ELBERT COUNTY. 235 



On the occasion of an excursion from the British camp at 

 Augusta, a party of Tories penetrated into the interior, and 

 having savagely murdered Colonel Dooly in bed, in his own 

 house, they proceeded up the country for the purpose of perpe- 

 trating further atrocities. On their way, a detachment of five 

 of the party diverged to the east, and crossed Broad river, to 

 make discoveries about the neighbourhood, and pay a visit to 

 their old acquaintance, Nancy Hart. On reaching her cabin, 

 they entered it unceremoniously, receiving from her no wel- 

 come but a scowl ; and informed her they had come to know 

 the truth of a story current respecting her, that she had se- 

 creted a noted rebel from a company of king's men who were 

 pursuing him, and who, but for her aid, would have caught 

 and hung him. Nancy undauntedly avowed her agency in the 

 fugitive's escape. She told them she had at first heard the 

 tramp of a horse rapidly approaching, and had then seen a 

 horseman coming towards her cabin. As he came nearer, she 

 knew him to be a Whig, and flying from pursuit. She let 

 down the bars a few steps from her cabin, and motioned him 

 to enter, to pass through both doors, front and rear, of her 

 single-roomed house ; to take the swamp, and secure himself 

 as well as he could. She then put up the bars, entered her 

 cabin, closed the doors, and went about her business. Pre- 

 sently some Tories rode up to the bars, and called out boister- 

 ously to her. She muffled her head and face, and opening the 

 door, inquired why they disturbed a sick, lone woman. They 

 said they had traced a man they wanted to catch, near her 

 house, and asked if any one on horseback had passed that way. 

 She answered no, but she saw somebody on a sorrel horse 

 turn out of the path into the woods some two or three hun- 

 dred yards back. " That must be the fellow," said the Tories ; 

 and asking her direction as to the way he took, they turned 

 about and went off". " Well fooled ;" said Nancy, "in an opposite 

 course to that of my Whig boy ; when, if they had not been so 

 lofty-minded, but had looked on the ground inside the bars, 

 they would have seen his horse's tracks up to that door, as 

 plain as you can see the tracks on this here floor, and out of 

 'tother door down the path to the swamp." 



