Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1883-10-13
A Double Ambush.
BY GEORGE II. CooMER.

war, which lasted seven years, SO
that / grew up with the names of
the great hostile chiefs, Osceola ALI
gator and Wild Cat and Tiger Tail,
making part of our childhood.
A sense of peril was always pres
ent with us. remember the feel
ings with which we heard of the
slaughter of Lieut.. Dade and his
command. The tragedy took place
in open battle, yet it seemed dread
full that so many brave men should
be shot down in the dark woods, with
the painted savages yelling around
them.
In the spring, when / was thirteen
and my brother Arthur fifteen, the
war was at its worst, and my father
talked very strongly of removing
to a greater distance from the dan
ger.
Among our few slaves, consisting
only of two black families, was a
half idiot young negro named Jason
who had the privilege of wandering
pretty much as he pleased. He often
remained all day in the forest, either
lying asleep or mocking the gobble
of the wild turkeys.
One day he returned with an ap-
pearance that startled us. His wool
ly head had been completely shaved,
and his black face dyed to a bright
scarlet. He had, however, received
no hurt, and seemed not in the least
terrified by the ordeal through which
he must have passed.
We gathered from his broken SEN
fences that he had fallen in with
Indians, and it was plain that they
had been in some measure true to
the proverbial respect of their people
for idiots. An ordinary person they
would have sacrificed without mer-
CIV but when Jason stared aimless-
ly at the tree.tops, or gobbled like a
turkey, they simply set their mark
upon him and let him go.
The incidentshowed that ourdan-
ger was more .emminent than had
been supposed; but there was fortu'
nately squad of United States cal
vary picketed within few miles of
us,and my father lost no time in no,
tifying the officers of what had oc-
cured. The soldiers, however, could
find nothing of the enemy, and in
the meantime we passed a couple OF
days in anxious suspense.
My father began to get confidence
believing that the Seminoles were
gone from the neighborhood, as they
no doubt were for the time. Father
said they were probably scouts, and
there was no telling how they might
have scattered themselves, or at
what point some of them might ap-
pear next. He hoped, however, that
the presence of the soldiers had led
them to abandon any design they
might have entertained of attacking
us.
On the third day after Jason's adj.
venture we were feeling rather easy.
The negro men were at work in the
fields, and father had gone consid-
cradle distance from the house. My
mother, Arthur and myself with the
servant women were indoors.
Presently, not far off, we heard
the gobble of wild turkey, or what
seemed such, although as turkeys
were not use to coming so near to
the house. we imagined Jason to
be at his silly pastime again.
The notes were continued with
great regularity at intervals of one
or two minutes, and SO natural were
they that Arthur would have at
once seized his rifle and gone after
the game, had he not remembered
how often he had been duped by the
mimicry of the idiot.
"We all excel in something" said
mother, "and Jason was made to call
turkeys. But / do wish he would
be quiet it makes me nervous to
hear him."
JASON said little negro girl
who just then came in from the rear
of the premises, "why, missus, Jason
done gone asleep in the shade at the
back of the wash house. / sees him
just dis minute"
L lnnIyo6