National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1880-02-13
MISCELLANEOUS.


|
| young, the settlers along the lake shore had
much more communication with tho abor.
| igints than with the whites Long rows Of
| canoes instead of steamers were wont to lie
| along the shore where the Union dcpot now
! stands aud the railroads run, aud the traffic
was in blankets, beads, ycnson aud furs in
| stcnd of wheat iron, coal and nctroleum.
| There were winding paths instead Of streets,
and wgwams aud log cabins were the bust.
ness blocks aud dwellings Natural forests
were the parks, and while there were no
| grand water works, the CuyahOga was uncou.
Illuminated by vile sewage.
One bright afternoon in the autumn Of A.
| ID. Is, there came into the village a neat.
| appearing squaw, apparently twenty. five years
of age, with u 1.-the, haf.breed boy of ten, who
either walked beside her or capcrcd on be.
fore The little settlement was unusually &C.
| tive upon that day, aud the October sunlight
| rested upon scene of surprising beauty. The
| lake aud the landscape were silver aud gold
| the skies were blue and amber and the Indians
were gay in their holiday attire Of feathers and
| bright blankets
The face of the young Indian woman bore
an expression of sad anxiety, that was quite
| in contrast with the brightness around her
| She did not mingle with the crowds OF Indians
| but sat down near the entrance to the princi.
| pal trading house, aud while surveying the
motley scene, talked kindly and sobery with
| those who spoke to her.
There was something in the appearance and
demcanor of the Indians which showed that
they regarded this as an important day Their
gay attire, the almost complete absence Of
weapons among them, their comparative
silence toward the whites, their freedom and
sportveness among themselves, all went 10
teach the experienced observer of Indian
character that they were moved by some UNI
common though undiscosed purpose.
Aftar her arrival had conspd In attract 4.
tenton, the young squaw passed quietly into
| the store, the boy remaining outside playing
| with his red companions As soon rs sho
could do so unobserved, she strolled, as il i'm
| advortently, to the rear of the store where, in
| partial concealmeut, she caught the traders
eye. He knew from her glance that her sig
| nal must be needed. As he cOntrivcd TO come
| close to her she communicated to him tho
| plot of the Indians.
They will all pretend to go lone tonight;
| hut they will not go home. They will come
| back in the night They want your goods.
| II you give them up they will not kill you If
you fight, they will kill you. shall be with
you"
Having said this she sauntered slowly out,
| with face sadder than before and resumed
her former seat. Soon the boy came near her.
| aud she whispered to him secretly. He went
into the store, where Il number of sauaws
were pretending to trade, aud stood, as il by
mere chance, whore she who sent him had
| stood. The trader, still busy came close to
him and whispered the names of certain white
men of tho village. The boy soon strolled out
| TO his play again, but somehow sports seemed
| to take him near and into the shops of the
men whom the trader had mentioned. He
| would give tho chief traders name secretly
| with an inlmaiion of danger, and then go
storming on with his playing. His momen-
| tOus little task was soon accomplished, aud the
shouts of himself and his fellows were soon
echoing again in font of the store of the chief
| trader
The sunbeams were nearly as level as tho
| lake, when the Indian woman, reckoning to
her happy pr0tcge, began to loiter toward tho
| trail by which size came one heart how light,
and the other, oh, how heavy They kent
tho way until well out Of sight, then left it
and took circuitous course, stopping finally
| ut wigwam upon the shore about one mile
eastward from the village.
| John Morton was the foremost trader in
| tho village, intelligent, trustworthy aud a
| leader among his fellow settlers so that when
II warning of danger with the sanction of his
name went round to a certain trusty few there
was a certainty of prompt aud efectual re-
Spouse.
At sundown the Indians began to depart,
and by dusk not one remained in the village.
AS soon AS darkness had settled the few who
| had been warned assembled in MortOn's store
for consultation. 1t was not many minutes
before rap was heard, which Morton readily
recognized us that of the woman of whom he
had spoken. By her devotion and fidelity she
had saved him from many dangers aud many
| losses. She was admitted, and bogau at once
to reveal the Indians plans in detail. IL was
not their intention TO make n general attack.
| Their designs were only upon Morton's store.
Word was instantly sent to such others as
| pOuIu tTuStpu wit if
| an hour some twenty-five men who knew tho
| use of gunpowder were assembled at Mort0n's,
| all fully armed, aud with Morton's stock Of
ammunition to back them. They decided to
take their stand outside tho building, and
post sontinels in every direction forty rods
| away, The woman was to retire to safe
distance and remain secreted. Morton COM
| manded.
| All being in readiness, they had not long
to wait. Within an hour sentinel came in
with the tidings that party, some twenty to
thirty as nearly MS he could judge in the
starlight were approaching. BY u prccOn-
certed signal the other sentinols were called
ill., aud the men doplOyed in such manner rs
TO give an impression of the largest possible
| numbers when simultaneous fire should be
| delivered.
| 1t appears that the sayagcs, thinking it an
| easy matter TO rob single man, had not come
in force, but had detailed Il few braves for tho
| PURPOSE. VA IUtF CAME WIN lutll hlcAILNy
| tread, until their forms began 10 be dimly out
| lined. As they came within easy range, Nor
| ton estimated their number to be not more
than twenty. When all was ripe, Morton
gave the word TO fire. As tho twenty-five
rifles, scattered in a long line, blazed out upon
them, they seemed to think that an army OF u
thousand men had opened fire With ono
united horrible yell, they led to the woods,
and no trader Of that village was ever there
after molcsted by them. The men had pur-
poscly aimed high, as they desired rather to
brighten than iniure those with whom they
were not at all anxious to iuaugurate bloody
| leud. As u consequence no blood was shed aud
| no serious il'ieeling engendcred.
| The Indian woman, who had proven so
faithful friend, was provided with home
in the viii &c. she was given rudimcntary
English education adopted tho dress and civ
| ilizatiou, and subsequently, married Morton,
| who wis in fact the father of the little fellow
| who had followed his mother to the village on
| that eventlu! day Some of her descendants
still reside in Ciuycland; others ure scattered
| elsewhere.
ShalSespeure's Wisdom.
Shakespeare, wiscst Of men, over 200 years