The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-09-11

situation. But they burst into the
house and forced their way to his re-
treat, and from theI6endish yelIs of
the exulting monsters, the family sup
poses his horrid butchery was here
completed. The savages then fred
the house upon the top and COM
menced their SEARCH for other--vic-
tins and plumber. T% s1s Mrs. Perrine and
family at this juncture retreated ..from
the bathing room through the subter-
raneous passage leading to the turtle
crawl, and sought that as the only
refuge for a moments safety. In this
place, in each others arms, the moth
er and three children, with scarcely
their heads above the water, lay for
ineaalongshours, still as the ssreigning
silence of the grave. awaiting their
fate. The savages for long time
were upon the planks over their heads
performing theirlhellish +.orgies, and
Cutting over their plunder and even
hoisted plank and looked downvto-
wards them, but as Heaven would di-
rect, the objects of their search were
undiscovered !! In the meantime the
house was burned TO its foundations.
The plank, also..over the turtle crawl
caught fire. q The smoke and heat from
the burning house and other objects
were becoming so intense that death
from this cause seemed inevitable.
Life was supported for some time by
dashing water inss each others faces,
to keep the air in motion, and by
plastering their heads..with mari from
the bottom Of the crawl to ward off
the scorching heat. AT length it
became SO oppressive that Henry, the
J young lad, could bear -..-- ionser,
j yNs yse-.. sst,seavQreG to nravan !
. nfs sefeSins BY cIasping MS mouth
= with her hands, but be tore away
from her, declaring that he pre-
ferred death by the tomahawk rather
than inI that terrible place. He
made hisl escape through an aper-
ture of the turtle crawl lbut which
was too small to admit of the eoress
of the others, who were now sensi-
bic that the sadventure offered gthe
only chance of life. There was now
no way of escape except byla re-
moval Of one of the deeply imbed-
ded piles with which their retreat
was constructed. This could only
be done by removing the earth at
| the bottom which was far under wa
ter. Mrs. 7. set herself about the
task and accomplished it Just in
time to avoid the falling timbers un-
der which they had been sheltered.
There were sixa huge Indians at this
time plundering Mr. Houseman's
store short distance from here
Near the store was a launch. or
small boat drawn upon the wharf
which they were filing With their
spoils. Mrs. Perrine and girls ap-
preached the boat-having to wade
through the water in full view
hundred yards to do so, (while the
sayages had returned to the store
after other articles of plunderl beck
oned to them the boy, (of whose
fate they had been uncertain) who
was standing close upon this den of
| murders, and by their united strength
and the most desperate efforts, sue
ceeded in tearing it from its fasten-
ings and dragging it into water Of
sufficient depth for it to float. 2 They
sprang in, and with oneipaddle, one
oar, and two poles, ,exerted, as it were,
the last energies of life in widening
their distance from the ill-tated shore.
BY the blessings of God they made
Continued on page IA,