The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-05-21
A TALE OF THE JUNIATA.
BY EDWARD JAMES.

o&ANAASSs
It was night. One of those dark,
gloomy periods when the very stiffness
startles the solitary thinker and causes
him to conjure up sights the most hor-
rible. Awful murders, fearful tragedies,
bloody assassinations and kindred scenes
rush past his mental vision with such
painful rapidity and vividness as to make
him fondly wish for the early approach
of dawn, with its cheering, horror DIS
pelling light.
The scene of my sketch is a few miles
southwest of Waynesburg (now McVey-
town, Penn small settlement on the
historic Blue Juniata, a stream Justly
famed for the rapidness of its waters and
the grand and sublime scenery of the
valley through which it winds its sinuous
course. The time of the occur
renee dates back almost century
ago and time, with its changes, has al
most effaced the old land marks, but
enough yet remain to make the site re-
ferred to familiar to all readers convers-
ant with that portion of the Juniata val
ley.
In the woods which run down to the
river stands heavy log house, embow-
cred in deep foliage, soon to be the scene
rivulet hard by ripples over the moss
covered stones making peculiarly pleas
ing noise as it hurries on to join the
placid river below-just at this time,
however, subsiding from the autumnal
floods. Inside the heavy building all is
still as death; no light can be seen what
ever, and as the hours pass on the dark
ness seems to become impenetrable and
the stiffness more intense, until the sus-
pense is almost unbearable, when hark
the defying, challenging war-whoop of
an Indian rends the air and echoes
throughout the distant mountains, chill
ling the blood of all who hear it.
Soon all is hustle and excitement with
in and cautiously the barrel of gun is
thrust through the loop-hole, followed
by flash, report, and as the sound re-
verberates through the neighboring hills
and glens, the death-shriek of savage is
heard, and once more the portals open
and another dusky spirit enters the hap
py hunting grounds.
Not many minutes elapse until the
house is surrounded by a score of dusky
savages, anxious to avenge the death of
their brother.
At this stage short description of the
occupants of this besieged place is nec-
essary to proper understanding of the
foregoing remarks, and will enable the
reader to form an idea of the perilous
life and adventures of the primitive set
tiers of the Juniata region.
Alexander DePugh-for such we shall
hunter, who with his family, consisting
of his wife, son aged twenty, and daugh-
ter, the latter beautiful girl of eighteen
summers, had settled here because of its
seclusion and it's being the center of a
good hunting section.
On the day upon which our story
opens, young DePugh was out on a
hunting and fishing expedition and be-
ing of fearless and venturesome nature
had wandered several miles from home.
About noon, being very much fatigued,
he extended his tired limbs on the leaf
strewn ground beneath the spreading
branches of large tree, while he par
took of refreshing lunch. He had not
remained in this position long, however,
until his trained ears were greeted with
the gruff voice of a man near by i'll close
conversation with another. DePugh
raised himself upon his elbow and, with
an intentness born of experience, lis
tened to their conference. But few
moments satisfied him that the speakers
were Indian scouts and that, too, from a
hostile party who were devising plans for
the capture of his fathers family.
With stealthy steps the young hunter
stole away from the dangerous spot and
not having been discovered, made his
way rapidly home, reaching there just
in time to inform his unsuspecting fam
lily of the impending peril. He had
been in the house but short time when
peering into the darkness through a
loop-hole he espied savage with a
lighted fagot skulking through the trees
toward the dwelling. This latter move
ment on the part of an Indian, as well as
the signal shout before spoken of, were
unusual for such willy rascals, but they
were SO confident of victory that they
forgot their cunning treachery. The
young man grasped his rifle, and run
ming it through the aperture fired the
shot which killed the rascally scout and
brought the Indians around the building.
Anxious to wreak vengeance on the
devoted family for the death of their
companion, the savages commenced to
light fire. brands and throw them about
the house, but these only served to re-
veal their foes.
Robert" said the father, ''aim low
and be sure of your mark"
With this advice from his parent, the
son ran out his gun and fired again with
fatal effect, as was announced by the
naddened yells of the red devils which
foated away on the Silly night air.
Occasional firing was kept up for
number of hours when suddenly all be-
came quiet.
The old settler knew that this omin-
GUS stiffness boded him and his family
no good and that the Indians were only
waiting for the light of day to aid them
in the destruction of his family and home.
Arriving at this conclusion he ordered
preparations to be made for an imme-
diate fight, if such thing was possible.
He saw that unless they hurried daylight
would be upon them and their escape
would be impossible indeed, the gray
light of dawn was already appearing.
This last resort was decided upon after
much mental torture to the anxious
parents.
To flee to the river was thought the
best plan, but, ah! what dangers attended
it!
The red fiends were watching every
point of exit, but when the hunter built
his house he had run a kind of subter-
ranean passage from the cellar several
hundred feet toward the river in antici-
patton of such an exigency as this one),
and it was thought by following this to
the end they could reach the river and
their canoes and from thence get to the
nf t,o1oxy