Smyrna times., 1888-03-07

in sight. We could, however, see tall
columns of black smoke whichever way
we looked, and it was plain that the
whole section was in the hands of the In
dians. We could not at first make out
why they had left US, but Miller soon
concluded that they knew what they were
about. We had no means of escape left to
us. The savages were on every side, and
if we attempted to leave the neighbOr-
hood we should fall into the hands of
some of them. 1t was quite safe to leave
us there while they pushed on to butcher
the defenseless ones.
An hour after dinner we were Joined by
three young men, who had been hiding,
lodging and travelling since the evening
before, and who had come a distance of
twenty miles. They were bachelor home
steaders, and all had rifles, revolvers and
plenty of ammunition. 1t was a welcome
addition to our party, for we now felt that
we would have to stand a siege Mrs.
Miller brought out the pots and kettles
and cooked dinner on fire in the open
air, and after it was eaten she began to
prepare food for the siege Pork was
boiled, flour stirred into cakes, coffee
made and put into jugs, and before night
she had food enough to last a dozen mena
week. Meanwhile the rest of us had not
been idle. Some large posts were sunk in
the earth before the door, leaving space
enough for only one person to come at us
at a time that way. Four more looDholes
were made in the walls ana then the
planking of the roof was loopholed bv
means of the anger in at least twenty
places l now saw what Miller had been
up to the day before. He had put in no
less than three powder mines in the
vicinity, running slow match to each
one. The only cover the Indians could
have in the neighbOrhood was in the rear
of the fort, where we had mined the rock.
We had left a big hole which was a
natural rifle pit, and our lOOpholes did not
command it. They would be sure to oc-
cupy this place, and the men prepared a
torpedo holding fifteen pounds Of powder.
and hid it under the rocks and dirt on the
brink Of the pit. A trench was then dug
to and under the wall of the milk house,
and by means of boards a train of powder
was laid. When the earth had been filed
in again no one could have told it had
been disturbed.
We were as ready as we could be at 6
O'Clock, but the sun was just going down
when we saw the Indians approaching
| BY that time more than 1900 settlers had
| been butchered or driven from their
| homes, and the war which was to sweep
over an extent of country 200 miles long
| and sixty broad, and alarm 30, coo settlers,
| had opened in all its fierceness. The band
which now approached numbered only
| Sixteen warriors, and as soon as they saw
! our strength they fired few shots at long
range and passed on to the east. At dark
We entered the fort, arranged the goods
| and provisions to give us all the room pos
sible, and by and by turned in to sleep
while one man was left on watch. This
was Miller. He was to watch until mid
night, and then call one of the young men,
but at II O'Clock he quietly aroused the
garrison and whispered the news that a
large number of Indians had arrived We
were scarcely awake before being made
aware that our fort was being closely in
spected by spies. When we had carefully
pulled the plugs from the loopholes we
could see and hear them moving about in
large numbers. BY and by we heard a
number of them on the roof. They were
probably investigating to see how to burn
us out. AT a signal from Miller we took
up our guns, carefully poked the muzzles
through the loophOles in the planks, anC
at another signal all fired. We killed OF
wounded two Indians by the vOley, anC
the others hastily departed. Half an houl
later two or three of the reds crept up t.
the barricade in front of our door will
arms full of light wood and started a fire
The posts were only half seasoned, and al
that afternoon l had kept them wet witt
water. They charred a little under tn
flames, but the fire would not take hold
From the number of Indians we could see
and to judge by the yells of those out O
, sight, our enemies numbered at least fifty
After trying us with fire they drew off t
wait for daylight, and the most Of then
/ probably went to sleep.
} When daylight came our enemies wer
REINFORCED by band of twelve, and thes
z newcomers brought with them two sci
tiers teams and wagons and three prison
, ers. Two Of the prisoners, a man an
} woman, were killed soon after coming NJ
| | knew the man. lie lived about eigi
5 miles away, and had frequently called 6
e our house. The third prisoner was a Sc
tier none of as knew. About an hoU
after daylight the Indians sent him fol
ward with a white flag to demand OF
surrender. He came up within thirty fee
=, of our barricade, and then halted and toll
3 us what he had been commanded to dc
u A dozen or more Indians had their rifle
!. on him, ready to shoot in case he al
\ tempted to play them false He was
u big, powerful fellow, and l never sa7
y such grief and anxiety in human cOuI
u tenance. In a voice loud enough for tn
Indians to hear, he demanded our surreI
y der, but in whispers he warned us not t
!! as every one of us would be butchereC
= Miller replied to him from a lOophol
II telling him to go back to the Indians an
y ask their best terms. When he returne
Il he was to come as close as possible, an
- at q signal he was to spring forward, an
~ the door would be open for him. He VIZ
~ a pretty cool fellow, in spite of all his su
D ferings. He returned to the Indians, col
=. suited for few minutes, and when /
III came back to us he approached with
a, twenty-five feet before they shouted
" him to halt. Then he told US that "
would be permitted to take one Of IL
le teams and leave the country; that the L
ne dams all loved US; that all they wante
IL was their land. We had our guns read
Us to cover him, and saw him draw lon
= breath Just before the signal came.
~ Miller uttered a whistle one of the me
III pulled open the door, and at the same il
"a slant the stranger made a spring for she
lie ter 1t was a veritable spring for lif
e' The Indians fired at him, but too late ar
Sc he pitched in among lis without scratc
rn Then began a siege which lasted nil
SN daVS, and in which over forty Indians we
ny killed or wounded. They gathered in Il
m quarry, as expected, and Miller explode
n. the torpedo and killed four and bad
ne wounded a dozen. They tried every pc
ng sible way to burn us out, and ON one
To- these occasions, while they were cOngr
gated together, Miller sprang another
rs his mines and killed several of them Fl
hS or six different times they displayed a fl
~ of truce and thought TO coax or threat,
nc us into surrender, but Miller was wi
'P- enough to refuse to trust them. Fro
ey first to last they fired about 1900 bulle
SO at our fort, over q hundred of wifi
III lodged in the door, but none of us W
hu wounded. The besieging force new
I'1 numbered less than thirty-five, and o
on day the number was over 100 On t
u ninth day troops came and drove t
m fiends off, and it was only then we learn
nut of the widespread devastation. Not
me house nor barn had been left standing
an miles and miles in any direction. Gro
Use had been destroyed, stock shot down al
zen settlers butchered or driven off all over
'ut great section of the state. We had be
ed the only ones outside of the towns to ma
to a fight, and by our standing a siege
he kept n large force of the savages from
ing against the settlers.-New York s;
CHI "
Destiny of Far Eastern Races.
Destitute of stimulants from witho
get the Indo-Aryan mind turned on itself a
In consumed in metaphysics the imaginati
l. a.