Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-11-18

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DAYS later Diggory Priest was dead.
Christopher Martin fell sick and died after
a very short illness, and next Rose Stand
ish, the young wife of the sturdy Cap
tain, was struck down by the pestilence
and buried in the graveyard, which now
gave promise of being more populous than
the street. Then the pestilence ragged with
! full sway. Two or three died in day.
Those who escaped death were mostly
stretched helplessly sick, many with their
limbs stiifened and racked with excruciat-
ing pains. At one time but seven .out of
the whole company were able to move
about.
Never in his Flanders campaigning had
Miles Standish been so busy a man as now.
Hewing down huge trees rending and
chopping them into building-logs and fire
wood snatching up arms and armor and
! gathering his few comrades in fighting or
der at every suspicious sound passing
tom house to house, with the venerable
Elder Brewster, to tend the sick, with the
dizziness acquired on the battlefield, or to
prepare for the burial of the dead /;
toiling With the few able to aid him in land
ing and mounting the cannon for the
protection of the settlement; and taking
advantage of the first pleasant days to
break ground around his house and plant
few garden-seeds for pot-herbs-t
sturdy soldier had no leisure moments for
his own personal sorrows. He never
desponded, and his bluff cheeriness was
better than medicine to many sick com
rade
! All tb;o tip,a tha,, 1voro r,pp, o1ootad NV
| Indians. Since the fight between a row
ing band and the exploring party from the
ship, before the landing at Plymouth, there
had been no hostile demonstration. Indians
lowered about, watching with curiosity
and dread the work of building the vii
! lage, but tearing to come near, and fleeing
ON the approach of a white man. A super
! stitious belief was the cause of this terror.
Three years before the landing Of the
| Pilgrims French ship was cast away on
| Cape Cod. The crew reached land only
| to meet fate worse than drowning The
/ Indians stood on the shore and killed them
as they were thrown up by the waves-all
but three, whom they made slaves Two
were ransomed by an English explorer !;
the third was retained in captivity until
death ended his suherings. AS he lay
dying, he told the Indians that God was
angry with them for their wickedness !;
that he would destroy them and give their
! land to a strange people, who would be
clothed, and not live like beasts as they
did They Knocked him and derided his
prophecy at is false" said they. "We
are great and powerful We are not afraid
/ of the Great Spirit. He cannot kill us.
! We are too many But the Frenchman
said God was powerful, and though they
were in number as the sands of the sea or
the trees in the forest he had many ways
| to destroy them he knew not of, and could
| kill them all,
He was scarcely dead when dreadful
pestlence broke out among them, the like
of which they had never seen. With the
falling leaves they fell in great numbers,
and when winter came but miserable
remnant was left Of the powerful tribe
Then came the Englishmen. AT the first
meeting the Indians thought to sweep
them away, and with loud yells shot their
arrows at the strangers But the weapons
passed harmlessly by Then some Of the
English fired their matchlocks, but with
out effect The Indians were aSt0nished
at their adversaries bringing thunder and
lightning to their aid but they were not
to be driven back by thunder that cracked
feebly, and lightning that did not strike.
They fired another yolley ofarroWs. Then
Miles Standish stepped forward a few
PAGES, rested his musket on its stall and
took aim ut the chief who was partially
hidden by tree. The shot struck the In
dams arm, and with loud yell Of terror
he fled, followed by the whole band,
Now they remembered the prediction
of the Frenchman, and were filed with
dread that these were the people who
were to possess their land. The medicine
men, or Coniurers, Of the tribe were called
together, aud for three days they per-
formed their horrd incantatlons in dark
and dismal swamp, curslng the strangers
and calling on their gods and demons to
drive the intruders from the land. But
the incantations were in vain, and towards
spring the medicine.men told the chiefs it
was the will of the Great Spirit they
should be friends with the white men.
1t was well for the sick and enfeeblea
settlers that during their worst weakness
the Indians were prevented by super
stiuous terror from coming near and dis
covering their true condition, 1t was
well, too, that when the Indians resolved
to be friends with them, the sick had
mostly recovered so far as to be about,
though still feeble,
In February Miles Standish was chosen
Captain, and at once set about organizing
into military order all the men fit for duty
The cannon wore landed and planted in
the best places Iof the protection of the
town, The great guns--mnions and
sakers, carrying from four to six pound
shot--were placed an the hill and com
manded the street to tae water. The
smaller cannon-bases carrying five OF
six ounce balls--were placed before the
houses of the Governor and Captain
Nov" said the Captain, ave are ready
for the raScals.H The work was scarcely
done when reports came in of the sayages
For days they hung around, and one OF
two yentured in. At last, one fair warm