Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-03-12
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TWO BRAVE WOMEN.
A Thrilling Episode of Life in the Rocky
Mountains. r

TWO BRAVE WOMEN.
A Thrilling Episode of Life in the Rocky
Mountains. <
The heroines of history are usually
characters made conspicuous by the
emergencies of war, or revolution. or
| an unsettled state of society. The
sans. heroic qualities. exist in womans
nature at all times, only in a peaceful
age, and peaceful land, the situations
that call them out occur less frequently
and are less likely 10 go upon record.
The Rocky !Noaatain NecS tells in the
| following story what girl can do bred
up in frontier life, and probably, for
that reason, better fitted to cope with
its dangers; but eases of female bravery
are by no means uncommon in our
towns and cites. Those who complain
that the human race is degenerating
will do we'll to notice that in this in
stance it was the girs who proved equal
to the occasion. while the sConlan was
utterly helpless.
Reeds ranch did not differ materially
from hundreds OF Others in Colorado.
The same Struggling, one-story struct-
llre, perfectly innocent of paint, with
outbuildings looking as if they were
ready to tumble down. The family
consisted. at the time of this story. of
Joe Reed, the proprietor, his wife and
two children. Ella, the eldest, was a
rather pretty girl of eighteen, who for
several years had relieved the tired moth
er of much of he burden of the house.
work, attended to the duties of the
dairy. and was 4 good horsewoman
withal, often accompanying her father
III rough rides of miles when looking
for stray cattle
Once week Mr. Reed went TO Den
yer to sell the dairy products. and pur-
chase such articles of food as could not
be raised on the ranch. Willie fire.
quently accompanied him, and the two
women thought nothing of being left
alone in the house until long into the
night, as the distance to the city made
the drive 4 long one.
Ii was on one of these evenings in the
early fall, Just as they had completed
! their sprnes2 and the mother W. ar
| ranging the table for the hungry father
and son, that the younger woman went
t0 the barn, the back Of which was i'm
mcdiately on the road. to see calf that
was sick.
Suddenly she heard the voices of men
in the road near the barn. Listening
and scarcely daring to breath, she heard
words that almost froze her with terror.
The old man keeps his money-box
in the drawer of the old bureau, but the
old woman carries the Key"
How can We get at it," asked an
other voice.
I'VE can bind both women. and ii
they make any noise, we can stop
that"
For moment the terrified listener
was fairly paralyzed with fear; then,
she started up, and running quickly
around to the back of the house and
crawling through an open window.
went TO a closet and took from it two
revolvers which were always kept load
ed for emergencies, concealing them in
the folds of her dress.
Hastily rejoining her mother in the
larger room, she was just in time to see
two burly-looking ruffians enter by the
door
The taller of the two men demanded
supper, land let it come quick, too, he
said, in Il menacing tone. The brave
girl placed the food on the table, know
ing that the scoundrels would satisfy
their hunger before putting their pur-
pose of robbery. and possibly murder.
into execution. She then sat down in
front OF them, and watched them. The
moment their meal was completed, she
suddenly thrust the muzzles of the
pistols in their faces, threatening to
shoot if they moved.
approximations and protestations were
In vain; the neroic girl stood there with
eyes flashing and determined, for what
to her seemed ages. The poor mother.
as soon as she comprehended the situa-
ton. overcome by her great terror, had
tainted and was lying ON the door.
~ last the sound OF wagon wheels
was heard coming toward the house,
and in moment the father and brother
entered the house in company with an
uncle who had arrived in Denver that
day from their old Eastern home in
Pennsylvania, and by the mcrest acci-
dent met Mr.. Reed on Sixteenth Street,
in Denver
As soon a they coHrprehended the
situation they compelled the ruiiians
with reyolvers a. their heads to submit
TO being bound with ropes. and when
daylight came they Were taken to- the
county seat and placed in jail.
The brave girl as soon a. relieved
from her terrible guard duty. and the
horrible strain OF her nerves was taken
of, went into Succession of hysterical
spasms, and it was tor weeks that her
reason, If not her life. was despaired of.
She eventually recovered, however,
aud afterward married wealthy Dem
Yer gentleman, and is now living in tho
Queen City. Tue two men were recoy-
nized as old offenders. in fact they were
fugitives from justice from distant
county, and afterward served q long
time in the penitentiary in Canon City.