150 The Winning of the West 



The two cabins stood side by side, the chinks be 

 tween the logs allowing those in one to see what was 

 happening in the other. One June evening, in 

 1785, both families were at supper. Thomas was 

 away. His wife and four children were sitting at 

 the table when a huge savage slipped in through the 

 open door. Edward in the adjoining cabin, saw 

 him enter, and seized his rifle. The Indian fired at 

 him through a chink in the wall, but missed him, 

 and, being afraid to retreat through the door, which 

 would have brought him within range of Edward's 

 rifle, he seized an axe and began to chop out an 

 opening in the rear wall. Another Indian made a 

 dash for the door, but was shot down by Edward; 

 however, he managed to get over the fence and out 

 of range. Meanwhile the mother and her four chil 

 dren remained paralyzed with fear until the Indian 

 inside the room had cut a hole through the wall. 

 He then turned, brained one of the children with his 

 tomahawk, threw the body out into the yard through 

 the opening, and motioned to her to follow it. In 

 mortal fear she obeyed, stepping out over the body 

 of one of her children, with two others screaming 

 beside her, and her baby in her arms. Once outside 

 he scalped the murdered boy and set fire to the 

 house, and then drove the woman and the remaining 

 children to a knoll where the wounded Indian lay 

 with the others around him. The Indians hoped 

 the flames would destroy both cabins; but Edward 

 Cunningham and his son went into their loft, and 

 threw off the boards of the roof as they kindled, 



