Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-06-23
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herself severely to task ior her anxi-
ETY. and doubt, but she could not but
fear the return Of the refugees. Nor
was her uneasiness groundless.
i Receiving information from Scouts
and spies that the whaleb oatmen had
/ gone, Merit and bis party returned.
Their object was twofold revenge
/ and plunder and revenge on the de-
5fenceless household for harboring the
whaleboatmen. Their approach was
unheralded and the dam crossed and
4 mill surrounded before Jess-Billy,s
4 son who was grinding corn-was
! aware of the fact. He was taken
prisoner at once and shut up IN the
-four cooler. Captain Merit looked
! about the mill for coffee that had
been stored there. Jess told him it
had been taken away. -.
/ Where too" -'T'
"To White Plains for the Cont
mental Army"
WAS 1t paid for, and who had the
money!" Jess could not tell Angry
land bafHed, Merit thundered out:
You are lying, you black scound-
rel, but we'll squeeze the truth or the
life out of you!"
They attempted to hang the lad,
but, getting no further information,
cut him down. He fell to the floor,
blood gushing from his mouth. When
he recovered Merit asked him if Miss
Nanny knew. He could not tell, but
lif any one knew she did. They
kicked Jess out of the mill and he
ran to the barn to tell Billy that they
were going to make Miss Nanny tell
about the coffee or hang her.
Billy waited to hear no more, but
started for the house to protect his
young mistress; but Merits men
were there before him. Anne, pale
but quiet and firm, met them at the
door. The menisaid grufay:
,You must go to the mill with us. I"
One of them seized her roughly by
the shoulders. Then came an instant
revulsion of feeling. The timid girl
at the touch of the burly ruiIa,i was
transformed from a condition Of ter
ror to perfect fearlessness. She
turned upon him, saying:
..aTake thy hand off"
The man was cowed and shrank
back.
Trying to Nerves.
In her belief that sustaining
Hand. was near to support and direct
her, she allowed herself to be quietly
escorted to the mill. She was taken
to the upper story. On the stairs she
saw stains of blood, signs of Jess
maltreatment, which did not reas-
sure her. In the upper room Merit
and h1s men awaited her. From a
beam, overhead rope hung, moose
in the end. Under this she was led.
Trustful and fearless, she looked at
the crowd of hardened men with un-
quailing eyes. Some of them were
known to her. Captain Merit told
her she need not be frightened, for If
she would tell them where the coffee
was. taken no harm would come to
her. With her steady look she said: \;
am not frightened; the coffee;
was taken by the Continental COM
missarg.' n 3, Is y
How much was sold, and where
Is the money
s.I do not know"
H "Come, girl, you must know; you
can tell something. What has be-
come Of the money!
do not know and cannot tell,"
she said. Then he thundered at her:
Now, girl, we will find a way to
get the truth out of you!" Calm and
unmoved she answered:
st have already told thee the truth;
more cannot be got out of me-"
We will see what the rope will
do" He directed one of the men to
put the moose around her neck. One
stepped forward and raised the moose
over her head. She looked him
squarely in the face and said:
"Thee must not touch me-" The
rope dropped from the mans hand
and Merritt said:
1--WE will get the truth out of you
this time, and-quickly. too, or we
will stretch your neck He stopped
to pick up the rope with a smile.
Anne replied: d,
eff 1 cannot tell thee while living,
surely cannot tell thee after being
hung.
(, A silence followed, while she calm
!, ly looked into the faces about he-.
Then, turning to Merritt, she said
firmly:
! "Thee knows that l have spoken
truly, and that know nothing about
/ any money, and now tell thee fur
tner, that Il L did know I would not
| tell"
! A whispered consultation was helt
| around the leader. Anne's every fac
i ulty was. .keenly alert; not move
! nent or word escaped her.
4 .She can't. be frightened"
cts Of no use.
I've cant find out anything fTon
her.
J. We must search the house; W,
T, may get something besides money.
These whispers reached her from al
sides. .''-'...-'--.y,- 80. :. + 49, -,
!, The men conducted her back to tn
: house and the search began. Close
doors were broken open by blow
from gcnstocks, bureaus pr.ed ope!