The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-12-21
A HEROIC GIRL.


very many that have been overlooked
and almost forgotten; but Mr. Parkman
has rescued it from its obscurity, and
embalmed it in the pages of his latest
work, "Connt FronteDac, and New
France under LOuis XIV" The inci~
dents of the tale-aseribing, az they do,
almost superhuman courage, sagacity
and intrepidity 10 young girl scarcely
entered in her teens--make a consider
able demand ulen credulity: yet the
historian who relates them had before
him two versions of the narrative as it
was faken from the heroine's lips; and
himself, a cautious investigator of the
value of evidence, accepted them ~ au-
thentic. Then, too, Madeleine. came Of,
heroie stock. Her father 4slsss,-s.. slsss,-s.
in French regiment, ana WAS, in 1890,
commander of the Fort Castle Dan
gerous, of Canada. He was at one time
forced to be absent, leaving his wife and
young family with only three or four
armed men for their defense. 4 band Of
savage Iroquois fell Upon the fort but
the daring soldiers wife, with her few
followers, kept the bloodthirsty assailants
at Ray until company of troops came
to her relief, at the end of tvs days.
1t was two years alter this that Mad
eleine, now fourteen years old, happened
to be at the fort at Vercheres, twenty
miles below Montreal, while her father
WAS on duty at Quebec, and her mother
was at Montreal. The place was under
the command of her father, but, at the
moment, was occupied only by two
soldiers: two brothers of Madeleine, aged
espectively ten and twelve years an
old man of eighty, and a number of wos
men and children. On the morning of
Oct y, Madeleine was on the rivers
bank, not far from the entrance to the
fort, with hired man named Layislette
Suddenly guns were heard from the place
where the settlers about Vercheres were
at work. They announced an assault of
the dreaded Iroquois. run, mademoi-
selle, run; here some the Iroquois!"
cried Lavislette, as party of forty or
fifty Indians appeared within pistol-shot,
brandishing their tomahawks and utter
ing their shrill war whoOps.
Madeleine ran to the fort with the
speed of the wind, while the Iroquois,
seeing they could not overtake her, sent
4 volley OF bullets whistling about her
ears. When within hearing of the fort,
Madeline shouted "To arms! to arms!"
but no one responded The two COW.
ardly soldiers had taken refuge in the
stout block-house connected with the
fort by a covered way, while couple of
women were crying, in an excess of ter
ror, at the gate. The girl swiftly pushed
them inside the fort, made the entrance
secure, and then ran around the palisades
TO test their security. Several had fallen
of the enemy, but they were haniPr21ifesdIp air1fscdfT
set up, and then Madeline sped o ~
bl6ck-house for ammunition. There she
met the. craven-soirited soldiers, oae-
Of whom was in the act Of lighting
match. What are you going to do
with that match ?'' demanded the girl,
Light the powder and blow us all up"
was the reply. Leave this place, you
miserable cowardr' cried Madeline with
80 resolute a tene that the man unhesitst-
ingly obeyed.
The girl then threw of her bonnet,
thrust hat on ncr head as a disguise,
and, seizing gun, exhOrted her young
brothers to fight with her to tn death in
defence of their country and their re-
ligion. Inspired by her fearless bearing
the lads, together with the recreant
soldiers, began to fire through the loop
holes at the Iroquois, who, ignorant OF
the scanty force within the fort, were re-
luctant to attack it. To further the aP-
pearance of vigorous defense, and also
/ hoping to warn some soldiers hunting in
the vicinity, Madeline ordered a cannon
| to be fred. Meanwhile the women and
children in the fort kept up ceaseless
wailing, until their spirited young de-
fender pcremptorily ordered them to
be still.
Presently a canoe, containing the fam
lily of settler seeking Refuge at the fort,
was seen approaching the landing-place.
Madeline pleaded with the soldiers to &c
to their aid, but the caitiffs dared not
She then went out alone TO convey the
newcomers to the fort. The Iroquois
were in full sight, but the bold conduct
of the girl made them believe there was
plenty of soldiers to sustain ber in case
of assault, and they allowed her to pas.
in with her little party unmolested. A
terrible storm of wind and snow
came on after sunset, and Mad
cline feared that, in the cOmmOtion anC
darkness of the night, the savages would
attempt to scale the palisades. Sh,
therefore assembled her troops-they
were now six, old and young, altogethe
and said to them, Il will take charg'
f of the fort, with an old man of eighty
t and another who never fired gun; anc
: you, Pierre Fontain, with LaBonte anC
? Lachet (our two soldiers), will go to tn
/. block-house with the women and children
, because that is the strongest place; and
t if am taken, don't surrender, even if an
/ cut to pieces and burned before you
i eyes. The enemy can't hurt you in tn
}. block house, if you make the least sho7
;, of resistance"
t This Drawer than Joan of Arc the
Is placed her two brothers on two Of tn
II bastions and the old man of eighty O
n another, while she held fourth, and a
through that terrible night their cheer
cries of "Alls well ~ resOunded frcl
point to point in the tort. The pla'
seemed alive with soldiers, and IL
" Iroquois decided over their council II
le that the fort was too streng to be cap
Id ured while such vigilance was maiDtaln'
a in its defense.
OF At one O'Clock in the morning one
~ Madeline's sentinels called out that t
ne remnant of cattle left by the Indians W
7, at the gate. Madeline, used to I
I'll tricks of the red men, feared this mig
ur be ruse whereby they hoped to
nd within the palisades. However, WI
% | --.ot ,.-ooa,t;o1 hor tuo brOthers star