harmon's journal. 



103 



end to her life, which he, of course, refused to do. 

 Then said she, 4 1 will do the business myself, for 

 I am resolved that I will live with my husband no 

 longer.' We did not believe, however, that she 

 would execute this determination. — Soon after, she 

 went into the woods, a short distance, and laid 

 down her load of the few things which she had 

 upon her back, and struck and kindled up a fire, in- 

 to which she threw the most of her property. 

 When it was nearly consumed, she took a little 

 bag of powder and put it into her bosom, and then 

 set fire to it. The explosion burned a great part 

 of the hair from her head, injured her face very 

 much, and rendered her perfectly blind. She now 

 commenced running about, in order if possible, to 

 catch her dogs, which she was resolved next to 

 burn. When we heard her calling out for them, 

 we went out to see what she was (Jbing; for at 

 this time, we knew nothing of what had taken 

 place. — The spectacle was truly shocking! She 

 was so disfigured, as scarcely to appear like a hu- 

 man being. We brought her into the fort, where 

 she remained very quiet, until we were all in bed 

 and asleep, when she got up, and went again into 

 the woods. There she tied a cord about her neck, 

 and then fastened it to the limb of a tree. But 

 on throwing herself off, the branch broke, and she 

 fell into the snow, where she remained until morn- 



