Show adventurous AMERICANS by elmo ehno scott watson the first rebel JAMES IAMES SMITH led the first cupris ing of american colonists against england drew the first blood in actual battle and all this 10 years before the revolution began at the age of 18 young smith was captured and held prisoner for four years by the caughnawaga aga indians during this ti time me he not only acquired their skill in woodcraft and their cunning in warfare but also learned to hate the traffic in whisky and rifles that both the french and british were carrying on with the indians I 1 he le could see the disastrous effects on the red man of the white mans greed for money smith organized a band of frontiersmen tiers men called black boys in 1763 their purpose was to keep the drunk and bloodthirsty indians out of conococheague valley but two years later smith decided that the best way to fight them was to cut off their source of supply for whisky and arms accordingly his black boys held up a pack train and burned the goods on may 6 1765 a platoon of british highlanders High landers members of the forty second regiment of his maj mai bestys army in america the famous black watch marched on the town of fort loudon pa to preserve law and order and put this lawless band of black boys in their place but when the british soldiers reached smiths forces and mgt me mc glashan ordered them to haiti in the kings narrie name halt a pitched battle followed in which the soldiers were driven into the cabin of a certain widow barr the rebels kept them there until the Britis hers agreed to march back to ft loudon from whence they came and so the truly first battle of the american revolution fought 10 years before the famous battle of bunker banker hill was won by americas first rebel james smith 0 sky pilot of deadwood A MONG the thousands of adventurers who took part in the gold rush to the black hills of south dakota in 1876 was connecticut born henry weston smith smith arrived at deadwood when the town was at the height of its untamed glory but he was not seek ing gold he picked rip boarin deadwood to try out his preaching talents he preached in the streets but received no money for it supporting in g himself by manual labor such as cutting trees chopping wood and firing a sawmill boiler even his preaching was not only spiritually but physically difficult he had to shout at the top of his voice to be heard above the raucous calls of the gamblers and entertainers on sunday august 20 1876 after his usual morning services in the main street of deadwood he started out for crook city 10 miles away he put his bible in one pocket the copy of his sermon in another and pinned a note on his cabin door that said gone to crook city and if god is willing will be back at 2 p in m god willing when about halfway there he was stalked and killed by a sioux war party for some strange and unknown reason the indians did not rob him or scalp him but crossed his hands peacefully on his breast and put his bible in them the railroad raider 0 ON N THE morning of april 12 1862 a train stopped at marietta ga en route from atlanta to chattanooga an unusually large number of men passengers came aboard claiming they were refugees from within the yankee lines and wanting to join the confederate forces when the train stopped at big shanty for breakfast james J andrews a citizen from Flemings flemingsburg burg ky and one of the large party of alleged refugees cut away all but three cars climbed into the cab and steamed away capt W A fuller who was in charge of the train dashed to the telegraph office to warn the station agents up the line but found that the telegraph wires had been cut andrews really was the leader of a group of union soldiers in civilian clothes who started out to paralyze traffic on the western and atlantic railroad one ona of the vital arteries of confederate transport captain fuller got a handcar and with a couple of men started in pursuit but andrews burned 15 bridges pulled up many sections of track and placed several obstacles along the right of way all while keeping ahead of his pursuers who finally abandoned the handcar when they were able to board a locomotive about to be overtaken andrews set fire to the last freight car left it on a bridge and ran into the woods with his crew mounted militia finally captured all of andrews party and he with several others was executed as a spy 0 western newspaper |