The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-07-24

90 Kun. ldlll'I Iuii IOi sOui INT.
shouted grandmother, waving her hand
to him, and he did his best
But the old man did not have it in him
He was within rifle shot of the door.
when the redskins bore him down to the
grass. right in plain sight Of his wife.
Five or six Of them halted to take care
of the prisoner. and the rest, whoopine
and yelling, made for the house. Grand
mother stood square in the door, and the
rifle was slowly lifted.
When the foremost savage was twenty
rods away. out ON line with the barrel
there was a quick report and the Indian
fell forward on the grass. Then she
stepped back. closed the door, and thu
next moment the shouting demon'
Jumped against it. The door stood like
a rock. Bafiled and disappointed, tho
Indians hacked at the boards with then
| tomahawks. as if TO hew their way IN.
Striking away. one of the blows fell on
knot in the plank and the knot fell at the
woman's feet. while hole az large as
mans fist was left in the door. En-
| couraoed by this the Indians were chop
ping away, when grandmother selzed the
revolver. took swift aim, and a horrible
veil mingled with the report The III
! dams then fell back to where they had
/ left their prisoner, and were ont OF
range.
Grandfather had his arms tied BEHIND
him. and after a few minutes walked oul
a few feet in advance Of his captors III
looked at the house, then looked back
and refused to obey the command glvei
him. The Indians advanced, drew thei
tomahawks, and then the captive shouted
Nancy Nancy! unbar the door
leave the rifle in the house and come out
here They won't hurt you
The wife heard every word of it, ano
the trembling tones of the old man.
voice made her heart ache. But she
knew that heIndans had forced him t.
make the appeal and that it was only
| rise for them to get another prisoner
| She made no reply and directly the red
skins forced the old man to speak again
Nancy. " he called, 1.-The Indians say
| il YOU don't come out they VIII murder
me right here"
Ii wa, the hardest struggle OF her long
! life but grandmother realized that boti
would certainly be murdered if she com
plied and that if she held ont there was
| hope that help might come from imm
Grants or hunters before night Tear
came TO her eyes, and she could not
choke down her sobs as she thought Of
her husbands fate; but she was deter
mined TO resist to the last. As she die
not reply. one Of the Indians, who could
speak English quite well, stepped out
and shouted
Come, hurry up, quick. You no
come out. we Kill old mani,
Peter Barnes, shouted old grand.
mother. her mouth at the knot hole, 81
know that YOU don't want me to come
ont and | shall not come. have the
rife and revolver aud shall defend the
house TO the Iastl BE on your watch fol
chance to break away and run to the
house.
The Indians understood sufficient OF the
! spoech To know that the woman did moi
propose to surrender, and they gathered
around the prisoner and held a consulta-
ton. At length. leaving two Of their
| number to guard him, tho others, fifteen
in all. made detour and collected on the
north side of the house. They had no
| arrows to fire the house from a distance,
but gathered brush and piled 1t against
the north door to force the woman to
| come out.
She had no loophole5 on that side, but
going up stairs she softly removed a stnr
of "chinking' from between two of the
logs. thrust through the hand holding the
revolver, and shooting by guess badly
wounded one Of the sayages
With a great whoopng and yelling the
rascals drew out Of range and held an.
other consultation. Ia few MINUTES
they al reappeared on the south side,
gathered about grandfather, and directly
| struck a course for the woods from
| which they had first issued, grandfather
| being led along behind The woman
watched them with the greatest anxiety,
believing that they had abandoned the
siege and that she would never see her
husband again.
She watched ana waited for about half
| an hour, and was Just thinking OF open
inc the door when FAINT whooplng
reached her from the woods. A moment
afterwards grandfather came flying
across the fields, waving his hands to her
as soon as leaving the woods Two or
three minutes later the Indians burst out
Of the woods in full cry, but were forty
rods behind the fugitive.
Grandmother realized That an escape
had been made, and she laid down the
| revolver and stood ready to open the door.
| As the fugitive got within twenty rods,
being then thirty rods ahead of pursuit.
she began to unbar the door She had
only touched it when some one leaped
against it-not one, but four or five.
Findlna. it fast. the savages, for such they
were, SIT up a howl Of rage and retreated
out of .angc. Grandfather was standing
still, about fifteen rods from the door,
and the woman did not have TO look twice
TO see into the game. One of the Indians
had donned the prisoners clothing,
iammed the familiar hat ever his fore
head, and the pursuit was all 9 sham.
Before he had left the woods four or five
| Indians had made n dctOur and softly aD-