Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1877-07-28
DAVID GREER's SAD STORY.

Home and a Fathers Vow. e.
A correspondent of the Cincinnati En-
quirer writes from Jackson, Mich, as
follows: It,.f...l a.'. ....tt'.,f.
David z. Greer, a man about forty
five years old, and his son Charles, a
boy of ten, reached this city two or three
days ago, intending to remain here for
week or SO among relatives, and then
proceed to Bennington, Vt, where Mr..
Greer has two sisters dother relatives.
Both father and son are in a, weak and
nervous condition, and the reader will
not wonder when it is stated that the boy
is partly scalped and has a tomahawk
wound in the shoulder, while the father
has rifle bullet in his shoulder, u bullet
wound in the leg, stab in the cheek
and bad wound on the head where an
Indian clubbed him with q rifle.
Up to few weeks since Mr.. Greer
was citizen of Idaho, having cabin on
the Cottonwood river, near its mouth,
and just where the hostile Indians have
put in their most savage work. He had
a wife and three children, and the boy
Charles is the only member of the family
now left to him. The pioneer says he
was comfortably situated, having all the
necessaries of life and saving up some
thing. He had sort of trading-post
connected with his cabin, and was well
patronized by Indians and hunters.
When asked to detail the particulars
of the first outbreak, Mr.. Greer said:
Well, was ready, and yet I wasn't
The reds had been skulking around for a
week, and every one entering the store
wanted ammunition and nothing else.
l had overhauled the house as well as 1
could, knowing that I would have to de-
fend them until help could come and
one morning didn't open the store at all,
but set out to bring in three horses
which were grazing about a mile down
the river. L gave my wife orders to
keep all the doors fastened and not to
let any Indians in, no matter how friend
ly they appeared. She had Spencer
carbine and revolver, and I took with
me a Henry rifle and another revolver
l was in hurry, having my mind made
up that there would be no trouble before
night. Having good horse under me
[ soon reached the valley, but my horses
were gone, run off the day before by
the Indians. 1 didn't wait around there
long, as feared an ambush, and / 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 I was riding
that half mile L heard the Spencer car
bine growing away, and / knew that
my wife had not been taken by surprise.
"Well, sir," he went ON, his voice
trembling, "there were at least forty
yelling fiends around the place, and I
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. I saw two dead Indians
on the ground as dashed up, while q
wounded one was crawling away. My
horse was perfectly wild, but, sir, I rode
around the post at least five times,
popping at the Indians, calling to my
wife, and being shot and struck at every
second. l don't think my wife recog.
nized my voice, as all Of us were yelling
at once, and when I found that she
wouldn't open the door 1 made for the
bluff half mile away, followed by ovel
half the gang, some on foot and some Oh
horseback. While riding around the
post I got this stab in the cheek, but
didn't even feel it for quarter of al
hour. While galloping for cover the
brutes put bullet into my leg here, but
I didn't know it until l was running
over the rocks to find sheltered place.
I dropped among some powders after {
bit, and it wasn't over q minute before
| knocked over two of them. THAI
cooled the pursuit, but they surrounded
me, got secure positions, and l was
blockaded."
"And your family?"
At this question the little boy begaI
to cry and the father could hardly con
troll his emotion as he answered
"It was awful, sir. The boy here
says that the Indians appeared soo1
after I left and asked for powder Sht
wouldn't open the doors, and they got {
log and were going to batter their way
in when she killed the two l saw as
rode up. Then they surrounded the
building, and the battle opened. There
wasn't better wife and mother in thil
world, sir, and never dreamed that sht
had such pluck. When 1 think-whe1
1 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 othel
seven. The boy says that Mary, thu
oldest, used the revolver from one of the
doors while her mother defended thu
other, and that little Clara carried car
tridges to both of them from the closet
There was half-story chamber to thu
cabin, and the boy was stationed VI
there to look through the creviees an(
watch for me. When his mother knew
that part of the Indians had suddenly
withdrawn, and when she heard thu
firing on the bluffs, she called him dow
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 tina
her hands trembled, but she kept the
Spencer going. Lying among the rocks
nearly mile away, and with an Indiar
rifle popping at me every second,
heard that carbine above all the din
My post couldn't stand an Indian attack
and 1 knew it, as there were too many
windows and doors to defend. The
house and store-room were connected by
a doorway, but there were no loop-holei
at the end of the store-room, and the In
dams could gather there and be safe. /
was about eight o'clock in the morning
when / took to the bluffs, and whe1
noon came I could still hear that carbin,
going. / was wondering all the tim,
why the fends didn't set fire to the post
but they had other plans. 1 had thre,
kegs of powder, lots of lead, two barrel
of flour, twenty pair of blankets, fit.