New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-04-11

Colonel, knowing the language Oh the oogs
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, fancYng them
selves discovered, the whole body OF the
savages rose from the bushes in semicircle
around the path Col. Bellows was to have
followed. His men fired upon the Indians,
who were so disconnected that they darted
into the bushes and disappeared. The Col,
sensible of his unequal force, hurried his men
off by the shortest cut to the fort, and pre-
pared for its defence.
The Indians, finding their plan defeated,
then determined to take vengeance upon
weaker party, and soon appeared on the emil
hence east of Kilburn's house. Here the
same treacherous Philip, who had visited him
and partaken of his hospitality so short time
before, came forward under the shelter OF a
tree and summoned the little garrison to sur
render. ''Old John, young john" cried he,
81 know We come out here. We give you
good quarters" "Quarter ~ vociferated old
kilburn, in a voice of thunder, s'you black
rascals, begone, or We'll quarter you:' Ii
was brave reply for four men to make to
nearly four hundred. Philip returned, and
rang out, as if, to use the language of an
ear-witness, "all the devils in hell had
broke loose" Kilburn was lucky and pru-
dent enough 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 attack. The roof next to the emf
hence from which the attack was made was 8
perfect " riddle-sieve." Some of the Indians
fell at once to butchering the cattle; Others
to wantOn destruction of the grain, while
the larger part kept up an incessant fire al
the house. Meanwhile Kilburn and his meI
ave, and his women--were all busily al
work. Their powder they poured into theil
hats for greater convenience; the women
loaded the guns, of which they had severa
spare ones--all of them being kept hot by in
cessant use. AS their stock of lead grew short
they suspended blankets over their heads tC
| catch the balls of their enemy, which pene
trated one side of the roof and fell short o
the other. These were Immediately run by
these Spartan women into bullets, and before
| they had time to cool were sent back to the
enemy from whence they came. Several at
tempts were made to force the door, but The
unerring aim of the marksmen within sen
such certain death to their assailants, tina
| they soon desisted from their efforts. Mos
of the time the Indians kept behind logs ant
| stunps, and avoided as best they could thu
| fire of the little Gibraltar. The whole after
noon, even until shutdown the battle cOntin
ued, until, as the sun set, the savages, unable
| to conquer so small a fortress, discouraged
and baffied, forsook the ground, and, as wa!
supposed, returned to Canada, abandoning
the expedition on which they had set out. 1
is not unreasonable to suppose that their fata
experience here, through the matchless de
| fence of these heroes and herOines, was in
| strumental in saving hundreds of the dweller
on the frontier from the horrors of an Indiar
| massacre.
Seldom did it fall to the lot of the early set
| tiers to win more brilliant crown than Johr
Kilburn earned in his glorious exploit. Peal
got the only wound of his party, receiving {
| ball in the hips, from exposure at a port-hole
which, unhappily, for the lack of surgical care
caused his death on the fifth day. The In
dams never again appeared in that neighbour
hood, although the war did not terminate til
eight years afterwards. John Kilburn LIVED
to see his fourth generation enjoying the bene
fit of. a high civilization on the spot he hat
| rescued from the savages. What amount O
destruction he and his companions made
among the savages it was impossible to tell
as they carefully carried off and concealed
| their dead.