The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-03-08
Burying the Baby.


of rifles reused us from sleep in the gray
of dawn, and as we stood on our feet and
listened more intently we could now and
then catch the echoes of an internal war
whoop.
There were twenty of us, miners all,
and we were in the foot hills of the
Rockies, not more than half mile from
the great Overland Trail.
"Boys, them sounds means an Injun
attack and butchery," whispered our
leader, as we listened; and without an
other word we picked up our traps and
headed for the spot at a half run.
Two immigrant families, farmers from
Indiana, who had started for the land of
gold, and had separated from the train
from whim or accident, had encamped in
bit of green valley beside the trail.
There were thirteen souls of them, and
one might wonder if the stoutest among
them did not shudder with fear as the
night crept down and the howl of the
. wolf came from the rocky hills.
The men had seen their danger, and
both had seHout to act as sentinels through
the long night. Hour after hour had
passed away without an alarm, and just as
dawn was breaking the merciless savages,
creeping along like snakes, had found
one of the sentinels asleep. A thrust
from knife finished him SO quickly that
he did not even throw up his arms. Per
haps he uttered single cry or groan
and alarmed the other, for the second one
was shot while running towards the
wagons.
Then, with both men dead, came the
rush upon the women and children. Only
fends could do such work as was done
there, and when we came to look at it
the strongest men in the party grew
white and faint. Every head but one
was scalped, and no doubt the scalpa
had been taken while the victims lived.
The bodies were hacked and gashed-
hands and arms severed, brains beaten
out-children flung into the campfire,
and the spectacle was one to live in
memory when all else had been forgotten.
The fiends had finished their work of
butchery before we were near enough to
open fire, and it was poor consolation to
save the wagons. While all the bodies
were yet warm, life had departed from
each and every one. We were collecting
them in heap, to make ready for burial,
when sudden wall startled everybody.
"Ow-ow-ow-owp came the sound,
and each man looked in the air above
and on the ground below.
"That ERE noise purceeds from baby,
Or Pm not the father of thirteen children
back in Ohiop exclaimed jackson, as he
made for the nearest wagon.
He was right. Down beside chest,
, almost smothered under bed-quilts, was
year-old boy baby, but alas! when he
was handed out we found that he had
been fatally wounded by a bullet. Jack
son sat down on the grass and chirped to
him and rocked him to and fro, while the
rest of us looked on in wonder and doubt,
but in quarter of an hour the baby wsl
dead. 1t had gone to sleep the night be.
fore in his mothers arms, battered old
| rattle-box clutched fast in his tiny hand
| and he never let go of it. There it was
in his hand as death stifened his fingers
| around it.
Well, there was a general breaking
down when we saw that the little one was
going. He threw up his hands, gasped
once or twice, and then settled back with
such a smile on bis face as babies veal
when their dreams ere sweet. Old Jack
son was crying like child, and some OF
the men hid from each other behind the
wagons. 1t was long time before the
old man arose, laid the little body down
among the prairie flowers, and huskily
whispered:
"We'll bury MIN by hisself. One Of
them bodies out there was his mother
but as we can't tell which from which
we'll make no mistake"
There was one large grave for the
mutilated remains, and when the earth
had been pressed down upon them and
rocks rolled down to prevent the worl
of the wolves, we went to the center Of
the dell and there, under lone pine
we followed out resting place for baby
When all was ready Jackson took the
body up in his arms, dropped his hat OF
the grass, and looked around and said:
Chats of, men! We are nearer seein
angels this mornin' than any of lis viii
ever come agin!'
Slowly-tenderly-grievinglyt the littl,
form was laid away, and it was Jackson
coat that came off his back to cover i
before the earth. was filled in. Every
single man in our band took the shove
by turns to fill in and round up tn,
grave and protect it, and before w
went away there was head-board t.
mark the spot, and on the board knif'
had engraved Che single word
"B A B Y p'-Detroit Free Press.
|