The daily Alaskan., 1904-07-11
MENTIONED
 IN ORDERS
torIginaLl

other. He was a half breed, who had
 come to the post with information that
 the Indians were preparing to rise
 and since his information had proved
 -srrect he was trusted implicitly. The
 Indians not only rose, but soon after
 left the reservation an4SJid siege to
 the fort. It was but two company
 post, incapable of long defense
 against the thousand Indians who en'
 camped around 1t, and unless succor
 arrived in time 1t would be taken and
 the garrison massacred.
 There was one person in the fort
 who mistrusted Joe, and that was Lu-
 cia, daughter of the cOmmandant,
 Major McGregor. She often caught
 Joe casting longing eyes upon her, and
 somehow she did not quite like their
 expression. She warned her father to
 look out for the half breed, but as she
 gave no reason and Joe had given in-
 formation of the rising the major de-
 clined to be influenced.
 One evening Joe appeared hurriedly
 before Lucia and told her that her fa- ther had sent him for her. She follow ed him, and he led her to an angle of the fort, where he rolled away barrel, disclosing a small aperture. Before the girl could gather his intent he had seized her and forced her into sort of casemate that opened into the pow der magazine. This done he pulled the barrel back where he had found 1t. Lucia would not have known she was in the magazine had not a lighted Ian tern been left there on shelf some distance from the powder to enable those coming for ammunition to see. But Joe left her no time to consider Removing barrel of powder, he ex- posed a second aperture. Then after binding a handkerchief which he had brought for the purpose over her mouth he pulled her through, and they were outside the fort.
 Had Lucia not been horror stricken at her situation she would have now realized Joe's real intention in going to the fort with the information that the Indians were about to attack 1t. While 1t would warn the garrison, 1t would enable him to win the white mems confidence, look about him and possibly find a weak spot through which he might introduce the savagcs. Joe had during dark nights dug hole in the earth into the casem0tc connect ing with the powder magazine anl an- other hole outside. He cou'l lead an attacking force at night, a part of whom could engage the garrison, while another part might steal into the pow, der magazine In truth, one mau en- tering there would hold the garrison at his mercy. The wOndey was that Joe had not put time fuse there and Blown the fort to atoms. He had been seized with a desire to possess the ma ior's daughter, and this led to his ulti i mate plan.
 Joe hurried his victim along, she meanwhile, if not recovering from her fright, at least realizing that she must make some move, Invent some strata gem, before 1t was too late or she was lost. The only thing that occurred to her was to preterd to faint She sanE down with a groan Joe immediately picked her up and carried her on. But the night was dark, and Joe was in very much of a hurry. The cOnse- | quence was that, stepping into a hole he did not see, he fell with his burden. Lucia took advantage of the accident to get up and run like deer toward the fort. Joe could have easily caught her but for two reasOns-irst, he had hurt a leg: second, Lucia ran more than he dared run, risking a fall at every step. She longed to cry out, but dared not lose a second in re- moving the handkerchief that gagged her. She reached the fort and entered the hole not ten seconds before Joe pushed his larger body more slowly 1t. When he got Inside he saw Lucia standing beside one of the barrels of powder, the head of which had been removed, holding the lamp of the lantern over the powder.
 Stop or l drop the light"
 The man saw desperation in her eyes and halted.
 "Come away" he said. You will kill yourself as well as me"
 Her only reply was to move the light, holding 1t within few inches of the powder, and give a piercing shriek.
 A sentry walking past in front of the door heard the cry. At an other time he would have called the corporal of the guard, who would have reported the matter, and the author lzed person would have come with the key and opened the door, but for sey- eral days constant access to the am intuition had been necessary and the door left unlocked. The sentry brought his piece to a level and flung open the door. There stood the colonels daugh- ter, white as q ghost, holding a lamp over a powder barrel. Joe was glanc' ing at her, trembling from head to loot
 "Take him." said Lucia,
 The sentry brought his piece to his and, looking along its muzzle, gave the order Hands up" Then Joe vas marched away to the guardhouse.
 There were both consternation and relief when it was known that Joe had so nearly succeeded in not only getting away with the coloners daughter, but had very nearly led the Indians into the magazine. In tbe morning the Iu- Lians saw Joe's body hanging to an C9nan Fbor7