Startled  by  her  screams,  her  husband  rushed  to  her
and  instantly  fell — stabbed  literally  to  pieces.  The
ruffians  entered  the  house,  plundered  it  of  what  they
wished,  and  dragged  the  children  out,  to  be  slain  at
their  father's  side.  Meanwhile,  the  mother  softly
arose  and  hastened  through  a  dark  and  lonely  way
to  the  nearest  house.  Next  day  the  friends  placed
father  and  children  in  one  grave  in  Deep  River  Grave-


14      Life  of  Braxton  Craven.
yard.  But  the  mother — poor  mother  ! — her  heart
was  broken,  her  cup  was  full,  and  soon  she  reposed
beside  her  loved  ones.
"Stranger,  when  you  visit  that  venerable  place,  in
the  southwest  corner  you  will  see  a  little  mound:
there  they  repose,  drop  a  tear  to  their  memory  and
breathe  a  sigh  to  their  dust.  *  =•'  ^  The  sight
of  Comer's  old  field,  as  related  by  some  old  men,
has  often  made  children  shudder.  The  crowing
of  chickens  after  sunset,  and  the  howling  of  dogs
in  dusky  twilight,  are  considered  bad  signs  in  all
that  countr3^  Everj^  mill-boy  will  go  miles  further
rather  than  pass  that  old  field  after  night.  The
general  belief  is :  that  under  an  old  mulberr}^,  on
cloudy  evenings,  a  dog  maj^  always  be  heard
whining;  that  the  sound  of  voices  is  even  distinct,
and  that  a  bear  may  be  heard  half  a  mile  distant.
