Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-05-29
The Stury Teller.
THB DREADED six,
A Story of Partisan Days.
BY T. G. HARBAUGH.

BY 7. Z. HARBAUGH.
"This for the gallant Ferguson !"
The foregoing FIVE words had insti
tuted reign of terror in one of th'
loveliest districts of the Palmetto
State-a district watered by the Ca
tawba and Pacolet rivers and theil
gentle tributaries.
In the month of September, 1880
CORVALLIS detached the notorious
Colonel Ferguson to the frontiers O
North Carolina, for the ostensible pur:
pose of encouraging the Tories of thai
region to take up arms for the king
Ferguson's force consisted in par
of the most profigate and aban
doned characters of the partisan days
and his march was marked by atroci.
ties of the most shocking description
The hardy men of the Carolinas, Ken
lucky and Virginia rose against the
marauders, and, led by Boone and
other backwoods' worthless, gave them
decisive defeat at Kings Mountain
Ferguson was slain in the battle, anC
his fellow.foragers, numbering abou,
1000 were nearly all killed or cap
tured.
This conflict revived the hopes O
the Southern patriots, and forced Corn
wallis to return to Charleston discom
fttod ond cost down
ave shall have rest now," the pa
triots said, after the battle. "Ferguson
the dreaded, is dead, and the few Tories
who escaped with their wretchedrlives
are not strong enough to do US HARM .
Everywhere in the vicinity of the
battlefield the Americans breathec
freer, and the Loyalists in whose inter
ests Ferguson had marched to his
death curbed the loyalty, and in secre
cy swore revenge.
But the settlements were soon tt
learn that the victory of Kings Noun
tain had nerved the arm of foe more
terrible than any which they hao
hitherto known.
The existence of the new terror wa
discovered by a boy one morning abou
a fortnight after the battle. He found
the family of Archibald Mettson muir
dered in their own house, and to the
corpses had been pinned a paper bear
ing these words:
"This for the gallant Ferguson !"
This terrible atrocity. aroused tht
country, and the excitement was quick
ly heightened by the finding of the body
of another murdered patriot. On tht
cold breast which had been pierced by
pistol balls, was the pallid paper and it,
words of terrible import, and tht
country knew that fearful vengeance
would be taken for Kings Mountain
During the week that followed the
discovery mentioned, the work of the
Avengers was terrible. They fell upor
the patriot houses at the dead Of night
and left on the bosom of their victims
the five words which had already ter
rorized the country. 1t was in vair
that the patriots summoned their Gun
ming and energy for the capture of the
band of demons, which, as it had beer
discovered, numbered six men, mask
ed and mounted on black horses. They
came and went like ghosts but al
ways left behind the terrible sentence
which had made their existence exc
cradle. At times they fell upon thei1
hunters, and left them by the roadside
marked with the sign of vengeance.
Fear began to paralyze the Carolin
ians; many abandoned their homes fol
the sake of their families; and it il
probable that the entire district woult
have been depopulated in q short time
had it not been for the courage of ont
woman.
Her name was Alice Beauchampe.
1t was dark night in the last weel
of November, when the heronie of m!
story left the house of friend. He
own house, which had been deserted
for several days, was not far away, ant
she bad determined to return to it fo
the purpose of securing an article o
apparel left behind in her recent
fight.
Before she set out on her journe!
she was warned of the dangers tina
environed it; but she smiled, and de
clared that she did not mind them
She could enter the old house through
the kitchen in the rear, find the gar
ments without light and, return safe
ly to her friends.
The path she had often traverset
was barely discernible; but she mad
good headway, and reached her hom
without incident. The silence of tn
grave hung about the forsaken place
and the lifting of the latch sent
thrill of terror to the young girl
heart. Through the kitchen, acros
the deserted parlor, and up the stairs
she crept to the room where she ha'
left the object of her nocturnal quest
The drawer of the old bureau yielde'
without noise and Alice was drawinI
forth the garment, when the voice
of men fell upon her ears.
She started, dropped her prize, AM
with her heart in her throat, crept t
the window that overlooked the poarcl
in front of the house. She could Sc
nothing, for the night was too dark
but the voices of men, mingled wit
the champing of bits, continued to sa