Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1857-07-23
TEE soUArTnR FAMILY.

4 Among the early settlers Of the West were
many who moved out and settled sites for thei
homes upon the unoccupied land they mlgn
find, and, by clearing portion OF II: and pniia
/ ing a cabin, they obtained presumption rIght -
the soil or at least, certain portion OF IT, ant
in possession efwhich they have been protectet
| by government, at least SO far, as that no ont
could dispossess them without paying them al
equiyalentfor the improvement. a.ld even then
| they have prior claim, or privilege q purchas
| ing at government price, over every other pur
chaser. Such pioneers have dean deEoninate'
I"squatters"
In an early day, man who hf,d left the ster
lie soil of an Eastern State, st. irted VITA his
young and rising family to better his CONDITION
| in the rich and fertile valley OF the West ~
was poor but honest man; had struggled hare
to raise his family, and by patient industry was
enabled to obtain outfit Of horse and cart u
| Journey to the West Passing fhi pugh wha
was then wilderness, he at length reached ,
spot on the Illinois river, abont two hundred
miles from its mouth, where he pitched has tent
and subsequently erected his cabin. dis fsmi
| ~ consisted of a wife and three childi.en-tht
eldest, & boy, was in his nineteenth year, the mex
girl in her eighteenth year, and the yourges
la boy of fourteen They were all vigorous, fht
very material suited for the hard toll and pool
| fare Of pioneer life.
One day there came to the squatter's cabin
three Indians, protesting to be friendly who in
vited the father to go ont on hunting excur-
sion with them. As the family subsisted mostly
| upon game, he finally concluded to accompany
| them, taking with him his eldest son. They ex'
pected to be absent about week, as they IN
tended to take somewhat extensive range
| After three days had passed away, one Of the In
dians returned to the sguatter's house, and de-
liberately lighting his Pipe and taking his seat
| by the fire, he commenced smoking in silence
| The wife was not startled at his appearance
as it was frequently the case that one. aud Some
time more of party of Indian hunters getting
discouraged, would leave the rest and return.
This was usually the case when they immagined
they discovered some bad sign, aud it would
not only; be useless but DISASTROUS for them to
hunt under such circumstances.
The Indian sat for some time in sullcn silence
and at length removing his pipe, he gave n sig
niiicant grunt to awaken attention, and said
s"White man die" The sguattcF's wife ct this
replied:
4 ''What is the matter -
i ale sick; tree fall on him lie die. You go
see him..
Her suspicious being some what aroused at the
manner the savage, she asked him number
of questions. The evasiveness and evident
want of consistency in the answers, at length
/ confirmed her that something was wrong. She
4 Judged it best not to go herself, but send her
youngest son, the eldest as we have seen, hav-
ing gone on a hunt with his father. Night came
4 but brought not the son or the Indian. All lis
/ gloomy hours were spent in that lone cabin by
the mother and daughter; but morning came
i without their return The whole day passed in
the same fruitless lookout for the boy; the
mother felt grieved that she had sent her boy on
1 the Grand but it was now too late. Her suspi-
i cions were now confirmed that the Indians had
decoyed away her husband and sons She felt
that they would not stop in their evil designs,
and that if they had slain the father and his boys
/ they would next attack the mother and daughter.
No time was to be lost; and she and the
daughter, as night was approaching, went to
work to barricade the door and windows of the
cabin in the best manner they could. The rife
/ of the Youngest boy was all the weapon in the
house as he did not take it when he went to
seek his father This was taken from its hang
ings, and carefully examined to see that it was
gave the ak, and thus armed they determined to
watch all night, and if attacked by the savages,
to fight to the last.
i About midnight they made their appearance,
/ expecting to findthe mother and daughter asleep,
but in this they were disappointed. They APP
: preached stealthily, and one of the number
knocked loudly at the door, crying, Mother !.
| Mother ~
The mothers ear was to acute too be deceived
by the willy savage, and she replied, "where are
the Indians, my son .?
Il The answer, 'Um gone" would have salts
fed her, if she had not been before aware of the
deceit.
"Come up, my son, put your ear to the latch
hole. | want to tell you something before
open the door"
n The Indian applied his ear to the latchhole.
The crack of the rife followed and he fell dead.
As soon as she had fred, she stepped on one
side Of the door, and Immediately two rifle balls
, passed through it, either Of which would have
killed her.
THANK God'' said the mother in whisper
; to her daughter, there are but two. They are
the three that went to hunt with your father,
and one Of them is dead. If we can only Kill OF
, cripple another we shall be safe. Take courage
my child; God win not forsake rs in this trying
: hour We must both be still after they fire
Q again. Surprising they have killed us, they
will break down the door. ! may be able 10 shoot
one''-for, in the meantime she had reloaded the
: rihe-"but if ! miss, you must use the axe with
r all your might"
: The daughter, equally courageous with hel
mother. assured her that she would do her best
The conversation had hardly ceased when two
e more rife balls came crashing through the win
J., dow death. Ike stiffness ensued for the space
of several minutes, when two more balls IN quick
succession came through the Goor, followed by
tremendous strokes againt it with heavy
e stake. At length the door gave way, and 81
. Indian with fendish yell, was in the act 0
SWINGING into the house; but ball from the boy
= rae in the mothers hand, pierced his heart an,
p he fell across Tie threshold. The surviving In
diam daring not to venture-and it was well TO
4 his skull hat he did not-fired at random, AM
ran away
= ssNow." saidih mother to The daughter, 1--WE
1t must eaYe;r and taking the rifle and the axe
he thew FASTENED to the river, jumped into canoe
= and without a morsel ofprovision, except will
!, duck and two bIackbirds which the mother sho
y on the voyage, and which they ate raw, the
k luaddled their canoe down the river until the
N reached the residence of French settler at s.
" Louis.
= some time after, party OF hunters stsrie
over into Illinois, and secured the country j
of every direction; but they returned without iinC
;ng either ,he squatter or his boys. Nor hav
.y thew been heard Of 70 this day. Should III
traveller pass BIZ the beautiful city Of Peoria,
- bis westward wanderings the old settlers
that ne;chboThoed can point out the spot whcl
of stood tie cabin OF the squatter, heroicall
defended by his wife and daughter, and
nobly avenged the death Of the father and son
" The pioneer women of the West, Ike q
sn men, were made Of sterneT stuff than enters ~
n the composition Of most Of our modern 49,
IL and gentlemen They were brave ~
the wilderness and they showed ss.. l.i.;es an
Ter eauallv SO in r,i;r,, with its diff1cutles, 81
ty: ereol,i,terir,e ~ harris Who has not hsAa1
II the heroic Mis- Efzahesh Zane, at OF issns
Ia ivy. where the city 81 Wheeling 1o $50 s.1'laa
4es Wien q largo army Of sayages h1a "A a..s~l
INT Ieeted under the infamous Girty, sne - -:
his ed the fort having killed in an ouis.os