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The Water Witch
(Daredevil Stuff)
From a Collection of Crowley's Plays and Scenarios
Persons of the Play: Silas Hawksbee, an inventor — age 50. Johns Hawksbee, his brother — age 40. Lemma, John's daughter — age 20. Howard Cabot, Captain in the Confederate Army — age 25. General Lee. Andrew North & Peter North, Twins — Officers in the Federal Army. Jim Brodie, an old hunter. Abraham Lincoln, President of U.S.A.
Time: 1860 - 1963.
John's house: river side; Lemma swimming: her love for her pa; dead ma's picture.
Silas Hawksbee making a ladder, an eccentric old man, is entertaining his brother John and the latter's daughter Lemma. After dinner Silas takes them to see his invention. It will not work. John laughs. Silas gets angry. Lemma prevents a fight.
(Note. The invention. A patent telescopic ladder which is capable of attaching itself to a wall, each rung being a claw, which can be hammered into the mortar.)
Silas turns John out. He and Lemma take their horses and ride away. A storm. They come to the creek, it is swollen. John's horse is swept away. Lemma saves her father, whom she loves passionately — each the only one in the world to the other.
John's house in Virginia. News comes of the Civil War. John starts out to join Confederates. Howard Cabot and a Confederate patrol ask Emma's hospitality. She grants it. After lunch she goes swimming with Cabot, her fancy stunts make him call her the water-witch. There is an aborted love-scene: they can't wed with the cause at stake.
Lemma's house is raided and much damage done. She bravely hold on, sewing uniforms for the soldiers. One afternoon her father is being chased by the enemy, who wound him; he manages to reach his house, thrusts some papers into Lemma's hand, saying “get these despatches to Lee.” He dies. She takes a horse and gallops off, hotly pursued. She reaches the edge of a high cliff. Her horse is shot. She throws herself off, as the horse rolls over the cliff and is killed. Lemma's pursuers gain on her. In despair she scrambles down the cliff. They try to descend — one man falls — the rest dare not follow, but seek an easier way round, reaching the bank of the river in time to fire on her, as she swims across. Shots (soft wax bullets) fall all around her. On the other bank are Howard Cabot and a party of soldiers. They fire on her pursuers. Cabot dashes into the stream, and drags the exhausted girl ashore. His men fire on the pursuing cavalry, and Federal men and horses are swept down the stream. Howard still keener: she “When we've won — ask again.”
Silas Hawksbee has his house destroyed by cannon in a battle; he flees with his drawings and his ladder. He goes to Washington with his invention. Everyone turns him down. Disgusted, he goes North and takes a cottage at the lower end of Lake Erie, where he builds a workshop and starts to invent an unsinkable barrel with the idea of shooting Niagara. He tries two or three, one of which gets through safely: he works to improve the design.
Andrew and Peter North are officers in the Federal Army. They are twins of giant stature. Andrew is a dissolute gambler uses his rank to make money, etc. Peter a stern and savage martinet. The only soft spot in his heart is for his brother, whom he tries to reform in vain.
Lemma is now a regular Confederate spy, her father's death having made her desperate. One day she is in disguise in the Federal lines trying to get back with her information. She has reached the no man's land between the patrolling parties, when she sees Andrew North with an old man. Andrew tried to extort money. Knocks the old man down and robs him. Lemma cannot restrain herself, but shoots Andrew. The shot brings up the Confederate patrol. Howard Cabot finds Andrew's body, and dismounts to examine him. Peter with his patrol rides up, and there is a skirmish. Peter is beaten off, but as he goes swears to have Howard's life, thinking that it was he who killed his brother. Fresh Federal troops ride up, from behind Lemma's hiding place. Howard can do nothing but retire. The Federal troops capture Lemma. Peter, wounded, is sent to the hospital; and when discharged detailed for non-combatant service. This disappoints his ambition.
Lemma is sent to prison in Buffalo. Silas visits the town to purchase provisions, falls in with the commandant, an old friend, and is taken to see the prisoners. He recognizes Lemma and resolves to free her. “I will teach them to despise my inventions.” He scales the prison wall that night, by means of his patent ladder. Files the bars or Lemma's cell and gets away with her, concealing her in his cottage. But there has been a plot in the prison; Silas is only a fifth wheel.
General Lee sends Howard on a special mission to Canada to try to enlist British help. Silas has an invention accepted at Washington; gets enthusiastic letter “Name your price.”
Jim Brodie, an old hunter and trapper is pursuing his occupation on the shore of Lake Ontario. Peter North in a bad temper and party whose disciple is poor are patrolling the same shore. Howard arrives and asks the hunter for a mean to get across. The hunter can do nothing and advises him to go to the village and hire a boat. Howard goes off, but is immediately caught by Peter's men. Peter recognizes Howard as having killed Andrew — so he thinks — and determines to try him by drum-head court martial, and have him shot, evidence or no evidence. The hunter has come up and hears the sentence. Howard is to be shot at sunset on the day following. The Hunter, finding game scarce, decides to try Lake Erie, and the following afternoon looks in at the cabin of Silas, who hastily hides Lemma. The Hunter tells Silas of the capture of the spy the previous day. Mentions his name. Lemma bursts out of her hiding place, crying “it is less than an hour to sunset!” There is no telegraph available. Not even a horse: Lemma cries: “I can do it by river.” The hunter says “You're crazy.” Silas is overjoyed at the chance of seeing his adventured tried out. He fastens her into the barrel and rolls it into the river. She is carried over the falls and through the whirlpool, but within a few hundred yards of Peter's camp, the barrel hits a rock and bursts. She is unconscious, but the shock of immersion revives her, and she swims on, though bleeding heavily from a wound in the forehead and having her left arm broken. She scrambles ashore just as they are forming up to shoot Howard. She bursts in crying: “I killed Captain North.” Peter, after some argument, his men almost mutinous, agrees to give Howard a regular trial, and she is then with him back to jail in Buffalo. She speaks to Silas. Three days later Silas has telegraphed an appeal “My price is Lemma's life” to President Lincoln who writes a reply. The court martial opens. The proceedings are interrupted by the receipt of Lincoln's telegram, which reads “Such heroism is not federal or confederate. It is American. Release the prisoners and give them safe conduct to the lines. Abraham Lincoln.”
A glimpse of Appomattox — Peace declared as they are released — federal officers fraternize and make a sort of ‘Concorde’ of their wedding.
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