Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-07-30
A Young Heroine.

Thomas Velfe and wife, with family
of small children, settled in this county
something more than year ago, and be-
ing poor, they, after many hardships,
erected a small dwelling and cleared a
few acres of land but they were in the
wilderness, ten miles from neighbors. A
few weeks ago the father and mother lett
their family, consisting of a girl aged
twelve years, one aged nine years, and
two other children, aged respectively
three years and thirteen months, on a
trirsto the settlement, to get cow and
bring in some potatoes to plant. After
the parents had been gone a few hours
the house took fire, and the oldest girl
Immediately rushed to the roof with
water, but not being able to remove the
shingles she could do nothing to stay the
flames, which gained rapidly, spreading
on the inside of the roof, until, bursting
through, they drove her from her work
The heroic girl now turned her attention
to saving her brothers and sisters. Com
ing to the door Of the building, she found
that the child next to her own age had
got out of the house, bringing the baby
with her, but the little three-year-old
had crouched under a shaving horse in
the further corner Of the room There
being no chamber floor, the fire was drop
ping from the burning roof between the
child and the door, and when. asked to
come out it refused to do So saying, II
am safe here-the fire don't drop here'
Our little heroine hesitated only moment,
but rushing through the falling embers
brought the little one to safe place, both
having their clothes somewhat burnt.
But now comes the hardest part Of the
task before her. Scantily clothed and
with no food she took the babe in her
arms and with the other children started
upon the trail for the settlement After
going few miles, she encountered arapid
stream swollen by the spring rains, so
that-in fording it the water came up to
her arm pits She first carried the babe
across, and then the little three-year-old,
and lastly, half led and half carried her
older sister through the water to the
other bank. Three times during the
remainder of the day, she struggled
across the swollen streams in her way
until night set in the deep forest sur
rounding her. Cold, wet and hungry,
she sought place to camp, and by
good fortune found an old camp, left by
the Indians, upon which about one-half
of the roof still remained Upon this
she placed her little flock and then col
lected pine boughs and made rude bed
Placing the little one in the middle, the
heroic girl stripped off her dress and
spread it over the children, then covered
them with boughs to keep them from the
chilly night air, and sat down beside
them, to watch through that long, cold
night, comforting the little one when it
cried, and speaking words of cheer to the
elder one. The long, dreary hours of
night dragged slowly by, and at the first
peep of day she resumed her toilsome
march, and had nearly reached the first
settler when she met her parents return
ing An elder and wiser head might
have found an easier way out Of this
dilemma, but we feel certain that no one
could have acted Drawer, or have endured
more than the little daughter Of Thomas
Velfe.-WSsco RS0er Pilot. 1881