The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1915-08-07

They opened our, remaining careruIIy
out Of rifle shot, and surrounded the
place where they could watch 1t from
all sides. Then one rode back swiftly.
The watchers sat easy and careless.
as If they had been halted during a
peaceful practice march. Half an hour
passed. The immobility of the SOL
| diers, their passionless watch, was
driving the farmers frantic. More than
once the old leader had to growl at a
man who wanted to fire despite the
hopeless distance
If the tension in the house had last
ed much longer some Of these men
would have rushed out. but there came
great sound from the distance 1t
might have been thunder rolling far
away. 1t might have been a river in
food.
They're comingr' said the sheriff's
| brother. 1t was hard for him TO
speak. The defenders were all violent
ly thirsty, and they had not had time
to bring water from the we'll
They came. Horses, horses. horses!
Bayonets. bayonets, bayonets. They
came and passed along the road. and
more came on.
They did not turn OF to attack the
house. They did not even turn their
heads to look at ie. This infatuated
the defenders.
Horses. horses. horses! Bayonets.
! bayonets. bayonets! If the men I'm the
stone house could have seen Other
roads they would have seen each one
so filed with silent, steadily moving
columns of men.
| A little party of men and horses turn
ed of from the column and entered
the field. Before ii was within the
| range Of the rifles 1t wheeled. A shin.
ing. glossy little thing pointed ut the
house. 1t was field artillery. SLEEK.
/ beautiful.
! The sheriff's brother carried away
| by rage. fired and fred. He emptied
his magazine at the distant men.
Along the highway the column moved
| steadily. silently No soldier checked
/ his foot for 20 much as an instant ut
thu sound of the shots, Bayonets. bayo-
nets. bayonets. The machine moved Oh.
! 1t moved on, eyes front. while the
| captain commanding the cannon snap
| ped an order. 1t moved ON. bayonets
| twiniling out of sight IL trout and
| twinkling past and twink!hig into sie,it
from behind. while the little gun fore
! the April morning.
/ The Gfonn llp11ea spn,1toN ,4i.,s-1c -
! dust and powdering stone. It dissoly-
ed. 1t became IA ruin that stared
| phantom-like through the cloud as if
| it were looking with horribly expand
ing eyes at the gun.
| If the besieged fred in return The
men at the gun did not know f. Their
steel beast drowned the farmers tiny
efforts in roar and fame, They pass
ed as breath. The cayalrymen can
/ tered to the ruin. a half wall was
standing, jagged The rest was a
mound of dirt Under it lay fourteen
men of Massachusetts The sheriff
lay there, with his face more patient
/ than ever and his arm around his
/ brother.
The little gun and it's horses and
men Joined the horses and men that
were moving northward through New
England.
Over the field telegraph wire that
unreeled behind the advancing force
! went the report to the enemy head
quarters: civilians estimated at about
a dozen fred from ambush, killing
eight cavalry. Took refuge In build
/ ing. Annihilated''
1t was a perfunctory report telling
Of a merely perfunctory incident. But
the commander In chief, aitting at his
! ease in headquarters In Providence.
stopped smoking for moment. See
that the news does not spread" said
he. "It might raise the country. Re
enforce all patrols and warn them"
He was a quick man. His officers
were quick, and his system Of commu-
nication was quick But the news
sped more quickly still. Over every
! telephone that was intact, over every
telegraph wire that still worked in
New England, by bicycle, on horse
back. by men running. the story was
passed from man to man and village
| to village.
They were fourteen humble men, IN
known beyond their own sownship,
when they crouched behind the stone
wall. They were fourteen shining
names before the ruins that covered
them had ceased smoking. New Eng
land, like blazing forest. was ablaze
with wrath and fury.
Vain was it now for cautious men to
warn or authorities to command. Men
who never in their lives had thought
harm to any living thing dashed out
with smoldering eyes to fight Pru-