The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-02-10
A WONDERFUL ESCAPE.
BT EUGENE EMERSON.

Some years ago vent with young friend
to pay VISIT to his grandfather who lived
in Delaware county, Pennsylvania
One evening my friend asked his grand
father to give me an account of an adyen-
tuIe he had when a boy. / shall endeavor
to relate it in his own language as nearly as
possible.
My father had failed in business in tie CITY
of Philadelphia (began the old gentleman
and had concluded to try his fortune in the
western part of the State.
He started first and erected a log cabin.
and then returned for my mother and N.Y.
self. | was then boy Of ten.
At this time the Indians were at peace
with the whites, so we lived in comparative
safety
All went along we'll until my father was
stricken down with fever
My mother, who was as good and noble a
woman as ever lived, had to nurse my father
and attend to the house and for upwards of
week she had little or no sleep.
Our food was very nearly gone-it could
not last more than another day. NY father
was growing worse every hour What to do
we did not know.
can now see my poor mother kneeIing
beside the bed of her sick husband, impIOr-
ing the great God to have mercy upon u.s.
Oh, how she wept and prayed
do not worry so, my dear wife all will
go well some day if not in this world, let us
hope it will be in thu next" said my father.
"Oh, what shall we do if you die? Oh,
God spare my dear husband -
''What will become of us -" cried I. in
great distress.
Come here, my son, - said my father, "and
Jet me look at you, and give you some advice
before I am called away"
Now, remember, Samuel, he pursued.
"as long as you live do what is right and
just Never drink any intoxicating liquor
always tell the truth, and read your Bible
daily, l cannot last much longer, and I wish
you to remember the dying request of a faith
err
"Oh, dear husband, do not talk in this
way You may Outlive both of us" said
my mother, in tremulous, sobbing voice
mo, my dear wife, l feel that death is not
far off. If knew that you could get along
after am gone l could feel more resigned
TO my Fate. Put your trust in Him who sees
and knows all. Get me the Bible, Samuel.
that may read the Word of God before nv
spirit passes away from my body"
Taking the Bible, my father opened If to
the 18th Psalm and read as follows: .RIess.
ed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in
the way of the Lord. Blessed are thev who
keep his testimonies, and that seek him with
a whole heart. They also do not inionitv
they walk in His ways Thou hast com.
manded us to keep Thy precepts diligently
Oh, that my ways were directed to follow
Thy statutes Then shall not be ashamed
when have respect unto all Thy command.
ments l will praise Thee with upriphtness
OF heart, when l shall have learned Thy
righteous judgments. l will keep Thy stat
utes oh, forsake me not utterly" ="
There, my son, he resumed. sstake tho
good book and keep it; and learn what ,
nave Just read; and once day, through
life, repeat it for your dying fathers sake. -
At that moment we were all startled bv
yells OF Indians, and minute after the door
was burst in with a tremendous crash :
Three sayages rushed into the room. and
with their tomahawks Drained nv poor faith
er and mother.
While two of them commenced scalpinp
my parents, the third caught me. and. tax.
ing me outside. tied me to tree. He then
returned to tie house
In about ten minutes they all came ont
with their arms loaded with whatever tbev
thought of value.
One Of them went into the house again.
and in few minutes / could see he had set
fire to it,
There I was tied to tree seeing the house
burning, and knowing that all that remained
OF my dear parents was being consumed.
Oh, what / suffered then, no language can
describe The agony of death, in its worst
form, would huve been nothing to compare
to it.
When the building was half burnt down
my captors united me and told me to 60 with
them. One of the three could speak little
English
We marched the remainder of the day un-
til dusk, when we came to a halt.
One Indian told me to keep still, or he
would scalp me- and to make his words
more impressive, he pulled out his knife and
caught me by the haIr. 1 closed my ewes
and thought my time had come.
He then let me 60, and took his seat with
the other two indians
IlasI sbss. II the5E nd .-aua-,aanz.sI