davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
Hunting the King Slayers

"Ah, then one so loyal, who has so long
proved himself faithful In the wilder
ness, will not turn from his doors the
agents of his anointed master" replied
the soldier ironically.
I'm short. Captain Heathcote, we are
on the kings business and must search
your refuge here for a traitor whom his
gracious majesty is desirous of hanging
as high as Haman, and who. we have
every reason to believe. has recently fed
In this direction.
Your well known loyalty to the House
of Stuart needs not the spur of this
parchment--but | show it to you neverthe-
less"
And the solder-leader displayed his
warrant, to which was affixed the broad
seal of England.
He was, in fact, on a search for the two
regicide judges who had escaped the ven
seance of the restored Charles and were
believed-and believed rightly-to be hid
ing in the backwoods of New England,
where, though hunted from place to place,
they found shelter and concealment
among the Puritan settlers.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
Hidden by n Rush

She had not proceeded far when sud
denly she turned and ran with all her
might for the gate which she had left
open and beyond which were her sleep
ing children.
She had seen the form of a man part
ly hidden by a bush and caught the
CLEAN of two wild eyes peering at her
the eyes of an Indian. Breathless at
the gate. she stopped and turned to
look back.
She heard the hoofs of her husband S
horse as he came trotting toward the
settlement. And he must pass that bush
where lurked the Indianl 1t was a
still night and the voice carried far.
AS Content approached the perilous
bush Ruth cried out: ride fast. Con-
tent; ride fast; pause not, ride fast, our
little Ruth is lying in an agony. Hur.
ry"
Startled by this ruse of his wife's.
Content came dashing past, the bush
and reached the gate in safely, where
Ruth told him of what she had seen
and why she had cried out
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
The Wrong Child

At first they were going to i'm
prison the Indian boy in the block
house but Ruth looked in his face and
saw that she could trust him.
She gathered the children in a room
in the attic of the dwelling house and
solemnly placed the boy In charge of
the little ones
When the savages had finally carried
the enclosure, and the garrison was
obliged to take the refuge In the block
house. the Indian lad and Ruth carried
the children to the last place of refuge.
Amid the fire and the shouts, the
sound of firearms and the dread war
whoop, in the excitement of the fierce
conflict. Ruth caught up a child,
which she supposed was her own baby,
and ran with 1t to the blockhouse.
She almost tainted when. upon ar
irving In the retreat. she found that
she had brought off the child of am
other woman of the settlement, leaving
her own child to the mercy of the saw
ages
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
Some Large Royal Families
FROM lie Cri de Paris.

From lie Crl de Hdr1S
Prince Louis of Bavaria, who succeeds
his father. the Prince Regent Luitpol1,
has three sons and seven daughters.
But he does not hold the record among
the sovereign houses for the largest fam
lily. Prince Robert of Parama. who died
five years ago, left by two marriages
q children. His eldest daughter was tha
first wife of Ferdinand of Bulgaria. ko-
dul Hamid is the father OF seven princes
and six princesses. Nicholas of Monte
regro has seven daughters and four sons.
Kaiser Wilhelm has six sons and one
daughter. George of England. has
four sons and one daughter. The cza-
of Russia four daughters and son. Tha
Count of Caserte, son OF King Ferdinand,
OF the two Sicilies, gave mis- naaae to
eleven children, every one of wnom. Sous
and daughters, were called Marie LIZ
Austria the Archduke Leopold Salvador
has five daughters and four sons; the
Archduke Francis Salvador, four sons and
four daughters.
Fortunately these large families have
not, as the rest of us, any anxiety about
the morrow. The 2l children of Robert OF
Parama have divided among them the
zoe million francs left by their ancestor.
and this will enable them to keep warm
through the winter.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16

from the st. Louis Republic.
Des Moines. lathe qualities of an
ideal college man, as Drake University
girli sum them up. were expressed at a
recent gathering Of the fair goods at the
Young Womens Christian Association.
1t was not Just a gossippy discussion.
but serious consideration of wnat
live, up-to-date, worthy. all-round young
fellow of 1913 should be-
After long and thoughtful considera-
tion and the elimination of many sugges-
tions. in which it was realized that the
task they had set themselves to was not
an easy one, and yet one which must be
faced squareIy. the girls arrived at the
following:
1. He must make good appearance.
but need not be handsome.
2. He must be careful In personal ap-
pearance, but not dandy"
3. He must be Jolly, accommodating.
considerate and a true sportsman
4. If an athlete and meeting other re-
uuirements, so much the better, but II
not athletic It need not detract
5. He must be a good conversational
ist and realize that girl is not flat
tered by having nonsense talked At her
all the time.
e. He must show respect and revsr-
encc to the aged.
Z. He must show the same gentleman
illness with men as with women.
8. He must not sit serenely in tho
street car while an old man or an old
woman sfands anu tfTcn srf4ase-stses eaei y
and offer a seat to a pretty girl.
8. He must not smoke or drink or be
guilty of the attendant evils. These were
most vigorously denounced.
1c. He must not sneer at religion or
joke lightly about it.
II. The young women recognize no diff
ference in standards for men and for
women and declare such distinction as
false.
u. The young women can only truly
respect those men who live by principle
and not by others opinions.
l3. The young women recognize the
young woman's Influence over the young
mans conduct, but do not hold the young
woman responsible for the young man 5
conduct.
H. The young women expect respect
for their opinions and respect for the
things which others esteem. and they
admire reverence for religion.
Is The women want the same digi5--J
and reserve in the men that the men
expect and ask for in them.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
As MysteriousIy as He Came

Heathcote looked at the dagger and
then intently at the worn, haggard face
of tho old man before him; a face in
which stern resolve sat upon gaunt fea-
lures and in which were eyes that shone
every now and then with the peculiar look
so often seen In the eyes of religious en-
thusiasts of the fiercer type.
Heathcote was silent. and at look from
him Ring and young Mark quilted tho
room. Then from the room they had Just
left they could hear. the voices of the two
old men engaged in low but earnest con-
versation. e-a
At length the voices ceased and Con-
tent ventured to knock at the door. He
was told to enter and found his father
sitting alone in the dark
The stranger guest had gone to the
stables unseen, saddled his horse and
departed, as mysteriously as he had
come
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
The "Driven Snow"

The skin was only visiable at the
hands and the neck. Its lustre having
been dimmed by exposure. a rich, rosy
tint had usurped the natural brightness
of a complexion that had once been fair
even to brilliancy.
The eyes were full. sweet and of a
blue which emulated the sky. The nose
was straight, delicate and slightly Gre
clan; the forehead fuller than properly
belongs to a Narragansett. but regular.
delicate and polished. Narra-M -Mattah,
they called her, the Driven Snow
Ruth looked upon the young woman
with strange. startled look. SIZE had
really never believed that her ba3y
Ruth was dead. never could reconcile
herself to believing that she had per-
ished in the destruction of the settle
ment on that former occasion when the
savages had attacked it.
Canonchet gradually awakened in the
mind of Nara Mattah recollections of
her childhood. She was his wife and
to all that he said she would reply that
the wigwam of Canonchet was warm
and that she was a queen among the
Nara gansetts.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
One Sheep Missing

f--he sun was sinking behind the great
pine which stood sentinel on west
ern hill and the cromwellian stood be-
side the gate leading to the pastures
watching the herds and nocks driven
home.
Young Mark was driving in the sheep.
IT was small flock and the quick eyes
ing-a1so the boy was late.
''You are late and you have lost
sheep" said the captain sternly. "Thy
mother will be grieved."
Young Mark began to explain that he
was late because he had searched every
where for the lost sheep-that it was
Old Straight-horn. one OF the best of
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
At Harvest Time

In the midst of the courtyard, on an
artificial mound, arose what might be
called the keep of this rude castle. 1t
was block-house with the lower story
of stone and the three upper stories of
wood, loopholed for musketry.
Far on every side stretched the
meadows, fields and woods of Wept
ton Wish. well stocked with sheep and
cattle and horses; we'll titled and bear
ing rich and heacy crops.
Yea. Mark Heathcote and his people
had. of a variety, made the wilderness
10 tioesom like the rose.
at was the time of harvest at Wept-
ton Wish. The low fields lying along
the river had already been denuded of
their crops and laborers were at work
upon the outfelds and in the woods.
An early frost had turned the naples
TO that profusion of colors which makes
the New England forest in the fall one
of the most gorgeously beautiful spec
tacles of nature.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
Their Refuge DESTROYED

The blockhouse was now stormed by
the Indians and at last set on fire.
That, too, was destroyed.
Day broke over a hill upon which
were only smoking ruins. among which
lay the bodies of the dead, Indian and
white man alike. The work of destruc-
tion had been complete; civilization had
been wiped from the vale of Wish-ton-
Wish.
Off on the borders of the forest
might be seen the last disappearing
stragglers of. the Indian band that had
wrought this ruin, departing to their
secure retreats in the wilderness.
solitary. dark. half naked form
moved slowly about amid the ruins of
the settlement 1t was the form of
the Indian lad who had so long lain
captive in Wish-ton- Wish.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
Past Times Recalled

All awaited with apprehension for the
decision of the chiefs who were in con-
sultation as to their fate. The decision
was evidently left to Canonchet. He sent
a messenger into the woods, evidently
upon some errand, and then stood before
the captives.
His speech to them recalled past
times. They heard and looked intently
at him. Canonchet. the chief sachem
of the Narragansetts, was the Indian
boy to whom Mark Heathcote had once
given shelter in the old settlement.
Hardly had they recovered from their
surprise when an Indian woman,
brought by the messenger whom Can
onchet had dispatched to the woods.
came upon the piazza.
The age of the woman was under
20. In form she rose above the usual
stature of an Indian maid. though the
proportions of her person were as light
and bouyant as at all comported with
the fullness that properly belonged to
her years.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
The Hidden Refuge

He had become separated from the
others in the fight and had managed to
escape into the forest, where he had
hid himself until the departure of the
other Indians-Indians who were not of
any tribe of his. but belonged to those
Pequots and Mohicans with whom his
tribe of Narragansetts had so long
been at war. Sorrowfully the youth
gazed upon the scene and then depart
ed
Soon after he had left the place of
desolation some of the fallen half
burned timbers of the blockhouse were
pushed aside. and a face, begrimed
and bloody, peered out.
In short. all the Inhabitants Of Wish
ton Wish had not been killed. only a
very small part of them. In the mid
die of the blockhouse was a dry well.
and when all seemed lost the women
and children had been lowered into
the WELL
The surviving men descended after
them, carefully covering the opening
with timber so as to prevent the burn
ing building from falling down upon
them, and there had lain hidden and
in safety while the savages completed
their work of destruction.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
Four Strange Visitors

The examination of the young Indian
scarcely ceased when one of the lookouts
at the stockade reported that four horse
men, clad in buff jerkins-military men
fully armed, apparently-were riding out
of the woods toward the inclosure.
Soon the tramp of horses was heard in
the inclosed courtyard and Captain Heath
cote went to meet his visitors.
The manner in which the strangers
managed their chargers. displayed their
weapons and wore their uniforms bespoke
them no ordinary colonial rangers. but
men accustomed to the habit and profess
sion of arms.
This. l presume. is Wish-ton-Wish
and you are Captain Heathcote?' said
the leader of the band with certain free
air which rather ranked in the breast OF
the stern Puritan. who replied,
by the favor of Providence call my
self the owner of this place Of refuge"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
Hunger No Crime

Ring, who with young Mark followed
the guest to assist him with his saddle
bags and to await any orders the captain
might give. saw wool upon the shaft of
the hunting knife and exclaimed: "Old
Straight-horn has run against something
sharper than hrler bush"
The captain saw the wool also and said
somewhat sternly: "Our serving man
would imply that your knife has tried its
edge upon missing wether of our flock"
Yes" replied the stranger. "is hunger
a crime? Mark Heathcote, do you recog-
nize thatp' and he took from beneath
his doublet another weapon, a short dag
ger with a curlously wrought hilt, and
threw it on the table beside the other
weapons.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
A Cnlnny Under Arms

The houses of Wish-ton-W Wish, the
main dwelling, the quarters for the
farm laborers, the storehouses, the sta
bles for the horses and the cattle, the
spinning and weaving house, the dairy
the sheepfold and the other many build
ings which were necessary for the oc-
cupaney of the little colony stood ar
ranged in a quadrangle upon the top
of the hill, leaving a large courtyard
in the center.
Where the buildings did not join to-
gether high barricades of rough logs
connected them-barricades through
which were gates to facilitate the
egress and ingress of the people.
At the main gate hung a huge conch
shell, the blowing of which called the
laborers In from the fields and woods
at mealtimes, sounded the alarm In case
of danger from lurking savages or an
nounced the arrival before the sylvan
citadel of some trader or traveller.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
Fashions Changed

Captain Heathcote said that his mouse
and all that was his were open to search
by the bearer of the royal warrant and
called Content to accompany the visitors
to every part of the settlement which
they might wish to see and to call all
whom they might wish to question.
Heathcote, continuing to use the ex-
aggerated scriptural language which the
Puritans SO much affected in ordinary
conversation. the captain of the little
band said:
IT is charity, sir, to let you know thar
fashions have changed at home; 1t is now
a twelvemonth since | have heard line
of the Psalms or verse of st. Paul
quoted in conversation"
'"The change in the fashion Of speech, !"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
Lord of Wish -Ton-Wish

lie had removed in his old age to the
Connecticut wilds and with his son,
content, and a considerable body of
dependents he had founded his little
settlement of wish ton WISH
He gave the place the name of the
first bird he had heard after he came
into the valley-the whip-poor-w will,
called by the Indians the wish-ton-
wish.
Before leaving Massachusetts, Con-
tent Heathcote had married Ruth
Harding of Boston, and now old Mark
saw in his grandson a young Mark of
Ia years and other grandchildren grow
ing up around him.
His wife, the mother of Content, had
long been dead. The fair young bride,
so many years his junior, whom ne
had taken soon after her marriage to
the new world, had died not long after
reaching the strange land, died in CIV
ing birth to Content
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
Ready for Battle

It was tall, gaunt old man who spoke,
that mysterious stranger whom we have
seen before coming and going In the val
ley of the Wish-ton- Wish--the regicide.
A glance from the windows of the
meeting house showed the savages al
ready appearing on the outskirts of the
forest. The men. owing to the exigencies
of the times. mad come to meeting armed
and had stacked their muskets at the en-
trance of the church.
Hastily they took their arms again and
sent the women and children to the block
house. which had been built on the hill
where formerly had stood the fortalice of
Mark Heathcote.
That patriarch now dwelt with his FAM
lily in a large mansion built little apart
from the village. and to the defense OF
that house party of the men hurried.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
The Captive Returns

The captain led his visitor into an
inner room and there held confidential
conversation with him.
While old Mark and his guest were
In conference the latch of the living
room was lifted and the Indian boy
entered.
AS they hurled at him questions as
to where he had been and how he had
gained entrance into the settlement the
stranger came out from his talk with
the captain and said that he had found
the boy waiting at the gate and had
taken him in with him, confident that
SO hospitable woman as Ruth would
not see youth "hungering AFT tho
gate"
Tho boy is no stranger to our fire.
side,' replied Ruth, and then told him
the story of the naughty young saw
age.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
Anart From Civilization

For over six months no strangers
sought the settlement of the Wish-ton-
Wish. The Indian boy was still retained
in captivity. but all efforts to make him
assume the garb of civilization were use
less, though, rs Eben Dudley said, ''The
Captain pinned Christian clothes upon
his back with prayer which should have
served to clothe a whole tribe"
Nor would he join in the sports of
the other children, but stood aside,
watching them with wearied curiosity
as they played.
Old Marks prayers and Ruth's tender
ness were alike unavailing to civilize
the naughty young savage. Often would
he stand at the barricades looking out
toward those forests where he first drew
breath and which contained all that was
most priced In the estimation of his
simple judgment.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
Awaiting Their Fate

The battle was not long, but the fight
ing was severe. When it was over the
Indians were in complete possession.
Many of the white men had fallen; but
the women and children had not been
massacred. the presence of three chiefs,
Canonchet. King Philip and Agawam,
serving to exert a restraining influence
upon the bloodthirstiness Of their follow
ers.
Upon the broad piazza of Mark Heath
cote's house were the old Cromwellian,
his son Content. and his grandson, young
Mark, and the regicide Submission"
All were bound, with the exception of
the elder Mark. whose limbs, enfeebled by
extreme age, the savages had not thought
1t worth while to confine. Ruth Heath
cote and young Marks wife, Martha,
were also there.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
The Captive

a lurking Indian meant danger. one
savage prowling about settlement
meant that he was scouting the way
Tor a war party of his tribe.
The garrison, If such 1t might be
called, of the little post was turned
out, and search of the neighborhood
resulted in the capture of an Indian
boy of some $ years. who bore himself
with all the dignity of a warrior
The boy was confined in one OF the
upper rooms of the blockhouse and
careful watch kept that night for
signs of other Indians.
But morning dawned without any
suspicious sounds having been heard
or suspicious signs seen in the woods
and fields over which the settlement
looked.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
The Storm Bursts

There had been for some davs signs
of indians in the neighboring forests
and the disappearance of the boy as
well as his return gave the garrison
cause for alarm.
He had evidently communicated with
some of the lurking foe while he had
been absent from the hunters but from
him they could get no word nor sign.
HIS very reticence seemed omnious.
The guards were doubled and every
thing put in readiness for stern de-
fense of the settlement.
Their fears were not groundless: that
night the war-whoop rang through the
valley of Wish-ton- n-Wish and the saw
ages stormed the fort.
The stranger-whom Mark Heathcote
had addressed by the name of Sub
mission'-fought sturdily with the set
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
The Wept of Wish-ton-Wish ssssss
BY
JAS. FENIMORE COOPER

York, melt beneath the encroachments
of the white man.
And from Mt. Hope King Philip, or
Metacomet. the i1lustrious chief of the
wampanoags. looked down upon land
which was passing from the control of
the Indians.
What followed is a matter of history
the great and last uprising OF the
Indians of New England in what is
known as King Philips War.
II was a struggle of life and death
between the races and the end was in
evitable. though. for time. the out
come seemed to hang in the balance.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
Search Fruitless

They searched high and low, but found
not the man for whom they sought-nor
got any information concerning him.
AS they entered the blockhouse the
leader of the soldiers suddenly turned to
Content. who accompanied him. and
asked: Are you trying to conceal any
thing from me7"
II do not know what or whom you seek;
how can SI?'' replied Content.
"That old fellow below there knows,
though" replied the leader with shrug
of his shoulders.
The military searcher required to know
why the young Indian was detained there,
but was satisfied with the explanation.
For three days the soldiers fingered at
Wish-ton-Wish and then rode away
further into the backwoods. M
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
\ CL LASSIC
IN A P A G E

the flock, and that he could neither
find the sheep nor any indication of any
wild animal having been about which
might have carried 1t off.
halfwitted serving lad. whittaF
Ring, came up with his herd of clots
and was twisting something about his
niger.
re is the wool from the thigh of
Old stIaight-horn" said Whittal; "I
Know his wool found 1t upon
thorn bush. Queer fruit this. master"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
Silent TO All Ouestions

Early in the morning the lad was
brought before Capt. Heathcote. who
attempted to examine him as to the
cause of his lurking in the vicinity of
the settlement.
But the boy haughtily held his peace,
answering their interrogatories neither
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16


by word nor gesture, though they tried
him in several Indian dialects and by
signs.
Eben Dudley. one OF the captains
right-hand men, declared that the boy
was Narragansett; he knew this by
tho fact that he had seashells worked
into the ornamentation of his mocca-
sins.
II have been among the Indians of
the Providence Plantations" said Dud-
ley. who affected a greater knowledge
of Indians than he actually possessed,
'and will try him in their language
Thereupon he uttered certain uncouth
and guttera1 sounds which, nothwith-
standing they failed to elicit any re-
sponse from the Indian boy, he de-
clared to be the real Narragansett
tongue