 The Cavalcade of America starring Ann Baxter. The DuPont Company brings you Frontier Widow starring Ann Baxter on The Cavalcade of America. First here is Game Whitman. Good evening. The most dangerous place in America is the home. And one of the most dangerous things in any home is a small rug on a slippery floor. Skid-proof your rugs with DuPont rug anchor. A synthetic rubber, non-skid underlay for rugs, dust-proof, waterproof, and moth-proof. Rug anchor is one of the DuPont Company's better things for better living, through chemistry. Frontier Widow starring Ann Baxter as Ann Robertson-Johnston on The Cavalcade of America. It's you, John. Yeah. How long you been on watch up there, Lam? Couple of hours, John. Ain't you making the inspection round a bit early tonight? Maybe. You seen any sign of Cherokee's outside? Nope. But nobody can tell about engines. There's likely to be a hundred of them out there. Yep. Yeah, it's too quiet. Wish there was a moon so that we could see across the clearing. Yeah. All right, Lam. Keep your eyes peeled. Wait a minute, John. What's the matter? Look. Coming up to the gates. Keep your gun on them, Lam. Yep. Johnson, please hurry my children are with me. Mrs. Johnson. Well, that must be Isaac Johnson's wife. He's the son of what lives in the valley. Give me a hand with the gate, Lam. Come on, quick. All right. Get inside. Fast. Thank you. Close the gate quickly. There may be Indians following me. Bar the gate again, Lam. Yep. Would you mind taking the baby off my arm, Mr. Cockner? I'm very tired. All right. Better sense than to come up through the woods of the Cherokee's thickest grass. What's your husband thinking about letting you do it? My husband was killed this morning. By the Indians. So it was that Ann Robertson Johnson came to Fort Caswell in the territory of Tennessee on a spring night in 1776. And several days later in the fort. Mrs. Johnson. Oh, Mr. Cockner, good morning. Morning, ma'am. I've been meaning to talk to you for a couple of days, but I've been busy. Yes, I know. First off, I want to tell you how sorry I am about Isaac. He was a fine man. A very fine man, Mr. Cockner. Sure. Well, being the elected leader in this fort, I thought I'd bring you the good news. Good news? What is it? There's a party leaving to go back to North Carolina in a few days. Maybe a week. Oh, but what's the good news for me? Well, that's it, ma'am. The party. I don't... I don't understand, Mr. Cockner. Didn't you and Isaac come from North Carolina? Well, yes. Well, ma'am, I figured that without Isaac, you wouldn't want to stay here. Oh, no. You're wrong. I do want to stay. It was... it was our idea, Isaac's and mine, to settle here on our own land and raise our children. I'd like to go on. It was what he wanted. Can't be done, ma'am. What do you mean? Why not? Surely someone's going to stay here. Most of us are. Well, then, can you please come to the point? All right. A woman with no man's got nobody to hunt for her, to build a house for her. Every man here takes care of his own family and barely gets along doing that. Any extra that comes along takes away from the others. Oh, I see. You mean I'm not doing my share to support myself and my children? Ain't that you don't want to, Mrs. Johnson, but you're a woman. You can't hunt. But that isn't all there is to building a new country, Mr. Cockner. Pretty near all. What about the children? Children. Yes. They have to be raised as well as your stockades and your forts. And a lot more carefully, because the future of the country depends upon them. I intend to do my share by teaching school. School? Oh, we ain't got no school. I know that. I intend to use one of the houses, anyone. But how do you... I was a school teacher in North Carolina. I can teach the children here and... Every man in this fort teaches these boys how to shoot and build, and every woman teaches her girls how to sew and cook. But not how to read and write. Maybe they had time for that in North Carolina, but in the frontier fort there's lots more important things. At the moment? Yes. But the children can be taught after they've finished their work during the day. Work's never finished in a fort, Ms. Johnson. Just one or two hours a day for schools and... Ms. Johnson, that party's leaving for North Carolina. You and your children's going with it. Hello, and that's Bob Lambert's stockade. Looks weak there. Yeah, I'll get some more logs. Hey, Ben, Thomas, we got a... Well, that ain't your job. You're supposed to be fixing the wall, not dragging logs. Where are the kids? Well, now, John, they was here and dragged up a pretty good batch of log. But... But... But what? Well, there you go. Yeah, don't tell me. I know where they are. Now, John, you shouldn't have gone... You keep out of this, Lam. And the alphabet has 26 letters, and from these 26 letters, we form all the words we use to read and write. Billy, Johnny, Ed, Sam, Tommy, all of you, get out of the stockade. Come on, fast. Mr. Cockrell. Your children heard me. There's work out there. There was Mr. Cockrell, says. Billy, take the rest of the boys and go to the stockade. Hurry. And the girls, help with the wash. Margaret, take the girls. I'm sorry, Mr. Cockrell. If I'd known you wanted the boys to work on the stockade, I'd have chosen a different time for school. Because it was in here, there was no logs. Because there was no logs, there was a weak place in the stockade. Any Cherokee to sing that a mile off? Well, from now on, I'll schedule my classes to suit you, Mr. Cockrell. There won't be any from now on. That party's leaving for North Carolina tomorrow, and you're still going with it. I know I've angered you, and I'm sorry. That don't help. Perhaps I was wrong to start teaching here at the fort. Well, I'm glad you see that, ma'am. But when you reach a permanent location, when you get to the bluffs, you'll be building and settling there for good. It won't be just a way station to rest and reprovision, will it? No, ma'am. I don't see what you're getting at. You'll be starting a new colony, and one day it'll be a part of a new country. You'll need a teacher. No. I want to go with you. Please let me. A woman and three children with no man to feed and protect them would be more trouble than they're worth. I can protect myself and my children. Miss Johnson, I've been trying to put it nice up to now, but I'll put it straight and plain. You'll just be in a way. I see, Mr. Cockrell. Very well. Honest do as you say. I'll be with that party tomorrow morning. Yep. I guess everything's all set, John. Good. Remember, Lamb, you stay with the party until it's safe through the gap, and thereon it'll be safe enough by itself. Hmm, dog gone. I sure hate to see Mrs. Johnson leaving. Be quiet. She was sure nice to the kids, and one of them was learning me the alphabet. What for? Well, you see, I don't know, but it might come in handy sometime. Sure. Some Cherokee's about to put a war axe in your head. You just start calling off the ABCs. That'll stop them. I don't think so. I never got past the letter D. I got Lamb. You better see to the harness. I seem to. Go ahead. But it... Oh, I see. Well, John, say goodbye to a real nice lad. Be quiet. I sure wish I'd known what comes after D. Well, Mr. Cockrell, I... I guess this is goodbye. Reckon so? I'm sorry we couldn't have become better friends. Yes, ma'am. Please believe that I'm not angry. That's nice of you, ma'am. Well, goodbye, Mr. Cockrell. Wait. Yes? You got to know it wasn't for myself that I did this, but I got a lot of people to think about. I know. I admire you for that. Maybe... maybe sometime when things are better, you can come back. And teach school? If you want to. I'll remember that. What's that? Cherokee's. Miss Johnson, get inside. Lamb, Tom! Cherokee's. John, you're more than tender. Get this party ready. They knew we'd be busy. Miss Johnson, why don't you get inside? How about the children? Lamb, take four men, watch the gate. Tom! No, that'll feel better, Thomas. Better get some rest, Miss Johnson. Oh, I'm not tired. Mr. Cockrell, have they gone? I don't know. Can't see anymore. It's too dark. But they'll come back, won't they? More than likely. I see. You're a devilish quiet. How, Thomas? You won't be able to fight anymore. Not for quite a while. It makes ten of us out of action. It's that bad? Well... You can't tell me. You're not raking again, Miss Johnson. The engine's attacking again like it did this morning. We won't have a chance of ten men out of the fight. Is there anything I can do? No, no, ma'am. Lamb's out now scouting. Cherokee's are up to something for sure. But they'll wait till morning before they come on us again. You're worried, aren't you? Yes. Mr. Cockrell, maybe you were right when you said there was no room for anyone on a frontier. It was a burden. It doesn't seem as though writing, reading, and arithmetic were much good now. Yeah, I guess they got their place, ma'am. But not right now. Is that it? I don't know. John, John, are you in here? Yeah, here, Lamb. They're up to something all right. What? They're making ladders out of bowels and branches. I thought so. To climb the stockade? That's right, Lamb. How many of them? Well, if we were to give each one of them a letter, we'd need more than a dozen alphabets. They're rushes in the morning. They won't care how many of them get killed as long as they get ten or fifteen over the stockade to them ladders. But if they start scaling the walls, it'll be easier to hit them. No, we can't get at them with that close range of our guns. Yes, Johnston. Yes, I'm right here, Ms. Welby. Here's the hot water you wanted. Eliza and the other women are bringing more. Oh, thank you. Put it here and get as much as you can. We'll need it for all those wounded men. Where's the mist? Huh? Hot water! Why? Hot water, tubs of it, scalding hot water. Don't you see? Well, I don't... If the Cherokees climb their ladders, pour it on them, boil them as they come up. Yeah, why not? Tell Eliza and the rest of the women to get out every puff and pan and tub they can find. Fill them with water, get it boiling and keep it boiling. All right, Anne. Wait, wait, I'll go with you. I'll help. Mr. Cockrell, if the wounded men need anything, call me. Now, there's the right smart woman, ain't she, John? And pretty as a new cold and spring. You hear what I said? Huh? I guess you didn't have to hear me. Some way to keep this water hot up here on the stockade. It's hot enough to make the redskins hide a little redder. I mustn't get in the Fortland. I mustn't, do you hear? Where, ma'am? I ain't exactly figuring on bowing to them when they're rushes. Miss Johnson, I thought I told you to get inside one of the houses. Inside? But you need some of the hand, the water up. Well, we'll manage that. There's no place for a woman. It seems to me I've heard you say that on a different circumstances, Mr. Cockrell. But this time, I'm not going to agree so easily. You've lost 10 men. You'll need every man left to use his gun. You can't spare a single one to pass this water up to you. I am in command here, Miss Johnson. And I'll take orders from you, Mr. Cockrell. But all our lives are in danger. Our children are down there. We know what will happen if we fail now. We'll pass the water up to you. I'll not be responsible for what might happen to you up here. I haven't asked you to be. Well? We'll need every man, John. All right, but stay down. Right on time. Lordy, look out! We're listening to Frontier Widow starring Anne Baxter with John McIntyre on The Carolcade of America, sponsored by the DuPont Company. Maker of better things for better living through chemistry. By her quick thinking, Anne Robertson Johnston has been largely responsible for saving Fort Caswell. But she has been wounded. It is now several days after the Indian attack. Recovering from her wounds, she speaks to a visitor. Very nice of you to visit me, Mr. Cockrell. Anne, I guess you know what that hot water idea yours did. Well, I'm glad I could help. There's so very little a woman can do. She's more of a burden than anything else. I guess I'll be going. Oh, wait, please. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Well, I guess I had it come. No, you didn't. Everything you said and did was for the good of the people here at the Fort. Well, I... What I come to tell you was we're leaving for the Bluffs. Oh, I see. Women and children are going by boat on the river. And you? Overland with most of the men. We'll get there faster and have shelters set up by the time the women arrive. I reckon the boat trip will take months. Then we'll be saying goodbye again. I guess so. There'll be another party leaving for North Carolina, I suppose. Well, ma'am, everybody knows what you did during the raid, and they figure you ain't a burden. If you want to go by boat to the Bluffs, it's all right with them. I see. Is it all right with you? I abide by the majority, ma'am. Well, I'll drop in again and... Oh, hello, ma'am. Hello, John. I thought I'd drop in, too. See you later. Yep, I guess so. Well, how are you, Mrs. Johnson? Much better, thank you, Len. Oh, uh, John, tell you... About going to the Bluffs? Yep. Yes, he told me, Len. Yep. He was the first one to vote for you. Go to law. Oh? I guess he told you. Not exactly. Fine man, John. Straight as an arrow. Make some woman a mighty fine husband. Yep, mighty fine. Do you really think so? Sure do. Ain't nobody make a woman a finer husband. How about you, then? Yes, sir. He's the... Well, you're not married. Well, I... I gotta be going. Yeah, I hope you get better soon. See you up and around. We've been on the river so many weeks now, Captain. What's the longer will it take us to reach the Bluffs? Well, Mrs. Johnson, I don't know. All depends on what's going on on the shore. On shore? Indians. They've been trailing us all day. But if they meant to attack, they'd have done it before now. They'll know before long. Why do you say that? See, that stretch just blows. Yes. Look how the river narrows down. Barely enough room for us to get past. I see. It'll be easy for them to start an attack from there. Too easy. Lamb? Lamb? Yep. You call me? Have the men ready. Yep. I'll go back with the rest of the women and the children. And try to keep them below the gunnels, Mrs. Johnson. Out of sight, you understand? Yes. And I understand why. And... Backward or fast? Indians. Strong across the river and canoes. We'd have a right hard time trying to run past them. We've got to. We'll stop here. I'll attack them from the shore. And if we go ahead... Wait. Look. That canoe in the middle is pulling away from the... Quiet! No, no, wait. Wait. Oh, I bet it's an Indian trip. No, no. It may not be. Certainly wouldn't... They wouldn't just send one canoe and... And there are only two men in it. They're two men? One of them's a squall. Squall? They don't mean to attack us. They wouldn't bring the squall along on a war party and... There's no paint on them. Not one's wearing war paint. And I ain't never yet seen an Indian what didn't paint up to go on the warpath. Yeah, we'll see what they want. But keep your guns on them. White man! What do you want? Want white man medicine. Medicine? Papus sick. Squall sick. We come for it. They will not. Wait, Captain. Let him aboard. He's alone. Keep your guns on him. All right. Come on. Many squalls and papus got fire sickness. They've got fever. Let me look at the squall and baby. I know white man medicine. I look at papus and squall. It's just a little fever. You come, village. Help. Captain, I've got medicine on board. I'm sure I can help them. Are you crazy? I forbid it. You know come, we fight. Captain, the safety of all the women and children on this boat depends on what I can do for the Indians. I don't think you'd be willing to risk lives by refusing to let me go. Would you, Captain? Yeah, maybe all right. How do we know they won't attack anyway? Chief, if I go with you to make squall and papus better, you let boat go? Let boat go. All right. Lem, get me my medicine chest and Captain, go ahead with the bluffs. You're a very brave woman, Mrs. Johnson. I'm a very frightened woman, Captain. You should have stayed with her. But I couldn't, John. They mean it when they let me. Mrs. Johnson was the only one they'd let ashore. Lord knows what's happened by now. She didn't do any good with the fever. Come on, we'll take a party and go out after her. Oh, sure. I'm ready. Get Clayton Evans' clock about eight minutes. I'm ready. I figured you'd be wanting to go out after her. Glenn, come on. All right, boys, come on. There's a village just ahead. Come on now, move forward easy. Sure, stepped into a trap. Look there. Engines all around us. They know we'd be coming after her. All right, get back to back. Wait a minute. They ain't got no guns. They're boozing on arrows. I wonder what that... Ann, there's Ann. Come on, Lem. Thank God. John, put down the guns. Everything's all right. Nothing's ever all right with Engines. Please, they're friendly. I help them. They know it. But they won't stay friendly if you hold onto those guns. Please, John. All right, Ann. Put down your guns, man. They were bringing me to the bluffs when you came up. You're all right? Yes, of course. Well, come on, Ann. I'll take you home. Wonderful, John. So green and fertile. This is why we stay. Which is your house, John? The big one? No, but I want to show it to you anyway. John. Oh, John. Benches and desks. One big desk up front for you, Ann. A schoolhouse. John, I thank you so much. I was wondering something while we were building. What were you wondering about? Well, if you plan to spend all your time teaching. Oh, no. I have three little girls to look after. They'll keep you pretty busy. Oh, I guess so. Hello, John. Ma'am. Oh, hello, ma'am. Good afternoon, ma'am. Oh, uh, you asked her yet, John? Shut up. Ask me what? Well, I hate to ask you for sure. I don't know what you're talking about. Well, dog gone. Maybe I never got past the letter D in the alphabet, but I never was that slow. Some mean it just nicely shy. Well, yeah, Ann. What, John? I'm building a much bigger house now, need for myself. It's plenty big enough for three little girls and their mother. John Cockrell, the right words are, will you marry me? Yes, I will. That was wrong, but it's the right idea. Yes, John, we'll be married here. We'll start our life together in a new country. We'll watch it grow with our children and their children till someday there'll be cities where those planes are and roads where the Indian trails are now. Yes, John, we'll watch it together. Ann Robertson Johnston saw her beloved Tennessee become a state in 1796 and the bluffs where she stood that day with John became the capital, Nashville. And true to the traditions of the men and women who founded the state, Tennessee today continues to grow and progress in the ideals for which she fought and was willing to give her life. And today we are indebted to all people like her. Ann Robertson Johnston, pioneer, teacher, Tennessean, American, and Baxter will be back with us in a moment. But first, here is Gain Whitman speaking for Dupont. If you were to drop by a parachute from around the world plane and didn't know what country you were in when you landed, there are three things, especially at this time of year, that would prove to you beyond any doubt that you were in the United States of America. You'd know you were in this country, first, because you would see automobiles everywhere. Secondly, nearly everybody you'd meet would look healthy and well-fed. And third, you would smell fresh paint. To every American, the familiar odor of fresh paint brings back memories of springtime at home. The favorite house paint in America is white paint and the Dupont Company manufactures a white house paint that actually cleans itself. Dupont outside white contains titanium dioxide, the whitest known commercial pigment. It is so formulated that as time goes by, a microscopically fine white powder forms on the surface. Heavy rains wash this powder away, taking dust and dirt with it and leaving the surface clean and white again. More than ordinary amounts of dirt in city industrial communities or in heavily shaded locations may delay or interfere with this self-cleaning. This self-cleaning process is so gradual that the wearing qualities of the paint film are affected little, if at all. There's a lot more to applying paint than just brushing it on. If you paint your house this spring, we'd advise you to call in your painting contractor. He knows how to prepare the surface, which areas need extra protection against weathering. All of the important details, which mean a satisfactory longer-lasting job. Outside white house paint is one of the Dupont Company's better things for better living through chemistry. In playing Ann Robertson tonight, I was reminded of the important place our teachers have held in the building of our country. I've always been proud of America's insistence on proper education. But the other day I learned that in the last five years, our schools have suffered a loss of over 350,000 teachers who have turned to more profitable work. Today, with 70,000 teaching positions open, many schools have been compelled to close. Many more are understaffed. This is a serious condition that we all ought to worry about because the main victims are the children themselves and through them the future of the country. Possibly it's our own fault because we're too inclined to let the other fellow do something about it. Now, if this problem exists in your community, won't you join with others to give some real thought to bring the boys and girls of our country the kind of education they should have? It's really important. There are three letters of our alphabet known today to every American. To us, they stand for tireless, brilliant guardianship of America's safety. They are FBI. Next week, Cavalcade brings you a story of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, School for Men starring Gregory Peck on the Cavalcade of America. The music for the DuPont Cavalcade is composed and conducted by Robert Armbruster. Our Cavalcade story was written by Priscilla Kent and Agnes Eckhart. Ann Baxter appeared through the courtesy of 20th Century Fox and may currently be seen in the Darrell-F. Zannick production, The Razor's Edge. In the cast with Miss Baxter tonight were John McIntyre as John, Horace Murphy as Lem, and Ed Max, Bill Johnstone, and Nanette Vellon. This is John Heaston inviting you to listen next week to Gregory Peck in School for Men on the Cavalcade of America brought to you by the DuPont Company of Wellington, Delaware. Cavalcade of America came to you from Hollywood. This is NBC, the national broadcasting company.