Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-03-24
THE HEROINE or LRADyILLR.

Inc OF the Snake T1Yef massacre, and the
first white woman who ever yentuTcd
into Lcadville, Col, which city she
helped to found, is now a resident Of
New York Last December Mrs Ray
/ quilted her home in Leadyillc to take
up residence Fast, in order to locate
her daughter in school and to arrange
/ for the future care Of the little Mexican
waf whom she has in charge She il
residing in brown-stone flat on Fifty
seventh street.
"Twenty-fiyc years ago, when / was
scarcely twenty years old" she said,
81 married Mr.. Ordway in st. AIMS
church, this city. He was not over strong,
and 1t was thought that trip 10 the
West would do him good, and after a si1
months residence on Staten Island We
started for Kansas lie died in Law
renee After his death | went With the
/ Ford family to Denver and from thence
20 Central City, were | remained as
domestic in Broadwclrs hotel While
there ! met Frank Ray. Texan. He
. was a miner. We got married The
Z ceremony was performed in the big par.
+ lor Of the hotel and II WAS quite big
affair. Frank and then started out
( for the mines There was a train going
out and We joined it. Aftc- We had been
ont a few DAYS on the morning of july 10.
think, the party was in the best of
+ spirits, | remember how we'll and happy
We all were There wore hyc Young
men, and they we're all good musicians
. They played all sorts Of reels and jig,
trying to get mo ont 81 our wagon.
. When they struck st pairick's Day
| could not remain away and went over
with Frank to their camp. There We
+ all danced and sang and played trick. ON
each other We were most happy lot
Of cmjgrauts, all except poor Mcmahon.
He, poor fellow, seemed oppressed, and
] shall ever remember the look hc gave
me when | jokcd about his horse. Well,
before eleven o'clock that day, poor Nc.
Mahon was shot, killed and sralpcd ly
the Indians ton feet away from mc. !
can sec the sight now Covering her
face with hcr hands this hu, q moment
before laughing, happy woman shnd-
dcrod. "Oh. sir she continued, "hnd
not have been oi the disposition | am,
I could have never stood iha, DAYS work.
Lawyer latcs's wife never recovered
from it. Wen, as We passed along ON
that day, the first iutimation We had u
the Indians was the uropping of one Of
the horses Of the train. Frank got my
horse into q little gully and placed me
on it, when he said. II anything goes
wrong with me, 90 to my folks in Texas
The shots were flying all about us Poor
Mcmahon fell, and saw the hcaihcns
rush upon and scalp him. Frank. then,
having 60; the wagons and horses in
order, began his work, and before |
knew IT, | was in the wagon doing all |
could. too. When We succeeded in
driving the Indians off nearly all nv
clothing was gone. had torn II from
me to baadagc up the wounds 81 our
men. / must have done some firing.
too, for when we got ont of the wagon
the doctor said: Sally, you'rc one Of
the best fellows in fight A party from
Salt Lake came to our aid. They buried
the dead and removed the wounded. In
one grave were placed the five young
men who played st. Patncks Day
We continued on our trip, nothing
evcntful happening, and in good time
arrived at our destination, Gallatin val
ley, on the Gallatin river. There Frank
met with hummer Dan, and they struck
that famous mine, Bummcr Dan 1t
panncd out heavy. Once forty men
were employed by hummer Dan and
my husband. Riches were ours, and we
took n place in the valley and built
home went to farming, and Frank
started off for little fun. That trip
made him known in every city from the
mine TO Buffalo, where he died. Things
then went wrong. | battled with the
grasshoppers for three years, and then
had TO give up. l returned TO Denver,
and then wen; to Central City. where /
left my child Cora with the sisters in
their school.
" 1t was then time for me to do some
| thing and I started ont tnut ~, "A
Alma, and on the land given me there
by DIR. Dexter and Mr.. Wolcott, erected
nice cottage Then got chance TO
serve as cook for Meyers at his place
sixteen miles away. There we're but
few people in that place at that time.
Tabor, who is now governor, had little
cabin near Meyers place. A few peo-
pie began 70 flock into the place and I
"a