Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-06-17

rie above. She know that to reach tbs
house the Indiana would have to cross
broad. fiat field, where there was ne
shelter for their persons. She did mol
think they would hesitate to de this
because, having taken the two men
they would hardly expect any resistance
from single girl. About thirty yards
to the right of the pa, h cattle yard had
been erected by the father, ami i'll the
corner of the fence stood an immense
elm tree. Inside of this yard climbed
Leonora, and behind the big elm she
concealed herself.
A few minutes more proved she was
right in her conjecture The Indians
after having tied stout rawhide thongs
around the feet of their prisoners, laid
them down ii the bottom OF their canoes
strod gaily and laughingly along to-
wards the house, without the least at
tempt at eoncealment.
Leonora's heart grew as hard as stone
and her nerves which futteTed little
before-now grew firm as steel. She
had put fresh waterproof caps upon
each nipple of her rifle, and putting Ye
barrel on one OF the rails Of the fence,
drew a sharp bead on the foremost In
dians, but as her finger curved to press
the trigger, she heard what seemed to
be voice whisper:
"Not yet, Leonora :"
She paused, and then, as if by inspif3-
ton. flashed the thought into her mind:
"Wait until they ge. nearer the house,
then shoot the hindsn0st one first"
She obeyed the impression, and let
them come on a few rods nearer. sud
denly the thought came again:
"Now's your time"
Clapping her face to the rifie-breach
she trained the death-dealing tube
steadily at the chest of the rearmost In
dian for an instant and fired.
The bullet proved true to its mark,
and the burly Indian merely threw up
his arms and fell dead, the rifle ball
having gone directly through his heart.
A clap of thunder from clear sky
could not have so utterly astOnished the
rema ming Indians. Wildly they looked
in every direction to see whence came
the fatal shot. In the next instant
bang! went Leonora's rifle again, and
another of their number dropped dead.
But they saw the smoke of the last
shot and caught a glimpse ofthe shooter
At once she comprehended their peril.
They could not hide, and theironly show
in life was in running to the tree and
tomahawking their presumptuous foe
on the spot. Instantly sounded the
war-whoop they bounded forward, :,
but with the notes half uttered
another of their number leaped into the
air and fell back to rise no more. Leo
nora had fired again.
The remaining three rushed on, but
the girls rifle rang through the air like
a., l. al IF a
fell headlong to the ground.
The terror of the remaining two was
now pitiful to behold; they stopped
short in their onward course, and utter
ing the most fearful screams, discharged
their rifles at the tree in the widest and
most unavailing manner. But again
one of the remaining two sunk TO the
ground as the bullet went crushing
through his brain.
Immediately the one left threw down
his rifle and cried out:
mo shoot me! No shoot me! Me
give upw
Leonora had drawn a bead on him,
but now that he seemed so perfectly
in her power she lowered her rifle, and
stepping from behind the tree, climbed
the fence briskly, and commenced ap-
preaching the savage.
The surprise and indignation OF the
savage at the sight of the girl was in
tense, and forgetting hissupplicating cry
he put his hand behind him, and drew
fourth his tomahawk 10 throw mt her.
Leonora's eye was as sharp as an ea-
gle's. She saw the treacherous move,
and Just as the blade of the hatchet was
raised for the throw, she raised her rifle
and shot the faithless scoundrel dead in
his tracks.
With the spead of dear she now
bounded forward to the lake.
Harry Watson shouted "Glory halle
luiah. I knew it was Leonoraw and
the father cried for Joy as her little form
appeared on the bluff, rifle in hand.
Quickly size descended to the canoes
and unbound the two men who embraced
her and cried over her in the most eX-
travagant manner.
But they felt that they had no time to
lose; and, hastily gearing up their teams
and loading up their valuables, they set
out for Minneapolis, where they arrived
safely and where Leonora and Harry
Waits on were united in the holy bonds
of matrimony.
Oln Walter Brown and Harry Watson
both did good service in the Indian bat
ties that followed, and when the sava-
ges were finally eXterminated, they all
went back to their old home on Green
Lake. where they now live. They have
one ofthe largest stock farms in the State;
and Leonora, though happy wife and
mother clings to her beautiful revOlv-
ing rifle, and yet occasionally uses it TO
keep herself in practice.