20 years of age, and although never
physically vigorous he was active, and
his mind was as clear and his hope as
strong and his desire to save his fellow
did not come of race that could be
cowed or discouraged. He had the Puri-
tanical temper that is slow to wrath
unless that wrath is kindled by the di-
vine spark when it becomes devour-
ing fire for the glory of God.
After supper that night the old man
J said to his wife and daughter:
Il have been praying for the light,
: and it has come. l 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 Brad.
ley is about right, and l shall pray that
his lapse from grace may be brief.
For two weeks after this the crowds
kept away from the blacksmiths 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 noun.
tains, had gone south with band Of
his followers, and some people drew
comfort from this, but Bradley would
shake his head and say:
"They a-comin. Zollicoffer is rails
, in army down thar by the border, and
they re a-comin." And the blacksmith
was right.
In the latter part of November, 1861,
the mountaineers of southeastern Ken
J, lucky were again in state of grea
alarm. Rumors of Confederate inva
sion along the line of the Cumberland
| - 4 Z.
= baseless stories of the cruelties perpe
trated by Zollicoffer's men, at Zollicof
fer's order, were firmly believed. Nov
and then a ragged refugee from farthe
south found protection and n stopping
place with Bradley, and these men TOLD
their stories of suffering and escap
only to increase the horror and indigna
ton of their brethren along the uppe
Cumberland.
One day Union man, who LIVED
about Is miles south of the Crossing
came running down to the blacksmith I
j shop with the news that Het Magoone
with a company of men who called hin
captain" was in Laurel county, ant
that he was either killing or forcing
into his ranks every Union man h,
met. As Bradley had been expecting
this, he could not be surprised In an
ticipation of just such an occurrence
/. and the better to assemble the Uniol
men within reach, he had caused pile
of dry wood to be gathered on the high
est hills for miles round the smoke b,
, day or the flame by night being the sig
nal to the Union men that they mus
gather at the Crossing.
As soon as the sun had gone dowl
that night Bradley and few of hi
friends went up to the peaks and light
ed the fires On his way back he stopped