Cheraw gazette. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838, 1836-08-02
HANNAH DUSTON.

lllclll Out VI ileEe C!idIlJ, III" S -
cause shall have to die for!'
HANNAH DUsroN.
This woman should be ranked among the
hcroincs of antiquity. She was the wife OF
! Thomas Duston, Of Haverhill, Massachu-
sets. born in the year 1869, and married
1877. She had altogether thirteen chill
! drcn. When the Indians, who dwelt at the
sources Of the Mrrrimack river and in the
; region round about, after great ireshet on
the 18th of March. 1857, came down the
river and attacked Haverhill, she was Con.
! fined to bed with an infant only week old.
Her husband catching the alarm from the
! field, fled to the house AMI consulted her on
! the course he should pursue. She calmly told
! him to leave her and her infant to their fate,
and to make lis escape it possible, with
her other children. lie sent seven of his
children on path through the woods, on
the way to the garrison, and mounting his
horse he followed the rear; with his musket
he kept the pursuing Indians at bay until
he found his charge in place of safety at
the garrison.-Bclore Mr.. Duston reached
the garrison the Indians returned and cap
turcd his sick wife and Mary Niei, her
| nurse. They with other captivcS took
their march by order Of the savagcs for the
north. After they had travelled a few miles,
the Indians found the infant troublesome
and they took it from the nurse and dash
cd its brains out against tree. Mrs. Dus-
ton was feeble and wrctched, but this out.
rage ncrvcd her soul for every enterprise.
; Aficr this horrid outrage, she wcpt no
more; the agony OF nature drank the tear
drop ere it fell. She looked to heaven with
4 silent prayer for succor without word Of
complaint. AT this instant the highrcsolve
was formed in her mind and swcIled every
pulse of her heart. They travelled on n
distance as she thouglapt one hundred and
fifty miles, but perhaps from the course they
took about seventy five. Tho river had
probably been broken up but short time,
and the canoes Of the Indians were above
the falls on the Merrimac, when they COM
mcnccd their journey to attack lIaryerhil.
Above these falls, on an island N this river
the Indians had q wig sam, and in getting
their canoes in order by rowing ten miles
up the stream, became much tatigucd.-
When they reached the place of rest they
slept soundly, Mrs. Duston did dnot Sleep
The nurse and an English boy, prisoner
were appriscd Of her design but were no: of
much use TO her in the execution Oft. In the
stiffness ofthe night she arose and went out ot
the wigwam to lest the soundncss and secu-
rity of savage sleep. They moved not;
they were to sleep till the last day. She re-
turned, took one ofthcir hatcheis and dis,
patched ten of them in a moment each with
! a single blow. An Indian woman who was
raising when she sruck her fed with her
probable death wound-and an Indian boy
was dcsignedly spared; for the atenger Of
blood was woman and mo:hcr, and could
not deal death blow upon helpless child.
She surveyed the carnage ground by the
! light ofthc fire, which she SIRED up after
the deed was done; and catching few.
handsful of rosted corn she commenced her
Journey; but on rcfcctmg moment, she
thought the people of Harvcrhill would be-
licvc her tales rs the rawlings Of madness
when she should get home, if ever that time
might come; she therefore returned and
seal ped the slain, then put the nurse and
English, boy into the canoe, and with her
self they floatcd down the falls, when she
landed and took the woods, and keeping the
river in sight, which she knew must direct
her on her way home. After suffering in
credible hardships by hunger, cold, and
fatigue, she reached home to the surprise
and joy of her husband, children, and
friends. The General Court of Massachu-
sctts examined her story, and being satisfied
with the truth of it, took her trophies, the
scalps, and gave her fifty pounds. The
people ofBoston made her many presents.
All classes were anxious TO see the heroine,
and they found her as modest as brave.
IIydrophobia,-A physician, after de-
scribing in the \. Y. American fatal case
of Hydrophobia in New York, concludes
as follows:
"From post mortcm examination of
two cases, and close observance of tine
symptoms during life, we venture to sug-
gest the following plan of treatment as best
calculated, in our opinion, to arrest the
disease. As the pathology Of hydropho-
bia consist of an intense inflammation Of the
medmla oblongata and the spinal morrow,
we would bleed ad deliqium at as early
a period as possible, and employ the vapor
bath as an auxiliary. The bleeding must
be repeated as soon as reaction produces
spasms and the other symptoms common
to this disease; and lceches to the back Of
the neck and spine would doubtless be