The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-01-15
AFIREWATER SPRING
BANGUlNARY PLANS OF WILD INDIANS
cLEVeRLY FRUSTRATED.

How a Smuggler on a Government Reser-
walton Laid Out Band of Red Devils
With Forty Rod Whisky and Saved tie
Lives of Six Prisoners.
A Star man happened to meet man
who had served term or two or three
in various penitentiaries, hadn't served
several he should have served and is
likely to serve more before he is through
with himself. OF course that kind of a
man was interesting, and after time,
when he got to talking under the mel
lowing influence of things made for the
purpose, he was more interesting.
when was ] 5 years younger than
am now," he said, 81 was out in the
mountains of the west OH government
reservation, where l could make money
by selling whisky under post prices. |
was always ON the make, and so smug
gled in dozen or more gallons and had
them hid in cave ten miles or so out
of reach. The cave was kind of 4 two
story affair, the upper story being my
secret, and there | had my jugs of liq-
uor hid away, and from there carried
it out in smaller quantities for distri-
button. The lower part of the cave was
90 feet below the upper chamber, and
in this part was basin of water, which
bad dripped from the upper part. 1t did
not contain more than gallon of water.
knew it was easily exhausted, for l
spent many a night there, and found
there WASH water enough to boil a ket
tie with.
well, about the timeI got in my
dians got bad and began creeping in
toward the settlements. 1 thought my
cave was unknown to the Indians as
we'll as the whites, hut it appears that
it wasn't, and one morning l barely had
time to slip out of my down stairs room
and get up in the loft before 0 or 10 Of
the bloodiest looking braves you ever
saw squatted in front of my residence
and began holding council of war. LII
half an hour or more all of them except
one went away, and ne remained to
keep watch.
"At noon three returned with five
white prisoners, and at O'Clock the rest
of them came in with girl about a
years old. just what they were going
to do was not apparent, and it wasn't
easy for me to find out, because when 1
came down to point where | could see
] was in danger of getting caught my
self did see enough, though, to show
me that the five white prisoners, who
were all old men, hadn't much chance
for their lives, but that the child would
be carried away. To save myself had
been my first thought, and now TO save
these poor wretches was first.
while 1 was debating what to do or
give it up as bad job one of the In
dians went to the spring and got some
water. That was my cue In a minute
more I was back up in my chamber, just
over the headw aters Of the spring, and
having turned the drip into another
channel, started stream of that kill
at 40 rod whisky down the shoot and then
slipped back to watch the proceedings. |
They were discussing when to kill the
prisoners-I knew enough Indian to
know that. And when it was about de- |
termined to hold them over Il day and |
see if they couldn't pick up few more
and have a real big time, another of
them went over to the spring for water.
This time it wasn't so much water as it |
had been. Whatever it was made the
ugly redskin give big 'Ugh' of delight,
and the others went over to him. Well,
it isn't necessary for me to 60 into par
ticulars
Anybody, even "a reporter, knows
what becomes of an Indian or dozen
of them when there are unlimited guam
titles of firewater at their disposal, and
as soon as saw how the thing was 60
ing hurried back and set another jug
to work. Twas little afraid they might
get ugly drunk and kill their prisoners,
but evidently they hadn't had much to
eat that day, and the liquor was getting
in it's work on empty stomachs. What
ever was the cause, before l had any
idea that it was time for it the whole
of them was full, and in few minutes
more they were lying around the little
basin of the spring so drunk they could
not move hand or foot.
"Then it was my time to play, and l
corked up the liquor upstairs for anoth-
er day and went down stairs. There
WASH t much time for thanks, because
we didn't know when the enemy might
make it unpleasant for us. So told the
prisoners to take care of the Indians
while l took care of the little girl, which
/ did by taking her outside of the cave,
where she could breathe the free air of
heaven once more. You see, kind Of
thought they might like to attend to
things themselves. he added apologet-
ically and stopped.
And did they?" inquired the report
er as the narrator seemed to think he
had reached the end Of his story.
II suppose they did. " he replied eat
BEAST, when / went back to the cave,
about a month later, when the war had
Eimmered down some, found the bodies
of them Indians almost as we'll preserved
as if they had been put up in alcohol,
that dern whisky of mine was so power
full, you know. was always kind Of
sorry hadn t sent the prisoners to take