Year: 1879

his arms broken that the furious savage
was able TO strike him fatal blow. Final
ly blow upon the head felled him to the
floor, and while he lay dying the Indian
tore the scalp from his skull.
The children were almost frantic while
this bloody scene was enacted, and kept
running to and fro in their fright, conscious
OF the fate that impended over them.
Some oak and hickory boughs had been
placed in the great chimney few days be-
fore, and although they were already wilted
and nearly dry, Archie Mccullough sue
ceeded in concealiug himself behind them.
The two Ruths huddled together in a cor
ner and vainly hoped to escape the fury OF
the savage


''Now, little pale faces" the monster
exclaimed, when the master lay scalped
and dead on the floor. " the Indian will see
that You tell no tales out of school, as the
white man say


The little ones were then killed one by
one, each being dispatched with a single
blow of the tomahawk. When all lay dead
or dying, their scalps were torn off by the
savage monster, who went hastily from one
TO the other fearing discovery before his
bloody task was ended


Ali this time Archie Mccullough sat
behind the wilted boughs in the chimney,
looking in childish wonder at the horrible
slaughter of his old schoOl-mates Think
ing his work was finished the Indian turned
TO go, and in moment the child would
have been safe from the fate that befel his
companions. Unfortunately for Archie
the hpnHhS h.hipH r,-li.h ha
did not entirely conceal him, and as the
savage gave last glance at his bloody
achievement he perceived the boy concealed
in the chimney corner. Ii would not do to
allow the only witness of his crimes to
escape, and with maddened fury the savage
rushed upon the child


"Oh, please, don't hurt me-" Archie
implored, but the savage was relentless.


\ fearful blow laid the child prostrate
and tearing off his scalp also, the Indian
left him to die among his dead companions


The savages departed from the scene of
the massacre, and for hours Archie McCul-
Tough was left with only the companionship
of the dead


Scalped and stunned the child survived,
but was stone blind.


\ settler happening to come near the
SchoOlroOm about noon, and observing the
unusual quiet at time when it was to be
expected the children would be at play,
was led to look in at the doer.
The scene that met his gaze battles de-
scription.


Ten lifeleSs bodies lay stretched upon the
floor.


Archie Mccullough, moaning and crying.
was crawling about among his dead COM
panions, running his fingers through their
hair, and smoothing his hands over their
faces as if seeking TO distinguish them by
the touch. The man looked IN grief and
wonder upon the death scene which met his
eyes, and while he looked the child touched
in succession the forms of the two girls.


1.-The two Ruths,n he exclaimed, crying
with grief and moaning with pam.


The children were taken up and buried
in the same grave with Master Brown, and
the whole neighborhood participated in
their obseQuies. There was vacant place
at ten hearthstones. for each of the mUr-
dered scholars belonged to different fami-
lies. Although more than hundred years
have elapsed since the massacre, the story
is told in the neighborhOOd of what is
known as Browns SchOOl-house 10 this
day, as the most noteworthy tradition of
the locality, and it certainly is one of the
most terrible episodes Of Indian marauding
on the early frontier.


Archie Mccullough lived to be an old
man, but his sight never returned, and the
bright intelligence of his childhood had
departed forever. \ mumbling imbecile he
would often try to decribe the terrible scene
which had crazed his brain, and to the last
day of his life he would moan and cry over
the fate of 1.-the two Ruths"