Courier Democrat., 1904-09-01
n WOMAN
or BATTLE

GO0US anu OGLOCe tue power Oh l0e reO
man was broken, nine Of US troopers
Of the Fourth cavalry. under command
Of a sergeant, were ordered out to es-
cort the colonel's wife from Fort Hill
to Lawrenceburg, that she might take
the stage there for visit to her home
in the east. There was truce just
then between white and red, though
liable to be broken by the latter with.
out notice and at any moment.
During the long days ride, the lady
being in an ambulance, we knew that
We were being followed by Indians.
but they did not seek to overhaul US.
At about sundown we went into camp
ON wooded hill, with the ground pref
ty thickly strewn with powders of oil
sizes. We got the horses and mules up
there, but the vehicle was left down
on the plain. It was cone shaped hill
amid half dozen such. but it COM
manded the others. 1t was covered
with pines and cedars of small growth,
and there was splendid spring right
on the crest.
Darkness found us occupying circle
about forty feet across. With stones and
powders and logs for shelter. We felt
that we We're safe from attack that
night, but what would happen on the
morrow was matter for grave consid-
Grafton. 1t was more than likely that
a couple of hundred Indians would be
brought up and take positions during
the night.
None of us except the woman slept
an hour all night long. We used le-
vers to loosen other powders and roll
them into the circle. and with our
knives and hatchets we cut off limbs
and cut down small trees and used
them for chinking. We got the ami
mails into u sort of gully below US
and made their position as safe as pos
sible. and when daylight came there
was nothing more to be done. We had
above GOO rounds Of ammunition and
could reckon on it lasting us ut least
three days, and we had food for the
same time and an unlimited supply Of
! water.
Daybreak found us ready for an at
tack. The colonel's wife took her place
between two men, rife in hand, and
for half an hour we expected sudden
| rush. At the end of that time single
warrior appeared to view and in bro
ken English demanded our surrender.
The sergeant answered def1antly, and
three minutes later there was an un-
broken circle Of fire about us. Indians
had mounted into the trees to the
right and left of US to get plunging
| fire, and from the crests Of the lower
hills they poured in their bullets at
| random.
firing. Not man Of US had been
touched. but stray bullets had killed
one Of the mules and wounded two
horses. We looked for q rush now,
and as we made ready for it the colo
nel's wife quietly sank down beside
me and said:
'I've tumbled over sage hens and
jack rabbits, and ought to be able to
hit an Indian. Do look frightened?"
"You are as white as a ghost,
ma'am," replied as turned to her.
"But am all right" she smilingly
said, "and here they Gomez
So they did. With every painted
warrior yelling at the top Of his voice
the entire band charged us at once,
taking in the whole circle. 1t was not
until they got close up that we could
see anything to shoot at, and every
few seconds the sergeant cried out to
us to hold our fire. 1t was over in five
minutes. They had not expected to
find us SO strongly intrenched, and we
knocked them over like ninepins.
believe we killed or wounded full
score, and it took the fight out of them
SO thoroughly that not rife was fred
again until afternoon. In this charge
| was sure that the colonel's wife killed
one warrior and wounded another.
Soon after o'clock, and without the
slightest warning, we We're charged
again, and for ten minutes it was q
wild melee We fred into their very
faces as they sprang upon the rocks.
and of four warriors shot down out
side the breastworks we had to give
the colonel's wife credit for three. Even
when the fight was at its widest was
watching her, but with her Winchester
at her eye she was taking aim and
pulling trigger like veteran Of half
a dozen battles. Her face was as
white as that Of dead woman, but
I do not believe she felt the least fear.
| It was the red mems supreme and
final effort, and it was we'll for US that
it was SO. When we had beaten them
of the sergeant and another lay dead,
four men were badly wounded. and
they had cut our animals out of the
gulch and run them OF. Had the at
tack been renewed the savages would
have gained a victory in no time.
It was when we knew that the In
dams were drawing OF that the brave
little woman, who had certainly done
her share Of the fighting, suddenly
burst into tears and tainted away. and
It was a quarter Of an hour before we
knew that 1t was Mysteries, instead OF
a wound. She rallied after awhile,
/ S,o..,o~,o. ond ~ voe hop hands that