Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1872-02-22
A THRILLING INDIAN STORY.
The Old French War.

town to settle, he found Kilburn in garri-
soned house about two miles north of the
town. In the summer of 1866, the year of
the breaking out of the old French war, two
men were shot by Indians. Shortly before
this an Indian named Philip had visited Xii
burns house in a friendly way, pretending to
be in want of provisions. He was supplied
with flints and -four, and dismissed 1t was
ascertained that this same Indian had visited
all the settlements on the river, doubtless to
procure information of the state of their de-
fenses. Word came from Governor Shirley
that 500 Indians were collecting in Canada,
whose aim was the butchery and execution of
the whole of the white population onthe
upper part of the Connecticut river.
Colonel Bellows had at this time about thirty
men at a strong fort which he had built On a
hill overlooking the Connecticut, about half a
mile south of Kilburn's, but too distant to
afford him any aid. About noon on the 18th
of August, 1755, Kilburn and his son John,
in his eighteenth year, and also man named
Peak and his son, We're returning home to
dinner from the field when one of them dis
covered the red legs of the Indians among the
alders, "as thick as grasshoppers. !" The white
men instantly made for the house, fastened
the doors, and prepared for an obstinate de-
fense Kilburn's wife, Ruth, and his daugh-
ter, Hetty, were already in the house. In
about fifteen minutes the savages were seen
crawling up the bank east of the house, and
as they crossed a footpath, one by one, 1871
were counted; about the same number, il
afterwards proved, had remained in ambush,
and joined The attacking party soon "a .a,
The sayages appeared to have learned that
Colonel Bellows and his men were at work at
his grist mill, about mile east, and they in
tended to waylay and murder them before at
tacking Kilburn's house The Colonel and
his men were now returning home, each with
a bag of meal on his back, and unsuspicious
of danger, when the dogs began to growl and
betray the neighborhood of an enemy. The
Colonel knowing the language of the dogs
and the wiles of the Indians instantly adopted
his policy. He directed his men, throwing
off the meal, to crawl carefully to the rise of
the land, and on reaching the top of the bank
to spring together to their feet, give one
whoop, and instantly drop into the sweet
fern. The movement had the desired effect
to draw the Indians from their ambush. At
the sound of the whoop, fancying themselves
rose from the bushes in semi-circle around
the path Colonel Bellows was TO have fol-
lowed. His men fired upon the Indians, who
were 80 disconnected that they darted into the
bushes and disappeared. The Colonel, sensi-
BILE of his unequal force. hurried his men off
by the shortest cut to the fort, and prepared
for its defense. Gsarp .z.f.a4 ,g '.aia IN
- Inc 1uulduS, uIulHS Lnclr pldn .ueIedLeS,
then determined to take yengence on weaker
party, and soon appeared on the emlnence
east of Kilbuan's house, Here the same
treachero1s Philip, who had visited him and
partaken of his hospitality so short time
before, came forward under the shelter of q
tree and summoned the little garrison to sur
render. ''Old John, young John" he cried,
know ye; came out here; we give you good
quarter" 3nQuafter!" vOciferated old Kill
1H..rsr III
Gals, begOne, or we'll quarter youR II 1t was a
brave reply for four men to make to nearly
four hundred. Philip returned, and after a
short consultation, the war-hoop rang out, as
1t, to use the language of an ear witness, all
the devils in hell had broke loose. Kilburn
was lucky and prudent enoigh to get the first
fire, before the smoke of the battle perplexed
his aim, and was confident he saw Philip fall
The fire from the little garrison was returned
by a shower of balls from the savages, who
rushed forward to the attack. The roof next
to the eminence from which the attack was
made was perfect ''riddle-sieve." Some of
the Indians fell at once to butchering the cat
tie; others TO a wanton destruction of the
grain, while the larger part kept up an inces-
SAINT fire at the house. Meanwhile Kilburn
and his men-aye, and his women-were
busily at work. Their powder they poured
into their hats for greater convenience, the
Woiltcu lOducu tlc guns, VI WHICH Gucy uau
several spare ones-all of them being kept
hot by incessant use. AS their stock Of lead
grew short, they suspended blankets over
their heads to catch the balls of the enemy
which penetrated one side of the roof and
fell short of the other These were immedi-
ately run by the Spartan women into bullets,
and before they had time to cool were sent
back to the enemy from whence they came
Several attempts were made to force the door
but the iunerring aim of the marksmen with
in, sent such certain death to their assailants,
that they soon desisted from their efforts. Most
ofthe time the Indians kept behind logs and
stumps, and avoided as best they could the
fire of the little Gibralter. The whole after
noon, even till sundown, the battle continued,
until, as the sun set the savages unable to
conquer so small a fortress, discouraged and
baffled, forsook the ground, and as supposed,
returned to Canada, abandoning the expedi-
ton on which they had been sent oat Is it
not reasonable to suppose that their fatal ex-
perience here through the matchless defense
of these heroes and heroines, was instrumen-
tai in saving hundreds of the dwellers on the
frontier from the horrors of an Indian mas
sacre p .SgaEyy saE .e . -.g# yI-rr .zs.f
3 Seldom did it fall to the lot of the early set
tiers to win a more brilliant crown than John
Kilburn earned in his glorious exploit Peak,
got the only wound of his party, receiving a
ball in the hip, from exposure at a port hole,
which unhappily, for lack of surgical care,
caused his death on the fifth day, The In