Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1826-01-14

two children that were nearest her, anu
1 fled-to the house--hayng placed them
within the door, she was returning Tor
the other, when she saw with agony, that
one of The Indians had already seized
upon her bapless child, while the other
was making towards the house with
heightened strides, terrific yelis, and up
lifted tomaha9k. VIVA, was TO be done
thess was no alternative, and she retreat
ed prceipi,ately within, and had scarce a
moment left to secure the door on the
inside with wooden bar. when the In
/ dian was at il, endesyorlng to force II
open; but finding It much better secur-
1 ed than be had anticipated, he began to
ufier the most horrId execratons, and
called bis companion 10 his assistance
they both seemed To speak the English
language perfectly, which not lItlle
surprised 0iary. They made various
while u'tering the most DIRE adiul threats,
that il she did not immediately open L,
and let them in, they would mu DIR Her
child, and then burn down the house
over her head. Alas, poor Mar, she
knew but two we'll that death oas Their
portion, and persisted in keeping the
door barred. They at length became
desperate, finding themselves thus ion-
ed, and actually dashed out the ctlld's
brains against a Tree That $1,000 before
the house, While The mother WIS locking
through small opening between the
logs of the building. A darkness came
os er her eyes---her heart ceased TO beai
Tor moment. and she sunk upon her
knees, for she could supper herself To
longer, and had almost fsinted, She,
however, soon rallied her faculties, oGtr
ed up fervent eIscu lation to iha. ON
nipotent Being who is all powerful loI
save, and arose. Her first thought was
TO conceal her children, open The door,
and give herself up sacrifice TO lheIr
vengeance, in hopes that Der offspring
might possibly be sased--ihis idea, how
ever vain ii might appear, was prevenied
from being pul in execution, by one 1t
the Indians at the same moment oXcla,n
ing that be would come down the CHIN
nsv. The Indian who had murdered
the child had assembled the corner oil tht
house, by means OF the projecting eGds
OF the logs, and commenced descendir.
the chimney. In this extremity Mars
had given up all for lost-she was stoop-
ing TO embrace her children, as sh. be
lieved for the last time, when she lhouebt
OF her straw bed. She INN edia;ely few /
TO it, and with the strength of an Ana
zon, tore open The ticking, and threw rs |
contents upon the fire--a full column of
blaze and smoke ascendta the chimney, |
while the murderous wretch WAS about |
midway between the top and bottom, and |
could neither ascend nor descend to ex-
trica,e himself, before he had drawn into
his lungs that fiery draught, which ln-
stantly snffocated him 10 death. He fell |
into the FIRE, and rolled upon the hearth,
. black aud lifeless corpse. 1t seemed !
now as II the where energy oil Mary's !
mind had burst upon her---she caught w |
the tomahawk which he still held in his
" death grasp" and went delibcra ely
and opened the door. The Indian or
the outside, thinking it was bis comrade,
entered entirely off his guard, when the
,omahawk OF his accomplish was buried |
in the back eft his head, and he fell deaG
on the floor. Mary instantly took he
TWO remaining children in her arms, fled
TO the nearest neighbor, and gave the
alarm. The woman of the house seem
ed much agitated, and said her husband
had gone cut about half an hour before
She then proceeded on to another set
tiers about mile further, and told whai
she had done. Three or four men, who |
happened to be there at The time, caught |
up their rifles and proceeded INN edlate-
ly to Williams residence, when on ex
animation it was found-bu, It's too hor-
rlble to relate--they found that these
worse than savage monsters were not In.
dams, but white men! and tina, one o
them was Williams nearest neieAbor,
the owner OF the house to which Mary |
had first fed for protection. 1t would
seem, tina. knowing William was pes
sessed Of few hundred dollars, he, in |
company with another wretch who had
been Tiers but few weeks in the settle
ment, formed the horrid design of MUIR
dering the whole family in the disguise
Of Indians, and possessing themselves of
the money but a merciful Con pre-
vented them from entirely accomplish
ing their object.