Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-08-10

and didn't want to jump the country unless
! forced to. And l was fool enough to believe
that the redskins would pass me by if they
killed all the rest for I've fed EN-, given EN-
credit, made 'em presents and treated every
mothers son of the gang like brother.
These wounds here are proof of an Indian S
gratitude, d-n EN- y
When asked to detail the particulars of the
first outbreak, Mr.. Greer said:
"Well i was ready, and vet wasn't. The
reds had been skulking about for a week and
every one entering the store wanted ammu-
milton and nothing else. | had overhauled
the houses as well as | could, knowing
that would have to defend them until help
could come, and one morning / didn't open
the store at all but set ont TO bring in three
horses which were grazing about mile down
the river. gave my wife orders to keep all
the doors fastened and not to let any Indians
in. no matter how friendly they appeared.
She had Spencer carbine and revolver,
and took with me Henry rifle and another
revolver. l was i'll hurry, having my mind
made up that there would be trouble before
night. Having good horse under me l
soon reached the valley, but my horses were
gone, run off the day before by Indians. l
didn't wait around there long, as ] feared an
ambush, and l was about half way home
when | heard shots and yells and knew that
my post had been attacked. The trail was
along the river, and couldn't see the cabins
till close on them. While was riding that
half mile heard the Spencer carbine growl-
ing away, and knew that my wife had not
been taken by surprise"
well, sir, he went on, his voice trem-
BLING there were at leas forty yelling devils
around'the place, and | rode right into the
crowd before they saw me. My wife had all
the doors and windows secured and was firing
from the loop-holes. l saw two dead Indians
lying on the ground as dashed up, while
wounded one was crawling away. My horse
was perfectly wild, but, sir, l rode around
the post at least five times, popping at the
Indians, calling to my wife, and being shot
at and struck at every second. / don't think
my wife recognized my voice, as all of us
were yelling at once, and when found that
she wouldn't open the door l made for the
bluff half a mile away, followed by over half
the gang some on foot and some on horse
back. While riding around the post l got
this stab in the cheek, but / didn't even feel
1t for a quarter of an hour. While galloping
for cover the brutes put bullet into my leg
here, but didn't know it until was running
over the rocks to find sheltered place. /
dropped among some boulders after bit,
and 1t wasn't oyer minute before l knocked
over two of them. That cooled the pursuit,
but they surrounded me, got secure positions,
and | was blockaded."
''And your family"
At this question the little boy began to cry
and the father could hardly control his emo
tion hs he answered:
at was awful, sir. The boy here says
that the Indians appeared soon after l LETT
and asked for powder. She wouldn't open
the doors, and they got log and were going
to batter their way in when she killed the
two / saw as | rode up. They then surround
ed the building. and the battle opened. There
wasn't better wife and mother in this world,
sir, and | never dreamed she had such pluck
When / think-when l think, sir, of how
she must have looked for me back, and how
she wondered what had become of me- and
how despair crept into her heart, II wish
was dead. The other two children were girls,
one aged twelve and the other seven. The
boy says that Mary, the Oldest, used the re-
yolyer from one of the doors while her moth
er defended the other and that little Clara
carried cartridges TO both of them from the
closet. There was a half story chamber to
the cabin, and the boy was stationed up there
to look through the crevices and watch for
me. When his mother knew that part of the
Indians had suddenly withdrawn, and when
she heard the firing on the bluffs, she called
him down from his post and gave him a rifle
which had laid away to sell to some Indian.
He says that she was very pale. and that her
hands trembled, but she kept the Spencer
going. Lying among the rocks, nearly
mile away, and with an Indian rifle popping
at me every second, | heard that carbine
above all the din. My post couldn't stand
an Indian attack, and | knew it, as there
were too many windows and doors TO defend.
The house and store-room were connected
by q doorway, but there were no loop-holes
at the end of the store-room, and the Indians
could gather there and be safe 1t was about
s o'clock in the morning when took to the
bluffs, and when noon came l could still hear
the carbIne going. ] was wondering all the
time why the devils didn't set fire TO the post,
but they had other plans. | had three kegs
of powder, lots of lead two barrels Of -four,
twenty pairs Of blankets, fifty powder horns
and various other goods in there and they
wanted them. They several times called
upon my wife TO surrender, but she kept up
the fire ana encouraged the children. About
one o'clock all the Indians surrounding me,
except about half a dozen, drew off and join
ed those around the post. ] was III safe
place, and yet IT was in n bad place. They |
couldn't reach me with their bullets, and yet |
they had positions from which they could |
have killed me had | stood up or moved six
feet right or left. The excitement kept pain
away Tor an hour, but after that | was pretty |
badly used up, having not drop of water to
wash my wounds or quench my thirst. !
about one O'Clock, he went on, after IA
short rest, "all firing ceased, and believed
the post had been captured. Half crazy with
anxiety and distress | rose up, determined to
dash out, but the bullets came so fast that
was frightened under cover again. Few men
ever put in such an afternoon as | did there.
Pain and thirst were terrible enough, to say
nothing of my mental distress. hadn't the ,
least hope of getting ont alive, and along to-
ward night got reckless as to consequences
! should have made dash for the rIver
which was in plain sight and not over half n
mile away and was Just on the point Of rising
when yells and shots from my cabin held me
For about five minutes there was II lively
roar OF firearms. and over al lother noises
could hear that carbne going booml boom
boom The Indians who had been left to
watch me now OIen fire and began yelling
and 1t wasn't long before | suspected the
truth. You see as | suspected and as the
boy afterwards related, the murderous devils
found they couldn't capture the post by as
saults on the doors. That brave little wo-
man and poor children were too much for
forty OF fifty Indians. After losing nine or
ten killed and over dozen wounded, the
reds collected Mt the west end of the store
room, out Of range, and went to work to tear
out the logs. They were three or four hours
getting things ready, hlt when the time came
all the end OF the building went down at
once My wife and children were ready for
'em. They defended the doorway for full
fifteen minutes, OF until ali but this boy were
shot dead When the Indians finally SWARM
ed in he was the only one left to wreak ven
gennce on. They tomahawked him, started
to scalp him, and be was the same as dead
for hours. He is sure the others were dead
before the Indians got through the door, and
praise God for that consolation, while it
drives me crazy to think of it.
There was period of silence, the boy
weeping bitterly, and then Greer bTaced him
self anew and continued
And what did do; God forgive Inc
but couldn't do anything | was wild with
excitement, and while | was trying to plan
something the reds made dash at me. They
poured down Mt me as If there were no end
to the number. They were right on me the
first | knew, shooting, siabbing and striking
at me with their guns. | got this rap on the
head then, aud also this bullet in the shOul-
der, but they didn't finish me. fought EN-,
but how long don't know, for | was crazy.
] remember Of them dodging around me, of
striking at them, and of feeling the rage and
strength Of wounded lion. 1t was long