West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-02-09

riors, aud rs soon rs they saw ON
strength they fired few shots at long
iangc and passed on to the east. Al
dark we entered the fort, arranged the
goods and provisions to give us all the
room possible, and by and by turned il
to sleep while one man was left on
watch. This was Miller. He was 10
watch until midnight. and then call one
of the young men, but at eleven o'clock
he quietly aroused the garrison and
whispered the news that large number
of Indians had arrived. We were
scarcely awake before being made aware
that our fort was being closely inspected
by spies. When we had carefully pulled
the plugs from the loopholcs we could
sec and hear them moving about in large
numbers. BY and by we heard a mum.
Der of them on the roof They were
probably Investigating TO see how TO burn
us out. Att signal from Miller we took
up our guns, carefully pokcd the muzzles
through the loopholcs in the p.anks. and
Mt another signal all fired We killed or
wounded two Indians by the volley. and
the others hastily departed. Half an
hour later two or three of the reds crept
up TO the barricadc in front of our door
withar full of light wood and started
fire. The posts were only half sea-
soncd, and all that afternoon l had kept
them wet with water. They charred
little under the flames, but the FIRE would
not take hold. From the number OF In
dams we could see, and to Judge by the
yells OF those out of sight, our enemies
numbered at least fifty. After trying us
with fire they drew oil to wait for day.
light, and the most of them probably
went 81 sleep.
When daylight came our enemies were
re-enforced by band of twelve, and
these newcomers brought with them two
settlers teams and wagons and three
prisoners. Two of the prisoners, man
and woman, were killed soon after
com ng up. knew the man. He lived
about eight miles away, and had fre
quently called at our house. The third
prisoner was n settler none of us knew.
About an hour after daylight the Indians
sent him forward with q white flag TO
demand our surrender. He came up
within thirty feet of our barrica1e, and
then halted aud told us what he had been
commanded TO do. A dozen or more In.
dians had their rifles on him, ready to
shoot in case he attempted TO play them
false. lie was big powerful fellow. and
i never saw such grief and anxiety in a
human countcnancc. In voice loud
enough for the Indians to hear, he de-
manded our surrender, but in whispers
he warned us not to, as every one of us
would lie butchered. Miller replied TO
him from loopbolc, telling him to go
back to the Indians and ask their best
terms. When he returned lie was to
come as close as possible, and at signal
he was to spring forward, and the door
would be open for him. He was q pretty
cool fellow, in spite of all his suifcrings.
He returned to the Indians, consulted
for few minutes, and when he came
back to us he approached within twenty
five feet before they shouted to him to
halt. Thcn he told us hat we would be
permitted to take one of the teams and
leave the country; that the Indians all
loved US; that all they wanted was their
land. We had our guns ready to cover
him, and ] saw him draw long breath
Just before the signal came. As Miller
uttered n whistle one Of the men pulled
open the door, and Mt the same instant
The stranger made spring for shelter 1t
was veritable spring for life. The In
dians fired at him, but too late, and he
pitched in among us without a scratch.
Then began siege which lasted nine
udis, anu lh WHICH over 1Orty Indians
were killed or wounded. They gathered
in the quarry, rs expected, aud Miller
exploded the torpedo and killed four
and badly wounded dozen. They
tried every possible way to burn us out.
and on one Of these occasions, while
they were congrcgatel together, Miller
spraug another Of his mines and killed
several Of them. Five or six different
times they displayed flag OF truce and
sought to coax or threaten us into sur
render, but Miller was wise enough to
refuse to trust them. From first TO last
they fired about 4, 900 bullets at our fort.
over hundred of which lodged in the
door, bat none of us was wounded. The
besieging force never numbered less than
thrty-fyc, and one day the number was
over 100. On the ninth day troops came
and drove the fiends OFF, and il was only
then we learned of the widespread de.
vastatioD. Not house nor barn had
been left standing for miles aud miles in
any direction. Crops had been destroyed,
stock shot down, and settlers butchercd
or driven off all over great section OF
The State. We had been the only ones
outside of the towns to make n fight.
and by our standing siege we kept a
large force Of the savages from going
against tho settlers - Mem york Sum