Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-03-20
'AKENrUClkY A HEROINE

= In the backwoods of Kentucky, during
the early settlement Of that region, man
named Hiram Peters fixed his home. He
had wife and two small children, who ac-
companied him. into the wilderness, and he
erected his humble log cabin on his new
| purchase, some distance from any fort. At
that time there was little fear of Indians, as
| they had not ventured into that section to
commit any depredations for a long time,
and itSwas believed the settlers thereSwould
be safe from any future molestation.s1sr
Mr.. Peters had been In his new home
scarcely, more than a. -twelvemonth, when
| he took sick and died, tleaving his poor
widow almost incohsolable for his loss. -
One day afterward, I'M the ensuing fall,
when she was at work in the field, not far
from her dwelling, with her children play
ing on the ground near her, her attention
was arrested by hearing her elder child
ana, dar Is man out darl' E5EEf
She looked In the direction indicated by
the child, and was startled at perceiying, ON
the edge Of a distant wood, a human figure,
which resefhbled an Indian. She only had
O glimpse of the object, just as II was dis
appearing into thicket; but she had seen
enough to fill her with alarm and dismay !;
and catching up her youngest child, and
taking the other by the hand, she ran down
to the dwelling, and closed and bolted the
door, and secured the windows as well as
she could. She looked around and saw an
axe standing in one corner, and the gun
which had belonged to her husband resting
on some hooks overhead, where it had re-
mained untouched ever since his death.
For a few minutes she gave way to the
emotions she could not control, and wept
and sobbed with violence that seemed as
If 1t would break her very heart; then,
suddenly remembering the danger, which
neither her grief nor prayers could avert,
she dried her tears and looked around with
the sharp, fierce glance of the panther,
preparing to defend her young.
"They shall not have these pretty babes
while | have life to defend them!'" she
thought, and hurriedly placing the children
on the floor, she got up and took down the
gun for the first time since her husbands
death.
She knew but little about weapons of
this kind, but she had often seen her hus-
band load, prime and fire, and try the
depth of the charge with the ramrod, and
she now thrust the latter into the barrel,
not knowing whether the piece was loaded
or not. 1t did not go down the entire
length, and struck with dead sound, and
she felt thankful that she had one charge to
deliver to her enemies, in case they should
attack her dwelling. She shook out the
oldpriming andputinnew; and then, stand,
ing the gun up against the wall, she went
and got the axe and put it by its side.
Minute after minute went by, each
heightened into an age, as it were, by a,
fearful suspense, and still she heard nothing!
to give her any further alarm. Could she
have been mistaken in regard to the object
she saw? Could it have been hunter in
stead of an Indian? She trembled now!
with hope, as she had previously trembled l
with fear, and prayed for deliverance from
her dread, as only mother placed in hcri
forlorn situation could pray.
Thus long hours passed away; the SUM-
gradually sunk behind the western hills, 4
and night drew her dark pail over the earth. 4
And still she sat, almost as motionless as all
statue, holding her little children as prizes'
of greater value than her own life, and fear 4
fully listening to every sound without not
unfrequently. with quivering lips and sus-
pended breath! The Innocent children, feel 4
ing more safety in their mothers arms than
she felt for them, had gradually fallen asleep
and theirlong regular breathing showed that \
with them the danger had ceased, and that. \
whatever the great future might have in 4
happy In the present. oi s u --grr Is sN Il
Suddenly the poor mother fairly boundedN \
from her seat, as series of wild, prolonged \
terrific yells resounded through the still air 4
and were succeeded by dead and ominous 4
silence. She had not been mistaken In her \
fears, and her hopes were fallacious-thc !
Indians were upon her, and the dread deed, \
OF darkness were about to Begin - I'D I
"Don't make the least noise, my littl,
dears, or the monsters of the forest will
have us all!' she said in terrified whisper
to her now awakened and frightened chill. y
dren; and the little creatures. as If with
sense beyond their years, maintained an al
most breathless silence. ,r --,.,v r., -.
"You must lay down on the bed" sh, I
continued, "and let me cover you all over (
and then you must not speak, or cry OF I
stir" and without murmur, the children I,
complied with her wish. Ia
Having placed her children in place OF |,
as much safety as her circumstances per-
mitted, the trembling mother stole back to l
the weapons, laid her hand upon them, and |
prayed to Heaven for assistance in the great [
and terrible trial before her. She grew \
calmer and tirmer as she prayed, and then
came the terrible resolution to defend her.
self to the last, and not to be taken alive.
Up to this moment, the awful silence sue
ceeding the fierce yells had remained un-
broken, but now, as if in answer to her last
resolve, there came some quick, heavy rap,
upon the door, and the low voices of two OF
three savages speaking together in theiI
own tongue, which, of course, could not bt
understood by her. Soon the Indian Ian
guage ceased, and was succeeded by thu
English words:
"Squaw, door openr'y p ru nus@
To this Mrs. Peters made no reply, and IT.
vas repeated some two or three times with
The same result. Failing to get an answer
rom her, the savages grew angry and i'm
oatient and began to hack at the door with
heir hatchets. Takingup her axe and gun.
he, poor mother moved silently over to the
,lace where her foesiwere at work, and sta
ioned herself beside the very spot-though
very blow, in view of the awful conse-
luences, seemed to beatupon hervery heart.
They were by this time at work In earnest,
determined to cut a passage into the DWELL
ng; and it was not long before the stout
blanks began to splinter and give way on
he inner side; and Mrs. Peters could see
he faint light Of the starry night from her
wn position of absolute darkness. and in
istinct the shadowy forms of the hideous
eingsz SO industriously laboring for the
estruction of herself and the dear inno-
ents whose life she valued more than her
wn., ~ -. srs@r s-ga4- r..rrwr.ss "a sr- H..
Suddenly, with crash. the aperture was
nlarged sufficiently to admit the head of a |
lan, and this success was greeted by the
avages with a veil that seemed to curCle1l