Plymouth banner. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1852-1855, 1854-04-06


he was much mistaken, q young white
man. This individual took no par; in the
active operations of catching and securing
the girls, and was certainly white. II was
some tue before Johnson had dared to
venture from his hiding place, and more
than halt all hour had passed since the
girls were taken.
Capt Campfeid resolved on pursuit
that ghi TIE whole force of the station
consisted of twen,y-nine men. Ten oil
these we're left for hcme defence, and the
remaining nineteen were directed 10 be
ready in quarter of an hour, to start on
the expedition for the relief of the fair
cnplives.
There was n hasty leave taken Of wives
sisters. and mothers; and rapid armIng;
and in the allotted time nll were ready.
As the gate was thrown open, and The par
iy filed cut. i, was just thoroughly DARK.
The gate was opened but lillle. an6 the
brave band emerged, silent os ghosts
For few minutes there had been occa-
sional gusts ofsnow, iiuiiering aud ~hiz-
zing down the sharp wind. Now the
wind began TO die. and the snow 10 fall
regularly, but lightly. The rangers.
when they lonked up 10 the scowlng sky.
Ielt the soft fakes brush their cheeks or
lodge in their rough boards.
This is os we would have it. slid the
Captain. Tire snow will cover all trace
Of US, AID in the morning. when If will
probably cease, we can at oEce find the
trail Of The red devils.
The night passed dEoorily. and slowly
in the extreme. The dawn of the mnrn
ing found the hunters some fifteen miles
from the station toward the Ohio, and the
woods was white with snow. Every twig
aid limb had its load of feathery crystals.
The party had mnde halt Of about three
hours and there was no trace OF then,
outside the clump oihushes beneath which
they had made rude tent and bed with
their blankets. The wind and the storm
were gone. The sun came up gloriosrsly
and its light gave the white drapery oboni
the lofty snowy arches md gorgeously
spangled roofs of the fores, temples, such
splcrdors and many colors that the vivid
and universal gistening blinded The syes
and confused the brain.
In this state Of affairs, the Indians
could depend on nothing but their feelness
or strength. Their t:ail must inevitably
be discovered, and they either outstrip or
conquer their pursaers. Il was not three
hours after sunrise when Capt. Campield
and his rangers found the trail With
all their skill they could not iell how many
foes 10 count on. The Indians were step
ping in each others tracks, for the pur
pose Of concealing their numbers. The
young men of the pursuing party looked
about narrowly, hut could find no trace
or sign Of the captives. Every little track
they had made was oblilereted.
The rangers divided into parties of sew
en- and Twelve men, and separating about
two hundred yards, followed the Indian
troil on the run. or rs they themselves
described it 'on the long lope.' BY reii-
Grated requests-by importantly in fact
Corroll was given The lead of the advanced
party and he led wild chase.
There was no sound in the woods, save
the tramp of the hun;ers-not even q bird
twiltered. The indian trail stretched on
through the gliltering waste of snow, up
hill and down, by the Lanks Of stream,
along ravines and over bottom lands
through thckets and c.umps Of trees
righ; on.
But OF sudden, as the foremost party
still held by Corroi with fierce impetuos
ity, entered a narrow hollow, or ravine
with low steep banks. tho solemn sill
ness was broken by the rapid discharge
OF at least score of rifles. and of the six
men who accompanied Corroll, three drop
ped lifeless, and the others after hosiiating
q moment in the smoke, confused and stun
ned by the shock and roar OF the onset,
fled toward their friends, who were rapidly
coming up. Corroll lodged behind a tree
and for a second kept the whole savage
force at bay with his loaded rife, but they
pressed holly upon him. and firing with
deadly effect a, the nearest, he retrented
in an obli9ue course to The flight Of his
companions, pursued by several warriors
while the mass followed in pursuit Of the
(sgitives along The trail, They were
speedily checked. however. by a deadly
fire from Capt, Campield's men who took
deliberate aim and discharged their rifles
with whitening effect. This was utterly
unexpected by the Indians. and they in
turn fed in dismay q short distance, and
then took trees. The whites were pru
dent enough not TO pres the pursuit, but
to take shelter themselves. There were
fifteen Of them all excellent shots and OF
the true grit. The certainty Of death if
they remained, would moi have induced
them 10 fly. The numerical strength OF
either party was not known to the Other,
bu. each thought themselves outnumbered
and were IN consequence cautious in the
Capt. Campfeld with four of his men
took the center Of the ratine. and the re-
naming rangersin equal divisions. spread
by running from tree TO tree
on each bank and keen contest commen
ced. For some time the sharp explosions
Of rifles followed each other in quick sue
cession, and the sides of the trees behind
which tho comba,nnis sheltered their per.
sons, were scalhed by the whistling balls.
The manner Of scattering his men and
forming them in q semcircle, open TO.