Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-11-13


murdered agent, who is here on her
way to Greeley, is sixty.four years old
with black hair, now partly tinged with
gray, and blue eyes. She is small in
stature, her weight being only ninety
pounds. She is the daughter of a sea
captain, and was born in Cheshire,
Conn. She moved with her parents,
when child, to the Western Reserve
in Ohio, when the country was a will
derness, and was reared as a pioneer S
daughter, with many sisters and BROTH
ers. She taught school for severalyears,
and was married at the age of twenty
nine to N. G. Meeker in Clariden, Ge-
auga County, Ohio. Sheis the mother
of five children. The following is her
story:
was in the kitchen with my daugh-
ter, washing dishes, about half-past one
o'clock. We had just finished dinner.
Some of the Indians had eaten with us,
and Chief Douglass had been picking
around the table and joking with my
daughter Josephine while we were
washing the dishes. There came vol
ley of firearms "a succession of sharp
explosions. 1t was startling, and l
knew what was coming. My daughter
and looked into each others faces.
Mrs. Price, who was washing clothes at
the door, rushed in, exclaiming:
"What shall we doP'
Josephine said, "Keep all together" "
and the girl was as cool as if she were
receiving callers in a parlor.
The windows were shot in. Our first
move was to get under the bed in jose
phine's room to avoid the bullets, which
were whizzing over our heads. jose
phine had the key of the milk house
and proposed to 60 there. The bullets
were flying like hailstones, and we
locked ourselves into the milk house,
which had double walls filled in with
adobe clay, and there was only one lit
tile window.
About five o'clock in the afternoon
the firing ceased and all was still. Sud-
denly we heard the low crackle of
flames and smelt smoke. Then we saw
it coming through the cracks in the
ceilings, and knew that the destruction
of the agency buildings had began.
We ran, in line with the buildings,
toward the sage brush. The bullets
fell all around us, and one struck me
on the thigh, ploughing through the
flesh, just under the skin. 1t stung me
like a wasp and l thought il time to
drop | fell to the ground.
A chief, whose name / could never
learn, came to me and said he was
cheap sorry." He asked me if | could
get up. / said Eyes" He then asked
II would 90 with him. l said eyes"
He said he was cheap mad; soldier
killed Indian" he saw them shoot and
he was "heap mad" They would "no
kill women and children. (" The Indians
had so ordered it. He said he would
take me to Chief Douglass house, and
asked me if / had any whisky. / said
mo" and he asked if | had any
money. answered that there was
some in my room in the building, then
on fire. The Indian told me to get it,
and he would wait for me. He was
afraid to 90 into the burning building.
/ got the money, the Indian urging me
to hurry up, as he had n great way to
90 that night We went to Douglass
camp, and the Indian made me count
the money. There were thirty dollars.
The Indian took it and gave it to Chief
Douglass. / had two silver dollars, and
Douglass gave them to the Indian who
captured me. The Indian then went
away.
Going back once more told Doug
lass that / must have some blankets.
He sent an Indian named Thompson to
the burning building with me, and got
a hood, a shawl and one blanket.
handed around bedding, ETC., among
the Indians rather than have them de-
stroyed. The Indians took them, and
/ afterward saw them in camp when
was suffering for the want of blankets
to keep me warm. | went back to
Douglass and said that wanted my
medicine and my Esprit book" ! had |
doctored Douglass and his family. He |
said: "GO;" so went back a second |
time and got large copyo of Pilgrims
Progress" and O box of medicines The |
box was so heavy that an Indian re-
fused to carry it. 1t was lost, but he
took the book. When / got back to
Douglass and told that chief the Indian
had said that the medicine chest was
too heavy to carry, Douglass looked |
disappointed and sorrowful, and asked;
Couldn't you have split the box a
little, so you could have brought part
Of itP"
In going back this last time / saw the
body Of my husband stretched out on
the ground in front of the warehouse;
all the clothing was gone but the shirt
The body was not mutlated. The arms
were extended at the sides Of the head.
The face looked as peaceful and natural
as in life, but blood was running from
the mouth | stopped to kiss him, but
just as my lips were near his saw an
Indian standing stone still, looking at
me, so 1 turned and walked away.
Douglass afterward said that my hus-
band was shot through the side of the
head.
Preparations to leave Immediately
we're made. II was now dark, and
Douglass lostno time in getting started.
Being lame from having had a thigh
dislocated three years ago, and not be-
ing used % walking, / asked to ride be-
hind Douglass. The moon came out so