The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-09-27

she saw the Indians preparing to charge
the knoll, she said:
"The four of us with Henry rifles will
open on them as they come forward.
The other three will reserve their fire
until l give the word. Place your re-
volvers on the ground beside you, and
as soon as we open fire let every one
cheer at the top of his voice."
"Noww cried the widow, and the |
four Henrys opened fire into the bunch. |
They had not fired five times piece |
when the Indians were at the wagons, |
their fiendish yells Offset by the cheers
of the few defenders.
Steady steady All fire! Hurrah
hurrahp' cried the widow, and the sharp
reports of the rifles mingled go steady
roar, the horses inside the park leaped
out or were shot down, the Indians
pulled at the wagons to break the line
of defense, and bullets cut the air in
every direction. 1t seemed an hour, but
it was hardly sixty seconds. before the
Indians fell back from that CALLING fire,
and halted only when out of range. Pros
pectOrs, standing on Eagles Hearth
stone," nine miles away, looked down
that day and saw the cloud of battle
smoke, and believed that a full COM
pany of soldiers had struck band of
| hostiles.
The slope of the hill, the dip, and the
broken ground beyond, showed curious
sight as the smoke rolled away. There
were two dead Indians almost under the
wagons; then came dead pony; then a
wounded one; then in the stagnant pond
was dead Indian, wounded one, and
l L - H. h.
fore leg. Further down two wounded
redskins had crawled behind the bould-
ers for shelter, and another was kicking
his last just below them: In the fort
child had been killed, the Widow
Weeks had a bullet wound in her left
leg, and one of the men had his left
elbow shattered.
"Now reload and get ready for an
other charged" said the little woman as
she counted up the casualties. "Our
animals are gone, and we've got to keep
the Indians off till help comes"
There was no time for tears or lamen-
tations The dead child was removed
to one side, the wounds dressed as we'll
as possible, and before the hour had
ended the Indians were ready for an
other attack. In the first charge there
were thirty-six; as they formed this
time only twenty-four could be counted.
The widow made use of the fact to en-
, courage the men, and her wound did
not prevent her from making ready to
/: use her rifle. The knoll could be scaled
from three sides only. Instead of charg-
1 ing as before, the Indians charged in a
semi-circle, so that the fire of the de.
a Tenders could not be concentrated. Sew
l eral of the redskins carried bundles OF
= dry grass, the use of which could not be
/ gussed at by the white men. When the
{ little widow saw the plan of attack she
: , distributed her force to meet it, anC
, u said:
n 81 will take the left of the circle, Mr.
u Grayon will take the right, and you mel
}, in the center fire right straight ahead
u Raise a hurrah as soon as my riff
% cracks"
Z: The Indians were no sooner in posi-
'I tion than they dashed at the hill at
le wild run, opening fire as they came
II The two on the extreme left rolled fron
their horses as the widows rifle spok
3 out, and Grayon wounded the one O.
e, the right. Not another shot was fire
"a by the defenders till the Indians wer
III right at the wagons.
s Again the men on distant Eagle
q. Hearthstone" looked down on a grea
le cloud of powder smoke, and they argue
W that another company of soldiers ha
II, come up and gone into action: Th
ne Indians fired through the wagon covers
1e between the vehicles, and under then
K and they pushed and tugged to separat
at the wagons and roll them down hill. .
ce fierce yell now and then came from the
M ranks to prove that a bullet had foun
III target, and groan or a scream frol
We behind the breastworks was evidence {
~. thinned ranks.
ne "Cheer! cheerp' shouted the wido
e9 as the fire of the attacking party SUI
ed denly ceased, and the defenders hu
|1o rahed again and again. Through tt
MT smoke they caught sight of red flame
and as the cloud lifted it was seen tn;
er the Indians had used the bundles
as grass to set fire to the wagons. Fac
ks one was blazing fiercely, and nothir
eu could be saved from them. They we
"a below the breastworks, with the wiz
'le blowing the heat down hill, and the
were allowed to burn as they stood.
ay the fort woman had been killed, Il
ne young man shot through the face, tt
nu u widow wounded in the foot and han
ne and only one man wounded before e
ng capped injury this time. The Indis
=! OK loss must have been great, as they
ul- once withdrew behind the point, and f
7h twenty-four hours not another India
lat appeared in sight. Relief came from
ers train going into the hills, and for Il
wh next four weeks redskin was IA
me sight in that vicinity. The graves
nu the knoll had not been disturbed eig
ose weeks ago. The breastworks were thel
,as "a; the wagon tires were half hidden in t
'ne grass, and men standing on the ere
70 ION looked down toward the prairie al
me counted fourteen skeletons of POM
lso gnawed clean by the wolves. The
ust were empty cartridge shells in the fc
'ay and around it, half dozen batter
len camp kettles had rolled down into t
zen pond, and the once gaudy headdress
ner a chief rotted in the grass at the edge
=, the prairie. Men had turned aside
Ike do honor to the dead and the living!
10Y stake was driven at each grave, and
Oh one of the stunted trees was nailed
nce board on which was cut the words:
an &" Fort Weeks. Defended by WON
- IN and six men against two Indian charg
tne We make her Major-General Ell
lts Weeks"