The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-01-31
LANGDON'S MILL. ! :

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lower story is built of unhewn rock, while
the upper story consists of two substantial
rooms. One of the rooms is much larger
than the other, the smaller one being
mere closet in comparison with the front
apartment The mill looks as though it
had been built to resist a siege, and it
surely has witnessed many strange and
horrible scenes, even if but the half that is
told is true.
The mill was built just before the war
of the Revolution. 1t is appropriately stu
ated at the foot of red hill. The trees
that stand around are massive, but few.
A gray and solitary sycamore grows near
the little bridge and stands like shroud-
ed form. The rest Of the trees are oak.
The trumpet vine is now rank near the
entrance to the building, and its blooms
are to the fanciful mind the CORY fingers
of a murderer, reeking with the fresh
blood of his victim. The pokeweed is
there, too, with its red stalk, red berries
and reddish leaves. The little stream al
most encircles the mill in a sinuous line
About the beginning of the Revolution
several Tory families inhabited the coun-
try. A young man of one of these families
loved the daughter of a jealous Wing, and
the day had been appointed for the mar
riage When it was first whispered among
the neighbors that the youth had sided
with the Tories, the girl was almost broken
hearted but declared that she would not
believe the fact till she had heard it from
his own lips.
Sooner than she expected she had the
chance. Ono evening as she was milking
the COWS her lover jumped over the fence
and stood before her. She told him in
stantly what she had heard, expecting a
vehement denial.
Eyes," he said. "It is all true and be-
fore another year your father will wish he
was as l am. 1"
"He would see his grave f1rstP' the girl
Indignantly replied.
''He may not have far to go to find it,
the young man avowed with a peculiar
information in his voice.
He persisted in following the girl,
against her will, to the house. The girls
father was there and he forbade his
neighbor entrance, saying an enemy to
his country was not welcomed in his
house. The girl ardent1y sanctioned, by
word and manner, the action of her father.
Tradition does not tell all that followed.
However, the young man, whose name
was Jack Cotton, left in a towering rage,
swearing that when next he returned he
would enter if he pleased. He went away
and was seen no more until a year after
ward. Pretty Nancy Langdon continued
to milk her COWS.
There were so r1uch tunult and confu-
sion in the country that people became in
ured to danger and were not afraid. And
Nancy, a large, buxom maiden of IS, was
proud of her own courage. Her mother
was an invalid and timid, and she closed
the shutters If the wind was heard among
the pines.
''It all sounded like the groans of dying
men, she would say. Her husband and
four sons were with General Greene, and
even 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 when a neighboring woman
! brought in the tidings of the disastrous
result of some farof battle. Little Eva
would crouch closer to 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
she were man that she might be with
her father and brothers to fight for the
| country she loved SO well.
One day their father returned quite IN
expectedly. 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 q neighbours daughter spend
| ing the night with Nancy and Eva, and
early the next morning the two girls
started to accompany their friend part
| of the way home, which was not far dis
tant. The direction lay toward the old
| mill. Under the shadow of the building
! lay the bridge, and as the two girls stood
bidding their friend goodby Jack Cotton
with half dozen comrades ran down the
stone steps and seized them.
The three girls were borne, screaming,
| to the rooms above.
Their little hrOfhar lad 0f OF 10
who had trailed after his sisters, but had
| fingered behind throwing stones and eat
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 seen, but not until he had taken
his stand under a straight tree, whose
branches were all far above his head.
He was now plainly visible and was a
clear target. He appeared unarmed. But
he might have stood there. He was safe.
1t was not his blood the neighbor wanted,
knowing as he did that life and conscious
ness 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 DHdG n0 1ulkHb S6S A0E, anu sb1tl
he stood, appearing not to have the power
to move.
Jeering faces appeared at the window,
and taunts were hurled at him. Their
suddenly Jack Cotton flung wide open ths
door and appeared standing on the thresh
old. With a laugh and curse he CRIED
out to the old man to come and join them
Quick as fash the old flint and stee
was caught up from against the darl
trunk of the tree. where it had, upper
ceived, been placed. In an instant Their
was a fash, followed by a report, anC
Jack Colton's brains and blood stained tn
door ag ainst which he was leaning. Tn