Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1917-02-22

!ltNel OlDelltu WAS tollG OliSC
mentioned the room to her mistress,
asking why it was kept locked, but re-
ceived no satisfaction. After that she
speculated great deal about the room,
telling the field hands that she aspect
ed Missy Aborn had ha mt locked up
in dat room" The settlers, or, rather,
their wives, who knew of the closing
of this room pitied the poor woman,
whose husband had doubtless been tor
tured and burned at the stake by the
savages and would never return. They
assumed that she hoped her husband
would come back to her and she wish
ed him to find his room ready for his
occupation.
Two years passed, during which
Mrs. Aborn worked her farm as we'll
as she could. and her neighbors on their
return from their hunting expeditions
always supplied her with meat for the
coming winter and spring. But 1t was
a forlorn country in which to bring up
children, and she was often tempted
to remove to Indiana or Ohio, where
she would have facilities for giving
them an education Finally she resolv-
ed one autumn that if no tidings came
from her husband during the winter
she would sell her plantation and her
negroes. keeping her horses. and.
mounting her children and herself on
them. would go to some point on the
river bank opposite Ohio, cross the riv-
er and make home in one of the VII
lagos Of that state.
The winter passed without the return
of her husband or any news of him.
Friendly Indians came and went to and
from the settlement. and the widow
never failed to inquire If any Of them
had knowledge of a white man she de-
scribed to them. But none of them
could give her any news of him. In
the spring she began her preparations
for removal.
One night when she had put her chill
dren to bed she concluded to ride over
to the house of neighbor to whom she
hoped to sell her plantation. 1t was a
stormy night. but she was anxious to
get an offer for the property and was
not deferred by the weather. During
the evening band of friendly Indians
came into the settlement and We're soon
wandering about in search of what
they could steal. One of them appear
ed at the kitchen, where Martha, Mrs.
Aborn's maid of all work. was at work,
and, turning. she saw him standing in
the doorway. She was wiping a plate,
which she straightway dropped on the
floor, and it broke in pieces. The saw
age in cultural tone peculiar to the
Indian said:
ME want bed Me good Indian Me
no hurt anybody"
Martha got up enough courage to tel
the redskin that every room but one
was occupied by the children and that
by walking into the kitchen, taking
up tallow dip and proceeding to ex
anime the house. Seeing the children
sound asleep in their beds, he held the
candle over each one of them in turn
/ giving grunt of satisfaction at the
sight of their rosy faces Martha fol
lowed him at a distance, her complex
ion wearing tile sickly light yellow Of
a frightened negro. She saw him e
into her mistress bedroom, and wher
/ he came out he had key in his hand
Going to the empty chamber, he I'm
locked the door and said to the woman
ME sleep here. You no tell"
ITo accommodated hiS yx,or1e x,,;+I,
savage look that tied her tongue com
pletely. She wished to tell Of the In
dian who had gone into the only va
cant room, but did not dare. He woul,
surely know that she had told an
would tomahawk her. When her mis-
tless returned it was evident that til
negro had experienced a great scare
but, though Mrs. Aborn tried to Undue
her to tell what had frightened hel
her efforts resulted in failure. AS 500
as Mrs. Aborn had gone to her roo1
Martha Went out and reported the Ii
dams presence in the house. But sh
was either not believed or those sh
told, considering that the group o
red men who had come to the vilae
We're friendly did not think the ma
ter worthy of their attention, especia
ly as the Aborn house was closed fo
the night
Slumber finally reigned over the sci
Element. Martha slept in one of tn
negro cabins and early in the mornin
returned to the mothers abode. drea(
ing to find both her and her childre
murdered. Entering the kitchen, sh
went from there into the other Do
tions of the house, and, finding every
thing quiet, the older children aslee
in their beds and her mistress stun
boring with the smaller ones, she mad
up her mind that the savage was les
murderous than she had supposed hi1
to be and set about getting breakfast.
Presently she heard cry Terrific
lest the Indian, after all, was about t
tOmahaWk her mistress, she ran out {
the kitchen into a passageway. The1
she saw Mrs. AbOrn in the arms Of til