Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-07-03

"A$A OSUAAAHS oAASA CAAS savage lOOnCu COWdlu
the schoolhouse.
cannot describe the feeling that the
sight gave me. 1t flashed into my mind
in arinstant that it was an Indian that
had seen down at the ''slew' and that he
had waylaid Lettic.
"George!" cried Mr.. Fi6eld, sharply,
"take your place in the class"
"Master," said 1 with very white
face, I suppose, there's an Indian out
doOrs!"
"What?' exclaimed Mr.. Fifeld.
"There's an Indian with gun, watch
lug the schoolhousc!' repeated.
Mr.. Fitield started to 90 to the window.
But Clint exclaimed:
Don't look out, master, / wouldn't
look out, master"
II don't believe there are any Indians
watching the schoolhouse," said Mr..
Fifeld, rather sternly, for he was out of
patience with me for behaving as had.
"Then come here, sir, said I, sand Look
out of this crack" ''
Instead of doing that, he walked bold
ly up to the back window, and with his
face close up to the glass, looked out.
The next thing l recollect was hearing
the sharp report of rifle, the shivering
Of glass, the fragments of which flew
across the room, and seeing Mr.. Fifield
fall back into the aisle! He never uttered
word. He was killed instantly.
Two or three frightful war.hoops came
at the same moment. Imagine if you can,
what a panic there was i'm the school
house The little scholars all began to
scream,
"Get down under the benches, out of
sight, every one of youp' shouted Clint,
as he ran to the door to put the "prop"
against it. We had kept large prop in
the room ever since the reports of Indians
attacking the settlers come to US. After
putting it up, Clint called Charley to
help him hold it.
It was hardly in the place before the
door was violently shaken. Then came
heavy thuds against it, assif from stone
or log. 1t was plank door, and the
prop held it. But tive heard the >savages
begin to hack and chop at it with their
hatchets or axes.
I had got my gun from the corner
where Mr.. Fi6eld allowed us to set our
guns, but there was only a partridge
charge in it. We could hear the savages
running round the house; and moment
after great stone crashed through the
-four pane window on the south side
Glass and stone flew over the benches.
The whole window was knocked in
7 The little scholars screamed again.
One of the redskins jumped up outside,
and, catching hold OF the window-sill
with his hands, thrust IN his head and
yelled at us, He was an ugly-leoking
wretch-more like a demon than a
human being. s.%'.
The moment his head came IN, almost
without thought, fired at HIM. 1t was
only a charge Of small shot; yet the muz-
zle Of the gunsWas hardly ten feet from
the savage. He gave q howl, and heard
him tumble down outside the window.
The scoundrels probably supposed We
were all children, and had no thought
that we had guns. They expected, no
doubt, to get our young scalps without
much trouble.
I had hardly fred at the savage in the
window when the two in the door cut
through and stove in one of the panels.
In came the muzzle of gun! Charley
and Clint jumped off the prop and
lodged to one side, as the Indian fired
into the room. Clint ran at once and
seized his own gun.
The next moment the prop slipped
down, and both of the Indians came in,
-headlong! One, a, thick, coarse-faced
ruffan, had an ak; the other, very tall
Indian, had the gun he had just fred
through the door.
The instant they tumbled IN Clint fired
at the one with the ak. Dropping the ak, he
clapped both hands over his stomach, and
with fearful squeal, ran out, half dou-
bled up. -,.'~ >'>' ',.~''
1 hadn't had time to reload; but 1
knew that the tall Indians gun was emp
ty. So I raised mine and took aim at
him, as if I was going to shoot. Out he
went at one leap after the other, to escape
being shot.
We shouted and ran out after them,
and just as got to the door, I saw the
one Clint had shot fall at the edge of the
timber. The tall one had gone 10 anoth-
er direction, and in moment was out of
sight" II : -%,<S>,&~~&--- $50 So
We ran out to the one we had seen fall.
He lay amongst the dry tire-weed, just at
the point Of death. -c72r1 ztc@'ff
"Don't touch him! ~ Clint said.
Then I thought Of the one 1 had shot
in the back. y indow, and we ran back to
look for him.. He was not there. He
had either run off OF crawled away, land
we never found him.
The little scholars had come out
from under the benches, and we're crying
over Mr.. Fiield's body. But l could
think only gillette. j. was sure the saw
ages had waylaid her, and started for
the "slew" as fast as I could run. expect
ed to find her scalped and dead. ;..-~>
Before I had got to the "slew' I saw
her dinner-.basket lying>irs the road. The
sight Of it made me cold and sick at heart.
Near It was her arithmetic and one Of her
scarlet mittens, tandsout in the ditch lay
her geography. .-,
Fairly wild with excitement and grief,
/ called to her again and again. There
was no answer Then searched through
the alder thickets about the ssslew'' and
out into the timber. -
NotSas trace of her could I find any
where, and Hbegan to think they
carried her Of instead of numbering her.
] feared that oncsor two of them, had hur-
RED her away, while the other three had
come to attack the SCHOOL, house. ''~a2" +.
I came back into the rad and started
to'run.to Mr. Eastmans, to give the alarm.
But Just then heard some one calling to
me, and looking round, saw Charley com.
ing from the schOolhouse as fast as he
could run. s.
"Lette's found! We've found Lettie! -
he cried. .. 2.
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