The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-06-14
AN UNALLOYED
ROMANCE

(Originall
The popular understanding Of the
word romance is fictitious story. The
converse is true. Romance is some
thing real. though it may be put into
effective shape by story writer's just as
a landscape is reproduced by the art
list There are very few romances but
need to be added to or subtracted from
that they may impress those who hear
them, because they are usually min
gled with the commonplace. Occasion
ally we hear of one In which the TO
mantle features are so perfect, so IN
alleged. that the story may be given
exactly as 1t occurred. Here is one re-
corded in at least two histories Of the
American Revolution. 1t is a nugget of
pure romance:
The bitterness existing between Wing
and Tory during the war for independ-
ence was equaled in America only by
that between the Unionist and seces-
sionist during the civil war. In the
CarOlinas this rancor was especially
hCu. LII no MAJ WSNoAkss
twenty-five years old. who owned
farm ON the Catawba river, married
Betty Crawford. a niece of Andrew
Jackson, afterward the hero of New
Orleans and president of the United
States. McGarry was Wing and was
especially hated by the Tories. After
his marriage he joined the command of
General Sumter. In the spring of
1850 the British Colonel TarletOn, with
400 of his own troops and as many
Tory mounted riflemen. swept down
on the settlement where the McGarrys
lived. attacked Colonel Buford's Cont
nentals and militia and defeated and
massacred them. giving no quarter.
Soon after this raid new light
shone in the McGarry cabin. emanating
from the tiny person of newborn
babe The father. being notified. deter
mined to make a flying visit to his
wife and the child that had come te
him In his absence. 1t was a danger
GUS thing to do, for TarletOn's raid had
given the Wings control Of the settle
ment. and if McGarry were caught by
them he would be murdered, probably
hanged. But his love for his wife and
his desire to see and hold in his arms
the little stranger, bit Of innocence
that seemed to have come to shame
those who were numbering one an
other. prevailed. and he made the trip.
OF the meeting between husband and
wife and the Introduction of the father
to his child history is silent. But
there are features Of story that the
skillful story teller prefers to leave to
the readers fancy. and this romance
does not suffer by the absence Of an
attempt to give what no artist can
paint except clumsily. While the lit
tie family were together the Tories
got wind of McGarry's visit and were
organizing a force to go to his cabin
and capture or kill him. At the dead
of night they surrounded the place
and demanded the surrender Of the
man they wanted. The negro nanny
who was taking care of the mother
who had been confined only three
weeks before and the newborn child
went to the door and assured the
Tories that her young master was not
there. She was not believed. The
house was searched from top to bot
tom, but they did not find McGarry.
An hour before he had taken his de-
parture and was well on his way to
Sumter's command. thirty miles away.
When satisfied that he was not at home
the Tories helped themselves to food
and drink and departed.
1t was no time for this woman to
have men in her house searching for
her husband to kill him. The next
day Mrs. McGarry died from spasms
brought on by the inhuman treatment
and her babe did not survive her TWEEN
ty-fOur hours
Taking a double barreled gun, one