Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Wayne County, Ind.) 1831-1837, 1836-11-26

~ DUDUWS0X - = BeSSeT 10 inc eOItOtS o.
~ Charleston Courier, from the keeper of
stsoyed by the hostile Indians in July last:
Centlemen-As many misrepresentation
have been made concerning the burning Of
the Lighthouse at Cape Florida, the under
sighed feels il his duty to state facts; IL would
hive been published at Key West, but at the
dina left no paper was printed Al that place.
Respectfully, JonN w. b. THOMPSON.
On The Esd Of July last, about z. NJ, as
I was going from the kitchen TO the dwelling
house, discovered large body of Indians
within 20 yards Of me back Of the kitchen,
] ran for the lighthouse and called out to the
old negro man that was with me to run for
The Indians arc here. at that moment they dis
charged 4 volIey Of rifle balls, which cut my
clothes and hat and perforated the door in
many places. We got in and as was turn
eng sise key, the savages had hold Of the door.
] Stationed the negro at the door with orders
to let Tae kaow il they attempted to break
IN; I 4hen Aeok my three muskets, which
werei loaded with ball and buck.shot. and
went to the second window; seeing a large
body Of tkcn opposite the dwelling -house,
discharged my anuskets in succession among
Hbem, which put them in some confusion;
they then for the second time began their
horcsd wells, and in a minute no sash or glass
their rage at that spot. fired at them from
some Of tho other windows and from the top
81 the house; IN fact fired whenever could
get an ladisa for a mark. kept them from
the house until dark. They then poured in
Aeary fire IT all the windows and lantern
this was tho time that they set fire TO the
door and window even with the ground; the
window was boarded up with plank and filed
up with stones inside, but the flames spread
fast, being fed with yellow pine wood. Their
balls had perforated tn. tin tanks Of oil, con-
sisting Of 925 gallons, and my bedding, cloth
ing, in fact everything had, was soaked in
by the flames. ! then took key OF gunsow.
der, my balls, and one musket, to the ton of
the house, and then went below and began to
cut away the stairs about half way I'D from
the bottom; bad great difficulty in getting
the old negro man up tho space had already
cut, but the flames now drove me from my
labor, and retreated to the top Of the house,
] covered over the shuttle that leads to the
lantern, which kept the fire from me for some
time; at last the awful moment arrived, the
cracking flames burst around me, the s1vages
1t the same time began their hellish yells, my
poor old negro locked up to me with tears in
his eyes he could not speak; we went out of
the lantern and layed down on the edge of
the platform, two feet wide, the lantern now
was full Of fame-she lamps and glasses
bursting and flying in all directions-my|
clothes on fire, and to move from the place
where ] was would he instant death FROM
their rifles; my flesh was roasting, and toI
put m end to my horrible suffering, got uol
and threw the key Of gunpowder down the
SHUTTLE. II instantly exploded and shook the !
tower from the top to the bottom; il had not
The desired effect Of blowing me into eterni-
~, but it threw down the stairs and all the
wooden work near the top of the house. Iii
damped the FIRE for q moment, but it soon
baozed as fierce as ever. The negro man
said he was wounded, which was the last
word he ever spoke.
BY this time | had received some wounds /
myself, and finding no chance for life, for .
was roasting alive, took the determination
To jump of, got up, went outside the iron (
raaing, recommending my soul to God. and /
was Oh the point Of going head foremost on |:
she rocks below, when something dictated to |
me to return and lay down again; did 50. /
sod ~ two minutes the fire fell to the bottom
Of the house. II is q remarkable circum. I
stance that not one ball struck me when /
stood up outside the railing, although thew
vere flying around me like hailstones. II.
found the old negro man dead, being shot in 1
seven places. and literally roasted. A few
minutes after the fire fell, a stiff breeze I
sprung up from the southwark, which was
great blessing to me. had to lay where Il
was, for could not walk, having received
:.x rifie balls, three IN each foot. The In
dams thinking me dead, left the lighthouse and
set hre T., the dwellinS-house, kitchen. and
other outhouses, and began to carry their
plumber to the beach; they took all the empty
barrels, the drawers Of the bureaus, and. in
Saet, everything that would act as a vessel,
to hold anything; my provisions were in the
lighthouse except barrel Of flour, which,
they took of. The next morning they hauled, ,
out 81 the lighthouse, by means Of pole, the I
I'm that composed the oil tanks, no doubt tol
make graters to manufacture the Ccontv root,
INTO what we call arrow root. After loadinol
my little sloOP about ten or twelve went ;n,oI