Willmar tribune., 1910-03-16
GRAND ROUNDS.
BY ROCKFORD KING.

OAAOh oAA ~ k"CulS u<lA USCu
collegian. explorer. prospector and
miner. He had taken all sorts of risks
and had not manifested the best Of
judgment. But who expects caution
and daring In the same man. especially
when passing out Of his teens into his
twenties? In one Of his explorations
into the outhwesternmost part Of the
North American continent in trying to
befriend the remnant Of tribe Of In
dians he had incurred their displeas
ure. He had picked up a valuable
mine In their country. which he de-
termined to work. Tarr was man
who when he set his heart on doing
a thing no one could frighten him
out of it. and he worked his mine,
though the whole tribe had sworn to
kill him. Then when he had proved
Its value he went north and married
wife.
Mrs. Tarr insisted on returning with
him. TO dissuade her he told her that
the danger was too great to be in
Cured by woman. He yielded and
took her with him.
Tarr's mine was encircled by
stockade provided with watchtowers
and properly loopholed. in each OF
which a sentry was kept day and
night. while the guard remained be-
low.
Mrs. Tarr was the only one In the
inclosure who was keenly alive to dan
ger. She soon noticed that the guard
had fallen into Incidence through in
action, and failure of their enemies
to show themselves had induced feel
ing of security. She pointed out these
things to her husband. but he was fas-
cinated with his mine, which was
showing remarkable results. and she
found it difficult to<secure his attention
long enough to produce any reforma-
ton. He assured her that the Indians,
who were degenerated from the valor
of their forefathers. would not think
of attacking white men provided with
modern arms and protected behind a
stockade.
But Mrs. Tarr was by no means sat
u
Ger of each and every day and night
and went grand rounds" frequently
The guard complained that a timid
woman should be in their midst who
interfered with a sentry taking cat
maps on post; that she was so fearful
Of the impotent threat Of race far
below the greasers as to worry herself
and all the rest into an abnormal con
dition of fear. Some of these remarks
she overheard. but they had no effect
to make her relax discipline.
One night sentry heard slight
stirring among the loose rocks sur
rounding the st0ckade-it was built f1
4 rocky canyon-but. concluding tha
the intruder was some animal. he paiC
no attention to it. Presently he smell
ed a singular odor. Then he became
drowsy. Other sentinels on his side o.
the stockade smelled the same odo1
and also fell asleep. They had not ex
perienced the odor before and pre-
sumed it to be from some shrub the,
- had never encountered.
Just before daylight Tarr. sleeping
soundly. was awakened by shot. IL
started up and put out his hand to as
sure himself that his wife was safe be
side him. She was not there. Spring
ing out of bed. he jumped into hi
boots and trousers. but had got on nei
ther when he heard a number of scat
tered reports. He rushed out to tinl
Indians jumping over one side OF tn
stockade and down into the inclosure
A few of the guard we're pointing thei
rifles to receive them. and the balanc
were snatching theirs. From one o
the towers came rapid fire, which di'
the principal damage that was don
the assailants.
1t was all over in few minutes
Not more than dozen Indians go
into the stockade. and they were sho
down at once. The guard mounted
the parapet to see black mass of In
dians ready to follow up the advan
tage that had been derived by thei
skirmishers. They were too late. Th'
whites poured volley into them. and
seeing the st0ckade manned. they dis
appeared in the gloom.
my wife: My wife! Where's m!
wife,"
The cry came from Tarr. The ques
ton was not answered. The frightened
husband sent men everywhere within
the limited Enclosure to seek her with
out avail.
my God. she has been carried off
There has been treachery. They came
to take her from me. knowing that i
would be worse revenge than III,
murder"
Here she is" shouted man wht
had climbed to a sentry box.
Tarr climbed the steps to see his wife
lying in dead faint. A few min
utes before she had gone the gran(
rounds to find three sentries on ont
side of the stockade asleep. smell O.
chloroform-the person who supplied
It and taught the Indians it's use wa:
never found-and from one Of tht
towers could distinguish Indian skir
mishers within hundred feet of th'
stockade. She fred signal shot
killed a number Of the first enemies t,
enter the fort and then when the fgh
was over collapsed.
It was plain that the life of ever.
man in the inclosure had been savet
by a woman. and that woman had beel
mathematical by every. member o
the guard. Had she not arrived OF
the scene in the very nick of time tn
advance of the Indians would hav
overpowered the guard and not
white person would have escaped
Mrs Tarr was nresentp6 hV those Sh