Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1877-07-28
joined those around the post. Twas in

joined those around the post. 1 was in
a safe place, and yet it was a bad place.
They couldn't reach me with their bul-
let's, and yet they had positions from
which they could have killed me had /
stood up or moved six feet to right or
left. The excitement kept pain away
for an hour, but after that was pretty
badly used up, having not drop of
water to wash my wounds or quench my
thirst. 'i.'l.'., '''' % e42qhQ 'i3s y
"About one o'clock, he went on, after
short rest, "all firing ceased, and I
believed that the post had been. captured.
Half crazy with, anxiety and, distress /
rose up, determined to dash out, but the
bullets came sofastthat / 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 out alive, and
along toward night 1 got reckless as to
consequences. 1 should have made a
dash for the river, which was in plain
sight and not over half q mile away, and
was just on the point of rising up when
yells and shots from my cabin held me
back. For about five minutes there was
lively roar of fire arms, and above all
other noises 1 could hear that carbine
going boom boom boom The In
dians who had been left to watch me nov
opened fire and began yelling, and it
wasn't long before suspected the truth.
You see, as I suspected, and as the boy
of o1rl 1.aIota1 1,o Ga,,,1o
found they couldn't capture the post by
assaults ON the doors. That brave little
woman and those poor children were too
much for forty or fifty Indians. After
losing nine or ten killed and over dozen
wounded, the reds collected at 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, but when the time came nearly
all the end of the building went down at
once. My wife and children were ready
for 'em. They defended the doorway fol
full fifteen minutes, or until all but this
boy were shot dead. When the Indians
finally swarmed in he was the only one
left to wreak vengeance on. They toma.
hawked him, started to scalp him, and he
was the same as dead for hours. He is
sure the others were dead before the In.
dians got through the door, and I praise
God for that consolation, while it nearly
drives me crazy to think of it,
There was period of silence, the boy
weeping bitterly, and then Greer braced
himself anew and continued:
"And what did 1 do? God forgive
me !! but I couldn't do anything. was
wild with excitement, and while 1 was
trying to plan something the reds made
a dash at me. They poured down at me
as if there was no end to the number
They were right on me the first I knew
shooting, stabbing and striking at me-
with their guns. got this rap on thC
head then, and also this bullet in thu
shoulder. but they didn't finish me.
fought 'em, but how long l don't know
for [ was crazy. [ remember of then
lodging around me, of striking at them
and of feeling the rage and strength of (
wounded lion. 1t was long after darl
before cooled down and knew my situa
ton. was then carrying this boy il
my arms to the river. Where I fount
him don't know After plundering m,
post the Indians set fire to it. Thi
child must have crept out and hid in th,
bushes, while the bodies of the deat
were burned. He says he was conscious
when crept upon him, and that whel
he begged for water 1 took him in m,
arms and started for the river. Well
wounded as I was, l felt better in th,
cool night air. [ wanted to save ,th'
boy, and that helped nerve me up. The
cool water eased our hurts and refreshed
us, and between ten o'clock that nigh
and daylight next morning I walked
twenty-five miles, carrying the boy hal
the time. You wonder that we are no
dead, but it wasn't to be. The boy ha
been pretty tenderly treated, but
haven't fooled with the doctors much
They dug out some of the lead, bandageC
me up, and I'll soon be all right again
Tn going to take Charlie to Vermont
and then I'll go back to Idaho and xii
Indians as long as L live. I've made
vow-I've sworn by all that's good ant
sacred-that I'll enter into no othe
business and have no other plans but t.
kill Indians whenever and wherever
can find them I'll shoot down old ant
young I'll keep right on killing througl
war and peace p