Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-04-14
LEONORA BROWN.
A Story Of a Heroic Girl.

Brown. He was one OF those adYen-
turOus spirits ever to be found in the
van of advancing civilization, always
courting the free, wild air of the prai-
rie, and rejoicing in the profound
depths of uninhaOited forests.
But the country became more and
more thickly settled, and Walter
Brown became uneasy. His wife had
borne him O daughter the third or
fourth year of their residence at the
headwaters of the st. CroiX, whom he
called LeOnOra. She was a good girl,
and the idol of her father. He pur-
chased rifle for her when she was
but twelve years old, and took the ut
most pains in teaching her the use OF
it. She was brave and steady Of
nerve, and soon acquired wonderful
skill as a shot, and the number of
prairie chickens, partridges, wild
water fowls, and other small game she
managed to shoot each day, was real
ly large. Occasionally she would
shoot a deer, and one eventful morn
ing, by lucky shot through the
eye into the brain, she killed bear.
When she came home with the
news her father could scarcely credit
her. But, knowing her perfectly
truthful nature, he danced about the
room for joy, and seizing the sturdy
little maid, he mounted her upon his
shoulders and insisted upOn carrying
her all the way to the spot where the
dead bruin lay.
Thicker and thicker flowed the tide
of emigration into Minnesota and
Wisconsin, following the navigable
rivers as matter of course, and more
and more uneasy and crowded" felt
Walter Brown. At length his wife
died. LeOnOra was then sixteen, and
engaged to be married to a handsome
young trapper by the name of Watson,
who had joined her father in business.
The death of the mother had made
it necessary to postpone the wedding,
and in the interim old Walter decided
to move into Northwest Minnesota
Neighbors were getting too near, and
hunting and trapping were bad. AS
the young man had proved up and
pre-empted a quarter section of land
near Taylor's Falls, he did not wish to
either abandon or sell it just then, and
persuading LeOnora to agree to write
to him, he bade her an affeetionate
goodbye.
Brown lived in Minnesota for three
OF four years in peace and quiet, find
ing good trapping and hunting
grounds, when all at once young Wat
son arrived, and renewed the PROPOSE
ton of marriage with LeonOra. The
old man had about determined to
move no more, and had accordingly
located and pre-empted several thOus-
and acres Of land about him, and
learning from Watson that he had
money enough to do likewise, pro-
posed that he should 90 down to st.
Paul and buy land warrants with his
money, and take up all the land he
could 'swing." He might then marry
LeOnora, and they two would go to
work, and after building plenty OF
stabling, etc., would get a good stock
of cattle and sheep, and try and lead a
pastoral life for the rest of their DAYS.
To this proposition the young man
heartily assented, and after returning
from st. Paul went bravely to work in
the woods telling trees for building
purposes. 1t was agreed first that
they should build a new hewed log
house for the united family, as Wat
son had only got up small, single
room cabin. Then the wedding was
to take place, and the two men would
again resume their work.
While thus busily engaged the Sioux
war broke out. It was the habit of
Leonora to take her rifle out every
morning and shoot prairie chickens
foT the table, while her lover and
father were hard at work on the new
house. Watson had brought her as a
present from st. Paul a light and
handsome revolving rifle, of which
she was immensely fond, and with
which she became so expert that she
could shoot duck or prairie chicken
on the wing with almost absolute car
tainty.
One morning, as she was strolling
around the lake, rifle in hand, she
noticed three canoe loads of Indians
carefully along the opposite
side of the water, steadily and Stealth
lily approaching the spot where her
father and lover were at work. She
did not Immediately apprehend any
but in some unaecOuntable
way she felt impelled to remain and
watch their motions. She therefore
concealed herself behind the top of a
fallen tree, and observed their move
ments, which grew more and more
There were two Indians
in each canoe, and after pulling stead
lily to q point where a thick, over
hanging birch tree afforded conceal
ment for their canoes, they disem-
barked, and erept carefully and noise
lessly along until they were within a
few feet of where the two unsuspeet-
ing men were chopping. Suddenly
with a yell that made the forest ring,
and which echoed and Te-echOed
across the broad, still lake, they sprang
upon their victims and bore them to
the earth.
LeonOra trembled with excitement
aud apprehension, expecting nothing
less than to witness the horrible
of her father and lover at
once.
But this did not seem to be the pur-
pose of the Indians, for, tying the
arms of their captives behind them,
they took to the canoes, where, taking
the old man into one, and the young
man into the other, they showed bold
" into the lake, and padded rapidly
down toward where the house stood.
LeonOra divined their intent instant
ly.
tHar she said to herself, "they de-
sign capturing me, too. They deem
that an easy job, perhaps" and her
eyes flashed and her face flushed with
anger. "See! there is fourth canoe,
which they no doubt suppose will car
nv me. Thisvillainous work has been
well calculated; but hal you bad saw
ages! you have mistaken your girl
this timel LeOnora Brown has been
taught more things than TO cook a
steak. Oh, dear, dear father,
your Leonora will soon show you how
bravely she can suceor you, and how
your instructing her in the use of this
rife has saved you this day. And
you, too, darling Henry Watson, have
won longer lease of your precious
life by presenting me with this splen-
did revolving rifle. Six bullets for six
rufflans! Miss one of themI ah, if |
my. knife. No, Leo
nora, you must not miss one of them.'
The girl now ere OF stealthily through
the underbrush up the bank to the
prairie above. She knew that to reach I
the house the Indians would have to |
cross a broad, fiat field, where there !
was no shelter for their persons. She !
lid not think they would hesitate to I
10 this, because, having taken the |
two men, they would hardly expect /
any resistance from single girl. |
About thirty rods to the right of the |
,-,,I 1,,1 Ho,.,, $4,000 1,x- Q