The Shasta courier., 1866-11-17
LITTLE JACK HURST.

the lnulan difficulties there. When those
red demons swept over the country, burning,
plundering, numbering without mercy,
Gideon Hurst with his beautiful wife and
tender children, were among the first who
fell victims to that blind thirst for blood
which seemed to actuate the savages.
While he and all the rest were most in.
humanity murdered, his youngest child,
bright eyed little boy of eight years, escaped
In an almost miraculous manner.
His father and brothers were being struck
down, or shot, as fast as Indian weapons
could fell them, and he was clinging to his
mother In the widest terror. The fond and
tender mother suddenly threw herself upon
him. bidding him not STIR and covering him
with her protecting form.
Almost as she fell upon him, tomahawk
crushed into her devoted head. and it was
her dead frame that sheltered him from his
foes. who in their haste, and amid the in
toxication of carnage, did not see him.
The little fellow, from sort of instinct,
probably, and perhaps unaware that his
mother no longer lived, made no outcry, and
remained motionless till the brutal crowd
had departed. Then he crept forth, and be-
held the narrowing scene-father here,
mother there-the brothers he was playing
with few hours before-all dead-blood
everywhere, and their wide open, anguished
eyes staring at him as they never had in
life. Poor boy he lost his senses for the
time, and ran in a frantic fright from the
house. There was great many bands of
Indians rowing about but managed somehow
to avoid them for two days. when, almost
starved. and in pitiable. condition in every
way, he fell into the hands of party of six
the leader of which he recognized as one
who had partaken of his fathers hospitali-
ty.
Far from seeming to remember that, how
ever, this Indian, who was known among
the whites as Pete Jones, fell upon the bov,
and beat him souEdly with his club. He
broke no bones, however, and inflicted no
wounds, and though he drove the fainting
child before him for miles, when they finally
stopped for the night he gave him his supper,
and would not suffer the rest to beat him.
Indeed it seemed on the whole that the
harshness he had displayed had been more
to protect the child from the brutality of the
others by pretending to be his enemy than
because he wished to injure him..
Little Jack Hurst eventually was placed
in safety among the whites-at least what
was left of him. He was a pitiful sight
Those who had known him before that hor
ribe massacre could not recognize him now
He looked like a little old man. There was
an expression of indescrbable terror con-
stantly on his little face, and he never smiled
as other children do. His mind seemed in
Jured hopelessly, but he retained, even so,
a curious affection for Indian Pete. His
gratitude to Pete for the rough protection he
had lestowed upon him was unbounded
But If Pete, through some streak of hu-
manity in his savage nature, had been less
cruel to him than the others, it was hu-
manity that had been solely confined to him.
He had been one of the most fendsh lead
ers of the massacre that had taken place, and
when justice was about TO be meted out to
other leaders, his life was demanded along
with theirs
But Pete would not yield himself up, and
his own brethren stood in too much terror
of his known prowess to take him openly
Various ruses were resorted to to capture him,
but with no effect for some time
He was bold, strong, desperate, danger
Gus adversary to encounter in open fight, and
a too willy one to be hunted down. Master
Of all the arts of Indian stratagem and cum
ming, he baffled both his own people and
the whites long time.
lie had house somewhere in the woods
to which, when the pursuit of him lulled, he
resorted, sometimes for days. But he SEEM
ed always, even when he slept, to keep one
eye open, and very sharp eye it was.
certain news coming one day that Pete
was at home, secret aud careful preparations
were made to take him. Every precaution
was taken to advance upon him without
him, and the party, in large enough
nnm hers n ptofolv
were slowly narrowing down upon it from ali
sides, secure, they thought, of their foe.
when to the astonishment of all, little Jack
Hurst was seen running across the space
that yet intervened between them and the
house. His affection for Pete was too we'll
known to leave his object doubtful. He was
going to warn the slumbering warrior that
his foes were upon him. The party drew
swiftly nearer, Jack ran and beat wildly at
the door to rouse Pete, who walked only in
time to find himself more hopeessly situated
than ever before. On every side bayonets
bristled, and no possibility of escape seemed
present.
They might have shot him as he stood
plainly revealed in his tall, straight, almost
gigantic proportions but he knew very we'll
that it was their intention and desire to take
him alive, if possible. that public example
might be of him. He stood, therefore, in
full view, deliberately measuring his chances
choosing the point at which to
strike
Suddenly-so swiftly that though they
were so sharply on the alert it took them
by surprise-he had flung little Jack upon
his shoulder, and sustaining him there with
one hand, and holding his rifle in the other.
he made a dash at point where the brush
seemed SO close as to make progress through
it impossible, and hence it had been left com
unguarded.
Pete made swift work of it, however. Before
they could recover from their amazement he
bad cleared it, and they saw that he was
again about to make his escape. The orders
had been to shoot him down sooner than per
NIT that. and score of guns were instantly
aimed after him. Anticipating such aim.
probably. he had taken the child to secure
himself He could have had no other reason
for encumbering his flight with such bur.
den. The men thought of Jack as they
touched the triggers of their guns. But it
was too late; in the excitement of the mo-
ment. they had fred, even as the conscious
ness flashed across them. Pete fell, pierced
with bullets Poor little Jack, teo-the bul.
lets had reached him also. He was dead be-
fore they could reach him. Pete was still
writhing in the death agony, and the indig-