The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1859-08-25

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his rifle, sprang from his couch to find his
house surrounded by band of ssvages. who
had come down from the mountains for the
purpose of war and plunder. Thick flew the
arrows. and the first one to fall was the young
rndian who but the day before refused to
leave Mr.. Yount. The Frenehman guardei /
the room below. while Mr.. Gount fired from
the port holes above. killing many of the in
vaders, so that they were glad to retreat. car
rying their dead and wounded with them
During the skirmish a little circumstance
occurred. which serves 10 show the DISPOSE
ton of the brave settler. The friendly In
dian rushed to the door of Mr.. Yount's cabin
for the purpose of obtaining protection from
the flying arrows of the wild Indians; but
the Frenchman had the door strongly barri-
caded and refused to open it. At length
their piteous screams reached the ears of Mr.
Yount, and in a voice like thunder be ex-
claimed '.Open the door. you old rascal.
and let those women and children in. or I
will come down and put you out among the
Indans!" 1t is needless to say that the door
was opened Immediately. and the women and
children given such protection as the house
afforded. The man who could ride right np
to the face of grizzly bear. and fight the
red skins with furious and unerring aim.
whose courage in the midst of most immi-
nent danger never faltered, who could not
! listen to the pleading cries of the helpless
Indian women and their babes. but ordered
the door opened, even though by SO doing he
risked his own life and tie life of his only
companion. his trusty Frenchman.
At another time Mr.. Yount and his friend.
" Indians had had fight with some savage
tribes. and whipped them. But revenge
still burned within the breasts of the savages
and they determined to make another attack.
Mr.. Yount heard Of their approach, and with
twenty y-five picked braves from the Senomo
Mission, he went ont to meet them. They
met in Pope's Valley a company Of five or
six hundred wild savages, and a terrible bat
tie was the result The arrows fell as thick
as hail. yet the little party Of braves. led on
by Mr.. Yount. stimulated by his example.
and encouraged by his voice. fought like he
roes, and after desperate encounter. which
lasted until the morning began to break. sue
ceeded in putting the enemy to Eight. having
taken forty prisoners, and killed and wound
ed many more, while they suffered compar-
atively small loss. During the engagement.
Mr. Yount. who was foremost in the fight
had a silk handkerchief shot off his head by
an arrow, yet he remained unhurt
When we consider what little handful
of men were out to meet hundreds of war
ike race, and vet returned victorious, we re-
alize the power of Him who "giveth not the
battle to the strong. nor the race to the fleet"
and also the fact that knowledge is pow
er, and that it is destined by the all wise Ru-
ler to cover the earth as the waters cover the
As civilization advanced. his fights with
the grizzlies and wild Indians became less
and less frequent; but new and more formid
able enemies appeared in the land commits
soners, squatters and lawyers. Mr.. Yount's
history in this respect, is but a repetition of
that of almost every one of the early settlers
Of this country. The land which their own
daring. energy, and courage rescued from the
grizzly bear and wild Indian, they have now
to contend for in courts of law. This
is not as it should be. They are all men we'll
advanced in years; their thin locks are white
with the frosts of many winters. They have
PLAYED a noble part in the history of our
country. and it'll becomes our Government
to allow them to dwell in insecurity, uncer-
tainty and anxiety now. They have earned
their repose and should be allowed to sit in
the shade Of their own vine and hgtree, in
their declining years, with none to dispute
their right.
Notwithstanding all that he has to contend
against, Mr.. Yount still resides in Napa Val
ley, on the very place which has been to him
the scene of SO many trials and adventures.
every foot of which he has contended for.
with the grizzly bears and wild Indians
Strange to say, he was never wounded in
any OF his conflicts. and bears upon he per-
son no scars as mementoes Of the past. He
yet retains much of the energy and frmness
of his youth, and preserves his memory to
remarkable degree, relating incidents which
happened years ago as if they occurred bu.
Yesterday, even giving the day of the week
and month without the least reference to
notes He is unostentatious and simple in
his man ner, narrating incidents of the most
startling and thrilling nature IN which he
played conspicuous part, without betraying
arrogance, egotism, or vanity. and fascinates
the listener by his simple and easy statement
of facts.
Such is Mr. Yount-a fair representative
of class of people who seem by nature fit
ted for trying times. and whose courage is at
all times equal to any emergency. The more
desperate the circumstances, the more calm
and collected the mind-the more deadly the
aim To use the words of the venerable pa
triarch, "the tighter the place the surer the
shot"
He looks with keen insight into human
nature. 1t is to him no sealed book, but one
with which he is perfectly familiar. and with
which he is so well acquainted that no garb
OF deception can be long worn in his pres
ence; his eye and quick perception would
penetrate and rend it into fragments. So
while the crafty and designing could make
bu, little headway with him. the honest and
worthy may approach him feariessly, sure of
ready sympathy and that benevolence which
is ever the accompaniment of a noble nature.
Long may he I've to enjoy the reward of
his toll, and his last days pass peacefully and
quietly away.
ESThe first American woman who ever