New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-09-15
TWO BRAVE WOMEN.
A Thrilling Episode of Life in the Rocky
Mountains.

MOunCaInS.
The heroines of history are usually
characters made conspicuous by the
emergencies of war, or revolution, OF
an unsettled state of society. The
same heroic qualities exist in woman's
nature at all times, only in peaceful
age, and peaceful land, the situations
that call them out occur less frequently
and are less likely to go upon record.
The Rocky Mountain Nea0s tells in the
following story what a girl can do bred
up in frontier life, and probably, fol
that reason, better fitted to cope with
its dangers; out cases of female bravery
are by no means uncommon in ou1
towns and cites. Those who complain
that the human race is degenerati;1g
will do well to notice that in this ii.
stance it was the girl who proved equal
to the occasion, while the qUon1a,a was
utterly helpless.
Reeds ranch did not differ materially
from hundreds OF others in Colorado
The same struggling, one-story strt,ct-
urc. perfectly innocent OF paint, via
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 ard
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 The burden Of the house
work, attended to the duties Of the
dairy, and was a good horsewo;nan
withal, often accompanying her father
IN rough rides of miles when loohin.s.
for stray cattle.
Once a 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 a long one.
1t WIS on one of these evenings in the
early fall, just as they had completed
their supper and the mother was ar
ranging the table for the hungry father
and son, that the younger woman went
to the barn. the back Of which was i'm
mediately on the road, to see calf tina
was sick.
Suddenly she heard the voices Of ,nca
in the road near, the barn. lis cain
and scarcely daring to breath, she head
words that almost froze Ter With terror.
''The old man keeps his money-boy
in the drawer Of the. old bureau, but tI!e
old woman carries the key
elbow can we get at it?9' asked, an-
other voice.
eve can bind both women, and il
they make any noise, we can stop
that
For a moment the terrified l;sta 9;
was fairly paralyzed with fear; then,
size started up, and running quickly
around to the back of the house and
crawling through an open window.
went to closet and took from it two
'cvolvers which were always kept load
ID for emergencies, concealing them in
the folds CT her dress.
Hastily rejoining her mother in ths
.arger room, she was just in time L, see
Two burly-looking rut1ians enter by the
door.
The taller OF the two men demanded
supper, land let it come quick, too he
said, in a menacing tone. The brave
girl placed the food on the table, know.
Jag Jnat the scoundrels would satisfy
t,icir hunger before putting their pur-
pose Of robbery, and possibly murder
into execution. She, then sat down il
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.
EXpostulations and protestations were
in vain; the heroic girl stood there with
eyes flashing and determined, for what
to her seemed ages. The poor mother,
as soon as she comprehended the situa.
ti.>n: overcome by her great terror, had
tainted and was lying on the floor,
At last the sound of wagon wheels
was heard coming toward The house,
and in a 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 merest acci.
dent met Mr.. Reed on Sixteenth Street
in Denver.
As soon as they comprehended the
situation they compelled the ruttians
with revolyers at 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 as relieved
from her terrible guard duty, and the
horrible strain on her nerves was taken
Of, went into q succession OF hysterical
spasms, and it was tor weeks that her
reason. if not her lifes was despaired OF.
She eventually recovered, however,
and afterward married wealthy Den
y,r gentleman, and is, now living in the
Queen City. The two men were recog-
nized as old offenders, in fact they were
fi!gitives from justice from distant
county, and afterward served long
time in the penitentiary in Canon CITY,
-Elmlra, N. Y, has fined milk
man 1926 for putting one quart of water
and three of milk together and shaking
them up as a gallon of the creamy
qr,ill. A milkman can 90 too far.
n2!trOit Free Press.