Daily camera., 1897-01-28
HE DAILY CAMERA.

whence the negroes had fed IN terror,
and aIl warring was a IN end. Such
were his orders, and he lad 70 choice:
yet it would have been wiser counsel
TO recall him and his party within "a
hours. They could have done better
service nearer home. How it happened
lone could ever surely say. Among
the whites it remained for years an
article of faith. that desperate AMI de-
termined negroes had followed Walton
Scroggs to his refuge and there wTeaked
vengeance for the blood Of their fellows.
Among the negroes it has never been
looked on as other than direct mani
festation of divine wrath upon their
enemies and prosecutors. How the
house could have so suddenly burst into
flame everyone could theorize and no
one explain; but at three o'clock in the
morning the few men remaining with
Capt. Close in camp were startled f1om
their sleep by the report of the sentry's
musket and the yell of "Fire!" and,
IL olI tiCil lShlEs. "'it
greeted by the sound of cracking wood
work and screams for aid and the sight
of Walton Hall one glare of flame.
Some men got there quicker than
others none were slow-but even the
foremost of the soldiers We're appalled,
and bewildered by what they saw and
| heard Katherine Walton and the q'!ad-
, room maid Elinor wringing their hands
and imploring them to save the bed
ridden mother, while Esther was max
! ing vain effort to drag helpless form
through the blazing hallway. 1t was at
| this iuncture that Close came labOring
| up the path. He was slow, heavy, had
longer distance to run, and was pant
| ing hard, but he burst through the
squad already scrampiiilg up the steps,
| sprang through the fire-fashing portal,
! and with the siren 9Th of an OK heaved
Walton, groaning, upon his shoulders,
| tumbled him out into the arms Of his
men, then turned on gasping Esther.
| where's your mothers room?" AL
most fainting, she could only lean upon
the pillar for support and point
| through the vista of smoke and flame.
Close leaped like tiger, with Gun
ningham and Murphy at his back. An
| instant, and these latter reappeared,
blind, staggering, their faces hidden
| in their hands, and burst out into the
open air, stumbling heedlessly down the
steps. n groan went up from the n.en;
hntr "a in In vain i,u, n
| and Mcbride strove to rush in to the
rescue. Mortal man could not stand
| such heat. And then, in the midst of
| the wild wailing of the terrified and
! helpless women, came from around the
north side of the house an eXultant
cheer. Those men who had had sense
enough to strive to reach the side win
dows were rewarded by the sudden
| thrusting open or the shutters and the
appearance of the well-known burly
form of their captain with some
blanket-shrouded shape in his arms.
| The flames leaped forth from that very
easement but a second after Close and
| his precious burden were lowered to
! the walk below.
And this was the story of brave
| mans deed be heard from every lip,
said Lambert, later, as he fastened
back on receipt of the news; and'this
was the response made by the brave
man himself when his lieutenant bent
over his seniors scared and bandaged
| face next day and rendered his soldierly
| congratulations Turning slowly over
on his side, Close pointed to the wreck
of pair of uniform trousers, scorched
and burned in. dozen places and ir-
retrievably ruined.
Look" said he, mournfully. Them
was my best n.--
! Then 1t was found that notonly had
! the strange old fellow lost his hair and
| heard, and not a little of the cuticle OF
[ his face and hands, as well as those
| patched but precious "best pants but
that his eyesight was thyeatened. The
good old doctor who had for so many
| years atto:.scd the Waltons, and who
| had come at,once to renew his ministra-
| tions under the humble roof in town
| that was their temporary refuge, lis
| tened to the story Of Closes heroism
with quickened pulse and kindled eye.
He and Mr. Barton Potts, who had
o.