Year: 1860

On the llIinOlS river, Two nunufeu HlleS
from its junction with the Mississippi, there
lived in 1872 an old pioneer known in
those days as sold Parker, the squatter." +"
His family consisted of a wife and three
children, the oldest boy of nineteen, a
girl of seventeen, and the youngest boy
of fourteen. At the time of which we
write, Parker and his Oldest boy had gone
in company with three indians on hunt
expecting to be gone some Ave or six days.
The third day after their departure, one
of the Indians returned to Parker's house,
came in and sat himself down by the fire,
lit his pipe and commenced smoking in ST.
lence. Mrs Parker thought nothing of
this, as it was no uncommon thing for one
or more of party of Indians to return ab-
ruptly from hunt, at some sign they
might consider as ominous of bad luck, and
in such instances are not very communi-
cative But at last be broke the silence
with "ugh, old Parker die This excla-
nation imme liately drew Mrs, Parker's
attention, who directly inquired Of the In
dian, ''Wh hats the matter with Parker?-
The Indian responded Parker, sick, tree
fell on him, you go, he die" The replies
of the Indian somewhat reused her suspic-
ions. She, however, came to the conclusion
to send her son with the Indian to see
what was The matter. The boy and the
Indian started. That night passed, and
the next day too, and neither the boy nor
Indian returned. This confirmed Mrs Par
ker in her opinion that there vas foul play
on the part of the Indians. So she and
her daughter went to work and barricaded
the door and windows in the best way they
could The youngest boys rife was the
only one left, he not having taken it with
HIM when he went to hunt after his father
The old lady took the rifle, the daughter
the axe, and thus armed they determined
to watch thro' the night and defend them
selves if necessary. They had not long
to wait after nig ht-fall, for shortly after
that some one commenced kicking at the
door, crying ''mother mother! !" but Mrs.
Parker thought the voice did not sound
exactly like that of her son-in order to
ascertain the fact she asked him where the
Indians were. The reply, which was ''um
gone, % satisfied her on that point. She
then said, as if speaking to her son, s'Put
your ear to the latch-hole of the door, I
want to tell you something before I open
the door. The head was placed at the
lach-hole, and the old lady fired throughthe
spot, killing an Indian. She stepped back
from the door instantly, and it was well that
she did so, for quickly two rife bullets
came crashing through it. Soon after this
two more rife bullets came crushing
through the window. A death like still
ness ensued for about FIVE minutes, when
twomore balls in quick succession were fred
through the door, then followed tremen-
dous punching with a log, the door gave
way, and with a fendish yell n
Indian was about to spring in, when
the unerring rife fired by the lady stretch
ed his lifeless body across tie threshold of
the door. The remaining, or more proper
ly the surviving Indians, fred at random
and ran doing no injury. The mother and
daughter with the rife and axe, then went
to the river, took the canoe, and in six
days arrived among the old French settlers
at St. Louis. A party of about a dozen
men crossed over into nlinois-and after
vain search returned without finding
either Parker or the boys. They were
never found. There are yet some of the
old settlers in the neig borhood of Peoria
who still point out the spot where "old
Parker the squatter' lived.-Sketches Of
Frontier Life


MOvENrS7 Tba