Birmingham age-herald., 1894-09-15
WHEN INDIANS WERE .rHIcK.>
The Strike Recalls Stirring Times to at
 Least One Chicago Pioneer.


 Least One Chicago Pioneer.
 Awful timesl Awful tiInesl Never. had 'em when we were youngp
 The speaker drew out Q spotless hand: kerchief in a solemn manner.
 "We didn't, that's fact" responded his seatmate in the Wabash cable.
 "We'd have done it if we could, but the population didn't allow of it. Chi- cago didn't possess g. million mixed sons in those days, so the Indians had to get up ell the strikes. Good Lord, how easy they did itl Bennett, do you remember that n1ght-no, you weren't there, though; you'd come to Chicago after a wagon load of winter stores. We'll, never shall forget that night. There's solid pound of reasons for re- membering It."
 The speaker paused as the car did and a bright-faced girl with bunch of sweet pease in her haad got on.
 "You see" he resumed, when the car was rattling on again, ''you see, the In- dians had stolen some horses and been overtaken by the owners, who, of course, demanded their property That made the Indians furious and they threatened to scalp everybody in the settlement before morning. We'll, we all hustled down to Williams cabin he had the biggest one-and pretty much everybody in the settlement was there before sunset. Good Lord, what a hubbub there wasl Some of the women were crying end fainting, with all the kids joining in the chorus, and we men were busy barricading the doors and windows.
 s'There was one man there-e Meth odist preacher that happened to be visiting in the settlement-and he was wandering around in everyhody's way, ejaculating: Put your trust in the Lord, brethren We had everything in the shape of weapons, for the alarpa had been so sudden that we'd been obliged to snatch op whatever was handy and clubs and pitchforks out numbered the rifles. The preacher had a table fork for his sole weapon. He said that the Indians believed that a stab from table fork was always fatal to them. I hadn't much spare time just then, but remember wondering how many Indians he'd pick before some of 'em scalped him. It got darker and darker and we all began to listen for that Indian whoop-re- member how 1t used to sound, Ben- nett2 I never want to hear 1t again. By and by the last baby stopped cry ing and we sat waiting for that whoop.
 "Well, it came. Every fellow was on his feet in trice with his weapon lifted. Then we dropped our pitch forks and made rush for the fellow waving his bowie knife over our heads and calling out with a laugh in his voice: 'Now's the time for scalpsl'
 "He hadn't been with us when we shut ourselves in and there were red glirfts coming in through those barri- caded windows instead of redskins. Is was morning and we'd all been asleep. How we did it don't see yet.
 Hammond had come home unex- pectedly in the night and hadn't of course heard of the fuss. So when he didn't find anybody in his cabin he came on to Williams, the next place, to make inquiries. He said he exerted all his energies to wake us up, but couldn't do 1t, so then he assaulted our barrieades, and after a tough time of 1t managed to get'in--to find us all re- posing on our iaurels and our armsl
 ''We never heard the end of it, of course, but we laid it on to the preacher. If he hadn't neglected his duty he'd have priclSed our consciences with that fork of his and kept us awake to our dangerous state."
 "Of course," assented the solemn man, something like a smile crossing his severe visage. 'I believe you set tied it with the Indians next morn- ing"
 "Yes, sir. We went after those h. dians and licked lem, and took our horses. Chicago Tribune.