Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1908-03-26
Charles L. shipIey in Book Of The Royal Blue
THE HEROISM OF ELIZABETH ZANE.

In the month Of September, lfol,
Fort Henry, now.-the site of the city
of Wheeling, West Virginia, was In
vested by a large force of Indians un'
der the leadership of the notorious
Simon Girty, the most famous or
rather Infamous renegade of that
period.
So suddenly was the attack made
that no time was afforded for prepare
ton. The fort at the time was COM
manded by Colonel silas Zane; and
Colonel Ebenezer Zane, the senior Of
fcer, was in block house fifty yards
distant from the fort.
Among the inmates OF the fort was
Captain Isaac Williams, one OF the
most celebrated pioneers of his day.
Along with him was his wife, who was
a Rebecca Martin from Maryland,
and whom Captain Williams had
rescued in a romantic manner while
fleeing for her life from the Indians
in a canoe on the Ohio river. She
was noted along the entire Ohio from
tier as being equally as brave and
fearless as her distinguished husband.
On the morning following the In
yestment a demand was made for the
surrender of the fort, and Colonel
Zane, smilingly turning to Mrs. Will
liams, asked her what reply he should
give. "Tell him." said Mrs. Will
Jams, "that we will defend it as long
as there is charge Of powder left.
This fearless answer was promptly de-
livered to the renegade and his dusky
followers.
A heavy FIRE was then opened upon
the post and the siege was pressed
with such vigor that in two days half
the garrison was killed and wounded
There wa. no surgeon in the post, but
Mrs. Williams did all she could for
the wounded and with such skill and
success that a doctor who arrived a
few days later declared that he HIM
,elf could not have done any better.
When not engaged in dressing the
wounds of the posts defenders, she
,iezed aifs and manned a loop-hole.
She was a splendid shot, and while
,ther women moulded bullets, she fir
ID them with such precision that four
If Girty's warriors were disabled be-
ore her post in less than an hour.
Despite, however, the herolsm OF
10Th men and women, the garrison
vas reduced to a dozen men, and to
omplets the desperate situation the
powder gave out. Fifty yards distant
vas the block house, and in it was
tored the only remaining keg of
powder. 1t could only be obtained
" passing the whole distance under
he fire of the enemy-a feat that
eemed altogether hopeless and GER
ain death to any one who would at
smpt it.
The commandant called for volun-
eers. The men were all silent. The
isk was a deadly one. After gazing
It ZACH other some time, each waiting
or some one else to speak, a young
nan stepped forward and said he
would undertake the perilous mis-
Iion.
Immediately a half dozen offered
heir services. While they were dis
outing about who should go, Elizabeth
Zane, sister of the Zanes, and just
'resh from boarding school in Phil
sdelphis, came forward and declared
she would go for the powder.
Her brother thought that she
would finch from the enterprise, but
be was mistaken. She had the in-
and fortitude characteristic
Of the daughters of pioneer days to
sustain her in this the heroic risk of
her life.
Her brother then tried to dissuads
her from the attempt, by saying that
a man would be more feet, conse-
luently would be in less risk of his
life.
She deftly replied that they had not
a man to lose from the defense Of the
fort, and if she should fall she would
be missed.
She then divested herself of such OF
her clothing as would impede her
speed. The gate was thrown open, and
Elizabeth bounded out at the top of
her speed and ran swiftly forward un-
til she reached the door Of the block
house.
Her brother hsstsned to open the
door to his intrepid sister.
The Indians when they saw her
bound forth did not fire a shot, but
called aloud in mazement, ga