People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 March 1897 — Brave Children. [ARTICLE]

Brave Children.

The Denver Republican quotes an interesting story of childish heroism, related by Mr. Spearman, attorney for the department of justice at Washington. He has been taking testimony concerning some Indian depredation claims. In taking such testimony, he says, I frequently hear interesting stories concerning early frontier life. I remember one case in particular, one of the most remarkable exhibitions of courage in an eight-year-old boy that I have ever heard of. It occurred near the town of Beaver, in Utah. A ranch was attacked by Indians, and a man who was visiting the ranchman was killed, and for a while it seemed as if the whole party, wife and children, would fall a prey to the savages. The house was surrounded by the Indians, and the people within defended themselves as best they could; but the ranchman, watching his opportunity, lowered his little boy and his daughter, who was but twelve years of age, from the back window and told them to try and make their way to the canon and follow it down to Beaver, where they, could obtain help. The children succeeded in reaching the canon unobserved, and with presence of mlud and bravery which I think remarkable for a child of that age, the boy told his sister to follow one side of the canon and he would follow the other, so that in case the Indians should find one of them the other might not be observed. The children got safely to Beaver, where a party was organized which hastened to the rescue of the besieged. At tho beginning of the siege the Indians had heard the children in the house, and missing their vdlces, the alert savages discovered that they had gone and endeavored to overtake them; but being unsuccessful, and knowing that help would soon arrive, they withdrew before the res* cuers could reach the ranch. A day’s work has been steadily do* creasing for the last hundred year*, j