The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1880-03-17

they had calculated upon this, and before |
could get 1t from my shoulder was struck ON
the right arm with heavily loaded stick. Il
was paralyzed for the moment, and the only
weapon | could use in my defence lay at my
feet. 1t was instantly picked up by one of
the crew, and was hurried to large beech
tree, and tied with ropes which | saw had
been stolen from my own barn.
! When they had SO tied me that could not
move, torch was lighted, and by the refiec-
tion on each face saw that they were friends
and relations of the man / had accidently
killed.
g. began to talk to them of their evil con-
duct, but they only laughed and howled.--
They informed me that if was brave it was
now the time for me to show how a pale face
could endure fire.
!. At this four or five of the painted flends
ran into the woods, one carrying my axe, in
order to gather up dry twigs and branches
that would readily be piled about me and
fired, destroy me. While these preparations
were going on thought of my poor wife, the
danger she would be exposed to if the savag-
ture to the cabin.
While l was thus meditating the torch
being momentarily pushed so near my face
that the skin was blstered, the report of a
rifle was heard, and one of the Indians who
had been dancing around the tree standing
oftener upon his hands than his feet, while in
that attitude tumbled over dead. There was
instant commotion amoug the savages but
before they recovered from their SURPRISE a
second fiend, dressed in long deer skin robe
and who had been standing before me exer-
cising his oratorical powers, fell fiat on his
face. just as report of the second gun was
heard, ball crushed through his skull The
savages were now thoroughly alarmed. They
forgot me, and made for the river but they
had hardly ran dozen yards when n savage
who held the handle of a scalping knife In his
mouth, and who had more than once threat.
ened to raise my hair was, as heard third
report, struck in the stomach. He fell and
writhed at my feet in terrible agonies. pit
led him. The third shot, not one of which
had failed to miss its object, so frightened
the crew that not even stopping to gather up
their dead, they ran swiftly away.
While was thus rejoicing in my heart at
the timely assistance which had thus come to
me, tried to look in the direction in which
the shots had come. The torch had been
extinguished, aud for several minutes stood
bound to the tree in silence that was as
dense as the night was dark.
" After a while l family heard. as If It
were the steps of panther or wildcat, some
thing walking cautiously over the dry bram--
bles that filled the forest | Thought it was
one of the savages who was making his way
to where was, to brain and scalp me. But
when | had worked myself into this belief. at
the same time straining every nerve to burst
asunder the cords that bound me, / felt a
hand touch mine
+" cried hoarsely, Who's this p
" And to my establishment, my wife, in a
low voice, her limbs trembling with excite
ment, answered
:" Hist, John
81 was about to speak, when, she put a
finger on my mouth, and then with my hunt
ing knife, she cut the cords that bound me
| 'Riusb, Johu bne TcpcdJeu. lake
this gun. It's yours. have mine, also.'
1t took 1t in one of my hands, and then
putting an arm around her waist half carried
her out of the woods TO the house.
When we had entered and closed and
fastened the door, Mary tainted. 1t was many
hours before she recovered.
g Weeks later" he added, after pause,
"your grandmother told me that, fearing
that some accident had happened to me, as
/ was away so late, she resolved to go in
search of me. She took some ammunition
and balls (but never dreaming of Indians as
sailing us) her own gun and my heavier rifle.
In passing through the woods, she saw a
light. Approaching cautiously and noseless-
ly to her horror, she saw me bound to a
tree, and the painted fiepds around me- In
stead of fainting, she became calm and reso-
lutte, and loaded the rifles, she fired them,
each time tumbing over savage. Then she
hastily reloaded the guns. But she had only
an opportunity to use one of them before the
gang disappeared. The rest of the story you
know