The herald., 1896-02-28
THE ROMANCE. OFElN|LL
A Tale From the North Carolina
Mountains
THE ANCIENT TRADITION
THE ANCIENT
Tells of Scenes Of the War Of the
Revolution
A Fearful Crime and How It Was Atoned by
Jack colton's Death at
Fathers Hands

Carolina hills there is al old mill, con-
cerning which strange traditions are told.
Tho lower story is built of unhewn 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 as though
1t had been built to resist siege, and it
surely has witnessed many strange and
horrible scenes, even If 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 Whig,
and the day had been appointed for the
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 it
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 60 to find it,"
the young man avowed, with a peculiar
intonation In his voice.
He persisted in following the girl, against
her will, to tho house. The girls father
was there, and he forbade his neighbor en-
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 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 il 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 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 whom a 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 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 a man that she might be with her
father and brothers to fight for the ooun-
try she loved SO we'll.
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 for his
safety.
There was o 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, lad Of 9 or 10,
who had trailcd after his sister, 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 neighbors wanted,
knowing, as he did, that life and con-
seriousness were such agony to the stricken
! father as a thousand bullets could never
produce.
He hoard 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 y laugh and curse he cried
out to tho old man to come and join them
| Quick as a fash the old flint and steel
was caught up from against the dark
trunk Of the tree, where it had, unper
ceived, been placed. In an instant there
was flash, followed by report, and Jack
| Colton's brains and blood stained the dool
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
bio catastrophe that unhinged her mind
| 1t is said that the devil was seen soon aft
onward walking through that room
| which had been and remained as long a!
they were in power a rendezvous fol
| Tories.
| 1t Is said that satan was seen, heard ant
the sulphur smelled, and his tracks burn
ed into the solid floor that are pointed ou
as evidences Of the truth of this assertion
The natives point out the track of his olul
foot, then of his other foot, and so on
There, too, are the prints where the red
hot chain touched tho floor as he dragged