Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-01-08
A BRAVE WOMAN.
BY sAxToN EvARTs.

In little country graveyard in Me-
son County, Kentucky, lies buried the
heroine of a story as thrilling as the
annals of pioneer HE contain. The
stone at her head is mossgrown and
broken, but push aside the clinging
vine that tenderly embraces it and
read the name of ''Susan Merrill, died
1799." This young woman was
known among the Indians as "The
Long-Knife Squaw," and the story of
how she earned it was related fer
long years aboat their caIHptisos wirS
every expression of respect and adj
miration, accorded always by the red
skins to the truly brave, even whe !
that bravery was displayed against
them.
One night in the early summer of
l1S7 Mrs. Merrill aud her husband were
setting up late with one of their chill
dren who was dangerously ill. The
hour was close to midnight, when the
barking of The yard dog alarmed
them
II will sec what is the natter said
Merrill, stepping toward the door, but
his wife, with sudden premonition.
clung to him, begging him not TO ven
ture out and reminding him that the
dog might have seen Indians.
lie laughed at her, however, and in
spite of her enlreaties opened the
door. He was greeted by the fire of
six or seven rifles in the hands of as
many Wyandotte Indians, and fell
wounded severely. both arms and his
thigh broken. lie fell across the
doorway, and as his wife bent over him,
she saw the redskins leap from the
cover Of the cuthouscs, where they
had lain concealed, and ran toward
the main house, She dragged her in
sensible husband into the room, and just
succeeded in closing tho door. and
shooting tao bolt, when the Indians
flung themselves against it. The
lady, magnificent specimen of
womanhood, the ideal of pioneers 6
wIfe, now realized that the life of her
dear ones and her own depended on
her alone. She ran for her husband 5
gun, and, snatching it from the rack
was about TO load it when she dis
covered that the powder was damp.
As she aflcrward described it, this
discovery caused her nearly to faint,
until the knowledge that that was not
the time for any such giving way
acted like a douehc of ice cold water.
Casting her eyes about for some wea-
pom she spied the axe, which she seized
and hurried back to the door, which
was being attacked by the foe with
tomahawks. As she reached it the
wood work gave way, and the ugly
visage of painted warrior pcered in.
She raised her axe and Drained the
wretch with a single blow, actually
cleaving the skull from scalp TO under
jaw. As the body fell back another,
scarcely realizing what had befallen
his companion, thrust himself in, fol-
lowed closely by a third. With an
other swing of her blood-staincd wea
pom, she brought it down on the fore
most Indians head, smashing his skull
and killing him outright. The other
Indian fired at her as she did so, but
the bullet only carried away lock of
her braided hair, and She returned lis
fire by blow that struck him on the
breast, breaking the bone, and sending
him bowling back. A fourth aitempt-
ed to enter, but she wounded him
severely in the cheek. shattering his
Jaw. The Indian fell to the floor, but
clinging to her dress, endeavorei to
drag her down and tomahawk her.
Unable to do this he raised himself