The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-01-02

and armed only with rifles, there was not then.
on the face of the earth another who could have
COMMENDED e with the least probability of success
Inc wary Lewis, in the outset, did not exert his
utmost powers Of speed, but waited the very ef.
tect have noticed; but that effect once produ.
ced, every muscle was strained, and every mo.
ment the hlndmost savage heard, or thought he
heard, nearer and nearer, rapid tread of his pur-
suer. ss@ - = .. l-I~1 ~
Amongst the unequalled combination Of o,a.
i'tlcs as warrior, possessed by Lewis Wetzel.
one OF the most remarkable was the skill with
which ne drew his enemy's fire-an advantage
ne scarce ever failed to obtain, and almost GER
tain oeath was the consequence to his opponent
1or an empty rifle in his hand was most danger.
Gus to those thrown off their guard, and his ab;.
iity OF reloading, in full retreat or advance, ena
Died him to throw away his own fire, strata
gem he put III practice in the present pursuit.
Before he could secure an unerrinp aim he halt.
ed, he halted and discharged his piece. The
discharge and wheeling of the nearest SAVAGE
was the work of moment. Affecting to re.
treat IN turn, the triumphant shouts of one ene
my and sound of the rifle deceived the other.
ana both rushed on, as they supposed, to certain
victory-but to certain destruction The mo.
ments were few until Lewis was again ready to
t@he tree, but as he sprung behind one, the
foremost lngen contemptuously shouted sIngen
not fool
"A doe skin would be too high price for von-
wisdom, muttercd Lewis, his eye flashing like
atger s, as he awaited the approaching monster.
Empty gun, white man
Empty through your heart, murderer. once
white man, passed through the gritting teeth of
Lewis, and one frghtful groan the last of the
encgado, seemed an echo to the sharp crack Of
the rifle
Inc remaining monster in human form was
now TOO tar advanced to retreat with any safety.
ahd oelng rendered desperate, it now became
rea! struggle f life and death, and had the enc.
my been actually an Indian, even the skill and
activity of Wetzel might have failed Both feel
ing that Their life depended upon the issue. put
every nerve and sncw to the strain The dis q
advantage was tcartully the side of Wetzel,
and must have been fatal, had his pursuer not
been determined to make security more secure
reserved his fire, awaiting chance of discharp-
ing with certain aim. Thus proceeded the race
for few hundred yards, when Lewis once more
trccd. f.
'lou re dead man. roared thunderino voice
Ill shall have one tenant more seemed to
come hoarsely from the bowels of the earth, as
Lewis lay like a crouching lion. Not conce;y-
ing the possibility OF encounterng loaded rifle,
winch had been discharged not three minutes
before, with dreadful oaths, expressed in good or
0ao English, as you choose, his adversary ad-
vanced.
lll know who this scoundrel is before finish
hlm, muttered Lewis. as he deliberately sent
ball through his left arm and shoulder and drop.
ping his rifle, seized his tomahawk and rushed
upon the fallen foe. Never carelcssly approach
d WOUNDED enemy, was maxim Lewis had
goou reason TO remember, he learned its wis
oom from seeing rifle muzzle raised and point
ed to his breast. The rifle ball and his toma-
hawk passed each other in mid-air The ball
passed harmless, but the hatchet lodged in the
ofain' ana forever concealed the last of the cap
tors of Susan Gray
Here kingsy stopped as if his tale was end.
ed. Every hearer felt anxious to know what
mad become OF Conrad and Susan; and at lenpth
flndlng the cd historian silent, more than ne
voice rather impatiently breathed, what of Con-
rad and Susan:'
cleared fine family of young Conrads and
oosans' replied Kmgsly. They returned to
see the fresh graves Of their parents, whose bo-
o'es mad been laid in the earth by party ofmen
on the very day of their return 1t was long be.
tore their hearts could agar feel the gaiety of
former days, but time sottened the memoy Of
tne past and when the name of their eldest son.
:" etzel Mayer, was pronounced. they remcm-
Dered the warrior of the West, and many is the
time that young Mayer ran to meet the coming
"arr'Ior and many is the time that Susan MAY
q SIM 10 heaven the breath'ngs of innocence
mingled with like aspirations from other moth
ers, for the preservation of the brown warrior
sleeping in the far distant woods of Ohio or Mus.
klngum.' u
Inc render gat view some OF the incidents
OF the preceding tale far ordering On the mar.
vellous, as to be out of nature: but there is not
one incident that, in some case or other did not
really happen within frty miles of Wheeling, /
between l77o and 1875. The power of load ing Fl
rifle, whilst running in the woods, was really III
possessed, as represented, in the person of Lew
is Wetzel, and actually exercised not very ma
terially different from the incident related in the
tale My object has been to represent Hunt
er warrior, as they were in fact without putting II
slang and vul gar patois in his mouth, never us
ed by him. l was bred among the hunter war
riors, and have seen and heard them in all stu
atoms, except that Of war. have seen them II
serious and sad and have seen them in their n
hours of revelry, we'll as when shouldering II
their rifles for the chace and for war.
MARK BANCROFT.