Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-12-30
DAILY SHORT STORY
Chased by Danites.


and unloaded and was about to depart
again met with disaster. AS the mules
were being driven in thunderstorm
broke and stampeded the herd. a par
| ty of us were out looking for them
when we came to pass about 200 feet
wide Suddenly the mules came down
as if running for their lives, and on
| the back of one, riding man fashion
| and holding her rifle in her right hand
and clinging with her left to neck
strap made from the skirt of her dress,
was young woman-Mary Johnson.
! We drew aside to let the herd pass,
and but for her exclamation as she flew
by we should have been dumfounded
by the queer sight
"Danites! Indians, Look OUT" she
shouted And we turned our heads up
the trail just as body of horsemen
came into view.
a quarter of u mile in the rear of us
the pass narrowed suddenly TO twenty
feet. and we fell back without delay
and dismounted. The other party had
halted at sight of us instead of charg-
ing, and before they advanced we were
pretty we'll fixed TO hold the pass.
There were a score of stunted trees
growing on the rocky sides, and these
were uproOted and thrown down, and
every rock which could be moved was
tumbled into the pass. In ten minutes
we had it blocked. The girl came up
from our rear just as one of the Dan
ties advanced with flag of truce.
She gave us her story in IL few brief
words and then crouched down behind
the breastwOrk TO help us defend it.
/ The messenger claimed her as his law
full wife. He was very gentle in his
| speech at first, but after finding that
we would not give the woman up he
declared that his force numbered
| twelve Indians and six white men and
that none of us need hope to escape
death. What he said about numbers
was true, as the pursuing white party
had come across a band of Indian hunt
erS and enlisted their services. We
knew what to make ready for when the
! flag of truce man departed.
The entire force charged us on foot.
Every man of us had pair of Colts
six shooters besides his rifle. We placed
the rifles within reach of the girl and
used only our revOlverS. She fired the
| first shot from her own weapon, and
| her bullet killed Il white man so stone
dead that he never moved foot after
falling. An l. dian was also killed by
one of us, and those were the only
dead, but several Of them must have
| been wounded in the fuSillade. They
stopped and broke before reaching the
| breaStwork.
The next move of the enemy was an
attempt to stampede their horses over
us and to follow at their heels and take
advantage of our bewilderment. We
presently suspected what they were up
to and gathered quantity of dry
| leaves and brush. To brighten their
horses and give them a rush they fired
their guns and uttered dreadful yellS.
At the first alarm we set the leaves
ablaze, and as the horses saw the wall
of fire they stopped short. We poured
our bullets into them as fast as possible
as they huddled together not over fifty
feet away, and l do not believe that
over three of the animals got away I'M
hurt 1t went against the grain to do it,
but it proved to be the turning point in
the fight if not our salvation.
| Some of the Indians We're in our rear,
! but without our suspecting it, The
| Danites had probably promised them a
| few pounds of powder or an old rifle to
help recapture the girl, but they had
not counted on any one being killed or
wounded or losing his pony. The red
| skins at once drew out of the fight, and
there was nothing for the DANTE party
to do but haul Off One white man had
been killed and three wounded. Two
| Indians had been killed and four
wounded. These figures l got from an
Indian a year later.
After an hour had passed without
any movement on the part of the enc
my one of our party went forward to
reconnoiter and found the fellows had
retreated. There were seven dead
horses in the pass. 1t was not until
we had left the pass, secured our mules
and gone into camp for the night that
we knew the name of the young wom-
an who had gallOped into our hands.
She had made fair progress on her
way through the pass. but as she was
| on foot and her purSuerS were on horse
back they rapidly Overhauled her. She
had come upon our fugitive mules as
they were feeding. and as they had
| had their run she had no difficulty in
approaching them. She reasoned that
they belonged to camp near by and
| had just mounted one when she heard
the yells Of the Danites half a mile
away.
The girl was quiet and gentle spoken.
and to see her blushing under our gaze
and twisting her fingers about each
other as she told her story you couldn't
give her credit for the pluck she had
displayed She was far more con-
cerned about her fathers future than
her own. and soon after our return to
the fort we began a movement to get
information of him. Upon the return
of the pursuing and defeated party he
was taken to Salt Lake City as a pris-