Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-01-26
MARKS DEATH HOUR.
Ancient TtmepieCe Near Bards-
town, KY, with Story OF
Love and Death.

town, KY, with a Story OF
Love and Death.
Seven miles east of BardstoWr, Ay., in
what is known as the Beech grove neigh
borhood, dwells Nathan Colerain, wild
over of advanced years, and his maiden
sister, who is now past middle life. The
Colerain residence is an old-fashioned, I'M
pretentious farmhouse, situated in the
midst of a verdant lawn, Swallowed by
heavy foliaged forest trees
Miss Patsy Colerain, or, "Aunt Patsy"
as she is Familiarity known to her neigh
bors and friends, is a woman of refine
ment, bearing traces of youthful beauty.
She is quiet and unObtrusive and has not
gone beyond the pale of her own yard for
over thirty years. There is a tragic his
tory connected with her estrangement
from the world.
In the spacious hall of the Colerain
homestead stands q clock; an old-fash-
toned affair Of the grandfather" species.
This tlmepiece is over century old, and
is a Quaint-looking object, with the smil-
ing face Of full moon and a ship riding
at anchor on a placid sea- painted above
its dial. The pendulum of the old clock
has been motionless and it's ella borately
carved brass hands have never moved
Slice u Idtelul night III the year 1OOf,
when it played an important part in a
bloody tragedy that broke Miss Patsy
Colerain's heart and enveloped her life
in pail of gloom that will never be
lifted this side the grave.
In 1864 Miss Colerain was one of the
handsomest young women in Nelson
county. Of an old-line family, wealthy
in her own name, she was naturally
much sought after and had suitors by the
score. Of course, she had but one
choice, and that was Reuben Morehead,
descendant of one of kentucky's gov
errors, who claimed Nelson county as
his birthplace Young Morehead was an
orphan and had been reared by a neigh
boring farmer. Patsy had known him
all her life and had loved him as far
back as she could remember.
The war broke out and Reuben took
up arms for the North. Then followed
sad days for the young girl. Her father
was in the far South battling for the
Confederacy Thus she was left alone,
with only the faithful negro slaves and a
nephew barely in his teens At the time
the neighborhGod was full of guerillas
Munday and his terrible gang were ter
rorizing that entire section and soldier
and civilian alike were falling victims
at their hands. The outlaws were fire.
quently at the Colerain home, and, while
Patsy had never suffered any indignities
from them, she was in constant terror
lest she might
On a rainy night in April, 1864, Miss
COlerain was sitting before a cheerful
fire, her mind busy with thoughts of
her absent lover, when suddenly the door
opened and young Morehead, attired in a
handsome uniform, stood before her Be
fore she could speak the young soldier
caught her IN his arms and showered
kisses upon her bIushing face. A second
trembling with fright, demonstrated
with him for daring to leave his COM
mand and coming there alone The
country, she said, was swarming with
guerrillaS and other enemies of his cause
and if he was caught his life would sure
ly pay the penalty. He soon treasured
her, however, and convinced her that he
could reach his lines, which were not far
away, without the least danger to him
self. Happy to have him with her, she
nestled up to him on the old sofa, and to-
gether they talked of love and the happy
time when the cruel war would be over
and they would be united.
While thus pleasantly engaged there
came above the patter of the rain the
tramping of many horses. The lovers
faces blanched with terror, for they
knew that enemies were upon them.
which paralyzed her every thought and
motion. The yard was filed with half
drunken guerrillas. When her speech at
last came to her she turned to her lover
and said:
my God, Reuben, it is Sue Monday
and his gang. If they catch you here it
is certain death! Oh, what shall / do?
By this time the guerrillas were at the
door, clamOring for admittance. Then
it was that an ida came to the distressed
girl.
1.-THE old clock, Reuben, get into that:
it is large, and they will never discover
you there
The young man lost no time in clam
bering into the barrel Of the clock Then,
with alighter heart, she admitted the
guerrillas, who were growing and ours
ing at the delay. Filing through the long
hall into the coy sitting room, they took
seats and demanded refreshments. Pat
sy left to comply with their demands.
but she had hardly reached the dining
room when she heard the guerrillas raw
ing and cursing and the reports of fire.
arms.
Fearing the worst, she hurried back
and reached the hall just in time to wit
ness the outlaws dragging the dead body
of her lover from the old clock. At this
juncture again came the tramp of horses,
followed by more firing and commotion,
and then to Patsy came q blank. For
weeks the girl lowered between life and
death, a victim to brain fever When
the fever finally left her she was but
wreck of her former self. When she
grew stronger they told her that she had
neglected to conceal her lovers over
coat and gloves. The guerrillas discoy-
cred them and instituted a search for
the young soldier. The latter threw
open the door of the old clock with the
hope of making his escape, when he was
shot and instantly killed. About this
time a detachment of young Morehead's
command sWOoped down upon the cuer-
rillas and put them to flight
This story reads like fiction, but every
word of it is true. One of the actors
still lives, and the old clock, with de-
faced woodwork and motionless ma
chinery, stands in the self-same spot it
did on that dreadful night, it's brazen
hands yet marking the hour that the
brave young soldier met his DEATH
Proof of Authorizations.
The dark, smoky color which is found