The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-01-29
ROMANCE OF A MILL.
A STORY FROM THE OLD NORTH CAR.
OliNA MOUNTAINS.
what Tradition Tells OF n Fearful scene
of the War Of the Revolution and How
It Was Atoned For---rhe Self Command

cerning which strange traditions are told
| The lower story Is built Of unknown rock
while the upper story consists of two sub
stantial rooms. One of the rooms Is much
larger thnn the other, tho smaller one be.
ing mere closet In comparison with the
front apartment. The mill looks as though
IL had been built 10 resist a siege, and it
surely has witnessed many strange and
horrible scenes even II but the half that
is told Is true
About the beginning Of the Revolution
several Tory families Inhabited the coun-
try. "A young man of one OF these fami
lies loved the daughter OF a jealous Whig,
and the day had been appointed for the
marriage. When IL was first whispered
among the neighbors that the youth Lad
sided with the Tories the girl was almost
brokenhcartod, but declared that she would
not believe the fact till she had heard il
from his own lips.
Sooner than she expected she had the
chance. One evening, as she was milking
the cows, her lover jumped the fence and
stood before hg She told him instantly
what she had heard, expectinga vehement
| denial.
Yes" he said, lit is all true, and be
fore another year your father will wish he
was as nm
He would SEE his grave first, - he girl
Indignantly replied
He may not have far 10 60 to find II, /"
the young man avOwed, with a peculiar
intonation IN his voice
He persisted in following the girl against
her will, 20 the house The girls father
was there, and he forbade his neighbor en-
trance, saying AN enemy to his country
xVafu.tft. I'm hf- Ill
nrdently sanctioned, by word and manner.
the action Of her father. Tradition does
not tell all that followed However, tho
young man, whose name was Jack Cotton,
left in towering rage, swearing that
when next be returned he would enter il
he pleased. went away and was seen no
more until a year aftorward. Pretty Nancy
LangOn continued 10 milk her cows.
There was so much tumult and con
fusion in the country that people became
Injured to danger and were not afraid. And
Nancy, large, bux0m maiden of IS, was
proud Of her own courage. Her mother
was an invalid and tinid, and she closed
the shutters IL the wind was heard among
the pines
1T all sounded like the groans of dying
men, ~ she would say. Her husband and
four sons were with General Greene and
evon the slightest suggestion of their death
was terrible TO her. Her younger daugh-
ter, Eva, was of her temperament. She
shivered. too, when the wind blew too hard
or when neighboring woman brought in
the tidiugs of the disastrous result of soino
farof baitlo. Little Eva would crouch
closer tu her mother, and they two, with
hands clasped. would pray for their faroff
loved ones, and that the merciful Father
would not forget them in their helpless
condition.
But on such occasions Nancy would
throw open the windows and wish that sho
were n man that she might be with her
father and brothers to fight for the coun-
try she loved so well
One day their father returned quite un
expectodly The news had Just preceded
his arrival that Jack Cotton and dozen
other Tories were In the neighborhood
The women were torn by conflicting emo
tions-joy upon the return of the father
and husband, mingled with fear for his
safety.
There was "a ncighbor's daughter spend
ing the night with Nancy and Eva, and
early the next morning the two girls start
eel TO accompany their friend n part Of the
way home, which was not far distant. The
direction lay toward the old mill. Under
the shadow of the building lay the bridge,
and as the two girls stood bidding their
friends goodby Jack Cotton, with q half
dozen comrades, ran down the stone steps
and seized them.
The three girls were borne, screaming,
TO the rooms above.
Their littlo brother a lad of Q or 10,
who had trailed after his sister, but had
4 .l. 4
ing the wayside berries, saw the terrible
scene.
He was at the top of the hill and was
not seen or could not be caught or per
haps Jack and his followers did not care.
The child ran back and told the terrible
tale The old father started after his
daughters. From the window of the mill
he was scen but not until he had taken
his stand under straight tree, WHOSE
branches were all far above his head.
He was now plainly visible and was
clear target He appeared unarmed. But
he might have stood there. He was safe.
1t was not his blood the neighbors wanted,
knowing, as he did, that life and con-
sciousncss were such agony to the stricken
father as thousand bullets could never
produce.
He heard his daughters screams. One
was allowed To appear for moment at the
window that he might see her. and still
he stood. appearing not to have the power
TO move.
Jeering faces appeared ut the window,
and taunts were hurled at him. Then
suddenly Jack Cotton flung wide open the
door and appeared standing on the thresh
old. With laugh and curse he cried
out 60 tho old man TO come and join them.
Quick as n flash the old flint and steel
was caught up from against the dark
trunk of the tree, where It had, unpcr-
ceivod been placed. In an instant there
was flash, followed by report and Jack
Colton's brains and blood stained the door
against which he was leaning That
stain Is pointed out TO this day.
Nancy and her friend lived and mar
ried Eva died very soon after the tcrri-
BILE catastrophe that unhinged her mind.
Ii is said that the devil was seen soon aft
erward walking through that room.
which had been and remained as long ~
they were in power a rendezvous for
Tories.
IL Is said that satan was seen, heard and
the sulphur smellcd and his tracks burn
ed into the solid floor that are pointed out
as evidences Of the truth of this assertion.
The natives point out the track of his club
foot, then OF his other foot, and so on.
There, too, are the prints where the rod
hot chain touched the floor as be dragged
IL behind him. Some believe this. klse
they say. "how were those tracks madcf
Aud looking upon them burned into the
noor, MS they are, they do send a strange
thrill OF belief through the one beholding
them and knowing the story Of the unfor-
tunatc girls 20 hen true one --Philadcl-
fhia Times.