Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-08-02

jury. He thought il, however, subject for jury
to pass upon; and he would hold the defendants
/ in $500 each, TO answer such charge as the DIS
I trict Attorney may bring against them.
\ -------sU~~----
Desperate Fight with Indians Ia Texas
Noble Conduct OF n Dog.
The following account of desperate fight with
a party of Indians is copied from the San Anto-
MO Ledger:
On Saturday evening, June 3Oth, some fifteen
Indians surrounded the house Of Mr.. w estfall,
who is well known to most of citizens, and
who lives on the Fresna some thirty-h miles be-
low Fort lnge. The attack was made upon MIR.
Westfall while he was absent from the house,
| leaving at the time no occupants in il but French
man, named Louis, and large dog. 1t seems
the Indians had been lying in wait for sometime,
and took this opportunity to attack him. Mr..
Westfall, however, succeeded in getting back to
his house, wounded in dangerous manner-the
ball striking him in the left breast high up, and
coming out at his back under the opposite shoulder.
He fastened the door, and the Indians then com
menced an attack on the house Louis and West
fall now exchanged shots with them in rapid sue
cession; but Westfal was fast failing from loss
OF blood. Louis approached an aperture in the
wall in order to make aim, and was shot
| through the heart, fell and expired. The faithful
dog, on seeing Louis fall, and the blood stream
ing from his body, became frantic with rage, and
rushing out OF small aperture, sprang among
the Indians, seized one and tore every garment
from his body, and was on the eve of killing him,
when he was shot and overpowercd by the demons
| in human form that surrounded him. Poor dog,
he has nobly sacrificed his life in defense Of his
master.
Westfall, overpowered by the loss of blood,
could only support himself now by holding to the
walls of the house, but, nothing daunted, he tore
u large aperture in the wall and stuck his gun
out, in order to keep up appearances. The In
dians, no doubt thinking they would have long
siege, and many of them being severely wounded,
left taking with them all the horses belonging to
the ranch II was now night, and Westfall re-
members crawling to his bed, which was the last
consciousness he had until last Sunday evening,
when he found himself lying on his bed covered
with blood that had come from the wound and
from his mouths but he was not able to come
from his bed until Monday, when from the stencil
of the dead body in the room he found something
must be done With great effort he succeeded in
dragging the body about twenty feet, but could
get it no further. At sunset on Monday evening
he started towards Fort Inge for assistance; hut
succeeded that night in getting only four miles
and on "Wednesday evening he arrived at house
in the vicinity of Fort Inge, where he procured
assistance and is still alive, and his physician has
strong hopes Of his recovery.
Mr.. Westfall is man of strong frame and ex-
traordinary constitution, which accounts for his
remarkable escape. He is n terror to the Indians,
and is known on the frontier by the name of
Court House Struck by Lightning
One Man Killed and Many Injured.
u On the ODD July, the cupola of the court
house in Taylor county, Va, was struck by light
ming while the court was in session, and large
number Of persons within the building. One
man instantly killed, and several Others pros
trated, some of whom were severely injured
The Farmont VDginian says
Our informant, who was in the court room at
the time of the occurrence, represents the scene
most terrifying one. The building appeared
to him to be coming down bodily under the pres
sure of some tremendous weight, and he instinc-
lively felt for support. Collecting his thoughts,
| however, the nature of the occurrence was in
stantly evident to him, and he and the other per-
sons ran out at the side doors of the building
Just then, the screams of some ladies on the other
side of the street convinced them that a sad ca
lamty had resulted, and reaching the front
of the building the character of the calamity was
visible To all. Stretched OH the bricks, lay
number Of persons; in the midst of them the de-
nuded body of the Rev. Hezekiah Durham, the
young man who was killed, and whose person
had been stripped Of every vestige of clothing.
Fortunately for the sufferers, the persons pres
ent knew the best method of restoring them to
consciousness, and soon dragged them out into
the rain, and commenced dashng water upon
them. After the sufferers found living in the
entry had been cared for, the jury rooms above
were visited, and in one of these were discovered
| three more individuals who had been so stunned
| us TO be unable to help themselves Two of them
| were taken out into the rain, the friends of the
| third, from mistaken kindness, would not let him
be taken out, and he consequently suffered much
more than his companions. OF the persons
| shocked, some recovered so as TO get away from
| Pruntytown the same evening; yet OH the next
| morning (when informant left) there were
4 ST ii. a tn 4 10
their beds, and of them in a very
| precarious condition.
Mr.. Durham Ordained to the ministry about
two weeks ago by the Baptist church in Prunty-
town. was standings when the electric fluid struck
him, in the front door of the court house, with his
head leaning against the casing. The other per-
| sons injured were standing near him, in the
| try. One man was considerably scorched by the
heating of pair of spectacles which he had in
| his pocket. Anothers watch proved so attrac-
| tive that IL was partially fused Mr.. A. w Best,
| though standing some twenty or more feet from
| the track of the fluid, had his right arm, which
| was in contact with wall, paralyzed from the
| elbow down; and this without paining him, for
| he did not know the fact until he undertook TO
| handle bucket After administering to the re-
| lief Of others and more Serious sufferers, using
only his left hand, he took off his hat and stood
i in the rain for a few minutes when his arm soon
i became subject to his will, and free from every
unpleasant sensation.
| The Pruntytown Gazeite, published where the
occurrence took place, says:
| The electricity down the front wall Of the
| house-at some points forcing out bricks, and at
| others only separating the walls and driving out
4 the cement. In the northwest room, up stairs,
| Major J. G. Fleming, John w. Monroe, George
/ Fleming, and John w. Sinsel were in business
| The electricity passing down the wall near them
| very much stunned and otherwise injured the two
| last named gentlemen. Considerable damage
was. done to the ceiling of this room. Passing
| down the wall il broke out at different points
| The pirginian has also the following account
of a miraculous escape from death in Taylor
county few days previous to the above occur
/ rence
| Mr.. Alexander Williamson and four of his chill
| dren were binding wheat on Friday last, some
three hundred yards from his house A cloud
was fast rising. His eldest son was some thirty
five yards from his father; the rest little nearer
When the lightning struck, they were all pros
/ trated. Mrs. Williamson saw them all down