The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1897-10-29

ri: {; :. IN = n. !: !. !.
The report of eUea'y. 1nuskets reached her
gears I;s -.
and now and then as the firing died
away little her heart stood, still at the
thought that Kenton and his comrade
had been captured by those who thirsted
for their lives. She, e,could only weep and
pray as the hours dragged away. Hope
came to her only. when she heard the
clatter of iron hoofs, on the frozen, road
and looked oufeto behold. the two COM
panies of Federal cavalry sweeping up
the highway toFthe rescue. Uncle Ben
had been in time, and she murlnured,
God bless hilnf'' as she realized what
it meant. The dead guerfillast Icy in
plain sight as the troopers pushed on,
and she shuddeIed as. she realized what
might have. been. The dead were for
gotten for moment in her anxiety for
the living. There had been no firing for
the last 10 inmates. Had the camp been
captured? Had help come too late? She
stood, in the open door and held herself
on her feet While she listened. A sud-
den crash of musketry told her what she
troopers had, attacked, and they were
strong enough to beat off or annihilate
the besiegefs. Half an hour later she
was crying. and sobbing and saying to
the men who bore the litter:,
Carefully now! Bring him right, in
this. way! ! am SO glad! I was afraid
that he was deads's-s ,-;n -.
The prisoners were confined in the
barn.; OF" the entire' force: not one had
escaped except Tke' Baxter, land that
only because he was absent. There were
dozen or more. dead men to bury. and
after awhile detail WAS sent back to
perform the work. A dozen dead, but
no wounded. If you were in the valley
that winter, you will recall the bitter
ness existing between the ''irregulars, -
who:Were practically bushwhackers and
guerrillas, and the Federal cavalry. No
prisoners were taken on either side. If
Federal .detachmgnt was cut off, never
man returned to his lines. If a coul
rier twas captured, he was shot in his
tracks or fihngS to the limb of roadside
tree. There-was'no;more mercy shown
OF the other side. g.he capture of, an
armed man in citizens dress or half
uniform meant that be had only Is min
utes, to live at the: :furthest., If. he
claimed to belong to; MesbY's. band, he
coufted deatRthe sooner. Men who fell
in Afght went down to be buried there.
Custer with his troopers found Uncle
Ben eagerly awaiting them. The old
man was given a. seat in an ambulance,
and, within few minutes the general
had. heard his story. The order was CIV
en- to push ON Hat aifaster pace, and the
command reached Rest Haven4 just as
thes prisoners had been placed under
guard.i "A surgeon. accompanied the
coBamn land while. he was busy dressing
Keaton's wounds General Custer was
holding an interview with Marian Per-
cy. The result of this was an order that
the dead woman and the wounded man
should be taken: back to the, Federal
Iines-the; enc. for burial, 1.-The other for
proper medical treatment. Whatever
Marian wished to take away would be
transported tQrher; and thesplace would
be abandoned.
Steve. Brayton had come out of the
affair." al greater hero 'thanzghe had ever
hopH to BE. Although: frankly ac-
knobIedging himself an.eseaped prs
onef and. new againcaptured by the en-.
emiss Of his cause, every Federal who
understood how he had fortified the
camp and defendedit to savea wounded
andsalm9st helpless fellow Confederate
insikted bn taking. him by the hand and
tenaering him hearty congratulations.
Even General Custer himself did not
withhold a word of praise. after, learn
ing; from Marian and Kenton:of Bray
TOMS bravery and self sacrifice.
.s.Waal, gineral. dunno about .all
this replied Steve, with good deal Of
embarrassment. Reckon I was the
means of gittin that Yank into the Con-
federate service, and now it looks as il
I was the means of gittin him out and
myself along with him. We uns- hev
been driv outer the southern army by
that fout up af'the camp, and if yo' uns
don't take keer of us I reckon we uns
will hey to hunt.a cave sumwhar and
hide away till the war is over"
The packing, sup had been accom-
plished, and the dead woman was about
to be carried eutsof the house when the
burial party was driven in by strong
force of Confederates. Ike Baxter had
gailoped into The Confederate lines, only
five or SIX nj les away. with information
that speedily sent two companies of cav
airy down the road as reinforcement.
One Of these was Captain Wyle's, and
he smiled sEEimly as he recalled the cir
cumstances of -shis last ride over this
highway. q :
Ike Baxter had come into camp on a
previous occasion to report that Kenton
and Brayton we're hiding out near Rest
Haven, and that he had been nearly
killed by Uncle Ben while trying to fol-
low him to the hiding place of the fugi-
tives. Captain Wyle would wash his
hands of the affair, but detachment
was sent away with orders to hunt down
and bring IN the prisoners. Steve Bray
ton might be brought in, but he very
we'll knew that Kenton would not be,