Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-02-23

| WIDOWED AND CHILDLEss WITHIN AN notR-A
| STORY OF FEMALE HERoIsM.
| Correspondence Of the New York Herald.
DETROIT, Jan. %, 1S77.-There died IN
this city yesterday woman so little known
even to the people on the block in which
she lived, that the Grape on the door was the
first warning many of them had that she
had been ILL., 1t was the widow Hutlcy, and
living in the same cottage, and made widow
at the same time, was Mrs. Ebberts.
As the trial of John ID. Lee brought back
to public recollection the horrors OF pioneer
life In the West, the death of Mrs. Hutley
may again uncover that page of history on
which was written the Indian massacres oi
frontier settlers in Minnesota. Both widows
are victims of that brief and bloody strife
which desolated so many cabins on that
| picket line of civilization. History forgot
to record their names and their heroism.
Let both be ehronicled hore.
STORY OF THE MASSACRE.
When the frontier troubles began the Two
| widows were wives and mothers, living IN
log cabins about a mile apart. These two
cabins were the only ones for three or four
miles either way and when the conduct OF the
Indians became SO suspicious that prudence
| counselled removal from the frontier the
| Ebberts family left their home and consoli-
dated with the Hutleys for mutual defence.
Each family had two children, making eight
| person in the cabin. The Indian had thus
far molested no one, but they wore fierce
and surly looks, skulked about as if keeping
watch on the settlers. and the pioneers
\ T.. o,,A
prehension. One day, when the women
had occupied the same cabin for two weeks,
Mr.. Hutley started for settlement seven
miles distant to procure provisions, leaving
Mr.. Ebberts to guard the cabin. All out
door work had ceased. If the pioneer
moved outside of the barricaded cabin his
life was carried in his hand, and his eyes
were on the alert to detect the presence Of
the expected foe.
AN UNHAPPY QUARREL.
The average woman can sever the ties of
friendship or rise superior to the perils of
the hour, to carry her point. Mr.. Hutley
had not been gone an hour when the chill
| dren, rendered nervous and irritable by their
close confinement, engaged in quarrel.
The eldest child was only five, 50 that no
| great physical damage could have been in
ficted, but the quarrel angered the mothers !;
harsh words passed, and Mrs. Ebberts de-
clared that she would not remain in the
Hstley cabin another hour. Her husband
was weak minded enough to share in her
feeling, and Immediately preparation we're
| made to return and occupy his own cabin.
| He took the bed on bis back, and the Oldest
| child by the hand and started for home,
leaving his vile to follow on with his rifle
and the other child. Anger brought such a
spirit of recklessness that the man no longer
feared any danger Mrs. Ebberts did not
Immediately follow, having to make up a
bundle of little articles, and the husband
had about 20 minutes start of her. While
both women were heartily ashamed of their
silly conduct five minutes after their hot
words had been spoken, yet neither would
be the first to make conciliatory advances,
and Mrs. Hutley stood in her cabin door and
saw Mrs. Ebberts and child disappear in the
forest.
THE CRACK OF THE RIFLE.
Just as she lost sight of them she heard
the report of rifles and faint yells in the d.
rection of the other cabin, and she instantly
OWNED that the long expected blow had
fallen. Forgetting everything but the fact
that her reighbors were in peril, she took
down the spare rifle which her husband had
provided, and which she knew how to use,
warned her children not to leave the c-bin,
and in two or three minutes she was run
ming through the woods after Mrs. Ebberts.
1t subsequently appeared that Ebberts had
Just reached his home when he was attacked
by band of at least 50 Indians. The child
was shot dead at the first voliev, but the
father prolonged his life for few minutes
BY dodging from tree to tree His wife
was within so rods of him when he was
killed. She heard the firing and whooping,
and, while prudence warned her to retreat,
her love forced her on to join her hus band
The Indians had caught sight Of her and
opened fire when Mrs. Hutlsy came up.
FEMALE HERoIsN.
History will never record a brayer deed.
Rendered desperate by the almost certain
knowledge that her husband and one child
had been murdered, Mrs Ebberts was like
a tigress. She had her husbands rifle, and
for a time the two lone women held that
entire band of savages at bay. Nay, more
than that. they killed three of the redskins
and wounded two more, as the Indians at
terward admitted. When they found that
the plan was to surround them, they fell
back. Between that point and the cabin
the child was killed. The women carried
| the body for few rods, but the close pur-
suit obliged them to drop it.
NEw HORROR.
A new horror awaited them as they en-
tered the cabin. The demons had already
been there. The oldest child was dead on
| the floor, its head almost severed from its
body, and the youngest had been carried
away. Two Indians were still in the house,
making preparations to burn it. One made
a safe escape, but the other vas shot down
| by Mrs. Ebberts as he cleared the doorstep.
There was 40 time to remember the scalped
and mutilated bodies in the forest. The
Indians were at the door almost before the
dark body ut tue step had ceased quiyer-
| ing.
1t was a stont cabin, having more strength
than convenience. Logs and roof were not
yet seasoned enough to burn, and the single
window was protected by heavy blind
| The redskins knew that there were only
two women in the house, and they dashed
at it and swarmed around it as wolves would
surround helpless doe.
| STORY OF THE SURVIVOR.
"Mrs. Hutley was as pale as death and
her hand trembled as she loaded the rifle,
but her eyes shone like fire and she bit heI
lips till the blood came. suppose wa:
half crazed, ior | wanted to open the dool
and fight the whole band"
Thus says the survivor. whose story o.
the terrible affair is as clear as the page o.
book The excitement was too great fol
the women to plan Il defense, but both un
derstood that the Indians must be beaten of
There were two loopholes in the doors anC
others in the walls While the sayages wert
nassing against the door two Of them wer,
badly wounded from within, and soon there
after one was killed from loophole in thu
wall. Discovering that they had perilou:
work on hand the Indians drew off and tool
cover behind logs, stump, and trees, ant
for an hour they fired at the loophole
hoping that chance shot might kill o
wound. The bullets were simply thrown
away, and the effort to fire the roof was tim
spent for nothing.
FEARFUL DAY AND NIGHT.
All day long the siege wns maintained
and when darkness fell the women realizet
that it was to be the longest night Of thei
lives A child dead in the cabin, anothc
carried away, husband and two childre
dead in the woods, and the little clearin
was alive with human devils seeking tn
blood OF the two desperate defenders. Say
Mrs. Ebbert:
MY nerves were strung up till | fel
every minute ~ if must toss up my arm
and scream out to relieve the agony Of III
heart, and Mrs. IIutley was suffering jus
t as badly At one time she would be wal
7 ing and sobbing over the poor dead body 0
the floor, and then again she would stand a
. one of the loopholes, her face 30 white that
! could see it through the darkness. 1t wa
= | NJ, It'll ~ iauth outside until nbnut |