Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1849-09-03
MlSCELLA NEOUS.
THE MOTHERS HEROIC DEFENCE
OF HER CHILDREN.
A FEARFUL STORY OF THE FRONTIER WARS

!
There is no eaaggeration in the following
SKETCH the instances narrated having actually
occurred during the border wars of Kentucky, as
the reader may convince himself by referring to
collins History of Kentucky The seemingly
incredible feat (for woman especially of Bit
ing in two amEsket lullet is there vouo he'd for.
This narrative was written for the Sunday Times:
"a more beautiful and quiet scene than the
clearing on the Elkhorn, which smiled and spark
led in he light ola clondess sunrise on the anh
of April, 1872, could not have been found between
Kentucky river and the mountains. A rude but
strongly bull log cabin--haf dwelling half forta-
lice-was the most conspicuous object in the
foreground A river, the Elkhorn, too large to
be called a creek, yet scarcely broad and deep E.
nough Except during the freshet) to be consider
ed river, its sloping banks clothed in the ten
der green of early spring, swept with rapid cur
| rent within half rifle shot of the front of the
cabin. The entire clearing consisted of about
forty acres eirded on every side by the dense
forest, except on the east, where broad open
ing appeared, and the ssblazed" outline of road
was visible fora rod or two, leading apparent
ly TO some adjacent settlement. The location
was onlYthree or four miles from Frankfort, then
a smaf village, and about two miles from the
nearest point on the Kentucky river, of which
the Elkhorn is tributary. Within the cleared
area, labor had done much. The axe which had
let the sunlight into the heart of the wilderne IS,
been promptly followed by the pillow. The barns
and eorn-cribs were filled to OVERLOOKING, and
the green blades glistening with dew, that cover
ed the southern slopes, gave promise of another
abundant harvest
The cabin " as double the usual size, for it
contained two families. Its occupants were tw o
brothers, Hosea and Jesse Cook, their wives and
children, and youth of seventeen, named John
McAndre, who assisted the Cooks in their farm
work. The two brothers were originally from
Connecticut, but had emigrated to Kentucky
some years before the time at which our narrative
opens Nearly four years had elapsed since they
hadsettled on the Elkh horn, and during the whole
OF that time they had seen but one Indian
Hosea s.household consisted ofhis wife, Miriam,
like himself a native Of New England-a NO.
man of commanding stature and great personal
strength--and their daughter Alice, a fair, gold
en-haired beauty, with face that smiled all o.
yer, then in her sixteenth year. Hope, the wife
OF Jesse Cook, was rosy, comely daughter of Vir-
ginia, much younger than. her sister in-law, with
Two boys OF six and three years old, at her apron
string. Young McAndre was a fine, handy
young huntsman, whose father had been killed
in rencontre with party of Wyandots, near
the Blue Licks, in that memorable era Of the
frontier wars of the west the year 1882.
Just as the SUMS red disc became visible a.
bove the upper line of the forest 10 the east, the
door of the cabin opened and the brothers passed
out Fhe scene presented before them was one
OF perfect repose. The morning mist had already
lifted from the stream and was sailing slowly up
ward, while not a breath stirred to shake the
pendent moisture from the forest leaves, or rip
pie the surface Of the swiftly gliding water. But
the Cooks were not the men to look upon the
landscape with poet or a painters eye, and
with the simple observation that it was a fine
growing morning, the elder, Hosea, shouldered
his axe and followed by his brother, walked to
pile of chesnut timber a few rods west of the
house, where they had been engaged the pre-
ceding day III splitting fence rails.
They were both unarmed, and would have
laughed at the idea Of carrying weapons to pro-
tect themselves against the Indians 50 confident
had their long exemption from attack or molesta-
ton rendered them. But their dream of security
was destined to be suddenly and awfully broken.
Theyhad not struck twenty blows with their
axes, when dozen rifles,
."Too nearly, deadly aimed to err
cracked from clump of NAPLES about forty yards
in advance of the nearest point of woods, and
Hosea Cook, who was in the act of ehopping,
sprang like ball into the air, and straighteninn
as he descended, fell with his face upward, quite
dead.
Jesse, although struck with three bullets and
mortally wounded, startedin a staggering run
for the cabin, and fella few feet from the door al
the very moment that thirteen Wyandots painted
and plumed Tor war, leaped from the cover with
a whoop of demoplac exultation. For one mo-
ment the inmates Of the cabin were panic-strick
en- ) but in the next, the youth, McAndre, had
rushed out for the purpose Of bringing in the
wounded man. He seized him by the shoulders
and wasin the act ofdragging him towards the
threshold, when an old Indian, who had reserved
his charge when the volley was fired, took de-
liberate aim at the young man and shot him
through the brain. He fell dead across the body
Of Jesse Cook
Had the savages rushed upon the cabin at
that moment they would have encountered no
resistance The door was open and the women
:onapletelx, unnerxed b.: The horror