Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-04-20
4 COAST FOR LIFE.
How A VERMONT Boy SAVED HIS
FATHER AND HIMSELF FROM
A TERRIBLE DEATH.
BY HENRY EDWARD ROOD.

This boy was Is years old in 1777,
when General Burgoyne started from
Canada for Albany, and his name was
David Spaf'ord. He lived with his
father and mother and two little sis
ters on farm away up in the Green
mountains of Vermont.
1t was about the middle of August,
l777, that messenger came to Mr..
Spafford's farm and told how Burgoyne
had been travelling southward from
Canada with thousands of British reg
ulars and many hundreds of Indian
allies. The messenger added that one
of the savages, a warrior so tall and
heavy as to be giant, and known as
the Wyandet Panther, had murdered
the beautiful daughter of Scotch
clergyman, Jenny McCrea, who was
visiting friend at Fort Edward.
After this act General Burgoyne Lad
lost control of the Indians, and IN
small bands they were over-running
the country. Mr.. Spatford must come
at once and join company of Yer
mont farmers, who, under Colonel
Stark, were going to protect their
homes and drive Indians and Hessians
alike from the country
So Mr.. Spatford went, and was badly
wounded at the battle of bloomington.
After that he was taken home and
stayed until winter came, when he in
sisted that his wife and daughters
should go to make a long visit in a
large town some twenty miles away.
Thus it happened that when New
Years day came David Spafford and
his father were living alone in the
farmhouse, taking care of the horses
and COWS.
One night while they were in bed
they heard man shouting and kick
ing at the door. David jumped up
and let him in. He was farmer who
lived five or six miles further in the
mountains. His clothing was torn,
his face was covered with blood, and
he had snowshoes on his feet.
81 can't stop!" he cried. "Indians
have burned my house and murdered
all my family. They will soon be here
and you must start at once!"
Then he turned and sped into the
darkness again. For a moment David
stood as if stunned. The lad knew
it would be impossible for his father
to escape on snowshoes, for his wounds
had left him so stiff in both legs that
he could scarcely walk about the
house
In such a time ones wits work
quickly, and David Spafford had wits
to spare. He suddenly remembered
hot hah Il Il ~ pf otl lx
like those worn Ly the man who had
given the alarm. So he dressed rapidly
and put on the snowshoes and ran
back and forth between the house and
the barn several times, making half a
dozen tracks in the snow. Then he
took the horses and COWS out of the
barn and laid the whip on them SO
vigorously that they ran out toward
the road as fast as they could go. By
this time Mr.. Spafford had managed
to dress himself.
''Good, he said to his son. ''Now
do you think you can carry me to the
barn?"
'I'll try" David replied, and taking
his father on his back like sack of
-four, he succeeded in getting him to
the barn and buried in the hay NOW.
'Tt's growing COLDER" said Mr..
Spafford, "and if the crust keeps hard
ening on the snow we have one chance
of escape. Haul the bobsled across
the barn floor until it is just in front
Of that door in the rear; then bring
our guns here, and hide yourself in
she hay beside me. It's slim chance
and big risk, but it's the only one,
if we want to save our scalps."
Il see your idear' the boy cried,
and he did as he was told. Father and
son had lain there, buried in the hay,
scarcely halt an hour when through q
chink in the barn, they saw seven In
dian warriors surrounding the house.
The savages had swallowed SO much
rum as to be quite drunk. Several
had scalps dangling from their belts
II had scarcely hoped for it," Mr..
Spafford whispered, "but they are so
drunk they can hardly follow the trail
of the snowshoes, and maybe we will
outwit them after allr'
After staggering around the house,
some of the Indians went inside, while
others came toward the barn; but,
after glancing at the empty stalls, they
rejoined their fellows, who set up Q
loud shouting.
Pretty soon two or three of them
rolled ont of the house cask of New
England rum, and knocked the head
in and commenced to drink heavily
Then some more pulled two or three
feather beds out into the moonlight
and, ripping them open with thei
knives, commenced to throw tn,
feathers up into the air, dancing ano
singing. One after another of tn,