The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1895-01-24
A KENTUCKY HEROINE.

some distance from the lori. Al JNau
time there was little fear of Indians.
as they had not dared to commit any
depredations for long time. and it
was believed the settlers there would
be safe from any future molestation.
Mr.. Peters had been in his new home
scarcel y more than a twelye-month,
when he took sick and died.
One afternoon, in the ensuing fall,
while his widow was at work in the
field. not far from her dwelling, with
her children playing on the ground
near her, she was startled at perceiv-
ing on the edge of u distant wood, a
human figure which resembled an
Indian.
Catching up her youngest child and
taking the other by the hand, she ran
down to the dwelling and closed and
bolted the door, and secured the win
dOws as well as she could. She look
ed around and saw an ak standing IN
one corner. and the gun which had be
longed to her husband resting on some
hooks over her head.
For a few moments she gave way to
the emotions she could not control
then suddelly remembering the dan
ger, she dried her eyes and looked
around with the sharp, fierce glance of
the panther preparing to defend her
yoang.
They shall not have these pretty
babes while l have life to defend
them she thought; and hurriedly
placing the children on the floor, she
got up and took down the loaded gun
for the first time since her husbands
death
She shook out the old printing aud
put III new; and then, standing the
gun up against the wall, she went and
got the axe and put it by its side.
Minute after minute went by, and
each heightened into an age, as it Were
by fearful suspense, and still she
heard nothing to give further alarm
Could she have been mistaken IN re-
gard to the object she saw? Could it
have been a hunter instead of an In
dian? She trembled now with hope,
as she had previously trembled with
fear, and prayed for deliverance from
her dread as only a mother placed IN
her forlOrn situation could pray.
Thus long hours passed away; the
sun gradually sank behind the western
hills, and night drew her dark pail
over the earth. The innocent little
children, feeling more safety in then
mOthers's arms than she felt for them
had gradually fallen asleep, and then
long, regular breathing showed that
whatever the great future might have
in store for them, they were uncon
sciously happy in the present
suddenly the poor mother fairly
bounded from her seat, as a series Oh
terrible wells resounded through the
still air, and We're succeeded by deaC
and ominous silence. She had not
been mistaken in her fears, and hel
hopes were fallacious the Indians
were upon her. and the dread deeds OF
darkness were about to begin.
Don't make the least noise, Icy
little dears, or the monsters of the for
est will have US allw she said in a ter
ritied whisper, to her now awakened
and frightened children; and the
little creatures, as if with a sense be
yond then years, maintained an almost
breathless silence. You must lie
down on the bed" she continued, "anC
let me cover you all over, and ther
you must not speak, or cry, or stir
and without murmur the children
complied with her wish.
Having placed her darlings in /
place of safety as her circumstance:
permitted, the trembling mother stole
back to the weapons, laid her hands
upon them and prayed to Heaven fol-
assistance IN the great and terrible
trial before her.
She grew calmer and firmer as she
prayed and then came the terrible res
olution to defend herself to the las
and not to be taken alive.
Up to this moment the awful silenc,
succeeding the fierce yells had remain
ed unbroken; but now. as if in answer
to her last resolve, there came some
xulck, heavy raps upon the door, anC
the demand IN a deep, gutteral tone
'Squaw. open doorl''
To this Mrs, Peters made no reply
and 1t was repeated two or three times
with the same result. Failing to get
an answer from her, the savages grew
angry and impatient. and began tC
hack at the door with their hatchets
Taking up her axe and gun, not know
ing which she might be required
use first, the poor mother moved silent
ly over to the place where her foes
were at work, and stationed herself
beside the very spot, though every
blow. IN view of the awful consequen
ces, seemed to beat upon her heart.
The Indians were by this time at
work in earnest, determined to cut a
passage into the dwelling; and it was
not long before the stout planks be
gan to splinter and give way on the
inner side, and Mrs, Peters could see
the light of the starry night from her
own position of absolute darkness, and
indistinctly the shadowy forms of the
hldeous beings SO industriously labor
ing for the destruction of herself and
the dear lnnocents whose lives she val
ued more than her own.
Suddenly with crash, the aperture
was enlarged sufficiently to admit the
head of man, and this success was
greeted with a yell that seemed to
curdle the blood in the veins of the
/ poor mother, who, like the brave hero
inc she was. still remained unhinchinc
at her post. as firmly resolved as ever
to defend herself to death. A few
more rapid blows increased the open
ing to size that would allow a man
to crawl through, and then the Indians
stopped their work, and the foremost
thrust his head far in, and turned it
from side to side, as if trying to per
celVe some object IN the deeper dark
ness Of the unlighted department.
All this was seen by Mrs. Peters. as
she stood within reach of the SAVAGE
and being on the instant seized with a
strange feellnp-SOmathin y lin T., =,