Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-05-06
One Incident of Pioneer History.

heep ILdI hIu IuIe'i '0'i" A'"N
ers in hoarse whisper.
I'm doing the best can" said his
wife, trying to hush the little one,
who was sobbing and moaning in her
lap. In the baby's milk wagon a bit
ter night was going on between pare
goric and pain, and the latter was
dying hard. The wind drove the rain
against the side Of the car and made 1t
rock to and fro. Emma" said Mrs
Bankers to her friend, "take that bot
tie and hold it between you and
crack in the car, and when it lightens
drop ten drops into the spoon-I sup
pose we must not strike light.
"You bet you don't strike any light
here unless you are ready to give up
your chignon," said Bankers, without
taking his eyes from the crack through
which he was peeplng. Emma took
the bottle, and at each flash Of light
ming dropped drop of hush medicine
into the spoon, and when she had put
in ten drops they gave it to the baby
That made twenty drops-it was dan
perous-but it was sure death to all of
them if the baby cried aloud.
The rain came in great sheets and
with such force that it seemed that
the car could hardly hold the rail.
It was not Pullman car JUST com
mon red stock car standing on a sid
ing with few armfuls Of straw upon
the floor. Occasionally Bankers turned
to glance at the two women who were
crouching in one end Of the car, and
when the lightning lit up their faces
they were fearful to behold. Now the
rain, cold as sleet, came through the
cracks in the car and stung the faces
of those within. Mrs Bankers had
seen three winters at Woodr yer, but
her friend, the young woman who had
come out to western Nebraska to teach
school, was in every sense a tenderfoot'
and the experience of this wild night
had almost driven her mad.
There they are, whispered Bank
ers. Now the women put their eyes to
a crack, and when flash came they
could see a reef of feathered heads
that formed a-half circle around the
house like a feather boa about wo-
man neck. Half the band dismount-
ed and made a rush for the cottage.
The door was broken and the red
devils swarmed in. One Of them took
newspaper and lighted it at the open
fireplace to make torch, and by the
light of it the little party in the stock
car could see the Sioux running, half
crouching, from room to room, In
search of the occupants Finding the
place deserted, and smarting under
their disappointment, the Indians now
set fire to the house, and by the light
Of it started to loot the railroad sta
ton, less than a hundred yards away.
The station agent had been warned,
as the others had been, by Pawnee
scout, but had bravely refused to leave
his post. He had made no light, but
sat in one end of the dark little room
which served as ticket Office, telegraph
office and ,sleeping-room, and as the
Indians approached, opened fire. At
the very first shot the leader Of the
murderous band leaped high into the
air, came down on his feet, leaped up
again and again, and finally fell IN a
heap to rise no more, With a deafen-
ing yell the angry band made rush
for the door and began to beat against
it with tomahawks, clubs and guns.
Having emptied his rife the agent
now took up a pair of 45-calibre re-
volvers, and the lead fairly ratified
against the door, and no fewer than
a-half dozen savages sank to the plat
form, causing the besiegers to fall
back space. From a distance they
began to pour the lead into the build
ing, but the agent, crouching behind
the little iron safe, was still unhurt.
An Indian brought torch from the
burning cottage and attempted to fire
the station, but the rain and wind put
out the fire. Two or three Sioux,
noticing string Of cars upon the sid
ing, began to search for stock or valu-
able freight. From car to car they
ran, thrusting their rifles into the
straw. "Ugh," said an old buck as his
rife found something soft in one of
the cars, and Bankers felt a hurt in