The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1905-02-09
HOLDING THE
LIGHTHOUSE

Carolina coast, and one evening during
the last year of the war l was driven
inside by seven Confederates, who had
landed from a sloop near by and whose
mission was to destroy the light i
was well provided with arms and am
munition, and as they came within
shooting distance / opened DIRE and
wounded one OF them. All of them at
once moved to the left to get out of
range, and five minutes later there was
demand that surrender. In case of
refusal they would burn me out.
AS the lower door was stout one
and loopholed for musketry and as
there was no drift stun within a mile
OF us 10 make fire, was not greatly
worried over the appearance of the
men and their threats. made the door
secure and then climbed to the top of
the lighthouse, and just as got there
the sloop from which the soldiers had
landed and which had been left to take
care of itself was foated off the beach
by the rising tide and soon passed be-
yond recovery. The situation now pre-
scented was rather curious one.
was prisoner inside the lighthouse,
but the gang were prisoners outside as
well. We were on an island, and there
was no escape for them without
boat.
Iexpected to be fred on when light.
ed the lantern, which was in an ex.
posed position, and, sure enough, they
opened on me with their muskets and
shaved me pretty close three or four
times. got down safely, however,
and then had only the door TO look
after during the night. got another
demand to surrender, but only laughed
at it, though two of the men crept
softly up and gave me several bullets
through the loopholes, which might
have finished me had been standing
erect.
The fellows could not tell whether l
had been hit or not, and about 8 o'clock
l heard them crawling up again to lis
ten. AS one of them rubbed against
the door l fired through loophole, and
the yell which answered the shot was
proof that / had wounded another
What the unwounded would do during
the night could only guess ut and be
on the watch TO checkmate. The two
wounded men must have suffered a
great deal, but the leader was deter
mined fellow and bound to carry out
his orders.
Soon after the woundIng of the sec
ond man heard the whole party NOV
ing away. and II was a matter of two
hours before they returned. They had
searched the shores for driftwood and
brought back loads OF it.
or sudden, while / was listening
with the closest attention, the loop
holes Were stopped up with stlckc
thrust into them, and then the supply
OF firewood was heaped against the
door. There We're three men engaged
In this work, and all at once ! threw
fha door ,,.fIa o,.o..
~ .,,o,,' Ter ".a' open "nu pi''Nea away
- mem WIN my revolver AN wens
m : la az -. 'n 49, O.nels eouil come
no. ,nt,, ~, ~ I 80. sl ' asuin. :, was
.rho,,an : 80 "V IN ,"'er l'lh' Knew
throo ~ =, moui,ueu t,ie
,aan,,,,o nv 'l'nnsvu 10 clear lne
s.,..,Io' - "iu "'e VI 'iie "iert ior any
-, ~ "ne, one " 'lie sung
- ~" 'N 10 "e''' 10 ne '"reu anu snout-
&C..
ro,,sa.,, -" " ''e' W want " sur
sTI..
n,,. many " 9ou' "sAeu III re-
:.co -
s,so.,. nv " ~ Mouhueu anu
80 -. ne se'iit ~ oe ae'ld
60, - van set ue'p PretsS
wv,
a.. tne wv un"ouhueu
..n,,
80, s"'ini oii " get tne sioop ana
oeeh eaten py tne slhrKs
- ~. n.y. say sergeant lor ueilv-
e w" ~ uaeh on Us! we
, ~. l " capture anu uestroy the
uu' We iiaVe got the worst
VI ~ anu HAc ieuuy W SURRENDER 10