Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/297

 HISTORY or EICHLAND COUNTY.

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��Mr. Copiis sprang from his bed. seized his gun and rushed to the door. Just as he opened it, Oeorge Dye sprang through, and a volley of rifle balls came with him. One of these balls gave 3Ir. Copus a mortal wound, passing through his breast. ^Ir. Copus had raised his rifle, and, just as he was wounded, fired at an Indian but a few feet away, who fell. The ball that caused ^Ir. Copus' death passed through the strap that supported his powder-horn. This horn is yet in possession of the family ; it is a large, hand- some one. and a rare relic. iNIr. Copus fell and was conveyed to his bed, where he Ijreathed his last in about an hour, while encouraging the soldiers to fight the enemy, and, if possible, save his tamily. On the east of the cabin extended a range of hills several hundred feet high, covered with timber and huge rocks, which furnished an excellent cover for the enemy, and gave them a position from which they could fire down upon the cabin ; they were not long in seeking this coAer, and, from their secure hiding- places. p)ured down ui)on the caliin a perfect storm of leaden hail. The door and roof were soon riddled with bullets. The soldiers tore up the puncheons of the floor, and placed them against the door to prevent the balls from penetrating to the interior of the cabin. Nancy Copus, a little girl, was wounded in the knee by a 1)all that passed through the door. One of the soldiers, George Launtz, had his arm l)roken ])y a ball while up-stairs remov- ing the chinking, in ord(?r to get a •• crack " at an Indian. He soon caught sight of an Indian peering from behind a medium-sized oak that stood on the side of the hill about a hundred yards away, and, taking deliberate aim, shot the savage, who Ijounded into the air and rolled to the foot of the hill into the trail.

The firing became incessant on l)oth sides ; wherever the soldiers could make or find a place to fire through they returned the Indian fire with precision and eftect. One savage fell mor- tall}- wounded directly in front of the cabin,

��early in the engagement, whether from the ball from the rifle of 3Ir. Copus is not known. During the battle he was endea^'oring to crawl toward the trail, and, although moaning and evidently dying, he attempted several times to elevate his rifle in order to discharge it upon the cal)in, but his strength failed him. A soldier, seeing him attempting to shoot, sent a friendly bullet to ease him of his earthly cares and anxieties. He was shot through the head.

The l)attle lasted from daylireak until about or 10 o'clock, when the savages, finding they could accomplish nothing more, raised the retreating yell, gathered up their dead and wounded (one account says nine in number) and left ; first firing upon a flock of sheep, which, during that eventful morning, had huddled together upon the brow of the hill, looking down in strange bewilderment .upon this scene of bloodshed. The poor aflfrighted animals tumbled down the hill, one after another, until thej lay in a heap at the bottom.

As soon as the Indians disappeared, one of the soldiers crawled out through the roof of the cabin, and made all possible haste to the block- house at Beam's for assistance. The day l:)efore. Capt. Martin had agreed to call at the Copus cal)in the same evening^with a number of sol- diers and remain all night. But he and his soldiers, having been scouting all day and finding no signs of Indians, concluded that all apprehensions of danger were frivolous, there- fore neglected to appear as agreed. He encamped above, on the Black Fork, and, on the morning of the disaster, moved leisurel}' down the trail from the direction of KuflTner's, reaching the scene of the fight too late to aid in the fear- ful struggle. On approaching the caliin, he and his soldiers were awe-stricken on beholding the work of death around them. They attended at once to the wounded, and the grief-stricken family of 3Ir. Copus, Avho were weeping OAcr the murdered husljand and father. Search was made for the Indians, but, from the trail through

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