The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1873-12-18
A GENUINE HEROINE.
The Dfmc uIGies Encountered by
EIlgebeGh Holt, and How
She became Ehe Rest
Dressed Lady f6he
Times

To the Editor of the Illinois State Journal:
In my peregrinations among the Oh
Settlers, many curious incidents come I'M
der my notice. In the year 1911, a fam
| lily moved from Oglethrope county, Ga.
to St. Clair county, in this state. A
niece of the gentleman accompanied them
as a member of their family, her parents
having died when she was quite young.
Her name was Elizebeth Holt They
brought along some cotton as it was ia
ken from the bolls, in order TO have some
seed for planting. Before leaving Geor-
| gia Miss Holt had received instructions,
from lady just arrived from Virginia,
with reference to weaving peculiar draft
or figure designed for ladv's white dress.
After their arrival in Illinois, Miss Holt
obtained permission to appropriate that
cotton to her own use. She picked the
seed from it, with pair of hand-cards,
brought from Georgia, prapered for
spinning. The only spinning wheel she
could boast of was about thirty miles
away, but she managed to obtain it and
spun her cotton. She obtained the aid
of man, who, under her directions,
constructed loom inside the cabin, max
IIS tAC WAITS oCCdAC1 peAA liy AOA bCdnS anu
posts. For wraping-bars she bored holes
pins in them, and for spools used corn
cobs with the pith pushed out. A slaie
and harness was brought along by the
family. With these appliances she put
the warp in the loom and commenced
weaving early in the summer of 1912.
She had hurried all she could, fearing
to delay lest she should forget the instruc-
tons concerning the draft.
She had barely commenced weaving
when the news came to the settlement
that young man name Wilson Cox had
been found dead in his fathers cabin, and
his sister carried away by the Indians
The murder was committed about noon,
when all the family were away from the
house except those two. They lived about
four miles from any other family.
The alarm was given and preparations
for pursuit made that night, and party
of armed men started in pursuit the next
morning, who, on the third day, overlook
the Indians and rescued Rebecca Cox.
She was horribly mutilated by a toma-
hawk in the hands of an Indian, who
tried to kill her when he found she was
The murder took place about Il miles
from Edwardsville, June 3, 1878. That
was the beginning of the massacres con-
nected with the war of 1912, with Great
Britain. The utmost CONSERVATION pre-
vailed among the frontier settlers, and all
fed to some fortified place for protection.
The family with whom Miss Holt lived
took refuge in Fort Bradsly, from which
their cabin was only three-fourths of
mile distant. A squad of soldiers was
sent by Gov. Edwards to defend the
fort
Miss Holt told the lieutenant in COM
mand about her loom, and asked if he
could give her any protection. He told |
her he would see what could be done, and |
then wrotea note to Gov. Edwards
asking permission to guard the loom,
which was granted. The piece was ac-
cording!y woven under the protection of
armed men. Part of the cloth was bleach
ed to snowy wilderness, made into a dress
and worn by Miss Holt for the first time,
to quarterly meeting in the vicinity,
about the close of the war. She attract
ed universal attention as the finest dress
ed lady in all that region of country.
Miss Holt was married to William Arch
er in the latter part of 1918, and moved
to what afterward became Singamon.
They settled south of Spring
Creek, about seven miles west of Spring
field, and raised family of eleven chill
lren. William Archer died in 1867, and
his widow resides on the farm where they
settled in 1920 She is now 80 years
I'D.
A piece of the dress she wove, under
guard, more than sixty years ago is pre-
served as relic, and may be seen by
those having a taste for antiquities, by
Miss Seiman at the rooms OF
the CITY library. CARROLL.
SPRIEGFIELD, Nov. s, 1873.