Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1854-09-27

AS the foremost came up, Miriam

loop hole, again discharged her rife; and
the unlucGy Wyandot. shot through the
legs dropped in his tracks with an insol-
untary shrek of agony. The others kept
on; reaching the cabin. six of them clam
bered on the roof while the other five
commenced firing on the door and open
ings in the logs. Those on the roof quick
ly kindled fire on the shingles. which
were soon in a blaze. The destruction Of
the cabin and its inmates now seemed in
evitable. There was hogshead half full
of water in the house, Miriam, bucket in
hand. mounted TO the loft. Hope and
Alice supplied her with water from below
by which she contrived to extinguish the.
flames as fast as they broke out, while
she herself. enveloped and almost suffoca-
ted by steam and smoke was invisible to
the assailanLs.
At length the water was exhausted and
one of the Indians observing that the eff
forts Of the beseiged party were sacken-
ing. ventured to poke his head through
one Of the holes that had been burned in
the roof to see how the land lay. The
undaunted Miriam was standing within
few feet of the opening. and the instant
she saw the savage, she whirled the emp
ty bucket around her head and hurled it
with the swing of her arm, struck him di-
rectly in the forehead with the sharp edge
Of the stavc. She heard the bones crash
and the victim groan a moment after he
was drawn away by his companions, three
of whom descended from the roof bear
ing him in their arms.
Miriam now thought she heard the two
remaining savages tearing the upper logs
off the chimney, presuming they intended
to attempt an entrance that way she ran
down stairs to prepare for them" The
feather bed The feather bed y she
shouted, as she reached the lower room,
and this much priced article in from
tiersman's inventory of household chat
ties. was quickly brought forth and TIN own
into the hugh fireplace. By this time one
OF the Indians was fairly in the chimney
and the other about to follow. Thrust
the lighted brands in it quickly !" said
Alice, and the next moment clouds Of
sitting smoke from the burning feathers
were ascending the chimney. The saw
aye made an effort to scramble up again.
but the pungent effiuvia Of the feathers
overcamc him, and he fell heavy on the
hearthstone. In the meantime Miriam
had grasped the rifle and held it cIu;ched
for his reception. Scarcely had he touch
ed the floor, when the iron bound pount
of the breech crashed through his skull.
The other who had caugh whit Of the
vapor. in the time to avoid like fate.
precipitately descended from the roof.
Four of the thirteen Indians were now
killed, but these calamaLics only added
new fury to the remainder. Tney were
we'll aware that the cabin was occupied
by women only, and nothing could be
more degrading in the eyes of these swar-
thy warriors than be baf1ed by u parcel
OF squaws. They now turinu>y assaulted
the door with Iomahawks. To This pro-
ceeding the inmates could offer no rcss-
tance. In striking The savage who fell
down the chimney Miriam had broken
The lock of her husbands rifle, the only
one they had. and now handing the wea-
pom to her sister-in-law, she armed her
self with the axe of the young McAndre,
which stood in the corner. and prepared
herself for the last extremity. Alice be.
took herself TO a very formidable weapon,
the slaughter knife Of the establishment.
and thus armed. the three women ranged
themselves on the 9th u side of the door
| determined to sell their lives aS dearly rs
possible.
In about half AN hour the InIiAns had
nearly cut two panks out of the door be.
meath the bar space just sufficient for
Il man to force his body through in II stoo-
ping posture. They brought heavy pie.
ces from the adjacent pile, and using
them as battering rams soon beat in the
weakened portions Of the door, and at the
same time driving the articles which had
been piled against the door into the mid
die of the room. Taught caution by the
losses they had sustained they did not
immediatel y attempt TO enter through
the breeches. but uhrusting in their rifles.
discharged them into the house. In this
they had double design that Of KILN :
or wounding some Of Tie occupants. and
getting in under cover Of the smoke.
Before the sound of the deafening
broad side had died away, the feather
crested head Of 4 Wyandottc warrior par
ted the smoke cloud that oHscured the in
terror; but rs he rose from n stooping
posture on entering. Miriam's axe descen-
dcd with tremendous force cutting clear
through the shoulder and collar bone in
to the chest. He dropped with wild
cry, half defiant, half agony. Another
| savage followed, andanother, each sinking Z
in turn under the axe Of the courageous
matron. The fifth missed but instantly
graphing with him she held him power
less in her arms while Alice plunged the
knife into his body. OF the next two
that entered. the first one was disabled By
blow on the head from the butt OF
Hopes gun, and the other very nearly
decapitated by a sweep Of Miriam's axe.
OF the thirteen warriors who had left
their tribe for the war path. few