The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1856-10-09
THE DEcoTAH'S CAPTIVE.

AAG 0GOO4nn - CAF1I w. II.
While the Spanish. coloilists ravaoed the
southern portion Of North A,nsfica il, Quest
Of gold, and the Euglish plapted The germs
Of elf.goserning on theS eastsrn coast. fhe
French were bnt the agents Of home mer.
chants, who enjoyed q monopoly of the VA.
rious trafiies, and were sustained in the en-
Joyment Of II by the strong arm of militia.
-ry power. To the trading association in
particular we owe tile discovery of the
Mississippi, By the sons Of oney6f the mem.
bers-,he intrepid La Salle. In this day,
lead was first discovered within the present
limits Of the State of Iowa, but the noted
Julien Dubuque was tle first who taught
the Indians TO collect The ore, and make
an article Of trade of He. wes .r,a.s =.
a brave but crafty idsn, ,Ssss ssef. III. dsSti,
the savages, in compliance With his DIVING
wish. deposited his remains on the summit
of a high cliff overlookir sa.thaStF atber of
Waters" securing the mout' al the man.
soleum with a massive leader door of a ION
weight. They then burned his dwellings
and erased every trace Of civilized life
around his settlement except the orchards
planted by his own hands. vandal whites
afterwards cut up the door to sell, but the
name of Dubuque will ever, be. remem.
bered in Iowa.
Years passed away. The white flag of
France no longer waved over the Mississip.
pi valley, and the bold frontiers.man ad-
vancing on the foremost wave OF civiliza.
ton, crossed the river ip quest of lead ore.
game, and fertile SOIL. One Of the first set
Elements thus established, was formed by
party from Kentucky, led by the grandsire
OF the younger generation --old Joe Bates,
noble specimen Of a frontiers man. Sew.
enty winters had whilened his long locks.
but lie was still hale and hearty, able to
WELD an axe with any cf his sons, or to
draw bead on rifle witt that fatal accu.
racy of aim which had enabled him to rem
der good service at the battle of New Or
leans. Selecting good locality on the
very shore Of the Mississippi, old Joe and
his sons built log cabin, surrounded by
a stockade to keep off the Dccotahs. Then
surrounded clearing. with worm fence,
deadened the standing trees by the fatal
axe circle, and planted corn. When the
corn was well above ground snd freed from
weeds, they began to prospect" for lead
ore.
thus far they had seen no Indians, and,
began TO fiatter themselves that the "red
skins" had left the country, to their peace.
ful possession; hut the willy savages had
kept constant watch upon their move
mehts. Perhaps, had they eonfiued them.
selves TO agricultural iabors, tie incuders
a'al..4xs 70 sas on anssssstsd e.lesis.,y
United States Governmcl into profitable
treaty, but when pick axes were welded in
search of lead ore, the destruction of the
pale-faces was resolved !. JON in council.
The first objecl Of say, gs vengeance was
the oldest son, Frank Baes, who had built
him cabin about FIVE !asndred yards from
head. quarters" despite The warnings of
old Joe. Frank, howevS, had no fear of
Indians, and lived with lis wife and babe
in great happiness, unt one summers
night hen he was awalsned by the loud
barking of his dogs. Singing from his
bed, he looked through an opening in
the logs, and saw to his iorror at least ff,
ty Decotahs, in full war ostume evidently
seeking the easiest way to force an en-
trance into the cabin. itousng his wife,
he raised cellar trap d,S, and was about
to send her down. when Ie child she had
left in the bed began to ~.
81 cannot leave my bae," she said
"Nay," he exclaimed Fl will take care
of the boy" and almost brcing her down
into the small cellar, he cl sed the unhinced
door, over which he Dire large chest.
Then, seizing his rifle an jhatchet, lie took
the infant and ascended-p the loft of the
cabin, pulling the ladde' ip after him. A
moment more. the door AS forced from its
hinges, and the Decota. entered eager for
their lrey. But Bates Ii, not remain to
watch their movemenlsior Iasl,ing his boy
to his shoulders. he es-tiously opened a
shutter in the gable ofIte loft, and seeing
that no Indians wereit Meath, jumped TO
the ground, rifle 10 hapt
Ere he had traversedh little garden, the
air resounded with the ,od d.chiling tones
of the war.whoop. and volley of arrows.
ra'ned around the fugi,i1. Happily only
one struck him, and The in the flesLy part
OF the arm, so that heskept on straining
every nerve TO reach llh stockaJe around
his fathers cabin. Bn ere he had gone
many PAGES a giganti, Indian overlook
him. Turning like st.,at bay, he faced
his antagonist, knockes him down with
the butt of bis rifle, adj theb sped on his
way. But now, to hi horror, he saw a
large body of Decotahs aound his fathers
dwelling as be approachd, firing over on
to the roofs of the cabiS with arrows TO
which burning tow wasauaclled.
lie Paused--but the cries of his boy
aroused him to sense q his own danger
and hls wife's peri!ous situation. Direct.
ing his steps towards Il driver, where he
found his "dugou:" safel moored, he soou
was padding across nc river to settle.
ment where there were arge number of
whites.
Day had scarcely owned on the suc.
ceedlng morning, befoke twenty miners,
good men and true, were ready 10 accom-
raDy him across the river. They cared no
more for the Decotahs than for prairie dogs.
and acted upon the spu, Of The moment,
n fFuE III Inc nNG.