American Fork citizen. [volume] (American Fork, Utah) 1912-1979, 1915-11-13
p v.
The NiQht Attack.

The Night Attack.
Inc Incidents of that ride do not re.
nam with me In any special clearness
OF detail We rode steadily. keeping
wen together, conscious that in all
probability we were watched BY hos.
,i'e eyes, peering out from behind rock
snu thicket. We foraged through de.
serted shacks. finding poor reward,
YET managed to subsist, although with
munger unsatisfied The men grum.
pied and Fox swore. az. long before
night came. he comprehended the fact
ina. we were on a FOOLS errand; that
Tvs n,tie SQUAD was being lured deeper
ana Keeper into a hostile country. hut
NC opportunity to turn aside present.
60 itself. The night overlook us in
'ne midst OF a mountain solitude. The
scouts mad discovered a spring at the
potion OF a rocky hollow. and there
FOX reluctantly ordered camp to be
made the horses finding scant pas.
turage beyond The grumbling and
cursing soon ceased. however. and
those not on duty slept Htfully. I
made the round OF the sentries with
FOX slipping and stumbling over the
rough way. through the darkness.
ms weird place gets on the
nerves. he said. as II half ashamed OF
the confession DO you know. Ray.
mond. have felt for the last hour as
II we we're riding into some trap" lie
glanced nervously behind him. "a
don't believe there has ever been a
Federal detachment down as lar as
this before. We're In old Ned Cowan's
country"
"C~onfederateY" asked. Interested
at once by the name.
knows! To the best of my
belief the fellow doesn't give q whoop
Tor either side, He's Just a natural
born devil and this wal gave him q
chance to get the hell out OF his sys.
TEN. stili. ! guess. he calls himself
q Reb."
And his followersf"
Mountain men mostly. together
with q bunch OF deserters and con
scripts from both sides. Nobody
knows how big a band he has. but II
would TAX an army to run them out
Of these mountains. We had orders
TO do it-but pine! Ramsay came
down as far as Fayette Court House
with a regiment OF infantry. and q
cavalry guard. and SEN out q Dag Of
truce asking the old devil to come In
and talk with him. lie actually did
come; o d right up to headquarters.
with a dozen OF his ragged followers.
heard what Ramsay had to say, and
then simply told the general to 20 to
hell, and rode of again"
Were you thereY Did you see the
mem"
mo. but the sergeant did: he vas
detailed at that time as headquarters'
orderly"
"Yes." ! said. determined on my
course. II was talking with Hayden
during the noon halt. He described
Cowan to me. and ! believe he is the
same man | encountered at Hot
Springs, Captain Fox-the fellow Tay.
lor we are In pursuit Of"
The captain stared into the black
night. silent for several minutes.
i've been suspecting the same thing
for the last three hours" he admitted
AT last slowly. and that he hoped We
would follow him The fellow hasn't
ridden fast, and has purposely left a
plain trail. More han that he was
expected along this road and there
were relays OF horses waiting He
only changed once. but he was met by
another party near that ruined mill
Ever since then | have felt that we
were being watched by unseen eyes.
Did you observe the curl OF smoke to
our right just before dark-how II
rose and fell In rings?"
81 saw the smoke. yes-a thin spiral.
but supposed II to be from the chin
ney OF some mountain shack"
well. IL vas not. That was an out.
side fire. and the smoke was smoth
cred and then thrown up by blankets
That is their way OF signaling tell
you, lieutenant, this murder OF Har'
wood is more than an army matter. II
was either the elimination OF a feud
done for personal revense-or else
the major had papers In his posses
sion bearing on the situation here that
could only be gained over his dead
body, The man who killed him was
old Ned Cowan."
"But Harwood must have known
him" I protested.
"Of course he did; they we're neigh
bors before the a and met there by
appointment For all know the ma
jor may have had some confidential
communication from the var depart
ment God knows what II was All !
am sure about Is that would give q