The National tribune., 1902-08-28
IN OLE KAINTUCK.
The Pioneer HerOines-The WO-
men of Bryan's StatiOn-A
DeacOn's Revision of the
Church List.
BY GEORGE DALLAS MosGROvE.

BY GEORGE DALLAS MOsGRoVE.
The ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all the paths are peace, in tins Dor
derland-once upon time the dark
and Bloody Ground"
During the Summer days ! am resting
under the shade of the trees, trying to
take life easy-quietly and monOtonously
as the running of Summer brook through
q meadow.
PRIMEvAL KENTUCKY.
A gifted writer, of poetical tempera-
ment, travelled westward from the Attain
tic seaboard, in 1893, and, having seen
Kentucky in primeval beauty, wrote an
elaborate and glowing description, in part
as follows: s {
FLOWERS full and perfect. as if they
had been cultivated by the hand of the
florist, with all their captivating odors and
with all variegated charms which color
and nature can produce in the lap of
beauty and elegance. decorate the smiling
groves. Soft Zephyrs gently breathe on
sweets, and the inhaled air gives volup-
tuous glow of health and vigor that seems
to ravish the intoxicated senses. The
sweet songsters of the forest appear to
feel the influence of the genial cline, and
In softer and more modulated tones war
BILE their tender notes in unison with love
and nature
The aborigines and the pioneers, mon
archs of all they surveyed, roamed at will
through canebrake and forest. over low
land and highland, enjoying without
money and without price the fascinating
attractions of field, forest and stream.
Following the pioneer, who, coming
from the distant blue mountains of North
Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Penn
sylvania, 'blazed' the way, came the per-
manent and more civilized settler, who.
with his progeny, cultivated the gener-
ously productive soil. developed the
stantial and elegant homes. making the
flair daughter of Virginia" even more
fascinating than when arrayed in the
adornments of primeval days.
PROUD OF THE OLD KENTUCKY HOME.
Every Kentuckian loves his native
home and is proud of the land where the
meadow grass is blue" When he trav
els abroad in other States, or across the
seas to foreign countries, wherever he
may be, in urban or suburban commune
ties. he is ever inclined to recapitulate,
somewhat boastfully. if not arrogantly,
the glories of his "Fatherland.
Even now, while striving to write for
the delectation of the readers of The Ma
tional Tribune. l can scarcely resist the
inherent inclination to indulge in rhetori-
cal rhapsody, as there is continually
passing in review an array of lovely wOm-
en-, gallant men and Thoroughbred horses
and there. on the sidehoard. is the al
Turing decanter of distilled elixir to
which the Kentucky girl POLITICALLY. dra
matically and somewhat profanely as
cribed an aroma mot as sweet rs wom-
ans lips, but a -. sight more sincere
..--+
THE WOMEN OF BRYANs STATION.
Recurring to the epoch of the pioneer,
] find that the women were not only fair
and lovely, but that they were brave as
we'll Tradition and history recount nu-
merous instances of the conspicuous forti-
tude and courage that characterized the
women in the days of Boone and Ken
ton; but the story of the bravery dis
played by the women of Bryan's Station
should be written above all others in let
tiers of gold on pages of living light. Their
act, marching to the spring, in the i'm
mediate presence of 600 Indian warriors
In ambush, to procure water for the be-
ieaguered garrison, was as truly heroic
as any ever performed by Cesar's Tenth
Legion or Napoleon's Imperial Guard.
On the night of Aug. IA, 1852, Bryan's
Station was surrounded by large body
Of Indians, headed by the notorious rene
gade, Simon Girty. The fort, so-called,
was situated on the southern bank Of Elk
horn, five miles northeast of Lexington,
and contained about 40 cabins, placed in
parallel lines, connected by strong pail
sades and garrisoned by probably 30 men.
The sayages had approached so stealth
uy that the occupants of the station" had
no suspicion of their presence. The fight
Ing men of the fort were preparing to
march, oil the following day, to the re-
lief of Hoy's Station, where a party of
Indians had been making trouble.
The garrison was supplied with water
from spring at some distance from the
fort-an error common to most of the
stations. Near this spring some GOO In
dams were placed in ambush, Girty and
the chiefs making preparations to assault
the fort under the erroneous opinion, Su
perinduced from the military preparations
within, that their presence had been dis
covered by the garrison. Another party
Of sayages had been ordered to take po-
sition in full view of the occupants of
the "station"-to display itself az a given
time and open fire, hoping TO entice the
garrison to an engagement outside of the
walls.
Unapprised of the presence of the lurk-
Ing Indian warriors, the fighting men of
the station" having completed their
Preparations for the intended march to
Hoy's Station, threw open the gates early
In the morning, when a sudden firing an
bounced the presence of an enemy, and
the gates were instantly closed. The yells
Of the Indians indicated that they were all
around the fort in formidable numbers.
Every effort was made to repel any attack
the Indians might make. The gates, the
bastions and the loopholes were manned.
and messengers were dispatched to other
stations" to communicate intelligence of
the siege and to procure assistance
The experienced pioneers felt satisfied
that powerful party was in ambush near
the spring, but they supposed that the
Indians would not unmask themselves I'M
I'll they became convinced that the garri-
son could not be enticed to make a sortie
from that side of the fort. McClung, in
bis Sketches of Pioneer Life" says:
"Acting upon this impression, and yield
Ing to the urgent necessity Of the case,
they summoned all the women, without
exception, and explaining to them the cir
cumstances in which they were placed
and the :mprobability that any injury
would be offered them-as the Indians in
ambush were not supposed to be yet ready
to reveal themselves-they urged them
to 90 in a body to the spring and each OF
them bring up bucketful Of water. Some
Of the women, as was natural, had no rel
ish for the undertaking, and asked why
the men could not bring the water as we'll
a themselves, observing that they were
not bullet-proof, and that the Indians
made no distinction between male and fe-
male scalps. To this it was answered
that women were in the habit of bringing
water every morning to the fort, and that
n the Indians saw them engaged as usual
II would induce them to think that their
ambuscade had not been discovered, and
Ak.x 4ha,y nf Aactx th.,, al,