Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1888-02-18

! SKINS were AT WOIk. MllltI Hdu ollc
hundred and sixty acres of land, almost
every acre as level aS a floor, We had
Just finished building a m~ilk-house
over II spring, about three hundred
feet from the house. Around the
spring was about two acres of broken
ground, underlaid with rock, and we
had blasted out sufficient of this to lay
up the walls of the milk-housc, Miller
was a stone mason 10y trade, and his
work had been we'll done. The house
was pretty large being eighteen by
twcnty-four inside the walls, and the
walls were perhaps a foot thick, The
roof had been planked and then sodded,
and the door was of heavy plank. The
place would make a capital fort, and
while | was carrying into it such things
| IS Mrs. Miller directed, the husband
used a crowbar to make loopholes in
the walls. In the course of an hour
he drove five or six, and then he bored
two in the door with a bic anger,
We carried in ali the provisions in
the house, followed by the clothing and
the bedding, While we worked we kept
our eyes opened for signs of Indians, but
it was eleven o'clock before we saw
them coming, They were not more
than a mile away when we retired to
our fort and barricadcd the door. All
the live stock had been turned loose
| and driven away, while the fowls were
flying about on the prairie. There was
very little left in the house, and the
worst they could do was 10 burn it.
When we shut ourselves up | missed
two of the kegs Of powder, but to my
query rs to what had become of them
Miller made no reply, except by a laugh
He had been working by himself all the
forenoon, digging holes and running
trenches, but | had been too busy to
notice what he was up to.
There were thirty-twO mounted In
dians in the band which came up, and
among them they had five fresh scalps.
Every one had plumber of some sort
from the settlers cabins, and two or
three appeared much the worse for
liquor. They had probably seen lis
enter the milk-houSc, for they rode
right up to the cabin without
fear. We could sec them very
plainly, and among the gang
We picked out several who
had often been supplied with food and
ammunition. There were wells Of rage
from those who dismomtcd and en-
tered the house to find it stripped, but
presently a council was held in the one
big room. After Il few minutes an In
dian appeared around the corner OF
the house with a white rag tied to
stick, and when he had waved it Il few
times he called out that he wanted 4
"talk.n Miller shouted to him to come
ON, and he advanced to within fifty
feet of the fort before he stopped anC
called out;
"AIl come out Indians no hur
Dutchmah'
as there war shouted MlIIcr'
mo war-no war Young men &c
drunk and rlde aroUllu' but no war
Indians all like pulrhmah'
"lf YOU Ike us men 20 away ah'
leave us alone. shouted Miller
"NlIl You come out'
mo.
"lhcn we burn house M MI al
cattle
The Indians were too anxious TO sc
AT 'hell o'oo"! ho,n u "'''l """'i
''lle Ill purify l"S' ,'
hh S9osS2n oIiS To- 6 ON and whoop. and Will
soma oronad fro an us from tho win
dows others made nrenorotions for
honfra In ohont tom minutos ,h
house was on fire. and fine Indian
crowded tooothpr ON tbc far siLn
,cos , lao Lou.n and thn roof foll i
hoforo +hc Sides were hardly oLIaz,
, The slirht wind blow tbo smoke nm
/ .norks Jirartlv over us 80 th,, "
onr,1 NAT 500 dvo foo, Tbo Indian
continued T., voll and d,pco fnr . finn,
=. lint srddonly tbcro ,yos q torrifr -,
rlosion and =, d,,cn ..room. If torro,
=. w,. ln,lirc into tho .moLr clou,
,rhi,h, n,w oGG,I ,hon Iif,ol for u, :,
.,,nt orl s,w ,Lo Lnr,ina l,rs
.ho ho,yo soo,torol 60 ,ho f,Ir wT;r,
Lr tho ov,l,.io, N,rlor tnow Il
,als w,rIj sat ,bo LuilJi,r an IL,
! anI ho La1 ,l,ood ana 90 r. Loa..
/ ,nwJor u.Laro :, wonrd L., tho ~,
,.,.1 w. aatn,.d fro m,r,iare In,
y -. I"n A.;
; OF uI9aplcu ny lie eAPIp>'"u' anu VI
d Ter Killed two others before the croN
e got ont OF range Inc mouse was u
lie best shelter from which TO worry I
70 and they had lost by destroying it.
h The strength Of our fort could be SCI
o at a glance, The Indians were wi
t. enough not TO attempt q rush, and I
d whole party were also impatient
al push on to other scenes. Six or eig
ut more arrived soon after the eNplosic
ut and presently we saw them maxi
re ready to move of. A general vol
he was fired at Us, the war whoop W
is sounded, and the brief siege was rais'
ur II was half an hour before we Ventul
he ont and not an Indian waS in siu