Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1892-02-13
+: HERE LIES
4: MARY EMMA LEE
/: WHO WAS
{: KILLED by INDIANS
+: ON THIS SPOT, AFTER A HEROIC
/: DEFENSE, IN JULY, 1867

AS two hundred cavalrymen grouped
around that lonely grave every man
uncovered his head in reverence for the
dead, md the story of that young wo-
mans death has never been told around
n campfire in the west without making
mems hearts ache.
This is the story: There we're five OF
six families of emigrants jonrneying
across the lonely plains when they were
beset by hostile Indians. Mary Lee
was girl, only eighteen years old, and
had been brought up on the Iowa line.
The family consisted of father, mother,
two sisters and brother. The attack
was made very suddenly, and Mary,
who was riding her own horse, was cut
off from the band. When she realized
this she turned and rode away and was
pursued by seven Indians This was
about 9 o'clock in the morning. Her
horse carried her thirty six miles before
he became exhausted and when he fell
she made her way to the crest of the
mound and there scooped out a shallow
ritie-pits' piled stones up around it, and
prepared to die fighting.
The Indians were three miles behind
her when her horse gave out She had
q light Winchester rife, which was
fully loaded, but no extra cartridges
Her first shot killed an Indian, and her
second crippled another for life. The
other five dared not charge her posi-
tion. On the second day she killed an
other Indian and the other four posted
themselves in positions and waited for
hunger and thirst to conquer her. On
the third day they were joined by twen-
ty of their band, but the girl was not
attacked. On this day an Indian, who
was creeping up to spy upon her, was
shot through the right lung and the
others contented themselves by drop
ping fire at long ranges to harass her.
On the fourth day not q shot was
fred. The weather was terribly hot
and the sun glared down on that mound
until the grass withered and shriveled
and seemed about to flame up. On the
fifth day. an hour after noon, the girl
shot herself through the head and was
dead before any one reached her. / af-
terwards talked with one of the war
riors who was there and he told me that
she had been almost roasted alive by
that fierce sun. She had neither food
| hoE was liIllC bcbICI bhdl d
skeleton. The Indians simply stood
about and looked down upon her. She
/ had wealth of golden hair but
they did not scalp her. She
had rings on her fingers, but they lef,
them there. They did not even take
her rifle nor the saddle from her dead
horse.
white squaw heap brave-fght hard
no scalpH'
That was her eulogy. Two or three
/ years later her scattered bones were
collected and buried by surveying
party. and today her dust mingles will
the sterile soil fifty miles from the near
estdwelling of one of her race. BronZec
; and bearded Indian fighters, reckless
and desperate cowboys, stern-faced ant
} taciturn pioneers have whispered TIN
t name of Mary Lee around the evening
campfire thousand times since he
death, but ever and always with gentl
tongue and swelling of the heart Sh
was not only woman but she die,
game.-Chicago Tribune.
Z The Day Before n Dining.