The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-12
WHERE SATAN WALKED.
Tmprints Of Foot and Chain He f.
Supposed 40 Have Made.

From the Philadelphia Times.
In picturesque corner among the Car
olina hills there is an OLD mill. concerning
which strange traditions are told. The
lower story is built OF unknown rock while
the upper story consists OF two substan-
tial rooms One OF the rooms is much larg-
er than the other. the smaller one being a
mere closet in comparison with the front
apartment. The mill looks as though 90
had been built TO resist a siege. and IL
surely has Witnessed many strange send
horrible scenes, even II but the half that
is told is true.
The mill was built just before the war
OF the revolution. II is apparently stu
ated at the foot OF a red Hill The trees
that stand around are massive. bat few.
\ gray and solitary sycamore grows near
the little bridge. and stands like snroud-
ell torm; the rest of the trees are OAK. The
trumpet vine Is now rank near the en-
trance 10 the building. and its blooms are
10 the fanciful mind the CORY fingers OF a
murderer, reeking with the fresh blood or
his victim. The pork weed Is there, TOO.
with its red stalk, red berries, and reddish
leaves. The little stream almost 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 taml-
lies loved the daughter of Jealous W hlBt
and the day had been appointed Tor the
marriage. When il was first whispered
among the neighhors that the youth had
sided with the Tories. the girl was al
most broken hearted, but declared that she
would not believe the fact till she htaru
il from his own lips.
Sooner than she expected she had the
chance. one evening as she was ihllhliS
the cows her lover jumped over tne renee
and stood before her. She told him m
stantly what she had heard, expecting
yes" he said. ut is all true and be
fore another year your rather VIII WISH
he was as / ann
lie would see his grave first" the girl
Indignantly replied.
HE may not have far to go to ma II,
the young man avowed, with peculiar
intonatiOn in his voice.
He persisted in following the girl,
against her will. TO the house. The girl
father was there, and he forbade his
neghbcr entrance, saying an enemy 10
his country was not welcomed IN ms
house The girl ardently sanctioned by
word and manner the action OF her rather.
Tradition does not tell all that followed.
However the young man, whose name
was Jack Cotton, left in towering rage,
swearing that when next he returned he
would enter If he pleased; went away ana
was seen no more until year atterWard.
Pretty Nancy Langon continued TO milk
her cows
sion in the country that people became
Injured to danger and We're 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 II 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 Gen. Greene, and
even the slightest suggestion OF their
death was terrible to her. Her younger
daughter Eva was of her temperament.
She shiVered too, when the wind blew
too hard or when neighboring woman
brought in the tidings OF the disastrous
result of some far-off battle. Little Eva
would crouch closer to her mother and
they two, with hand clasped, would pray
for their far-Om 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 a 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 un-
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 fore his
safety.
There was a 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 Tar 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 friends goodbye Jack Col
ton, with half dozen comrades ran
down the stone steps and seized them.
The three girls were borne screaming
to the rooms above.
The little brother, a lad of or 10, who
had trailed after his sister, but had lin
gered behind throwing stones and eating
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 mn
he was seen, but not until he had taken
his stand under straight tree, whose
branches We're 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.
twas not his blood the neighbor wanted,
knowing as he did that life and conscious
ness were such agony to the stricken
father as a thousand bullets could never
He heard his daughters screams. One
was allowed to appear for a moment at
the window that he might see her, and
still he stood, appearing not to have the
power to move.
and taunts were hurled at him. Then
suddenly Jack Cotton flung wide open the
door and appeared standing on the thresh-
old With a laugh and a curse he cried
out to the old man to come and join them
Quick as a flash the old flint was
caught up from against the dark trunk
of the tree, where 1t had nnperceiYed been
placed. In an instant there was a fash
followed by a report, and Jack Colton's
brains and blood stained the door against
which he was leaning. The stain is point
ed out to this day
Nancy and her friend lived and mar.
ried Eve died very soon after the terri
bic catastrophe that unhinged her mind
1T is said that the devil was seen soon
afterward walking through the room
which had been and remained as long as
they were in power, rendezvous foI
fairies.
It is said that Satan was seen, heard
and the sulphur smelt, and his tracks
burned in the solid floor that are pointed
out as evidences of the truth of this as
sertion. 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 red-hot chain touched the floor
as he dragged it behind him. Some be
lieve. Elise" they say, "how were those
tracks made?" And looking upon them
burned into the floor. as they are, they
do send a strange thrill of belief through
the one beholding them and knowing the
the story of the unfortunate girls to be
a true one.
UnusHrUN nnCsrnn