The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1896-01-24
ROMANCE OF A MILL.
STORY FROM THE OLD NORTH CAR
OLlNA MOUNTAINS.
What Tradition Tells of Fearful Scene
OF the War of the Revolution and How
1t Was Atoned For-The Self Command
of q Father-How Jack Cotton Died,

| ~
of Father-How Jack Cotton Died.
| In a picturesque corner among the
Carolina hills there is an old mill, con-
oerning which strange traditions are told
The lower story is built of Anhewn rock
while the upper story consists of two sub
stantial rooms. One of the rooms is much
larger than the other, the smaller one be-
| ing mere closet In comparison with the
front apartment. The mill looks rs though
1t had been built to resist a siege, and 1t
surely has witnessed many strange and
horrible scenes, even IL 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 jealous Wing,
marriage. When 1t was first whispered
among the neighbors that the youth had
sided with the Tories, the girl was almost
brokenhearted, but declared that she would
not believe the fact till she had heard 1t
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 her She told him instantly
what she had heard, expecting vehement
denial.
YES" he said, sit is all true, and be-
fore another year your father will wish he
was as am.''
'He would see his grave first" 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 on
trance saying an enemy to his country
was not welcome In his house. The girl
ardently 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 II
he pleased, went away and was seen no
more until year afterward Pretty Nancy
Langon continued to 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, 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
lit 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
or when neighboring woman brought in
the tidings of the disastrous result of some
faroff battle. Little Eva would crouch
closer to her mother, and they two, with
hands clasped, would pray for their farotf
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 coun-
try she loved so well.
One day their father returned quite I'M
expeotedly. The news had just preceded
his arrival that Jack Cotton and a 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 neighbours daughter spend
ing the night with Nancy and Eva, and
early the next morning the two girls start
ed to accompany their friend 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 a half
dozen comrades, ran down the stone steps
and seized them.
The three girls were borne, screaming,
to the rooms above.
Their little brother, a lad of 0 or 10,
who had trailed after his sister, but had
fingered behind, throwing stones and eat
ing the waysids 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 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
IL WAS uOb DIS DlOOu tn6 De1R0DOrS WauIUu,
knowing, as he did, that life and con-
seriousness were such agony to the stricken
father as a 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 at 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 to the old man to come and join them.
Quick as fash the old flint and steel
was caught up from against the dark
trunk of the tree, where 1t had, upper
ceived, been placed. In an instant there
was flash, followed by a 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 terri
BILE catastrophe that unhinged her mind.
1t Is said that the devil was seen soon aft
erward walking through that room,
which had been and remained as long as
they were in power a rendezvous for
Tories.
TA l. Al a