Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1899-02-16

They were safe in their beds when
they woke.
Elizabeth L. Gould.
Stories of Brave Girlc.
During an attack by the Indians on
Fort Henry,a small establishment near
the Wheeling creek, now Wheeling, w.
Va, in the summer of LIT, the powder
OF the garrison becoming exhausted,
Ebenezer Zane, one of the garrison, re-
membered that there was key of the
article in his house, sixty yards away.
The man who should attempt to go for
1t would be exposed to the close and
numerous shots of the Indians. Only
one man could be spared from the fort
for the service. Col Shepard, the COM
mander, was unwilling to order any
man to the duty; he asked for a volun-
teer. Every man present eagerly Of
Tered to undertake the hazardous du-
ty. They contended so long for the
honor, that it was feared the Indians
would return to the siege before an at
tempt to get the powder should be
>AANAS. &AC ILLS IuOWCnI 4lAAAooCSA
Zane came forward and asked permits
sion to go for the powder, giving, as a
reason, that her life was less valuable
to the garrison than that of a man.
She was sister of Ebenezer and Silas
Zane-the former the future founder
of GAINESVILLE, O.-and had just return
ed from Philadelphia, where she had
hnScho6 Init
little accustomed to the horrors of bor-
der warfare. With other females, she
had assisted in casting bullets, making
cartridges and loading rifles. At first
she was peremptorily refused, but so
earnest were her solicitations that con-
sent was reluctantly given. She went
out of the gate and fearlessly passed
the open space to her brothers house.
( The Indians saw her and watched her
movements. When she came out of
the house, and, with the key of powder
in her arms, sped with the fleetness of
a fawn toward the fort, they sent a
full volley Of bullets after her, but not
bullet touched her person.
On July 6, 1881, storm of wind and
rain burst over Iowa, and in an hours
time every creek was out of its banks.
So sudden was the flood that houses,
barns, lumber and all portable objects
within reach of the waters were car
ried away. Looking from her window,
which in daylight commanded view
of the Honey creek railroad bridge,
Kate Shelley saw, through the dark
ness and storm, locomotive headlight.
A second later it dropped; she knew
that the bridge had gone, and that
train of cars had fallen into the abyss.
There was no one at home but her
mother and her little brother and sis
ter, and the girl understood that if
help was to be given to the sufferers.
land the express train, then nearly due,
warned, she would have to undertake
the task alone.
Hastily filling and lighting an old
,1anter, and wrapping herself in a
waterproof, she sailed out in the
storm. She climbed painfully up the
steep bluff to the track, tearing her
clothes to rags ON the thick under
growth, and lascerating her flesh most
painfully. A part of the bridge still
remained, and, crawling out on this to
the last tie, she swung her lantern over
the abyss, and called out at the top of
her voice. 1t was pitchy dark below,
but she was answered family by the
engineer, who had crawled upon some
|jured, was safe for the time being
From him the girl learned that it was
"a freight train that had gone into the
.chasm, and that he alone of that
trains hands had escaped. He urged
her, however, to proceed at once to the
nearest station, to secure help for him,
and to warn the approaching express
train Of the fall of the bridge.
The girl then retraced her steps,
gained the track and made her way to-
ward Moingona. small station about
one mile from Honey creek. In maxi
ing this perilous journey it was neces-
sary for her to cross the Des Moines
river. about five hundred feet in
length. Just as she tremblingly put
her foot on this structure, the wind,
rain, thunder and lightning were SO
appalling that she nearly lost her bal
ance, and in the endeavor to save her
self. her sole companion-tle old Ian
tern-went out Deprived Of her light
she could not see a foot ahead Of her.
save when dazzling flashes of lightning
revealed the grim outlines Of the
bridge and the seething waters be-
meath. Knowing that she had no time
to lose, the brave girl threw away the
useless lamp, and dropping on her
hands and knees, crawled from tie to
tie across the high trestle. Having
gained the ground again, she ran the
short distance remaining to the sta
tion, told her story in breathless haste
and then fell unconscious. She was,