Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-07-26

The wife heard every word of it. and
the trembling tones of the cid mans
voice made her heart ache. But she
knew that the Indians had forced him to
make the appeal and that it was only a
ruse 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, "the Indians say If
you don't come out they will murder me
right here"
) 1t was the hardest struggle of her long
life, but grandmother realized that both
would certainly be murdered if she com
piled, and that if she held out there was
hope that help might come from immi
grants or hunters before night. Tears
came to her eyes, aud she could not
choke down her sobs as she thought of Der
husbands fate; but she was determine d
to resist to the last. AS she did not re-
ply, 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 grandmother,
her mouth at the knot hole, 81 know that
you don't want me to come out, and I
shall not come! 1 have the rifle and re-
volver, and [ shall defend the house to
the last! Be on your watch fol a chance
to break away and run to the house."
The Indians understood sufficient of
the speech to know that the woman did
not propose to surrender, and they
| gathered around the prisoner and held a
consultation. At length, leaving two of
their number to guard him, the others,
fifteen in all, made detour and collected
on the north side of the house. They had
no arrows to fire the house from q dis
lance, but gathered brush and piled it
against the north door to force the woman
| to come out"
She had no loopholes on that side, but
going up stairs she softly removed a
strip of "chinking" from between two OF
the logs. thrust through the hand holding
the revolver, and shooting by guess badly
wounded one of the savages.
With great whooping and yelling the
rascles drew out of range ana held an
other consultation. In few minutes
they all reappeared on the south side,
gathered about grandfather, and directly
struck course for the woods from which
they first issued, grandfather being led
along behind. The woman watched them
With the greatest anxiety, believing that
| they had abandoned the siege aud she
| should never see her husband again.
She watched and waited for about half
an hour, and was just thinking of open
| ing the door when a faint Whooping
| reached her from the woods. 4 moment
| afterwards grandfather came flying across
the fields, waving his hand to her as soon
as leaving the woods. Two or three
minutes later the Indians burst out of
the woods in full cry, but forty rods be-
hind the fugitive.
Grandmother realized that an escape
had been made, and she laid down the re-
vOlver and stood ready to open the door,
AS the fugitive got within twenty rods, she
began TO unbar the door. She had only
touched it, when some one leaped against
it-not one but four or five. Finding
it fast, the savages, for such they were,
set up howl of rage and reiterated out
of range. 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 In
dams had dOnDed the prisoners clothing,
jammed the familiar hat over his fore
head, and the pursuit WAS all a sham.
Before he had left the woods, four or five
Indians had made a detour and softly
approached the house, so as to be ready
the door. It was not grandmother's wit, |
but their own haste in leaping out, which |
had prevented the capture of the house |
and her death.
The savages then tried another plan.
They brought the old man out of the |
woods, naked except his shirt, tied him
to wild plum tree just out of rife range |
of the house, aud then set about mel |
treating him, hoping to work on the
wOman's sympathies. GRANDMOTHER
could see every movement made, and she |
was nearly crazed to see them assault the !
old man with knives and clubs. They
pricked him until he was covered with |
blood, though not seriously wounded in
any spot. and cutting a number of |
switches from the hazel bushes, they
whipped him until they were tired of the |
sport. The old man grOaned little, but |
they could not make him cry out as they
hoped TO do; and In his heart he hoped |
that grandmother would not be impru
dent enough to attempt interference. Her |
heart, big with sympathy and distress and |
her eyes full of tears, the woman allowed |
the savages to get ahead of her.
Several of them moved back out of the |
range of the knot hole, skulked around |
to the north side of the cabin, and grand |
mothers first intimation of their pres |
ence was when she heard the cracking of |
flames in the brush which were previously |
pilsd against the north door. AS soon as
the flames were lighted the savages drew
off a few rods and commenced shooting |
at the spot over the door where she had |
pulled out the thinking to shoot at them
before. Notwithstanding the wbistling |
of the balls which every moment came |
through into the garrett, the woman |
mounted the ladder with pail of water,
dashed the contents out through the crew
ice, and mere accident guided the Dash |
so that the flames were drowned out.
Two hours had passed since the first |
appearance of the Indians; grandmother |
had killed one and wounded others, and |
such firing and yelling had been kept up
that the redskins were fearful that he'll |
might come TO the woman, and therefore |
they withdrew. She counted them as
they went away, to be sure that none
were left behind. They took the dead |
one on their shoulders, and the wounded |
were assisted along, each between two of |
his companions. They entered the woods, |
ard after an hour had passed without |
their temperance grandmother realized |
that all danger 20 her was over. She |
opened the door, took a scout around her |
house and then her eye fell upon the |
horses. The animals had made a long rue |
when first taken fright, going across the
fields for mile or more, and were not |
coming towards the house, dragging the |
pillow after them. In ten minutes the |
woman was gsIloping toward the nearest
settlement, carrying both rifle aud revol |
yer. A ride OF an hour brought her to the