Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-11-10
The MASTER OF APPLEBY|
BY Francis Lynde. -S
BY Francis Lyndo.


| would find it's mark in me and let me
die a soldiers death.
So it was that / saw little more of the
battle detail, and of that fierce frenzy
time / have memory pictures only OF
the dead and dying Of the torn ana
wounded and bleeding men with whom
we wrought. striving as we might to
stanch the ebbing life-tide or to ease
! the dying gently down into the valley
Of shadows.
And as for my prayer, it went all
| unanswered. once when l had a dy-
ing Tory's head pillowed on my knee
/ saw a rineman thrust his weapon
between the wheel spokes of the outer
wagon and draw a bead on me. !
heard the crack Of the Deckard, the
zip of the bullet singing at my ear,
| and the mans angry oath at his miss
ing of me. once again a rifle ball
| passed through my hair at the braid
ing Of the queue and / felt the hot
touch Of it on my scalp like a breath
Of flame. Another time a m"ountaineer
leaped the rock barrier TO beat me
down with the butt of his rifle-and in
the very act Tybee rose up and throt-
tied him l saw the grapple, sprang
to my feet and whipped out my sword.
Stop" | commanded; you have
broken your parole, Lieutenant
The freed borderer glared from one
to the other Of us. "Loonies!' he
yelled; IN slaughter the o of ye!'
And so he would have done, l make no
doubt. had we not laid hold of him to-
gether and heaved him back over the
breastWork.
These are but Incidents, points of
contact where the fray touched us
two at the wagon barricade. l pass
tIa,, hyy with thu mention aG |
have passed by the sterner horrors
of that furious killing time. These
last are too large for my pen. AS we
could gather in the din and tumult, the
mountain men rushed again and again
to the attack. and as often the brave
major, or De Peyster, led the bayonet
charges that pushed them back. Yet in
the end the unerring bullet suppressed
the bayOnet; there came a time when
flesh and blood could no longer endure
the death-dealing cross-fire from front
and rear.
| saw the end was near when the
major ordered the final charge, and
Captain De PeySter formed his line and
led it forward at a double-quick. The
m~ountaineers held more than half the
hilltop now, and this forlorn hope was
TO try to drive them down h farther
slopes. On it went, and | could see the
men pitch and tumble out of the line
until at bayonet reach Of the riflemen
there were less than a dozen afoot and
fit to make the rush.
De Peyster fought his way back to
the wagons, gasping and bloody. Some
of the tories crOWding around raised a
white flag. The major, sorely wounded
now and all but disabled, swore a great
oath and rode rough-shod into the ruck
Of covering militiamen to pull down the
flag. Again the white token Of surren-
der was raised, and again the major
rode in to beat it down with his sword.
At this Captain De Peyster put in his
word.
"'Tis no use, major; there's no more
fight left in us! Five minutes more OF
t hlsand Wen be shot down to a mani
FerguSCn's reply was a raging oath
broad enough to cover all the enemy
and his own remnant as we'll; and then,
before a hand could he lifted to stay
him, he had wheeled his horse and was
g%alloptng straight for the patriot line
at the farther extremity of the hilltop.
What he meant to do will never be
known till that great day when all Sc
crets shall be revealed. For that flu
rious oath was this brave gentleman's
last word to us or to any. a dozen
bounds, it may be, the good charger
carried him; hen the storm of rifle
bullets beat him from the saddle. AnC
so died one of the ~gallantest officers
that ever did an unworthy kings WORK
on the field of battle.
/ would l might forget the terrible
scene which followed this killing of the
British commander. Twas little to o u
credit, but ! may not pass 1t over In
silence. De Peyster quickly sent a mar
TO the front with a white flag, and the
answer was a murderous volley which
killed the ~fiag-bearer and many others
Again the flag was raised on a rifle,
barrel, and once more the answer wa!
a storm of the leaden death poured int
the panic-stricSen crowd huddled Xix,
sheep at the wagons.
God said De PeySter; and Will
that he began to beat his men into line
with the fiat of his sword in a frenz.
of desperation, being minded, as h
afterward told me. to give them tn,
poor chance to die a-fighting.
saw not Wha followed unen thi
last despairing effort. for now Type,
was down and / was kneeling besid,
him TO search for the wound. Blu
when / looked again, the crackiin!
crashes OF the rife-firing had ceased
A stout, gray-headed man. whom / af
terward knew as Isaac Shelby's father
was riding up from the patriot line t
receive Captain De Peyster'S sword
and the battle was ended