The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-03-14

Burytng the Baby.
| l remember that the faraway re-
ports of rifles reused Us from sleep
In the gray of dawn, and - We stood
on our feet and listened more intent
ly, 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 moro than half q
mile fram the great Overland trail.
Boys, them sounds means an In
jun attack and q butchery," whisp-
cred our leader 10 we listened; and
without another 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 acci-
dent had encamped in bit of green
valley beside the train. There were
thirteen souls of them, and wonder
if the bravest of them did not shud-
der with fear as the night crept down
and the howl of the wolf came from
the rocky hills.
The men saw their danger, and
both had set out to act as sentinels
through the long night. Hour after
hour had passed away without
alarm, and just as dawn was break
ing the merciless savages creeping
along like snakes, had found one Of
the sentinels asleep. A thrust from
a knife had finished him so quickly
that he did no. even throw up his
arms. Perhaps be uttered single
cry or groan and alarmed the 9TH
er, for the second one was shot while
running toward the wagons.
Then, with both men dead, came
the rush upon women and children.
Only tiends 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 scalps had been taken
while the victims lived. The bodies
were hacked and gashed-hands and
arms severed, brains beaten out
children flung into the camp fire,
and the spectacle was one to live in
memory when all else had been for
gotten.
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,
life3had departed from each and
every one. We were collecting them
in a heap, to make ready for burial,
when a sudden wall started every
body.
"Ow-ow-ow-owl.' came the
sound, and each man looked in the
air above and on the ground below.
That ere noise purceeds frum a
baby, or I'm not the father of thir-
teen children back in Ohiop ex-
claimed Jackson as he made for the
nearest wagon.
He was right. Down beside a
chest, almost smothered under bed
quilts, was a year old boy baby, but
alas when he was handed out We
found that he had been fatally
wounded by a bullet. Jackson sat
down on the grass and chirped to
him and rocked him to and fro,
while the rest of as looked on in
wonder and doubt, but in quarter
Of an hour the baby was dead. 1t
had gone to sleep the night before 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
stiffened his fingers around it.
Well, there was 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 smile
on his face as babies wear when
their dreams are sweet. Old Jack
son was crying like a 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 whis-
pered:
well bury him by hisself. One
of them bodies out there was his
mother. but as we can't tell which
from which, we'll make no mis-
take"
There was one large grave for the
mutilated remains, and when the
earth had been pressed down above
them and rocks rolled down to pre-
vent the work of the wolves, we
went to the centre of the dell and
there, under a long pine, we hollow
ed out resting place for baby.
When all was ready Jackson took
the baby up in his arms, dropped
his hat on the grass and looked
around and said:
aHats off, men we are nearer
seein' angels this mornin' than any
of US will ever come again"
Slowly, tenderly, grievingly the
little form was laid away, and it was
Jackson's coat that came off his back
TO cover it before the earth was filed
in. Every single man in our band
took the shovel by turns to fill in
and round up the grave and protect
it, and before we went away, there
was head board to mark the spot,
and on the board knife had en-
yraved the simple word 4BABYp-
Detroit Free Press.
Farm Gates.