Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1854-09-27
Selected Stories.
A MOTHERS DEFENCE;

A MOTHERS DEFENCE;
Or, Fearful Tale of Frontier War.
There is no cxaggeration in the follow
| ing sketch. the instance narrated having
occurred during the border war Of Ken
lucky. The seeming Incredible feat flor IA
woman especially Of biting in two mus
ket ball is there VOuched for. This nara.
tive was written for the Sunday Times :
! 4 more beautiful and quiet scene than
the clearing on the Elkhorn, which smi
led and sparkI"d in the light Of cloudIess
sunrise on the 9th Of April. 1898. could
not have been found between the Ken
lucky river aud tie Mountains. A rude
but strongly built log cabin. half dwell
ing, half fortress, was the most conspicu-
Gus object in the fore ground. A stream.
the Elkhorn. too large to be called a
creek, yet scarcely broad enough except
during the freshet to be considered riv-
cr, its sloping banks clothed in the YER
dure of early spring, spread with a rapid
current within Il rifle shot Of the front Of
the cabin.
The entire clearing consisted Of about
40 acres, girIlcd on every side by the
dense forest, excepting on the east, where
a broad opening appeared. and the bla
| Zed outlines Of road was visible for a
rod or two apparently to some ali lcent
settlement. The location was only three
miles from Frankfort, then a small village
about two miles from the neares; point on
| the Kentucky river of which the EIkhorn
is tributary. Within the cleared are ii,
labor had done much. TAg aka which
had let the sunlight into the heart Of the
wilderness had been promptly followed bv
! the plow. The barns and corn cribs were
filled to overhowing. AMI the green blades
! glistcning with dew, that covered the
southern slopes gave promise o! another
abundant harvest.
The cabin was Of double size, for ii
contained two families. Its occupants
were two brothers, Hosea and Jesse Cook.
their wives and children and a youth of
seventeen named McAndre, who assisted
in the farm work. The two brothers
were originally from Connecticut. but had
cmgrated to Kentucky some years before
this narrative opens. Nearly four years
had elapsed since they had removed and
settled on the Elkhurn, ard during the
whole of that time they had seen but one
Indian
HOsea's household consisted of his wife
Miriam, like himself native OF New
England ; Il woman Of commanding sta
, tue and personal strength, and daughter
Alice goIdenhaircd beauty and IA face
that smiled all over, then in her l7Lh
year. Hope, the wife Of Jesse Cook, was
Il rosy. comeIy daughter Of Virginia,
younger than her sister in law, with Two
boys Of six and three Years old at her
apron string. Young McAndre was a
find young huntsmun, whose father had
been killed in a rencounter with o party
of Wyandols near the Blue Licks in that
memorable era of the frontier Of the West,
in the year 1882.
Just as the suns red disk become visi,
bic above the upper line of the fortress 10
the cast, the door Of the cabin opened and
brothers passed out. The scene before
them was one of perfect rcpose. The
morning mist had already lifted from the
stream and was sailing upwards, while
not breath stirred the surface Of the
swiftly glided water. But the Cooks
were not the men to view the landscape
with simple observation that it was fine
growing morning. The elder, Hosea,
ShouIdered his axe. and followed by his
brother walked up to a pile OF chestnut
timber a few rods west of the house
where they had been engaged in splitting
out fence rails.
They were both unarmed and would
have laughed at the idea of carrying
weapons to protect themselves againS
the indians, so confident had their long
exemption from the attack or molesta;ior
rendered them. But their dream of Sc
curlty was destined 10 be suddenly bro
ken. They had not struck twenty blow.
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 poin
Of the woods, and Hosea Cook who wa
in the act of chOpping, sprang in thu
air, and Strengthening as he descen
ded, fell with his face upwards, quite
dead.
Jesse, although struck by three bullet
and mortally wounded. started in stag
geriug run for the cabin, and fell fev
feet from the door at the very momen
that thirteen Wyandots painted and plum
ed. leaped over the cover With whoop Q
F.