The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-05-18

seemed reduced TO a certainty at this junct-
ure, that unless relief came speedily the
garrison would fall into the hands Of the
besiegers and be murdered.
The white prisoner in the hands of the
Indians now detailed the true condition OF
the Fort He told his captors that more
than half the inmates were sick, that each
man had not more than three rounds OF am
unition and that the garrison was quite des-
tltite of water and provisions, On receiving
this information the whole Indian army lie.
tired about two miles to hold council. In
a few hours Calbert and three chiefs with
a flag of truce were sent back to the fort.
When the inmates of the fort discovered
the flag, they sent out Captain Pggitt, Mr..
Owens and another man to meet the Indian
delegation. The parlay was conducted UNI
der the range Of the guns at the garrison.
Calbert demanded surrender OF the tort
at scrction--urging that the Indians
knew It's weak and hopeless condition, and
that an unconditional surrender might save
bloo1shed, He said further that he had
sent force of warriors up the Ohio to in
tercept the succOr for which the whites had
sent messenger, He gave his assurance
that he would do his best to save the lives
of the prisoners, except in the case of few
whom the Indians had sworn to butcher.
He gave the garrison one hour
in which to form u conclusion
The delegates from the whites promised
that if the Indians would leave the coun-
try the inmates would abandon the fort
with all possible haste Clabert agreed to
submit this proposition to the council, and
was at the point of retiring when Mr..
Music, whose family had been cruelty
murdered and another man at the tort,
fired upon him and wounded him some.
what severely.
The warriors were engaged long while
in council, and by a seeming interposition
of providence, the long wished for succor
arrived, during the while, in safety from
the Falls. The Indians sent to intercept
them had struck the river too high up and
thus missed them, The provisions and
men were hurried into the fort, new spirit
seemed to possess everyone, and active ex-
ertions were at once made to place the fort
IN condition for a stout resistance. The
sick and the small children were
placed beyond the reach Of harm,
and all the women, and children of any
considerable size, were instructed IN the art
of defense.
Shortly after dark the Indians attempted
to steal on the Fort and capture it; but
were most decidedly frustrated. They then
assaulted the garrison and attempted to
storm 1t. The cannon had been placed in
proper position to rake the walls, so that
when the red skins mounted the ramparts,
the cannon swept them oil in heaps. The
Indians, with loud and savage demonstra-
tons, kept up streaming fire from their
rifles upon the garrison, which, however,
did but little execution. In this manner
the battle ragged for hours, but at last the
Indians were forced to fly from the deadly
cannon OF the fort, to save themselves from
destruction. Calbert and others rallied
them again, but the same result followed -
they were again forced to fly, and all further
efforts to again rally them proved ineifec-
tual
The whites were in constant fear that the
fort would be fired by the Indians. This
indeed was their greatest fear. AT one
time huge savage, painted for the occa,
sion gained the top Of one OF the block
houses and was applying fire to the roof
when he was shot dead by a white soldier.
His body tell on the outside of the fort and
was carried off by his comrades.
The Indians, satisfied that they could
not capture the fort, abandoned the siege
entirely, and securing their dead and
wounded, left the country. A large num-
Der of them had been killed and wounded
while none Of the whites had been killed
and only few wounded. The whites were
rejoiced at this turn in affairs, as the num-
Der OF Indians, and their actual ability to
continue the siege, were well calculated to
tcrrify them.
With all convenient speed the fort was
abandoned Many of the soldiers with set
tiers who had taken quarters in 1t moved to
Kaskaskia. They proved the first consld'
cradle acquisition Of American population
in Illinois. Since then Fort Jefferson has
remained abandoncd--is now shapeless
and undesirable mass, but for the FACTS we
have detailed, will ever remain an OBJECT OF
almost sacred interest, so long as tho strug-
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