Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-06-01

+ Pierce sprang into run, but he had
made but one or two leaps, before
dozen strong arms were laid upon him,
and he was held as if in a vice.
Perkins, on arising to his feet, heard
his name called in a weak voice by the
wounded maiden. With such a groan
as God in his mercy suffers not twice
to escape the same breast, he turned to
the maiden, whose bonds had been sew
cred, and endeavored to staunch the
blood that flowed from her breast.
She looked up with a sweet smile and
said 1855 sas @sa~
1T is OF no avail, Tom; am going
to join my mother and friends in the
house beyond the sky"
"No, no :" cried Perkins, ''you must
YOU shall live! See, I've stopped the
blood. Z"
Don't deceive yourself, Tom" said
Lucy "the wound is bleeding inter-
nally, and in few moments shall
have done with things of time; but l
am thankful that have been the means
of saving many lives" She then I'M
folded the devilish plot of Pierce to
murder the sentinels and fire the fort,
adding 'God has made me the in
strument for saving the lives of many,
and am happy. Don't grieve, Tom.
Kiss me- Good bye"
The fair hands relaxed their hold,
and with look of unutterable love
her soul winged it's way toward Heaven.
Tenderly those rough men lifted the
corpse of Lucy Morgan, and sadly they
bore her to the bloody house. Tom
followed like one in swoon and left
her not until the weeping women, with
gentle force, parted them to compose
that lovely form for its last resting
place.
Mechanically the bereaved young
man moved out of the block house,
where he saw Pierce standing sullenly
between two of his captors. The sight
called back his wandering senses, and
with a look of intense hate he leaped
forward shouting:
"Mine, mine must be the hand that
Furnishes him Give him to me-"
f" OF course, said Pierce" you can
murder me if you want to, for you're
among your friends, and we know yer
safe but yer daren't fight me. Just
put knife in my hand, and in five
minutes King George will have one the
less enemies, and the devil one more
recruit. s.. ..t...
The sneering tone in which this
speech was uttered, stung the scout to
the last degree of madness.
give him a knife, and I'll prove
him what | say"
A knife was slipped into the hand of
Oh OH fn foo erl1
ing at each other like wild beasts
Neither spoke, but one might see the
determination to kill each other or fall
beneath the knife. simultaneously
they sprang forward, and their knives
clashed The blows fell thick and fast.
Here and there, advancing and retreat
ing, with foot to foot, and eye glaring
into eye, they fought Both were mas
tiers of that favorite weaponof the early
settlers-the hunting knife--and for
time neither seemed to have the advant-
age. At last the weapon of Perkins
was seen to have lost its sheen; the
blood dripped from it, as in swifter cir
cles it swept over his head. Still the
fight ragged on, until the scout drove
his knife through the forearm of Pierce,
lightning flashed the weapon of Per
kins, as it descended and buried itself
deep in the heart of the murderer, who
fell without a groan.
STOPPING quickly the avenger caught
the scalp lock of his fallen foe, and
with one motion of the blade severed
the scalp from the crown, and shaking
the CORY tropy aloft, shouted ''one!"
The next days sun shone bright and
clear as q mournful procession issued
from the block house. conducting the
body of the murdered girl to its last
resting place. Having arrived at the
new-made grave, the simple rites were
performed, the corpse lowered, and
many brave mans eye was wet with
tesn's as they turned away from the
grave of her they "loved IN life, so
much" One of the women approach
ed and laid braid of dark brown hair
in the hands of the scout, which he
pressed to his lips, and then raising it
aloft with one hand and pointing with
the other to his coon skin cap, in the
crown of which was sewn the scalp OF
Pierce, he said:
Comrades, there is one; and for
every HAIR in the braid, shall one more
of the scalps OF my enemies be added,
and then going to the waters edge, he
launched canoe and pushed off toward
the settlement.
In that struggle for our independ-
ence, Perkins did the colonies great
service that he fulfilled his vow We
may be sure; for he became terror to
the Tories and savages, the latter of
which, on account of the great number
of scalps which adorned his person, APP
piled to him the title Of g Scalp Lock, .