St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1857-10-08
storn Of tbr aQ(est.
SKETCHES OF
WESTERN LIFE.
A RANGERS ADVENTURE.

Thomas Higgins, IL native kcntuck-
ian, in the late war enlisted in com
pany of rangers, and was stationed,
in the summer of 1914, i'll block
house or station, eight miles south of
Green vile, in what is now Bond
County, Illinois. On the evening of
the 30th of August, Il small party of
Indians having been seen prowlingi
about the station, Lieut. Journay with
all his men, twelve only in number,
sailed forth the next morning just
before daylight, in pursuit Of them.
They had not proceeded far on the
border of the prairie, before they were
in an ambuscadc of seventy or eighty
savagcs. At the first fire, the Lieu
tenant and three of his men were
killed. Six fled to the fort under COW
cr of the smoke, for the morning was
sultry, and the air being damp, the
smoke form the guns hung like q
cloud over the scene but Higgins re-
manned behind to have zone more pull
at the enemy" and avcngc the death
of his companions.
lie sprang behind small elm,
scarcely sufficient to protect his body,
when the smoke partly rising, discov-
cred to him number of Indians, upon
which he fired, and shot down the
foremost one.
Concealed still by the smoke, Hig-
gins reloaded. mounted his horse, and
turned to fly, when q voice, apparent
ly from the grass, hailed him with :
Tom you won't leave me, will you!"
He turned Immediately around, and
seeing fellowsoldicr, by the name of
Burgess, lying on the ground wounded
and gasping for breath, replied: " No,
III not leave you, come along 81
can't come" said Burgess; "my. leg
is all smashed to pieces" Higgins
dismounted, and taking up his friend,
whose ankle had been broken, was
about to lift him on his horse, when
the animal taking fright dartcd off in
an instant, and left them both behind.
This is too bad,' said Higgins but
don't fear you hop off on your three
legs, and I'll stay behind between you
and the Indians, and keep them of:
Get into the tallcst grass, and crawl
as near the ground as possible" Bur-
CESS did so, and escaped.
The smoke, which had hitherto con-
ccalad Higgins, now cleared away,
and he resolved, if possible, to retreat.
To follow the track of Burgess was
most expcdicnt. He determined,
therefore to venture boldly forward,
and, if discovered, to secure his own
safety by the rapidty of his light.
On leaving a small thickct, in which
he had sought refuge, he discovered a
tall, portly savage near by, and two
others in a direction between him and
fort. lie paused for moment, and
thought if he could separate, and fight
them singly, his csse was not SO des-
pcratc. He started, therefore, Tor a
little rivulct near, but found one of his
limbs failing him it having been
struck by a ball in the first encounter
of which. till now he was scarcely
conscious. The largest Indian pressed
close upon him, and Higgins turned
round two or three times i'll order t.
fire, The Indian halted and dancet
about to prevent his taking aim. III
saw it was unsafe to fire at random
| and pcrceiying two others approaching
+ knew he must be oyerpowcrcd IN
, moment, unless he could dispose o
+; the forward Indian first He resolved
c therefore, to halt and receive his fir,
The Indian raised his rifle and llie