Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-05-08

settle all disputes, and would always
respect her decision. If any given
man felt inclined to resist her decis.
ion such feeling was useless, as every
other man felt honor bound to help
enforce it. If question arose as to
the ownership OF stock the parties
would bring the cattle or horses in
volved up to the PEAK. Each claimant
would state his side of the case and
call on anyone else he might choose to
nubstantiate it. Then came the de.
cision from which there was no ap-
peal. If nan was suspected OF steal.
ing stock or of committing murder the
process was the same. A case could
be disposed OF completely in thirty
minutes. On one occasion mere boy
was brought up under accusation OF
murder. The case was clear aginst him,
and the verdict ran as follows:
"Well, he ought to die, but he's
nothing but kid. Give him a pony
and let him go, but hang him if you
find him within forty miles Of this
place by tomorrow morning."
The boy left.
Meantime natural metamorphosis
took place in the name of the place
where she lived. From Quinn's Peak
it was changed to Queens Peake, the
schoolma am being by that time uni.
verselly known as the queen.
Her death, however, was as it should
have been. the climax and crowning
point Of her life. 1t was all that was
necessary to make her subjects worship
her, not almost, but altogether.
During the fall of 1859 the Co
manches began once moro to make
raids through this portion of Texas.
The Comanches have been called the
Ishmaelities of the West, their hand
being against every mans hand and
every mans hand against them, The
queen had formerly acquired almost
as much influence over the Indians as
she had over the whites, and in peri
ods of open Indian hostility this in.
huence stood her in good stead. The
Indians seemed to consider that her
Indian blood made her one of them
selves, and SO allowed her to pass back
ward and forward to and from their
camps unmolested. Though Chero-
kee, she had soon acquired the lam
guage of the Comanches. For q long
time her influence was successful in
protecting the settlers around the
Peak from any disturbance, but on one
occasion it failed. All the men for
forty miles had gone some distance
below to Clear Creek Canon, toward
which locality it had been reported
that large band Of hostiles were ad-
vancing. While the country was thus
unprotected, fourteen-year-old boy
came dashing up on his pony and
called to the queen that a band OF
about twenty Comanches were coming
as fast as they could travel. He
begged her go meet them and pacify
them.
"No," she answered sadly; cts no
use this time. Their blood's up be-
cause our men have gone to Clear creek
and they won't be paciied. You ride
like the wind and get all the women
and children hid in the creek bank.
I'll hold the Indians long enough for
that"
Even as she was speaking the Indians
came in sight over rise in the prairie.
They would willingly have passed her
by without molestation, but she was
determined they should not. Taking
deliberate aim at long range she fred
md one Indian tumbled from his horse.
Then she sprang upon the topmost
stone of the Peak and, standing at full
height, sent out a ringing yell and de-
risively waved her gun. The boy
waited to see no more, but keeping the
wooded base of the Peak between him
self and his pursuers, he dashed off, az
he had been told.
No one will ever know the details oil
what happened after this. There was
D natural barricade of stones on top of
the Peak, and keeping behind it she
had the advantage over her foes in the
open prairie. The Indians seem finally
to have taken positions inside the tim
Der around the Peak, and then gra-
dually to have drawn their lines nearer
the summit. Doubtless they were un-
able to tell whether it was defended
by one person alone or by more.
Doubtless, when they had drawn nearer
and were preparing to make the last
fatal rush, she dropped her rifle and
used her heavy six-shooter with deadly
effect. Certain it is that she was game
to the last. Finally, the last cruel
rush was made, and the brave teacher
queen had given her life for those of
her subjects.
All this took time, and time Wa.
valuable just then. There were moi
more than three or four families ther
living within several miles of the Peak
and the boy messenger had ample time
to notify them and get them hidder
in the timbered bank Of the creek. i
must have been after the nightfal
when the summit of the Peak was fin
ally stormed, and about 10 o'clock ,
force of men came galloping in from
Clear Creek, having heard of thu
threatened attack. The Indians still
remaining left under the cover O
night. Next morning the settlers Wis
tied the Peak. There, behind biz
bowlder, on the very summit the.
found Ellen Quinn, the prairie queen
stiff and cold in death. Her body hat
been pierced by half dozen bullet
and her scalp had been taken. Riff
and six-shooter were both missing
Around the barricade, down in tn
/ timber at its base, and out in the opel
| prairie, they counted the bodies o
eleven Comancnes. That told tn
! story.
No death in the whole of this par
of Texas could have moved the peopl
as did hers. She could have escape,
hy merely. doing nothing, hpt she de