The daily Alaskan., 1905-06-07
IA RISE ID SHV THE FIIRT.
Iolanall

You want Co hear how Fort N. was saved from massacre by Indians dO you3 Well, I can tell you since l was there.
 Fort \. was a blockhouse, a store and few dwellings The Apaches came down So suddenly that we had no time io prepare. We divided between the blockhouse and the store. There were scveral thousand dollars worth of goods, including provisions, in the store, besides ammunition, which it wasn't advisable to let the Indians have. The building stood about 200 yOrls from the blockhcuse, and path had been wOrn between the two. was in the blockhousc with the eight men and the women and children. Thcre were seven men in the store. This comprised all the people In the place The division of rorCe was all right. but the division or ammunition was an wrong. That In the fort had been suffered to run low. There was plenty in the stoUe, but no time 10 move it You sec, a man came gaIoping In to give warning, and ten minutes later down came the Indians.
 It was about noon when the attack began, and by q o'clock there wasn't a pound of powder left to us In the block house. We had kept up our spirits till We learned Of the deficiency, several of the women doing good service at the loopholss and altogether making it 30 hot for the rcd devils that they didn' 't dare make a rush across the open. But when the ammunition gave out We were seized with a sudden fright lll admit that my mind got on the butch cry of the women and children that was sure to come, and couldn't get it on. There was but one thing to do some one must make run for the store and a run back with ammunition. | or course there wasn't one chance in ten Of his getting through either way, but be might make the out trip even n hc had to drag himself In with bullet holes in him and tell them what we needed. Signal2 Great Scott, Don't you sup pose the Indians would understand a signaly And when they did that would be the end of us.
 Well. We had two brothers In the place. the GOrdons, They kept the store. Jim Gordon was with us In the blockhouse with the Gordon women and children, and John was at Che store John was the husband and fa- ther. Jim was a bachelor. John in- trusted Jim with his family while he looked oftcr the property. Jim Gordon was perfect deer at running and had practiCed a Eigzag motion on pur- pose Co dodge Indians and their fire. He volunteered Co try a run for the store. He started just at dark, when a mist was rising from the ground, There was rainfall of lead poured at him. but be had made half the distance bc. fore he fell The darkness came on. and We knew for certain the Indians would steal up and get poor Jim.
 During the night we were at thc mercy of the redskins f they bad only known it. I made up my mind Co try a skulk through Co the store, for we felt sure the attack would hc rcn ". cd at daylight Soon after midnight | crawled out and got over some twenty yards when ! saw the dark forms of Indians keeping watch between the two wings Of our little army. crcpi to the left Co CirCumvCnt them and had made a considerable distance when down in a depression In the ground a party of them suddenly lighted a fire, snd near by, bound to tree, | saw poor Jim Gordon. He wasn't dead, but was as white as a corpse. The Indians blocked the way I was going, so | turn ed but found them everywhere. and finally. coming to a clump of thick bushes, | lay concealed. There wasn't much chance of my getting through, and | confess the sight Of Jim Gordon rather took the starch out Of me.
 | lay hidden tin daylight, and the h. dians then began to make preparations for rush. It was plain they were go ing to attack the blOckhouse, possibly because they had divined from Jim Gordon's attempt that the garrison was in need of something. Just as they were about to start a figure came from the store and walked very slowly to- ward the Indians, who were mostly located near the tree to which Jim Gordon was secured. One or two shots were fired at the figure without ap- parent effect. The chief then stopped any more shooting. Perhaps he thought a messenger was coming Co bring a sur render. I was wondering at the slow. chostlille movement of the advancing figure when I noticed a commotion among the Indians Several or them ran and looked at Jim Gordon, then ran back to stare at the igure, which | could now see was white as ashes In the face. Then one after another the Indians started back. apparently ter. TOT stricken. and by the time the spec tral figure had come near enough for me to distinguish who it was nearly an of them had fed.
 You may be sure I wondered what lt was that made them get away SO fast At Indian isn't such fool as to be q. ,.,.v. s.f.wfusas lrfts.a4H