Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-08-25
SAVED BY BUTTERMILk.
A Pioneer Woman's Heroism In Battle
With the Indians.

"A = 1oAAeof "omauS HerOlSm In q tottle
With the Indians.
Cote Sanddessein, Galloway coun
ty, Mo-, is an unpretentious little
town of half a dozen houses, a black
smith shop and a general merchan-
disc store. Its surroundings are
peaceful and far from what they
once were. The town occupies a
great hill overlooking the Missouri
river. Nearly 80 years ago it was
built as fort, and it was once the
scene of probably as heroic little
struggle as ever occurred in Mis-
souri,.
Some years after the fort had
been built, probably during the
progress of the war of 1912, Baptiste
Roi, an old Frenchman, and his
wife and four hunters occupied the
fort, and they were besieged 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
assaulted the fort with great fierce
ness.
The men were Indian fighters,
and fortunately their assailants
were not armed with rifles, and Roi
and the hunters used their guns
with such rapldliy and effect that
they soon drove the Indians back to
the woods. The fort had been built
expressly to resist such assaults, 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 a sharp watch on the river
with part of their numbers, while
the remainder endeavored to set fire
to the fortress. There was small
supply of water in the fort, and for
two days and nights the whites pre-
served their stronghold intact.
The Indians became exasperated
at the stubborn resistance of the
handful Of whites, and they tried a
general rush with view of setting
fire to the fort. In this latter UNDER
taking they succeeded, 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 fire was presently extin-
guished. 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 man
aged to raise enough sour milk to
extinguish the flames, and while she
was doing so the men kept the In
dams at a safe distance with their
rifles.
Strange as it may seem, the In
dams 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.
News had reached ST.. Louis that
a large body of Indians had at
tackled Cote Sanddessein and of the
desperate and successful resistance
made by the brave inmates. The
st. Louis people presented Roi with
fine rifle, inlaid with gold and sill
yer and suitably inscribed, and his
brave old wife, who really saved the
fort, was suitably rewarded 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 strove with the whites for
possession of the country, but none
was deemed more deserving of
praise, even in those days, when
bloody encounters between the
whites and the red men were com
mon, than the defense made by old
Baptiste Roi. 1t was known that he
and his party killed a large number
of Indians, for they were all expert
marksmen and used to such encoun-
ters.-St. Louis Republic.