The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-10-02
The WAR Woman's" Guests.


doorway Of her rude log cabin one
morning in the spring OF 1870. She
had been gazing earnestly up tho road.
but as her glance turned and fell upon
the place below where War Womau's
creek joined Broad river, she smiled
grimly, for she knew the stream had
lbeen named in her honor and that
Aalong the border Of South Carolina
and Georgia she was known as the
''War Woman" Not that she was
the only brave woman, for the neigh
borhood had been named by the
tories "rhe Hornets Nest, so active
were the patriots there, but Nancy
was the most fearless of them ALL Tho
feeling was bitter and many of her
neighbors, both wings aud tories, had
forfeited their lives for their conyic-
tions.
Nancy this morning had frequently
gone to the door, for reports of bands
of tories sent out from Augusta had
been current and her husband aud
three of the neighbors were now
hiding in the swamp below the house,
but she knew she could warn him of
danger by the conch she'll concealed
in the stump near the spring. One
blast meant that Britishers were near,
two that he was wanted at the cabin,
and three that he was to make his
escape to another swamp. AS she
could Gee no signs of danger, she
turned again to her work. She did
not know that five tories were then
riding rapidly along the upper road,
and that the "War Womans" house
was their destination; nor was she
aware that the day was to be the most
exciting in her life.
Soon, however, she was again stand
ing in the doorway, holding her rude
rolling pin in her hands. This time
she was startled at the sound of ap-
preaching horsemen, and in a moment
the five tories appeared. She stood
and watched them as they let down
the bars and rode up in front of the
door. She had recognized them at
once and knew that she had to deal
with the most brutal men in all that
region.
"We want to know, said the leader
roughly, whether you hid that rebel,
John SPINNER, from the kings men
the other day?"
81 don't know that it concerns you,
but did" Nancy was calm, but her
eyes were swapping. "As soon as I
saw the boy and knew the traitors
were chasing him let down the bars
and he rode straight through the
house and hid in the swamp. Then ]
put up the bars and came into the
house and shut the doors. Pretty
soon up came the tories and called to
me. / clapped a shawl on my head
and opening the door. asked what
they wanted to distrub poor, sick
woman for. They told me they had
tracked the man to my house, and
wanted to know whether I had seen
any one on horseback or not. pre-
tended to think for a bit, and then
told them saw a man on a sorrel
horse turn ont of the path into the
woods about two hundred yards back.
That's our man, said the fools, and
they started off in hurry. II they'd
stopped to look at the ground they'd
have seen his tracks this side of tho
bars, but that's the way with suct
-high-headed traitors.
''Youll be sorry for that some day,
said the leader angrily. "But give
US something to eat.
II never feed traitors or kings
men.
"But you'll feed us, :" said the lead
er, enFaged, and leaping from hi
horse. Nancy was calm but her GRASP
Of her rolling pin frightened. She dix
not move as the man approached ant