Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-03-12

| WHdt! 10 De burned uOWH d6dih Wy
other Tories s?-no, no! 1 am chopped
Already cannot be chopped much
worse, and live; and IL I must suffer,
let me suffer with those who will help
me to strike, too, and to revenge my
wrongs! 1 will burn too; / Will Kill
too. will have blood for what / have
lost, and the sufferings Of others shall
pay me for my own and yours"
Singleton approached at this mo-
ment, and the prisoners, so lately
freed, gathered around him. Each
had his own story of aftliction to tell,
and each more mournful than the
other.
They chased me, 1t mought be a
matter Of three miles, fore I gin up,
captain, and they wore out a bunch
of hickories on my back, because l
run-jest see the marks" was the
complaint Of one. Another had his
tale Of petty treachery; his neighbor
who had eaten a hundred times Of his
bacon and hoecake had come In the
night time, shot down his cattle and
finally led the Tories to his door to
butcher him. Another had his wife
shot in her bed, in mistake for
himself, while he was traversing the
swamp to make his escape. And so
on-one with a tale Of simple cruelty
one with a burning, another with a
murder, and some with even more
atrocious crimes-each Of the prison.
ers had his own and his familys suf-
ferings, at the hands Of the blood
| thirsty Tories, to narrate to their de-
| liverer.
Singleton administered his consola-
| tions, and put arms into their hands.
The greater number of them Joined
him; those who did not, received the
| upbraidings, in no stinted measure, or
those who did. The lately doomed
prisoner, Griffin, seized upon a broad
| sword-a massive weapon, which had
fallen from the hands Of huge-limb-
ed Tory-and proffered himself among
the first His wife laid her hand up
| on his arm
| "Oh. husband, you are not a-going
to join the soldiers? You are not go
ing a-fighting?"
He looked sternly upon her, and
shook away her grasp with indigna-
| tion.
"Ay, but am: you shan't keep me
from my duty any longer. I wanted
| to come out six months ago, but you
| tried the same game over me, and
| was fool enough to mind you, and see
how it's turned out Our cattle shot
the house burnt-the farm destroyed
and me chopped up. and almost hung;
and all owing to you"
The woman sank back at the re-
proach. The girl came between them
| She only said:
"Oh, father!"
| The tearfully bright eyes Of the girl
did the rest He felt their reproach;
and more deeply when the girl turned
to the sad and stricken mother, and
with arms about her neck, murmured-
"He don't mean II, mother; it's only
| hn,o NIL
He don't mean what he says"
But there was a truth at the bottom
of Griff1n's reproaches, though the
blame was rather his than his wife's
| II the fears Of the woman kept him
back unwisely from his duties, the
| weakness was his. But without mean
ing unkindness, and only desiring to
declare his new resolution, Grimm
answered the apologetic speech Of his
daughter in a rough fashion.
| do mean 1t! I do mean 1t! She
| whined, and begged, and cried, and
kept me back, until the bloody var
mints overcrowded us at every turn.
She shall keep me back no longer
say to you, major, here's an arm, and
here's a sword. To be sure the arms
chopped, and the owner Is ragged with
cuts and scratches; but no matter,
they're true blood, and, by Cd, it's at
your service for old Carolina Put me
down in your orderly book as one OF
your men, as long as the troop holds
| together. Wat Griffin is one OF your
men, and one Of Marion's men, and
one Of all men that are enemies 10
the Tories"
The man was resolute, and his wife
spared all farther speech. She knew
how unavailing was the woman's
pleading against the stern will Of the
man, once determined upon. She clung
to his arm, however; and it could be
seen, in that moment Of reserve and or
doubt, Of trying adventure and long
fatigue rising up before them, that the
firmness Of her resolution to- share his
fortunes was equal to that which had
determined him upon them.
An hours labor buried the bodies OF
the men who had fallen in the conflict
The recruits were we'll armed from the
hands of those who had perished and
become prisoners; and, with troop
now grown to a respectable size from
the acquisitions of the morning, Sin
gleton prepared for his farther prog
ress. The men were soon mounted,
some riding double-as the number OF
horses was not now equal to that or
the partisans The prisoners were driV-
en- along before them; and rather more
slowly than they otherwise would nave
marched, not thus embarrassed, our
little corps OF patriots was soon IN
motion. Singleton led the march at
gentle pace-the boy, Franmton, as
had latterly been his wont, taking his
place and keeping close alongside OF
his commander.