Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1898-01-20
SAVED BY SOUR MILK.
Six whites Attacked by Two Hundred
Indians,

1
Indians.
Cote Sanddessein, Galloway county,
Mo-, is an unpretentious little town Of
half dozen houses, a blacksmith shop
and general merchandise store, Its
surroundings are peaceful, and far
from what they once were. The town
occupies great hill overlooking the
Missouri river, Nearly 90 years ago it
was built as a fort, and 1t was once the
scene of probably as heroic little
struggle as ever occurred in Missouri.
Some years after the fort had been
built, probably during the progress Of
the war of 1912, Baptste Roi, an old
Frenchman, and his wife and four hunt
ers occupied the fort, and they were be-
sicged by more than 200 Usage Indians.
1t seems the Indians knew of the des-
perate straits in which Roi and his
companions were placed, and they as
saulted the fort with great fercencss.
The men were Indian fighters, and
fortunately their assailants were not
armed with rifles, and Rio and the hunt
ers used their guns with such rapidly
and effect that they soon drove the In
dams back to the woods. The fort had
been built expressly to resist such as
saults, but unfortunately the inmates
were compelled to depend upon the
river for their water supply, and the In
dams suspected as much, for they kept
sharp watch on the river with part
OF their numbers, while the remainder
endeavored to set fire to the fortress.
There was n small supply of water in
thte fort, and for two days and nights
the whites preserved their stronghold
intact.
The Indians became eXasperated ut
the stubborn resistance of the handful
of whites and they tried general rush
with n view of setting fire to the fort.
In this latter undertaking they sue
ceeded, but it cost them dearly, for
while they were applying the torch, the
rifles of the whites were busy and soon
the Indians were driven back to cover
and the flrewas presently extinguished,
Then the performance was repeated
several times and until every drop Of
water the whites had was exhausted,
and the fort was again on fire.
Old man Roi and the men then gave
up in despair and prepared to sell their
lives as dearly as possible. Meantime,
the formers wife was busy hunting
among her milk crooks and in an old |
churn, and she managed to raise enough |
sour milk to eXtinguish the flames, and |
while she was doing so the men kept the |
Indians at a safe distance with their
rifles.
Strange as it may seem, the Indians
were so disheartened at this critical |
stage in the defense of the fort that
they withdrew, carrying their dead
and wounded with them. No one in the
fort was injured.
1t had been learned at st. Louis that
large body of Indians had attacked |
Cote Sanddessein, and of the desperate
and successful resistance made by the
brave inmates, The st. Louis people
presented Roi with fine rife, inlaid
with gold and silver and suitably in
scrbed, and his brave old wife, who
really saved the fort, was suitably re-
warded with handsome present.
Cote Sanddessein is not much larger
now than it was when old Baptiste Roi
and his party fought the Osages, and
many stirring scenes were enacted
there while the Indians stroye with the
whites for possession of the country,
but none were deemed more deserving
of praise, even in those days, when
bloody encounters between the whites
and the red men were common, than the
defense made by old Bnptiste Roi 1t
was known that he and his party killed
Il large number of Indians, for they were
all expert marksmen and used to such
Louis Republic.