Skip to main content

Full text of "The border settlers of northwestern Virginia from 1768 to 1795 : embracing the life of Jesse Hughes and other noted scouts of the great woods of the trans-Allegheny"

See other formats 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2008  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/bordersettlersofOOmcwh 


Mo\nv 


0  /Nf  ^-  "- 


Border  Settlers  of 
Xorthw  estern 
\  ir^inia 


r  —  ^'«^i.i^lWx.SVl 


A    BORDERMAN    OF    NORTHWESTERN    VIRGINIA 

FROM  A  DRAWING  MADE  ESPECIALLY  FOR  THIS  WORK  BY 
COLISTA  M.  DOWLING 


For  description  of  the  border  dress  see  pages  34,  145  and  244;  also  Note  8,  Chapter  I;  Note  9,  Chap- 
ter IX;  Note  2,  Chapter  XII,  and  Note  6,  Chapter  XVIII. 


THK  BORDKR  SKTTLERS  OF 

NORTHWKSTERN 

\  IRC.INIA 

I  ROM    1768   ro   1795 

I  \n'.K  A(.  IM. 

THE  MI  i:  OI-  JKSSK  HUGHES 

A  N  l» 

oriii.R  \()ri:i)  scoi'i's  of  thi-;  (;ri:.\i"  woods 

OF    rill':  'IRANS-AI.LI-.CIII.NV 

Willi    \(>|is    \.\U    ll.l.L.STRAIlX  I-.   AMXDorj.^ 

T.rcri.i.i  >  \  iRcii.  .\K\\nnR'j-i:R 

I-ii  I     MiMui.K    1)1      nil.     Wisconsin     Siaik     Hi.mukkal    Sociltv;     Mkmhkr 

OK   THK   Washington    Statk    I'nivkrsity   Historical   Socikty, 

AriiioR  OK  '  TiiK  Crimk  A(;ainst  iiii    Vakimas." 

Willi     PRI-.IACI-.    AM)    ADDITIONAL    NOTFS 
liy   Wii.i.iAM    Klsky   Connki-lky 

ANI> 

SKETCH  OF  THK  AIIIIOR 

By   [.  P.  Mac  I.KAN,  Pii.  1). 
ILLUSTRATKI) 


VVIU.ISIII.I)  rOR  Jt  In, I.  J.  C.  M,iniORTi:R 


MCMXV 

THE     REPUBLICAN     PLBLISIIING     COMPANY 

HAMILTON,     OHIO 


TSl  NIW  imK 
PHBLIC  IieiAMl 

781845 

ASron,  LCMox  ano 

TiLDEN  FOUNDATION* 

R 1916 1^ 


COPYRIGHTED,  1915 

BY 

J.  C.  McWhorter,  Buckhannon,  W.  Va. 

ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED 


To    1  1 1  i;     M  i;  M  o  k  ^-    of 


BKirnil.K  WU  IM.AVM.Vn-:  ok  golden  tllll.DHOOD 
IN  nil  MONONC; AHKI.A  HII.I.S;  AND  TO  THK  RFiDO- 
I  NT  MKMORV  OF  SI'RINGTIMI-:  WITH  ITS  NEW  LIFE 
AND  BIRD  SONC;  AND  THE  CALL  OF  THE  DISTANT 
•BOH-WHUE  ••  OF  SIMMER.  WITH  ITS  SINSHINE  AND 
SHOWERS:  AND  THE  "OLD  OAKEN  MLCKET"  AND  GREAT 
WILLOW  TREE:  AND  THE  FRAC  kS  OF  LiriLE  BARE  FEET 
IN  IHE  DIST  OF  IHE  W  INDINC;  \  ALLEY  ROAD:  OF  TRL  ANTS 
FISHINC;  AND  THE  W  FED  -  FRINcWD  "SWIMMINc;  HOLE"  IN 
THE  \IOLET- SPANGLED  MEAIXJW  :  OF  THE  ORCHARD  AND 
IHE  COOLSHAIXJWS  OF  IHE  DEEF  FORES  I'  W  ITH  ITS  LEAFING. 
c;AMBOLINGS01  IRRELS.SKII'I'ING  RABBITS  AND  DRLMMING 
OF  THE  PHEASANTS  WIN(,.  OF  IHE  FWILUilir  GI.OAMINi; 
AND  IHE  CRY  OFTHE  WHIP-P(H)R-WILL.  AND  THE  CLOUDS 
SAII.INc;  niRol  CH  THE  SILVERY  MOONI.K  illT.  OF  AITCMN. 
WIIH  IIS  DREAMY  HAZE  OF  INDIAN  SUMMER  AND  THE 
FLOATING.  SIREAMING  COBWEBS  AND  IHE  WIND  MOAN- 
ING THROUGH  IHE  i;oLD  AND  CRIMSON  WOOD -CRESTED 
HILLS;  OF  THE  SCARLET.  DROPPING  LEAVES  OF  THE  OLD 
•SUGAR  CAMP;"  AND  THE  CLIFF  AND  THE  BIG  ROCK' 
WITH  THE  LICHEN  MOSS  AND  THE  Bl  RROWING  WOOD- 
CHLCKS  OF  A  Lirn.E  WOOD  -  WHEELED  WAGON  AND  AN 
OAKEN -RLNNERED  SLED.  OF  NUT  GATHERING  AND 
WILD  GRAPE  HUNTINt;:  AND  THE  NIGHT  SONG  OF  THE 
"K.VFY-DID"  AND  "MAJORS"  DEEP  BALING  IN  THE  DARK- 
SOME WOODS.  CHASING  THE  WILY  COON.  OF  WINTER, 
Willi  ITS  NIGHT.MARE  "TER.M"  OF  SCHOOL  IN  THE  DIS- 
TANT "LOW  GAP;"  OF  COASTING.  AND  OF  NUT  CRACKING 
AND  -TELLING  STORIES"  AROUND  THE  EVENING  HEARTH 
OF  THE  RADIANT  W(X)D  FIRE;  OF  THE  LOW  TRUNDLE- BED 
AND  THE  HALLOWED  PRAYERS  OF  DEVOTED  PARENTS:  IS 
THIS  VOLL.ME  AFFECTION.VTELY  DEDICATED  B^'  ONE  WHO 
EVER  DREAMS  OF  HIS  NATIVE  HILLS  AND  OF  THE  HAL- 
CYON  DAYS  OF  YOUTH. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


Chapter  I 

First  Permanent  Settlement  in  the  Trans-AIle^'hcny.  Pringle  Brothers  of 
the  Sycamore  —  Their  History  —  I'"uf;itives  and  Hunters  —  Employed  by  Simpson 
the  'irapper — Brink's  Settlers  to  the  Buckhannon  \'allcy.  Jesse  Hughes  the 
Indian  Fighter — Nationality  —  Personal  Appearance — Dress  and  Habits. 
Other  Settlers,  Hunters  and  Explorers  —  What  Became  of  Them?  —  Military 
Records. 

NoTKS  —  South  Branch  of  the  Potomac.  —  Indian  Names:  —  Delaware, — 
Shawnee.  —  Iroquois.  Monongahcia,  Meaning  of.  The  Pringle  Sycamore.  The 
Hunting  Shirt. 

ClIAPTKR  II 

Dearth  of  the  Written  Record.  Withers'  Recognized.  Authority.  Frag- 
mentary Narrative.  Who  Wrote  Border  Warfare?  —  .Xulhorship  Disputed. 
Claim  of  William  Hacker  and  William  Powers  —  Were  They  Wronged  of  Title? 
Powers  Commander  of  Scouts  —  His  .\bility  as  Chronicler  —  .Achievements  of 
Hacker — His  Educati«jn.  Partisan  Writers  Unjust  to  the  Indian.  Incidents  in 
Modern    Border   Wars  —  Suppressing    Facts. 

NoTKS  —  The  Hacker  Family.  Captivity  of  Mrs.  Cunningham.  Simon 
Girty.  The  Bonnetts  as  Indian  Spies.  Other  Scouts.  Military  Records.  Fraud- 
ulent Pension  Claims. 

ClIAPTKR  III 

Printed  Record  of  Jesse  Hughes  —  Sagacity  as  Scout  —  Fatal  .\mbuscade  — 
Determining  a  Coward  —  .\lone  in  the  Wilderness  —  Kills  an  Indian — The 
Turkey  Decoy  —  Is  the  Hughes  Turkey  Story  a  .Myth? 

NoTKS  —  Tragedies  —  Capt.  Shaylor  at  Fort  Jcflferson. 

ClIAPTKR  IV 

The  Hughes  l''amily  —  Birth  I'lace  —  Traditions  of  Jesse  —  Father  Killed  — 
A  Deadly  \'ow.  Thomas  Hughes  Lieut,  of  Scouts  —  Bravery  of — His  Pathetic 
Death  — .\  Country's  Ingratitude.  Other  Hughes.  Dogs  in  Indian  Warfare. 
Marriage  of  Jesse  —  .\  Noble  Wife — Settles  on  Hacker's  Creek  —  Cabin  in  the 
Wilderness  —  .\  Dangerous  Bed-fellow  —  Poisonous  Reptiles  —  Jesse  Shoots  an 
Indian  Hunter. 

Notes  —  Woodson's  Memoranda  of  the  Hughes  Faniih'  in  Powhatan  Co., 
\'irginia.  French  Huguenots.  Lowther  Killed.  The  Washburn  Family.  Trage- 
dies. Romance.  Lewis  Wetzel.  McClcllan  the  Ranger.  ^  Military  Records. 
Singleton,  Pension  Agent  —  Unjust  Ruling  —  Wages  of  Scouts  —  I^and  Laws  — 
Tomahawk  Claims  —  Unreliable  Data  of  Settlements.     Rattlesnakes. 

ClIAPTKR  \ 

Indian  Settlements  on  Hacker's  Creek.  Discovery  of  Prehistoric  Interest. 
Mysterious  Finds: — \illagc  Sites — L'nusual  Remains  —  Burial  Grounds  — 
Mounds  —  .\ncient  .\rt  —  Indian   Fields  —  .\sh  Circles. 

Notes  —  Superstitions  —  Buried  Treasure  —  Ghost  Stories. 


8  Table  of  Contents 

Chapter  VI 

Shawnee  Towns  on  Hacker's  Creek  —  Wi-ya-ni-pe,  Birth  Place  of  Tecumseh; 
Old  Chlllicothe.  Shawnee  Cist  Burial.  Tecumseh's  Pipe  —  W'i-ya-ni-pe,  tlie 
Indian's  Paradise.  Wild  Fruits  —  Game  —  Fish.  Alexander  West,  Scout  and 
Hunter  —  Bear  Fight  in  the  Dark.  Wild  Boars.  Hunting  Stories  —  Dangerous 
Joke  —  A  Fearful  Tragedy.  John  Hacker  First  Settler  —  Chases  Buffaloes  — 
Exploration.  Dearth  of  Bread  —  Pathetic  Incident.  Deadly  Cold  of  the  Moun- 
tains.    Death  of  a  Guide. — A  Mountain  Tragedy. 

Notes  —  Traditions  of  Alines.  The  Shawnees  —  Summary  of  History. 
Statesmen  and  Warriors.     Descendants  of  Tecumseh. 

Chapter  \  II 

The  Stroud  Family  Murdered  by  Shawnees.  Delaware  Settlement  on  Little 
Kanawha.  Captain  Bull  Friend  of  the  Whites  —  His  Village  and  People 
Destroyed  —  Treachery  of  the  Settlers  —  Names  of  the  Murderers. —  Pathetic 
Story  of  Capt.  Bull. 

Notes  —  Gaulouise  the  Trapper.  The  Delawares  —  Their  Home  —  Tribal 
Status  —  Story  of  the  "Woman."  Renegade  White  Kills  Indians  —  Shawnees 
not  the  Aggressors. 

Chapter  \'III 

Terrible  Culmination  to  the  BuUtown  Massacre  —  Unrestrained  Fierceness  of 
the  Borderers  —  Jesse  Hughes  and  Capt.  \\'illiam  White  Leaders  —  Indians  Dis- 
covered at  Indian  Camp  on  the  Buckhannon  —  The  Surprise  and  Butchery  —  A 
Wounded  Indian's  Greeting  —  The  Leaden  Reply  —  Were  the  Mctims  Buried.? 
An  Aged  Nimrod's  Gruesome  Find.     Interesting  Tradition.     Abundance  of  Game 

—  A  Bear  Shambles. 

Chapter  IX 

John  Cutright,  Scout  of  the  Buckhannon  —  An  Indian  Aloccasin  Maker  — 
Confusion  of  Names  —  Indian  Incursions  —  Shoots  Indian  Horse  Thief — Wounded 
by  an  Indian  —  Primitive  Surgery  —  Revolutionary  Soldier  —  Declaration  for 
Pension  —  Services  as  Scout  and  Soldier  —  Branded  an  Impostor  —  Honesty 
Proven  —  Ability  as  a  Warrior  —  Errors  Corrected  —  Personal  Appearance  of 
Cutright  —  Hatred  for  the  Red  Race  —  Attempts  to  Kill  Indian  in  Time  of  Peace. 

Notes  —  Virginia  Hard  Pressed  for  Troops  —  Loss  in  Battle  of  Germantown 

—  Appalling  Destitution  Among  the  State  Soldiery.  Disputed  Boundary  Between 
Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  —  Hauteur  of  the  Mrginia  Minute  Man  —  Efficiency 
in  Indian  Warfare  —  LTnrellability  in  Open  Battle. — British  Estimate  of  the 
"Shirt  Man." 

Chapter  X 

Requisites  of  a  Scout  Leader  —  Capt.  White,  Chief  of  Buckhannon  Spies  — 
Ancestry  —  Associate  of  Col.  Crawford  —  Kills  Indians  in  the  Glades  —  Impris- 
oned —  Liberated  by  Mob  —  Status  of  Border  Society  —  A  Romance  of  the  Wilder- 
ness —  An  Indian  Runner  —  Cunning  Ruse  —  Mysterious  Captive  —  Insatiate 
Venom  —  Indian  Camp  Surprised  —  Desperate  Chase  —  Sickening  Scene  —  An 
Indian's  Revenge  —  Death  of  Capt.  White.  John  Fink  Killed.  Timothy  Dor- 
man,  Renegade.  Buckhannon  Fort  Abandoned.  Jacob  Bush,  Scout  and  Soldier — 
In  Clark's  Campaign  1781.  Incidents  —  Drink  of  Whiskey  for  Brain  of  a  Deer. 
Descendants  —  Lieut.  Jacob  Westfall  —  Military  Record  —  With  Gen.  Clark  — 
Lochry's  Defeat — Failure  of  Expedition.  "Flight  of  1770"  —  Doubtful  Narra- 
tive —  Shaver  the  Spy  —  Kaskaskie  Campaign  —  Wounded  in  Battle  —  Suffered 
Injustice. 

Notes  —  Lieut.  John  White  Killed. — Deserters  or  Indians?  Outrages  by 
Settlers  Laid  to  Indians.     Col.  John  Sevier.     Capture  of  Capt.  White  and  Petro  — 


Table  of  Contexts  9 

Lscapc  of  Wliilc  —  Fate  of  Pclro  —  Mrs.  White  W'iinesscs  Killing  of  Husband. 
Monument  to  White  and  Fink.  Treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix.  Indian  Claims  to  the 
Trans-.MIcgheny.  —  Twenty  ^'ears  War. 

Chaptkr  XI 

Cause  of  Duninore's  \\  ar.  Stcjrm  Brewing  —  Facts  Perverted.  Boone  in 
Kentucky  —  I.onj;  Hunters  —  Indians  Killed  —  Connolly's  Warning. —  Creasap's 
Declaration  of  War  —  Massacre  of  Logan's  Family.  Death  of  Bald  Eagle  —  Kill- 
ing of  Cat  Kye  —  Number  of  Friendly  Indians  .Murdered  —  Indian  Law  of  Reprisal. 
Storm  Bursts  on  \irginia  Border — BlfK)dy  Sequel  —  .Murder  of  Cornstalk  — 
\'engeful  Sliawnees.  Jesse  Hughes  Defender  of  the  Border  —  Hacker's  Creek 
Invaded  by  Indians  —  West's  Fort  Besieged  —  Fort  .Abandoned. — Beech  Fort  — 
Hughes  .Memorable  Night  Run  —  Signal  Cry  from  the  Hill  —  Dangers  of  the 
Night  Trail  —  Panthers  —  Wolves  —  .\  Daring  Feat  —  Hughes  Chased  by  Three 
Indians  —  Remarkable  Endurance. 

NoTKs — ^  Character  of  the  Kentucky  Settlers.  Franklin  on  War  1774  — 
Indians  .Murdered  East  of  Mountains  —  Sympathy  for  Logan.  D.i\  id  Sleeth  the 
Scout  —  Accusation  of  Singleton.     Jackson's  Block  House. 

Chai'I  m  .\l  I 

Indian  Raid  in  Tygart's  Valley  —  Six  Families  Destroyed  —  Col.  Lowther 
in  Pursuit  —  Indians  Surprised  —  \  Deadly  \'olley  —  Capl.  Bull  .Mortally 
Wounded.  Jesse  Hughes  —  Fiendish  Deed  —  .\  Ghastly  Joke.  West  and  the 
"bellow   Bf>y"  —  Indian  Horse  Thieves  —  Two  are  Shot  —  Indian  Idea  of  Justice 

—  Retaliatory  \'engeance — Martha  Huyhes  Captured.  .Attack  on  the  West 
Families.  Leonard  Sch(K)|craft.  Renegade  —  Heartrending  Scene.  West  in 
Clark's  Expedition  1781  —  Declaration  for  Bountj-  Lands  —  Personal  -Appearance. 

Notes  —  Moccasin  Making.  X'ision  of  the  Red  Doe.  Story  of  a  Forty 
.Nincr. — Poison  for  Indian  Cattle  Thie\es.  Gen.  Clark  —  Difftculties  Encountered 
in  Procuring  Troops  —  Contemplated  Foray  Against  Moravian  Indians.  John 
Gibson. 

CUAPTKK  XI H 

"^riie  Schoolcraft  Family  —  Its  Fate  —  Five  Brothers  Swept  into  Captivity  — 
Three  Turn  Indian  —  Career  as  Warriors  —  Two  Unaccounted  for  —  Mystery 
Solved  —  Schoolcraft  the  Hunter  —  The  Phantom  Deer.  —  Schoolcraft  the  Scout. 

—  Services  along  the  Ohio.  Indian  .Ambuscade  Near  \\  heeling. — Mason  and  Ogal 
Companies  Wiped  Out.  Simon  Giriy.  W  heeling  Threatened  —  Village  Burned. 
Col.  Broadhead's  .Allegheny  Expedition  —  Scouting  in  Monongahela  County. 
Wheeling  in  the  Revolution^ — Besieged  by  Indians  and  British  —  Col.  Zane's 
Defense  of  His  Cabin  —  Choice  or  Surprise.' — Testimony  of  Jacob  Scott  — 
Swiftness  of  Indian  Descent  —  Length  of  Siege.  Scouting  in  Kentucky  —  Cam- 
paigning with  Gen.  Clark. 

NoTKS  —  Superstitions  of  the  Wilderness  —  The  Silent  Trailing  Dog — Sin- 
gular Song  from  the  Darkness.  Pigeon  Roosts  —  Slaughter  of  Birds.  Last 
Great  Flight.  Col.  Broadhead's  Coshocton  Expedition  —  Lawlessness  of  the 
Borderers  —  Executing  Prisoners  —  Village  Destroyed  —  Lewis  Wetzel  Toma- 
hawks a  Chief —  Massacre  of  the  Unarmed. 

Chapter  XIV 

Jesse  Hughes  —  Trapped  by  Two  Indians  —  Cunning  Ruse  and  Escape  — 
Search  for  Lost  Child  —  Kills  Wounded  Indian  —  Remarkable  Flcetness  of  Indian 
Athlete  —  His  Tragic  Death.     Indian   .Motives.     Lone  Indian  Shot  by  West  — 


10  Table  of  Contents 

His  Miserable  Death.  —  Indian  Rock  —  Indian  Spring.  Flat-boating  on  the 
Monongahela  —  Hughes  Attempts  to  Kill  Indian  Child  —  Barbarity  of  Combat- 
ants. 

Notes  —  Conquest  of  Primitive  Races  —  Similar  Throughout  World  — 
Exterminating  Australian  Blacks. 

Chapter  XV 

Buckhannon  River  —  Name  a  Mystery  —  Conjecture  of  Writers.  Indian 
Habitations  —  Village  Near  the  Pringle  Camp.  Stream  Named  for  Buckonga- 
helas,  Delaware  War  Chief  —  Name  Corrupted  —  Indian  Ghost  Story  —  Char- 
acter of  Buckongahelas  —  Washington  of  His  Tribe. 

Notes  —  Buckhannon  River  —  Earliest  Mention  —  John  Buchannon  Mis- 
sionary. Ancient  Remains  —  Mounds  —  Effigy  Pipe.  Indian  Plurality  of 
Names. 

Chapter  XVI 

Frontier  Posts  —  Construction  —  No  Adequate  Description.  Buckhannon 
Fort — Size  and  Character  —  Ruins  —  Mill  —  Traces  of  Dam  and  Race  — 
Burned  by  Indians.  Invasion  by  Indians  —  Battle  of  the  Narrows.  —  Hughes 
Kills  Indian  Leader.  Cutright  —  New  Shotpouch.  The  Regers  as  Scouts. 
John  Bush  Builder  of  Buckhannon  Fort  —  Thrilling  Adventures  with  Indians. 
Other  Bushes  —  Confusion  of  Names  —  Desperate  Encounter  —  Heroic  Woman 
: —  Conflict  with  a  Bear  —  Death  of  Bush. 

Notes  ^ — Intended  Forays  Revealed  by  Indians.  The  Reger  Flint-Lock 
Rifle.  Virginia  Militia  Regiments  Revolutionary  War  —  Field  of  Action.  Size 
of  Frontier  Rifles.     Bush  Land  Claims. 

Chapter  XVII 

Capt.  George  Jackson  —  First  Military  Company  of  Buckhannon.  Col. 
Wm.  Darke's  Emergency  Regiment  —  British  in  Virginia  —  Siege  of  Yorktown  — 
Jackson  in  Gen.  Clark's  Expedition  —  Col.  of  Militia  —  Memorable  Night-Run  — 
Col.  Lowther's  Rangers  —  Thomas  and  Elias  Hughes  Officers  —  Jesse  Hughes 
Subaltern  —  Indian  War  Paths  —  Canoe  Travel  —  Portage  —  Hughes  and  West 
—  Scouting  Tour  —  Bear  in  "Town" — A  Great  Hunt  —  The  Spoils.  Memorial 
Names  —  Joseph  Hall. —  In  Dunmore's  War  —  Old  Camp  Unearthed.  Henry 
Jackson  Surveyor  —  A  Surveying  Party  —  Camp  Alarmed  —  Hughes  Discovers 
Indians  - —  Camp  Abandoned  —  War  Party  Raids  on  Cheat  River  —  Intercepted 
by  Lowther's  Rangers  —  Uncompleted  Survey  —  Notable  Land  Suit  —  Settle- 
ments on  West  Fork  River  —  The  Halls.  Wm.  Strange  —  Lost  in  Mountains  — 
Fruitless  Quest  —  Gun  and  Skeleton  Found  —  Traditions  —  Mrs.  Strange  — 
Twice  Widowed  by  Tragedy  —  Marries  Joseph  Hall  —  Descendants.  Mollohan 
Lost  —  Unsolved  Mystery. 

Notes  —  The  Jacksons  —  Streams  Named  by  Scouts  —  Kanawha  and  Monon- 
gahela Portage — Indian  Remains.  Col.  Duvall  —  Commander  of  Scouts  — 
Available  Military  Force.  Simon  Girty  in  Settlements  —  Two  Children  Killed  — 
Mythical  Indian  Town.     Incident  of  Seneca  Trail. 

Chapter  XVIII 

Forts  on  the  Ohio.  Cattle  Drover's  Camp  Attacked  by  Tecumseh  ■ —  Account 
by  Withers  —  By  Hildreth.  Death  of  Carpenter  —  Others  Killed.  Jesse  Hughes' 
Narrow  Escape  —  Rapid  Flight  —  Indian  Respect  for  Dead  —  Escape  of  Negro 
Captive  —  Hughes  in  Foot  Race  —  Charging  Gun  while  Speeding.  Traditional 
Account  of  Carpenter  Tragedy  —  Expedition  of  Revenge.  —  Shawnees  Attacked 


Table  of  Contents  11 

on  Shade  River  —  Hughes  Saves  Indian  Baby  —  Doubtful  Xarrativc.     Hunters 
Attacked  —  Death  of  Coleman. 

Notes — Red  Stone  and  Marietta  Road  —  Tecumsch  —  First  War  Path  — 
Abstinence  from  Food.  Peter  Wai^'Koner  Captive.  Indian  Dress  Adopted  by 
Bordcrmcn. 

CuAPThR  XIX 

\\  apgoncr  Massacre  —  Hughes  Gives  .Alarm  —  Tecumsch  —  Prisoners  Object 
of  Raid  —  Indian  Parental  Ixjve  —  Kscape  of  Marauders  —  Kighty  Miles  without 
Food.  Peter  W  agg<)ner  —  Captive  Twenty  \'ears  —  Found  in  Ohio  —  His  Indian 
Family  —  Persuaded  Home  —  Promised  Return  —  Detained  —  Grows  Restive  — 
Despondent.  .Attempts  N'iolence  —  .More  Strictly  Guarded  —  .Marries  White 
W  oman  —  Stories  of  Captivity  —  Traits  —  His  Indian  \\  ife  \  isits  Settlements  — 
Her  Fate  —  Death  of  Peter  —  Captive  Sisters. 

NoTKS  —  Waggoner  Family  in  Xiririnia.  Chillicothe  Destroyed  by  Ken- 
tuckians. 

Chaptkr  XX 

Hughes  Last  Defense  c)f  Border.  Carpenter  Tragedy  on  F.Ik  River.  Folly 
of  Adam  O'Brien — The  Big  and  Little  Indian. — ^  Superior  Skill  as  Warriors  — 
Cunning  Ruse  —  Outwitted  by  Hughes  and  Killed  —  John  Carpenter  —  Soldier 
of  Revolution —  In  Battle  u{  Ciuilford  Court  House — Border  Scout  —  House 
Burned  by  Indians.  N'irginia  .Militia  at  Frontier  Forts.  Desertion.  The  Car- 
penters' in  Dunmorc's  War. 

Notes  —  .Adam  O'Brien —  I Vih*  \  irgir.ia  Bordermen  —  Love  of  Wilderness 
—  .Adventure  —  Companion  Killed.  Jeremiah  Carpenter  Captive  of  Shawnee. 
Pleasing  Episode  in  Indian  Life.  Traditions  —  Omen  of  the  R^d  Diit.  Jesse 
Hughes  Avenger.     Carpenter's  Gun.  Bell  Decoy.  —  Settlers  Killed. 

ClIAPTKK  X.\I 

Wayne's  Defeat  of  Indians. —  Receding  of  the  Border. —  Jesse  Hughes  Grows 
Restive — Follows  Indians  to  the  Wabash  —  .Adventure  at  N'incennes  —  Chills 
and  Fever — .Moves  to  Kentucky  —  Wanders  Back  to  the  Ohio — Settles  in 
Jackson  County  (West)  N'irginia  — Game  and  Fish  —  Was  Hughes  a  Long  Hunt- 
er?—  Tradition  of  Morgan  —  Dead  Indian  Flayed  —  Hughes  Kills  P'riendly 
Indians.  War  Paths  —  Haynes  Cave  —  Concealed  Rifles  —  Fate  of  Drunken 
Indians. 

Notes — Remarkable  Pioneer  1K>um- — Defensive  Features  —  One  Hughes 
a  Ix)ng  Hunter  —  Character  and  .\chievements  of  Ix)ng  Hunters  —  Prominence  of 
Hughes  Family.  David  .Morgan  —  .Atnxrious  Deed  —  .Morgan's  Descendants  in 
Oregon  War  —  Hereditary  Depravity  —  .Mutilating  Dead  Body  of  Indian  Chief  — 
Facts  Suppressed.  —  Debauchery  of  Northwestern  Tribes.  Description  of  Haynes' 
Cave  —  Indian  Sagacity. 

Chapter  XXII 

Closing  Scenes  in  Life  of  Jesse  Hughes  —  Review  of  Eventful  Career  — 
Judge  Brown's  Eulogy  —  Country's  Ingratitude — Loss  of  Home — Dotage  of 
Old  .Age  —  Hunts  Imaginary  Indians  —  Dies  Alone  in  the  Woods  —  Where  is  the 

Old  Scout's  Grave.'  —  Irony  of  Fate  —  Jesse  Hanshaw Death  of  Mrs.  Hughes  — 

Relics  of  the  Hughes. 

Notes —  Boone —  Hughes —  Kenton — Lives  Compared.  Drouillard.  French 
Trader. 


12  Table  of  Contents 

Chapter  XXIII 

Genealogy  of  Hughes  Family  —  Thomas,  Sr.  —  Jesse  —  Thomas,  Jr.  — 
Elias  —  No  Peers  as  Scouts  on  Virginia  Border  —  Sudna  —  Marriage  to  Col. 
Lowther.  Job — -  Bibbee's  —  Descendants  of  Jesse.  —  James  Gandee  —  Descend- 
ants of  Elias. 

Notes  —  Hughes'  Race  of  Warriors.     Transformation  of  Names. 

Chapter  XXIV 
(Biographical) 

Elias  Alias  Ellis  Hughes  —  In  Battle  of  Point  Pleasant  —  Who  Was  the  Last 
Survivor?  —  Samuel  Bonifield  —  Incidents  of  the  Battle  —  Hughes  Defender  of 
Border  —  Career  as  Told  in  Declaration  for  Pension  —  Rare  Unpublished  History 

—  Captain   of  Spies  —  No   Equal   as   Leader  —  Captured   Indian   Ornaments  — • 
Gen.  Wilson's  Tribute  —  Marauding  Indians  Killed  —  Remarkable  Elk  Chase. 

Notes  —  A  Ghastly  Tradition  —  Camp  Site  of  Gen.  Lewis  Army  —  Historic 
Tree  —  Boy  Homesteader. 

Chapter  XXV 

(Biographical) 

Elias  Hughes  Moves  to  Ohio  —  Career  in  Western  Country  —  Printed  Rec- 
ords—  John  Ratliff,  Indian  Fighter  —  Companion  Hunters  —  Kills  Two  Indians — 
Builds  Blockhouse  —  A  Night  of  Peril  —  Interesting  Unpublished  History  — 
"Last  of  Border  Warriors"  —  Sketches — Thrilling  Adventure  —  Lieut.  War 
1812  —  Character  —  Personal  Appearance  —  Traditions  —  Death  —  Burial  Under 
Honors  of  War. 

Notes  —  By  Canoe  to  the  Muskingum — On  Foot  to  Licking  River  —  Forty 
Mile  Walk  at  Eighty  —  Record  War  1812  —  Death  of  Sons  in'War  —  Siege  of 
Fort  Meigs  —  Capt.  Samuel  Brady  —  Monument  to  Hughes. 

Chapter  XXVI 
(Biographical) 

Col.  William  Lowther  of  Nutter's  Fort  —  Commander  of  ?\lilltia  and  Scouts  — 
Residence  —  Descendant  from  Ancient  Family  —  Nationality  —  Prowess  in  Days 
of  Knighthood  —  Family  Coat  of  Arms  —  Skill  as  Leader  —  Old  Cabin  —  Explor- 
ation of  Little  Kanawha  —  Hardships  of  Wilderness  Life  —  Touching  Incident  — 
A  Mother's  Tears  —  The  "Starving  Year" — "God  Has  Sent  This" — Lowther 
in  Clark's  Expedition  1781  — Best  Record  not  in  Annals  —  Interesting  Testimony 

—  Companions  in  Arms.     The  Bonnetts.     Jacob  Bush.     Sotha  Hickman,  Noted 
Scout  and  Hunter.     Nutter  Family  —  Builder  of  Nutter's  Fort  —  Its  Location. 

Notes  —  Col.  Lowther's  Slaves  —  An  Interesting  Story  —  Wild  Life  of  the 
Pioneer.  —  Education.  Richards'  Fort  —  Disputed  Location  —  Stockades — The 
Richards  as  Settlers.     Scarcity  of  Bread  —  Indian  Pemmican. 

Chapter  XXVII 

(Biographical) 

Printed  Record  of  Col.  Lowther  —  Distribution  of  Scouts  —  Commissioned 
Captain  of  MiHtia  —  Charged  with  Misconduct  —  Senior  Officer  —  Merits  of  the 
Scouts.  Capt.  Bogart.  Capt.  McCullock.  Indians  at  Neal's  Station.  Arrest 
of  Lieut.  Biggs.  Indians  Kill  Whites.  Dearth  of  Ammunition  —  Scarcity  of 
Rations.  Scouts  Unpaid  —  Pay  Roll  of  Scouts.  Descendants  of  Col.  Lowther  — 
Records  War  1812  —  Genealogy. 

Notes  —  Charges  Against  Capt.  McCullock.  Alexander  Lowther  —  Soldier 
War  1812. 


Table  of  Contexts  13 

Chaptkr  XX\  111 
(Biographical) 

Henry  McWhorter — Pioneer  Millwright  of  Wests  lort  —  Nationality  and 
Clan  Affinity — Three  Noted  Brothers  —  Remarkable  Strength  —  Battle  with 
Keel  Boatmen  —  Henry  a  Minute  Man  Revolutionary  War — Battle  of  White 
Plains  —  Building  the  Chevaux-de-frise  Across  the  Hudson  —  Contractor  Turns 
Tory  —  Pilots  British  Ships  Through  Gap  —  Battle  of  Fort  Montgomery  —  Mud 
Kort  —  Barracks  Burned.  McWhorter  Moves  to  Pennsylvania  —  Enlists  Against 
Indians  —  Marries  —  Moves  to  Hampshire  County,  \'irginia — To  Hacker's 
Creek  —  The  Old  Cabin  —  Packing  Salt  Across  Mountains  —  Comrade  Freezing 

—  Warmed  with  Beech  Limb  —  Builds  Mill  —  Capacity  of  a  Mountain  "Corn 
Cracker"  —  Act  of  Charity.  Waggoner  Tragedy.  Death  of  Henry.  John 
McWhorter — Boy  Life  in  Wilderness — Eccentricity  of  Character  —  Hunting 
Deer  with  Bucket  —  Capt.  War  1S12  —  Public  Career  —  .\musing  Anecdotes  — 
A  Scathing  Rebuke.  Other  McWhortcrs  —  Incidents — Genealogy  —  Soldiers 
Civil  War. 

N'oTKS  —  McWhorter  —  Modes  of  Spelling  Name  —  The  Family  in  New 
York  —  Minute  .Men  —  Obstructing  the  Hudson — Family  in  Pennsylvania  — 
Soldiers  Revf)lutionary  War.     Joseph  Kester —  Revo!utionar\-  Soldier. 

Chapter  XXIX 

(Biographical) 

The  Regers  —  Early  Pioneers  —  Nationality  —  Founder  of  Family  in  Vir- 
ginia —  Soldiers  in  Revolution  —  Wonderful  Hunters  —  Terrible  Conflict  with  a 
Bear  —  Scouting  (m  the  .Monongahela  —  Bitten  by  Rattlesnake  —  Thrilling  Com- 
bats with  Bears  -  Carrying  Eight  Bushels  Salt  —  Tossing  .Man  in  .\ir  —  The 
Hercules  of  the  Border  —  Cowing  a  Bully  —  "Wallowing"  Two  Men  at  80  — 
Descendants  in  War  1S12-186I  —  Battle  with  Indians  —  Entering  Bear's  Den  — 
Notice  of  Bozarth  Tragedy  —  .\dvcnture  with  Wolves  —  .Mysterious  Quarry  — 
Chasing  the  Devil  —  Superstitions  —  Occult  Healing.     Genealogy. 

NoTKS  —  Col.  Wm.  Russel  in  Revolution  —  On  the  Border.  Col.  Silas 
Zane  —  Revolutionary  Record.     Siege  of  Fort  Henry.     Bozarth  Children  Captives 

—  A  "Brave  Boy"  —  "Forenash  Plantation."  Ludicrous  Incident  —  Kentucky 
"Col."  Hunting 'Prouble  — Hurled  Over  Rail  Fence.  —  Hunter's  .Attachment  for 
His  Dog  —  A  Touching  Scene.  F^ntcring  Den  of  Panthers  —  Gen.  Putnam's 
Achievement  Eclipsed.     Bl<K)dy  Run  —  Origin  of  Name. 

Chapter  XXX 

(Biographical) 

Jacob  Brake  Indian  Captive  —  Life  .\mong  Northwestern  Tribes  —  Pontiac's 
War — Return  from  Captivity  —  Knows  of  Copper  Mime  in  Michigan  —  Com- 
pany Formed  to  Develop  Ore  —  Brake  Pilots  Party  Through  Wilderness  — 
Arrives  .Near  the  Mine  —  .\ngcred  —  Refuses  to  Reveal  Location  —  Brake  of 
Noble  Birth  —  Father  a  German  Baron.  Tory  Uprising  on  Wappatomaka  —  John 
Claypole  Leader — Brake's  .Mill  Rendezvous  —  Militia  Overawed — Tories  Scat- 
tered by  .Morgan's  Riflemen  —  The  Baron's  Estate  Destroyed  —  Returns  to 
Germany.     Genealogy. 

Notes  —  Mary  Harris  Indian  Captive.  Brake  Family.  First  Census  of 
V^irginia.  Augusta  County  Militia  on  Border.  Col.  Paston's  Appeal  for  Aid 
in  Suppressing  Tory  Element. 

Chapter  XXXI 

(Biographical) 

Cozads  —  Settlers  on  Cheat  River  —  Nationality  —  Different  Forms  of  Name 

—  Jacob  Cozad,  Sr.,  Moves  to  Hacker's  Creek  —  Indian    Incursion  —  Jacob,  Jr., 


14  Table  of  Contents 

and  Three  Brothers  Captured  —  Youngest  Killed  —  Cozad  Tree  —  Bark  Inscrip- 
tion —  Flight  and  Escape  of  Indians  —  Jacob's  Alarm  Halloo  —  Knocked  Senseless 
with  Rifle  —  Saved  by  Squaw  —  Brothers  Freed  at  Treaty  of  Greenville  —  Jacob 
Remains  Prisoner  —  Found  by  Brother.  Incidents  in  Indian  Life  —  Indian 
Superstition.  —  Jacob  Rescues  Child  —  A  Mother's  Gratitude.  Battle  of  Fallen 
Timbers  —  Rage  of  Indians  —  Jacob  Condemned  to  the  Stake  — •  Preparation 
for  Death  —  Secreted  by  Strange  Squaw — Spirited  Away.  Indian  Nurser)^ 
Song.  Huntercraft.  Hardships.  Spartan  Training  of  Boys.  Jacob's  After 
Life  —  Marriage  —  Settles  on  Hacker's  Creek  —  Baptist  Minister  —  Sweat  Doc- 
tor. Comments.  Indian  Veneration  for  Rattlesnake  —  Serpent  Worship  — 
Pictographs  —  Petroglyphs. 

Notes  —  Indian  Women  Taking  War  Path  —  Modern  Instances  Cited. 
The  Wahk-puch  of  the  Yakimas. 

Chapter  XXXII 
(Biographical) 

The  Hursts'  —  Revolutionary  Soldier  Head  of  Family  —  Dies  on  Cheat 
River  —  Widow  Moves  to  West  Fork  —  Life  in  the  Woods  —  John  Hurst  Soldier 
War  1812  —  Antipathy  for  Reptiles  —  Den  of  Rattlesnakes  —  Narrow  Escape  — 
Panthers  —  Hair  Whitened  by  Fright  —  Adventures  — -Price  of  Two  Charges  of 
Powder  —  Wolves  —  Dangerous  Night  Prowler  —  A  Close  Call.  Daniel  Hurst  — 
Soldier  1812.  Stock  Driving  Across  Mountains  —  Slave  Whipping  —  Taming  a 
Slave  Overseer. 

Notes  —  Poisonous  Snakes  —  Fabulous  Size  of  Rattler  —  Death  from  Bite 
—  The  Copperhead  —  Extermination. 

Chapter  XXXIII 

(Biographical) 

James  Belt  —  Typical  Mountaineer  —  Eccentricity  of  Character  — ■  Born 
Orator  —  Stickler  for  Truth  —  Midnight  Lecture  in  Down-pour.  Recreant  Jack 
Condemned  to  Hang  —  Funeral  Oration  on  Mountain — Timely  Reprieve.  Tan- 
glefoot and  Stump  Speaking.  Land  of  Milk  and  Honey.  Soldier  War  1812  — 
A  Martinet  —  Traits  of  a  Napoleon  —  Cat  vs.  Batrachian.  Sam  —  War-horse 
of  the  Valley  —  "Pards"  in  the  Fray  —  Charging  the  Enemy  —  An  Army  on  the 
"Knob"  —  Peace  to  The  "Pards." 

Chapter  XXXIV 

(Witchcraft) 

Witchcraft  and  Black  Art  —  Superstitions  of  Early  Settlers  —  Witch  Spells  — 
Gun  and  Shotpouch  Effected  —  Witch  Doctors  —  Status  with  Bordermen  — 
Modern  Belief  in  Occult  —  Human  Steed  —  Strenuous  Night  Journey  —  Sumptu- 
ous Repast  —  Malicious  Persecution  —  Destroying  the  Witch  —  Bewitched  Sugar 
Orchard  —  Achievements  of  Elkanv  Roby  —  Potency  of  the  Silver  Bullet  and 
Muttered  "Spell." 

Chapter  XXXV 
(Carnivora) 

Carnivora  of  West  Virginia  —  Present  Range  of  Black  Bear.  The  Timber 
Wolf  —  Early  Practical  Extinction  —  Former  Packs  Swarming  the  Great  Woods  — 
Cunning  Ferocity.  A  Narrow  Escape.  Woman  Pursued.  Hunter  Lost.  The 
Panther  —  Sly  Fierceness.  Bozarth  Stalked  —  Rescued  by  Dogs.  Sleeping  Baby 
Saved  by  a  Fice.  Unarmed  Settler  Attacked  —  Decisive  Combat  in  the  Dark. 
Heroic  Woman.  Mail  Carrier's  Thrilling  Adventure  —  An  Eye  Dual  —  Lonel}^ 
Ride  —  A   Scream  from  the  Darkness.     The  Masked  Camp  Fire  —  A   Surprised 


Table  of  Contents  IS 

PantluT.  A  Scared  Darkey  —  Lucky  Knifi-  Thrust.  Hunter  Pursued  —  Saved 
by  Random  Shot.  .\  Startled  Irishman.  .\  Gamboling  Panther  Killed.  The 
Last  Bear.  A  Darinji  Woman.  Humorous  Bear  Story.  The  First  Buck.  A 
Modern  Nimrod. 

Nori  ■;  —  Ruse  nf  Wolf  in  Securing;  Prey  —  Deer  Herded  by  Wolves. 


AIMMADI.X 


-AiM'i  Nm.\  1 

Draper  Correspondence  —  Rare  Collection  of  Letters  on  liorder  History  of 
I'pper  .\Iononi;ahela  —  Li^ht  on  Disputed  Points  —  Contribution  by  Col.  Westfall 
—  B)  David  Snntli  —  .Vulhorship  i»f  linrJer  Warfare  —  Hacker  and  Powers  Let- 
ters —  Jacksons  as  l*ioneers. 

NoTKS  —  Stroud  Tragedy  —  Battle  of  Point  Pleasant  —  First  Shot  —  Lieut. 
Fropp — If'itliers  .Account  of  Killing'  Capt.  White  —  Other  Incidents — John 
Hacker  —  Hezekiah  Hess  —  Soldier  Revolution  —  Descendants  —  Henry  Ilinz- 
man  -    Record  Re\'ilutionary  \\  ar  —  Geneaiofjy  —  Rev.  Wm.  G.  ILicker. 

Appendix  2 

BufLilo  in  Western  X'irginia  —  Bibliography  by  Draper  —  .Additional  Data  — 
Distribution  Throughout  Trans-Allcghcny  —  Last  Buffalo  and  F'lk  in  West  Vir- 
ginia —  Gazetteer. 

.\i'i'i.Nmx  } 

.Archaeological  Kxamination  of  Indian  Camp  —  Relics  —  Huinan  Remains  — 
Fire  Hearths  —  Flint  Implements  —  .\sii  Camp  —  Wh>'  Named  —  Legend  of 
the  Lost  .Mine — Ruins  —  Strange  Rock  Inscriptions  —  What  are  'I'hcy.'  —  Old 
Map  —  .Mysterious  Cave  —  Buried  Treasure  —  The  Swift  Mines  —  Where 
Located.'  —  Swift's  Journal — The  Judge  Apperson  Copy  —  Connelley's   Letter. 

NoTKS  —Tragedy  of  Powell's  .Mountain.     Civil  War. 

-Appendix  4 

Concerning  Tory  Uprising  on  Wappalomaka  —  Petitions  for  E.xecutivc  Clem- 
ency for  John  Claypole  —  Jacob  Brake  and  Others  —  Brake's  Mill  —  Baron 
John  Brake. 


House  Occupied  by  Author, 
Just  After  Marriage  to  Miss  Ardelia  Swisher 


PRKFACE 


Jesse  Hughes  was  a  pioneer  in  Xorihwestern  \'irginia,  that 
region  so  designated  in  early  annals  and  now  principally  included 
in  the  State  of  West  \'irginia.  It  was,  at  the  time  he  came  into 
it,  a  wilderness.  It  was  a  country  of  hills  and  clear  streams  and 
magnificent  forests.  It  abounded  in  beautiful  valleys,  precip- 
itous bluffs,  rugged  cliffs,  and  rolling  uplands  stretching  away 
to  greater  elevations,  ending  finally  in  some  watershed  composed 
of  steep  and  lofty  ranges,  outlying  flankers  of  the  Alleghenies. 
These  ranges  are  spread  out  without  regularity  or  order.  The\- 
arc  ever-present.  They  are  formed,  fashioned  and  separated  by 
the  swift  streams  flowing  by  their  bases  to  the  larger  tributaries 
of  the  Ohio.  Trees  cover  them  to  their  summits.  Sometimes 
the  countr\'  bears  a  park-like  appearance;  and  again  it  becomes 
choked  with  thickets  of  bushes,  brambles,  vines  and  enormous 
greenbriers.  Often  the  tops  of  the  ranges  are  covered  with 
immense  masses  of  sandstone,  from  which  innumerable  fragments 
have  scattered  over  both  mountain  and  valley.  It  is  a  country 
of  moods.  In  winter,  when  the  trees  arc  stripped  and  their 
branches  bare,  groan  and  creak  in  the  north  wind,  it  has  a  bleak 
and  savage  aspect.  In  summer  it  is  full-leaved,  delicately-lined, 
and  lies  blushing  and  plentifully-promising  in  a  flood  of  sunshine. 
In  autumn  it  is  glowing,  gorgeous,  magnificently  colored,  sullimc. 
1  he  changing  hues  of  the  land  create  an  cn\ironment  which 
begets  the  spirit  of  mystery.  The  dweller  therein  is  lifted  above 
himself  —  charmed.  Something  akin  to  worship  rises  in  his 
heart  as  he  views  from  some  mountain-top  his  native  land  l\ing 
spread  below  him  robed  in  colors  more  varied  and  beautiful  than 
queen  or  princess  ever  wore.  The  mountaineer  who  wanders 
from  this  land  ma\-  see  vast  plains  covered  with  waving  harvests, 
and  a  thousand  hills  covered  with  grazing  cattle;  he  may  live 
where  rolls  old  ocean;  he  may  prosper  in  the  riches  of  this  world; 
he  may  attain  fame  and  greatness  and  power;  but  his  heart  is  in 
the  romantic  hills  and  enchanted  valleys  stretching  down  from 
the  .Mleghenies  toward  the  great  river  which  flows  out  to  lose 
itself  in  roaring  breakers  and  washing  tides,  and  which  so  fitl\- 
typifies  human  life. 


18  Preface 

When  Jesse  Hughes  and  those  who  came  with  him  arrived  in 
this  mystic  wilderness,  it  was  a  solitude  well-nigh  tenantless. 
Indian  tribes  claimed  it  for  a  hunting-ground.  They  roamed 
over  it  in  quest  of  game.  They  hunted  through  its  mazes  for  the 
settler  who  dared  defile  it  with  axe  and  plow.  In  the  contest  for 
the  land  Jesse  Hughes  bore  a  part  far  beyond  that  of  the  average 
settler.  He  was  one  of  those  woodsmen  in  whom  was  concentra- 
ted the  hardihood,  the  daring,  the  fierce  and  uncontrollable  spirit 
of  our  barbarous  ancestors  in  the  fens  and  on  the  swamp  shores 
of  Northwestern  Europe.  The  wild  life  of  the  great  woods 
appealed  to  him.  It  suited  his  rancorous  humor.  It  was  in  accord 
with  the  fountains  of  his  life.  He  gloried  in  it.  It  was  war, 
danger,  adventure.  His  life  was  forfeit  every  minute,  but  the 
knowledge  of  this  fact  stimulated  him  like  wine.  The  hunt  for 
those  who  would  slay  him  became  his  ruling  passion,  the  sole  end 
for  which  he  lived.  On  the  trail  of  the  wild  Indian  his  soul  hard- 
ened to  iron  and  his  nature  grew  more  savage  than  that  of  the 
man  he  hunted.  He  was  grim,  cruel,  relentless,  and  bloodthirsty. 
But  he  was  the  product  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived.  Nature 
makes  no  mistakes.  Every  emergency  produces  the  men  to  cope 
with  it.  In  the  conquest  of  the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi  such 
men  were  a  necessity,  and  they  were  developed  by  the  westward 
migration  of  the  white  man.  They  were  the  warriors  of  our 
advancing  lines  —  heroes  now  and  evermore. 

William  Elsey  Connelley. 


TO  THE  READER 


The  friends  of  Mr.  McW  liorter,  ulio  are  acquainted  with  his 
work  among  the  Indians  and  his  researches  into  tlie  archives  of 
\'irginia,  as  well  as  his  explorations  in  the  held  of  archaeology, 
urged  upon  him  that  it  was  simple  justice  to  the  reader  that  a 
personal  sketch  should  be  included  in  the  present  volume.  Hav- 
ing been  acquainted  with  the  author  for  over  twenty  years, 
knowing  his  venerated  father,  and  more  or  less  familiar  with  the 
sturd\'  and  honorable  characteristics  of  the  family,  the  pleasure 
of  writing  this  sketch  devolved  upon  me.  The  reader  should 
realize  what  one  may  accomplish  when  the  mind  is  willing  though 
obstacles  may  intervene. 

Mr.  McW  horlcr  is  an  unassuming  man,  without  scholastic 
learning,  thomughl)'  honest  in  purpose  and  always  willing  to  listen 
to  others.  W  hen  his  mind  is  decisively  made  up  he  acts  without 
an}'  thought  of  reward  or  encomium.  In  the  services  he  ren- 
dered the  Indians  of  the  Stale  of  Washington  he  incurred  the 
enmit)'  of  one  of  the  most  thoroughly  organized  gangs  of  land 
robbers  in  the  history  of  this  country,  whose  territories  were 
strongK'  entrenched  in  the  Indian  Department.  Single-handed  he 
coped  with  them.  His  only  guide  being  that  of  simple  justice. 
In  every  move  he  outwitted  all,  though  some  of  the  shrewdest 
law\'ers  were  at  work.  W  hile  his  movements  were  silent,  he 
did  not  disguise  the  fact  he  had  determined  to  stand  between 
them  and  the  Indian.  However,  it  is  better  for  the  narrative 
to  reveal   the   truth. 

Lucullus  Virgil,  son  of  Rev.  |.  M.  McWhorter,  M.  D.,  was 
born  in  a  log  cabin  built  by  his  great  uncle,  Thomas  McW  horter, 
on  the  ancestral  home,  on  McKinne\'s  Run,  a  tributary  of  Hack- 
er's Creek,  in  Harrison  County,  (West)  Virginia,  January  29, 
1860.  The  following  March  his  parents  moved  to  Buckhannon 
Run,  an  upper  branch  of  Hacker's  Creek,  in  Upshur  Count)-.  In 
this  isolated  little  valley,  with  six  brothers  and  two  sisters  he  grew 
to  manhood,  inheriting  all  the  mountaineer's  love  of  freedom  and 
clan  affinity.  Many  of  his  habits  were  solitary.  The  hills,  woods 
and  limpid  streams  were  inexhaustible  sources  of  pleasure.  He 
lamented  the  passing  of  the  native  forest  with  its  indigene  life. 


20  To  The  Reader 

His  pro-primitive  disposition  and  proneness  for  the  wild,  pre- 
cluded the  collegiate  course  and  West  Point  Cadetship  which 
were  open  to  him.  Four  months  of  dreaded  winter  schooling 
until  twenty-one  years  of  age  was  all  that  his  nature  could  endure. 
He  chafed  at  restraint;  and  his  distaste  for  text  books  was  sur- 
passed only  by  his  infatuation  for  some  of  the  poets,  Indian  and 
pioneer  history,  traditions  and  mountain  folk-lore.  He  reveled  in 
the  legends  of  the  wilderness.  The  hunter  stories  of  the  first 
settlers  which  he  heard  in  childhood  were  never  forgotten.  The 
thrilling  adventures  of  Jesse  Hughes  and  his  associates  with  the 
red  warriors  of  the  forest  appealed  to  him  as  nothing  else  could. 
These  tales  of  a  past  epoch  eventually  culminated  in  the  pages 
of  Border  Settlers. 

Unlike  most  of  our  pioneer  annals,  the  reader  will  find  this 
work  strikingly  non-partisan.  The  author  has  endeavored  to 
give  events  without  discriminating  in  favor  of  his  own  race.  To 
him  the  aggressors  in  the  Trans-Allegheny  wars  were  too  palpable 
to  admit  of  controversy.  Upon  this  point  he  is  likely  to  be  assailed, 
for  he  has  crossed  some  recognized  authorities;  but  his  position  is 
strongly  entrenched  with  facts.  Justly  loyal  to  his  own  racial 
affinities,  he  has,  from  early  childhood  been  noted  for  his  Indian 
sympathies.  While  yet  in  his  early  teens  he  prevailed  on  his  little 
sister  to  bore  his  ears,  preparatory  to  a  life  with  the  red  men. 
The  culminating  set-back  to  this  Utopian  dream  was  when,  in 
anticipation  of  a  visit  to  the  parental  home  of  a  noted  preacher 
from  Ohio,  his  more  "civilized"  brothers  forcibly  applied  the 
shears  to  his  flowing  locks.  As  he  grew  older,  filial  duty  alone 
stayed  his  nomadic  proclivities;  but  with  each  recurring  flight 
of  the  wild  geese  the  inherent  longing  for  the  boundless  open  was 
almost  unendurable.  Indian  Summer  affected  him  inexplicably. 
The  murky  haze  was  from  the  smoke-flues  of  the  invisible  wigwams 
of  the  spirit  Indians  which  haunt  the  Monongahela  hills.  The 
autumnal  winds  soughing  in  the  trees  scattering  the  crimson  foli- 
age, was  a  funeral  dirge  for  the  primitive  life  forever  gone. 

Early  in  life  Air.  McWhorter  read  MacLean's:  The  Mound 
Builders;  published  in  serial  form  in  The  Star  in  the  West;  which 
found  its  way  into  his  mountain  home.  The  reading  of  this 
work  had  a  very  marked  effect  on  his  future  career.  Those  old 
Stars  were  treasured  for  years  and  from  their  perusal  a  new  world 
was  unfolded,  and  there  came  a  longing  for  delving  into  the  past. 


To  The  Rkader  21 

Other  archaeological  authors  were  studied,  w  hicii  in  time  led  to  a 
practical  examination  of  the  various  Indian  remains  in  the  Hack- 
er's Creek  valley,  with  a  correct  tabulation  of  all  data  obtained. 
(Iraves,  mounds,  stone-heaps  and  village  sites  were  explored  and 
their  histor)-  revealed.  \o  antiquities  in  the  valley  that  he  did 
not  visit  and  note.  Caves  and  aboriginal  rock-shelters  in  other 
localities  were  investigated  and  their  secrets  wrested  from  them. 
But  in  all  these  excavations  his  veneration  for  the  ancient  was 
such  that  even  the  most  lowly  grave  was  invariably  left  restored 
to  its  former  state.  .None  could  accuse  him  of  undue  desecration 
or  vandalism.  He  became  an  expert  on  flint  and  stone  imple- 
ments. Thousands  of  relics  were  collected  with  accurate  history 
of  their  hnding:  constituting  the  finest  aggregation  of  antiquarian 
objects  ever  secured  in  central  West  \'irginia;  a  region  not  rich 
in  ancient  remains.  These  in  later  years  were  placed  intact  and 
permanentU'  in  the  .Museum  of  The  H'tst  I'irj^^iniu  Historical  and 
Antiquarian  Society.  Charlestf)n;  since  created  T/ie  Department 
of  State  Archives  and  History.  In  189.^  he  was  one  of  three  who 
originated  and  published  The  .hchaeologist,  an  illustrated  journal 
intended  to  meet  the  primary  needs  of  the  archaeological  student. 
This  publication  was  suspended  three  years  later. 

In  1S*)7.  the  home  farm  was  disposed  of  and  the  author  soon 
after  settled  near  the  historic  Fort  Jefferson,  in  Darke  County, 
Ohio.  In  the  spring  of  l'X)3,  he  consummated  his  life-long  desire 
to  "go  west,"  by  moving  with  his  famil>'  to  .\(jrth  Vakima,  \\  ash- 
ington;  where  he  continued  for  a  lime  in  the  live  stock  business, 
which  he  had  previously  been  f(jllowing.  His  delight  was  Devon 
cattle.  His  father  and  himself  brought  the  first  of  this  active 
breed  into  Central  West  \irginia.  He  held  to  them  in  Ohio, 
and  selected  the  cream  of  seven  different  herds  and  took  them  to 
Washington.  He  and  his  two  sons  had,  when  they  disposed  of 
their  business,  the  nucleus  of  the  best  herd  in  the  United  States. 
They  exhibited  throughout  the  Northwest  and  the  Pacific  Slope. 

In  his  new  home,  situated  (.m\\  a  few  miles  from  the  \'akima 
Indian  Reservation,  he  found  opportunity  for  the  field  study  of 
ethnology,  which  he  had  combined  with  archaeology.  He  soon  won 
the  friendship  of  the  tribe.  He  joined  in  their  social  gatherings 
and  festivities.  He  camped  with  them  in  the  mountains,  participat- 
ing in  their  feats  of  strength  and  testing  the  splendid  efficiency  of 
the  sweat-house  and  the  icy  river  bath.     He  mingled  with  them 


22 


To  The  Reader 


in  their  primitive  worship,  for  which  he  has  inherent  respect. 
He  has  been  instructed  in  the  mystic  rites  of  the  "medicine  dance," 
and  the  touching  simphcity  of  the  "feast  of  the  new  food;"  a 
ceremony  of  invocation  and  thanksgiving  to  Ale-yay  -wah,  the 
Supreme.     He  has  been  welcomed  at  the  "funeral  feast,"  where 


^-^^^--^^^^^^^/f^ 


the  grief  and  respect  for  the  memory  of  the  dead  is  attested  by 
wailing  and  the  distribution  of  presents.  Looked  upon  as  one 
of  their  number,  they  have  sought  his  counsel.  As  one  aged 
warrior  expressed  it  "He  has  ears  and  he  hears  straight.  He  has 
but  one  tongue  and  he  talks  from  his  heart."     So  great  was  their 


To  The  Reader  23 

confidence  in  him,  that  Yodm-tee-bee^  "bitten  by  a  grizzly  bear," 
a  strong  clan  Chieftain,  adopted  him  into  his  tribe;  conferring 
upon  him  all  the  honors  of  a  councilman,  under  the  name  of  a 
deceased  sub-chief:  Ile-mene-Ka  <can,  "Old  Wolf."  This  name 
in  Klickitat,  a  tribe  amalgamated  with  the  Yakimas,  is  Ilal-isk 
llo-sat.  At  a  later  day,  Too-skas-Pot-thah  -nook,  "Seven  Aloun- 
tains,"the  last  surviving  son  of  the  great  War  Chief,  Ozchi,  adopted 
him  in  lieu  of  a  deceased  brother,  Ko-tcih  -zvi-nat,  "rain  falling 
from  a  passing  cloud,"  a  noted  warrior  of  his  day. 

Chief  ^  oomteebce's  newly  made  clansman  soon  became  aware 
that  his  people  were  being  systematically  looted;  that  their  right 
to  the  reservation  streams  for  irrigation  purposes,  without  which 
their  lands  are  worthless,  had  been  appropriated  by  the  white 
settlers;  and  tiiat  later  this  wrong  had  been  arbitrarily  sanctioned 
by  an  unfair  ruling  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  leaving  the 
Indians  entireh'  unprovided  for.  Also  that  through  Congressional 
legislation,  steered  by  local  "promotors"  and  land  grabbers,  three- 
fourths  of  all  allotments  within  a  large  area  were  to  be  sold  under 
a  law  that  was  equivalent  to  confiscation;  permitting  the  allottees 
to  hold  twent\'  acres  each  only,  for  which  they  were  to  pay  for  a 
water  right  on  such  terms  and  at  such  price  as  the  Secretarx'  of 
the  Interior  might  provide.  This  appalling  robbery,  which  if 
consummated  meant  ruin  for  the  victims,  he  saw  hanging  over  the 
"\  akimas.  .Acting  upon  his  own  \olition  and  without  legal  advice, 
he  went  secreth-  intcj  the  hght  with  the  determination  that  if  the 
game  could  not  be  defeated,  he  would  in  any  event  expose  the 
conspiracy  which  he  surmised  to  be  far-reaching  and  powerful. 
His  conjecture  proved  true  and  the  odds  against  him  were  heavy. 
But  casting  his  lot  with  that  of  ^'oomteebee,  the  "leader  of  the 
hostiles,"  and  enjoying  the  full  confidence  of  that  determined, 
primitive-minded  Chieftain,  he  well  knew  what  danger  lurked 
ahead  should  he  fail  to  break  the  mighty  combine  and  the  tribes- 
men be  driven  to  the  "last  ditch."  He  kept  his  own  counsel,  but 
when  the  time  came  for  the  Indians  to  be  approached  by  the 
Government  officials  for  the  purpose  of  securing  the  contracts 
necessary  for  the  consummation  of  the  crime,  he  acted  promptly. 
Mounted  on  U'ild  Eye,  "The  (jrey  Cayuse,"  he  struck  the  Reser- 
vation trails  night  and  day;  warning  his  red  brothers  against  sign- 
ing any  papers  that  might  be  presented  to  them.  Chief  Yoom- 
teebee  sent  out  other  runners  and  soon  the  entire  tribe  was  awake 


24  To  The  Reader 

to  the  impending  danger.  They  refused  to  sign,  and  the  pet 
scheme  to  ensnare  the  1  akimas  was  foiled,  nor  did  the  despoilers 
know  for  a  time  from  whence  came  the  blow. 

The  first  skirmish  had  been  won  and  the  lines  of  the  enemy 
thrown  into  confusion.  This,  however,  only  augmented  the 
ominous  menace  of  an  actual  tragedy  should  the  tide  turn.  On 
March  10,  1910,  Chief  Yoomteebee  died  of  pneumonia,  leaving 
the  tribe  in  mourning  and  the  "hostiles"  without  an  aggressive 
leader.  New  measures,  covert  and  subtile  were  launched  by  the 
opposition  and  the  fight  continued.  Wild  Eye-,  an  integral  factor 
in  the  battle,  covered  hundreds  of  miles,  traversing  obscure  trails 
in  the  darkness  of  night;  and  on  one  such  occasion  crossing  a 
swollen  reservation  stream  on  a  rude  Indian  bridge  of  round 
poles,  the  loose  timbers  half  floating  on  the  flood,  giving  at  every 
step  of  the  faithful  steed.  Often  for  days  and  nights  the  rider  did 
not  remove  his  clothes,  eating  when  he  could  and  sleeping  when 
and  wherever  weariness  demanded  a  rest.  He  was  always  wel- 
comed at  the  Indian's  lowly  home,  but  many  times  his  bed  was  a 
blanket  and  a  pile  of  straw  in  the  open  or  the  bare  ground.  The 
haunting  appeal  of  Chief  Yoomteebee,  "You  are  now  my  brother. 
You  must  always  stand  by  my  people  and  help  them,"  ever 
urged  him  on.  During  the  thickest  gloom  of  the  trouble,  Rev. 
Stwire  G.  \\  aters,  who  had  been  elected  Head  Chief  of  the  Tribe, 
said,  "I  have  been  praying  that  the  Lord  would  send  a  good 
man  to  help  us,  and  he  has  heard  me." 

For  three  years,  single-handed  he  kept  up  the  struggle,  balk- 
ing every  effort  of  the  "system."  He  then  successfully  invoked  the 
aid  of  the  Indian  Rights  Association.  Air.  Brosius,  the  agent  for 
this  powerful,  philanthropic  body,  entered  the  contest  with  spirit. 
He  looked  to  the  legal  and  strategic  feature  at  the  National  Cap- 
itol, while  Mr.  McWhorter  kept  guard  on  the  Reservation.  Judge 
Carroll  B.  Graves,  an  eminent  attorney  of  Seattle,  was  employed, 
and  in  the  end  a  victory  was  won,  insofar  as  recovering  free  water 
for  one-half  of  the  land  involved  and  preventing  the  jeopardizing 
of  any  part  of  the  allotments  in  question.  Mr.  Brosius  said  that 
if  it  had  not  been  for  "The  Grey  Cayuse"  and  rider,  the  Yakimas 
would  have  been  despoiled  of  water  rights  to  the  value  of  several 
millions  of  dollars.  The  most  effective  and  characteristic  of  the 
tribal  petitions  were  drafted  by  Air.  AlcWhorter. 

The   white  owners   of  20,000   acres   of  deeded  Indian  lands 


To  The  Reader  25 

shared  equally  with  the  tribesmen  in  the  fruits  of  this  triumph, 
but  strange  to  say  they  blindly  stood  in  with  the  opposition,  or 
held  aloof  until  the  last  stages  of  the  struggle.  Mr.  McW'horter 
did  this  work,  ignoring  alike  intimidating  threats  and  warnings 
of  social  ostracism;  spending  months  of  time  and  considerable 
money  without  any  expectation  of  compensation  or  reward;  nor 
did  he  ever  solicit  or  receive  a  dollar  for  the  sacrifice  which  left 
him  tinancially  crippled. 

In  r^i.v  Mr.  McW  hortcr  published  his  "Crime  Against  the 
\  akimas,"  a  strongly  written  pamphlet  of  tifty-six  pages,  illus- 
trated, selling  forth  the  flagrant  wrongs  heaped  upon  this  tribe 
and  the  strenuous  fight  made  by  the  chief  men  for  tardy  justice. 
It  is  a  fearful  exposure  of  an  attempt  at  despoiling  the  Nation  s 
li  (ird> .  wherein  (lovernmenl  officials,  speculators  and  political 
cohorts  under  the  cloak  of  philanlhrt)pic  motives  were  combined 
to  deliver  the  final  <o»//>  dc  maifrr  to  a  helpless  remnant  of  a  race 
upon  whose  neck  the  heel  of  the  conqueror  has  ground  for  the  last 
four  centuries,  in  the  introduction,  by  .\Ir.  William  1'!.  Johnson, 
known  and  dreaded  b>'  the  lawless  whiskey  vendors  who  haunt 
the  western  Indian  reservations  as  "Pussie  Foot,"  in  part,  says: 

"^  ears  ago  .\lc\\  horter  began  mingling  with  the  \  akima 
Indians.  He  earned  their  confidence.  He  fought  their  battles. 
He  aired  their  wrongs  in  public.  He  spent  his  time  and  money 
in  efforts  to  secure  for  them  a  square  deal.  He  was  formally 
adopted  intf)  their  tribe  by  Chief  \  66m-tee-bee,  and  is  known 
among  them  as  He-mcne  Ka-wan  (Old  Wolf).  And,  while  he 
is  an  adopted  member  of  their  tribe  and  has  participated  in  tribal 
affairs  as  a  member  of  their  council,  he  has  never  sought  or  received 
one  (.loUar  of  benefit  irom  such  membership. 

"Four  years  ago,  when  I  began  operations  in  Washington, 
suppressing  the  liquor  traffic  among  Indians,  as  chief  officer  of  the 
Indian  service,  I  first  crossed  this  man  McW  horter's  trail.  I 
found  him  stirring  them  up  to  protest  against  the  issuing  of  saloon 
license  at  Toppenish.  I  found  the  Indians  under  his  influence, 
protesting  against  the  issuing  of  saloon  licenses  at  W  apato,  at 
Parker  and  other  places.  I  found  him  stirring  up  the  \akimas 
to  petition  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  asking  for  the  removal 
of  the  white  man's  saloon  from  their  midst. 

"In  March.  1*M1.  a  bill  was  introduced  into  the  W"ashington 
-senate  to  destroy   the  splendid   state  law  against  selling  liquor  to 


26  To  The  Reader 

Indians.  The  news  came  to  me  immediately  over  the  wire  and  I 
telegraphed  to  many  persons  of  influence  in  that  state,  asking 
assistance  in  defeating  the  infamous  proposal.  It  was  L.  V. 
McWhorter  who  played  the  card  that  defeated  the  liquor  grafters. 
He  rode  the  Yakima  Reservation  for  two  days.  The  result  was, 
that,  representing  five  hundred  Indians,  he  sent  a  telegram  to  the 
sponsor  of  the  bill  protesting  and  imploring  that  it  be  withdrawn. 
And  it  was  withdrawn,  as  the  hundreds  of  scoundrels  who  have, 
since  been  convicted  under  this  law  can  testify. 

"Because  of  my  interest  in  my  own  race  as  well  as  my  interest 
In  the  Indian,  I  rejoice  that  the  following  pages  have  been  written, 
and  written  by  one  so  well  qualified  to  tell  the  sordid  story  as 
Mr.  McWhorter.  If  the  remainder  of  the  white  race  were  like 
him,  there  would  be  no  'Indian  problems.'  " 

During  these  years  of  friendly  contact  with  the  Yaklmas, 
McWhorter  obtained  many  of  their  traditions  and  folk-lore  stories, 
to  which  he  is  constantly  adding.  These,  with  much  obscure 
tribal  history,  because  of  the  native  eloquence  of  oratory  which 
he  carefully  preserves,  will,  if  ever  published,  constitute  a  valuable 
contribution  to  our  Indian  literature.  Not  the  least  interesting 
of  his  manuscripts  is  the  personal  narratives  of  a  number  of  the 
warriors  of  Chief  Joseph's  Band,  Nez  Perce  War,  1877.  Some  of 
these  cover  previous  tribal  wars,  and  the  thrilling  experiences  of 
the  grim  fighters,  told  in  their  own  way,  reveals  the  Indian  char- 
acter as  seldom  found  in  border  history.  The  lack  of  money 
alone  has  prevented  the  completion  of  these  researches  and  their 
publication  In  book  form. 

J.  P.  MacLean. 

Franklin,  Ohio. 

February  22,  1915. 


PRELUDE 


Border  Settlers,  begun  in  1896,  has  been  written  under  adver- 
sity during  such  time  as  could  be  spared  from  keeping  the  tradi- 
tional wolf  from  the  door.  The  volume  is  a  growth  from  an 
original  design  to  write  a  biography  of  Jesse  Hughes,  the  great 
Indian  Scout  of  Western  Virginia.  Whatever  its  merits,  it  is  the 
product  of  an  incentive  to  place  in  tangible  form  some  of  the 
unpublished  records,  history  and  traditions  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
most  interesting  region  of  our  entire  western  border.  In  some 
instances  widely  scattered  authorities  have  been  drawn  from,  in 
the  belief  that  a  complete,  though  condensed  history  so  far  as 
practicable,  was  desirable.  Comparatively,  the  printed  record  is 
meagre;  but  the  field  was  found  rich  in  unchronicled  lore. 

Nowhere  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  conquest  of  the  New  World  is 
there  a  territory  so  fraught  with  dramatic  traged}',  personal 
prowess  and  adventure,  as  the  Trans-Allegheny.  For  more  than 
twenty  years,  embracing  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  amid  the 
dark  mazes  of  this  mighty  wilderness,  the  Red  and  the  White 
warriors  met  in  deadly  conflict.  It  was  a  warfare  cruel,  fierce 
and  unrelenting;  where  mutual  wrongs  and  implacable  race  hatred 
ever  whetted  anew  the  murderous  scalping  knife  and  rendered 
unerring  the  aim  of  the  deadly  rifle.  The  sombre  dales  of  the 
Monongahela  and  the  deep  glens  of  the  Kanawhas'  witnessed 
many  a  tragic  scene.  The  set  purpose  to  found  new  homes  in  the 
wilderness  was  met  with  a  grim  determination  to  maintain  those 
homes  long  established  to  the  westward,  by  holding,  if  possible, 
this  natural  barrier  against  the  invader. 

By  instinct  and  training  the  contestants  stood  fairl\-  matched. 
Baring  the  torture  stake,  the  status  of  the  "Advance  guard  of 
civilization,"  was  scarce  above  that  of  the  Red  guard  of  barbarism. 
The  isolation  of  the  settlers'  cabins  was  responsible  for  the  man>' 
dreadful  massacres  of  innocence;  while  the  segregation  of  the  Indians 
alone  secured  them  from  the  ravages  of  a  like  warfare.  \\  hen 
the  opportunit}-  afforded,  entire  families,  bands  anel  \illagcs  were 
ruthlessly  destroyed.  The  wolf  and  the  vulture  e\er  hovered  in 
the  wake  of  the  Red  and  the  White  forayer.  The  war  whoop 
and  the  border  yell  were  alike  s\non\-mous  of  death:  —  a  call  for 
the  carrion  creatures  to  assemble  in  feast. 


28  Prelude 

The  antipathy  of  the  Indian  for  the  "Long  Knives"  was  well 
founded.  Nowhere  in  the  early  annals  can  we  find  such  reckless 
dare-devil  bravery  as  displayed  by  the  Virginia  frontiersman; 
where  every  settler  was  a  warrior.  And  nowhere  has  the  chronicler 
dealt  more  unfairly  with  the  memory  of  the  forest  ranger.  If 
zeal  in  the  extirpation  of  the  Indian  is  to  be  considered  a  virtue, 
then  many  of  these  bordermen  were  entitled  to  canonization. 
Jesse  Hughes  and  his  two  noted  brothers:  —  the  peers  of  Boone, 
Brady,  Kenton,  the  McColloughs',  Wetzels'  and  the  Zanes',  have 
but  small  space  in  the  annals,  while  the  names  of  others  of  scarce 
less  ability  are  practically  unknown.  In  the  present  work,  many 
of  the  deeds  of  these  scouts  are,  for  the  first  time,  made  public. 

Pathos  and  tragedy  are  the  component  parts  of  the  early 
history  of  this  region.  Domestic  life  held  but  little  cheer.  The 
warrior-settler  engaged  so  constantly  in  scouting  and  the  chase, 
was  not  only  necessarily  improvident,  but  his  meagre  wages  for 
military  services  were  often  in  arrears.  On  the  wife  and  the  mother 
devolved  the  heavier  burden  of  providing  for  the  family.  It  was 
not  enough  that  she  spin  and  manufacture  clothing,  but  the 
"corn  patch"  and  the  "truck  patch"  were  usually  the  product  of 
her  toil,  aided,  perhaps,  by  the  children.  Unceasing  danger  and 
hardships  were  her  portion,  and  her  worth  has  never  been  appre- 
ciated. 

A  descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  noted  pioneer 
families  of  the  upper  Alonongahela,  writes  me. 

"In  writing  the  record  of  the  wilderness  heroes,  do  not  forget 
that  it  was  our  old  grandmothers  who  cooked  for  all  the  people 
around  open  wood  fires  when  they  attended  church  in  their  cabin 
homes:  that  there  were  as  many  noble  women  as  there  were 
noble  men,  true  heroines,  who  with  but  few  pleasures  to  mitigate 
the  monotony  of  their  hard,  arduous  lives;  they  toiled  without 
murmur  or  complaint.  Their  courage,  industry,  patience  and 
self-denial,  were  the  beautiful  as  well  as  the  pathetic  side  of  the 
pioneer  life  in  those  trying  days.  They  were  the  real  foundations 
of  the  great  civilization  of  our  land.  Do  not  forget  our  grand- 
mothers." 

This  is  true;  and  the  historian  has  failed  to  recognize  the 
actual  part  of  these  grandmothers  in  the  settlement  and  develop- 
ment of  the  Trans-Allegheny.  When  life  in  the  boundless  woods 
threatened  to  revert  husband,  father  and  son  to  hopeless  barbar- 


Prf-mde  29 

ism,  it  was  iheir  influence  which  checkmated  the  scductixe  "call 
of  the  wild."     Peace  to  Tiikir  Mi.mor^-. 

MEMORJMXl 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  names  of  men  for  whose  military 
records  search  was  made  among  the  archives  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment, and  the  Pension  Office,  Washington,  1).  C".  With  the 
exception  of  a  few  soldiers  of  the  War  of  1812,  which  are  so  designa- 
ted, all  were  for  services  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  either 
Continental  Troops  or  State  Militia;  which  latter  included  frontier 
scouts  or  rangers.  Many  of  these  never  applied  for  pension; 
some  dying  before  the  pension  laws  covering  their  case  were 
enacted.  The  prospect  of  a  record  through  the  widow's  chiim 
was  an  incentive  for  the  examination.  1  am  indebted  to  Laura 
(jertrude  Rogers,  of  W  ashington  C"ii\ ,  tor  the  splendid  results 
obtaincLl.  which  arc  full}"  set  forth  in  the  course  of  this  xohime. 
It  was  found  that  not  a  lew  of  the  bra\est  defenders  of  the  border 
were  left  entirely  without  the   pale  of   an\'  pensioning   legislation. 

Bail)',  Capt.  Minter;  Bent,  Belt  or  Broadbelt,  James  (War 
1812);  Biggs,  Lieut.  Joseph;  Bonnett,  Jacob;  Bonnett,  Lewis; 
Bonnett,  Peter;  Bozarth,  Cap.  John  (War  1812);  Bozarth,  (jeorge 
(War  of  1812);  Brake,  Jacob;  Brown,  John;  Bush,  Jacob;  Bush, 
John;  Butcher,  Paulcene. 

Carpenter,  Christopher;  Carpenter,  Jesse;  Carpenter.  John; 
Connells,  Col.  John  (W'^ar  1812);  Cotteral,  Thomas;  Cutright,  John; 
Cutright,  Benjamin;  Cutright,  Peter. 

I)a\'isson,  Hezekiah;  Dorman,  Timothy;  Drennen,  Thomas; 
Duval.  John  P. 

Flesher,  Adam;  Llesher,  Henry;  Forenash,  Jacob. 

Green,  Cjeorge;  Gregory,  Capt.  Joseph. 

Hacker,  John;  Hacker,  W  illiam;  Hall,  Joseph;  Hess,  Hezekiah 
(1776-1812);  Hicks,  Sotha;  Hinzman,  Henr>';  Hughes,  Jesse 
(for  widow's  claim);  Hughes,  Elias;  Hughes,  Thomas;  Hughes, 
Job;  Hughes,  Charles;  Hughes,  Charles  (War  of  1812);  Hughes, 
David  (War  of  1812);  Hughes  (i\n\  name  \'oluntcer  from  Licking 
Co.,  Ohio.  War  1812) ;  Hurst,  William;  Hurst  (an\-  name);  Hurst, 
John  (War  of  1812);  Hurst,  Daniel  (War  of  1812);  Hurst,  William 
(War  of  1812). 

Jackson,  John;  Jackson,  Cieorge;  Jackson,  Kdward;  Jackson, 
Henry;  Jenkins,  Bartholomew. 


30  Prelude 

Kester,  Joseph;  King,  Col.  William  (3rd  U.  S.  Rifles,  War  of 
1812). 

Lowther,  William;  Lowther,  Robert;  Lowther  (any  name); 
Lowther,  Alexander  (War  of  1812);  Lowther  (any  name.  War  of 
1812);  Lynn,  John. 

Martin,  Stephen;  McCan,  Paterick;  McColloch,  or  McCul- 
lough.  Major  John;  McWhorter,  Henry;  McWhorter,  Alexander 
(Knox  Artillery  Brigade);  McWhorter,  Capt.  John  (War  of  1812); 
McWhorter,  James;  McWhorter,  John;  McWhorter,  Gilbert; 
McWhorter,  Robert;  McWhorter,  William  —  New  York,  New 
Jersey  and  Pennsylvania,  War  1776;  AlcWhorter  (any  name); 
Morgan,   (any  name);  Morrison,  James. 

Nutter,  Christopher;  Nutter,  Capt.  Thomas. 

O'Brien,  Adam. 

Powers,  William;  Powers,  John;  Pringle,  Capt.  Samuel; 
Pringle,  John. 

Radcliff,     William;     Radcliff,     John;     Reeder, ;     Reger, 

Anthony;  Reger,  Philip;  Reger,  Jacob;  Reger,  John;    Robinson, 
Major  Benjamin;  Runner,  Elijah;  Ryan,  John;  Ryan, . 

Schoolcraft,  John  (mentioned  by  Withers);  Schoolcraft, 
John  (scout  about  Wheeling);  Scott,  Andrew;  Scott,  Jacob;  Scott, 
Robert;  Sevier,  Col.  John;  Shaver,  Paul;  Sleeth,  David;  Smith, 
David. 

Waggoner,  John;  Waggoner,  William;  West,  Alexander; 
West,  Edmund;  West,  Joseph;  Westfall,  Jacob;  White,  Capt. 
William  (for  widow's  claim);  Wilson,  Col.  Benjamin. 

Zane,  Col.  Ebenezer;  Zane,  Col.  Silas. 

It  is  with  pleasure  that  I  acknowledge  valuable  assistance 
from  Mr.  William  Elsey  Connelley,  the  late  lamented  Prof.  Virgil 
A.  Lewis,  Hon.  Hu  Maxwell,  Hon.  W.  B.  Cutright,  Mr.  Henry 
Haymond,  Dr.  J.  P.  MacLean,  Judge  Wm.  S.  O'Brien,  Miss  Minnie 
Kendall  Lowther,  Prof.  H.  R.  Mcllwain  of  the  Virginia  State 
Library;  and  Dr.  R.  G.  Thwaites  and  Miss  Annie  A.  Nunns,  of 
\\'isconsin  State  Historical  Society.  Aside  from  the  preface  and 
notes  written  by  Mr.  Connelley,  his  counsel  and  suggestions  were 
invaluable  in  the  final  arrangement  of  material.  Second  only  to 
Mr.  Connelley  in  this  respect  was  Mr.  J.  Scott  McWhorter,  Attor- 
ney, Lewisburg,  W.  Va.  Other  sources  of  help  are  duly  credited 
where  given.  -.  ^-  tv  4-  tt- 

LUCULLUS    VIRGIL  McVVHORTER. 

North  Yakima,  Wash.,  Ma\-.  1914. 


THE  NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


A8TO«.  LENOX 
J^i£ENFOUW0ATlr>Ng 


Photograph  of  The  Pringle  Sycamore,  March,  1915 
courtesy  of  mr.  and  mrs.  u.  i.  jenkins 


CHAPTKR  I 


The  first  permanent  settlers  to  enter  the  Trans-Allegheny  of 
Western  X'irginia,  came  from  the  W'appatomaka,  (I)  and  were  led 
hv  Samuel  Pringle.  Samuel  and  his  younger  brother  John  were 
soldiers  in  the  British  garrison  at  Fort  Pitt,  which  they,  with 
William  Childers  and  Joseph  Linsey  deserted  in  1761.  (2)  They 
tied  first  to  the  wilds  of  the  Monongahela,  but  subsequently 
sought  the  glades  at  the  head  of  the  Youghiogheny,  where  they 
encamped  about  one  year.  In  1762  they  ventured  to  the  Looney's 
Creek  settlement  but  almost  immediately  Childers  and  Linsey 
were  arrested.  The  Pringles  escaped  to  their  old  haunts  where 
they  remained  in  the  employment  of  John  Simpson,  a  trapper, 
until  some  time  in  1764. 

As  the  glades  were  now  being  invaded  by  hunters  from  the 
W'appatomaka,  the  trio  resolved  to  retreat  further  west.  By  such 
move  Simpson  would  find  better  hunting  and  the  Pringles  would 
he  more  secure  from  detection  and  arrest.  \\  hile  executing  this 
resolution  and  after  crossing  the  Cheat  River  at  the  Horse  Shoe 
(bend)  the  trapper  and  the  fugitives  parted  company  as  a  result 
of  a  disagreement.  Simpson  proceeded  to  the  mouth  of  Elk 
Creek,  near  the  present  site  of  Clarksburg,  where  he  erected  a 
camp  and  continued  until  permanent  settlements  were  made  on 
the  western  waters.  He  then  disappeared,  in  all  probability 
going  to  Kentuck}'.  He  appears  to  have  been  a  man  of  fierce 
temperament.  One  Cottral,  or  Cottrell,  met  death  at  his  hands 
in  an  altercation  over  two  gallons  of  salt.  The  Cottrals  were, 
however,  known  for  their  great  fighting  qualities. 

The  Pringles  kept  up  Tygart's  \'alley,  and  reached  the 
Buckhannon  River  (1764),  where  they  took  up  residence  in  a 
hollow  sycamore  tree  at  the  mouth  of  Turkey  Run.  (3)  Here 
they  resided  until  late  in  the  autumn  of  1767,  when  they  had 
remaining  but  two  charges  of  powder.  Leaving  these  with 
Samuel,  John  recrossed  the  mountains  for  a  supply  of  ammunition. 
While  there  he  learned  that  peace  had  been  declared  with  both 
French  and  Indian,  and  that  they  now  could  return  in  safety  to 
the  settlements.  After  some  delay  he  hastened  back  to  the 
wilderness  camp  to  find  his  brother  reduced  to  the  verge  of 
(1)  See  page  415.  (2)  p.  415.  (3)  p.  416. 


32  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

despair.  One  charge  of  powder  Samuel  had  lost  in  a  vain  en- 
deavor to  kill  a  buck,  but  with  the  other  he  brought  down  a  fine 
buffalo;  otherwise  he  must  have  succumbed  to  the  ravages  of 
hunger.  The  continued  absence  of  John  had  induced  the  belief 
that  he  had  been  apprehended  and  imprisoned. 

The  brothers,  no  longer  fugitives,  now  determined  to  return 
to  the  Wappatomaka.  The  sequel  was  the  rapid  colonization  of 
the  Trans-Allegheny.  Subsequently  John  settled  in  Kentucky. 
The  time  of  his  removal' to  the  Blue  Grass  region  is  not  known, 
but  it  was  at  an  early  date.  No  mention  of  him  is  found  in  con- 
nection with  the  settlements  of  the  upper  Monongahela  after 
1768;  nor  is  it  believed  that  he  ever  took  up  actual  residence  after 
abandoning  the  camp  in  the  Sycamore. 

One  John  Pringle  was  a  settler  on  Chaplin's  Fork,  Kentucky, 
in  1780.  He  came  with  a  fleet  of  three  boats  from  the  Wappato- 
maka, and  in  an  encounter  with  the  Indians,  led  by  Simon  Girty, 
Pringle's  boat  alone  escaped.  He  married  Rebecca  Simpson,  a 
sister  to  a  John  Simpson,  from  whom  she  inherited  slaves  in 
1825. (4) 

Samuel  Pringle  settled  permanently  on  the  Buckhannon,  and 
was  prominent  in  the  border  wars.  From  sworn  statements 
preserved  in  the  Government  Pension  Office,  it  would  appear  that 
Samuel  Pringle  was  at  one  time  during  the  Revolution,  captain 
of  a  band  of  scouts,  but  as  no  claim  for  pension  on  account  of  his 
Revolutionary  service  was  made,  we  find  no  actual  record  of  his 
military  career.  (5)  His  wife,  Charity  Cutright,  was  the  daughter 
of  Benjamin  Cutright,  and  a  sister  of  John  Cutright,  Jr.,  the 
noted  scout  of  the  Buckhannon.  A  family  tradition  has  it  that 
Samuel  and  Charity  were  married  before  the  fugitive  brothers 
made  residence  in  the  Sycamore,  where  Mrs.  Pringle  joined  her 
husband  in  1767,  guided  by  a  path  blazed  by  John  when  he  first 
sought  the  settlements.  Another  account  says  they  were  not 
married  until  after  the  return  of  the  brothers  to  the  Wappatomaka, 
although  a  warm  attachment  had  sprung  up  between  the  young 
couple,  while  the  deserters  were  at  Looney's  Creek  in  1762.  It 
is  more  than  probable  that  the  marriage  was  consummated  during 
the  brief  stay  of  Pringle  at  Looney's  Creek,  and  that  the  devoted 
wife  actually  traversed  the  wilderness  path  to  her  absent  husband. 

The  children  of  Samuel  and  Charity  were  William,  John, 
Samuel,    Elizabeth    and    another    daughter    whose    name    is    not 

(4)  See  page  416.  (5)  p.  416. 


Border  Sktti.krs  of  Northuksthrn  \  ir(,ini.\  33 

recalled.  Their  descendants  arc  numerous  in  the  Buckhannon 
counti}',  while  some  are  scattered  through  sections  of  Ohio  and 
I  ni-liana.  {(>) 

The  claim  that  the  Pringles,  as  soldiers  in  the  Royal  Army, 
only  came  to  America  during  the  French  and  Indian  wars,  can  not 
be  accepted  as  fact.  It  is  not  probable  that  such  men  would  have 
deserted  and  fled  to  a  wilderness  fraught  with  known  dangers 
with  which  they  were  unqualified  to  cope.  Border  Colonial 
troops,  as  in  the  Patriot  Army  of  the  Revolution,  chafed  at  restraint 
and  discipline,  and  often  deserted.  The  Pringles  evinced  a  con- 
summate skill  in  woodcraft,  not  attributable  to  the  raw  European 
soldier. 

It  is  a  remarkable  coincidence  that  a  \\  illiam  Pringle  resided 
in  Philadelphia,  who  had  two  sons  named  John  and  Samuel, 
born  in  1728  and  1731  respectively. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  this  family  removed  to  the  Virginia 
border  and  that  the  sons  were  identical  with  those  of  later  renown. 

Momentous  events  were  destined  to  follow  in  the  wake  of 
these  wilderness  refugees.  In  the  autumn  of  1768,  several  adven- 
turous and  prospective  settlers  under  the  guidance  of  Samuel, 
visited  the  region  of  the  Pringle  refuge,  and  so  well  pleased  were 
they,  that  the  following  spring  they  returned,  selected  lands, 
cleared  small  fields,  planted  crops  and  built  cabins  preparatory 
to  bringing  their  families.  After  the  crops  were  "laid  by,"  the 
men  returned  to  the  settlements,  and  in  the  fall  when  they  came 
back  to  harvest  their  corn,  they  found  it  entircl\-  destroyed 
by  buffaloes.  This  delayed  the  removal  of  the  families,  or  at  least 
a  greater  part  of  them,  until  the  winter  of  1770. 

With  Pringle's  band  of  prospectors  of  1769,  came  a  )-outh  of 
about  nineteen  —  Jesse  Hughes.  He  was  of  Welsh  extraction, 
slight  in  his  proportions,  and  light  and  active  in  his  movements. 
He  possessed  a  form  as  erect  as  that  of  an  Indian,  ani.1  had  endur- 
ance and  fleetness  of  limb  that  no  man  of  his  day  surpassed.  His 
height  was  about  five  feet  and  nine  inches,  and  his  weight  never 
exceeded  one  hundred  and  forty-five  pounds.  He  had  thin  lips, 
a  narrow  chin,  a  nose  that  was  sharp  and  inclined  to  the  Roman 
form,  little  or  no  beard,  light  hair,  and  eyes  of  that  indefinable 
color  that  one  person  would  pronounce  grey,  another  blue,  but 
which  was  both  —  and  neither.  They  were  piercing,  cold,  fierce, 
and  as  penetrating  and  restless  as  those  of  the  mountain  panther. 

(6)  See  page  416. 


34  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Said  one  who  knew  him:  "Hughes  had  eyes  Hke  a  rattlesnake." 
It  has  been  averred,  and  without  contradiction,  that  Jesse  Hughes, 
Hke  the  famed  "Deaf  Smith"  of  Texas,  could  detect  the  presence 
of  an  Indian  at  a  considerable  distance  by  the  mere  sense  of  smell. 
He  was  of  an  irritable,  vindictive,  and  suspicious  nature,  and 
his  hatred,  when  aroused,  knew  no  bounds.  Yet  it  is  said  that  he 
was  true  to  those  who  gained  his  friendship.  Such  was  Jesse 
Hughes  in  character  and  appearance  when  he  arrived  in  that 
country  destined  to  become  his  future  home,  and  where  he  became 
the  noted  hunter,  the  great  scout  and  famous  Indian  fighter  of 
Northwestern  Virginia. 

In  an  interview  with  an  intelligent  and  reputable  lady,  now 
deceased,  who,  in  her  childhood,  had  known  Jesse  Hughes,  and  had 
been  intimately  acquainted  with  some  of  his  family,  I  was  given 
this  vivid  description  of  the  characteristics  and  personal  appear- 
ance of  the  great  Indian  fighter: 

"Hughes'  countenance  was  hard,  stern  and  unfeeling;  his  eyes  were  the  most 
cruel  and  vicious  I  ever  saw.  He  was  profane  and  desperately  wicked.  He  was 
very  superstitious,  and  a  firm  believer  in  witchcraft.  (7)  He  told  horrible  stories 
of  how  witches  would  crawl  like  spiders  over  the  naked  bodies  of  babies,  causing 
them  to  cry  out  from  pain  and  misery;  and  he  would  conjure  to  counteract  the 
witches,  and  offer  incantations  to  overcome  their  evil  influence.  His  temper  was 
fierce  and  uncontrollable,  often  finding  vent  in  the  abuse  of  his  family.  In  a 
drunken  brawl  near  West's  Fort,  he  and  a  Mr.  Stalnaker  nearly  killed  Ichabod 
Davis,  his  neighbor,  leaving  the  unconscious  victim  for  dead.  Hughes  fled  from 
the  settlement,  but  returned  after  Davis  recovered.  He  never  worked,  but  spent 
his  time  in  hunting  and  scouting.  His  clothing  was  colored  in  the  ooze  made 
from  the  bark  of  the  chestnut  oak;  he  would  wear  no  other  color,  this  shade  har- 
monizing with  the  forest  hues  and  rendering  him  less  conspicuous  to  game  and 
Indians.  When  scouting,  his  dress  consisted  only  of  the  long  hunting  shirt,  (8) 
belted  at  the  waist,  open  leggins,  moccasins,  and  a  brimless  cap;  or  a  handkerchief 
bound  about  his  head.  Thus  dressed,  he  was  ever  ready  for  the  chase,  or  the  trail 
of  the  Indian  foe."  (9) 

When  further  questioned  as  to  his  traits  of  character,  the  lady 
bluntly  closed  the  interview  by  saying,  "I  would  not  tell  all  I 
know  about  Jesse  Hughes  for  this  much  gold,"  designating  the 
amount  she  could  hold  in  her  doubled-hands.  "There  are,"  she 
continued,  "too  many  of  his  descendants  living  about  here."  Nor 
could  she  be  induced  to  speak  further  on  the  subject. 

His  mode  of  dress,  as  above  described,  has  been  amply  veri- 
fied from  other  sources.     When  Indian  incursions  were  expected, 

(7)  See  page  416.  (8)  p.  416.  (9)  p.  417. 


BORDF.R   Sf.TTI.F.RS   OF  XoRTIl WESTKRN  \'|R(.INI.\  35 

Jesse  Hughes  wore  his  hunliiig  shirt  both  day  aiul  night,  without 
regard  to  weather. 

Mrs.  Catharine  Sinuns-Alhnan  reineniber(.\l  that  when  she 
was  a  htile  girl,  Jesse  Hughes  came  to  her  father's  house  on 
Hacker's  Creek,  one  mile  below  West's  Fort,  early  one  morning, 
and  ordered  them  to  run  to  the  fort.  Upon  that  occasion  his  dress 
consisted  of  the  hunting  shirt  and  moccasins  onh'.  He  was  riding 
a  pony  without  a  saddle,  and  mounted  her  mother  behind  him, 
and  with  one  of  the  children  in  his  arms,  galloped  to  the  fort.  This 
incident  occurred  while  Hughes  li\ed  at  the  mouth  of  Jesse's  Run. 

At  the  end  of  his  cabin,  Hughes  erected  a  "lean-to,"  where 
at  all  times  he  kept  his  pony  ready  for  instant  use  in  case  of  an 
Indian  alarm. 

Of  the  pioneers  who  came  with  Pringle  into  the  i>uckhannon 
country,  Jf'ilhers  says: 

"The  others  of  the  party  (William  Hacker,  Thonias  and  Jesse  Hughes,  John 
and  William  Radcliflf  and  John  Brown)  appear  to  have  employed  their  time  exclu- 
sively in  hunting,  neither  of  them  making  any  improvement  of  land  for  his  own 
benefit.  Vet  they  were  of  considerable  service  to  the  new  settlement.  Those  who 
had  commenced  clearing  land,  were  supplied  by  them  with  an  abundance  of  meat, 
while  in  their  hunting  excursions  through  the  country,  a  better  knowledge  of  it 
was  obtained,  than  could  have  been  acquired,  had  they  been  engaged  in  making 
improvements. 

"In  one  of  these  expeditions  thej-  discovered  and  gave  name  to  Stone  Coal 
Creek,  which  flowing  westwardly,  induced  the  supposition  that  it  discharged  Itself 
directly  into  the  Ohio.  Descending  this  creek,  to  ascertain  the  fact,  they  came  to 
its  confiuence  with  a  river,  which  they  then  called,  and  has  since  been  known  as 
the  West  Fork.  After  having  gone  some  distance  down  the  river,  they  returned 
by  a  different  route  to  the  settlement,  better  pleased  with  the  land  on  it  and  some 
of  its  tributaries,  than  with  that  on  Buckhannon."  (10) 

The  hunters  evidently  returned  to  the  settlement  by  wa\-  of 
Hacker's  Creek.  The  Indian  name  for  this  stream  signifies 
"Muddy  Water." 

The  Pringles  had  nc\er  crossed  the  di\ide,  to  any  of  the 
waters  falling  into  the  West  Fork,  and  knew  nothing  of  the  topog- 
raphy of  the  countr}'.  Of  the  six  who  comprised  this  band  of 
explorers,  the  three  first  named  became  prominent  in  the  border 
annals.  The  Radcliffs  settled  on  Hacker's  Creek,  (1 1 )  and  we 
find  that  William  Ratliff  (Radcliff)  claimed  land  there  prior  to 
1781.  John  subsequently  gained  notoriety  for  murdering  Indians 
on  the  Ohio  frontier,  (12)  but  we  find  nothing  definite  concerning 

(10)  Sec  page  41 S.   (11)  p.  41 S.   (IJ)   p.  4 IX. 


36  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

the  later  life  of  William.  One  William  Radcliff  was  a  pensioner 
of  the  Revolutionary  War,  whose  certificate  for  eighty  dollars  per 
year  was  issued  May  16,  1833,  at  which  time  he  was  a  resident  of 
Lewis  County,  Virginia.  His  original  declaration  for  pension  is 
missing,  and  the  only  narrative  of  his  services  that  we  find  is  from 
Special  Pension  Agent,  W.  G.  Singleton,  in  his  report  to  the  Com- 
missioner of  Pensions,  after  a  re-examination  of  Radcliff  in  1834. 

Singleton's  Report: 

"In  a  conversation  between  Radcliff  and  Weeden  Hoffman,  Radcliff  states 
that  he  only  served  six  months  in  the  war  and  that  he  only  claimed  six  months' 
service  in  his  declaration. 

"On  July  30th  I  saw  Radcliff  and  received  from  him  the  following  narrative 
of  his  services  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  In  his  sixteenth  or  seventeenth  year  of 
age,  he  served  as  substitute  in  the  place  of  Adam  Harpole  for  two  months,  and 
marched  from  Hardy  County,  Virginia,  under  he  don't  recollect  whom  nor  where 
to,  and  immediately  after  the  defeat  of  Cornwallis  at  Little  Fort,  Virginia,  he 
marched  from  Hardy  County  to  Winchester,  Virginia,  under  Gapt.  James  Stephan- 
son,  and  served  under  him  at  latter  place  for  two  months,  guarding  the  British 
prisoners.  Capt.  Stephanson's  company,  except  five  or  six  men  including  him- 
self, were  discharged  at  the  end  of  two  months,  at  which  time  Capt.  Jas.  Berry 
came  to  Winchester  with  a  company.  Himself  and  the  four  or  five  men  above 
mentioned  were  attached  to  Capt.  Joseph  Berry's  company  and  served  under 
him,  guarding  the  prisoners  for  two  months.  Then  Capt.  Berry's  company  (except 
the  five  or  six  men  including  himself  above  mentioned)  was  discharged;  then  the 
five  or  six  men  including  himself  were  attached  to  Capt.  James  Simeral's  com- 
pany and  served  under  him  two  months.  A  Colonel  Kennedy  commanded  at 
Winchester  thinks  he  went  to  Winchester  about  October  1st  and  got  his  discharge 
about  May  20th,  which  was  signed  by  Col.  Joseph  Holm's  captain.  Wamsley 
with  his  declaration  expects  that  the  narrative  now  given  is  the  same  given  to 
Wamsley  by  contract.     Wamsley  was  to  have  the  half  of  the  first  pay  drawn." 

(Signed)  His 

Witnesses:  William  X  Radcliff. 

Nathan  Goff.  Mark. 

Note:  "The  statement  of  Radcliff  is  untrue  in  all  particulars  except  as  to 
the  contract  with  Wamsley.  This  is  one  of  the  cases  upon  which  suit  has  been 
instituted.     The  original  papers  are  missing." 

(Signed) 
November  1,  1834.  -W.  G.  Singleton. 

This  pensioner  could  hardly  have  been  the  William  Ratliff 
of  the  Buckhannon  exploring  party  of  1769.  According  to  his 
declaration  to  Singleton,  he  was  only  sixteen  or  seventeen  at  the 
time  of  Gen.  Cornwallis'  surrender  in  1781.  This  would  make 
him  but  twelve  years  old  at  the  time  of  the  exploration  in  question. 


BoRDF.R  Settlers  of  Northwestern  \'ir(;ini.\  37 

Nothing  is  known  of  the  subsequent  history  of  John  Broun,  a 
member  of  the  exploring  party.  It  has  been  surmised  that  both 
WilHam  RadcHff  and  Brown  settled  on  the  West  Fork.  (13)  This 
is  true  of  RadclifT,  for  Hacker's  Creek  is  a  branch  of  the  West  Fork, 
but  I  doubt  if  this  supposition  can  be  verified  in  Brown's  case. 
No  trace  of  his  history  can  be  found  subsequent  to  his  advent  into 
the  Buckhannon  settlement  in  1769.  One  John  Brown  was  a 
resident  on  the  waters  of  the  West  Fork,  about  the  close  of  the 
Revolution,  but  his  record  precludes  the  inference  that  he  was  of 
the  exploring  party  in  question. 

In  the  application  for  pension  as  a  Revolutionary  soldier, 
made  in  Lewis  County,  Aug.  7,  1833,  it  would  appear  that  Brown 
was  born  in  1764,  and  was  raised  in  Hardy  County,  Virginia. 
March  1st,  1781,  he  volunteered  from  Hampshire  County,  in  the 
Virginia  Militia  under  Capt.  Michael  Stump,  and  marched  to 
Fredericksburg,  Va.,  and  from  thence,  under  orders  of  Gen.  George 
Weedon,  to  Richmond,  where  they  encamped  on  the  hill  where  the 
capitol  now  (1833)  stands.  He  was  in  the  command  of  Col. 
William  Darke,  under  Gen.  Porter  Muhlenberg.  They  continued 
in  camp  about  three  weeks,  when  the  enemy  entered  the  city,  and 
the  \'irginia  troops  retreated  to  Raccoon  Ford,  where  they  were 
joined  by  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne.  The  Americans  then  turned  and 
drove  the  British  back  to  Richmond.  Wayne's  army  encamped  for 
seven  days  near  Bacon  branch,  preparing  to  make  an  attack,  but 
on  the  morning  of  the  intended  assault,  there  was  a  dense  fog, 
which  enabled  the  enemy,  whom  Brown  believed  was  commanded 
by  Lord  Cornwallis  [correct],  to  escape  towards  New  Kent  Court 
House.  The  Americans  pursued  and  came  up  with  the  enemy 
near  New  Kent,  and  the  two  armies  skirmished  for  two  days, 
alternately  pursuing  and  retreating.  Wayne  was  then  joined  by 
Gen.  Lafayette,  and  the  British  retreated  towards  their  fleet. 
The  American  forces  went  to  W  illiamsburg,  and  later  to  ^  ork- 
town. 

About  October  1st,  1781,  just  prior  to  the  surrender  of  CJen. 
Cornwallis,  Brown  received  his  discharge  from  Capt.  Anderson, 
and  returned  home,  having  served  seven  months. 

Brown  then  moved  to  (now)  Lewis  County,  West  \  irginia, 
where  he  was  still  living  in  1833.  On  November  1st,  1781,  he 
was  ordered  out  as  an  Indian  spy  by  Col.  Benjamin  Wilson,  under 
Capt.  Christopher  Carpenter,  and  spied  in  that  part  of  \  irginia, 

(13)  See  page  41S. 


38  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

which  in  1833  comprised  Wood, Nicholas,  Harrison  and  Lewis  coun- 
ties. He  continued  under  Carpenter  until  August,  1782,  when  he 
left  his  company,  and  was  commissioned  an  Ensign  of  Spies  under 
Colonels  Lowther  and  Wilson,  and  was  in  command  of  Indian 
spies  from  August  1st,  1782,  to  June  1st,  1783,  when  he  ceased  to 
act  as  an  Ensign.     Brown  was  allowed  3146.66  per  year. 

Subsequently,  there  were  doubts  as  to  Brown's  integrity  and 
his  right  to  a  pension;  and  adverse  testimony  was  taken  by  W.  G. 
Singleton,  U.  S.  District  Attorney,  Virginia,  Nov.  4,  1834. 

John  Waggoner,  of  Lewis  County,  had  known  Brown  all  his 
life.  They  had,  when  young,  resided  in  Hardy  County,  and 
afterwards  were  neighbors  in  Lewis  County.  He  (Waggoner)  had 
never  heard  of  Brown  doing  service  as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution, 
nor  did  he  believe  that  he  did.  Henry  Flesher,  of  Harrison 
County,  stated  that  Brown  came  to  western  Virginia  after  the 
close  of  the  Revolution,  at  which  time  he  was  not  quite  grown. 
Flesher  was  of  the  opinion  that  Brown  had  been  a  soldier.  Isaac 
W^ashburn,  of  Harrison  County,  had  known  Brown  from  his  earli- 
est recollection.  Brown  and  himself  had  been  posted  or  stationed 
at  Brown's  Fort  (built  by  Brown's  father)  after  the  close  of  the 
Revolution.  Brown  was  then  a  young  man  of  twenty  years  or 
more.  Edward,  a  younger  brother  of  John  Brown,  stated  "That 
his  brother  John  was  in  service  as  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  for 
three  months,  but  he  thinks  not  longer." 

The  testimony  most  damaging  to  the  claimant  was  that  of 
William  Powers.  Mr.  Powers  was  a  man  of  integrity,  and  his 
statement  is  interesting.  It  reveals  the  military  and  social  status 
of    the    Trans-Allegheny    during    the    Revolution. 

I  quote  as  reported  by  Singleton. 

Wm  Powers  resided  in  w.  V^a.  now  Harrison  Co.  all  the  time  except  1 
year  during  the  Rev.  war  Knew  Brown  in  Hardy  county  in  1778-1779.  he 
Powers  was  at  school  there  at  that  time.  Brown  settled  in  w.  Va.  where  he 
now  [1834]  lives  in  1785  removed  from  Hardy  county  in  that  }^ear,  knows  noth- 
ing of  Browns  Rev.  service.  Brown  was  an  Indian  spy  after  his  removal  to  the 
west  in  1785  as  before  stated.  Brown  was  not  in  the  settlement  (w.  Va)  in 
1782,  1783,  1784  as  stated  by  him  he  could  not  have  been  without  his  (Powers) 
knowledge,  there  were  but  few  in  the  settlement  at  that  period,  every  man 
engaged  in  defending  the  country  was  known  to  each  other.  Powers  knew  every 
man  able  to  bear  arms,  and  almost  every  woman  and  child,  the  settlement  to 
which  he  refers  is  embraced  in  the  present  limits  of  Harrison,  Tyler,  Lewis  and 


Border  Setti.f.rs  of  Xorthwestern  \'ir(;inia 


39 


the  n.  part  of  Kcnhawhas  co.    havinp  heard   Browns  staleiiieiu  read  Mr  Powers 
states  confidently  that  Brown  is  mistaken. 

"Capt.  Copelaw  also  argues   browns  statements  are  false.    *    *    *    * 

(Signed) 

W  .    (i.    SlN(;i.ETON 

Nov.  4,  1834." 

Mr.  Singlcloii  in  transmiitine  this  testimony,  spoke  deroga- 
tory of  Brown's  character,  and  adversely  to  his  right  to  a  pension. 
He  also  submitted  a  statement  from  Brown  of  his  military  services, 
which  were  at  variance,  in  some  respects  with  his  hrst  declaration. 


^::b^\ 


}^^^^ 
^^m 


CHAPTER  II 


It  is  astonishing  when  we  reaHze  how  little  there  is  recorded 
of  the  actual  border  life  of  Jesse  Hughes,  and  other  noted  scouts  of 
Northwestern  Virginia.  Especially  is  this  true  when  we  remember 
that  Mr.  Withers  wrote  his  Chronicles  of  Border  Warfare  in  the 
midst  of  the  very  scenes  of  some  of  the  most  daring  escapades  and 
bloody  achievements  of  border  strife;  and  this,  too,  while  many  of 
the  principal  actors  in  the  tragedies  were  still  living.  It  is  but 
natural  that  we  should  expect  a  reasonably  complete  record  of 
local  events;  but,  unfortunately,  we  find  the  record  as  preserved 
for  us  woefully  deficient.  A  careful  perusal  of  the  excellent  work 
in  question,  reveals  the  fact  that  a  greater  part  of  that  section  of 
it  which  deals  with  local  affairs  is  not  so  complete,  nor  are  the 
events  so  carefully  portrayed,  as  is  that  part  which  treats  of  the 
matters  pertaining  to  more  distant  localities.  It  cannot  be  denied 
that  the  first  part  of  the  volume,  which  sets  out  the  general  history 
of  the  more  distant  settlements,  is  more  complete,  more  concise, 
and  far  more  minutely  written  than  the  latter  portion,  which 
deals  with  events  largely  local.  Dr.  Thwaites  recognized  this 
deficiency.     In  the  Editor  s  Preface  to  the  revised  edition  he  says: 

"The  weakness  of  the  traditional  method  is  well  exemplified  in  Withers' 
work.  His  treatment  of  many  of  the  larger  events  on  the  border  may  now  be 
regarded  as  little  else  than  a  thread  on  which  to  hang  annotations;  *  *  *"  (1) 

There  must  have  been  a  cause  for  this  deficiency,  which 
becomes  very  apparent  when  we  read  Dr.  Lyman  C.  Draper's 
Memoir  of  Withers,  and  the  letter  from  Mr.  Bond  set  out  below. 
Dr.  Draper  tells  us  that: 

"*  *  *  Mr.  Withers  got  nothing  whatever  for  his  diligence  and  labor  in  pro- 
ducing it  [Border  Warfare],  save  two  or  three  copies  of  the  work  itself.  He  used 
to  say  that  had  he  published  the  volume  himself,  he  would  have  made  it  much 
more  complete,  and  better  in  every  way;  for  he  was  hampered,  limited  and  hur- 
ried— often  correcting  proof  of  the  early,  while  writing  the  later  chapters."  (2) 

The  letter  from  Air.  Bond  is  in  response  to  an  inquiry,  and  is 
as  follows: 


(1)  See  page  418.  (2)  p.  418. 


BoRDKR  vSktti.krs  oi-  Xortiiwkstf.rn  \'|R(;INI.\  41 

■'Lost  Crkik,  W.  \'.\..  January  23,  1898. 
Mr.  L.  V.  McW'iioRTKR, 
Mason,  Ohio. 

Dear  Sir: 

"Your  letter  received,  and  in  rcpl\  will  say;  1  am  a  jirandson  of  William  Powers, 
one  of  the  men  who  got  up  Border  Warfare;  William  Hacker  (3)  was  the  other. 
This  work  lay  dormant  in  their  hands  for  man\-  years.  Hacker  passed  awav  first. 
Powers  purchased  Hacker's  interest  in  the  work,  and  ii  lay  in  his  hands  until  1831, 
when  Joseph  Israel,  an  editor  in  Clarksburg,  bought  the  manuscript  and  arranged 
for  its  publication  by  employing  Alexander  Scott  Withers  to  prepare  it  for  the 
press.  Accordingly  Mr.  Withers  took  up  the  work,  and  after  he  had  it  about  half 
completed  some  friend  told  him  that  he  was  likely  to  get  nothing  for  his  labor,  and 
that  Israel  was  poor  and  could  not  raise  the  amount  of  money  agreed  upon.  Mr. 
Withers  did  not  want  to  leave  the  work  in  that  condition  and  said,  'I  will  dispose 
of  it  in  some  shape.'  So  he  ran  through  the  most  notable  and  prominent  features, 
leaving  the  balance  entirely  out. 

"Now  from  this  time  on  you  and  all  others  will  sec  that  the  second  part  of 
Border  JVarfare  is  rather  incomplete  and  scattered  as  compared  to  the  first  part  of 
the  volume. 

"This  is  the  history  that  my  grandfather  gave  me  of  the  work  from  his  own 
lips.  .My  grandfather  lived  on  a  farm  adjoining  Jane  Lew  [West  Fort],  about 
three  miles  from  Withers'  office,  and  was  there  several  times  while  Withers  was 
preparing  the  work,  and  he  told  me  these  things  himself. 

"I  am  the  only  man  that  can  give  this  history,  as  I  am  the  only  one  living  who 
took  any  account  of  these  things.     1  am  now  in  my  eighty-second  year. 

"In  regard  to  Jesse  Hughes,  my  grandfather  told  me  that  they  had  hunted 
Indians  together,  and  were  in  the  volunteer  company  pursuing  the  Indians  on  the 
Little  Kanawha,  when  John  Bonnett  was  killed;  that  Jesse  was  the  best  trailer 
among  the  whites  and  could  trail  with  an_\"  Indian  on  the  border.  Jesse's  brother 
Ellis  was  also  a  noted  scout.  While  he  could  not  trail  with  Jesse,  he  was  the 
greater  with  the  rifle,  and  could  hit  an  Indian  under  any  and  all  circumstances 
within  the  range  of  his  rifle.     He  was  a  dead  shot.  (4) 

"\\  hen  hunting,  Kllis  could  get  more  game  than  Jesse  at  long  range,  but  at  the 
end  of  the  day  Jesse  would  have  as  much,  but  he  would  get  it  by  slipping  upon  it 
unawares.      In  this,  as  in  trailing  Indians,  he  had  no  equal." 

^'ours  trulj', 

Levi  Bond. 

Here,  then,  we  have  the  soluticjii  to  the  mystcr\-  of  the  incom- 
plete and  defective  character  cjf  the  histor\-  in  e]uestion.  Tliis 
very  apparent  fault  is  lamentable.  It  is  the  incidental  details 
that  give  interest  to  local  histor\-.  There  is  little  wonder  that  Mr. 
Withers  became  discouraged  and  lost  interest  in  his  noble  but 
arduous  task.  A  less  energetic  and  patriotic  man  would  have 
dropped  the  work  entireh'  when  it  became  apparent  that  there 
would  be  no  compensation  for  his  labor.  All  honor  to  .Mr.  \\  ithers! 
(3)  See  page  41S.  (4)  p.  418. 


42  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Yet,  William  Hacker  and  William  Powers,  the  true  authors  of  that 
part  of  the  history  in  question,  have  never  received  the  recognition 
and  credit  due  them  for  the  invaluable  service  they  rendered  in  the 
preservation  of  this  record.  To  them  we  are  indebted  for  most 
of  the  narrative  of  border  strife  in  and  about  Clarksburg,  West's 
Fort,  Buckhannon  and  adjacent  settlements.  The  character  of 
Mr.  Bond  is  above  question,  and  his  account  of  the  origin  of  Border 
Warfare  has  long  been  an  open  secret  with  many  of  the  older 
inhabitants  of  that  region.  (5) 

William  Powers  was  born  in  Frederick  County,  Virginia, 
November  9,  1765.  He  came  with  his  father,  John  Powers,  to 
Simpson's  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the  West  Fork,  where,  in  1781,  a 
certificate  of  homestead  entry  was  granted  "John  Powers,  400 
acres  on  Simpson's  Creek,  adjoining  lands  of  James  Anderson, 
to  include  his  settlement  made  in  1772."  William  Powers  at  a 
very  early  age  became  a  scout  of  prominence.  In  March,  1781, 
when  but  fifteen  years  old,  he  enlisted  for  nine  months  (during 
the  scouting  season)  in  Captain  Joseph  Gregory's  Company  of 
Indian  spies;  place  of  enlistment,  Monongalia  County,  Virginia. 
March  2,  1782,  he  re-enlisted  for  the  same  length  of  time,  in  the 
same  company.  During  this  time,  he  was  stationed  at  Power's 
Fort  (probably  named  for  his  father)  on  Simpson's  Creek,  and 
was  engaged  in  spying  from  that  fort  to  the  Ohio  River  and  over 
the  territory  that  afterwards  comprised  the  counties  of  Ohio, 
Tyler,  Wood,  Lewis,  Harrison,  and  Randolph.  In  March,  1783, 
he  was  made  ensign  of  a  company  of  scouts  until  the  first  day  of 
September,  following.  During  this  enlistment  he  was  engaged 
in  scouting  throughout  Monongalia  County.  It  is  singular  that 
Withers  has  not  even  mentioned  William  Powers'  name  in  con- 
nection with  a  single  incident  of  the  frontier.  This,  however, 
is  true  of  other  deserving  pioneers,  and  is  much  to  be  regretted. 
Powers  was  one  of  the  scouts  who  searched  for  the  marauding 
Indians  that  desolated  the  home  of  Thomas  Cunningham  (6) 
on  Bingamon  Creek  in  1785;  and  was  with  Colonel  Lowther's 
party  in  pursuit  of  Indians  on  the  Little  Kanawha,  in  1787,  which 
resulted  so  fatally  to  John  Bonnett. 

He  was  also  with  Colonel  Lowther  in  1781,  in  his  pursuit  and 
attack  on  the  Indian  Camp  on  the  Hughes  River,  when  the  Leading 
Creek  captives  were  rescued.  These  events  will  be  more  fully 
treated  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 


(5)  See  page  418.  (6)  p.  418. 


Border  Settlers  oi-  NOriiiw  kstikn  \  irgima  43 

Powers  was  connected  with  many  other  thrilling  occurrences 
of  border  strife. 

It  was  within  a  feu  da\s  after  Powers'  hrst  cnHstnient,  17X1, 
that  the  Indians  came  near  Booth's  Creek  and  killed  Capt.  )ohn 
Thomas,  wife,  and  six  of  their  children,  carrying  off  the  remaining 
child,  a  small  hoy,  prisoner.  (7) 

Powers,  in  his  declaration  for  pension,  October  1st,  1833, 
states  that  it  was  in  1781  that  John  Owens  and  John  Juggins 
were  killed  h\-  Indians  on  Bocnh's  Creek,  in  (now)  Harrison 
County.  Withers  says  that  this  tragedy  occurred  in  June,  1780. 
(8)  Powers  also  states  that  it  was  in  1782,  that  the  Indians  killed 
James  Owens,  and  took  prisoner  Cilhcrt  Ilostead  (Hustead)  in 
the  same  region.  This  is  again  in  contradiction  of  Withers,  who 
gives  the  dates  of  these  transactions  as  1778.  (9). 

In  March,  1783,  he  enlisted  for  the  third  time,  am.!  was 
elected  f.nsign,  or  Second  Lieutenant  of  scouts,  h\-  his  com- 
paiiw  On  April  4th  he  niarched  from  Powers  Fort  to  the 
mouth  c)t  Bingamon  Creek,  in  now  Harrison  Countw  where 
he  "stationed  part  of  his  men  on  the  site  of  an  old  Indian  town;" 
the  remaining  ones  he  stationed  "at  the  mouth  of  Jones  Run,  a 
branch  of  Ten  Mile  Creek,  about  thirl\-  miles  from  Bingamon 
Creek."  These  men  he  left  to  make  regular  scouting  tours, 
while  he  traveled  from  station  to  station  in  the  capacity  of  com- 
mander. During  this  season  Indians  came  to  the  neighborhood  of 
Simpson  Creek  and  stole  several  horses  belonging  to  Major 
Benjamin  Robinson,  who  with  others  made  a  fruitless  pursuit  of 
the  marauders.  This  was  e\identl\  the  Major  Robinson  men- 
tioned b\-  It'ithrrs.  (lOl  Powers  disbanded  his  men  in  Septrmber, 
1783. 

Powers'  discharge  papers,  with  his  commission  of  Mnsign, 
were  all  misplaced,  or  lost  in  a  fire  which  destroyed  his  house  with 
its  contents.  John  Brown  and  John  Schoolcraft  both  testified  to 
the  good  character  and  \eracit\"  of  William  Powers,  who  also 
gave  as  reference  Alexander  W  est  and  .Adam  I'lesher.  Powers  was 
granted  a  pension,  but  in  April,  1840,  John  II.  Hays,  of  McW'hor- 
ter's  Mills,  Lewis  Countw  \  irginia,  contrixed  to  ha\e  it  slopped 
b}-  reporting  to  the  Pension  Office  that  Powers  was  not  entitled 
to  a  pension.  In  his  protest  Ha\s  mentions  the  "Messrs.  Bonnetts, 
(11)  .\dam  blesher,  Lle/.ekiah  Hess  and  se\eral  others"  who  had 
been  granted  pensions  for  services  similar  to  those  of  .Mr.  Powers, 
(7)  See  page  419.  (8)  p.  419.  (9)  p.  419.   (10)  p.  419.   ( 1 1 )  p.  41'A 


44  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

but  later  their  names  had  been  dropped  from  the  list,  and  they 
required  to  refund  the  amounts  paid  them. 

Notwithstanding  Hays  had  declared  to  the  Pension  Office  his 
ability  and  intention  of  proving  his  charges  by  affidavits,  only 
one,  that  of  Phoebe  Cunningham,  was  submitted.  Her  testimony 
was  "that  she  was  acquainted  with  William  Powers  since  the  close 
of  the  Revolutionary  War  and  believes  that  he  was  about  thirteen 
years  of  age."  Sworn  to  April  1st,  1840,  before  James  Malone, 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  Lewis  County,  Virginia.  In  October  of 
the  same  year,  in  response  to  an  inquiry.  Powers  received  official 
notice  that  his  pension  was  stopped,  but  it  seems  he  took  no 
immediate  steps  to  have  his  name  restored. 

On  the  16th  of  December,  1846,  the  following  testimony  in 
behalf  of  Powers  was  forwarded  from  Weston,  Lewis  County, 
Va.,  to  the  Commissioner  of  Pensions: 

Sir: 

"I  have  been  acquainted  with  William  Powers  for  more  than  30  years.  He 
has  acted  as  Sheriff  for  Lewis  County,  Va.,  and  has  discharged  the  duties  of  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace  in  Harrison  and  Lewis  counties  for  more  than  30  years.  He 
stands  well  before  the  community  where  he  is  acquainted,  as  an  honest  and  upright 
man  and  I  believe  that  any  statement  he  would  make  under  oath  or  otherwise 
would  be  believed  by  those  who  are  acquainted  with  him.  I  will  add  that  John 
H.  Hays  is  a  man  of  bad  character, and  not  to  be  relied  on." 

(Signed)  J.  McWhorter.  (12) 

A  similar  letter  was  signed  by  Weedon  Hoffman,  Minter 
Bailey,  Levi  Maxwell,  William  L  Bland,  John  Lorentz,  and 
Thomas  Bland,  all  men  of  unquestionable  repute.  At  length 
the  case  was  referred  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  with  the  fol- 
lowing result: 

"Department  of  the  Interior 

October  28,  1850. 
J.  L.  Edwards,  Esq., 

Commissioner  of  Pensions. 
Sir: 

"I  herewith  return  the  papers  in  the  case  of  William  Powers,  Esq.,  of  Lewis 
County,  Va.,  and  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  his  name  should  be  restored  to  the 
Pension  roll  under  the  Act  of  June  7,  1732,  at  S80.00  per  annum  from  the  period 
when  he  was  last  paid. 

"From  examination  of  papers  I  can  find  no  ground  for  the  action  of  the  Pen- 
sion Office,  but  on  the  contrary  the  U.  S.  District  Attorney  for  the  Western  District 
of  Virginia  who  was  especially  charged  with  an  examination  of  the  case,  reported 
in  writing  that  Mr.  Powers  was  entitled  to  his  pension,  and  recommended  his  con- 

(12)  See  page  420. 


Border  Settlers  of  Ncjrtii western  \  irgima  45 

tinuancc,  whilst  the  individual  who  was  instrumental  in  his  beinj;  stricken  from  the 
roll  is  shown  by  the  records  of  Lewis  County  to  have  committed  crime  for  which 
he  was  indicted  by  the  Grand  Jury,  and  is  rcturncil  by  the  Sheriff  as  a  fu^.'itivc 
from  justice.     I  am,  very  respectfully 

"\'our  obedient  servant, 

Alex.  H.  H.  Stuart,  Srcy." 

Thus,  after  a  period  of  ten  years,  the  name  of  William  Powers 
was  restored  to  the  pension  roll.  The  offense  for  which  Ha\'s 
was  indicted  was  forgery,  commit  ted  August  1st,  1K41.  lie 
moved  to  the  Northwest  and  was  never  apprehended.  It  is 
probable  that  he  located  on  Military  Bounty  Lands,  for  it  is  found 
that  in  1841  he  was  negotiating  for  4000  acres  due  Captain  John 
Bail)',  or  heirs,  as  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  Virginia  Line. 

M\'  father,  who  is  still  living, (13)  was  well  acquainted  with 
\\  illiam  Powers,  and  testifies  to  his  good  character  and  veracity, 
lie  recalls  the  trouble  that  Powers  had  with  his  pension  and  its 
final  adjustment.  Ha\-s,  he  says,  was  a  man  of  very  bad  repute, 
and  fied  to  the  then  remote  Northwest.  His  place  of  refuge  was 
never  known. 

\\  illiam  Powers  was  well  educated  for  his  da}',  and  his  wide 
experience  on  the  frontier,  where  he  "knew  every  man  able  to 
bear  arms,"  and  practically  ever}'  woman  and  child  in  the  upper 
Monongahela  settlements,  well  qualified  him  for  the  role  of  local 
historian.  He  was  sometimes  called  "Major"  Powers,  but  if  he 
was  entitled  to  that  distinction,  it  was  doubtless  as  major  of 
militia  at  a  later  day,  as  no  mention  of  such  rank  is  found  in  the 
earl}"  records.  The  "Major  Power"  referred  to  by  Jfilhcrs  (\4) 
was  evidently  the  Major  Powers  who  settled  in  (now)  Barbour 
County,  West  \'a.,  in  1776. 

William  Powers  was  about  five  feet  six  inches  in  height,  well 
built,  spare  and  very  erect,  even  at  cight}'-nine.  His  com- 
plexion was  light  with  dark  hair.  He  married  Hannah  Stout,  a 
sister  of  Dr.  Hezekiah  Stout,  and  settled  near  West's  Fort.  He 
dictl  June  6,  1856,  and  was  buried  under  the  honors  of  war  in  the 
Broad  Run  Cemeter}',  Lewis  Count}',  \\  est  Va.  His  wife  is  also 
buried  there.     Their  children  were: 

Thomas,  married  Millie  Hart;  John,  married  Percella  Chen- 

verout;    Ezekiel,    married    Miss Jones;    Benjamin,    married 

Miss   Stout;  William,  Jr.,   married   Charit}'    Paxton,   second 

wife.  Miss Lightburn,    sister     to    (jen.    Joseph     Lightburn; 

(13)  See  page  420.   (14)  p.  -120. 


46  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Sarah,  married  Abel  Bond;  Prudence,  married  Richard  Bond; 
Margaret,  married  EH  Vanhorne. 

Abel  and  Richard  Bond  were  brothers;  sons  of  Richard  Bond, 
a  son  of  Samuel  Bond,  native  of  England,  and  whose  descent  can 
be  traced  to  the  nobility  of  knighthood.  Levi  Bond,  whose 
letter  appears  in  the  first  part  of  this  chapter,  is  a  son  of  Abel 
Bond  and  Sarah  Powers.  He  was  born  April  3,  1817.  A  shoe- 
maker by  trade,  on  his  ninety-seventh  birthday  he  nailed  the 
soles  on  a  pair  of  boots  without  experiencing  any  material  fatigue. 
He  is,  at  the  writing  of  this  paragraph,  October  10th,  1914,  still 
living  and  bids  fair  to  pass  the  one-hundred  milestone. 

His  younger  brother,  Augustine  P.  Bond,  born  in  1832,  went 
west  with  his  parents  in  1845.  Settling  in  Wisconsin,  he  crossed 
the  plains  in  the  Spring  of  1864,  and  spent  the  Summer  in  a  mining 
camp  at  now  Virginia  City,  Montana.  With  a  fleet  of  flat  boats 
he  returned  in  the  Fall,  fighting  Indians  for  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  down  the  Yellow  Stone  and  Missouri  Rivers,  to  Yank- 
ton, Dakota.  His  experience  on  the  western  frontier  has  been 
similar  to  that  of  his  noted  grandfather  of  the  Trans-Allegheny. 

Touching  the  Grigsby  tragedy  mentioned  by  Withers,  (15)  Mr. 
Bond  writes  me:  "Bettie,  the  wife  of  Charles  Grigsby,  whose 
home  was  raided  on  Grigsby's  Run,  a  branch  of  Rooting  Creek, 
June,  1777,  was  buried  with  her  infant  where  killed  near  the  top  of 
the  ridge  on  Lost  Creek,  opposite  the  village  of  that  name.  The 
grave  was  never  marked.  I  stood  by  the  side  of  her  grave  in  June, 
1898,  —  121  years  after  her  death  —  and  it  was  then  just  as  it 
was  seventy  years  ago  when  I  first  saw  it;  a  slight  depression  in 
the  ground.  Her  little  child  had  been  dead  some  time  when  the 
mother  was  killed,  but  she  still  carried  it  in  her  arms." 

William  Hacker,  Jr.,  it  is  claimed,  was  the  first  white  child 
born  on  Hacker's  Creek,  but  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  his 
birth  occurred  on  the  Wappatomaka,  just  prior  to  the  parents 
settling  on  the  Western  waters.  In  either  event,  he  grew  to 
maturity  amid  the  tumult  of  border  forays,  and  doubtless  partic- 
ipated in  the  defense  of  the  settlements  during  the  later  years  of 
Indian  hostility.  He  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinarv  ability, 
and  considering  his  environments,  was  well  educated.  He  was 
schoolteacher,  minister  and  magistrate,  and  in  the  discharge  of 
these  diversified  duties  throughout  the  settlements,  he  had  unsur- 
passed facilities  for  collecting  historical  data. 

(15)  See  page  420. 


BORDF.R   SkTTI.KRS  OF   XoRTIIWESTKRN  \'lR(,IM.\  47 

Equipped  as  these  men  were  for  their  task,  it  is  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  their  work  would  he  replete  and  thorough,  but 
necessarily  biased  h\-  partisanism. 

While  it  is  evident  that  Mr.  W  ithers  cast  aside  some  of  the 
material  placed  at  his  disposal,  we  are  not  to  infer  that  he  came 
into  possession  of  every  event  of  historic  interest.  The  darker 
side  of  the  border  story,  as  seen  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
Indian,  was  perhaps  never  revealed  to  him.  When  we  remem- 
ber thai  Mr.  Powers  was  an  acti\-e  scout  and  Indian  hunter, 
and  that  one  of  the  Hackers,  at  least,  was  notorious  for  his 
murder  of  peaceable  Indians  (16)  and  that  both  were  associates 
of  others  who  were  engaged  in  deeds  of  shocking  barbaritw  we 
need  no  longer  wonder  that  so  little  was  chronicled  touching 
certain  events  that  appear  in  their  best  light  when  buried  in  the 
blackness  of  oblivion.  The  same  motive  that  prompted  the  good 
old  lady  to  declare  that  "not  for  a  handful  of  gold"  would  she 
speak  further,  was  more  patent  in  the  earlier  days  than  at  the 
present  time. 

The  partisan  writer  cannot  give  just  treatment  to  those  who 
are  opposed  to  his  own  conception  of  right  and  wrong;  nor  is  it 
to  be  expected  that  the  hand  that  wields  the  sword  will  pen  an 
unbiased  version  of  the  fra}-.  Charit\-,  the  one  potent  element 
of  impartiality,  is  never  found  in  the  acrimonious  flow  of  "gun 
powder  ink,"  and  unfortunate  are  the  people  who  must  depend 
upon  the  enenn-  of  their  race  for  a  true  chronicling  of  their 
grievances. 

Our  border  annals  have  all  been  recorded  h\-  white  men. 
Strong  racial  affinit\-,  animosity  and  hatred  of  the  Indian  have 
colored  the  record  and  prevented  a  fair  statement  of  the  facts. 
The  Indian,  hardl\-  regarded  b)-  the  earl\  settlers  as  human,  has 
ever  been  presented  in  the  most  terrible  and  hideous  character 
that  imagination  could  conceive.  As  thus  pictured,  his  supremest 
passions  were  nturder,  plunder,  torture  and  re\enge.  On  the 
other  hand,  his  white  foe,  often  equally  savage  and  more  cruel, 
has  been  extolled  as  a  hero  moved  with  a  holy  zeal  to  protect 
home  and  country-  against  "savage"  incursions  and  to  ad\ance 
civilization  and  Christianity.  His  acts  of  revolting  barbarity 
have  been  excused,  obscured,  suppressed,  and  the  result  is  a  partial 
and  one-sided  history.  From  i'l\inouth  Rock  to  the  Golden  Gate 
this  has  been  true.  The  "Custer  Massacre"  and  the  "Battle  (.') 
(16)  See  page  420. 


48  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

of  Wounded  Knee"  are  modern  incidents  illustrative  of  this  point. 
When  in  1876,  General  Custer  and  his  command  were  annihi- 
lated in  a  square  up  and  down  fight  on  the  Little  Big  Horn  by  the 
strategic  Sioux,  and  this  too,  when  the  challenge  had  been  given 
by  Custer  himself  the  event  was  heralded  abroad  as  a  horrible 
Indian  massacre  by  Sitting  Bull's  horde  of  merciless  savages. 
The  fact  that  the  patriotic  Sioux  were  in  reality  fighting  for  their 
homes  and  the  right  to  even  exist  was  not  considered,  or  at  least, 
was  thought  of  as  a  matter  of  minor  importance. 

On  the  field  of  the  Wounded  Knee  in  1890,  United  States 
soldiers  having  the  advantage  in  numbers  of  more  than  four  to 
one,  and  of  rapid-fire  machine  guns,  shot  to  death  more  than 
ninety  men  and  boys,  fifty  women  and  young  girls,  and  eighteen 
helpless  children,  several  of  them  infants.  This  event  was  pro- 
claimed to  the  world  as  a  "Great  Indian  Battle,"  despite  the  fact 
that  the  Sioux  had  surrendered  and  were  hemmed  in  by  a  cordon 
of  troops  who  had  partly  disarmed  them  before  the  firing  began. 
All  the  ghastly  details  will  never  be  known.  I  have  it  from  good 
authority,  from  one  who  was  present  when  the  outbreak  occurred, 
that  when  the  action  began,  all  the  Indians  save  not  to  exceed 
forty-five  had  surrendered  their  guns.  Many  were  sitting  on  the 
ground  smoking.  They  were  without  a  leader.  Their  Chief, 
Big  Foot,  at  the  time  lay  dying  in  his  tepee  with  pneumonia.  At 
the  first  crash  of  the  guns,  the  dying  chieftain  feebly  raised  himself 
on  his  couch,  only  to  fall  back  riddled  by  a  score  of  bullets.  Here 
is  one  of  the  incidents  that  went  to  make  up  the  "great  battle." 

A  mounted  soldier  pursued  a  little  Indian  boy.  Perhaps  the 
lad  was  five  or  six  years  old.  Seeing  that  he  could  not  escape  by 
running,  he  made  frantic  and  piteous  efforts  to  conceal  his  little 
body  in  the  sand.  The  soldier  fired  at  him  but  missed. 
Another  trooper  came  to  his  assistance,  dismounted,  kneeled, 
and  shot  the  little  fellow  through  the  hips!  The  troopers  rode 
away  in  pursuit  of  other  "hostiles."  When  the  relief  party  came 
the  dying  boy  was  found  and  carried  to  the  agency  buildings. 
The  story  leaked  out.  Some  time  afterwards  a  large  red-haired 
cavalryman  was  discovered  at  the  edge  of  the  camp  stabbed 
through  the  heart.    He  was  the  soldier  who  had  shot  the  Indian  boy. 

During  the  Bannock  uprising  in  1878,  a  party  of  United 
States  soldiers  pursued  a  band  of  hostiles  into  a  canyon  on  Snake 
River  and   indiscriminately   slaughtered   them   all,   men,   women, 


BoROKR   SkTTI.KRS  OK  XoRTIlWESTERN  \'|R(;1M  A  49 

and  chiklit'ii,  iiRluLliiii:  babes  in  arms.  A  soldier  lalally  shot  a 
Bannock  warrior;  he  sprang  troni  his  horse  and  with  a  savage 
sweep  of  his  knife  disemboweled  ihe  d\ine  Indian.  Then  seizing 
the  scalp-lock  and  placing  his  foot  on  the  liuiian's  neck,  proceeded, 
with  the  help  of  liis  knife,  to  tear  the  scalp  from  the  head  of  his 
writhing  victim.  After  the  battle  (.')  some  of  the  soldiers  found 
an  Indian  baby  \"et  unharmed,  perhaps  placed  in  some  shelter  by 
its  mother  before  stricken  to  death  in  that  charnal  glen.  This 
babe,  which  could  scarce  sit  alone,  was  placed  on  a  boulder  at 
some  distance  for  target  practice.  W  hile  the  soldiers  were  dis- 
cussing among  themselves  as  to  who  should  have  the  first  shot, 
an  Indian  armed  onl\'  with  a  "pepper-bo.x"  pistol  was  discovered 
hiding  in  a  nearb\'  thicket.  The  infant  was  left  for  a  time,  and 
an  attempt  made  to  dislodge  the  warrior.  With  his  antiquated 
weapon  he  killed  one  of  his  assailants,  deterring  the  others  from 
rushing  upon  him.  Tlicn  a  howit/cr  licaNily  charged  witli  grape- 
shot  was  turned  upon  this  lone  Indian  and  the  discharge  tore  him 
into  fragments,  which  the  soldiers  carried  out  one  by  one.  These 
brave  soldiers  of  a  civilized  and  Christian  nation,  again  turned 
their  attention  to  the  "hostile"  upon  the  boulder.  Xo  less  than 
a  half  dozen  rifle  balls  one  after  another  were  sent  tearing  through 
its  tender  body.  The  officer  in  charge  of  these  troops  "could  not 
see  very  well,"  consequently  "knew  not  what  was  being  done." 

A  late  ex-soldier  of  repute  said  to  me  "I  was  a  pri\ate  in  a 
West  \  irginia  Regiment,  Federal  .\rniy  during  the  C"i\il  War, 
and  at  the  close  of  that  struggle,  my  term  of  enlistment  not  being 
expired,  was  sent  with  others  to  hght  Indians  on  the  Kansas 
frontier.  One  day  we  captured  ti\e  warriors,  members  of  a  band 
which  had  been  committing  depredations,  and  our  commandant 
determined  to  treat  them  to  a  severe  death.  Rude  frames  were 
constructed  by  nailing  four  poles  together.  In  these  the  prison- 
ers were  laid,  their  feet  and  hands  extended  and  securely  tied  to 
the  side  timbers.  The  frames  were  then  set  up  and  braced, 
leaving  the  \ictims  suspended  by  the  lashings.  The\'  were  gi\en 
neither  food  nor  drink  and  at  the  end  of  three  days  all  were  dead. 
No,  they  made  no  outcr\',  not  even  a  moan,  but  died  like  sullen 
dogs.  As  a  warning  to  other  Indians,  the  frames  with  their 
ghastly  settings  were  left  standing." 

Jim  W'alsie,  a  Warm  Springs  hulian  of  integrit\\  gave  me 
the   following    incident:     *'Long   time   ago   [in    the   sixlies|    I    was 


50  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

scout  for  government  in  war  with  Snake  Injuns.  One  day  troops 
found  small  party  Snakes  in  Blue  Mountains,  Oregon.  Our  com- 
mander, Captain  John,  a  white  man,  says:  'Snakes  bad  people, 
kill  um  all.  Kill  Snake  man,  Snake  woman,  little  gal,  little  boy 
and  little  papoose.'  Then  soldiers  surround  Snakes  and  shoot  all 
dead.  Then  they  scalp  Snakes;  and  one  man  say  I  scalp  a  woman. 
It  is  a  lie;  I  no  scalp  woman." 

For  actions  like  the  above  there  was  no  excuse;  but  our 
occupancy  of  the  country  was  a  conquest  which  meant  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Indian  tribes  to  whom  the  soil  by  right  belonged. 
Every  act,  however  cruel  and  unjust,  which  tended  to  hasten  that 
result  was  supposed  to  be  in  the  interest  of  the  white  man.  These 
deeds  were  justified  by  a  large  element  on  the  frontiers,  and  if 
any  man  raised  his  voice  in  protest  he  was  accused  of  being  against 
his  race  and  its  known  policy.  For  these  reasons,  the  revolting 
actions  of  the  white  men  were  modified  in  the  accounts  of  them, 
and  when  possible  they  were  kept  secret.  Much  of  what  we  have 
has  been  distorted  by  the  historian.  True  accounts  of  many 
incidents  of  border  history  have  been  lost  or  never  written  because 
those  who  condemned  them  feared  the  vengeance  of  the  more 
savage  scouts.  Life  on  the  border  tried  men's  souls.  It  gave  to 
some  the  outlet  for  a  venomous  passion  for  blood.  Many  deeds 
were  too  dark  for  the  printed  page.  These  were  held  in  the  mem- 
ory, related  around  the  cabin-hearth  and  the  hunter's  camp-fire 
with  bated  breath,  and  thus  became  the  tradition  of  the  border 
days.  The  record  is  incomplete,  and  it  is  now  impossible  ever  to 
make  it  complete. 

On  the  other  hand,  atrocities  committed  by  the  Indians  were 
occasionally  suppressed.  The  motive  was  merciful,  that  the 
family  of  the  victim  be  spared  unnecessary  anguish. 

John  Harper  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and  served 
seven  years  as  a  private,  Virginia  troops.  He  came  to  the  North- 
western Territory  in  1800,  and  settled  on  Mill  Creek,  near  Cincin- 
nati. His  son,  James  Harper,  was  born  in  Berkley  County, 
Virginia,  1786.  He  enlisted  for  the  war  of  1812,  and  served  on  the 
Northwestern  frontier  with  General  Harrison.  In  company  with 
fourteen  other  soldiers,  he  was  sent  with  a  dispatch  to  an  outlying 
post,  with  strict  orders  not  to  fire  on  Indians,  if  any  were  met, 
unless  attacked.  While  en  route  a  few  Indians  presented  them- 
selves, and  were  fired  upon,  when  they  fled.     The  soldiers  pursued. 


RoRDKR   SkTTI.KRS  OF  NoRTHVVKSTF.RX  \'lRGINIA 


51 


and  fell  into  an  ainhuscade.  Only  a  few  escaped.  Harper,  when 
last  seen  by  his  companions,  was  captured  with  one  or  more 
Indian  scalps  at  his  belt.  He  was  carried  to  some  point  on  the 
Lakes  and  burned  at  the  stake.  Througli  commiseration  for  his 
parents,  the  tragedy  was  never  made  public. 

This  story  was  given  me  by  Mr.  John  Dclaplane  of  Fort 
JeflFerson,  Ohio,  an  immediate  descendant  of  the  Harper  family, 
and  is  here  published  for  the  first  time. 


^^1^^^ 
^^^ 


CHAPTER  III 


There  is  considerable  mention  of  Jesse  Hughes  in  the  annals  of 
the  early  settlement  of  Northwestern  Virginia,  particularly  In 
those  portions  relating  to  the  Indian  wars  of  the  period.  But 
taken  all  together  there  is  not  enough  to  give  the  reader  any 
accurate  idea  of  Hughes  and  the  important  part  he  played  in  the 
settlement  of  the  central  regions  of  the  present  State  of  West 
Virginia.  It  will,  however,  aid  the  reader  much  when  combined 
with  what  has  been  preserved  herein  and  published  for  the  first 
time.  For  this  reason  I  have  decided  to  reproduce  in  this  chapter 
the  extended  reference  to  him  found  In  the  History  of  the  Early 
Settlement  and  Indian  Wars  of  Westered  Virginia,  by  Dr.  Willis 
DeHass,  Wheeling,  1851.  Another  reason  for  this  quotation  Is 
that  this  work  is  so  very  rare  that  it  cannot  be  consulted  by  the 
average  reader.  It  is  a  work  of  high  order  and  has  been  an  author- 
ity for  more  than  half  a  century.  A  few  references  to  Hughes 
from  other  sources  will  be  found  in  this  chapter. 

Jesse  Hughes 

"One  of  the  most  active,  daring  and  successful  Indian  hunters  in  the  mountain 
region  of  Virginia,  was  Jesse  Hughes.  He  has  not  inappropriately  been  styled  the 
Wetzel  of  that  portion  of  the  state,  and  in  many  respects,  certainly  was  not  unde- 
serving of  that  distinctive  appellation.  Jesse  Hughes  possessed  in  an  imminent 
degree  the  rare  constituents  of  courage  and  energy.  These  qualities,  so  essential 
in  those  days  of  savage  warfare,  gained  for  him  the  confidence  of  the  sturdy  men 
by  whom  he  was  surrounded,  and  often  induced  them  to  select  him  for  the  post 
of  leader  in  their  various  expeditions  against  the  enemy.  A4any  are  the  tales  of 
adventure  which  the  people  of  West  Fork  and  Little  Kanawha  relate  of  this  notable 
personage.     A  few  of  these  we  have  collected  and  now  give. 

"Hughes  was  a  native  of  the  region  to  which  his  operations  were  chiefly  con- 
fined. He  was  born  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Monongahela,  and  grew  to  manhood 
amid  the  dangers  and  privations  which  the  people  of  that  section  of  Virginia 
endured  during  the  long  years  of  a  border  warfare.  Early  learning  that  the  rifle 
and  tomahawk  were  his  principal  means  of  maintenance  and  defense,  he  became 
an  adept  in  their  use  and  refused  to  acknowledge  a  superior  anywhere.  Passion- 
ately devoted  to  the  wood,  he  became  invaluable  to  the  settlements  as  hunter  and 
scout.  A  man  of  delicate  frame,  but  an  iron  constitution,  he  could  endure  more 
fatigue  than  any  of  his  associates,  and  thus  was  enabled  to  remain  abroad  at  all 
seasons  without  inconvenience  or  detriment.  Many  were  the  threatened  blows 
which  his  vigilance  averted,  and  numerous  lives  of  helpless  settlers  his  strong  arm 
reached  forth  to  save.     The  recollection  of  his  services  and  devotion  is  still  cherished 


Border  Setti.krs  oi   XoRTiiwKSTiiRN  \  ircima  53 

with  a  lively  feeling  of  admiration  bv  tlu-  people  of  tlic  region  with  wliicli  his  name 
is  so  intimatch'  associated. 

"The  following  incidents  illustrative  of  his  career,  we  derive  from  sources 
entitled  to  every  credit.  The  one  which  immediately  follows  is  from  an  old  and 
intimate  friend  of  Hughes  (Mr.  Renick  of  Ohio),  to  whom  it  was  communicated 
by  the  hero  himself,  and  afterwards  confirmed  by  Mr.  Harness,  who  was  one  of 
the  expedition.     The  time  of  the  incident  was  about  1790. 

"No  Indian  depredations  had  recently  occurred  in  the  vicinity  of  Clarksburg, 
and  the  inhabitants  began  to  congratulate  lliemselves  that  difficulties  were  finally 
at  an  end. 

"'One  night  a  man  hearing  liic  fence  of  a  small  lot,  he  had  a  horse  in,  fall, 
jumped  up  and  running  out  saw  an  Indian  spring  on  the  horse  and  dash  off.  The 
whole  settlement  was  alarmed  in  an  hour  or  two,  a  company  of  twenty-five  or 
thirty  men  were  paraded,  ready  to  start  by  daylight.  They  took  a  circle  outside 
of  the  settlement,  and  soon  found  the  trail  of  apparently  eight  or  ten  horses,  and 
they  supposed,  about  that  many  Indians.  The  captain  (chosen  before  Hughes 
joined  the  company)  called  a  halt,  and  held  a  council  to  determine  in  what  manner 
to  pursue  them.  The  captain  and  a  majority  of  the  company  were  for  following 
on  their  trail:  Hughes  was  opposed,  and  he  said  he  could  pilot  them  to  the  spot 
where  the  Indians  would  cross  the  Ohio,  by  a  nearer  way  than  the  enemy  could  go, 
and  if  they  reached  there  before  the  Indians,  could  intercept  them  and  be  sure  of 
success.  But  the  commander  insisted  on  pursuing  the  trail.  Hughes  then  tried 
another  argument:  he  pointed  out  the  danger  of  trailing  the  Indians:  insisted  that 
they  would  waylay  their  trail,  in  order  to  know  if  they  were  pursued,  and  would 
choose  a  situation  where  they  could  shoot  two  or  three  and  set  them  at  defiance; 
and  alarming  the  others,  the  Indians  would  out-travel  them  and  make  their  escape. 
The  commander  found  that  Hughes  was  like  to  get  a  majority  for  his  plan,  in 
which  event  he  (the  captain)  would  lose  the  honor  of  planning  the  expedition. 
Hughes,  by  some,  was  considered  too  wild  for  the  command,  and  it  was  nothing 
but  jealousy  that  kept  him  from  it,  for  in  most  of  the  Indian  excursions,  he  got 
the  honor  of  the  best  plan,  or  did  the  best  act  that  was  performed.  The  commander 
then  broke  up  the  council  by  calling  aloud  to  the  men  to  follow  him  and  let  the 
cowards  go  home,  and  dashed  off  full  speed,  the  men  all  following.  Hughes  knew 
the  captain's  remark  was  intended  for  him,  and  felt  the  insult  in  the  highest  degree, 
but  followed  on  with  the  rest.  They  had  not  gone  many  miles  until  the  trail  ran 
down  a  ravine  where  the  ridge  on  one  side  was  very  steep,  with  a  ledge  of  rock 
for  a  considerable  distance.  On  the  top  of  this  cliff  two  Indians  lay  in  ambush, 
and  when  the  company  got  opposite  they  made  a  noise  of  some  kind,  that  caused 
the  men  to  stop:  that  instant  two  of  the  company  were  shot  and  mortalh-  wounded. 
They  now  found  Hughes'  prediction  fully  verified,  for  they  had  to  ride  so  far 
round  before  the\-  could  get  up  tiic  cliff,  that  the  Indians  with  ease  made  their 
escape. 

■"The}-  all  now  agreed  that  Hughes'  plan  was  the  best,  and  urged  him  to  pilot 
tlicm  lo  the  ri\Gr  where  the  Indians  would  cross.  He  agreed  to  do  it;  but  was 
afraid  it  might  be  too  late,  for  the  Indians  knew  that  they  were  pursued  and  would 
make  a  desperate  push.  After  leaving  some  of  the  company  to  take  care  of  the 
wounded  men,  they  put  off  for  the  Ohio  river,  at  the  nearest  point,  and  got  there 
the  next  dav  shorth-  after  the  Indians  had  crossed.     The  water  was  still  muddv. 


54  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

and  the  rafts  that  they  crossed  on  were  floating  down  the  opposite  shore. 
The  men  were  now  unanimous  for  returning  home.  Hughes  soon  got  satisfaction 
for  the  insult  the  captain  had  given  him:  he  said  he  wanted  to  find  out  who  the 
cowards  were;  that  if  any  of  them  would  go,  he  would  cross  the  river  and  scalp 
some  of  the  Indians.  They  all  refused.  He  then  said  if  one  man  would  go  with 
him,  he  would  undertake  it;  but  none  would  consent.  Hughes  then  said  he  would 
go  and  take  one  of  their  scalps,  or  leave  his  own. 

"'The  company  now  started  home,  and  Hughes  went  up  the  river  three  or 
four  miles,  keeping  out  of  sight  of  it,  for  he  expected  the  Indians  were  watching 
them  to  see  if  they  would  cross.  He  there  made  a  raft,  crossed  the  river,  and 
encamped  for  the  night.  The  next  day  he  found  their  trail,  and  pursued  it  very 
cautiously,  and  about  ten  miles  from  the  Ohio  found  their  camp.  There  was  but 
one  Indian  in  it,  the  rest  were  out  hunting.  The  Indian  left  to  keep  camp,  in 
order  to  pass  away  the  time,  got  to  playing  the  fiddle  on  some  bones  that  they 
had  for  the  purpose.  Hughes  crept  up  and  shot  him,  took  his  scalp  and  made 
the  best  of  his  way  home. 

"The  following  characteristic  anecdote  goes  far  to  illustrate  the  great  dis- 
cernment and  instantaneous  arrangement  of  plans  of  this  shrewd  and  skillful 
Virginia  hunter. 

"It  is  a  general  belief  that  the  Indian  is  exceedingly  cunning;  unrivalled  in 
the  peculiar  knowledge  of  the  woods,  and  capable,  by  the  extraordinary  imitative 
faculties  which  he  possesses,  to  deceive  either  man,  beast  or  fowl.  This  is  true  to 
a  certain  extent;  but  still,  with  all  his  natural  sagacity  and  quick  perception  of  a 
native  woodman,  the  Indian  warrior  falls  short  of  the  acquired  knowledge  of  a 
well  trained  hunter,  as  the  following  case  serves  to  illustrate.  Jesse  Hughes  was 
more  than  a  match  at  any  time  for  the  most  wary  savage  in  the  forest.  In  his 
ability  to  anticipate  all  their  artifices,  he  had  but  few  equals,  and  fewer  still, 
superiors.     But,  to  the  incident. 

"At  a  time  of  great  danger  from  the  incursions  of  the  Indians,  when  the 
citizens  of  the  neighborhood  were  in  a  fort  at  Clarksburg,  Hughes  one  morning, 
observed  a  lad  very  intently  fixing  his  gun.  'Jim',  said  he,  'what  are  you  doing 
that  for?'  'I  am  going  to  shoot  a  turkey  that  I  hear  gobbling  on  the  hillside,' 
said  Jim.  'I  hear  no  turkey,'  said  the  other.  'Listen,'  said  Jim:  'there,  didn't 
you  hear  it?  Listen  again.'  'Well,'  says  Hughes,  after  hearing  it  repeated,  'I'll 
go  and  kill  it.'  'No  you  won't,  said  the  boy,  'it  is  my  turkey;  I  heard  it  first.' 
'Well,'  said  Hughes,  'but  you  know  I  am  the  best  shot.  I'll  go  and  kill  it,  and  give 
you  the  turkey.'  The  lad  demurred  but  at  length  agreed.  Hughes  went  out  of 
the  fort  on  the  side  that  was  farthest  from  the  supposed  turkey,  and  passing  along 
the  river,  went  up  a  ravine  and  cautiously  creeping  through  the  bushes  behind 
the  spot,  came  in  whence  the  cries  issued,  and,  as  he  expected,  espied  a  large  Indian 
sitting  on  a  chestnut  stump,  surrounded  by  sprouts,  gobbling,  and  watching  if 
any  one  would  come  from  the  fort  to  kill  the  turkey.  Hughes  shot  him  before  the 
Indian  knew  of  his  approach,  took  off  the  scalp,  and  went  into  the  fort,  where 
Jim  was  waiting  for  his  prize.  'There  now,'  says  Jim,  'you  have  let  the  turkey  go. 
I  would  have  killed  it  if  I  had  gone.'  'No,'  says  Hughes,  'I  didn't  let  it  go;'  and, 
taking  out  the  scalp,  threw  it  down.  'There  take  your  turkey,  Jim,  I  don't  want  it.' 
The  lad  was  overcome,  and  nearly  fainted  to  think  of  the  certain  death  he  had 
escaped,  purely  by  the  keen  perception  and  good  management  of  Jesse  Hughes.'  (1 ) 

(1)  See  page  420. 


BoRDKR  Settlers  oi   .Northwestern  \  ir(;inia  55 

"Jesse  Hughes,  as  we  have  already  stated,  was  often  of  invaluable  service  to 
the  settlements  along  the  upper  Monongahela,  by  advising  them  of  the  approach 
of  Indians.  On  one  occasion,  a  considerable  body  of  the  common  enemy  attacked 
a  fort  near  Clarksburg,  and  but  for  the  energy  and  fearlessness  of  Hughes  might 
have  reduced  the  frail  structure,  and  massacred  every  one  within  it.  This  daring 
man  boldly  went  forth  for  succor,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  a  neighboring  station 
in  safety.  Immediate!}'  a  company  of  men  left  to  relieve  the  besieged,  when  the 
Indians,  fearing  the  superior  numbers,  retreated  in  haste.  (2) 

"Hughes'  scouting  expeditions  were  not  always  confined  to  the  extreme  upper 
regions  of  the  Monongahela.  He  often  visited  the  stations  lower  down,  and  spent 
much  of  his  time  at  Prickett's  fort,  also  at  the  stockade  where  Morgantown  now 
stands,  and  many  other  settlements  in  the  neighborhood.  He  was  a  great  favorite, 
and  no  scouting  party  could  be  complete,  unless  Jesse  Hughes  had  something  to  do 
with  it.  We  regret  that  our  limits  will  not  allow  us  to  give  more  incidents  in  his 
very  eventful  life." 

Mr.  Luther  Ila\niond,  who  is  still  li\ing  at  Clarksburg,  says 
that  William  Powers,  while  on  his  death-bed,  told  him  that  the 
incident  of  Hughes  and  the  turkey  never  occurred  at  Clarksburg; 
that  he  knew  the  settlement  from  the  beginning,  and  that  the 
story  was  a  mistake.  Powers  had  an  impression  that  he  had 
heard  a  similar  story  as  occurring  east  of  the  mountains.  Mr. 
Haymond  says  that  Powers  was  well  posted  on  events  happening 
on  the  frontier  after  his  arrival. 

Mr.  James  Stanley  Gandee,  a  son  of  Jesse's  daughter  Massie, 
often  heard  both  his  mother  and  his  Aunt  Rachel  Cottrell  tell  the 
Hughes  turkey  story.  There  never  was  any  doubt  about  its 
authenticity.  As  related  by  them,  the  occurrence  was  substan- 
tially the  same  as  recorded  by  Dellass,  but  the  place  was  West's 
Fort,  instead  of  Clarksburg.  The  lad  who  first  heard  the  turkey 
and  who  was  preparing  to  go  shoot  it,  was  James  Tanner,  a  brother 
to  Jesse's  wife,  and  was  then  some  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  of  age. 

I  was  told  by  Mrs.  Mary  Straley,  of  Hacker's  Creek, 
who  had  known  Jesse  Hughes  and  some  of  his  family,  that 
the  boy  who  figured  in  the  turkey  story  was  Jim  McCullough. 
Mrs.  Straley  seemed  to  have  no  doubts  regarding  the  credibility 
of  the  story,  but  did  not  state  where  it  occurred.  She  was  well 
informed  on  the  early  history  of  the  Hacker's  Creek  settlement, 
and  was  a  woman  of  high  integrity. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  Jesse  Hughes  never  took  up  a 
residence  at  Clarksburg,  although  he  spent  much  of  his  time 
about  the  fort  there.  His  scouting  expeditions  extended  all  over 
the  Virginia  border  and  western  Pennsylvania. 

(2)  See  page  421. 


56  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

That  William  Powers  should  have  heard  a  similar  story  east 
of  the  mountains  cannot  militate  against  the  authenticity  of  the 
Hughes'  story.     Border  lore  abounds  in  such  incidents.  (3) 

/.  Lewis  Peyton  (4)  gives  the  following  on  Jesse  Hughes, 
evidently  epitomized  from  DeHass: 

"One  of  the  most  active,  daring  and  successful  Indian  hunters  in  the  mountain 
region  of  Virginia  was  Jesse  Hughes — sometimes  styled  the  Wetzel  of  his  portion 
of  the  State.  He  was  born  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Monongahela,  Va.,  about 
1768,  and  early  became  skilled  in  the  use  of  the  rifle  and  tomahawk.  He  was  a 
man  of  iron  constitution,  and  could  endure  extraordinary  privations  and  fatigue. 
Many  anecdotes  are  told  of  his  encounters  with  the  red  men  and  of  the  invaluable 
services  he  rendered  to  the  white  settlements  on  the  Monongahela.  Jesse  Hughes 
was  more  than  a  match  at  any  time  for  the  most  wary  savage  in  the  forest.  In 
his  ability  to  anticipate  all  their  artifices,  he  had  few  equals  and  no  superiors. 
He  was  a  great  favorite,  and  no  scouting  party  could  be  complete  unless  Jesse 
Hughes  had  something  to  do  with  it." 

Jesse  Hughes  is  mentioned  frequently  in  Withers''  Chronicles 
of  Border  Warfare^  referred  to  hereinbefore,  and  which  will  be 
duly  noticed  in  the  course  of  this  history. 


(3)  See  page  421.  (4)  p.  421. 


CHAPTl^R  IV 


In  Dotiiphatfs  Expedition,  by  William  1'!.  ConnclIc\',  there 
is  a  biographical  sketch  cf  Colonel  John  Taxlor  Hughes,  a  nieniber 
of  the  expedition  of  Colonel  Alexander  \\".  Doniphan  in  the  Mexi- 
can \\  ar.  Colonel  Hughes  became  the  historian  of  the  expedition. 
He  was  a  gallant  soldier,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Inde- 
pendence, Missouri,  in  the  Ci\il  War.  Of  Colonel  Hughes,  the 
biogi"a[^hical  sketch  sa}"s: 

"His  fatlicr  was  Samuel  Swan  Hughes,  the  descendant  of  Sleplicn  Huphes 
and  his  wife  Klizabcth  Tarlton  Hughes.  Stephen  Hughes  came  to  .Maryland  from 
Wales,  probably  from  Carnarvonshire,  but  possibh-  from  Glamorganshire.  The 
date  of  his  arri\al  in  .Vmerica  has  not  been  preserved.  His  son  .\bsalom  moved  to 
Powhatan  County,  \'irginia,  where  he  intermarried  with  tlie  daughter  of  a  planter 
whose  name  was  also  Hughes,  and  whose  Christian  name  was  eiliier  Da\  id  or 
Jesse — most  probably  Jesse.  He  lived  on  Hughes  Creek,  in  that  counts',  and  was 
a  man  of  character  and  influence;  inan\'  of  his  descendants  live  yet  in  \'irginia 
and  West  \'irginia,  and  some  of  them  live  in  other  parts  of  the  United  States. 
Joseph,  the  son  of  .Absalom  Hughes,  married  Sarah  Swan.  He  moved  to  Kentucky 
about  the  year  1790,  and  settled  in  Woodford  County.  There  his  son,  Samuel 
Swan  Hughes,  married  Nancy  Price,  daughter  of  Colonel  William  Price,  a  \'ir- 
ginia  soldier  of  the  Resolution." 

Jesse  Hughes,  who  li\ed  on  the  stream  then  known  as  Hughes 
Creek,  in  Powhatan  County,  \  irginia,  was  related  by  blood  to 
Stephen  Hughes,  auel  had  preceded  him  from  Wales  to  America. 
The  Hughes  and  Swan  families  were  pioneer  families  in  \  irginia, 
and  in  their  migrations  the\-  kept  well  together,  members  of  them 
often  intermarr}'ing.  .And  from  the  intermarriage  of  Stephen 
Hughes  with  his  kinswoman,  the  daughter  of  Jesse  Hughes,  in 
Powhatan  Countx,  \  irginia,  Jesse  Hughes,  the  famous  pioneer 
and  woodsman  ot  Western  \  irginia,  was  probabK'  descended.  (1) 

The  date  of  the  birth  of  Jesse  Hughes  is  not  known  to  be  of 
record,  and  cannot  be  fixed  with  accurac\';  and  the  place  is  also 
uncertain.  Dellass  and  Peyton  agree  as  to  the  place;  but  Peyton 
alone  gives  the  date.  Evidently  they  are  both  in  error.  The 
citation  heretofore  made  to  the  work  of  Jf'ithers  shows  that  Jesse 
Hughes  was  an  acti\e  hunter  in  the  Buckhannon  settlement  in 
1769.  This  was  the  first  permanent  settlement  established  on 
the  waters  of  the  upper  Monongahela,  and  we  find  him  there  but 

(1)  See  page  421. 


58 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


one  year  later  than  the  date  given  by  Peyton  as  that  of  his  birth. 
It  is  well  nigh  impossible  that  he  should  have  been  born  on  the 
waters  of  the  Alonongahela.  The  Blue  Ridge  marked  the  western 
frontier  of  Virginia  as  late  as  1763.  (2)  The  few  settlements  scat- 
tered beyond  that  boundary  towards  the  Ohio,  the  westernmost 
of  which  was  on  Looney  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the  James,  (3) 
were  not  permanent,  and  were  almost  all  destroyed  by  the  con- 
spiracy of  Pontiac. 

Jesse  Hughes  was  born  about  the  year  1750.  It  might  have 
been  a  year  earlier  or  later,  though  it  is  not  probable  that  it  could 
vary  a  year  either  way  from  that  date.  As  to  the  place  of  his 
birth,  the  evidence  at  hand  indicates  that  it  was  east  of  the  Alle- 
gheny Mountains,  perhaps  on  the  waters  of  the 
Wappatomaka  of  the  Potomiac.  Susan  Turner 
Hughes,  the  widow  of  George  W.  Hughes,  a 
descendant  of  Jesse  Hughes,  told  \\'illiam  E.  Con- 
nelley,  October  6,  1902,  at  Henry,  Grant  County, 
West  Virginia,  that:  "Old  Jesse  Hughes  was  born 
right  over  here  on  Jackson's  River,  close  to  the 
Greenbrier  county-line.  I  have  passed  the  place 
myself,  in  company  with  my  husband,  who  pointed 
out  the  place,  which  is  in  a  fine  river  bottom. 
He  was  born  in  the  winter,  and  the  wolves  were 
starving  in  the  woods  because  of  the  deep  snow. 
The  night  he  was  born  they  came  into  the  yard 
and  fought  the  dogs  and  ran  them  under  the  house  and  fought 
them  there,  and  were  only  driven  out  by  burning  gunpowder 
on  the  hearth."  Airs.  Hughes  could  not  give  the  date  of  his 
birth,  but  said  he  was  "A  right  smart  chunk  of  a  lad  at  the  time  of 
Braddock's  battle." 

If  Mrs.  Hughes  was  right,  Jesse  Hughes  must  have  been  born 
in  Allegheny  County,  Virginia.  Complete  reliance  cannot,  how- 
ever, be  placed  upon  the  information  given  by  her;  for  some  things 
which  she  related  of  Jesse  Hughes,  while  they  may  be  the  local 
traditions  of  the  country,  could  not  be  reconciled  with  known 
facts.  Her  description  of  the  man  and  his  cruel  and  bloodthirsty 
course  towards  the  Indians  coincides  perfectly  with  what  is  known 
to  be  true.  She  said:  "Old  Jesse  Hughes  had  eyes  like  a  painter 
[panther]  and  could  see  at  night  almost  as  well  as  one.  He  could 
hear  the  slightest  noise  made  in  the  forest  at  a  great  distance, 

(2)  See  page  422.  (3)  p.  422. 


Hughes 
Coat  of  Arms 


BoRDKR   SKT'n.KRS   OF   NoRTllW  KSTKRN   \  IRCINIA  59 

and  he  was  always  disturbed  by  any  noise  he  could  not  account 
for.  He  knew  the  ways  of  cver>'  animal  and  bird  in  the  wof)ds, 
and  was  familiar  uilh  the  sounds  and  cries  made  h\  them.  :\n\- 
unusual  cry  or  action  of  an  animal  or  bird,  or  any  note  or  sound 
of  alarm  made  by  either,  caused  him  to  stop  and  look  about  until 
he  knew  the  cause.  He  could  go  through  the  woods,  walking  or 
running,  without  making  any  noise,  unless  the  leaves  were  very 
dry,  and  then  he  made  very  little.  He  was  as  stealth\-  and  noise- 
less as  a  painter,  and  could  creep  up  on  a  deer  without  causing  it 
any  fright.  And  he  could  outrun  any  Indian  that  ever  prowled 
the  forest.  He  was  as  savage  as  a  wolf,  and  he  liked  to  kill  an 
Indian  better  than  tt)  eat  his  dinner." 

If  Jesse  Hughes  was  born  on  Jackson's  River,  the  shiftings 
common  on  the  disturbed  border  must  have  caused  his  parents 
to  move  to  theW  appatomaka  settlements,  for  he  came  into  western 
Virginia  with  hunters  from  that  region.  Thomas  Hughes,  who 
was  killed  on  Hacker's  Creek  by  the  Indians  in  April,  1778,  (4) 
was  Jesse's  father;  but  no  record  or  tradition  indicating  that 
he  had  settled  on  this  stream,  has  ever  been  found.  In  1781  a 
certificate  was  granted  "Edmund  West,  assignee  to  Thomas 
Hughes,  Senr.,  400  acres  on  Sicamore  Lick  run,  a  branch  of  the 
West  Fork  [Harrison  County]  opposite  Thomas  Heughs  [Hughes] 
Junr's  land,  to  include  his  settlement  made  in  1773,  with  a 
pre-emption  to  1,000  acres  adjoining."  This  is  the  earliest  record 
that  I  have  found  regarding  the  settling  of  Thomas  Hughes,  Sr., 
on  the  upper  Monongahela  waters.  With  some  of  the  Radcliffs 
he  settled  on  Elk  Creek  near  Clarksburg,  and  his  famil\-  still 
resided  there  in  the  fall  of  1793.  A  family  tradition  has  it  that 
when  the  Indians  ambushed  and  killed  their  father,  who  was  then 
"quite  old  and  bald-headed,"  Jesse  and  Elias  solemn!}'  pledged 
themselves  "to  kill  Injuns  as  long  as  the\'  lived  and  could  see  to 
kill  them."  Most  terribly  was  that  awful  pledge  redeemed.  It 
will  be  seen,  however,  that  both  had  killed  Indians  before  the 
tragic  death  of  their  father,  which  event  intensified,  if  possible, 
their  hatred  of  the  Indians,  but  was  not  the  cause  in  which  this 
hatred  originated.  (5) 

I  have  not  been  able  to  find  any  printed  record  showing  that 
Jesse  Hughes  was  an  enrolled  Sp)-  or  Ranger  on  the  border. 

An  inquir}-  to  the  Bureau  of  Pensions,  Washington,  I).  C, 
elicited  the  reply  that  "a  careful  search  of  the  Rexolutionar}-  War 
(4)  See  page  422.  (5)  p.  424. 


60  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

pension  rolls  fails  to  show  a  claim  for  any  Jesse  Hughes  other 
than  Survivor's  File  No.  9594."  This  was  the  Jesse  Hughes,  of 
Fluvanna  County,  Virginia,  mentioned  further  on  in  this  chapter. 

Jesse  Hughes,  the  scout,  died  prior  to  the  Act  of  Congress, 
June  4,  1852,  pensioning  the  soldiers  of  the  Revolution,  and  if  his 
services  were  pensionable,  his  widow,  who  survived  him  several 
years,  never  applied  for  same. 

An  inquiry  made  to  the  War  Department  failed  to  disclose 
any  record  of  military  enlistment  by  our  Jesse  Hughes.  This, 
however,  is  true  of  others  who  were  contemporary  with  Jesse, 
and  who  were  known  to  have  regularly  enlisted  in  some  branch 
of  the  military. 

To  a  like  inquiry  to  the  Virginia  State  Library,  Richmond, 
came  the  responses  that,  "neither  the  Muster  Rolls  of  the  State 
troops,  nor  the  claims  for  Bounty  Lands  of  that  period,  contain 
any  record  of  the  Jesse  Hughes  in  question." 

The  Thomas  Hughes  who  accompanied  Pringle's  Band  of 
settlers  to  the  Buckhannon,  in  1769,  was  Jesse's  younger  brother, 
born  about  1754.  His  inordinate  passion  for  sport  and  adventure 
lured  him  to  this  Eldorado  of  the  hunter.  He  afterwards  settled 
on  the  West  Fork  River,  and  was  the  same  Thomas  Hughes  whom 
we  find  on  Hacker's  Creek,  and  who  hastened  to  the  rescue  of  the 
Flesher  family  when  they  were  attacked  by  the  Indians  in  1784, 
near  where  the  town  of  Weston  (6)   now  stands. 

The  homestead  register  of  Monongalia  County  shows  that 
in  1781,  Thomas  Hughes  was  granted  a  certificate  for  "400  acres 
on  the  West  Fork,  adjoining  lands  of  Elias  Hughes,  to  include  his 
settlement  made  in  1773."  The  records  of  1780  show  that  Thomas 
Hughes  assigned  to  Thomas  John  {?)  his  claim  to  250  acres  on 
Ten  Mile  Creek  (Harrison  County),  "to  include  his  settlement 
made  in  the  year  1772."  Whether  this  assignor  was  the  senior  or 
junior  Thomas  Hughes,  is  not  known,  but  the  logical  inference  is 
that  it  was  the  latter.  The  date  of  the  assignment  is  not  of 
record. 

Although  Thomas  Hughes,  Jr.,  was  one  of  the  most  capable 
and  persistent  scouts  on  the  Virginia  frontier,  the  only  reference 
that  we  find  to  him  in  history,  is  his  connection  with  the  Flesher 
occurrence  in  1784. 

In  1833  or  1834,  Hughes  applied  for  a  pension,  and  we  have 
a  glimpse  of  his  border  life  in  the  meagre  record  preserved  in  the 

(6)  See  page  424. 


BoRDKR   SkTII.KRS  ()1     XoRTIIWKSTKRN   \'lRt;iNI,\  ^1 

GoverniiK'iU  Pension  Office  al  \\  ashinuinn.  llughes  was  illiterate 
and  his  name  always  appears  with  the  customary  "X."  His 
original  application,  or  declaration  with  accompanying  papers, 
has  been  destroyed,  but  from  the  fragmentar\'  record  we  learn 
that  he  was  a  resident  on  the  \\  est  Fork  of  the  Monongahela  in 
1774,  and  from  that  year  until  1779  he  was,  even,"  year,  activeK- 
engaged  in  scouting  from  the  West  I'Ork  lo  thr  Ohio  Ri\"er,  under 
Captain  William  Lowther.  His  consummate  skill  in  woodcraft, 
his  braver}-  and  caution,  soon  won  for  him  a  subaltern  leadership. 
He  was  subsequently  commissioned  a  Lieutenant  of  Indian  Spies 
in  Capt.  Lowther's  Company,  a  trust  he  did  not  resign  until  the 
spring  of  1784.  After  this,  he  continued  on  ranging  excursions 
to  the  different  torts  until  the  close  ot  the  Indian  War  in  1795. 
During  this  service,  he  was  stationed  at  W  est's  Fort,  and  at  Rich- 
ards' Fort  on  the  West  Fork. 

In  1 7S(),  Lieutenant  Hughes  was  riding  a  pathwa\'  about 
midway  between  the  West  and  Richards'  Forts,  when  he  dis- 
covered an  Indian  mounted  on  a  horse,  recognized  to  be  that  of 
Adam  O'Brien's.  (7)  'Lhe  Lieutenant  sprang  from  his  horse  and 
fired  at  the  Indian  wounding  him,  when  he  fled.  Hughes  was 
determined  if  possible  to  recapture  the  stolen  horse,  and  in  com- 
pan\'  with  Alexander  West  pursued  the  Indian,  tracking  him  b\' 
the  blood.  They  found  the  tracks  of  several  Indians,  but  lost 
the  trail  entireh-  at  the  West  Fork  River.  It  was  supposed  that 
the  wounded  Lulian,  perhaps  d\"ing,  had  been  sunk  in  the  n\'er 
by  his  comrades. 

In  the  affidavit  of  John  Cartwright  (Cutright),  who  in  1S34 
testified  for  Hughes,  it  would  appear  that  llughes  was  in  some 
regular  military  expedition  against  the  Indians,  from  which  he 
returned  in  1784.  Cutright  declares  that  after  this,  although  he 
was  stationed  at  the  Buckhannon  I'"ort.  he  and  llughes  went 
spying  and  ranging  together  until  1795,  and  that  Lieutenant 
Hughes  lost  much  property  through  Indians. 

W  illiam  Powers,  Alcxamler  West  and  .Adam  l"'lesher  also 
testified  for  Hughes  in  his  claim  for  pension,  while  John 
McW'horter.   L  P-  Nouched  for  the  integrit}'  of  these  witnesses. 

W  .  C.  Singleton,  Special  Pension  Agent,  who  investigated 
Hughes"  claim  for  pension,  reported  under  date  of  January  2nd, 
18.i5,  "I  understand  from  Hughes'  Agent,  James  M.  Camp,  that 
his  (Hughes)   mind  is  entirely  gone,  and  from  other  sources  that 

(7)  See  page  424. 


62  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

he  is  a  maniac  and  has  been  confined  for  years.  Christopher 
Nutter,  WilUam  Powers  and  others  tell  me  that  he  did  good 
service,  but  was  in  no  regular  service,  so  therefore  is  not  entitled 
to  pension."  Hughes  was  refused  a  pension  on  the  grounds  that 
his  service  was  rendered  in  the  Indian  Wars,  and  not  in  the  War 
of  the  Revolution.  (8) 

The  munificence  of  an  appreciative  and  "grateful  country"  is 
pitifully  portrayed  in  its  sentiment  toward  this  time-wrecked 
veteran  of  twenty  years  of  incessant  warfare.  As  a  scout  Lieu- 
tenant Thomas  Hughes  was  surpassed  only  by  his  two  renowned 
brothers.  The  life  of  the  wilderness  spy  was  arduous,  and  fraught 
with  constant  danger.  His  wages  were  meagre  (9)  and  those 
who  were  thus  employed  throughout  the  long  border  wars,  seldom 
laid  up  a  sustenance  for  old  age. 

Lieutenant  Hughes  died  in  October,  1837,  in  Jackson  County, 
West  Virginia,  where  he  moved,  perhaps,  soon  after  the  treaty 
of  Greenville  in  1795.  Mrs.  Hughes  died  three  months  previous 
to  the  death  of  her  husband.  They  left  only  one  child,  Thomas, 
whom  it  appears  was  still  living  in  1854,  aged  seventy-one  years. 

There  is  no  family  tradition  that  connects  Charles  Hughes 
(10)  who  was  engaged  in  the  repulse  of  the  Indians  at  West's 
Fort  on  Hacker's  Creek  in  1778,  with  the  family  of  Jesse  Hughes, 
though  they  were  together  in  that  engagement.  It  is  quite  prob- 
able that  two  Hughes  families,  closely  related,  were  represented 
in  the  pioneers  who  settled  on  Hacker's  Creek,  and  the  name 
seems  to  have  disappeared  from  the  settlement  in  that  beautiful 
valley  at  an  early  date. 

In  1781,  a  certificate  was  granted  "William  McCleery,  assignee 
to  James  Hughes,  for  400  acres  on  Spring  Creek  [tributary  to  the 
Little  Kanawha]  to  include  his  settlement  made  in  1774."  I 
know  nothing  of  the  antecedents  of  this  James  Hughes. 

In  an  early  day  one  Edward  Hughes,  then  a  boy,  came  with 
some  men  from  the  Greenbrier  settlements  to  the  mouth  of  Morris 
Creek,  since  known  as  Hughes  Creek,  on  the  Great  Kanawha.  I 
know  nothing  of  this  lad's  parentage.  He  seems  to  have  been 
the  only  one  of  the  name  who  came  from  Greenbrier  with  the 
party,  who  apparently  were  hunters.  They  built  a  small  fort 
on  a  cliff  by  the  creek,  where  they  could  reach  the  water  by  letting 
down  a  gourd  with  a  grapevine.  The  boy  experienced  many  hard- 
ships.    At  one  time  he  was  left  alone  for  several  days  at  the  fort, 

(8)  See  page  424.  (9j  p.  425.  (10)  p.  425. 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  \'ir(;ini.\  63 

and  subsisted  on  parched  corn,  and  a  few  lish  tliat  he  caught  in 
the  creelv.  He  was  captured  b)-  the  Indian-s  while  fishing  on 
Peters  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the  (Pauley  River,  now  in  Nicholas 
County,  and  was  carried  to  the  Indian  towns  on  the  Muskingum. 
He  remained  with  his  capturs  for  more  than  two  \'ears,  during 
which  time  he  learned  their  language.  He  ascertained  that  the 
(jreat  Kanawha  joined  the  Ohio  somewhere  below  where  they 
then  were,  and  determined  to  escape.  He  secreted  a  quantity 
of  dried  venison,  and  waited  for  a  full  moon.  He  then  fled  to  the 
Ohio  River,  where  he  constructed  a  raft  of  dry  timber,  and  floated 
down  to  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kanawha.  During  the  vo\-age 
he  never  approached  the  shore,  but  when  tired  nature  demanded 
a  rest,  he  anchored  his  raft  in  mid-stream  with  a  stone  attached 
to  a  grape-vine. 

He  abandoned  his  raft,  and  following  up  the  Kanawha,  and 
after  much  suffering  reached  the  little  fort  on  the  cliff.  \\  hen  he 
left  the  Indians  he  took  with  him  a  coat  neath'  made  from  a 
bear  skin.  The  fore-legs  formed  the  arms,  and  the  neck  and  head 
formed  the  collar  and  head-covering.  It  was  soft,  pliable,  and 
comfortable  in  the  most  storm}'  weather.  I^dward  Hughes  mar- 
ried and  settled  near  where  Summersville,  in  Nicholas  County, 
now  is.  He  never  used  intoxicants,  and  was  devotedly  Christian. 
He  was  buried  on  the  mountain  side,  overlooking  the  site  of  the 
little  fort  in  which  he  had  spent  so  many  of  his  solitary  days.  (11) 

In  1770,  a  Thomas  Hughes,  born  in  1753,  and  who  married 
Elizabeth  Swan,  settled  on  the  west  side  of  the  Monongahela, 
near  the  mouth  of  Muddy  Creek,  (12)  now  Carmichaels,  Cjrcen 
County,  Pa.;  but  he  was  of  another  family,  though  perhaps 
a  blood  relation  of  Jesse's  father.  Thomas  Hughes,  of  Carmich- 
aels, had  a  brother  John,  who  was  a  Captain  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Rangers  during  the  Revolution,  lie  was  killed  by  the 
Indians  near  Louisville,  Kentuck}-,  in  17S().  This  famil\-  also 
hailed  from  Virginia. 

A  Thomas  Hughes  resided  in  now  Kanawha  Count)',  West 
Virginia,  in  1  791 . 

.\  Thomas  Hughes  was  Pa\'master  of  the  7th  \'irginia  Regi- 
ment from  Januar\'  1,  1777,  to  Ma\  1,  1778.  He  receix'ed  a 
militar}-  land  bt)unty  in  1783. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  note  that  the  Jesse  I  lughes  of  l''lu\anna 
County,   \  irginia,   previoush'    referred    to.   in    the   spring  ot    1776, 

(11)  See  page  425.   (12)  p.  425. 


64  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

at  the  age  of  twenty,  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Roger  Thompson's 
company  of  minute  men,  which  was  attached  to  Meredith's  Regi- 
ment in  eastern  Virginia,  and  then  to  Morgan's  riflemen  in  west- 
ern Virginia.  In  the  fall  of  1776,  Hughes  enlisted  in  William 
Pierce's  Company  of  Harrison's  artillery.  He  fought  at  Mon- 
mouth and  Newport,  was  stationed  at  Providence,  and  was  dis- 
charged in  1779.  He  volunteered  as  a  lieutenant  in  Joseph  Hay- 
den's  Company  in  1780  and  was  at  the  battle  of  Camden.  In 
1781  he  was  drafted  as  a  lieutenant  of  militia,  but  was  seized 
with  smallpox  and  did  not  join  the  army  until  the  day  after 
Cornwallis'  surrender.  He  was,  no  doubt,  closely  related  to  the 
ancestors  of  Jesse  Hughes  of  pioneer  fame,  for  the  locality  from 
which  he  enlisted  is  very  near  the  ancestral  home  of  the  Hughes 
family. 

The  Muster  Rolls  in  the  War  Department  at  Washington 
show  that  one  Jesse  Hughes  served  as  a  matross  in  Captain 
William  Pierce's  Company,  First  Artillery  Regiment,  Continental 
Troops,  commanded  by  Colonel  Charles  Harrison.  He  was 
enlisted  December  31,  1776,  for  three  years,  and  was  discharged 
December  20,  1779.  Neither  his  residence  nor  the  place  of  his 
enlistment  is  of  record.  This  matross  was  the  Jesse  Hughes  of 
Fluvanna  County.  In  1837,  he  was  allowed  a  Bounty  Land 
Warrant  for  three  years'  service  as  private  in  Continental  line. 
The  First  Continental  Artillery  Regiment  was  assigned  to  the 
State  of  Virginia  by  Act  of  Congress  approved  October  3,  1780. 

In  1778,  a  Jesse  Hughes,  a  matross  in  Col.  Charles  Harrison's 
Virginia  and  Maryland  Regiment  of  Artillery,  Company  No.  I, 
was  returned  as  "sick  in  Virginia,"  along  with  Sergeant  John 
Hughes  of  the  same  company.  (13)  There  were  several  other 
Hughes  among  the  Virginia  troops,  but  they  have  no  place  in 
this  story. 

John  Hughes,  of  Lancaster,  Pa.,  under  date  of  July  11,  1763, 
wrote  to  Colonel  Bouquet  an  elaborate  and  detestable  plan  for 
hunting  down  the  Indians  with  savage  dogs, .in  the  true  Spanish 
way.  (14)  While  this  man  was  perhaps  no  relation  to  our  hero, 
the  two  would  probably  have  been  in  complete  accord  on  the  man- 
ner of  procedure  in  dealing  with  the  Indian  question. 

In  1770  or  1771,  Jesse  Hughes  was  married  to  Aliss  Grace 
Tanner,  and  settled  on  Hacker's  Creek,  about  one  mile  above 
where  West's  Fort  was  afterwards  built,  and  at  the  mouth  of  a 


(13)  See  page  425.   (14)  p.  425. 


BoRDKR   SkTTLKRS   OF   NoRTIl  W  KS'IKKN   \  IR(;iM  A  ^5 

Stream  which  has  since  been  known  as  Jesse's  Run.  Here  he 
built  his  cabin  on  the  site  of  an  old  Shawnee  village.  This  was 
embraced  in  a  homestead  certihcate,  issued  in  17S1  to  "Jesse 
Hughes  for  4(X)  acres  on  Hacker's  Creek,  adjoining  lands  of 
Kdmund  West  to  include  his  settlement  made  in  1770."  (15) 

In  this  lonely  cabin,  standing,  as  it  did,  on  the  western  out- 
skirts of  the  most  western  (16)  and  remote  settlement  on  the 
Virginia  frontier,  this  young  couple  experienced  man\'  thrilling 
adventures  incident  to  border  life  in  the  virgin  wilderness.  The 
wife  possessed  the  sterling  qualities  of  rugged  and  noble  woman- 
hood. Endowed  with  that  fearlessness  and  energy  of  character 
which  a  life  of  constant  peril  on  the  border  engendered,  she  was 
admirabh'  fitted  for  the  companionship  of  her  half-wild,  yet 
renowned  husband,  whose  savage  temper  was  not  conducive  to 
domestic  happiness.  It  was  in  this  cabin  that  the\'  had  a  thrilling 
experience  with  a  rattlesnake. 

One  night  Jesse  was  awakened  from  a  sound  sleep  by  feeling 
a  li\ing  creature  trying  to  work  its  wa}"  upward  between  his  throat 
and  the  close-fitting  collar  of  his  homespun  shirt.  The  contact 
of  a  cold,  whip-like  body  with  his  own,  caused  him  to  suspect 
instantly  the  nature  of  his  bed-fellow,  and  fully  aroused  him  to  a 
sense  of  his  danger.  W  ith  that  rare  self-control  and  presence 
of  mind  that  served  him  so  well  in  more  than  one  instance  of 
deadly  peril,  he  softly  spoke  to  his  wife,  waking,  and  telling  her 
of  the  threatened  danger,  and  directing  her  to  get  out  of  bed  with 
their  child,  and  remove  the  bed-clothing.  This  she  did  so  gentl\' 
that  the  restless  intruder,  who  was  still  endeavoring  to  force  its 
broad  flat  head  under  the  obdurate  shirt-collar,  was  not  disturbed. 
The  covering  removed,  with  a  single  lightning-like  movement, 
Jesse  bounded  to  the  floor  several  feet  away.  A  huge  \ellow 
rattlesnake  fell  at  his  feet.  With  an  angry  whir-r-r-r  it  threw 
itself  into  the  attitude  of  battle,  but  was  soon  dispatched.  The 
next  morning  Jesse  went  prospecting  for  snakes,  and  found  in  the 
end  of  a  hollow  log  which  was  built  into  his  cabin,  hve  copperheads 
and  one  rattlesnake.  (17) 

From  his  advent  into  the  Buckhannon  settlement  in  1769  to 
the  year  1778,  we  find  no  mention  of  the  name  ot  Jesse  Hughes 
in  border  annals. 

But  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  so  restless  and  daring  a  man 
would  remain  inactive  while  such  scenes  of  bloodshed  were  being 


(15)  See  page  425.  (16)  p.  426.  (17)  p.  427. 


66  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

enacted  about  him.  His  insatiate  passion  for  Indian  blood  pre- 
cludes this  idea,  and  investigation  proves  the  fallacy  and  adds 
strength  to  the  statement  of  Mr.  Bond,  that  the  chronicle  of 
Withers  is  but  a  partial  and  fragmentary  history. 

While  living  on  Hacker's  Creek,  and  within  rifle-shot  of  his 
own  door,  Jesse  consummated  a  deed,  which,  for  needless  and 
unprovoked  treachery,  was  scarcely  surpassed  by  the  Indians  in 
all  their  ravages  of  the  Virginia  border.  He  arranged  a  meeting 
with  a  friendly  Indian  for  the  ostensible  purpose  of  spending  a  day 
in  hunting.  To  reach  the  place  of  rendezvous  the  Indian  had  to 
cross  Hacker's  on  a  "foot-log,"  a  tree  felled  across  the  stream  to 
form  a  means  of  crossing.  The  time  of  meeting  was  appointed  for 
an  hour  when  the  sun  should  reach  a  certain  point  above  the  tree- 
tops.  Long  before  that  time  Jesse  stealthily  repaired  to  the  spot 
and  concealed  himself  in  a  position  which  commanded  an  unob- 
structed view  of  the  foot-log,  and  there  awaited  the  coming  of  his 
unsuspecting  victim.  At  the  appointed  hour  the  Indian  issued 
from  the  deep  tangle  of  the  valley  forest.  An  eye  gleamed  along 
the  barrel  of  the  deadly  rifle,  the  Indian  reached  the  middle  of  the 
log,  a  report  of  the  rifle  reverberated  through  the  valley,  and  the 
lifeless  body  of  the  Indian  fell  forward  into  the  stream. 

Hughes  claimed  that  the  Indian  approached  in  a  suspicious 
manner,  wary  and  watchful,  and  that  he  felt  justified  in  killing 
him.  It  is  not  at  all  probable  that  an  Indian  brought  up  amid  the 
dangers  of  the  wilderness,  would  traverse  a  forest  path  other  than 
with  every  faculty  alert  to  hidden  danger.  His  very  training 
would  preclude  this  and  his  caution  was  no  evidence  that  he 
intended  treachery.  Had  he  meditated  evil,  he  would  more  likely 
have  followed  the  course  pursued  by  Hughes. 

Not  only  did  Hughes  engage  in  Indian  killings  not  chronicled 
by  Withers,  but  he  was  a  leader  in  the  terrible  massacre  of  the 
BuUtown  Indians,  an  account  of  which  must  form  a  separate 
chapter  of  this  narrative. 


CHAPTER  V 


At  no  very  remote  period  prior  to  the  advent  of  the  white 
man  into  the  Trans-Allegheny  region,  Hacker's  Creek  had  been 
the  scat  of  an  Indian  population  of  no  mean  magnitude.  Indeed 
the  evidence  of  a  very  ancient  occupation  of  this  valley  by  man  is 
not  wanting.  In  the  present  work  it  is  impossible  to  enter  as 
deeply  into  this  interesting  subject  as  would  be  desired,  or  as 
personal  observation  might  warrant;  but  as  it  is  expedient  that 
the  reader  have  some  idea  of  the  condition  of  this  valley  in  its 
primitive  state,  brief  mention  on  the  most  salient  points  of  what 
is  known  on  the  subject  will  be  made  here. 

About  the  year  1896,  Samuel  Alkire,  a  great-grandson  of 
Jesse  Hughes,  in  the  line  of  his  daughter  Martha,  excavated  a  well 
for  stock-water  on  his  home  farm  some  three  miles  below^  the 
village  of  Berlin.  The  well  was  dug  in  a  broad,  sloping  draw, 
near  the  base  of  the  hill  bordering  on  the  right  of  the  valley.  At 
the  depth  of  twenty  feet  the  workman,  Charley  Tenny,of  Jane  Lew, 
came  upon  a  perfectly  sound  and  well  preserved  spruce, or  pine  pole, 
to  which  some  of  the  bark  still  adhered.  This  pole,  about  three 
feet  in  length,  was  firmly  imbedded  in  a  strata  of  blue  clay,  and 
with  it  was  a  quantit}-  of  pine  cones,  twigs  and  other  debris  of  the 
forest,  which,  at  some  remote  period,  had  been  lodged  there  by 
the  action  of  water.  In  removing  the  pole  from  its  bed  the  work- 
man, with  his  mattock,  severed  it  near  the  middle.  Mr.  Alkire 
was  present  and  saw  the  pole  and  cones  taken  out.  One  fragment 
was  claimed  by  Mr.  Tenny,  but  the  other,  together  with  several 
of  the  cones,  was  carcfull\-  preserved  bv  Mr.  .\lkire,  who  believed 
them  of  scientific  value.  These  he  kindly  placed  at  my  disposal, 
and  upon  examining  the  timber,  was  astounded  to  find  that  it 
showed  several  distinct  and  well-defined  knots  where  small  limbs 
had  been  severed  with  some  kind  of  cutting  tool.  These  protu- 
berances were  smoothly  trimmed  and  of  uniform  ridge-shape,  like 
that  produced  by  severing  a  limb  with  sloping  cuts  from  two  oppo- 
site sides.  The  end  showed  similar  cuts  whore  it  had  been  dis- 
severed in  much  the  same  way.  It  was  impossible  without  the 
aid  of  a  glass  to  determine  the  character  of  the  incisions;  whether 
made  b\'  a  Hint  or  a  steel  implcnieiit.      Vet,  owing  to  the  texture 


68  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

of  the  wood  in  a  young  growth  of  this  kind,  time  and  other  potent 
factors  would  have  a  tendency  to  smooth  away  and  obHterate 
any  slight  irregularity  or  uneven  surface  left  by  the  edged  tool; 
or  they  may  have  been  polished  away  by  the  ancient  artisan;  in 
which  case  a  glass  would  have  proved  of  little  or  no  value  in  deter- 
mining the  primary  nature  of  the  marks  in  question.  Be  this  as 
it  may,  it  is  unfortunate  that  within  a  few  hours  after  this  very 
interesting  relic  came  into  my  possession,  and  before  it  could  be 
given  a  crucial  examination,  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  some  thought- 
less boys  who  forever  destroyed  its  archaeological  value  by  whittling 
away  every  vestige  of  the  traces  left  by  the  cutting  implement  of 
the  unknown  workman.  The  pole  was  partly  carbonized  and 
hardened;  and  was  flattened  to  an  oval  shape,  attesting  to  both 
age  and  the  enormous  pressure  to  which  it  had  been  subjected. 
When  first  found  it  was  about  the  size  of  the  fore-arm,  but  in 
drying  had  shrunk  to  nearly  half  its  original  size. 

Owing  to  the  location  of  this  draw,  where  naturally  we  should 
expect  a  rapid  accumulation  of  drift  and  soil  washed  from  the 
hillside  by  every  rain,  the  depth  at  which  these  objects  were  found 
would  have  slight  weight  in  computing  their  age.  But  the  fact 
that  nowhere  in  this  valley  or  its  tributaries  does  there  grow^  pine 
timber  of  any  kind,  nor  does  there  exist  any  evidence  that  such 
trees  ever  did  grow  there,  makes  this  find  important.  The  mere 
finding  of  the  limb  would  in  itself  signify  little,  as  it  might  have 
been  transported  from  other  regions  in  quite  recent  times;  but 
the  discovery  of  pine  cones  in  quantity,  evidently  washed  there 
from  a  forest  growing  contiguous,  Is  indeed  puzzling.  It  Is  vain 
to  speculate  as  to  the  time  required  for  the  passing  of  one  variety 
of  forest  trees  and  the  production  of  an  entirely  different  species 
in  its  place,  even  if  such  was  the  case  in  this  instance.  Are  we  to 
take  the  discovery  of  this  mysterious  relic  with  its  Interesting 
surroundings  as  proof  that  In  this  valley  man  antedated,  by  vast 
ages,  the  primitive  forest  with  which  it  was  so  densely  clothed 
when  the  white  man  first  set  foot  in  its  sylvan  beauty.''  Or  shall 
we  accept  Mr.  Alkire's  humorous  solution  of-  the  riddle  —  "that 
some  old  codger,  living  here  at  some  time,  had  planted  evergreen 
shade  trees  about  his  domicile,  and  had  trimmed  a  branch  from 
one  of  them  for  a  bean-pole,  and  that  the  well  had  been  sunk  in 
the  old  man's  bean-patch."  This  theory  would  appear  as  logical 
and  rational  as  those  often  advanced  by  archaeologists  in  support 


BoRDKR  Settlers  oi   Northwestern  \'irgima  69 

of  their  pet  hobbies.  Let  the  deduction  be  as  it  may,  importance 
is  attached  to  the  discover}',  and  the  loss  of  the  rehc  is  greatly 
deplored.  Facts  outweigh  theory,  and  quite  often  what  seems 
of  no  consequence  proves  of  greatest  value  to  the  archaeologist 
in  arriving  at  truth.  But  sometimes  objects  of  recent  origin  are 
found  under  circumstances  indicating  great  antiquity. 

On  Kinchelo  Creek,  Lewis  County,  West  Virginia,  several 
years  ago  in  sinking  a  well,  a  fragment  of  pine  board  having 
wrought-iron  nails  driven  into  it  was  found  at  a  depth  of  twenty- 
one  feet  from  the  surface.  The  location  of  this  well  was  not  at 
the  foot  of  a  hill  or  near  any  existing  water-way,  where  a  rapid 
burial  would  be  insured  by  either  landslides  or  the  accumulation 
of  flood  sediment.  How  it  came  there  is  a  mystery.  I  examined 
a  fragment  of  this  relic,  and  certainly  no  one  could  claim  for  it  a 
remote  origin. 

Nearly  one  hundred  years  ago,  while  a  well  was  being  sunk  at 
the  old  Henry  McW'horter  cabin,  then  occupied  by  his  son  Thomas, 
on  McKinney's  Run,  (1)  two  and  one-half  miles  from  Jane  Lew, 
at  a  depth  of  six  feet  below  the  surface  was  found  a  six-  or  eight- 
pound  solid-shot  cannon  ball.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  comment 
on  the  probale  age  or  history  of  this  find,  further  than  to  say  that 
there  was  no  military  post  in  that  region,  and  the  early  settlers 
possessed  no  artillery  of  any  kind.  The  fact  that  the  relic  was 
found  within  one-half  mile  of  the  old  Indian  \-illage  site  on  the 
Davis  farm  would  suggest  that  it  had  been  carried  there  b\-  Indians 
from  some  distant  post  prior  to  the  settlement  of  the  countr\-.  It 
is  not  known  what  became  of  the  ball;  it  disappeared  several 
years  ago. 

Scattered  through  the  valley  of  Hacker's  Creek  and  its  tribu- 
taries are  to  be  met  evidences  of  former  Indian  occupation.  On 
every  hill  and  in  every  glen  are  found  those  mysteriousK'  pitted 
"cup-stones"  that  have  been  given  so  much  notice  by  archaeolo- 
gists. In  addition  to  the  isolated  graves  and  numerous  ancient 
camps,  the  valley  is  dotted  over  with  sites  of  old  abandoned 
villages,  with  their  contiguous  burial  grounds.  Because  of  their 
superior  location  and  the  absence  of  timber,  these  village  grounds, 
or  "Indian  fields/'  were  favorite  places  for  homes  with  the  first 
settlers.  In  the  main  valley  of  Hacker's  Creek  there  arc  no  less 
than  seven  Indian  \illage  sites;  and  there  is  one  on  .McKinne\''s 
Run,  and  one  on  Jesse's  Run.     That  on  Jesse's  Run  is  not  of  very 

(1)  See  page  427. 


70  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

great  extent.  The  one  on  McKinney's  Run  Is  quite  large  and 
occupies  a  "flat"  or  second  bottom.  This  old  site  is  on  the  farm 
of  Rev.  Samuel  Davis  and  in  connection  with  it  there  is  quite  an 
extensive  Indian  burial  ground.  To  secure  this  city  of  the  dead 
from  vandalism,  Mr.  Davis  has  planted  a  cherry  tree  on  each 
separate  grave. 

Numerous  stone  relics  have  been  picked  up  on  this  field.  In 
an  early  day,  Samuel  Stalnaker  discovered  the  skeleton  of  an 
Indian  in  the  crevice  of  a  small  ledge  of  rock  on  the  border  of  this 
field,  and  near  a  drain  which  flows  between  the  Davis  and  the  old 
McWhorter  farms.  The  bones  were  never  disturbed,  and  the 
spot  has  long  since  grown  over  with  grass  and  obliterated.  On  a 
high  point,  or  ridge,  on  the  last  named  farm,  two  or  three  graves 
were  found.  One  of  them  examined  by  my  father,  contained  two 
skeletons,  that  of  a  very  large  man,  and  a  girl  about  twelve  years 
of  age.  Both  were  in  sitting  posture.  The  man's  jaw  had,  several 
years  previous  to  his  death,  been  broken,  but  was  neatly  healed. 
No  relics  were  found,  and  the  remains  were  replaced,  and  the 
graves  filled. 

West's  Fort,  now  the  present  site  of  the  residence  of  Alinor  C. 
Hall,  was  once  an  Indian  village.  On  a  beautiful  elevation,  or 
second  bottom,  at  the  mouth  of  Jesse's  Run,  was  an  extensive 
village,  and  perhaps  the  very  last  in  the  valley  that  v/as  occupied 
by  the  Indians.  It  was  here,  in  a  little  dell  which  ran  through 
this  village  ground,  that  Jesse  Hughes  built  his  cabin. 

Another  Indian  village  was  located  on  a  promontory-like 
flat,  which  extends  out  into  the  valley,  on  the  farm  of  the  late  John 
Alkire.  Here  settled  Samuel  Bonnett,  brother  to  John  Bonnett 
who  was  killed  on  the  Little  Kanawha,  hereafter  noted.  His 
old  hewn-lcg  house  is  still  standing,  though  it  is  rapidly  crumbling 
to  decay.  Just  up  the  valley,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek, 
on  a  fine  elevated  bottom  was  another  village  of  considerable 
proportions.  Here  can  still  be  seen  the  remains  of  one  of  those 
mysterious  earth-wall  enclosures  met  with  in  the  Ohio  Valley. 
This  earthwork,  in  former  years,  was  reverently  preserved  by  the 
then  owner  of  the  land,  Air.  David  Smith,  who  has  been  referred 
to  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  When  he  transferred  the  title  to 
other  parties,  with  commendable  sentiment  he  stipulated  that 
this  pre-historic  work  should  never  be  desecrated  or  disturbed. 
But  in  time  the  estate  fell  into  the   hands  of  those  whose  sole 


Hordi:r  Settlers  ok  Nortiiw  estlrn  \  ircima 


71 


incentive  was  money,  and  as  this  ancient  monument  stood  in  the 
way  of  crops,  it  was  sacrificed.  Its  encircling'  moat  was  filled  with 
logs  and  its  walls  k'\elcd  by  the  plow,  it  was  the  most  porten- 
tious  aboriginal  remains  in  the  valley. 

Near  here  stood  "Miller's  Fort,"  a  strongl>-  constructed 
dwelling,  built  near  the  close  of  Indian  hostilities,  and  which 
never  figured  in  the  defense  of  the  border.  Willi  no  i>lacc  in  the 
annals,  the  structure  lives  in  tradition  onlw 

On  an  elevation  south  or  southeast  of  where  the  \illage  with 
its  mysterious  monument  stood,  is  an  Indian  burial  ground  of 
considerable  magnitude.  In  one  of  the  gra\-es  opened  there  in 
1890,  was  found  a  small  fragment  of  bright  blue  home-spun  woolen 
cloth,  which  had  been  interred  with  the  dead  body  of  the  Indian. 
This  points  to  the  occupation  of  the  valle\-  within  historic  times, 
and  a  comparati\-eh-  recent  burial.  l'nforlunatel\-,  this  cloth 
was  lost.  Another  grave  }-ielded  a  fine  stone  bird-head  pipe,  and 
a  polished  slate  gorget;  and  another,  a  well-made  celt,  slightl}- 
damaged  on  the  poll.  In  a  gra\e  which  I  opened  and  where 
"bundle  burial"  had  been  resorted  to,  there  was  found  a  clay  pipe 
and  a  broken  clay  vessel  with  the  usual  rounded  bottom,  which 
contained  the  fragment  of  a  turtle,  or  tortoise  shell,  brittle  from 
decay,  and  evidently  the  remains  of  a  food-offering  to  the  dead. 
Both  pipes  arc  of  ancient  t\-pe. 

Next  comes  the  Indian  \illage  ground  where  John  Hacker^ 
the  first  settler  on   the  creek,  built  his   cabin.  (2)  It    is   the   most 


Site  ok  John  Hackkr's  Ri;sii>i;m.  i 
Photograpliod    I'MO 
Old  zvrll  and  joundation  of  cliimnt-y.     (Modrni  horn  in  background.) 


(2)  See  page  427. 


11  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

beautiful  section  of  the  valley,  and  about  one  mile,  or  over,  below 
the  present  village  of  Berlin. 

Many  interesting  relics  have  been  picked  up  in  the  "Indian 
fields"  on  the  old  Hacker  farm.  When  a  boy,  I  often  rode  horse- 
back to  a  corn  mill  near  this  place,  and  soon  learned  to  watch  for 
"flints"  along  the  clay  banks  of  the  road.  The  fragment  of  an 
engraved  sandstone  tablet,  a  fine  "chungky"  stone,  and  a  small 
copper  pendant  were,  among  other  things,  in  the  hands  of  nearby 
farmers,  who  refused  to  part  with  them.  Grooved  stone  relics 
were  seldom  met  with  in  any  part  of  the  valley. 

Marked  traces  of  an  aboriginal  occupation  are  found  on  the 
high  creek  bottom,  on  the  old  Cozad  farm,  now  occupied  by  Mr. 
George  Lawson.  Not  only  stone  implements,  but  iron  or  steel 
tomahawks  have  been  found  there.  This  farm  was  made  historic 
by  an  Indian  raid  in  1794.  (3) 

Several  miles  up  the  creek,  just  below  the  mouth  of  Rover's 
Run,  (4)  and  where  Mr.  William  Kelly  now  resides,  was  another 
Indian  village.  On  a  high  ridge  above  this  village,  and  contiguous 
to  the  valley,  was  a  stone-heap,  perhaps  three  by  eight  feet, 
eighteen  inches  high,  and  enclosed  with  a  curbing  of  rude  slabs  of 
sandstone  planted  on  edge.  With  Mr.  T.  A.  Law,  I  examined  this 
interesting  stone-heap,  and  found  a  small  bed  of  ashes  one  foot 
below  the  original  surface,  and  near  the  center  of  the  enclosure. 
In  the  ash-bed  was  a  flint  spear-head,  which  showed  traces  of  the 
heat  to  which  it  had  been  subjected.  Over  the  ash-bed  was  a 
sandstone  slab  about  twelve  inches  square  and  one  inch  thick, 
which  had  been  broken  into  fragments  by  the  fire. 

Two  other  curbed  stone-heaps  were  examined,  apparently  of 
the  same  age  and  of  about  the  same  dimensions  as  the 
first  described.  One  of  these  was  on  the  ridge  dividing  Jesse's  Run 
from  Hacker's  Creek,  on  the  farm  of  George  Goodwin,  and  con- 
tained nothing.  The  other  was  at  Berlin,  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  E. 
H.  Bonnett,  on  the  "flat"  just  above  the  old  Hebron  Church. 
This  one  was  carefully  opened  by  Professor  G.  F.  Queen,  and 
yielded  nothing  save  a  few  flint  chips  and  some  charcoal.  Most  of 
the  stone  of  this  mound  had  previously  been  removed  and  used  in 
repairing  the  public  road.  At  no  other  place  in  America  have 
similar  remains  been  found,  and  it  is  lamentable  that  they  have 
not  been  preserved. 

Far  up  the  mountain  on  the  left-hand  side  of  Rover's  Run, 
(3)  See  page  427.  (4)  p.  427. 


BoRDKR   SkTTI.I.RS  OF   XoRTIlWKSTKRN   \  IR(,INIA  7}i 

and  adjacent  to  Bear  Knob,  several  years  prior  to  these  investi- 
gations, I  examined  an  interesting  effig}'-like  figure  of  Indian 
origin.  It  consisted  of  a  single  boulder,  weighing  perhaps  three 
hundred  pounds,  lying  on  the  surface,  with  a  short  row  of  small 
stones  extending  not  unlike  the  arms  of  a  rude  cross  from  about 
the  middle  on  either  side.  The  stones  were  removed  and  an 
exca\ation  of  six  feet  failed  to  reveal  any  sign  that  the  earth  had 
ever  been  disturbed.  (5) 

A  few  miles  up  the  creek  from  where  stood  the  village  last 
mentioned,  and  on  the  farm  of  my  maternal  grandfather,  the  late 
)ohn  W.  Marple,  is  the  trace  of  an  Indian  habitation  of  extraor- 
dinar\'  import.  It  occupies  a  second  bottom  on  the  right-hand 
side  of  the  valley,  at  the  mouth  of  a  small  run  which  flows  down 
from  the  hills  and  enters  the  creek  on  the  south.  On  the  west 
looms  Bear  Knob  seven  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  this  old 
village  ground.  Here  can  still  be  seen  the  outlines  of  a  great  ash- 
circle.  It  is  perfect  in  contour,  save  on  the  northeast  side,  where 
gentlv  sloping  ground  has  caused  the  ashes  to  work  down  the 
incline  and  thus  broaden  the  circle  slightly.  Where  normal,  it  is 
one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  in  diameter.  A  belt  of  dark  ashes 
sixty  feet  wide,  encircles  a  clear  inner  space  sixty  feet  in  diameter. 
This  circle  was  thickly  strewn  with  fragments  of  bone,  mussel 
shell,  flint  chips,  scraps  of  potter}',  perfect  and  broken  arrow 
points  and  stone  relics.  I  saw  this  field  plowed  during  the  '80s, 
at  which  time  the  measurements  were  made.  The  arrow  points 
then  secured  were  mostly  of  rude  workmanship.  The  fragment 
of  a  "chunkey"  stone  was  picked  up;  but  not  of  the  least 
historic  import  was  the  finding  of  a  clay  pipe  stem,  of  Caucasian 
origin. 

The  field  on  which  this  ash-circle  is  located  was  cleared  about 
the  year  1821,  by  Mr.  John  Warner  and  a  companion.  It  was  then 
covered  with  a  growth  of  young  sugar-trees  measuring  some 
twelve  inches  in  diameter;  which  would  denote  that  the  occupancy 
by  the  Indians  had  been  comparatively  recent.  There  were  but 
two  large  trees  on  it,  one  a  yellow  poplar  and  the  other  a  black 
walnut;  each  measuring  five  feet  "across  the  stump."  One  stood 
in  the  north  part  of  the  field  and  the  other  in  the  south  part.  Both 
were  outside  of  the  circle.  Mr.  Wainer  informed  me  that  when 
they  cleared  this  "Indian  Field,"  he  could  have  picked  up  a  bushel 
of  broken  arrow  points,  which  were  sometimes  used  as  gun  flints, 

(5)  See  page  428. 


74  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

and  that  the  ground  was  literally  covered  with  fragments  of  bone 
and  mussel  shell.  Also  that  there  were  numerous  remnants  of 
stone  implements,  but  not  many  in  perfect  condition.  Pieces  of 
pottery  were  abundant.  Many  years  afterwards,  among  other 
things,  he  found  in  an  adjoining  field  a  finely  carved  stone  pipe, 
slightly  broken.  The  material  was  hard,  compact,  brown  sand- 
stone highly  polished.  It  is  not  known  what  became  of  this  pipe. 
Some  forty  years  later  a  perfect  steatite  "banner  stone,"  perfo- 
rated, was  plowed  up  near  the  same  place. 

Stone  filled  graves  are  found  along  the  rocky  base  of  the  hill 
west  of  the  "Indian  Field,"  and  near  where  these  last  relics  were 
found.  North  of  these  graves,  a  small  mound  was  located  in  the 
first  bottom.  This  mound  I  opened  in  1880;  and  a  flint  spear 
head,  a  broken  arrow  point,  a  small  piece  of  steatite  paint-stone 
and  a  single  bit  of  charcoalwas  all  that  was  obtained.  These, 
with  the  "banner  stone"  and  hundreds  of  other  interesting  relics 
were  collected  from  the  village  sites  and  burial  grounds  of  the 
Hacker's  Creek  Valley  and  various  parts  of  the  State.  (6) 

There  is  said  to  be  an  ash-circle  similar  to  the  one  described,^ 
on  Rooting  Creek,  a  branch  of  Elk  Creek,  (7)  only  a  few  miles 
north.  These  circles  are  unusual  in  American,  or  Old  World 
antiquities.  Locally,  they  are  associated  with  past  strange  reli- 
gious rites  and  occult  practices.  (8) 


Ancient  Stone  Pipe 

Foujid  171  a  ploughed  field  near  JVillow  Grove,  Jackson 
County,  West  Virginia.  In  the  McWhorter  Collection, 
Museum  of  Archives  and  History,  Charleston,  W.  Va.  See 
The  West  Virginia  Historical  Magazine,  1901 ,  Vol.  I,  No.  4. 


(6)  See  page  428.   (7)  p.  428.  (8)  p.  428. 


CHAPTER  VI 


The  tradition  that  'recmiisch  was  horn  on  Hacker's  Creek,  s(j 
brief1\-  alhided  to  in  a  note  suppHcd  hy  ine  for  the  hitc  edition  of 
dhronic/t's  of  Border  ff'arjarc,  is  as  follows: 

Sometime  after  the  Treaty  of  (jreenville,  so  the  stor\'  goes, 
Tecumseh  was  in  the  settlements  of  the  I'ppcr  Monongahela  and 
visited  Hacker's  Creek.  While  there,  in  a  conversation  with  a 
Miss  A'litchel,  Tecumseh  declared  that  he  was  born  on  this  creek; 
either  at  the  village  where  Jesse  Hughes  afterwards  settled,  or  at 
the  one  where  John  Hacker,  the  pioneer,  located.  He  was  also 
authority  for  the  statement  that  the  Indian  name  for  Hacker's 
Creek  signified  "mudd\-  water."  In  Shawnee  -.cixa-kakami  is 
muddy  water,  as  applied  to  a  lake  or  pond;  while  :vi\a-nipe 
designates  flowing  mudd\-  water,  or  river;  and  if  Tecumseh  was 
rightly  reported,  his  tribe  called  this  romantic  stream  If i\a-nipt\ 
'Ihe  same  cognomen  applies  to  the  West  Fork  of  the  Monongahela, 
of  which  Hacker's  Creek  is  an  important  tributar\-.  Doubtless, 
the  name,  primarily,  applied  to  the  larger  stream  and  extended  to 
the  smaller  with  some  differentiating  term. 

Tecumseh  was  born  about  the  year  1768,  just  one  year  pre- 
ceding the  Pringle  cokmization  of  the  l'i">per  Monongahela.  The 
\illage  at  the  mouth  of  Jesse's  Run  was  occupied  b\-  Indians 
within  historic  times,  as  attested  by  the  fact  that  brass  buttons  of 
an  old  style,  and  other  objects  of  European  manutacture,  ha\-e 
been  found  intermixed  with  various  Indian  relics.  After  heavy 
rains  large  quantities  of  lead  bullets  have  been  picked  up  on  a 
clay  bank  near  where  stood  the  cabin  of  Jesse  Hughes.  Tradition 
says  that  when  the  Indians  wanted  to  clean  their  rifles  they  dis- 
charged them  against  this  bank,  or  at  marks  placed  there.  The 
early  settlers  resorted  thither  for  their  lead.  There  is  also  a  tra- 
dition that  there  resided  near  West's  Fort,  a  hermit-like  hunter 
who  knew  of  a  lead  mine  on  a  small  stream  that  enters  Hacker's 
Creek  troni  the  soutli,  in  what  is  now  the  Alkire  settlement  above 
the  mouth  ot  Jesse's  Run.  This  gri'/,'/.led  nimrocl  obtained  all  the 
lead  he  reejuired  from  this  "mine,"  but  he  would  never  divulge  its 
location  to  his  fellow-countr\ men.  Dressei.!  in  buckskins  and  the 
traditional  nuccasins.  his  step  was  light  and  trackless.      Cunning 


76 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


as  a  fox,  he  was  often  traced  to  the  high  ridge  south  of  the  creek, 
where  he  would  disappear.  Later  he  would  return  with  a  supply 
of  lead.  (1)  Traditions  of  lead  mines  were  current  in  nearly  every 
Virginia  settlement.  In  all  probability  the  mysterious  hunter 
obtained  his  lead  from  some  such  source  as  the  claybank  deposit, 
and  was  loth  to  share  his  failing  store  with  his  neighbors. 

It  is  known  that  the  Ohio  Indians  frequented  this  region  as 
hunters   after  the  white  settlers  came,  and  it  is  not  improbable 


^v 

^ 

1^ 

^^ 

¥ 

^^gj 

L 

^^iw 

m 

m^^ '  ^^   ^^Nk.^S^ 

JB^H  m 

r^.l..,'^;' 

^^ 

TECCMTHA. 

Tecumseh — The  Greatest  of  Shawnees 

From   a   ■pencil  sketch   made   about   1812.     There   is   no    true   portrait  of  Chief 
Tecumseh  in  existence.     Courtesy  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution. 


that  Tecumseh  was  born  here  while  his  people  were  on  one  of 
those  excrrsions.  Drake  says  that  Tecumseh  was  born  on  the 
Scioto  River,  near  where  is  now  Chillicothe.  (2)  Other  authorities 
state  that  he  was  born  on  Alad  River,  a  few  miles  north  of  Old 
Chillicothe,  claiming  that  his  parents  and  relatives  were  on  a 
hunting  expedition  at  the  time,  and  were  encamped  on  Mad 
River.  Col.  Hatch  contends  that  Tecumseh  was  born  near  the 
mouth  of  Clearwater,  on  the  upper  point  of  its  junction  with  the 
Great  Miami  River.  (3) 

The  Chillicothe,  "Chi-la-ka-tha"  one  of  the  four  divisions  of 
the  Shawnee  tribe,  (4)   always  occupied  a  village  of  the  same  name. 

(1)  See  page  429.  (2)  p.  430.  (3)  p.  430.   (4)  p.  430. 


BoRDKR   SkTTI.KRS  Ol-    XoRTlI  W  KSTKRN   \  IRdlNIA  11 

As  the  Shawnees  retreated  westward  before  the  whites,   several 
villages  of  this  name  were  successfully  occupied.  (5)  To  designate 
Tccunisch's  hirthi^lacc  as  "Old  Chillicothe"  is  misleading.     Tiicre 
was  an  Old  Chillicothc  in  each  of  the  following  counties  in  Ohir): 
Ross,  Pickawa>-,  Clark,  Green  and  Miami. 

Old  Chillicothe  in  Ross  County,  was  the  capitol  of  the  Shaw- 
nees at  the  time  of  Tecumseh's  birth,  and  it  was  evidently  the 
home  of  his  family.  Such  being  the  case,  historians  would  suppose 
that  he  was  born  there;  and  in  the  absence  of  definite  information, 
give  that  town  the  honor  of  his  birthplace,  though  he  may  have 
been  born  at  some  distant  and  transient  hunting  camp.  The 
Indians  were,  then,  as  they  are  now,  accompanied  b\-  their  women 
even  when  going  to  remote  localities  to  hunt. 

At  the  two  villages  on  Hacker's  Creek  mentioned  by  Tecum- 
seh,  there  have  been  found  the  stone  cist  graves  believed  to  be  of 
Shawnee  origin.  Such  graves  are  located  in  the  midst  of,  or  con- 
tiguous to  these  village  sites,  while  those  constituting  the  burial 
grounds  on  the  hillsides  and  the  ridges,  are  the  common  stone- 
filled  graves  of  a  different  tribe.  The  summit  of  Buck  Knob  (6) 
which  overlooked  the  villages  on  McKinney's  Run  and  at  the 
mouth  of  Jesse's  Run,  is  such  a  burial  ground.  Without  entering 
into  a  discussion  as  to  the  probabilit}'  of  which  of  these  tribes 
were  the  last  to  abandon  a  continuous  occupanc\-  of  the  valley, 
or  whether  they  were  contemporaneous,  summing  up  the  facts.  1 
regard  this  claim  of  Hacker's  Creek  to  the  honor  of  being  the 
birthplace  of  Tecumseh,  supported  as  it  is  by  his  own  statement, 
worthy  of  consideration  and  probabK-  correct.  Let  Virginia  then 
add  to  the  long  list  of  her  warriors,  patriots  and  statesmen,  the 
name  of  Tecumseh;  really  Tikamthi,  or  Tecumtha,  the  "meteor" 
or  "shooting-star;"  the  "crouching  panther,"  "I  cross  the  path, 
or  way."  Even  if  born  at  Old  Chillicothe  or  on  Mad  River, 
Tecumseh  was  still  a  Virginian;  for  all  that  part  of  the  territory 
Northwest  of  the  Ohio  River  belonged  to  \'irginia  until  after  the 
Revolution. 

There  was  a  tradition  on  Hacker's  Creek  which  declared  that 
Tecumseh  in  one  of  his  incursions  into  the  valley,  lost  his  pipe  — 
usually  an  adjunct  to  the  Indian  Warrior's  equipment  —  and 
with  it  much  of  his  prestige  as  a  war  chief.  He  and  his  followers 
spent  many  moons  in  a  fruitless  search  for  the  missing  talisman. 
I  remember  that  more  than  thirty  }ears  ago  there  was  found  on 

(5)  See  page  430.  (6)  p.  43  2. 


78 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


Jesse's  Run  a  stone  pipe  of  "strange  and  peculiar  workmanship." 
This  revived  the  old  story  of  Tecumseh  and  his  missing  pipe;  and 
many  supposed  that  the  pipe  found  was  the  one  lost  by  this 
renowned  chief.     It  is  not  known  what  became  of  the  pipe. 


A  Hacker's  Creek  Pawpaw  Thicket 

Photographed  September,  1914,  by  Master  Joe  Reger  McWhorter. 

{Fruit  of  the  Gods.) 

Primitive  Wiya-nipe  must  have  been  a  veritable  paradise  for 
the  red  man.  Beyond  doubt  it  is  today  the  garden  spot  of  central 
West  Virginia.  It  has  a  milder  winter  climate  than  the  Buck- 
hannon  region  and  the  high  mountain  sections  of  the  State.  The 
soil  from  the  creek  bed  to  the  summit  of  the  surrounding  hills  is 
generally  fertile  and  productive.  The  first  settlers  found  the 
valley  clothed  with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber.  Here  the  nut- 
producing  varieties:  —  the  chestnut,  shell-bark  hickory,  black  and 
white  walnut,  the  beech  and  white  oak,  grew  to  perfection  on 
both  bottom  and  hillside.  The  fruit  was  of  superior  size  and 
quality.  The  hazel  nut  grew  in  abundance,  while  the  uplands 
were  covered  with  the  persimmon;  the  service,  or  june-berry;  the 
black  and  red  haw,  the  mulberry  and  wild  cherry.  Plums  of  a 
most  excellent  flavor  flourished  along  the  banks  of  every  stream 
and  favored  localities  of  the  higher  altitudes.  Crabapples  were 
also  plentiful.  The  less  fertile  portions  of  the  ridges  were  covered 
with  the  shrubs  of  the  wild  gooseberry  and  the  huckleberry, 
beneath  which  was  often  found    patches  of  the  aromatic  winter- 


BoRDiiR  Settlers  of  Northwestern  \  ir<;im.\  79 

green.  On  every  v^ariety  of  soil  of  the  uplands  grew  mountain 
grapes  of  varied  size  and  flavor;  while  the  low  marsh  and  swamp 
lands  were  canopied  with  a  matted  tan^l*.'  '>!  the  fox  grape,  large 
and  luscious.  A  small  winter  grape,  rather  acrid  and  less  pala- 
table, was  also  found  on  the  lowlands.  The  pawpaw,  the  fruit  of 
the  gods,  attaincLl  to  [icrfection  aiii_l  supcialuuKlancc  in  this  valle\' 
of  valleys.  Blackberries,  raspberries  and  elderberries  flourished 
in  open  and  fertile  ground,  usually  among  the  fallen  timber. 
Occasional!)-  wild  strawberries  were  met  with  on  the  hiuh  ridges 
and  points  where  the  timber  was  scattering;  but  the>-  were  not 
plentiful.  The  sugar  tree,  whose  sweet-producing  qualities  were 
so  universally  made  use  of  by  the  Indian,  stood  dark  and  thick 
over  most  of  the  bottom  land  and  the  rich  north  coves.  Sassa- 
fras, and  spice,  the  root-bark  of  the  one  and  the  twig  of  the  other, 
used  in  preparing  food  drinks  were  plentitul.  Medicinal  barks 
and  herbs  were  multitudinous.  A  fragrant  variety  of  plant  used 
in  the  preparation  of  kinnikinick,  or  Indian  smoking  tobacco,  was 
in  abundance.  Its  lea\'es,  when  brewed,  proiluce  a  drink  scarce 
inferior  to  the  best  of  imported  teas. 

The  forest  teemed  with  all  the  game  native  to  the  Ohio  \  alle\', 
while  the  waters  swarmed  with  excellent  tish,  turtles,  frogs  and 
mussels.  The  following  incident  will  illustrate  the  profusion  of 
the  hnn}-  tribe  in  this  stream  at  the  time  of  the  settlement  of  the 
valley. 

One  evening  Henry  McW  horter,  the  pioneer  millwright  of 
W  est's  Fort,  and  his  two  oldest  bo\'s,  prepared  faggots  or  torches 
from  sli\crs  ot  dry  wooel  and  went  "tish-gigging."  W  alter,  a 
small  lad,  having  no  gig,  did  not  go  with  them.  After  the\'  had 
gone,  from  a  board  he  fashioned  a  rude  paddle  —  a  poor  substi- 
tute for  a  gig  —  aiul  taking  a  torch  went  into  the  ripple  below 
the  mill  dam.  He  said  afterwards  that  had  the  tish  been  stones 
he  could  have  walked  across  the  creek  on  them,  so  plentiful  and 
of  such  good  size  were  they.  He  soon  secured  all  the  tish  that 
he  could  carry  —  more  than  was  caught  b\'  his  father  and  brothers. 

Even  at  a  much  later  date  this  creek  afforded  superior  fishing 
grounds.  Walter,  when  grown,  and  his  son,  m\  talin-i-,  then  a 
lad,  went  gigging  below  the  bridge  at  jane  Lew.  Walter  was  an 
expert  at  spearing  hsh  and  prided  himself  as  such.  He  saw  what 
he  supposed  was  a  "chunk"  ot  water-soaked  wood  l\ing  in  the 
rifiple  and  lightl\-  set  his  gig  on  it  as  he  was  passing  l-)\'.      W  hat 


80  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

was  his  surprise  and  chagrin,  when  with  a  splash  the  supposed 
"chunk"  flashed  from  under  the  spear  and  was  off  Hke  a  shot  for 
deep  water.  The  fisherman  could  never  get  over  the  loss  of  that 
fish,  which  he  estimated  to  be  not  less  than  four  feet  in  length. 

Buffalo,  elk,  deer,  bear  and  innumerable  small  game  abounded 
throughout  this  region.  One  old  hunter  whom  I  remember  seeing, 
declared  that  in  traversing  less  than  one  mile  of  the  dividing  ridge 
between  Bridge  Run  and  the  left-hand  fork  of  Buckhannon  Run, 
starting  at  the  head  of  the  latter  stream,  he  secured  five  deer. 
Many  are  the  tales  of  hunting  adventures  that  have  been  handed 
down  from  the  early  settlers  of  this  valley,  and  a  few  of  them  are 
here  given. 

Alexander  West  shot  an  elk  on  Hacker's  Creek,  but  the  shot 
did  not  prove  fatal,  and  the  elk  made  off.  West  followed,  finding 
that  the  animal  often  lay  down.  His  better  plan  would  have  been 
to  let  it  lie,  but  he  expected  to  find  it  dead.  It  continued  to  get 
up  and  travel,  however,  and  West  followed  it  to  the  present  site 
of  West  A-lilford,  on  the  West  Fork  River,  where  he  killed  it.  He 
dressed  the  meat  and  hung  it  on  trees  out  of  the  reach  of  wolves, 
and  returned  home.  The  next  day  he  went  with  a  pack  horse  and 
brought  it  in. 

W'est  was  "coon  hunting"  on  the  right-hand  fork  of  Alclvin- 
ney's  Run,  when  his  dogs  engaged  a  bear  down  in  a  very  deep 
hollow.  West  soon  heard  his  favorite  dog  howling  with  pain, 
and  like  the  true  hunter  he  started  at  once  to  the  rescue.  With 
drawn  knife  he  plunged  into  the  depths  of  the  narrow  gorge,  the 
sides  of  which  reverberated  with  the  fierce  snarls  and  deep  growls 
of  the  savage  combatants.  It  was  very  dark,  and  West  could 
distinguish  nothing  but  a  white  spot  on  one  of  his  dogs.  He 
fearlessly  approached  the  struggling  mass  and  felt  for  the  shaggy 
coat  of  the  bear.  Feeling  along  its  side  he  located  the  fatal  spot 
over  the  heart,  and  buried  the  long  blade  of  his  hunting-knife 
between  its  ribs,  which  ended  the  fray. 

Bears  frequently  made  forays  upon  the  herds  of  swine  belong- 
ing to  the  settlers.  Knowing  the  fighting  qualities  of  the  full- 
grown  boar,  the  pioneer  always  had  one  at  the  head  of  his  herd. 
These  long  tusked  savage  brutes  seldom  came  out  of  a  battle  with 
a  bear  with  any  serious  injury.  One  night  \\'est  heard  a  commo- 
tion among  his  hogs  and  went  out  to  investigate.  He  found  that 
a  two-year-old  bear  had  attacked  the  pigs,  and  in  turn  had  been 


BoRDl.R   SkTTLERS  of   XoRTIlW  KS  TIRN   \  1R(;|NI.\  Si 

set  upon  and  killed  by  ihc  old  boar.  The  pigs  were  unhurt.  1  Icjgs 
were  turned  loose  in  the  woods  and  were  semi-wild,  oft  times 
entireh'  so  and  were  \er\'  daiiircrous.  W  Ik-ii  iii  i.leicnse  of  young 
broods,  or  molested  when  in  bands,  the\'  wtnild  not  hesitate  to 
attack,  man;  and  frcquenth-  hunters  and  ginsengers  experienced 
thrilling  ad\entures  with  them. 

West  was  a  great  hunter  and  often  led  the  settlers  in  the 
annual  hunts  for  the  purpose  of  securing  their  winter's  meat.  On 
one  of  these  occasions  a  compan\'  of  several  men  went  iiitu  the 
Mountains  of  Randolph  Countw  The  party  pitched  camp,  and 
earl\-  in  the  hunt  killed  two  hne  elk.  That  night  the  "marrow- 
bones" were  cut  out  and  roasted  for  supper,  .\fter  the  repast 
and  while  sitting  around  the  camp  tire,  one  of  the  men  in  a  spirit 
of  hilarity,  pulled  a  large  tick  from  one  of  the  dogs  and  wrapping 
it  in  a  "wad"  of  tobacco,  handed  it  to  a  companion,  a  large  athletic 
fellow,  "ter  chaw."  The  unsuspecting  victim  did  "chaw,"  but 
soon  found  that  the  "quid"  contained  something  not  altogether 
"terbacker."  Upon  learning  the  nature  of  the  rude  joke  thai  had 
been  plaved  on  him,  he  seized  one  of  the  heavy  marrow-bones 
and  would  have  brained  the  thoughtless  joker,  had  not  W  est 
interfered  and  prevented  the  fight. 

-Alexander  W  est  related  an  occurrence  near  his  father's  house 
on  Hacker's  Creek.  Some  boys  one  Sunday,  stealing  out  an  old 
musket,  went  in  quest  of  ad\enturc.  In  a  iiearb_\-  cornticld  the\' 
shot  and  killed  a  bear.  This  bear  was  dressed  and  as  usual,  the 
meat  divided  among  the  settlers.  Soon  there  was  a  savory  "bear- 
pork"  simmering  over  the  glowing  fires  in  the  great  open  chimneys 
of  more  than  one  cabin  home.  The  dogs  gnawing  at  the  offal, 
shook  from  the  maw  the  mangled  fingers  of  a  human  hand.  Notice 
of  the  ghasth-  find  was  at  once  given  out,  and  the  partly  cooked 
meat  thrown  awa>-.  A  search  was  instituted,  and  in  another 
part  of  the  field  was  found  the  half-eaten  body  of  a  man.  .Ml 
around  was  the  evidence  of  a  fearful  conflict.  .Most  o{  the  corn 
on  an  acre  of  ground  had  been  trampled  down  in  a  territic  life- 
and-death  struggle.  The  victim  was  an  eccentric  fellow,  of  pow- 
erful build  and  strength,  who  often  spent  da\s  and  nights  in  the 
woods.  On  this  occasion  he  had  been  absent  several  da\s  but 
nothing  was  thought  of  it. 

Of  buffalo  on   Hacker's  Creek,   there  is  but  one  mention   by 


82  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

the  early  chroniclers.      Withers,  (7)   in  speaking  of  the  first  settlers 
on  the  Buckhannon  River,  and  the  stream  in  question,  says: 

"At  the  close  of  the  working  season  of  1769  some  of  these  adventurers,  went 
to  their  families  on  the  South  Branch;  and  when  they  returned  to  gather  their 
crops  in  the  fall,  found  them  entirely  destroyed.  In  their  absence  the  buffaloes, 
no  longer  awed  by  the  presence  of  man,  had  trespassed  on  their  enclosures,  and 
eaten  their  corn  to  the  ground — this  delayed  the  removal  of  their  families  'till 
the  winter  of  1770." 

It  has  been  noted  in  the  preceding  chapter  that  John  Hacker, 
the  first  settler  on  the  creek  bearing  his  name,  was  one  whose 
crop  was  destroyed.  This  occurred  during  his  absence  on  the 
Wappatomaka  for  his  family,  and  is  history;  but  the  sequel  is  tradi- 
tion. There  are  few  now  living  who  have  ever  heard  of  Hacker's 
long  pursuit  of  the  destroyers  of  his  sole  means  of  bread;  but  the 
landmarks  of  that  chase  will  remain  indefinitely.  I  am  indebted 
to  Mr.  John  Strange  Hall,  of  Walkersville,  West  Va.,  for  the 
following  account  of  the  hunt,  as  given  him  in  manuscript  by 
Mr.  Jackson  Arnold,  who  got  it  direct  from  Hacker's  children. 

"As  soon  as  Hacker  had  installed  his  family  in  their  new 
home,  with  the  usual  equipment  of  a  hunter  he  took  up  the  trail 
of  the  bufi^aloes.  It  was  a  small  herd,  two  full  grown  and  a  young 
calf.  Bufltalo  and  elk  were  not  numerous  on  the  upper  waters  of 
the  Monongahela,  and  were  never  found  in  large  droves.  They, 
however,  gave  names  to  numerous  licks  and  streams.  (8) 

"The  band  which  Hacker  followed,  was  moving  leisurely 
south  for  the  winter,  and  ranging  up  and  down  the  streams.  It 
consumed  time  to  find  the  various  crossings;  hence  the  short 
marches  and  many  camps  made  by  the  huntsman.  All  the  waters 
crossed,  or  followed  by  trail,  with  the  licks  and  camps  were  so 
accurately  described  that  subsequent  hunters  easily  recognized 
them.  Hacker's  first  camp  was  at  the  mouth  of  (now)  Curtis 
Run,  a  branch  of  Little  Skin  Creek,  where  he  dined  on  a  turkey. 
The  second  was  'Crane  Camp,'  on  a  tributary  of  the  West  Fork. 
Here  in  addition  to  the  deer  killed  at  a  lick  where  the  buffalo  had 
halted,  Hacker  shot  a  crane;  hence  the  name  of  camp  and  stream. 

"The  trail  followed  the  right-hand  branch  of  the  river  to  its 
source,  and  Hacker  was,  so  far  as  known,  the  first  white  man  to 
look  upon  the  upper  waters  of  the  Little  Kanawha,  known  at  its 
mouth  as  the  first  great  tributary  of  the  Ohio  below  Fort  Pitt. 
In  the  glades  above  the  falls  of  the  creek,  he  met  with  more  abun- 

(7)  See  page  433.  (8)  p.  433. 


BoRUKR  SeTT1.1:RS   Ol-    XoRTllWESTKRN   \  IRGIMA  S3 

dant  and  fresher  signs  of  buffalo.  In  addition  to  the  grass,  the 
crab  apples  and  thorn  berries  attracted  the  game. 

"The  third  camp  was  noted  for  its  durability.  A  rain  storm 
coming  up,  the  hunter  sought  shelter  in  a  dry  and  comfortable 
cave  in  a  cliti,  where  he  again  regaled  himself  on  a  fine  turkey 
killed  on  the  river  boltoin.  This  cave,  or  rock-shelter,  has  since 
been  known  as  Hacker's  Camp,  and  was  subsequently  occupied  by 
hunters  and  ginseng  diggers.  The  stream  is  known  as  Hacker's 
Branch. 

"The  fourth  camp  was  at  Buffalo  Lick,  where  Hacker  shot  and 
crippled  a  buffalo  cow.  She  had  just  come  up  from  the  lick 
where  the  others  were,  and  all  Hcd  over  a  well-beaten  path  toward 
a  gap  in  the  mountain.  The  trail  was  followed  but  a  short  dis- 
tance, when  evening  coming  on,  the  hunter  returned  to  the  lick. 
It  was  at  the  source  of  a  ravine,  circular  in  form,  rock  bottom  and 
about  two  rods  in  diameter.  Several  small  springs  issued  from 
the  biutfs,  differing  in  taste,  but  none  of  them  palatable.  Here 
the  sign  of  buffalo,  elk  and  deer  surpassed  all  that  Hacker  had 
ever  seen.  The  brackish,  or  saline  properties  of  the  water  allured 
the  animals  from  a  great  distance. 

"Buffalo  Fork,  an  affluent  of  the  Back  Fork,  or  Right  Fork  of 
Little  Kanawha,  and  Buffalo  Lick  are  names  given  by  Hacker. 
Following  the  trail  through  the  gap,  a  scene  of  rugged  grandeur 
opened  to  the  hunter's  view.  A  boisterous  stream  rushed  through 
the  deeply  wooded  canyon.  From  the  trend  of  the  mountains,  he 
rightly  conjectured  that  it  did  not  belong  to  the  system  on  which 
he  had  been  traveling,  which  proved  to  be  the  Little  Kanawha. 
He  had  dropped  onto  the  waters  of  Flk,  a  trilnilar\-  <>f  the  Great 
Kanawha. 

"A  few  miles  up  the  stream,  the  mountains  receded,  enclosing 
a  beautiful  valley.  Here  Hacker  secured  the  cow  previously 
wounded.  She  was  standing  in  a  clump  of  bushes  near  a  lick. 
The  sound  of  the  rifle  startled  the  others,  now  joined  b\-  another 
herd,  and  all  fled  towards  the  great  Buffalo  Lick  at  the  forks  of 
Elk  River,  which  is  now  a  noted  health  resort,  the  Webster  Salt 
Sulj-'hur  Springs.  'I'hc  arduous  chase  was  ended.  The  grim  hunt- 
er's wrath  was  appeased  and  he  prepared  to  return  with  the 
spoils.  The  robe  was  removed  and  a  small  amount  of  choice 
parts  selected  and  cured  b\-  the  hre  to  carr\'  home  as  jerk. 

"Hacker    made    a    'tomahawk-entrv'    at    the    lick    where   the 


84  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

cow  was  killed,  embracing  the  bottom  land.  For  years  it  was 
known  as  Hacker's  Lick,  but  in  time  the  lick  lost  its  value  and 
now  the  locality  with  its  village  bears  the  name  of  Hacker's  Valley. 
This  is  a  branch  of  the  Holly  River,  so  named  by  Hacker  from  the 
groves  of  this  evergreen  which  adorned  its  banks. 

"The  return  trip  was  by  short  stages,  the  camps  being  at  the 
mouth  of  Buffalo  Fork,  Crane  Camp,  and  Little  Skin  Creek,  at 
each  of  which  Hacker  made  a  'tomahawk-entry.'  The  latter 
was  the  only  one  to  which  he  secured  a  title.  Here,  early  in  the 
last  century  his  son  Jonathan  became  the  first  settler  of  Skin  Creek. 
After  several  years  he  sold  the  place  to  Rev.  John  Hardman,  and 
moved  to  Crane  Camp.  He  soon  learned  that  he  had  no  title  to 
the  land,  it  being  covered  by  a  large  patent.  The  abandoned 
cabin  in  the  wilderness  became  the  abode  of  spooks." 

It  is  noteworthy  that  Mr.  Hall  places  the  removal  of  Hacker's 
family  to  their  new  home  in  the  autumn  of  1769.  From  all  evi- 
dence this  is  correct,  but  it  is  very  probable  that  they  subsequently 
returned  to  the  Wappatomaka,  and  that  their  permanent  removal 
to  Hacker's  Creek  was  not  until  the  following  fall,  or  even  later. 

Hacker  reported  the  existence  of  the  artificial  earth  mounds 
at  the  mouth  of  Buffalo,  where  the  village  of  Cleveland  now  stands 
in  Webster  County.  There  were  ten  or  twelve  of  these,  the  largest 
in  quite  recent  years  measured  about  live  feet  in  height  and  some 
twenty  feet  in  diameter.  He  attributed  them  to  Indian  origin, 
which  is  doubtless  correct.  This  pursuit  of  the  buffalo  stands 
unique,  and  has  no  rival  in  geographical  discovery  made  in  a  single 
chase  for  game  on  the  western  waters.     The  incentive  was  revenge. 

A  pathetic  story  illustrative  of  the  hardships  incident  to  a 
life  on  the  border  has  been  handed  down  by  the  older  settlers  of 
this  region.  A  few  years  after  his  settlement  on  Hacker's  Creek, 
John  Hacker  returned  to  the  Wappatomaka  for  salt  and  other  neces- 
sary articles,  and  upon  his  departure  for  home  his  friends  prepared 
provisions  for  his  return  journey.  He  saved  some  biscuits  from 
his  food  and  upon  his  arrival  home  gave  one  to  his  little  boy, 
William,  who  was  then  about  five  years  old.  The  child  examined 
it  closely  and  then  began  rolling  it  over  the  rough  puncheon  floor 
of  the  cabin.  The  little  fellow  had  never  seen  bread  other  than 
that  made  from  the  coarse  meal  of  Indian  corn  crushed  In  the 
rude  mortar,  and  he  imagined  that  in  the  strange  object  he 
possessed  a  new  toy.    It  is  said  that  Hacker  wept  over  the  incident. 


BoKUKR   Si:TTLL:RS  of  NoRTIIW  ESTliRX   \  IRGINIA  85 

Hacker,  in  one  of  his  trips  across  the  mountains  for  salt,  was 
caught  in  a  bitter  storm  on  the  bleak  and  cold  Alleghenies.  He 
made  camp  for  the  night,  but  from  some  cause  was  unable  to 
kindle  a  hre  with  his  flint  and  steel.  His  case  was  most  desperate, 
and  realizing  the  danger  in  which  he  stood,  he  had  recourse  to  a 
most  ingenious  method  of  keeping  warm.  Standing  his  two  pack 
horses  side  by  side,  he  lashed  them  securely  together.  Then 
wrapping  his  blankets  about  him  and  stretching  himself  upon 
their  backs,  he  spent  the  night  in  warmth  and  comfort. 

The  inadequacy  of  the  flint  and  steel  as  a  fire-producer 
undoubtedly  resulted  in  more  than  one  tragedy  in  the  early  settle- 
ment of  the  country.  Hacker  was  fortunate  in  possessing  means 
hv  which  to  avert  death  by  freezing.  Not  all  were  so  fortunate, 
as  is  shown  by  the  following  occurrence  in  the  same  range  of 
mountains  nearly  one  hundred  years  later.  It  also  evidences 
with  what  astonishing  tenacity  the  simple,  contented  hunter  folk 
of  this  vast  mountain  region  held  to  the  primitive  customs  of  their 
forefathers.  The  incident  was  told  me  in  a  hunter's  cabin  on  the 
Greenbrier  River  in  Pocahontas  County  in  1877,  near  the  scene  of 
the  tragedy,  which  happened  only  a  short  time  before. 

A  hunter  had  guided  a  party  across  the  mountains.  \\  inter 
was  at  hand.  There  was  the  appearance  of  snow,  and  a  snow- 
storm in  those  mountains  is  accompanied  with  a  humid  cold  that 
penetrates  to  the  marrow  and  kills,  unless  fire  can  be  had  at  once. 
The  hardy  guide,  against  the  protests  of  friends,  started  on  foot 
alone  to  return  by  the  unfrequented  trail  through  that  wilderness. 
A  terrible  and  blinding  snowstorm  swept  the  mountains,  followed 
by  the  most  intense  cold.  The  poor  guide  became  bewildered, 
wandered  from  the  path,  and  was  soon  lost  in  the  vast,  desolate 
forest.  His  onl\-  means  of  producing  fire  was  the  flint  and  steel. 
These  failed,  and  after  hours,  no  one  will  ever  know  how  long,  he 
sat  down  at  the  root  of  a  tree  with  his  rifle  resting  between  his 
knees  and  his  arms  folded  across  his  breast.  In  this  position  a 
rescuing  party,  one  of  whom  was  Robert  Carr,  who  told  the  story, 
several  days  later  found  him  with  bowed  head,  in  frozen  slumber. 
The  poor  fellow's  knuckles  on  both  hands  were  badly  cut  by  the 
flint  in  his  una\'ailing  attempt  to  strike  fire. 


CHAPTER  VII 


The  Stroud  family,  living  on  Gauley  River  a  few  miles  south 
of  Bull  Town,  was  murdered  by  a  band  of  Shawnees  from  Ohio, 
in  June,  1772.  (1)  Bull  Town  was  an  Indian  village  at  a  salt 
spring  on  the  Little  Kanawha,  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  below 
the  present  Bull  Town  postoffice  in  Braxton  County,  West  Vir- 
ginia. It  was  a  Delaware  (2)  settlement,  consisting  of  five  fam- 
ilies, colonized  from  the  Unadilla  River,  New  York,  about  1768, 
by  Captain  Bull,  a  Delaware  chief,  the  chief  man  and  ruler  of  the 
village.  These  Indians  "were  in  habits  of  social  and  friendly 
intercourse  with  the  whites  on  Buckhannon  and  on  Hacker's 
Creek;  frequently  hunting  and  visiting  with  them."  (3)  Adam 
Stroud  was  absent  from  home  at  the  time  of  the  murder  of  his 
family.  The  Shawnees  drove  off  his  cattle,  taking  a  trail  that  led 
in  the  direction  of  the  Delaware  settlement,  though  there  never 
was  any  evidence  that  the  Shawnees  went  to  Captain  Bull's 
village.  The  trail  leading  towards  the  village  was  discovered  by  the 
white  settlers,  which  was  eagerly  taken  as  proof  that  the  Delawares 
were  guilty  of  the  murder.  William  White,  William  Hacker,  John 
Cutright,  Jesse  Hughes,  (4)  and  one  other  whose  name  is  now 
forgotten,  five  of  the  most  desperate  men  in  the  Buckhannon  and 
Hacker's  Creek  settlements,  set  out  for  the  Delaware  village  to 
avenge  the  death  of  the  Strouds.  (5)  There  are  no  known  circum- 
stances that  justified  the  acts  of  the  settlers  at  Bull  Town,  and 
there  is  every  proof  at  hand  to  show  that  it  was  murder  committed 
in  treachery  and  cold  blood.  The  fact  that  the  trail  of  the  Stroud 
murderers  "led  in  the  direction  of  Bull  Town"  cannot  be  taken  as 
evidence  of  the  guilt  of  the  hapless  Delawares.  If  they  were  the 
perpetrators  of  the  crime,  what  became  of  the  Stroud  cattle.?  So 
far  as  history  or  tradition  tells,  the  cattle  were  never  found.  If 
the  destroyers  of  the  friendly  Delawares  "found  clothing  and  other 
things  known  to  have  belonged  to  the  Stroud  family,"  (6)  in  their 
possession,  why  did  they  not  bring  some  of  those  articles  to  view 
in  the  "remonstrating  settlement"  in  vindication  of  their  honor, 
and  to  convince  the  people  that  just  retribution  at  their  hands  had 
fallen  upon  the  guilty  parties.'' 

Men  capable  of  such   crimes  on   the  border  were   clever  in 

(1)  See  page  433.  (2)  p.  433.  (3)    p.  435.  (4)  p.  435.  (5)  p.  435.   (6)  p.  436. 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  \  ir(;inia  S7 

framing  excuses  to  justify  their  actions.  Their  unsupported  state- 
ment that  such  articles  were  found  at  Bull  Town,  in  the  absence 
of  the  articles,  which  should  have  been  brought  to  the  settlements 
and  exhibited,  cannot  be  accepted.  And  if  such  articles  had  been 
found  and  carried  to  the  settlements,  and  there  exposed  to  public 
view,  ihc  circumstances  woukl  have  fallen  far  short  of  proving 
the  guilt  of  the  Delawares.  They  might  have  been  obtained  by 
barter  or  bv  gift.  Or  the  Shawnees  might  have  desired  to  cast 
suspicion  on  the  friendly  Delawares,  and  this  supposition  may 
account  for  their  taking  a  trail  in  the  direction  of  their  village. 
This  would  enable  them  to  escape  suspicion  and  make  their 
escape,  leaving  the  Delawares  to  bear  the  consequences  of  a  crime 
of  which  they  were  innocent  and  ignorant.  Friendly  Indians 
were  always  in  more  or  less  disrepute  with  both  the  settlers  and 
their  own  people.  The  slaughter  of  the  unfortunate  Moravian 
Indians  at  Gnadenhutten  ten  years  later  is  a  case  in  point. 

Just  how  the  village  of  Bull  Town  became  such  an  easy  prey 
to  the  fury  of  the  bordermen  is  not  known.  Circumstances  con- 
nected with  the  outrage  strengthens  the  belief  that  they,  like 
their  unfortunate  relatives  at  Gnadenhutten,  were  the  victims  of 
craven  treachery.  Notwithstanding  the  supposition  that  there 
had  been  some  fighting  between  these  men  and  the  Indians,  it  is 
now  known  that  there  was  no  fight.  Christopher  T.  Cutright, 
commonly  known  as  Uncle  Stuftle  Cutright,  a  son  of  John  Cut- 
right,  one  of  the  men  of  the  expedition,  gave  me  personally  an 
account  of  the  tragedy  and  its  awful  sequel  at  Indian  Camp.  He 
told  the  story  as  revealed  to  him  by  his  father.  It  conforms 
strongly  with  the  traditionary  account  given  by  the  Hacker  family. 
(7)  \\  hile  not  going  into  the  minute  details  of  the  massacre,  it 
was  stated  explicitly,  as  a  fact,  that  there  had  been  no  fight,  and 
that  the  Indians,  one  and  all,  were  put  to  death,  their  bodies 
thrown  into  the  river,  and  their  homes  desolated. 

It  has  been  conceded  by  historians  that  Captain  Bull  was 
killed  in  the  general  destruction  of  his  people.  But  such  was  not 
the  case;  if  the  word  of  John  Cutright,  previously  quoted,  and  one 
of  the  principals  in  the  massacre,  is  to  be  regarded  as  reliable. 
To  his  positive  testimony  a  verifying  traditional  account  is  still 
current  among  the  old  settlers  of  that  region. 

Mr.  Cutright's  statement  was,  that  sometime  prior  to 
the  massacre,  death  entered  the  lowly  hut  of  Captain   Bull  and 

(7)  See  page  436. 


88  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

robbed  him  of  his  Httle  child.  The  body  was  tenderly  buried 
somewhere  in  the  deep  shades  of  the  primeval  forest.  The  parental 
affection  in  the  Indian  bosom  is  strong,  and  the  grief  of  the  stricken 
parents  was  most  poignant.  From  their  white  neighbors  came 
no  show  of  respect,  no  condolence  or  expression  of  sympathy. 
So  keenly  was  felt  this  heartless  indiiference,  that  Captain  Bull 
despaired  of  ever  living  in  harmony  and  social  friendship  with 
the  usurpers  of  his  country,  and  in  bitter  anguish  and  desolation 
of  spirit  the  chieftain  exhumed  the  body  of  his  child,  and  with  his 
immediate  family  rejoined  his  tribe  in  the  country  north  of  the 
Ohio.  (8)  The  other  five  families  remained,  and  were  all  sacrificed. 
We  shall  find  Capt.  Bull  again  on  the  Virginia  border,  but 
not  as  a  peaceful  village  builder. 


^^^^> 
§^M 


(8)  See  page  4.^6. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


Against  the  avowed  purpose  to  kill  the  Bull  'lown  Indians,  a 
"remonstrance  of  the  settlement  generally,"  sa\s  Withers^  was 
made.  (1)  Evidently  this  "remonstrance"  was  formal  and  feeble. 
Xo  concerted  action  was  taken  to  enforce  order  or  to  stay  this  the 
most  deliberate  and  fiendish  crime  ever  enacted  on  the  border  t)f 
the  Upper  Monongahela.  A  not  altogether  groundless  dread  of 
incurring  the  wrath  of  the  five  bordermen,  who  would  likely  brook 
no  interference  with  their  plans,  ma\'  have  justified  to  some  small 
extent  the  indifference  manifested  by  the  settlers.  But  both  the 
sequel  and  previous  circumstances  point  an  accusing  finger,  and 
the  investigator  is  constrained  to  belie\e  that  the  settlers  generalK' 
were  in  direct  sympathy  with  the  acts  of  the  merciless  five,  and 
felt  little  or  no  concern  for  the  safety  of  their  red  friends  on  the 
Kanawha,  or  how  they  fared  at  the  hands  of  the  murderous  foe. 

\\  hile  at  Bull  Town,  the  whites  learned  from  the  Delawares, 
that  there  was  at  that  time  a  party  of  thirteen  Indians,  a  hunting- 
party  from  be\-ond  the  Ohio,  at  Indian  Camp,  fourteen  miles  above 
the  fort  at  Buckhannon.  It  is  not  probable  that  this  information 
could  have  been  obtained  had  not  the  settlers  professed  friendship 
and  hidden  their  intentions  for  a  time  after  their  arrival  at  the 
village.  Having  secured  this  information,  and  their  passions 
aroused  by  the  scenes  of  their  inhuman  blood-letting  at  the  Dela- 
ware town,  the\-  returned  to  the  settlement  and  made  rapid  and 
grim  preparations  for  the  slaughter  of  the  unsuspecting  part\-  at 
Indian  Camp  Rock.  The  sympath)'  (.')  expressed  for  the  Bull 
Town  liKliaiis  found  no  utterance  in  bchalt  ot  the  doomed  thirteen 
at  Indian  Camp.  These  were  unconscious  ot  treachery,  and  were 
enjoying  the  solitude  of  their  ancient  rock  camp  in  the  wilderness 
of  the  Buckhannon.  Vet  the\-  were  markei.1  as  the  ne.xt  \ictims 
of  the  fierce  bordermen. 

Before  marching  against  this  new  cam}"",  the  settlers  were 
reinforced  by  volunteers  who  must  ha\e  been  acquainted  willi 
their  intentions.  Among  these  were  Samuel  Pringle,  James 
Strange  and  John  Truby,  from  the  Buckhannon  settlement,  and 
several  others  whose  names  are  unknown  at  this  daw  Truby's 
son   had   been   killed   by    Indians   some  \ears   before.      With   their 

(1)   Sec  pauc  \ib. 


90  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

force  thus  augmented,  the  company,  under  the  leadership  of 
White,  set  out  for  the  Indian  camp,  and  arrived  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  in  the  night,  perhaps  a  short  time  before  the  break  of  day. 
Indian  Camp  is  situated  on  Indian  Camp  Run,  in  an  amphi- 
theatre-Hke  valley  on  the  land  now  owned  by  Lothrop  Phillips  in 


Indian  Camp 
Photographed  by  Professor  G.  F.  Queen,  1892 

an  outcropping  of  carboniferous  sandstone.  This  rock  camp  is 
of  natural  origin.  The  entrance  is  some  fifty  feet  wide  by  about 
twelve  in  height,  and  it  has  a  cavity  or  room  running  back  a  dis- 
tance of  twenty-six  feet.  The  roof  slopes  uniformly  from  the 
front  to  the  rear,  and  it  is  from  four  to  six  feet  in  height  at  the 
back  of  the  cave.  It  faces  east,  and  the  first  rays  of  the  sun 
penetrate  its  inmost  depths.  This  cave,  or  "rockhouse,"  as  such 
overhanging  rocks  were  called  by  the  early  settlers,  is  so  sheltered 
that  the  fiercest  storms  lodge  neither  snow  nor  rain  beneath  the 
roof.  It  would  be  difl[icult  to  conceive  a  more  perfect,  natural 
shelter  from  the  weather,  and  it  is  not  surprising  that  it  was  a 
favorite  resort  of  the  Indians,  and  became  such  for  the  white 
pioneer  scouts  and  hunters.  An  early  settler  lived  therein  with 
his  family  one  entire  summer,  while  he  was  erecting  his  cabin. 
Large  congregations  assembled  there  for  public  worship  in    post- 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestkrn  \'ir<;ini.\  91 

pioneer  days.  In  later  years  it  has  been  put  to  the  more  ignoble 
use  of  a  stable  for  domestic  animals. 

The  entrance  to  the  camp  is  flanked  on  both  sides  by  huge 
fragments  of  sandstone,  about  which  grew  tangled  thickets  of 
laurel,  vines  and  brush;  much  of  which  still  remained  when  I  last 
visited  the  locality  in  1893.  This  afforded  an  effective  covering 
for  an  ambushing  foe.  \\  ilhiii  the  immediate  entrance  there  is  a 
large  block  of  stone  bearing  some  resemblance  to  a  rude  altar. 
From  this  point  the  ground  falls  in  a  gentle  slope  to  Indian  Camp 
Run,  several  rods  to  the  east. 

It  was  at  this  stream  that  the  settlers  halted,  while  Captain 
White  and  Jesse  Hughes  stealthily  reconnoitered  the  camp.  After 
observing  the  position  of  the  Indians  and  noting  the  best  mode  of 
attack,  they  returned  to  the  company  and  prepared  for  the  assault. 
The  men  were  divided  into  two  bands,  one  of  them  headed  by 
White  and  the  other  by  Hughes.  These  approached  the  camp 
from  opposite  sides,  in  the  uncertain  light  of  early  dawn,  and  soon 
found  the  Indians  astir,  preparing  their  morning  meal.  White 
was  in  position  first,  and  Hughes  was  to  give  a  whistle,  the  signal 
of  attack;  to  be  answered  by  White.  It  seems  that  the  light  was 
too  uncertain  to  aim  with  accuracy,  and  at  the  risk  of  discovery 
they  awaited  the  tardy  approach  of  day.  They  had  command 
of  the  entire  entrance,  and  there  was  no  escape  for  the  Indians. 

As  the  shadows  dispersed  before  the  broadening  rays  of 
morning,  the  stillness  was  suddenh'  brtjken  by  a  shrill  whistle,  and: 

"Wild  as  the  scream  of  the  curlew, 
From  crag  to  crae  the  signal  flew." 

The  recesses  of  the  cavern  and  the  adjacent  cliffs  and  forest 
resounded  with  the  roar  of  heavy  riflery  and  the  exultant  yells  of 
the  bordermen  as  they  sprang  forward  to  complete  the  work  of 
death.  But  there  was  little  need  for  the  knife  or  tomahawk.  So 
deadly  had  been  the  volley  that  but  one  Indian,  unarmed  and 
badly  wounded,  escaped  from  that  grotto  of  death.  He  was 
scarce  able  to  hobble  to  the  sheltering  pit  of  an  uprooted  tree  near 
by,  where  his  relentless  pursuers  soon  followed  him.  He  greeted 
them  with  a  friendly  and  supplicating  "How."  To  this  amicable 
salutation  Captain  White  replied:  "Damn  you:  you  want  pow- 
der and  lead,"  and  having  reloaded,  he  dispatched  his  victim 
with  ancnher  shot. 


92 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


Thus  perished  this  band  of  friendly  Indians,  in  time  of  peace 
and  without  provocation.  Their  destruction  was  the  blackest 
of  crimes. 

The  number  of  settlers  engaged  in  this  massacre  is  not  known, 
but  the  fact  that  every  Indian  was  either  killed  or  disabled  at  the 
hrst    fire    would    indicate    that    the    "remonstrating    settlement" 


Ash  Camp 
(Queen,  1892) 


must  have  been  represented  by  many  of  its  best  riflemen.  The 
victims  were  left  where  they  fell,  to  gorge  the  voracious  wolf,  and 
the  carrion  birds  of  the  air.  John  Cutright's  statement  was  to 
the  effect  that  the  dead  Indians  were  left  unburied,  but  others  said 
that  they  were  interred  in  the  loose  debris  of  the  camp  floor. 

An  aged  nimrod,  born  in  1801,  who  resorted  to  this  camp 
during  the  first  quarter  of  the  century,  related  to  me  the  following 
story: 

"Game  of  all  kinds  was  most  abundant  in  the  wilderness 
region  surrounding  both  the  Indian,  and  Ash  Camps.  These 
camps  were  favorite  rendezvous  for  the  hunter.  In  a  season's 
hunt  of  about  one  month,  at  Ash  Camp,  I  killed  seventy  deer 
alone,  to  say  nothing  of  the  bear  and  turkey  secured.  I  killed 
eleven  bear  around  Indian  Camp  in  one  day.  Hunting  throughout 
that   country   was    superb;   but    my   associations    with    the   latter 


Border  Sf.tti.krs  of  Northwkstkrn  \'ir(;ini a  93 

camp  was  not  of  a  contiiuicd  plcasanl  nature.  W  hen  1  tirsl  \isitcd 
it,  there  was  a  low,  niouiid-hke  ridge  some  tifteen  feet  in  length 
arid  eighteen  inches  high,  near  the  center  of  the  room,  and  imme- 
diately back  of  the  large  block  of  sandstone  which  stands  at  the 
entrance.  I  sometimes  pillowed  my  head  against  the  sloping 
base  of  the  mound,  wholly  unconscious  of  the  gruesome  objects 
hidden  beneath. 

"One  da}'  a  pouring  rain  prevented  hunting,  and  in  idle  curi- 
osity I  began  removing  the  dirt  from  one  end  of  the  mound,  and 
was  soon  startled  to  find  the  skeleton  leet  of  a  human  bodw  \\y 
interest  was  aroused  and  1  continued  the  excavation,  and  discovered 
that  the  mound  was  full  of  human  bones,  representing,  as  I  esti- 
mated, no  less  than  eighteen  bodies.  l"he_\'  had  been  buried  on  a 
level  with  the  original  fioor  of  the  camp.  In  this  bone-heap,  I 
found  numerous  fragments  of  crockery,  and  a  fineh'  polished,  hard 
stone  "bleater."  This  bleater  was  perfect,  and  beautifull\  made. 
It  was  used  by  the  Indian  hunter  to  imitate  the  bleat  of  a  fawn, 
and  was  evidenth'  of  Indian  manufacture.  \\  ith  it  I  could  mimic 
the  cry  of  a  tawn  to  perfection.  It  was  afterwards  broken  and 
lost  through  accident.      I  prized  it  highh." 

The  "fragments  of  crocker}'"  alluded  to  b}'  the  old  hunter, 
was  evidenth'  that  of  steatite  vessels,  pieces  of  which  were  found 
there  in  after  }'ears.  Shreds  of  crude  Indian  potterx'  were  strewn 
all  through  the  floor  accumulation  of  the  camp. 

It  is  hardh'  probable  that  so  nian\'  bodies  could  have  been 
interred  in  the  manner  described  and  escaped  the  ravages  of  wild 
animals.  It  was  a  custom  of  some  of  the  tribes  to  bury  onl\'  the 
bones  of  their  dead  in  a  common,  or  final  resting  place.  'I  his 
manner  of  sepulchcr,  known  as  ''bundle  burial,"  is  sometimes  met 
within  this  region.  If  the  find  in  question  was  not  of  this  nature, 
which  I  am  inclined  to  believe  is  the  case,  then  it  was  e\'idently 
the  bones  of  the  slain  Indians,  inhumed  b\'  the  whites  in  later 
years.  (2) 

The  discovery  of  these  skeletons  was  regarded  as  proof  of  the 
tradition  that  during  the  border  wars,  a  band  of  thirteen  Indians 
returning  from  a  raid  in  Tygart's  \'alle}'  late  one  season,  were 
snowbound  at  Indian  Camp,  and  starxed  to  death.  The  great 
abundance  of  game  in  that  region  would  have  been  a  guarantee 
against  such  a  tragedy,  even  if  it  were  probable  that  an  unprec- 
edented  storm  should  have  occurred  at  the  lime  of  year  that  we 

(2)  See  page  436. 


94  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

know  the  Indian  incursions  took  place.  The  deep  snow  would 
have  facilitated,  rather  than  retard  the  success  of  the  hunter.  I 
knew  a  hunter  in  the  Cheat  Mountain,  who,  with  a  comrade,  dur- 
ing a  remarkably  heavy  snow  and  within  a  few  days'  time  killed 
forty  deer,  many  of  which  were  clubbed  to  death.  The  animals 
are  helpless  in  the  snow,  while  the  men  properly  equipped,  travel 
easily  over  the  surface. 

Not  only  were  deer  plentiful,  but  this  region  was  a  favorite 
wintering  quarters  for  bear;  nor  were  they  usually  hard  to  locate. 
"Bear  Den"  rocks  are  located  at  the  mouth  of  Indian  Camp  Run. 
In  1893,  a  middle-aged  gentleman  who  was  raised  near  Indian 
Camp,  told  me  that  when  a  boy  he  knew  his  father  to  have  at  one 
time  sixteen  bears  in  his  cabin  thawing  them  out  so  he  could  skin 
them  and  dress  the  meat.  As  bear  hunters  the  woods  Indians 
have  always  excelled.  Evidently  the  starvation  story  originated 
with  those  who  engaged  in  the  killing  at  Indian  Camp,  and  was 
told  for  the  purpose  of  covering  up  their  crime. 


CHAPTER  IX 


The  memories  associated  witii  John  Cutright,  the  scout,  more 
than  any  other  of  his  companions,  are  inseparably  connected  with 
the  region  around  Buckhannon  and  Indian  Camp.  He  was  at 
an  early  age  a  hunter  of  renown,  and  the  Indians  occasionally 
sought  his  companionship.  Soon  after  the  massacres  narrated  in 
foregoing  chapters,  Cutright  one  day  was  plowing  corn  in  a  field 
adjoining  the  forest;  when  an  Indian  suddenly  appeared  on  the 
summit  of  a  large  rock  at  the  edge  of  the  woods,  apparently  alone 
and  unarmed.  As  Cutright  approached  him,  he  held  up  to  view 
an  unfinished  pair  of  moccasins,  in  broken  j-'.nglish  he  said, 
"Howl  Injun  no  hurt  white  man.  Injun  make  him  white  man 
moccasin,  (jood  Injun.  (  iood  white  man.  White  man  big  hunter. 
Injun  big  hunter.  \\  hitc  man  go  with  Injun,  hunt.  Get  heap 
deer,  heap  bear.  Ugh  I"  But  Cutright  having  no  desire  for 
Indian  companionship  and  fearing  treachery,  declined  the  invita- 
tion and  continued  his  plowing.  The  Indian  remained  on  the 
rock  industriously  at  work  completing  the  moccasins,  and  con- 
tinued to  importune  the  noted  hunter  by  repeatedly  ejaculating 
"Good  Injun;  good  white  man!  Go  hunt."  Cutright  at  last 
became  alarmed  at  the  persistence  of  the  strange  moccasin-maker, 
and  unhitched  his  horse  from  the  plow,  mounted  its  back  and 
galloped  home.     The  Indian  disappeared  as  silently  as  he  came. 

In  1781,  a  certificate  was  granted  "John  Cutright,  Sen.,  4U(,) 
acres  at  the  mouth  of  Cut  right's  Run,  to  include  his  Settlement 
made  in  1770,  with  a  preemption  of  1000  acres  adjoining." 

It  has  been  supposed  generalK-  that  this  settler  was  John 
Cutright,  the  scout,  which  is  error.  IVithers,  in  speaking  of  the 
emigrants  who  arrived  under  the  guidance  of  Samuel  Pringle,  sa>s, 
"Among  them  were  John  and  Benjamin  Cutright,  who  settled  on 
the  Buckhannon,  where  John  Cutright  the  younger,  now  [IS.il] 
Hves."  (1) 

"John  Cutright.  the  younger,"  was  the  scout;  and  a  son  of 
Benjamin.  The  settlement  was  made  at  the  mouth  of  Cutright's 
Run,  and  it  was  here  that  the  scout  was  accosted  by  the  friendly 
moccasin-maker.  Cutright's  Run  empties  into  the  Buckhannon 
River,  some  four  miles  above  the  present  town  of  Buckhannon. 
(1)  See  page  4.^6. 


96  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

By  the  side  of  a  large  stone  near  the  mouth  of  the  run,  charred 
corn  is  still  turned  by  the  plow.  This  was  burned  by  the  Indians 
on  one  of  their  incursions  into  the  settlement. 

Local  tradition  says  that  one  night  the  Indians  stole  a  horse 
from  John  Cutright,  Junior.  Following  the  trail  next  day  Cut- 
right  found  the  horse  tied  to  a  sugar  tree  on  Cutright's  Run,  about 
three  miles  from  Buckhannon.  Not  caring  to  venture  too  close 
until  he  learned  something  of  the  location  of  the  enemy,  he  secreted 
himself  at  a  distance.  He  soon  saw  an  Indian  running  across  the 
valley.  Taking  careful  aim,  he  fired  and  the  Indian  fell.  Cut- 
right  dashed  to  his  horse,  sprang  upon  its  back,  and  with  a  whoop 
of  defiance,  galloped  away.  This  tree  was  still  standing  in  1894, 
and  was  often  pointed  out  to  the  traveler  by  Cutright's  descendants. 

At  another  time,  Cutright  and  a  companion  had  been  hunting 
on  French  Creek  and  were  on  their  way  home.  Cutright  was 
mounted,  with  a  deer  slung  across  the  pommel  of  his  saddle. 
While  crossing  a  stream,  they  halted  to  let  the  horse  drink,  and 
were  fired  on  by  two  Indians.  Cutright  was  severely  wounded, 
the  ball  entering  his  breast,  and  coming  out  through  his  back, 
striking  in  its  passage,  however  no  vital  point.  He  spurred  up 
his  horse  and  fled  toward  the  fort,  while  his  companion  in  the 
retreat  held  the  Indians  back.  After  a  short  running  fight,  one 
of  the  Indians  was  killed,  and  the  other  then  abandoned  the  pur- 
suit. When  Cutright  had  ridden  some  distance,  he  grew  faint  and 
found  it  was  impossible  to  retain  his  position  in  the  saddle,  and  so 
dismounted  and  stretched  himself  on  the  ground,  where  his  com- 
panion soon  after  found  him.  From  the  bullet  hole  the  blood  was 
pouring,  and  to  stop  it  a  small  sour-gum  was  cut  and  stripped  of 
its  bark.  Over  the  end  of  this  a  handkerchief  was  placed  and 
forced  into  the  wound.  The  stick  was  then  withdrawn,  leaving  the 
handkerchief  in  place.  This  stopped  the  hemorrhage,  and  Cut- 
right  was  placed  on  his  horse,  his  companion  mounting  behind 
and  supporting  him  in  the  saddle.  In  this  manner,  they  made 
their  way  in  safety  to  the  fort. 

The  two  foregoing  stories  may  have  had  their  origin  in  an 
occurrence  set  forth  in  Col.  Westfall's  letter,  (2)  this  volume. 
But  evidently  Cutright  was  wounded  during  some  excursion  with 
William  Hacker,  who  dressed  his  wound  in  the  way  described. 
Owing  to  Hacker's  skill  in  rude  surgery,  he  was  known  in  the 
settlements  as  "Surgeon  Hacker."  (3) 

(2)  See  page  436.  (3)  p.  436. 


Border  Settlers  oe  Xortiiw  estern  \'ir(;ine\  <V 

Jolin  Culri,eht  developed  inlo  cjiie  of  the  most  dariiij,'  scouts 
on  the  \'irginia  border.  He  was  also  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary 
War.  In  his  original  declaration  for  pension  made  August  7,  1832, 
in  Lewis  County  (\'irginia),  it  would  appear  that  he  was  born 
near  Moorefield,  Hampshire  (now  Hardy  C'oiiiiu-,  \'irginia),  in 
1754,  but  he  had  no  record  of  his  age.  In  .\Ia\-,  1778,  he  volun- 
teered for  a  term  of  eighteen  months  as  private  in  Capt.  James 
Boothe's  Compan\-  of  Indian  Spies,  at  West's  Fort  on  Hacker's 
Creek.  He  spied  throughout  most  of  (then)  Monongalia  County, 
until  Capt.  Boothe  was  killed  on  Boothe's  Creek  June,  1779.  (4) 
After  the  death  of  Capt.  Boothe  he  continued  spying  under  the 
Company's  Lieutenant,  Edmund  Freeman,  until  November,  1779, 
when  his  term  of  enlistment  expired.  Lieutenant  Freeman  left 
for  Kentucky  without  officially  discharging  any  of  the  Company. 

"The  Indian  hostilities  continuing,  Capt.  George  Jackson 
was  required  to  raise  a  company  to  spy  in  the  same  territorv  of 
country  which  Capt.  Boothe's  Company-  had  been  sp\-ing."  Cut- 
right  joined  this  company  as  a  private,  a  few  days  after  his  service 
under  Capt.  Boothe  and  Lieutenant  Freeman  had  expired.  Jacob 
Brake,  an  ex-Indian  captive,  (5)  was  Lieutenant  of  this  company, 
and  the  afterwards  notorious  Timothy  Dorman  was  Ensign.  Cut- 
right  continued  in  the  service  until  the  latter  part  of  1781,  and 
was  in  "several  skirmishes  with  the  Indians."  David  W.  Sleeth, 
who  was  in  service  with  Cutright,  testified  that  he  once  saw  Cut- 
right  wounded  by  an  Indian.  Jacob  Cozard  [Cozad],  a  clerg}'man, 
and  Alexander  West,  the  scout,  both  testified  in  behalf  of  Cutright. 
His  claim  was  allowed  and  on  Ma\-  18,  1833,  a  certificate  was 
issued  granting  him  eighty  dollars  a  year,  dating  from  March  4, 
1831,  including  back  pay. 

Cutright  was  afterwards  examined  by  Special  Pension  Agent 
Singleton,  who  sent  the  following  report  to  the  Commissioner  of 
Pensions: 

"July  3,  1834.  Saw  Cutright  at  his  home,  and  received  from  him  the  state- 
ment here  following:  Says  he  will  be  79  years  old  in  August  next,  born  on  south 
branch  of  Potomac;  was  brought  west  of  the  .Mleghany  mountains  when  S  years 
old  and  settled  on  the  place  where  he  now  lives.  He  enlisted  under  Capt.  Booth 
for  twelve  months.  Joined  his  company  at  Nutter's  Fort  in  the  Spring;  in  the 
Fall  removed  to  West's  Fort.  Remained  there  until  his  time  expired.  That  was  in 
the  year  in  which  Capt.  Booth  was  killed,  and  bejore  the  war  of  the  Revolution  had  com- 
menced. After  the  commencement  of  the  war  of  the  Rev.  and  whilst  residing 
at    Buckhannon    Fort    (Lewis  Co.)    he  was    drafted   for  an    IS  mos.    tour.      He 

(4)  See  page  436.  (5)  p.  436. 


98  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

refused  to  go.  A  Col.  Wilson  who  then  resided  in  Tiger's  Valley  sent  a  guard  of 
men  after  him,  caught  him,  tied  him  and  marched  him  to  Staunton.  (6)  A  Ser- 
geant Lack  commanded  the  guard.  On  reaching  Staunton,  he  enlisted  under  a 
Capt.  Matthews  for  two  years.  Matthews  enlisted  6  men  including  himself. 
They  were  sent  on  under  Sergeant  Samuel  Warner  to  join  Washington's  main 
army  then  at  the  White  Plains.  They  set  out  from  Staunton  in  the  summer,  went 
through  Winchester,  Reading,  Philadelphia;  on  getting  to  Phil,  rested  4  days 
in  the  Barracks,  set  out  again  and  pushed  on  without  stopping  until  they 
joined  the  main  army  at  the  White  Plains.  The  original  number  6  was  neither 
increased  or  diminished  on  the  march  above  mentioned.  Joined  the  main  army 
in  July.  The  army  marched  from  the  White  Plains  to  West  Point  and  from  there 
to  Middlebrook  where  it  went  into  winter  quarters.  Remained  there  till  warm 
weather.  When  part  of  the  army  (himself  included)  about  100  in  number  went  up 
the  North  river  as  a  guard.  Gone  at  least  2  weeks.  Can't  recollect  who  com- 
manded the  guard  ■nor  the  navie  of  any  officer  that  was  along  on  that  occasion.  On 
returning  was  sent  to  a  bridge  on  the  North  river  where  a  colonel's  (don't  recollect 
his  name)  baggage  had  been  broken  down  as  a  guard,  remained  there  about  a  month. 
Think  there  were  10  or  12  of  them.  They  were  under  the  command  of  Ser- 
geant Campbell.  The  main  army  marched  from  Middlebrook  but  can't  recollect 
where.  It  got  back  to  West  Point  where  his  time  expired  and  where  he  got  his 
discharge  and  returned  home.  His  discharge  was  signed  by  a  Colonel,  whose 
name  he  don't  recollect.  On  his  way  home  met  General  Washington  who  also 
signed  his  discharge.  Can't  recollect  the  years  in  which  the  service  above  described 
was  done. 

"I  have  been  unable  to  procure  any  evidence  in  reference  to  this  man.  Com- 
paring his  statement  here  given  with  his  declaration  it  ma}-  be  readily  discerned 
whether  or  not  he  is  an  imposter. 

W.  G.  Singleton,  S.  A." 

Owing  to  the  marked  discrepancies  between  his  original  dec- 
laration and  his  statement  to  Singleton,  Cutright's  name  was 
stricken  from  the  pension  roll,  along  with  several  others,  from 
Lewis  County,  who  were  not  entitled  to  pensions.  (7)  Subsequent 
investigation  evoked  the  fact  that  Cutright  had  never  enlisted  in 
Capt.  Jackson's  Company,  of  Scouts.  Mr.  Johnson  F.  Nowlan, 
Neulan  or  Naulon  (name  uncertain),  who  was  Cutright's  agent  or 
attorney,  visited  him  at  his  home  and  drew  up  his  declaration  for 
pension,  and  unknown  to  the  scout,  who  could  neither  read  nor 
write,  and  for  the  purpose  of  strengthening  his  case,  added  that 
part  of  it  which  alleges  service  with  Capt.  Jackson.  For  this 
work,  Cutright  was  forced  to  pay  to  the  unscrupulous  attorney, 
eighty  dollars  from  the  first  money  drawn. 

It  now  devolved  upon  Cutright  to  substantiate  his  Revolu- 
tionary record,  as  it  had  developed  that  those  w^ho  served  as 
border  scouts  alone  were  not  entitled  to  pension. 

(6)  See  page  436.   (7)  p.  438. 


15()R1)1:k   SlTTl.KRS  OF  NORTIIW  KSTKRN   \  IRCUNIA  99 

Oil  August  20,  1835,  Solomon  Ryan  tcstituxl  in  l)clialf  oi 
Cutright,  corroboraling  tiie  stalcnicnt  of  the  old  soldier  to 
Singleton.  The  following  testimony  is  of  historic  interest,  and  I 
give  it  unabridged: 

"Li;\vis  County  \'a. 

"Susanna  Stalnakcr,  in  the  70th  year  of  her  age  appeared  before  me  the  sub- 
scribed, one  of  the  Commonwealth's  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  said  county,  and 
being  sworn  as  the  law  directs,  sayeth  that  she  believes  that  it  was  about  the  year 
177.S.  John  Cutright  was  taken  from  the  fort  on  Buckhannon,  where  she  then 
lived,  as  a  soldier  draughted  from  Capt.  Samuel  Pringlc's  Company  for  a  term  of 
IS  months  against  the  British,  and  to  the  best  of  her  recollection  it  was  2 
years  before  he  returned,  and  the  next  spring  after  his  return  he  was  wounded  by 
the  Indian,  (8)  when  on  pursuit  of  them  when  they  had  committed  depredations 
near  the  place  where  they  were  then  posted.  She  also  remembers  hearing  some 
one  that  returned  from  taking  them  to  Staunton  say  that  the  above  mentioned 
Cutright  being  dissatisfied  with  his  officers,  he  enlisted  for  two  >'ears'  service,  at  (9) 

Staunton,  Augusta  Co.  (\'a.)  ,, 

1  icr 

(Signed)     Susanna  X  Stai.naker 

Mark 

Sworn  to  .August  18.^5.  Wim.iam  1'owkks,  J.  P." 

Cutright  was  restored  to  the  pension  roll,  but  at  the  reduced 
rate  of  )54.3.33  per  year  from  March  4,  1834,  until  his  death, 
March  8,  1850. 

It  will  be  noted  that  Cutright  could  not  recall  the  years  in 
which  his  service  in  the  army  occurred,  nor  is  it  probable  that  the 
date  can  at  this  time  be  fixed.  Washington  had  his  headquarters 
at  White  Plains  during  the  summer  and  autumn  df  177S,  and 
seven  brigades  of  the  American  Army  were  quartered  at  Middle- 
brook  the  winter  of  1779-80.  (10)  During  a  part  of  this  period, 
Cutright,  according  to  his  original  declaration,  was  an  enlisted 
spy  on  the  border.  It  is  possible  that  he  was  with  some  contin- 
gent of  the  American  Army  wintered  at  Middlebrook  in  the  later 
years  of  the  war.  Comfortable  log  cabins  were  built  for  the  sol- 
diers during  the  previous  encampment,  and  the\-  ma\-  have  been 
in  use  afterwards. 

In  a  statement  made  in  July,  1838,  Cutright  was  under  the 
mipression  that  his  company  was  commanded  b\'  Capt.  John 
Lewis,  under  Col.  Matthews,  whose  given  name  he  could  not 
recall.  With  a  \iew  of  possibly  determining  the  exact  (.late  of 
Cutright's  Revolutionary  service,  and  the  regiment  to  which  he 
was  attached,  a  search  was  made  of  the  Revolutionary  Muster 

(8)  See  page  4.^8.  (9)  p.  4.>8.  (10)  p.  439. 


100  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Rolls  of  the  Virginia  State  troops,  preserved  in  the  Virginia  State 
Library,  Richmond,  with  negative  results.  To  an  inquiry  to  the 
War  Department,  Washington,  came  the  reply: 

"The  records  show  that  one  John  Cutright  served  as  a  private  in  Captain 
Machen  Boswell's  Company,  2nd  Virginia  State  Regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel 
Gregory  Smith,  Revolutionary  War.  The  date  of  his  enlistment  has  not  been 
found  of  record,  but  his  name  appears  on  the  muster  rolls  of  the  company  covering 
the  period  from  September,  1778,  to  February,  1779.  He  was  discharged  March 
6,  1779.  The  company  to  which  he  belonged  was  at  various  times  commanded 
by  Captain  John  Lewis.  No  record  has  been  found  of  any  other  man  of  the  same 
or  similar  name  as  a  member  of  any  Virginia  military  organization  in  service  in 
the  war  of  the  Revolution." 

Gregory  Smith  was  commissioned  Captain  in  Seventh  Vir- 
ginia Regiment,  February  7,  1776,  and  resigned  28th  November, 
1776.  He  was  made  Colonel  of  the  Second  Virginia  Regiment 
from  1777  to  1778.  Machen  Boswell  was  commissioned  First 
Lieutenant  Second  Virginia  Regiment,  6th  October,  1777,  and 
was  promoted  Captain  15th  September,  1778,  and  served  to- 
February,  1781. 

W^hile  there  is  much  confusion  in  the  dates  and  records,  a 
close  study  of  Cutright's  narratives  precludes  a  logical  inference  of 
any  premeditated  attempt  at  deception.  The  discrepancies 
reveal  a  faulty  judgment,  but  not  the  willful  prevaricator.  His 
rating  at  the  Pension  Office  for  veracity  was  Jirst-class.  In  his  first 
declaration,  no  mention  is  made  of  his  career  in  the  main  army, 
nor  did  he  at  any  time  allude  to  the  important  fact  that  he  had 
been  wounded  while  on  duty  as  a  spy.  When  compared  with 
the  actual  events  in  his  life,  the  scout's  narrative  is  one  of  com- 
mendable modesty.  Profoundly  illiterate,  his  capabilities  were 
measured  solely  in  his  skill  as  woodsman,  scout,  and  warrior. 
His  faculty  for  delineation  was  limited,  and  his  conception  of 
dates  most  vague.  He  could  narrate  the  incidents  in  his  career, 
but  could  not  intelligently  connect  them  with  contemporary 
events.  He  was  a  maker  of  history,  but  not  a  chronicler,  and 
more  eloquent  with  his  rifle  than  with  his  tongue. 

I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  there  were  two  John  Cutrights 
from  the  Western  border  who  served  with  the  Virginia  troops  in 
the  Revolution,  and  that  it  was  not  John  Cutright,  the  scout,  who 
enlisted  under  Col.  Gregory  Smith,  but  was  perhaps,  his  uncle. 


BoRDKR   SktTI.KRS  OF  NoRTHWKSTKR  \   \   1R(;1NI.\  10] 

John    Cutright,    Sr.,    who    also    fou^hl    in    the    battle    of    Point 
Pleasant.  (11) 

We  find  a  certificate  of  marriage  of  John  Cutright  and  Deborah 
Osborn  in  Randolph  County,  Virginia,  in  1799,  but  whether  this 
was  a  later  marriage  of  the  Senior  Cutright  is  not  known.  There 
is  a  tradition  current  among  the  Cutrights  on  the  Buckhannon 
River  that  there  were  two  branches  of  the  famil\  in  that  region, 
and  that  John  Cutright  and  Deborah  Osborn  were  the  grandpar- 
ents of  Knoch  Cutright,  who,  it  is  averred,  had  Indian  blood  in 
him.  There  was  a  Peter  Cutright  in  a  skirmish  with  the  Indians 
on  Hacker's  Creek  in  1780,  (12)  hut  I  know  nothing  of  his  ante- 
cedents.    He  was,  in  all  probability,  of  the  same  family. 

V.vvov  has  crept  into  history  regarding  Cutright's  age,  and  the 
\car  of  his  death.  Both  Border  Warfare,  and  History  of  Upshur 
County,  If.  la.,  state  that  he  died  in  1852,  at  the  age  of  105  years. 
According  to  Cutright's  own  declaration,  he  was  born  in  1755. 
In  the  testimoiu'  of  John  Lcmmons  in  behalf  of  Rebecca  Cutright, 
widow  of  John  Cutright,  when  she  applied  for  her  husband's  pen- 
sion, we  find  that  John  Cutright  died  (Frida})  March  8th,  1850. 
The  widow  at  the  time  was  too  infirm  to  appear  in  court.  Airs. 
Cutright  was  a  daughter  of  John  Truby,  and  married  John  Cut- 
right  January  2,  1788.  Isaac  Edwards,  D.  D.,  was  the  officiating 
minister. 

Hon.  \\  .  C.  Carper,  of  Buckhannon,  West  Va.,  is  perhaps 
the  onh-  man  now  living,  (1908)  who  remembers  seeing  John 
Cutright.  It  was  in  1838  when  Mr.  Carper  was  about  twelve 
years  of  age  that  Cutright  came  to  the  Carper  homestead  on 
Turkey  Run.  Mr.  Carper  writes  me:  "The  old  scout  came  upon 
the  porch,  when  he  and  I  were  alone  for  a  short  time,  and  I  dis- 
tinctly remember  his  appearance.  He  was  about  five  feet  nine 
inches  high  and  heavily  built,  complexion  dark,  eyes  dark,  and 
his  hair  was  then  white.  He  told  me  that  he  once  stopped  under 
a  walnut  tree  near  where  Point  Pleasant  Church  now  stands  on 
the  head  of  French  Creek,  'to  crack  walnuts,  and  then  a  damned 
Injun  shot  nic.'  He  showed  nu-  where  the  ball  had  entered  under 
his  arm,  and  glanced  around  the  ribs  and  came  out  under  the  arm 
on  the  other  side.  Cutright  added,  'I  stuck  a  chaw  terbacker  in 
the  bullet  hole.'  At  this  juncture  of  the  conversation,  my  father 
came  up  and  began  to  talk  to  Cutright  on  the  subject  of  religion. 
The  veteran  Indian  fighter  seemed  averse  to  this  topic  and  abruptly 
(11)  See  page  439.  (12)  p.  439. 


102  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

said,  'Ad,  quit  talking  about  religion;  it  is  all  damned  nonsense.' 
"This,"  concluded  Air.  Carper,  "is  the  only  time  I  ever  saw  Cut- 
right,  and  the  above  subjects  all  that  I  ever  heard  him  talk  about." 

Christopher  Cutright,  when  interviewed  by  me,  in  commenting 
on  the  deeds  of  his  father  and  associates,  said,  "When  Billy 
[William]  White  and  Jesse  Hughes  went  on  an  Indian  killing  they 
killed  all  with  whom  they  came  in  contact,  not  even  sparing 
women  and  children."  When  asked  which  of  these  two  noted 
scouts  was  the  most  desperate  and  cruel  in  his  forays  against  the 
Indians,  came  the  laconic  reply,  "It  was  about  buck  up."  "And," 
mused  the  old  man,  "my  father  was  about  as  bad  as  they  were, 
and  Samuel  Pringle,  of  the  sycamore  tree,  who  married  my  father's 
sister,  was  scarce  better." 

He  then  related  an  incident  of  the  Pringle  brothers.  \\  hile 
Iving  in  the  sycamore,  they  went  in  a  canoe  to  an  Indian  village 
some  miles  below  them  on  the  river,  and  stole  a  bag  of  jerked 
buffalo.  He  gave  the  details  of  their  narrow  escape  from  detection 
and  pursuit.  Then  again  referring  to  his  father's  animosity 
towards  the  Indians,  he  told  the  following  story: 

Many  years  after  the  last  Indian  depredation  in  that  country, 
a  solitary  Indian  passed  through  the  settlement  late  one  evening 
and  was  seen  by  his  father.  Despite  the  fact  that  the  scout  was 
so  aged  and  infirm  that  he  could  only  walk  with  the  assistance  of 
a  cane,  his  old-time  hatred  was  aroused  to  that  degree  that  he 
hobbled  to  the  gun  rack  and  took  down  his  ancient  flint-lock,  and 
would  have  shot  the  Indian  had  not  his  family  restrained  him. 
That  night  the  old  gun  was  secreted  and  its  owner  closely  guarded 
until  the  Indian  disappeared  from  the  neighborhood.  (13) 


(13)  Sec  page  439. 


CHAPTER  X 


In  the  early  setllenienl  ot  our  counlry,  each  comimuiily, 
blockhouse  or  fort  had  its  recognized  chief  or  headman,  who  was 
counsellor  and  adxisor  in  threatened  danger,  and  leader  in  all 
movements  against  the  conmion  foe.  'i'hese  men  attained  their 
places  because  of  their  superior  wisdom  and  cool  judgment  in 
those  emergencies  constantly  arising  on  an  exposed  and  dangerous 
frontier.  The  matter  of  right  or  wrong  weighed  little  in  the  everts 
connected  with  the  Inciians.  He  was  fittest  to  lead,  who  had  the 
strongest  determination  to  avenge  an  outrage  upon  the  community, 
especialh'  if  it  had  been  perpetrated  by  the  Indians.  The  Duck- 
hannon  settlement  possessed  these  recjuisites  in  the  perse n  of 
Captain  William  W  hite,  who  came  from  Cedar  Creek,  Frederick 
Count),  \  irginia.  Reference  to  Captain  White  in  border  annals 
is  meagre,  and  nothing  is  known  positive  of  his  antecedents 
further  than  that  he  was  a  descendant  of  Dr.  \\  hite,  of  Frederick 
County,  who  was  the  ancestor  of  the  \\  hite  famih'  of  that  region. 
Major  jc)hn  White  and  Major  Robert  W  hite,  also  of  Frederick 
County,  were  prominent  in  the  defense  of  the  border.  (1)  From 
the  best  information  to  be  had,  they  all  were  of  the  same  famih'.  (2) 

It  is  not  known  how  Capt.  W  illiain  White  came  by  his  mili- 
tary title,  but  he  bore  it  in  1  76S  anil  was  e\cr  after  distinguished 
by  it.  A  search  of  the  Muster  Rolls  on  tile  in  the  War  Department 
(which  are,  however,  very  incomplete)  and  of  the  records  of  the 
Bureau  of  Pensions,  Washington,  failed  to  show  an\-  history  of 
enlistment  or  military  service  of  Captain  W  illiam  W  hite,  of  the 
Buckhannon,  in  the  Revolution.  An  inquiry  to  the  \  irginia 
State  Librar\',  Richmond,  elicited  the  reply:  "The  Rexolutionary 
Muster  Rolls  here  on  file  reveal  no  enlistment  of  the  W  illiam 
White  in  question.''  Usually,  each  settlement  elected  its  own 
captain,  and  in  this  way  W  hite  may  have  come  b}'  his  title.  Such 
an  election  was  being  held  at  Bush's  I'ori  when  the  Schoolcraft 
famih'  were  massacred  in  177*^.  These  elections  were  not  always 
confirmed  by  commissions. 

Captain  \\  hite  and  Colonel  W  illiam  Crawford  were  personal 
friends,  and  White  was  identified  with  many  expeditions  con- 
ducted by  that  famous  officer  against  the  Indians.     He  was  also 

(1)  See  page  439.  (2)  p.  439. 


104  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

in  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant  under  Colonel  Sevier.  (3)  With 
his  experience  in  the  field  was  coupled  the  superior  skill  of  the 
scout,  the  spy  and  the  woodsman.  Back  of  these  qualities  was 
a  strong  constitution,  a  fearless  nature  and  a  relentless  hatred  for 
"everything  Injun."  The  red  flame  of  war  had  no  terrors  for 
him,  neither  had  the  white  wing  of  peace  any  restraint  for  his 
insatiate  thirst  for  Indian  blood.  Captain  White's  schooling  was 
savage,  and  he  proved  an  apt  scholar.  Just  prior  to  Dunmore's 
War,  he  killed  a  peaceable  Indian  on  the  Wappatomaka. 
For  this,  he  was  imprisoned  at  Winchester,  but  an  armed  m.ob  of 
his  infuriated  friends  soon  set  him  at  liberty.  (4) 

While  visiting  Colonel  Crawford  at  "The  Meadows,"  in  the 
Alleghenies  in  1768,  White  in  company  with  an  Irishman  went 
hunting  in  the  glades,  where  they  found  two  Indians.  According 
to  the  story  of  \\'hite  and  his  companion,  the  Indians,  "the  moment 
they  discovered  the  two  white  men,  flew  behind  trees  and  prepared 
for  battle."  The  Indians  were  both  killed,  for  which  White  and 
the  Irishman  were  arrested  and  placed  in  the  Winchester  jail. 
Immediately,  Captain  Fry  at  the  head  of  an  armed  mob  of  fifty- 
five  or  sixty  men,  urged  on  by  a  throng  of  cheering  spectators, 
forced  the  jailor  at  the  muzzle  of  a  loaded  rifle  to  surrender  the 
prison  keys.  The  door  was  thrown  open  and  the  prisoners  liber- 
ated. (5) 

It  is  not  at  all  probable  that  the  two  Indians  killed  by  White 
and  the  Irishman  were  at  the  time  on  the  warpath.  It  must  be 
said  that  most  of  the  victims  of  murder  on  the  border,  from  the 
close  of  Pontiac's  War  to  the  Dunmore  War  of  1774,  were  Indians. 
Nor  do  we  find  that  any  of  the  murderers  ever  received  just 
punishment.  The  stories  of  the  two  releases  of  Captain  \\  hite 
from  the  Winchester  jail  are  two  accounts  of  the  same  transaction. 
Thev  portray  most  vividly  the  character  of  the  man  and  the  sen- 
tim.ent  of  the  people.  The  work  of  the  mob  was  only  a  repetition 
of  the  one  that  had  previously  released  from  the  same  prison,  for 
a  like  crime,  the  red-handed  Judah,  (6)  and  was  an  emphatic 
approval  and  endorsement  of  the  crimes  which  led  to  Dunmore's 
War.  In  these  and  like  occurrences,  we  have  an  unconscious  por- 
trayal of  the  true  status  of  border  society. 

The  exact  date  of  White's  arrival  in  the  Buckhannon  settle- 
ment cannot  be  determined,  but  it  was  sometime  between  1769 
and  1771.     Nor  did  he  come  unknown.     Alost,  if  not  all,  of  the 


(3)  See  page  439.  (4)  p.  449.  (5)  p.  440.  (6)  p.  440. 


Border  Settlers  oiXorthwestern  \  ir(,ini.\  105 

settlers  had  been  his  associates  on  the  "Branch"  and  they  recog- 
nized his  superior  ability  in  woodcraft.  lie  was  the  ideal  frontiers- 
man and  woodsman, aiul  although  1  ha\c  been  unable  to  find  where 
he  ever  served  as  captain  in  the  Buckhannon  settlement,  he  w'as 
the  recognized  head  scout  of  the  colon)'.  It  would  appear,  how- 
ever, from  the  declaration  of  Jacob  Bush  and  Jacob  W  estfall  that 
White  was  a  lieutenant  in  Captain  (jcorge  Jackson's  Compan\-  of 
Volunteer  Militia,  1781.  (7) 

It  is  to  the  indefatigable  efforts  of  Colonel  Menr\-  F.  W'cstfall, 
a  grandson  of  Captain  W  hite,  that  we  are  indebted  for  much  of 
the  heretofore  unwritten  history  of  this  renowned  scout  on  the 
western  \  irginia  border.  Colonel  W'estfall  got  his  information 
direct  from  John  Cutright  and  others  who  were  boon  companions 
and  associates  of  Captain  W  hite. 

B}"  If  ithers  he  is  mentioned  four  times;  the  first,  in  the  inci- 
dent of  his  imprisonment  ant.!  release;  second,  his  part  in  the  mur- 
der of  the  Bull  Town  Indians;  third,  his  capture  by  the  Indians 
on  the  Little  Kanawha,  and  his  escape  and  return  to  the  settle- 
ments; fourth,  his  death  at  the  hands  of  the  Indians  near  Buck- 
hannon Fort,  in  1782.  Even  in  these  accounts  there  are  verv 
indefinite  statements,  especially  as  to  the  identity  of  Captain 
White  as  the  man  who  was  captured  on  the  Little  Kanawha.  It 
would  be  inferred  that  the  captive  was  a  resident  of  Tygart's 
Valley,  (8)  but  at  that  time  he  was  a  member  of  the  Buckhannon 
settlement. 

W  hite's  ability  to  detect  the  presence  of  Indians  had  no  equal 
in  the  settlement.  He  once  discovered  two  Indians  hiding  under 
the  river  bank  near  the  fort,  and  succeeded  in  killing  one  of  them. 
At  another  time,  while  White  was  temporarily  absent,  an  Indian 
entered  the  settlement  under  ihc  following  circumstances: 

It  was  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  and  a  young  lady  of  the 
settlement  had  a  lover  in  the  person  of  an  officer  in  the  British 
army.  These  young  people  became  acquainted  during  a  brief 
visit  of  the  officer  to  that  region  just  prior  to  the  war.  The 
object  of  his  visit  is  not  known,  but  it  was  evidently  in  the  interest 
of  the  military.  During  his  short  stay  a  warm  friendship  sprang 
up  between  the  officer  and  Captain  White,  and  when  the  time 
arrived  for  the  guest  to  depart  for  Fort  Pitt,  the  Captain  accom- 
panied him.  On  their  way  the}'  saw  a  bear,  and  White,  through 
deference,  permitted  his  young  friend,  who  was  a  novice  in  hunt- 

<7)  Sec  page  440.  (8)  p.  440. 


106  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

ing,  to  have  the  first  shot.  The  ball  disabled  the  bear  but  did  not 
kill  it.  White  withheld  his  shot  and  urged  his  now  excited  com- 
panion to  reload  quickly  and  kill  the  bear  before  it  recovered 
sufficiently  to  make  an  attack  or  to  escape.  He  did  so,  but  when 
he  again  attempted  to  recharge  his  rifle,  he  found  that  his  ramrod 
was  missing.  Thinking  that  in  his  hurry  he  had  dropped  it,  he 
looked  about  but  could  not  find  it.  The  discomfited  hunter 
became  puzzled,  when  White,  who  had  been  regarding  him  with 
amusement,  laughingly  pointed  to  the  now  lifeless  body  of  the 
bear,  from  the  side  of  which  protruded  the  end  of  the  splintered 
ramrod;  showing  that  it  had  not  been  withdrawn  before  he  made 
the  second  shot.  From  a  young  hickory,  White  deftly  shaped  a 
new  ramrod  for  his  friend,  who  begged  that  the  incident  be  kept, 
from  his  companions  at  the  fort. 

After  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  the  young  officer  was 
assigned  duty  on  the  Canadian  border,  but  ready  means  for  com- 
municating with  the  forest  belle  was  at  hand.  An  active  young 
Indian  warrior  agreed  to  carry  an  exchange  of  letters,  the  com- 
pensation to  be  ten  gallons  of  rum.  After  receiving  a  description 
of  the  young  woman,  he  fastened  the  letter  securely  to  his  person 
and  started  fully  armed  on  his  long  journey  to  the  south.  Arriv- 
ing in  the  Buckhannon  settlement,  and  knowing  the  dangers  that 
beset  him,  he  lurked  and  hid  for  two  or  three  days,  watching  for 
an  opportunity  to  deliver  the  letter. 

One  morning  the  girl  had  occasion  to  go  from  the  fort  to  a 
nearby  cabin,  the  path  leading  through  a  stretch  of  wood.  After 
proceeding  a  short  distance,  she  was  startled  to  see  a  half-naked 
Indian  step  suddenly  from  behind  a  tree,  immediately  in  front  of 
her.  In  his  belt  hung  a  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife,  his  left 
hand  grasped  a  long  rifle,  while  his  right  hand,  which  was  extexided 
to  her,  held  a  sealed  package.  Before  she  could  recover  from  her 
fright  sufficiently  to  utter  a  cry,  the  warrior,  with  a  peaceful 
gesture  and  friendly  "How!"  handed  her  the  package  and  in 
broken  English  said,  "Squaw  be  no  fraid.  Injun  no  hurt.  Me 
come  from  white  chief.  Him  send  good  talk.  Me  come  get 
squaw's  talk  when  moon  wake  up,"  pointing  to  the  brow  of  the 
eastern  hill.     He  then  glided  into  the  thicket  and  was  lost  to  view. 

It  happened  that  day  that  some  men  who  were  scouting 
about  the  woods,  discovered  the  presence  of  the  Indian  and  gave 
immediate  pursuit.     The  warrior  proved  very  athletic  and  soon 


BoRUKR  SeTTI.KRS  ()!■    N  ORlllW  KSTKKN   \  IRCilM  A  107 

outstripped  his  pursuers.  He  disappeared  over  the  river  bank 
just  below  the  mill  dam,  where  all  trace  of  him  was  lost.  y\ftcr 
an  exhaustive  search  of  several  hours  the  pursuit  was  abandoned. 
The  Indian,  it  was  supposed,  despairing  of  escape,  and  for  the  pur- 
pose of  saving  his  scalp,  had  plunged  into  the  river  and  was 
drowned. 

In  the  uR'antinR',  the  young  woman  had  jM"eparc(.l  her  com- 
munication, keeping  the  mission  ot  the  Indian  secret.  She  was 
sorely  grieved  when  she  learned  of  his  tate,  tor  he  was  the  only  one 
b}'  whom  a  letter  could  be  forwarded.  Night  came  on,  and  most 
anxiously  did  she  await  the  appointed  time  of  meeting.  Just  as 
the  moon  gleamed  over  the  brow  of  the  wood-crested  hill,  she 
stealthily  repaired  to  the  tr\st.  Like  a  wraith  the  Indian  elided 
from  the  shadow  of  the  thicket  and  came  silently  to  her  side.  She 
handed  him  the  package  containing  her  "talk,"  also  a  small  bag 
filled  with  jerked  venison  and  parched  corn.  W  ith  a  grunt  express- 
ive of  appreciation,  the  warrior  turned  and  started  on  his  journey 
to  the  distant  north.  In  due  time  he  reached  his  destination, 
delivered  the  letter  and  received  the  promised  rum,  on  which  he 
and  his  friends  became  "gloriousl}'  drunk."  Of  the  sequel  to 
this  story,  nothing  is  known. 

The  next  day,  when  Captain  \\  hite  returned  to  the  fort  and 
was  told  of  the  Indian  and  his  m}-sterious  disappearance,  he 
chided  the  men,  and  declared  that  if  they  would  go  with  hini  to  the 
river  he  would  show  them  "whar  tir  Injun  was  hid."  Proceeding 
to  the  river  bank.  White  pointed  to  the  sheet  of  water  pouring 
over  the  mill  dam,  and  exclaimed,  "It  \'o'  had  looked  behind  thar' 
yo'  would  have  found  yer  Injun."  An  examination  of  the  prem- 
ises proved  that  his  judgment  was  correct.  The  wily  Indian, 
hard-pressed,  had  darted  through  the  cataract  of  water,  where  he 
rested  in  safety  on  the  apron  or  plattorm  of  timbers  built  at  the 
foot  of  the  dam. 

There  is  a  tradition  in  that  countr\,  handed  down  through 
the  descendants  of  Captain  \\  hiti-  and  llu'  Cutrights,  to  the  effect 
that  in  the  early  }-ears  of  the  setllenieiit  there  were  captured  near 
the  tort  at  Buckhannon  an  liulian  and  a  frenchman,  who  were 
loitering  about  the  countr\'.  They  were  held  in  captivit\'.  The 
Frenchman  was  ot  a  morose  disposition  ani.1  \  ery  melancholw 
He  would  not  bathe,  but  took  great  pride  in  (.Iressing  his  hair, 
which  was  very  long  and  abundant.      lie  refused  food  and  died  of 


108  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

starvation.  Nothing  could  be  learned  of  his  past  history,  but  it 
is  supposed  that  he  was  a  renegade  from  the  Northwestern  wilder- 
ness. As  to  the  fate  of  the  Indian,  the  tradition  is  silent.  He 
was  probably  put  to  death. 

About  the  death  of  Captain  White  there  hovers  a  tinge  of 
romance.  There  is  also  revealed  a  trait  of  Indian  character  not 
often  met  with  in  our  border  annals.  With  the  Indian  the  spirit 
of  retaliation  was  an  unqualified  principle,  an  inherent  right;  but 
it  mattered  not  on  whom  the  avenging  hatchet  fell.  The  life 
forfeited  by  an  innocent  member  of  the  offending  tribe  or  family 
was  regarded  as  a  just  compensation  for  a  life  taken.  This  mode 
of  warfare  was  honorable  with  the  Indian.  With  the  settlers  the 
principle  was  regarded  just,  so  long  as  Indian  met  Indian,  if  they 
themselves  did  the  shooting;  but  when  waged  by  the  Indian 
against  the  border  it  was  held  in  utter  detestation  and  horror. 
While  the  Indian  however,  was  content  with  the  reprisal  of  scalp 
for  scalp,  the  venom  of  the  average  borderer  was  insatiate. 

Under  no  circumstances  was  Captain  W^hite  ever  known  to 
show  mercy  to  an  Indian.  With  some  of  his  associates  he  was 
hunting,  when  they  surprised  a  small  body  of  Indians.  They 
fired  and  killed  several,  while  a  few  escaped  by  flight.  One  active 
young  warrior  fled  with  \\  hite  in  hot  pursuit,  tomahawk  in  hand. 
The  fugitive  was  driven  to  a  precipice,  over  which  he  leaped. 
White  jumped  after  him,  both  sinking  to  their  waists  in  a  quag- 
mire, from  which  they  were  unable  to  extricate  themselves.  The 
young  Indian,  who  was  wholly  unarmed  made  frantic  efforts  to 
escape,  while  W^hite  made  strenuous  attempts  to  strike  him  with 
his  tomahawk.  In  the  struggle  the  warrior  inadvertently  flung 
out  his  arm  towards  White,  who  seized  his  hand,  and  drawing  his 
helpless  victim  within  reach,  sank  the  hatchet  in  his  head. 

That  heartless  blow  sealed  the  doom  of  Captain  W'hite.  The 
father  of  the  victim  was  among  those  who  escaped,  and  he  seems 
to  have  sworn  vengeance  against  the  murderer  of  his  son.  For 
several  years  this  stern  warrior  lurked  about  the  settlement,  trail- 
ing W^hite  with  the  relentless  tenacity  of  a  sleuth-hound.  Finally, 
on  Friday  evening,  the  8th  of  March,  1782,  he  shot  White  within 
sight  of  the  fort,  and  in  the  presence  of  several  of  its  inmates.  (9) 
The  avenger  attempted  to  secure  the  scalp  of  his  victim,  but  was 
prevented  by  the  rescue  party  that  hurried  from  the  fort.  This 
was  one  case  where  an  Indian  was  satisfied  with  the  death  of  the 


(9)  See  page  440. 


BoRDKR   SeTTI.KRS  ()1     XoR'rilWKSTKRN   \  IRCIMA 


109 


guilty  parly  only.  Thai  W  hitc  "was  lomahawked,  scalped  and 
lacerated  in  a  most  frightful  manner,"'  is  a  mistake.  (10)  The  facts 
are  given  here.  The  upturned  roots  of  the  tree  under  which  it  is 
said  that  \\  hite  was  shot  is  still  to  be  seen.  This  tree  stood  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river  from  the  fort. 

The  death  of  Captain  White,  coupled  with  the  capture  by  the 
Indians  at  the  same  time  of  Tinioth\'  Dornian,  a  degenerate  rene- 
gade of  whom  the  settlers  stood  in  dread,  resulted  in  the  temporary 
abandonment  of  the  Buckhannon  settlement.  (11) 

There  is  strong  evidence  that  W  hite  was  betrayed  or  lured 
to  death  bv  Timoth}"  Dorman,  and  that  the  latter  was  not  cap- 
tured, in  the  true  sense  of  the  word,  but  went  willingly  with  the 
Indians. 


ScKNi:  OF  Cai'iain  W  ii.i.iam  \\  iiiik's  Death 
Miss  Joscpliiiic  MacA\<iy,  Phoiou'raplicr,  1909 

Looking  east  across  the  Buckhannon  River  from  where  the  fort  stood.  Tradition 
has  it  that  Capt.  White  zvas  killed  either  in  the  low  gap  where  the  prostrate  tree  lies, 
or  to  the  left  under  the  high  ridge,  where  can  be  seen  the  stump  of  an  upturned  tree. 
Both  are  indicated  by  X .  In  either  case,  he  evidently  succeeded  in  reaching  a  point 
near  the  river  before  falling  from  his  horse,  where  he  was  met  by  the  rescue  party  from 
the  fort.     See  Col.  IVestfalTs  letter,  Jppendix  /,  this  J'olume. 

(lO)  See  page  441.  (11)  px  441. 


110  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Captain  White  was  buried  in  what  is  now  the  Heavner  Cem- 
etery at  Buckhannon,  and  by  the  grave  of  John  Fink,  (12)  who 
was  killed  by  Indians  the  preceding  February.  Capt.  White's 
grave  is  marked  by  a  rude  flagstone,  which  bears  his  name  with- 
out dates  or  other  inscription.  According  to  Withers,  Fink  was 
killed  February  8,  (Friday)  1782.  The  rough  sandstone  at  his 
grave  is  inscribed  with  this  legend: 

"Here  lieth  the  bo —  John  Fink  who  was  killed  by  Indens  in 
1782,  Feb.  the  — th" 

Where  the  dash  occurs  after  "bo,"  the  stone  is  broken  and 
missing.  The  inscription  evidently  read  "body  of."  Part  of 
the  inscription  is  very  dim  and  almost  illegible,  the  date  of  the 
month  being  entirely  so. 

Col.  Westfall,  several  years  ago,  endeavored  to  induce  the 
citizens  of  Buckhannon  to  erect  a  block  of  granite  over  the  neg- 
lected graves  of  Capt.  White  and  John  Fink.  The  Colonel  did 
not  live  to  realize  his  cherished  hopes.  (13) 

The  Capt.  White  and  Fink  Monument. 

This  cut  zvas  contributed  by  the  Elizabeth  Zane  Chapter 
D.  A.  R.  With  its  transmission,  Mrs.  Clara  Du^Iont  Heavner, 
Regent,  writes  me. 

"It  is  owing  to  the  patriotism  of  a  little  boy  that  the  last 
resting  place  of  Capt.  White  and  Fink  can  now  be  identified. 
Elias  Heavner,  was  born  in  Pendleton  County,  Va.,  April  9,  1805; 
and  came  with  his  father,  Nicholas  Heavner,  2nd,  who  in  1815 
settled  on  400  acres  purchased  of  George  Jackson,  on  the  Buck- 
hannon River,  including  the  site  of  Bush's  Fort.  When  but  eleven 
years  old,  Elias,  impressed  with  the  story  of  the  killing  of  these 
pioneers,  unassisted  procured  from  the  river  bed,  irregular  flag 
stones  and  with  childish  simplicity  carved  in  rude  lettering, 
"KILLED  BY  THE  INDENS"  along  with  additional  legends 
which  you  already  have,  and  set  them  up  at  the  neglected  graves; 
which  until  then  were  unmarked.  Some  of  the -inscriptions  were 
defaced  during  the  Civil  War  by  relic  hunters.  These  stones  we 
have  cemented  to  the  base  of  the  monument."  Elias  Heavner 
died  October  10,  1884.  He  was  the  father  of  Maj.  J.  W.  and 
Clark  W.  Heavner,  of  Buckhannon,  West  Va. 

(12)  See  page  441.  (13)  p.  441. 


THE  NEW  YOKK 
IPaBLIC  LIBRARY 


ASTOIH.  LENOX 
TILDEN^IJOJOATIOH* 


The  Captain  White  and  Fink  Monument 
illustration  contributed  by  the  elizabeth  zane  chapter,  d.  a.  r. 


IjOKDI.K   SkTTLKRS   OI     NoRTllW  KSTKRN   \  1K(.1M  A  I  1  1 

Jacob  l^ush,  referred  to  earlier  in  this  chajMer  in  coiinccticjii 
with  Jacob  W'cslfall,  was  a  brother  of  John  Irtish,  who  built  the 
fort  at  Buckhaiinon.  It  is  not  knnwn  at  what  time  he  came  to 
the  settlements,  but  is  supposed  to  be  tiie  same  Jacob  Bush,  who 
in  1781  received  a  ijrant  for  "400  acres  on  the  West  Fork,  about 
two  miles  below  the  main  fork  of  said  river,  to  include  his  improve- 
ment made  in  1777."  He  was  a  man  of  intelligence  and  veracity, 
and  his  declaration  is  of  historic  \alue.      It  is  liere  ,ui\-en  in  full: 

"\  A.  Lewis  County 

"On  November  7,  1S32,  personally  appeared  in  open  court,  etc.,  Jacob  Bush 
who  makes  the  following  statement:  That  he  entered  the  U.  S.  service  under  the 
following  named  officers  and  served  as  herein  stated.  In  the  spring  of  1778  (does 
not  recollect  the  precise  time),  he  volunteered  in  Capt.  Samuel  Pringle's  company 
of  Indians  spies,  he  joined  the  company  of  Capt.  Pringle  at  the  Buckhannon  Ft. 
then  in  the  county  of  Monongalia,  \'a.  and  continued  in  the  service  as  an 
Indian  spy  under  Capt.  Pringle  until  in  the  fall  of  1779  when  he  was  discharged. 
While  under  Capt.  Pringle  he  was  engaged  in  spying  from  the  Buchannon  Fort, 
then  in  the  county  of  Monongalia,  now  in  the  county  of  Lewis,  to  the  headwaters 
of  the  West  Pork  and  the  Little  Kanawha  rivers,  and  frequently  witnessed  the  mas- 
sacre of  the  Indians,  and  was  required  lo  pursue  the  savages  to  the  Ohio  River; 
his  lieutenant's  name  he  thinks  was  W'cslfall.  he  thinks  Capt.  Pringle's  Co. 
bclontrcd  to  Col. -Morgan,  Regiment  of  militia  in  Monongalia  Co.,  \'a.,  he 
thinks  Capt.  Pringle  gave  him  a  discharg:'  but  cannot  be  confident,  if  he  did 
it  is  lost;  he  was  in  the  service  under  Capt.  Pringle  as  an  Indian  sp\'  about  eighteen 
months;  when  he  entered  the  service  under  Capt.  Pringle  he  resided  on  Buc- 
hannon river  in  Monongalia  Co.,  Va.  In  April  or  May,  1781,  according  to  his 
present  recollection  but  cannot  be  confident,  as  a  substitute  for  his  brother 
John  Bush  at  the  Buchannon  Fort  in  Monongalia  Co.,  Va.,  he  joined  Capt. 
Jackson's  Co.  of  militia,  VVm.  White  was  Lieut.,  the  ensign's  name  he  has 
forgotten.  He  was  marched  soon  after  from  Buchannon  F'ort  to  the  Fort  at 
the  mouth  of  Elk  creek.  Shortly  after  he  was  marched  to  Morgantown  and 
there  joined  Col.  Morgan's  reg.  and  shortly  after  was  marched  to  the  "New 
Store"  on  Monongalia  River  about  15  miles  from  Pittsburg,  and  there  joined 
General  Roger  Clarke's  army;  stayed  there  a  considerable  length  of  time  preparing 
boats  and  provisions  for  the  campaign,  descended  the  river  to  Pittsburg  where 
the  whole  arm}-  got  in  boats  and  went  down  the  Ohio  river  to  its  Falls,  Louisville, 
that  in  descending  the  river  he  was  frequently  required  to  act  as  a  hunter.  The 
hunting  part\'  he  thinks  was  commanded  by  a  Col.  Green.  One  day  while  engaged 
as  a  lumter  he  discovered  two  deer  on  the  north  side  of  the  Ohio  river.  (The 
hunters  were  advised  not  to  hunt  on  tiiai  side  of  the  river  for  fear  they  might  be 
misled  b\-  the  Indians.)  Declarent  however,  persuaded  the  others  to  land  him 
and  he  killed  the  2  deer.  Declarent  presented  Genl.  Clarke  with  the  brain 
of  one  and  he  received  it  with  expressions  of  kindness  and  treated  declarent  to 
"whi;:key."  That  he  with  Genl.  Clarke's  army  arrived  at  the  falls  of  the  Ohio 
according  to  his  recollection  in  August,  1781.  and  continued  there  some  time.  W^iile 
near  the  Bear  Grass  F'ort  five  officers  were  killed,  three  of  whom  he  thinks  were 


112  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Captains;  when  the  news  arrived  at  the  fort  about  30  men  were  ordered  out  to 
destroy  the  Indians  responsible  for  the  deed.  He  was  one  of  the  party.  The 
party  with  2  friendly  Indian  guides  proceeded  to  the  place  and  found  the  dead 
bodies.  They  pursued  the  Indians  to  a  place  where  it  crossed  the  Ohio  about 
five  miles  above  the  Falls.  The  party  there  gave  up  the  pursuit  and  went  back 
for  the  bodies  which  they  buried  at  the  Falls.  He  with  many  others  became  sick 
with  the  fever  and  was  unable  to  return  home  after  he  was  discharged  which  was 
in  the  fall  of  1781.  He  remained  sick  all  winter  and  reached  home  sometime  the 
following  spring  making  his  whole  service  two  years  and  six  months.  He  thinks  he 
received  a  discharge  for  this  last  service,  but  if  so  it  has  been  lost.  He  resided  at  the 
said  Buckhannon  Fort  when  he  substituted  for  his  brother  in  Capt.  Jackson's  Co. 

His 
Jacob  X  Bush." 
Mark 

Alexander  West  and  David   Sleeth  both  testified  for  Jacob 
Bush  and  their  affidavits  are  of  more  than  casual  interest. 

"Va.  Lewis  Co.  —  to  wit: 

"Alex.  West,  a  man  of  unquestionable  veracity,  personally  appeared  before  the 
subscribed  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  and  for  said  County  and  made  oath  that  in  May, 
1781,  he  with  Jacob  Bush  of  Lewis  County  joined  Capt.  George  Jackson's  Company, 
and  knows  that  said  Bush  marched  and  joined  General  Clarke's  Army  and  with  it 
descended  the  Ohio  River  to  its  Falls  and  was  there  discharged,  said  Bush  got  sick, 
at  the  Falls  and  when  the  Army  was  discharged  was  unable  to  return  home;  he 
thinks  said  Bush  did  not  get  home  until  sometime  in  the  spring  or  early  part  of 
the  summer  of  1782.  His 

Alexander  X  West. 
Mark 

"Sworn  to  and  subscribed  before  me  this  5th  day  of  November,  1832. 

(Signed)  John  McWhorter,  J.  P." 
"Va.  Lewis  Co.  —  ss 

"David  W.  Sleeth,  a  man  of  veracity  and  truth,  personally  appeared  before  the 
subscribed  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  and  for  said  County  and  made  oath  that  he 
recollected  that  Jacob  Bush  of  Lewis  County  served  as  an  Indian  Spy  under  Capt. 
Samuel  Pringle  for  a  considerable  time,  from  his  knowledge  of  said- Bush's  services 
under  said  Capt.  Pringle  he  supposed  that  he  must  have  served  under  said  Pringle 
about  18  months,  is  confident  he  was  in  said  service  upwards  of  a  year.  He 
also  recollects  that  in  the  spring  of  1781  said  Bush  substituted  for  his  brother 
John  Bush  in  Capt.  George  Jackson's  Co.  and  was  marched  from  the  Buck- 
hannon Fort,  and  it  was  understood  joined  Genl.  Clarke's  Army  near  Pittsburg 
and  descended  the  Ohio  River  to  its  Falls;  he  recollects  that  said  Bush  did  not 
return  from  said  service  until  in  the  spring  or  early  summer  of  1782.  He  has 
known  Bush  for  many  years  ever  since  about  the  year  of  1776;  he  has  always  been 
esteemed  a  man  of  veracity  and  truth. 

(Signed)    David  W.  Sleeth. 
Sworn  to  and  subscribed  before  me  this  7th  day  of  November,  1832. 

Samuel  Z.  Jones,  J.  P." 


BoRDKR   SkTTLERS  OF  NoRTHWESTKRN   \  IRGINIA  113 

This  affidavit  is  accompanied  with  a  brief  from  Mr.  Jones 
stating  that  "what  Sleeth  says  is  entitled  to  full  confidence." 

Jacob  Bush  was  born  in  Hampshire  County,  Virginia,  1756. 
In  the  fall  of  17S2  he  married  Margaret  Swan,  on  the  South 
Branch,  where  they  lived  until  the  fall  of  1785,  then  moved  with 
their  two  oldest  children,  Peter  and  "Susan,"  to  now  Lewis  County, 
West  Virginia.  Jacob  Bush  did  not  live  to  reap  any  benefits  from 
the  pension  due  him;  but  died  Nov.  28,  1832. 

The  law  required  that  the  widow,  to  be  entitled  to  pension, 
should  have  been  married  to  the  soldier  prior  to  1794.  Mrs.  Bush 
proved  her  marriage  and  was  granted  eighty  dollars  a  year,  to 
commence  March  4,  1831.  Margaret  Bush  died  July  28,  1847, 
at  the  age  of  ninety  or  ninety-one  years.  Her  surviving  children 
who  drew  the  money  due  their  mother  were  Peter,  born  1783, 
Henry,  Jacob,  John,  George;  Elizabeth  married  Stump;  Margaret 
married  Stump;  Barbary  married  Fisher;  Susannah  married  Simp- 
son. Before  her  death  another  son,  Michael  Bush,  died,  leaving  a 
widow  and  two  children,  Mary  and  Adam  Bush. 

Declaration  of  Lieutenant  Jacob  Westfall. 

W'cstfall  stated  on  oath: 

"That  he  entered  the  service  of  the  U.  S.  under  the  following  named  officers 
and  served  as  herein  stated.  General  George  Rodgers  Clark,  Commander  in  Chief. 
In  the  regiment  of  Col.  Zecheriah  Morgan,  commanding  a  regiment  of  volunteers. 
Major  William  Louder  (who  became  unhealthy  and  obtained  leave  to  return  home 
in  about  one  month  after  he  joined  the  regiment),  Adjutant  John  Maughen,  Cap- 
tain George  Jackson,  first  Lieut.  Jacob  Westfall,  this  applicant;  2nd  Lieut.  William 
Whight,  Ensign  Hezekiah  Davidson  who  acted  as  Quartermaster  Sergeant.  Cap- 
tains in  said  regiment  William  Breene  (very  eligible),  Johnston,  Whaley,  Stewart. 

This  applicant  left  home  on  June  20th,  1781,  and  he at  Morgantown  on 

the  29lh  day  of  the  same  month  and  served  a  term  of  six  months.  The  regiment  to 
which  applicant  belonged  marched  from  .Morgan  Town  in  the  State  of  Virginia  to 
the  New  Store  (as  it  was  then  called)  on  the  Monongalia  river,  and  there  served  Gen- 
eral Clark  with  Col.  Crocket's  regiment  of  regular  troops.  The  applicant  resided  at 
the  time  he  entered  the  service  as  above  in  Tigers  Valley,  Monongalia  County, 
now  Randolph  County,  Virginia.  The  object  of  this  expedition  as  this  applicant 
was  informed  by  General  Clark  was  to  march  to  Detroit  which  was  in  the  possession 
of  the  British,  and  if  possible  to  take  that  place.  The  two  regiments  took  water 
on  board  of  boats  at  the  New  Store,  the  20th  of  July,  and  descended  the  river  and 
landed  four  miles  below  Fort  Pitt  and  continued  there  for  some  days  collecting 
provisions.  .After  leaving  the  encampment  below  Fort  Pitt,  we  did  not  land 
again  until  we  arrived  at  Whiting  when  a  council  was  held,  the  conclusion  of  which 
was  to  continue  down  the  river  to  an  island  below  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Ken- 


114  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

haway  river  and  wait  the  arrival  of  Col.  Laughery  who  was  expected  on  with 
200  men.  After  landing  on  said  island  and  remaining  a  few  days,  several  men 
deserted  and  a  council  was  held  and  the  idea  of  marching  to  Detroit  was  abandoned, 
as  the  force  was  considered  by  us  to  be  insufficient.  It  was  then  determined  by 
the  general  and  officers  to  continue  down  the  river  to  Kentucky  and  raise  an 
additional  force  of  Kentucky  militia  and  march  out  against  some  of  the  Indian 
towns.  Major  Cracroft  was  left  with  some  men  to  guard  some  boats  of  provisions 
until  Col.  Laughery  should  arrive.  Col.  Laughery  came  on  some  time  afterwards, 
and  after  descending  the  Ohio  River  about  15  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Great 
Miami  river,  he  was  discovered  by  the  Indians  with  his  boats  between  an  island 
and  the  main  land  and  the  whole  detachment  was  either  killed  or  taken  prisoners. 
Gen.  Clark  continued  down  the  river  to  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  where  a  two  [days'] 
council  was  held  with  the  Regular  Volunteer  and  Kentucky  Militia  officers,  and  it 
was  then  and  there  concluded  that  to  raise  a  sufficient  force  and  march  against 
the  Indian  Towns,  the  season  would  be  too  far  advanced  for  the  volunteers  to 
return  home  to  the  state  of  Va.,  the  distance  being  too  great.  The  applicant  was 
not  engaged  in  any  battle,  there  being  none  fought  during  the  campaign.  The 
Indians  killed  several  persons  belonging  to  the  Army  outside  of  Col.  Laughery's 
detachment.  The  applicant  recollects  the  names  of  the  following  officers  in  Col. 
Crocket's  Regiment  of  Regulars,  to  wit:  Major  Wales,  -Captains  Tipton  and 
Chapman  (who  were  both  killed  by  the  Indians  in  Kentucky),  Young,  Carney 
and  Chenny  (or  Chenry).  The  applicant  has  no  documentary  evidence  of  his 
claim,  his  commission  having  long  since  been  lost,  worn  out  or  destroyed,  and 
does  not  know  the  residence  of  anyone  who  served  on  said  campaign  who  is  now 
living. 

(Signed)  Jacob  Westfall" 

Lieutenant  Jacob  Westfall  was  born  October  10,  1755.  He 
was  the  builder  of  Westf all's  Fort,  Randolph  County  (West),  Va., 
and  was  an  active  partisan  during  the  border  wars.  His  declara- 
tion for  pension  was  executed  September  1833,  in  Montgomery 
County,  Ind.,  but  he  was  then  a  resident  of  Putnam  County,  Ind. 
He  was  awarded  J580.00  a  year.  Lieut.  Westfall  died  March  5, 
1835.  He  was  married  in  Tygart's  Valley,  1777;  had  one  son, 
Cornelius.  His  widow,  Mary  Westfall,  applied  for  pension  from 
Boone  County,  Ind.,  November  13,  1838,  aged  80  years. 

Since  the  foregoing  was  written,  Cutright's  History  of  Upshur 
County,  West  Va.,  has  been  published;  from  which  the  following 
wherein  Capt.  White  and  John  Cutright  figure  prominently,  is 
copied: 

"Flight  of  1770  and  Pursuit  of  Indians." 

"Many  of  the  most  thrilling  incidents  in  the  pioneer  settlement  of  the  waters 
of  the  Buckhannon,  are  like  unto  the  common  laws  of  England,  unwritten,  tradi- 
tional, handed  from    generation    unto  generations  in  fireside  stories.      Therefore, 


B(jRUER  Si;tti.i:rs  of  NoRTHW  I.SII  KN  \  IRiJIMA  115 

many  must  be  the  names  of  heroes  lost  in  the  oblivion  of  l)_\>;one  jcars  because  no 
one  cared,  peradventurc  was  not  able,  to  enroll  them  on  the  annals  of  the  past. 
Such  a  chapter  is  the  following:  We  know  it  only  through  traditional  sources. 
Paul  Shaver  tells  it  to  Colonel  Henry  K.  VVestfall,  in  1821,  and  he  in  turn 
converts  it  into  notes  and  communicates  it  to  older  citizens  now  living. 

"Soon  after  the  first  settlement  of  the  year  1770  had  been  made  on  the  Tygarts 
X'alley,  Buckhannon  and  West  Fork  Rivers  and  ilicir  tributaries,  and  before  many 
inroads  and  invasions  had  been  made  by  the  merciless  savages  on  these  pioneers 
for  the  purpose  of  killing  and  scalping  men,  women,  and  children, or  carrying  them 
into  captivity,  arrangements  were  made  by  which  spies  or  scouts  were  sent  out 
to  watch  the  movements  and  approach  of  the  Indians,  and  to  report  same  to  the 
settlers.  Indeed  companies  of  these  scouts  or  spies  were  organized  and  commanded 
by  proper  officials  and  were  obliged  to  serve  alternately  b_v  squads.  Such  military 
organizations  were  obtained  in  the  summer  of  1770,  when  a  detachment  of  six 
men  were  sent  out  from  Randolph  County  to  spy  on  the  maddened  Indians.  Four 
of  this  small  company  were,  \\  iiiiani  \\  iiitc,  'Thomas  Drenncn,  Paul  Shaver  and 
John  Cutright,  the  other  two  are  unknown. 

"John  Cutright  was  young,  a  mere  boy,  small  of  size,  but  not  a  drop  of  cowardly 
blood  coursed  his  veins.  The  scouts  went  through  the  boundless  forests  follow- 
ing the  meandcrings  of  the  Little  Kanawha  River  to  its  conjunction  with  the 
Ohio.  They  descended  this  latter  stream  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kanawha. 
.\fter  a  season  of  inspection,  scouting  and  spying  near  the  famous  battle  grounds 
of  Point  Pleasant  they  began  their  homeward  journey,  passing  through  the  track- 
less wilderness  country  now  embraced  in  Mason,  Jackson,  Roane,  Calhoun,  Gilmer, 
Bra.xton  and  Lewis  Counties.  They  reached  the  headwaters  of  the  Little  Kanawha 
River  without  having  seen  an\-  trace  of  the  sa\agc.  Game  being  bountiful  along 
this  ri\er,  they  resolved  to  spend  a  few  days  on  a  lumt.  They  pitched  their  camp 
on  Stewart's  Creek.  Indian  Summer  was  now  on  and  the  weather  was  all  that 
could  be  desired  by  our  scouts  (now  turned  hunters).  They  ne%er  forgot  ihem- 
sehes  so  much  as  to  neglect  watching  the  trail,  leading  up  the  little  river  near 
where  they  were  camping,  and  over  to  the  settlement  on  the  West  Fork. 

"One  e\ening  after  having  spent  a  full  day  hunting  deer,  several  of  which 
they  had  killed  and  the  haunch  of  one  they  were  now  roasting  in  their  camp  fire, 
they  heard  a  noise,  at  first  supposed  to  be  calling  of  turkeys  going  to  roost.  Cut- 
right  thinking  that  a  variety  of  meat  would  be  spice  to  their  simple  life,  seized 
ills  gun  saying  he  would  get  a  turkey  for  supper.  He  walked  very  briskly  toward 
where  the  turkey  calling  was  heard;  he  had  not  gone  far  before  the  turkeys  were 
answering  each  other  in  different  directions.  This  fact  appealed  to  the  strong  per- 
ceptive faculties  of  White  and  aroused  his  suspicion  that  all  was  not  right.  He 
called  to  Cutright  to  return  and  let  him  go  and  discover  the  roosting  place  of  the 
turkeys.  He  went  but  a  short  distance  before  he  returned  with  the  thrilling  news 
that  they  were  nearly  surrounded  by  a  band  of  Indians.  The  situatit)n  was  dan- 
gerous and  the  camp  fire  by  means  of  which  the  savages  had  located  them  was 
put  out.  An  escape  must  be  now  effected  or  in  a  short  time  the  scouting  party  would 
be  attacked.  White  was  the  leader,  and  the  rest  were  his  followers.  'l'he\-  stole  away 
and  traveled  at  a  rapid  gait  over  rocks,  hills,  and  small  streams  for  four  miles  before 
a  halt  was  made.  On  the  summit  of  a  ridge  they  stopped  to  reconnoiter  and  to 
ascertain  whctlicr  thc\'  were  pursued  or  not.     Hearing  and  seeing  no  signs  of  the 


116  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

pursuing  Indians  they  rested  there  for  an  hour,  during  which  most  of  the  party 
went  to  sleep.     White  alone  being  awake  and  on  the  lookout.     Suddenly  he  called 
to    his    companions,  the  'Indians  are  upon  us.'     He  heard  the  whine  of  a  dog. 
They  took  to  their  heels  again  until  out  of  sight  of  danger  then  walked  on  for 
several  miles  until  they  came  to  a  creek  of  considerable  size  (most  probably  Leading 
Creek).     Knowing  the  keen  scent  of  the  Indian  canine  and  the  impossibility  of 
being  traced  in  water  they  waded  up  this  stream  a  mile  and  a  half  or  more,  coming 
out  on  the  same  side  they  had  entered  the  stream.     They  now  ascended  a  hill 
some  distance  to  its  summit,  then  turned  down  the  stream,  keeping  about  a  half 
mile  from  it  and  going  about  the  same  distance.     Here  they  halted  once  more  for 
the  purpose  of  rest  and  observation.     The  Indians  must  have  pursued  them  un- 
comfortably close,  for  soon  White  detected  their  approach  again.     This  time  they 
descended  the  hill,  crossed  the  stream  behind  the  Indians,  ascended  the  opposite 
elevation  and  took  a  course  along  the  ridge  which  led  in  the  direction  they  wished 
to  go  to  find  the  path  leading  over  onto  the  West  Fork.     The  path  could  not  be 
found  and  White  concluded  that  in  the  darkness  they  had  missed  it.     They  decided 
to  wait  the  coming  of  day.     To  afford  themselves  the  most  advantages,   they 
ascended  a  high  bluff  to  await  the  action  of  the  pursuers.     Again  they  were  driven 
from  their  resting  place  out  into  the  darkness  of  the  night  and  forced  to  travel 
until  about  sunrise,  when  they  determined  to  stop,  and  if  the  Indians  were  not  too 
many  to  give  them  battle.     The  most  suitable  position  around  them  was  selected 
and  here  they  had  to  wait  but  for  a  short  time  before  three  Indians  were  seen  on 
the  neighboring  hill.     Seventeen  others  joined  these  three  shortly  afterwards  and 
all  seated  themselves  upon  a  fallen  tree  resting  and  talking  and  counseling.    Pres- 
ently they  separated,  twelve  forming  the  pursuing   party,  eight  returning.     Six 
white  men  confronted  by  twelve  red  men  ready  for  battle  would  be  an  easy  prop- 
osition to  wager  money  upon.     Other  things  being  equal   superior   numbers    will 
win.      Therefore  our  scouting  party  took  themselves  to  flight  rather  than  fight. 
Cutright  being  a  mere  boy  and  having  traveled  all  day  and  night,  now  showed 
sign  of  great  fatigue,  but  the  others  urged  him  on.    White  carried  his  gun  and  two 
others  assisted  him  up  the  steepest  hills,  hoping  thus  to  be  able  to  bring  him  to 
the  Buckhannon  River  where  they  thought  the  Indians  would  discontinue  their 
pursuit.     Cutright  held  out  until  the  river  was  reached,  when  exhausted  and  crying 
he  lay  down  and  could  not  go  farther.     He  said  to  his  companions  that  he  could 
welcome  a  natural  death,  but  to  be  tomahawked  and  scalped  by  the  savage  was 
too  hard  to  bear.     'Save  yourselves  by  flight,  but  leave  me  to  my  fate,'  was  the 
answer  to  the  urgent  appeals  of  his  companions  to  proceed.     But  White  said, 
'No  John,  we  will  never  leave  you;  if  one  is  left  all  will  stay,  fight  and  die  together.' 
White  being  a  man  of  wonderful  strength  and  endurance  gave  his  gun  to  one  of 
his  companions,  took  Cutright  upon  his  back  and  bore  him  beyond  the  river.     Two 
other  companions  carried  him  to  the  summit  of  the  river  hill  opposite  the  mouth 
of  a  run  which  was  then  named  Cutright's  Run,  and  which  afterwards  was  John 
Cutright's  home.     Here  all  the  party  fell  asleep,  but  White  and  Drennen,  who 
stood  on  guard  watching  to  see  the  pursuers  cross  the  river.     Soon  three  Indians 
approached  the  river  on  the  opposite  side  and  began  to  cross  the  stream.     A 
battle  was  imminent  and  necessary.     Drennen  rushed  back  and  aroused  his  com- 
panions.    All  returned  except  Cutright,  who  was  too  exhausted  to  do  anything. 
They  took  their  position  and  waited  orders  from  White  to  fire.     At  last  the  moment 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  V'irginma  117 

came.  ri>c  three  Indians  were  in  a  n.)\v.  The  report  of  the  riHes  rang  out  upon 
the  air,  two  of  the  savages  were  killed  and  the  third  was  anxious  to  retreat,  but  he 
was  not  to  make  his  escape  for  White  snatched  the  gun  which  had  failed  to  fire 
and  shot  the  Indian  just  as  he  leaped  the  bank  of  the  river. 

"Now  for  the  first  time  it  was  known  to  a  certainty  why  the  Indians  were 
able  to  follow  the  trail  so  well.  They  had  a  dog  which  went  in  advance  of  his  red 
master.  This  dog  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  victors  and  became  the  property  of 
White,  who  used  him  to  good  account  afterwards,  for  it  is  said  that  White  exchanged 
the  same  dog  and  gun  for  the  Heavner  farm,  upon  wiiicli  the  Buckhannon  or 
Bush  Fort  was  afterwards  erected." 

I  remember  having  seen  a  fragment  of  this  narrative  in  the 
West/all  Manuscript.  The  date,  1770,  is  not  compatible  with 
the  general  supposition  that  there  was  peace  on  the  border  from 
the  closing  of  Pontiac's  War  in  1765,  to  the  breaking  out  of  open 
hostilities  in  1774.  There  was  peace,  but  the  wanton  aggression 
and  murdering  propensities  of  the  borderers  kept  the  Indians  in 
a  foment  of  unrest.  The  settlements  made  on  the  Upper  Alonon- 
gahela,  a  region  justh-  regarded  b}-  the  Indians  as  their  domain, 
and  which  should  have  been  recognized  as  such  by  the  Colonial 
(jovernment,  (14)  was  not  unknown  to  the  bordering  tribes. 
There  was  never  any  serious  attempt  by  the  colonial  or  state 
authorities  to  prevent  the  settlement  of  the  Trans-Alleghen\-  in 
accordance  with  stipulated  treaty  agreements.  The  King's  edict 
of  1763  warning  settlers  from  the  western  waters,  was  not  enforced. 
The  proclamation  of  1766  by  Gov.  Penn  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
Gov.  Faquier  of  \'irginia,  forbidding  "His  Majesty's  subjects" 
from  settling  west  of  the  mountains,  may  well  be  termed  farcical. 
In  1769  the  garrison  at  Fort  Pitt  "attempted"  to  remove  all 
intruders  to  the  eastern  side  of  the  mountains,  but  the  soldiers 
were  withdrawn,  and  the  settlers  returned  without  further  moles- 
tation. Back  of  this  pretense  at  justice,  can  be  seen  the  set 
intentions  of  the  colonials  to  gain  speedy  possession  of  this  cov- 
eted domain.  The  Ohio  Company,  organized  1748,  had  for  its 
object  the  settling  of  the  Trans-Allegheny,  and  as  early  as  1750 
their  surveyor,  Christopher  Gist,  had  penetrated  to  the  falls  of 
the  Ohio.  The  tribes  beheld  these  encroachments  with  increasing 
alarm,  and  evidently  scouts  from  their  own  towns  kept  close 
watch  upon  the  movements  of  the  aggressors.  It  may  have  been 
such  a  band  with  whom  the  whites  on  this  occasion  came  in  con- 
tact; or  it  may  have  been  a  hunting  party  only,  who,  finding  the 
intruders  so  far  from  the  settlements  gave  chase  with  disastrous 

(14)  See  page  441. 


118  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

results  to  themselves.  But  it  can  hardly  be  conceived  that  an 
organized  body  of  scouts  "were  sent  out  from  Randolph  County 
to  spy  on  the  maddened  Indians"  in  1770;  Randolph  County 
was  not  formed  until  1787,  nor  was  this  region  at  that  time  haunted 
by  "maddened  Indians."  The  strangest  part  of  the  story  is  that 
a  "war"  party  of  twenty  Indians  on  the  trail  of  six  armed  foemen, 
should  of  its  own  volition  dwindle  to  three  in  number,  and  yet 
continue  the  pursuit.  The  narrative  as  a  whole  is  not  in  accord 
with  the  known  principles  of  Indian  warfare. 

That  some  such  occurrence  took  place  there  can  be  no  doubt. 
Col.  Westfall  was  acquainted  with  both  Paul  Shaver  and  John 
Cutright,  and  possibly  others  of  the  bordermen.  The  narrative 
is  interesting  in  more  ways  than  one.  Shaver,  one  of  the  actors, 
was,  on  his  own  declaration  granted  a  pension  as  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  from  1776  to  1780,  but  was  at  the  instance  of 
W.  G.  Singleton,  Special  Pension  Examiner,  afterwards  dropped 
from  the  pension  roll  as  too  young  for  military  service  during  that 
struggle.  If  Singleton's  charges  are  true,  then  it  is  hard  to  con- 
ceive how  a  man  of  Colonel  Westfall's  judgment  could  be  so  misled 
as  to  seriously  consider  Shaver  a  full  fledged  scout  in  1770. 

Shaver's  Declaration. 

"On  this  12th  day  of  Oct.  1833,  personally  etc.,  before  me,  James  M.  Camp, 
J.  P.  for  Lewis  County,  Va.,  Paul  Shaver,  aged  74  years,  makes  the  following 
statement.  That  in  the  year  1776  in  April  of  that  year  he  was  ordered  out  as  an 
Indian  spy  by  Col.  Warrick  under  Capt.  Maxwell.  He  spied  in  Randolph  Co. 
from  April  1776,  till  Nov.  1776,  himself  and  John  Elliott  detected  the  Indians  at 
three  different  times  during  that  summer  and  each  time  they  retreated  without 
making  any  attack,  but  once  stole  some  horses  and  escaped  with  them,  two  of  the 
horses  belonged  to  Runyon.  He  was  discharged  in  November  1776,  having  served 
more  than  six  months  in  the  service  as  an  Indian  spy  (a  private)  in  Capt.  Maxwell's 
Company  of  Indian  spies.  Then  in  the  spring  of  1777  in  April  of  that  year  he  vol- 
unteered as  a  private  in  a  company  of  Virginia  Militia,  most  of  whom  were  drafted, 
but  declarent  volunteered  to  make  up  a  company  under  Captain  Stuart  for  the 
defense  of  the  Western  Waters.  When  Capt.  Stuart's  Company  was  raised  they 
were  marched  from  what  is  now  Randolph  County  to  West's  Fort  in  what  is  now 
Lewis  County.  There  were  ascertained  a  number  of  Indians  in  the  neighborhood 
or  distant  about  thirty  miles  on  Salt  Lick,  some  of  whom  in  May  1777,  appeared 
in  the  neighborhood  of  West's  Fort  and  killed  and  scalped  one  woman.  Airs.  Free- 
man. A  few  of  Capt.  Stuart's  men  in  pursuit  came  in  sight,  wounded  one  Indian 
who  got  into  thick  woods  with  his  fellows  and  prevented  further  pursuit.  Capt. 
Stuart  with  his  company  marched  to  Salt  Lick  Creek,  the  Indians  had  dispersed. 
Capt.  Stuart  and  company  returned  to  West's  Fort  thence  to  Lowther's  Fortj 
from  that  place,  now  Harrison  County,  6  miles  from  where  Clarksburg  now  stands, 


Border  Settlers  of  Nokthw  esti-.rn  \  ir(;im.\  119 

Capt.  Stuart  detached  declarcnt  and  10  others  as  Indian  spies  to  spy  in  what  is 
now  Lewis  and. Harrison  till  November,  and  then  return  to  Weslfall's  Fort  in  Ran- 
dolph, to  which  place  he  had  marciied  with  his  other  men.  He  spied  in  said  tract 
of  country  till  sometime  in  Nov.  1777.  Then  went  to  Westfall's  Korl,  from  thence 
to  Warrick's  Fort  where  he  joined  his  Captain  &  conipan)'  and  was  in  .Nov.  1777 
discharged,  having  ser\cd  more  tiian  six  months  this  tour  as  a  private  militia  man 
and  Indian  spy.  He  then,  in  177S,  in  the  spring  with  several  others  migrated  to- 
what  is  now  Kentucky,  settled  near  where  Louisville  now  stands.  He  was,  in  July 
177S,  drafted  to  go  a  tour  of  three  months  against  the  Indians  in  Illinois  County 
as  it  was  then  called,  was  marched  under  Captain  .\ndrew  Kincaid.  The  whole 
under  G.  R.  Clark  did  not  succeed  in  bringing  the  Indians  to  a  fight.  Returned 
in  the  fall  of  177S  to  Louis\ille  ha\-ing  ser\ed  his  draft  of  .^  months — was 
discharged.  Then  sometime  in  the  winter  of  1778  and  1779  Col.  Clark  conceived 
the  notion  of  again  marching  against  the  Indians  in  the  Illinois  County  as  we 
then  called  it,  declarenl  volunteered  to  go  a  tour  of  six  months  under  Capt.  Christy; 
they  started,  he  thinks,  Feb.  or  March  1779,  Ijune  1778]  from  Louisville,  marched 
to  a  place  called  Kaskaskias,  there  lhe\'  completely  surprised  the  garrison,  he 
thinks,  took  the  British  General  or  Governor  prisoner.  Here  declarant  was  sta- 
tioned with  other  militia  troops  a  short  time  whilst  Gen.  Clark  prepared  and  sent 
some  mounted  men  on  horses  taken  at  Kaskaskias  higher  up  the  county  and  took, 
as  he  then  heard,  three  other  Indian  towns.  Col.  Clark  understood  by  some  means 
that  a  large  force  was  concentrating,  he  stationed  his  militia  and  others,  some  at 
Kaskaskias  and  other  towns.  He  soon  drew  in  his  troops  to  Kaskaskias  and 
appealed  to  all  to  volunteer  longer,  declarenl  with  the  other  troops  did  so.  He 
was  placed  under  his  o\d  Capt.  Kincaid  stationed  at  Kaskaskias  as  a  private 
militia  man  agreed  to  slay  till  the  war  was  settled  in  that  quarter.  Col.  Clark 
with  some  men  proceeded  in  Feb.  (1780)  as  affiant  thinks  up  the  Wabash  River 
to  Fort  Vincent  as  we  then  called  it,  but  now  Fort  St.  \'incent  or  V'incennes.  He 
took  that  fort  which  was  defended  by  Col.  Ilaniillon  and  Indians  and  British. 
He,  dcclarent,  continued  in  thai  Illinois  Counl\'  as  a  volunteer  militia  (a  pri\'ate) 
under  Capt.  Kincaid,  the  summer  of  1780  till  No\  ember  of  that  \ear,  when  he  with 
other  militia  troops  was  marched  to  Louisville  and  discharged  in  No\ember  1780. 
In  this  campaign  he  was  more  than  eighteen  months  in  service  from  February  or 
March  1779  till  November  1780.  He  received  a  wound  in  battle  at  a  place  called 
Andersontdwn  which  had  healed  up  (in  his  right  leg)  now  again  broke  out  and  so 
continues  to  this  da\'.  He  ser\ed  more  than  two  and  one-half  years  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  He  lives  more  than  thirty  miles  from  Lewis  County  Court  House, 
is  too  infirm  to  attend  court,  has  no  clergyman  residing  near  him.  He  knows  of 
no  person  whose  testimon\-  he  can  procure  who  can  testify  to  his  services  as  a 
soldier  of  the  revolution. 

His 

Paul  X  Shaver." 

Mark 

Shaver  stated  that    he    was   horii    in  Pendleton  County,  \  a., 
in  the  vear  1759. 


120 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


"Leaven  Nichols,  and  David  S.  Cox  botii  testify  that  Paul  Shaver  is  believed 
in  the  neighborhood  to  have  been  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and  that  he 
has  a  good  reputation  and  character. 

(Signed)  David  S.  Cox 
His 
Leaven  X  Nichols 
Mark 
(Signed)  James  M.  Camp,  J.  P." 

John  Mitchell  and  Henry  Flesher  testified  to  W.  S.  Singleton 
July  1834,  that  Shaver  was  too  young  to  have  been  in  the  war,  and 
he  was  dropped  from  the  pension  roll  as  a  fraud.  From  all  the 
evidence  gathered.  Shaver  certainly  suffered  an  injustice  at  the 
hands  of  the  over-zealous  Pension  Examiner.  He  evidently  saw 
service  on  the  border  during  the  Revolution,  but  he  could  not 
have^figured  in  the  "Flight  of  1770." 


I 


CHAPTER  XI 


Man)'  pi\)inincnt  writers  insist  that  Uunmore's  War  was 
inevitable;  the  actual  beginning  of  the  Revolution,  and  that  hos- 
tilities were  precipitated  by  the  murdering  propensities  of  the 
Indians  alone.  Not  a  few,  however,  charge  that  these  conditions 
were  created  at  the  instance  of  Gov'ernor  Dunmore  and  his  lieu- 
tenant, John  Connolly,  who,  for  self-aggrandizement  or  as  emissa- 
ries of  the  British  (jovcrnment,  foreseeing  the  coming  struggle, 
sought  to  engross  the  attention  and  resources  of  Virginia  in  a  dis- 
astrous Indian  War.  Pages  have  been  written  in  support  of  these 
accusations,  and  it  would  redound  to  the  honor  of  the  \  irginias 
could  the\'  be  verified.  But  it  should  be  remembered  that  the 
conflict  of  1774  was  pureh'  \  irginia  and  Indian,  waged  on  the 
Western  Virginia  border,  and  it  is  there  that  we  are  to  look  for  the 
immediate,  if  not  the  primal,  cause  of  the  trouble.  It  is  note- 
worth)'  that  the  long  list  of  murders  committed  on  peaceable 
tribesmen  in  the  white  settlements  east  of  the  mountains,  prior  to 
the  outbreak,  did  not  provoke  the  war.  Roosevelt  summarily 
settles  the  cause  and  statu  quo  of  the  Dunmore  W  ar  in  a  single 
paragraph. 

"Nor  must  we  permit  our  s\'mpath\"  for  tlie  foul  wrongs  of  the  two  great  Indian 
heroes  (1)  of  the  contest  to  blind  us  to  the  fact  that  the  struggle  was  precipitated 
in  the  first  place,  bj'  the  outrages  of  the  red  men,  not  the  whites;  and  that  the 
war  was  not  only  inevitable,  but  was  also  in  its  essence  just  and  righteous  on  the 
part  of  the  borderers.  Even  the  unpardonable  and  hideous  atrocity  of  the  murder 
of  Logan's  family,  was  surpassed  in  horror  by  many  of  the  massacres  committed 
by  the  Indians  about  the  same  time.  The  annals  of  the  border  are  dark  and 
terrible."  (2) 

This  sweeping  attempt  at  vindication  of  the  borderers,  reek- 
ing with  acrimony  for  the  Indians,  might  be  convincing,  did  it 
contain  a  single  instance  of  a  "massacre  committed  b\'  the  Indians 
about  the  same  time,"  that  even  approached  in  horror  the  murder 
of  Logan's  family.  Our  Indian  conquests  have  all  been  "just 
and  righteous"  in  the  eyes  of  the  average  white  man. 

Prof.  Maxzcell  in  discussing  this  topic,  says: 

"*  *  *  The  first  act  of  hostility  was  committed  in  177.^,  not  in  West  Virginia, 
but  further  south.  A  party  of  emigrants,  under  the  leadership  of  a  son  of  Daniel 
Boone,  were  on  their  way  to  Kentucky  when  they  were  set  upon  and  several  were 

(\)  See  page  442.   (2)  p.  442. 


122  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

killed,  including  young  Boone.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  attack  was  made 
to  prevent  or  hinder  the  colonization  of  Kentucky.  Soon  after  this,  a  white  man 
killed  an  Indian  at  a  horse  race.  This  is  said  to  haye  been  the  first  Indian  blood 
shed  on  the  frontier  of  Virginia  by  a  white  man  after  Pontiac's  War.  In  February 
1774,  the  Indians  killed  six  white  men  and  two  negroes;  and  in  the  same  month, 
on  the  Ohio  they  seized  a  trading  canoe,  killed  the  men  in  charge  and  carried  the 
goods  to  the  Shawnee  towns.  Then  the  white  men  began  to  kill  also.  In  March 
[1774]  on  the  Ohio,  a  fight  occurred  between  settlers  and  Indians,  in  which  one  was 
killed  on  each  side,  and  five  canoes  were  taken  from  the  Indians.  John  Connolly 
wrote  from  Pittsburg  on  April  21,  to  the  people  of  Wheeling  to  be  on  their  guard, 
as  the  Indians  were  preparing  for  war.  On  April  26,  two  Indians  were  killed  on 
the  Ohio.  On  April  30,  nine  Indians  were  killed  on  the  same  river  near  Steuben- 
ville.  On  May  1,  another  Indian  was  killed.  About  the  same  time  an  old  Indian 
named  Bald  Eagle  was  killed  on  the  Monongahela  River;  and  an  Indian  camp  on 
the  Little  Kanawha,  in  the  present  county  of  Braxton,  was  broken  up,  and  the 
natives  were  killed.  This  was  believed  to  have  been  done  by  settlers  on  the  West 
Fork,  in  the  present  county  of  Lewis.  They  were  induced  to  take  that  course 
by  intelligence  from  the  Kanawha  River  that  a  family  named  Stroud,  residing 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Gauley  River  had  been  murdered,  and  the  tracks  of  the 
Indians  led  toward  the  Indian  camp  on  the  Little  Kanawha.  .  When  this  camp  was 
visited  by  the  party  of  white  men  from  the  West  Fork,  they  discovered  clothing 
and  other  articles  belonging  to  the  Stroud  family.  Thereupon  the  Indians  were 
destroyed.  A  party  of  white  men  with  Governor  Dunmore's  permission  destroyed 
an  Indian  village  on  the  Muskingum  River."  (3) 

Here  is  a  sinister  array  of  aggressive  crime  on  the  part  of  the 
Indians,  with  justified  retaliation  by  the  whites.  Unfortunately 
for  its  object  however,  the  events  are  not  given  in  chronological 
order.  The  killing  of  young  James  Boone  and  five  of  his  compan- 
ions, emigrants  under  the  leadership  of  the  elder  Boone,  had 
been  preceded  in  Kentucky  by  desultory  fighting  between  adven- 
turous white  men  and  Indians.  It  is  significant  that  John  Findlay 
who  was  the  first  to  enter  the  wilds  of  Kentucky,  was  never  dis- 
turbed by  the  red  man.  It  was  not  until  Boone,  in  company  with 
Findlay  and  four  others,  in  1769,  repaired  to  that  region,  and  after 
spending  several  months  in  killing  game,  were  they  molested. 
Boone  and  Stuart  were  surprised  and  captured.  Many  writers 
insist  that  during  their  captivity,  the  camp  of  Boone  and  Stuart 
was  broken  up  by  Indians,  and  their  companions  killed,  scattered, 
or  returned  home.  But  it  would  appear  from  the  investigations 
of  others,  among  them  Dr.  Thzvaits,  that  the' returning  prisoners 
found  the  camp  and  its  occupants  unmolested.  In  the  meantime 
they  were  joined  by  Squire  Boone  and  Alexander  Neely,  whom 
Squire  had  found  on  New  (Great  Kanawha)  River.  (4) 

(3)  See  page  442.  (4)  p.  442. 


BoRDKR   SkI'TLKKS  <)I     \()KTI1\\I;S  TKRN  \  IRCilNIA  125 

The  famous  Limir  lluiitc-rs  had  ahcaLly  iiuadcd  this  prinic\al 
wilderness  and  were  shiughlerinj^  its  teeming  game  by  the  thou- 
sands. This  wasteful  destruction  of  their  sustenance,  a  gift  from 
the  (ireat  Spirit,  enraged  the  Indians,  and  in  conse(.]uence  the 
aggressors,  hunters  and  explorers  met  with  armed  resistance. 
The  Long  Hunters  shot  buffalo,  elk  and  deer  for  their  skins, 
and  Indians  ior  their  scalps. 

Boone  and  his  part\-  were  in  reality  Long  Hunters.  During 
the  summer  of  1770  while  encamped  on  the  Red  River,  Alexander 
Xeel\'  killed  and  scalped  two  Indians  wIkimi  he  found  at  a  Shawnee 
\illage  on  a  tributary  creek.  (5) 

Stuart  (also  spelled  Stewart)  alone  of  ijie  part\-  was  killed  hv 
the  Indians,  but  whetlier  prior  or  subsequent  to  the  murder  of  the 
Shawnees  by  Xeely,  writers  differ.  Roosevelt  declares  that  in  the 
death  of  Stewart,  "the  Indians  had  wantonh'  shed  the  first  blood." 

(6)  But  the  elucidation  b\'  Dr.  Tlvicaits  is  conclusive  that  Stuart 
was  killed  after  Jour  oj  Boone's  party  had  left  for  the  settlement  and 
that  "Neeh',  discouraged  by  his  [Stuart's]  fate,  returned  home." 

(7)  This  is  positi\'e  ex-iilence  that  Boone's  part\-  in  rea]it\'  "wan- 
tonly shed  the  first  blood."  It  is  obvious  that  Xeeh-  killed  the 
two  Shawnees  bejore  he  "became  discouraged  and  returned  home." 

The  Indian  killed  at  a  horse  race  was  a  Cherokee,  at  W  atauga, 
a  settlement  supposed!)-  in  \'irginia,  but  located  within  the  Cher- 
okee lands,  Xorth  Carolina.  Watauga,  like  the  early  Trans- 
.Alleghen}'  settlements,  was  outlawed,  so  far  as  State  or  Colonial 
(k)vernment  was  concerned.  The  murder  was  committed  at  a 
triendl}'  gathering  of  both  Indians  and  whites,  in  celebrating  the 
signing  of  a  treaty  between  the  Cherokees  and  the  settlers  of 
\\  atauga  in  1772.  (8)  This  crime  has  been  excused  on  the  grounds 
that  the  men  implicated  had  lost  a  brother  in  the  attack  on  Boone's 
emigrants  in  177.V  This  is  error,  the  friendly  Cherokee  was  killed 
a  year  previous  to  the  Boone  tragedy.  In  the  face  of  these  facts, 
who  were  the  aggressors  in  Kentuck}'.'  (9) 

No  serious  troubK'  with  the  Cherokees  resulted  from  the 
W  atauga  outrage;  nor  was  that  nation  invoK'ed  in  Dunmore's 
\\  ar.  It  is  averred,  however,  that  the  attack  on  Butler's  trading 
canoe,  near  Wheeling,  in  l'"ebruar\  ,  1774,  containing  three  white 
men,  in  which  one  of  the  part\-  was  killed  and  another  one  wounded, 
was  by  a  few  outlaw  Cherokees.  If  so,  the  act  may  have  been 
provoked  by  the  Watauga  tragedw 

(5)  Sec  page  442.  ((.)  p.  442.  (7i  p.  442.  (S)  p.  442.  CM  p.  442. 


124  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

The  other  occurrences  cited  by  Mr.  Maxwell  are  well  known 
to  the  reader  of  border  history.  Withers,  (10)  states  that  the 
Bull  Town  Massacre  occurred  in  the  summer  of  1772.  The  same 
authority  fixes  the  death  of  Bald  Eagle  not  only  prior  to  this  crime, 
but  also  to  the  Indian  murder  for  which  Capt.  White  was  impris- 
oned at  Winchester,  and  subsequently  liberated  by  the  infuriated 
populace.  This  last  crime,  as  shown  in  Chapter  X,  of  this  vol- 
ume, Kercheval  states,  occurred  in  1768.  This  places  the  murder 
of  Bald  Eagle,  according  to  Withers,  (11)  previous  to  the  settling 
of  the  Upper  Monongahela  in  1769,  which  is  error.  The  death 
of  Bald  Eagle  evidently  occurred  between  1770  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Delaware  Village  on  the  Little  Kanawha,  in  1772, 
which  was  two  years  previous  to  the  retaliatory  and  incipient 
outbreak  of  the  few  tribesmen  on  the  Ohio.  Then  came  the 
ill-timed  warning  of  the  fiery  Connolly  and  the  "planting  of  a 
new  war  post  and  a  solemn  declaration  of  war"  by  Creasap  and 
his  followers  at  Fort  Henry.  Immediately  Creasap's  band  made 
two  attacks  on  friendly  Shawnees  on  the  Ohio,  killing  three  and 
wounding  two  others.  The  massacre  of  Logan's  people  swiftly 
followed,  and  the  war  was  on. 

West  Virginia  points  with  pride  to  the  tenth  of  October,  1774, 
when  at  Point  Pleasant  was  fought  the  "First  Battle  of  the  Revo- 
lution," wherein  "was  the  first  blood  shed  in  defense  of  American 
Liberty,"  in  a  "just  and  righteous"  war.  This  sounds  well,  but 
in  reality  the  Dunmore  War  was  one  of  conquest;  its  prelude  a 
lurid  chapter  of  aggressive  wrong  on  the  part  of  the  whites  which 
can  reflect  no  halo  of  State  or  National  glory.  (12) 

The  brutal  murder  of  Bald  Eagle  is  deserving  of  more  than  a 
passing  notice.  His  status,  not  only  with  his  own  race,  but  with 
the  whites  was  high,  and  in  his  death  is  reflected  the  true  character 
of  the  lawless  ruffians  who  overran  the  Trans-Allegheny  at  this 
time.     Withers  says  of  this  crime: 

"The  Bald  Eagle  was  an  Indian  of  notoriety,  not  only  among  his  own  nation, 
but  also  with  the  inhabitants  of  the  North  Western  frontier;  with  whom  he  was 
in  the  habit  of  associating  and  hunting.  In  one  of  his  visits  among  them,  he  was 
discovered  alone,  by  Jacob  Scott,  William  Hacker  and  Elijah  Runner,  who,  reckless 
of  the  consequences,  murdered  him,  solely  to  gratify  a  most  wanton  thirst  for 
Indian  blood.  After  the  commission  of  this  most  outrageous  enormity,  they 
seated  him  in  the  stern  of  a  canoe,  and  with  a  piece  of  journey-cake  thrust  into 
his  mouth,  set  him  afloat  in  the  Monongahela.  In  this  situation  he  was  seen 
descending  the  river,  by  several,  who  supposed  him  to  be  as  usual,  returning  from 


descendmg  the  river,  by  several,  who  suppose 
(10)  See  page  442.  (11)  p.  442.  (12)  p.  442. 


BoKDKR  SeTTLKRS  OF   NoRTllW  KSTKKN   \  IR(;iN'IA  125 

a  friendly  hum  willrttic  wliitcs  in  ihc  upper  seltlcnu-nts,  and  who  expressed  some 
astonishment  that  he  did  not  stop  to  see  them.  The  canoe  floating  near  to  the 
shore,  below  the  mouth  of  George's  Creek,  was  observed  by  a  Mrs.  Province,  who 
had  it  brought  to  the  bank,  and  the  friendly,  but  unfortunate  old  Indian  decently 
buried."  (13) 

Veech  says  lliat  Bald  Magic  was  killed,  perhaps,  at  the  mouth 
of  Cheat  River;  was  ff)uiKl  at  Provance  Bottom  by  Mrs.  W  illiani 
^'ard  Provance.  who  had  hini  buried  on  the  Fayette  (Pa.) 
shore.  (14) 

The  murder  of  Bald  Kaglc  had  a  parallel  of  which  the  partic- 
ulars were  never  chronicled. 

One  Ryan  and  Eli  Morgan,  brother  of  David  .Morgan  of 
border  fame,  killed  an  Indian  named  Cat  Eye,  and  thrusting  a 
corn  cob  into  his  mouth,  propped  him  up  in  his  canoe  and  sent  him 
adrift  on  the  Monongahela.  This  crime  was  evidently  one  of  the 
many  committed  by  John  Ryan,  told  by  U'ithers: 

".At  ditfcrciu  periods  of  time,  between  the  peace  of  1765.  and  the  renewal  of 
hostilities  in  1774,  three  Indians  were  unprovokedly  killed  by  John  Ryan,  on  the 
Ohio,  Monongahela  and  Cheat  Rivers.  The  first  who  suffered  from  the  unrestrained 
licentiousness  of  this  man,  was  an  Indian  of  distinction  in  his  tribe,  and  known  by 
the  name  of  Capt.  Peter;  the  other  two  were  private  warriors.  And  but  that 
Governor  Dunmore,  from  the  representations  made  to  him,  was  induced  to  offer 
a  reward  for  his  apprehension,  which  caused  him  to  leave  the  country,  Ryan 
would  probably  have  continued  to  murder  every  Indian,  with  whom  he  should 
chance  to  meet,  wandering  through  the  settlements."  (15) 

To  this  long  list  of  recorded  murders  suffered  by  the  friendb" 
tribesmen  at  the  hands  of  the  borderers  in  the  two  years  preceding 
Dunmore's  War,  must  be  added  the  massacre  of  the  thirteen  at 
Indian  Camp,  as  depicted  in  a  previous  chapter  of  this  volume. 
The  summary  is  startling.  If  we  allow  but  four  to  each  of  the 
five  families  destroyed  at  Bull  Town,  which  is  a  very  low  estimate, 
then  the  grand  total  of  peaceable  Indians,  including  many  women 
and  children,  who  fell  victims  to  white  fury  on  the  extreme  western 
border  of  \'irginia,  from  Bull  Town  to  Wheeling  in  the  time  men- 
tioned, is  fifty-eight.  This  does  not  include  those  killed  on  the 
Wappatomaka  by  Judah,  Harpold  and  others,  nor  the  many  slain 
throughout  the  settlements  east  of  the  mountains.  (16)  This  num- 
ber 1  have  carefully  computed  from  the  meagre  accounts  at  hand; 
but  it  is  hardly  possible  that  the  Indian  Camp  .Massacre  was  a 
solitary  instance  of  unchronicled  slaughtering  by  the  white*.  It 
is  significant  that  in  every  instance  noted  by  the  historian  of  the 

(13)  See  page  443.  (14)  p.  443.  (15)  p.  443.   (16)  p.  443. 


126  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

day,  the  killing  was  so  open  and  flagrant  that  concealment  was 
impossible. 

There  could  be  but  one  sequel  to  this  wanton,  drunken  satur- 
nalia of  crime.  The  ties  of  blood  and  clan  are  very  strong  in 
Indian  systems  of  kinship  and  government,  and  the  law  of  retalia- 
tion arises  from  these  ties.  In  addition  to  murder,  the  white 
settlers  were  constantly  making  inroads  upon  the  lands  of  the 
tribes  in  utter  disregard  of  treaty  stipulations.  In  view  of  these 
facts,  it  is  a  matter  of  wonder  that  hostilities  were  not  commenced 
long  before  the  outbreak  actually  occurred.  Surely  were  the 
Indians  "slow  to  anger." 

But  they  were  at  last  aroused;  though  not  until  their  people 
had  been  wantonly  murdered  in  plain  view  and  under  their  own 
eyes  in  more  than  one  instance  by  Greathouse  and  others.  Logan, 
"the  friend  of  the  white  man,"  lost  his  entire  family.  (17)  Then 
the  warriors  took  up  the  hatchet,  and  the  Trans-Allegheny  was 
compelled  to  drain  the  bitter  cup  of  its  own  filling.  For  more 
than  twenty  years  from  the  massacre  of  Logan's  people,  April  30, 
1774,  the  border  from  Fort  Pitt  to  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  suffered 
from  Indian  forays,  (18)  the  most  sanguinary  of  which  fell  upon 
the  Virginia  frontier.  There  were  brief  respites  during  this  period, 
but  no  year  went  by  without  the  striking  of  a  blow  —  in  most 
cases  by  the  fierce  Shawnee.  This  warlike  tribe  was  rendered 
still  more  implacable  by  the  betrayal  and  brutal  murder  of  their 
mighty  leader  Cornstalk  (Keigh-taugh-qua)  and  three  of  his  chiefs, 
his  son  EUinipsico;  Red  Hawk  and  another  whose  name  is 
unknown,  at  Point  Pleasant  in  the  "bloody  year,"  1777;  and  for 
which  his  avenging  warriors  swept  with  fire  the  wilderness  settle- 
ments. (19)  In  this  long  interval  of  strife,  as  usual  in  warfare,  the 
innocent  suffered  far  more  than  the  guilty. 

During  this  period,  Jesse  Hughes  was  the  recognized  chief  of 
the  Virginia  scouts.  He  lived  in  the  center  of  the  field  of  the 
border  strife;  yet  it  was  in  the  year  1778  that  his  name  appears  in 
the  annals  of  this  war  for  the  first  time.  This,  I  believe,  is  the 
fault  of  the  chroniclers  rather  than  of  inactivity  on  the  part  of 
Hughes.  There  is  little  or  no  doubt  that  he  was  constantly 
engaged  in  war-like  enterprises  during  the  whole  of  this  period  of 
the  silence  of  the  annals.  A  well-founded  tradition  says  that  he 
was  in  the  Battle  of  Point  Pleasant,  which  is  more  than  probable. 
A  man  of  his  propensities  would  not  ordinarily  remain  inactive  at 

(17)  See  page  443.  (18)  p.  443.  (19)  p.  443. 


lioRDKR  SeTTI.KRS  OF   XoRTlIWKSTKRN   \  IRCilMA  127 

ht)nie  while  such  an  uiKk-rtakin^  as  the  iiuasion  of  the  Indian 
countrx'  was  bcinir  cxecutCLl.  It  is  doubt  tul  if  an\'  of  the  several 
expeditions  against  the  ()hio  Indians  duiinu  the  period  mentioned 
was  unacconipani(.'d  h\   Jesse  Huijhes. 

An  Indian  alaiin  in  June,  177S,  sent  the  settlers  on  Hacker's 
Creek  and  the  adjoining  countr\'  into  West's  Fort.  About  tiie 
middle  of  that  month,  three  women  who  were  gathering  greens  in 
an  adjacent  field,  were  attacked  b\-  four  Indians  and  a  Mrs.  Free- 
man was  killed  and  scalped.  The  Indians  tired  but  one  shot,  but 
this  and  the  screams  of  the  women  brought  the  men  from  the  Fort. 
Se\eral  inettectual  bullets  were  sent  after  the  warrior  who  was 
scalping  Mrs.  Freeman.  The  Indians  were  driven  off,  and  the 
firing  gave  warning  to  the  men  who  were  out  of  the  fort  at  the 
time.  Among  the  latter  was  Jesse  Hughes,  who  for  once,  seem- 
ingly, was  without  his  gun.  The  following  account  is  from  the 
work  of  If'itlwrs: 

"Jesse  Hiiglies  and  Jolin  Sclioolcrafl  (who  were  out)  in  makini:  tlieir  way  to 
the  fort,  came  very  near  two  Indians  standing  by  the  fence  looking  towards  the 
men  at  West's,  so  intenth',  that  the\-  did  not  perceive  an\'  one  near  them. 
They,  however,  were  observed  by  Hughes  and  Schoolcraft  wlio,  avoidint.'  them, 
made  their  way  in,  safely.  Hugiies  immediately  took  up  his  gun,  and  learning  the 
fate  of  Mrs.  Freeman,  went  with  some  others  to  bring  in  the  corpse.  While  there 
he  proposed  to  go  and  shew  them  how  near  he  had  approached  the  Indians  after 
the  alarm  had  been  given,  before  he  saw  them.  Charles  and  Alexander  West, 
Chas.  Hughes,  James  Brown  and  John  Steeth  (20),  went  with  him.  Before  they 
had  arrived  at  the  place,  one  of  the  Indians  was  heard  to  howl  like  a  wolf;  and 
the  men  with  Hughes  moved  on  in  the  direction  from  which  tlie  sound  proceeded. 
Supposing  that  they  were  then  near  the  spot,  Jesse  Hughes  howled  in  like  manner, 
and  being  instantly  answered,  they  ran  to  a  point  of  the  hill,  and  looking  over  it, 
saw  two  Indians  coming  towards  them.  Hughes  fired  and  one  of  them  fell.  The 
other  took  to  flight.  Being  pursued  b\  the  whites,  he  sought  shelter  in  a  thicket 
of  brush;  and  while  they  were  proceeding  to  intercept  him  at  his  coming  out,  he 
returned  b>-  the  way  he  had  entered,  and  made  his  escape.  The  wounded  Indian 
likewise  got  otT.  When  the  whites  were  in  pursuit  of  the  one  who  took  to  flight, 
they  passed  near  to  him  who  had  fallen,  and  one  of  the  men  was  for  stopping  and 
finishing  him;  but  Hughes  called  to  him.  'he  is  safe, — let  us  have  the  other,' and 
they  all  pressed  forward.  On  their  return,  however,  he  was  gone;  and  although  his 
free  bleeding  enabled  them  to  pursue  his  track  readily  for  a  while,  yet  a  heavy 
shower  of  rain  soon  falling,  all  trace  of  him  was  quickly  lost  and  could  not  be 
afterwards  regained." 

The  chagrin  which  Hughes  fell  for  his  failure  to  secure  at 
least  one  ot  the  two  scalps  that  were  almost  within  his  grasp  may 
be  conjectured.  That  his  aim  was  not  deadly,  and  his  allowing 
(20)  See  page  444. 


128  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

the  fallen  Indian  to  escape  because  of  his  zeal  to  capture  the  flee- 
ing Indian  who  baffled  his  pursuers  by  doubling  on  his  track  like  a 
fox,  was  most  humiliating  to  the  pride  of  this  renowned  woodsman 
and  his  skilled  companions.  There  was  a  superstition  rife  among 
the  early  settlers  to  the  effect  that  if,  in  loading  his  rifle,  the  hunter 
accidentally  let  fall  the  bullet,  and  had  to  pick  it  up  from  the 
ground  to  put  in  his  rifle,  it  would  certainly  miss  the  object  shot 
at,  no  matter  how  careful  and  true  his  aim.  This  was  a  common 
belief  in  the  woods  of  Virginia  and  Kentucky  as  recently  as  thirty 
years  ago.     Perhaps  Jesse  dropped  his  bullet. 

Owing  to  its  isolation  and  weakness,  the  Hacker's  Creek 
settlement  was  a  favorite  point  of  attack  by  the  Indians  during 
this  period.     Withers  says: 

"The  settlement  on  Hacker's  Creek  was  entirely  broken  up  in  the  spring  of 
1779 — some  of  its  inhabitants  forsaking  the  country  and  retiring  east  of  the  moun- 
tains; while  the  others  went  to  the  fort  on  Buckhannon,  and  to  Nutter's  Fort,  near 
Clarksburg,  to  aid  in  resisting  the  foe  and  in  maintaining  possession  of  the 
country."  (21) 

Again,  speaking  of  the  year  1780,  he  says: 

"West's  Fort  on  Hacker's  Creek  was  also  visited  by  the  savages  early  in  this 
year.  The  frequent  incursions  of  the  Indians  into  this  settlement  in  the  year 
1778,  had  caused  the  inhabitants  to  desert  their  homes  the  next  year,  and  shelter 
themselves  in  places  of  greater  security;  but  being  unwilling  to  give  up  the  improve- 
ments which  they  had  already  made  and  commence  anew  in  the  woods,  some  few 
families  returned  to  it  during  the  winter,  and  on  the  approach  of  spring,  moved 
into  the  fort.  They  had  not  been  long  here,  before  the  savages  made  their  appear- 
ance, and  continued  to  invest  the  fort  for  some  time.  Too  weak  to  sally  out  and 
give  them  battle,  and  not  knowing  when  to  expect  relief,  the  inhabitants  were 
almost  reduced  to  despair,  when  Jesse  Hughes  resolved  at  his  own  hazard,  to  try 
to  obtain  assistance  to  drive  off  the  enemy.  Leaving  the  fort  at  night,  he  broke 
by  their  sentinels  and  ran  with  speed  to  the  Buckhannon  Fort.  Here  he  prevailed 
on  a  part  of  the  men  to  accompany  him  to  West's,  and  relieve  those  who  had  been 
so  long  confined  there.  They  arrived  before  day,  and  it  was  thought  advisable 
to  abandon  the  place  once  more,  and  remove  to  Buckhannon.  On  their  way  the 
Indians  used  every  artifice  to  separate  the  party,  so  as  to  gain  an  advantageous 
opportunity  of  attacking  them;  but  in  vain.  They  exercised  so  much  caution, 
and  kept  so  well  together,  that  every  stratagem  was  frustrated,  and  they  all  reached 
the  fort  in  safety."  (22) 

From  the  foregoing  it  would  appear  that  West's  Fort  was 
abandoned  not  only  in  the  fall  of  1779,  but  also  in  the  spring  of 
1780.  It  was  during  one  of  these  abandonments,  perhaps  the  last, 
that  the  fort  was  burned  by  the  Indians,  and  the  settlers  then 

(21)   See  page  445.  (22)  p.  445. 


I^ORDIK   Si  'ITLERS   OK   NoRTH  \V  KSTKR  N   \  IRCMNIA 


\2') 


built  a  new  fort,  but  nut  on  the  silc  ol  the  old.  it  was  located 
some  five  hundred  yards  or  more  from  West's  Fort,  and  about 
seventy-five  yards  east  of  where  the  Henry  McW'horter  house 
now  stands.  It  was  erected  on  a  high  bottom,  fir  "flat,"  which 
at  that  time  was  rather  marshy,  and  covered  with  beech  trees. 
The  building  was  constructed  entirely  of  beech  logs,  and  was 
locallv  known  as  "Beech  Fort."  (23) 


I'm     IIdMI     Ol-    P>I..\CK  JKFF  AM)   Ills    MaMMY.  ■■AiNt'"    I'.MII.V 

Photographed  1S98,  Kindness  of  Mr.  Gu\-  .\lkire 

This  cabin  stood  on  Jesse's  Run,  less  than  a  mile  from  where  Jesse  Hughes  settled 
in  1770  or  1771 .  During  a  heavy  snow  storm  in  ISOQ  or  IQW)  the  roof  of  Jejfs  cabin 
collapsed,  burying  himself  and  "Mammy''  in  its  ruins.  They  were  removed  to  the 
county  infirmary,  where  they  both  soon  afterwards  died. 

The  daring  ieat  of  Jesse  Hughes  upon  this  occasion,  so  briefly 
alluded  to  by  fFit/iers,  and  doubtless  referred  to  b\-  Dtl/ass, 
already  quoted,  was  as  follows: 

A  large  force  of  Indians  jiad  inxested  the  tort  and  gathered 
up  all  the  live  stock  in  the  settlement.  The  despairing  inmates 
could  see  the  camp  fires  of  the  Indians,  who,  relying  upon  their 
superior  numbers  and  the  weakness  of  the  garrison,  taileLl  to 
exercise  that   ele^ree  ot  \igilance  and  caution  for    which    tlie\'   are 


(2.S)  See  pajie  44.v 


130  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

noted.  However,  they  posted  sentinels  about  the  fort  and  the 
fords  of  the  creek  and  other  passes,  while  the  main  body  of 
warriors  regaled  themselves  around  the  camp  fires.  Hughes 
experienced  great  difficulty  and  much  personal  danger  in  break- 
ing through  the  Indian  investment.  While  gliding  along  a  narrow 
path,  he  heard  foot  steps  approaching.  He  stepped  aside,  when 
nine  warriors  passed  in  Indian  file;  "so  close"  said  Hughes,  "that 
I  could  have  punched  them  with  my  ramrod." 

When  leaving  the  fort  he  told  the  inmates  that  if  he  succeeded 
in  eluding  the  foe  he  would,  upon  gaining  the  hillside  beyond  the 
Indian  encampment,  "hoot  like  an  owl."  The  hoot  of  the  owl 
was  a  night  signal  in  vogue  with  both  Indian  and  scout.  In 
crossing  the  creek  Jesse  was  compelled  to  wade  through  a  deep 
eddy  about  half-way  between  the  fort  and  the  mouth  of  Jesse's 
Run,  near  where  he  would  strike  the  trail. 

As  time  dragged,  the  forlorn  and  despairing  band  in  the  little 
fortress  listened  most  eagerly  for  the  signal  of  hope  from  the  hill- 
side. How  they  must  have  rejoiced  when  at  last  through  the 
darkness  from  afar  there  came  across  the  night-shrouded  valley 
the  melancholy  cry  of  the  bird  of  shadow  and  gloom.  (24)  To  them 
it  meant  succor  and  speedy  rescue;  but  to  the  wily  Indian  it  was 
ominous  of  approaching  danger,  and  during  the  night  they  broke 
camp  and  disappeared.  When  Hughes  returned  with  the  rescuing 
party  not  a  warrior  could  be  seen. 

The  difficulty  of  this  achievement  can  be  better  understood 
when  it  is  known  that  the  distance  between  the  two  forts  was  not 
less  than  sixteen  miles,  all  a  dense  forest;  and  as  the  Indians  were 
in  the  settlement  in  force,  he  must  have  avoided  to  some  extent 
the  beaten  trail,  thus  making  the  passage  far  more  laborious  and 
hazardous. 

The  frightful  dangers  that  beset  the  path  of  Jesse  Hughes  on 
this  heroic  night-run  were  not  confined  to  the  hostile  Indians 
alone.  The  stealthy  panther,  noted  for  its  fierce  nature  and  prone- 
ness  to  unprovoked  attack  on  human  beings,  lurked  among  the 
dense  thickets  on  every  hand.  Packs  of  gaunt  gray  wolves  — ■ 
huge  timber  wolves  —  the  scourge  of  the  wilderness,  prowled  the 
forest.  The  Buckhannon  or  Hacker's  Creek  mountain  at  the 
point  traversed  by  Hughes  was  infested  with  these  savage  brutes 
long  after  this  incident.  (25) 

Once  durins  the  Indian  incursions  into  this  region  the  settlers 


(24)  See  page  445.  (25)  p.  445. 


Border  Sr:TTLERS  of  Xorthwestern  \  irginia  131 

on  Fink's  Run,  a  iribulai)'  of  the  Buckhannon,  took  refuee  in 
West's  Fort.  \\  hy  the  settlers  should,  in  this  instance,  have  gone 
to  West's  Fort  instead  of  the  Buckhannon,  (26)  which  was  only 
three  or  four  miles  distant,  cannot  be  surmised,  unless  it  was  after 
the  latter  fort  had  been  abandoned  in  1782,  when  Captain  William 
White  was  killed.  So  precipitate  had  been  their  flight  that  they 
left  some  young  calves  penned  from  their  dams.  This  was  not 
discovered  until  they  had  reached  the  fort,  which  was  at  least 
twelve  miles  from  their  homes,  and  was  liable  to  lead  to  calamity, 
for  should  the  stock  escape  the  wasting  hands  of  the  Indians,  the 
calves  would  starve  and  the  cows  be  hopelessly  ruined  from 
inflamed  udders.  In  this  dilemma,  Jesse  Hughes  came  to  the 
rescue.  He  volunteered  to  go  and  liberate  the  calves.  This  was 
courting  death,  but  he  successfully  accomplished  it. 

On  his  return  to  the  fort  he  crossed  the  mountain  previously 
referred  to,  to  the  waters  of  the  right  fork  of  Buckhannon  Run, 
now  on  the  farm  of  the  late  G.  W.  Swisher.  Here  seeing  a  deer, 
the  instinct  of  the  sportsman  overcame  the  caution  of  the  scout, 
and  he  shot  and  killed  it.  Proceeding  to  flay  it,  he  had  just  com- 
pleted that  work,  when  the  report  of  a  rifle  rang  through  the 
forest,  and  the  bullet  passed  through  the  crown  of  his  coon-skin 
cap,  scarceh'  missing  his  head. 

Snatching  up  his  rifle  and  the  recking  deerskin,  he  sped 
down  the  valley,  towards  the  fort.  Reaching  Hacker's  Creek 
proper,  the  trail  left  the  lowlands  and  striking  the  hill  to  the  right, 
passed  around  the  head  of  a  small  stream  known  as  Redlick  Run, 
and  along  the  meandering  ridge  between  Hacker's  Creek  and 
Jesse's  Run.  Hughes  did  not  slacken  his  pace  until  he  reached 
the  low  gap  in  the  ridge  where  Mr.  Eben  Post  now  lives.  Here 
the  woods  were  open,  and  he  paused  and  glanced  back  over  the 
trail.  A  quarter  of  a  mile  away  three  Indians  were  racing  down 
the  slope  in  hot  pursuit.  A  ver\'  large  warrior  was  in  the  lead.  It 
was  at  this  point  in  the  race  that  Hughes  first  noticed  that  he  was 
carrying  the  deerskin,  showing  that  under  certain  circumstances 
the  bravest  may  suflfer  from  excitement  and  panic.  The  first 
impulse  of  Hughes  was  to  secrete  himself  and  shoot  the  big  Indian 
when  he  came  within  range,  for  he  felt  he  had  nothing  to  fear  from 
the  remaining  two.  Being  much  niore  fleet  of  foot  he  could  have 
reloaded  and  shot  them  at  his  leisure;  for  Jesse  Hughes  like  his 
great   contemporary,    Lewis   Wetzel,    could    load    his    rifle   while 

(26)  See  page  445. 


132  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

running  at  full  speed.  This,  however,  was  not  an  unusual  feat 
among  the  Virginia  bordermen.  But  fearing  that  the  report  of 
his  rifle  might  draw  others  to  the  chase,  and  that  he  would  be 
intercepted  before  he  could  reach  the  fort,  he  let  discretion  be 
the  better  part  of  valor,  and  again  fled  before  his  rapidly  advancing 
pursuers.  Out  the  long  ridge  like  a  hounded  stag  the  scout 
stretched  himself  to  the  trail,  followed  by  the  grim  avengers  of  a 
hundred  wrongs. 

"Fate  judges  of  the  rapid  strife; 
The  forfeit,  death — the  prize  is  life." 

There  were  yet  several  miles  to  be  covered  before  the  fugitive 
could  hope  to  reach  a  refuge,  and  if  other  Indians  should  be  lurk- 
ing along  the  path  his  chances  of  escape  were  precarious  in  the 
extreme.  Never  before,  perhaps,  had  the  wonderful  physical 
endurance  of  the  veteran  scout  been  put  to  such  a  test;  and  like 
the  wild  Seri,  impervious  to  fatigue,  onward  he  sped;  and  onward 
came  his  relentless  pursuers.  The  hound-like  tirelessness  of  the 
borderman  enabled  him  to  maintain  the  distance  that  was  early 
established  between  him  and  the  Indians.  He  gained  the  fort  in 
safety,  carrying  the  deerskin  that  had  so  nearly  cost  him  his  life. 

The  distance  covered  in  this  race  for  life  was  no  less  than  nine 
miles,  and  it  was  over  ground  so  rough  that  it  must  have  taxed 
the  endurance  of  the  participants  to  the  utmost.  The  course 
followed  was  an  old  Indian  trail,  which  was  also  used  as  a  bridle 
path  by  the  pioneers.  Few  such  races  were  run,  even  on  the 
frontiers,  and  perhaps  no  other  was  so  long  and  persistent;  and 
winning  it  would  alone  entitle  Jesse  Hughes  to  a  high  rank  in 
that  host  of  pioneers  who  achieved  fame  on  the  border. 


CHAPTER  XII 


In  1781,  \vc  tind  thai  Jesse  Hughes  and  his  brother  Elias 
were  members  of  Colonel  Lowther's  Compan\\  which  went  in 
pursuit  of  the  Indians  who  had  captured  Mrs.  Alexander  Roney 
and  her  son,  and  Daniel  Dougherty,  all  of  Leading  Creek,  Tygart's 
\'alle\-.  The  history  of  this  foray  and  the  incidents  immediately 
preceding  the  connection  of  Jesse  Hughes  therewith,  I  quote  from 
f Cithers:  (1) 

'"In  the  same  montli  (April),  as  some  men  were  rcluriiiiig  Id  Cheat  Ri\er 
from  Clarksburg  (where  they  had  been  to  obtain  certificates  of  settlement  rights 
to  their  lands,  from  the  commissioners  appointed  to  adjust  land  claims  in  the 
counties  of  Ohio,  Youghioghany  and  Monongalia)  they,  after  having  crossed  the 
X'alley  River,  were  encountered  by  a  large  party  of  Indians,  and  John  Manear, 
Daniel  Cameron  and  a  Mr.  Cooper  were  killed — the  others  effected  their  escape 
with  difficulty. 

"The  sa\-agcs  then  mo\'ed  on  towards  Cheat,  but  meeting  with  James  Brown 
and  Stephen  Radcliff,  and  not  being  able  to  kill  or  take  them,  they  changed  their 
course,  and  passing  over  Leading  creek  (in  Tygarts  V'alley),  nearly  destroyed  the 
whole  settlement.  They  there  killed  .Alexander  Roney,  Mrs.  Dougherty,  Mrs. 
Hornbeck,  and  her  children,  Mrs.  Buffington  and  her  children,  and  many  others; 
and  made  prisoners,  Mrs.  Roney  and  her  son,  and  Daniel  Dougherty.  Jonathan 
Buffington  and  Benjamin  Hornbeck  succeeded  in  making  their  escape  and  carried 
the  doleful  tidings  to  I-'riend's  and  Wilson's  forts.  Col.  Wilson  immediately 
raised  a  company  of  men  and  proceeding  to  Leading  Creek,  found  the  settlement 
without  inhabitants  and  the  houses  nearly  all  burned.  He  then  pursued  after 
the  sa\ages,  but  not  coming  up  with  them  as  soon  as  was  expected,  the  men  became 
fearful  of  the  consequences  which  might  result  to  their  own  families,  b)-  reason 
of  this  abstraction  of  their  defense,  provided  other  Indians  were  to  attack  them, 
and  insisted  on  their  returning.  On  the  second  day  of  the  pursuit  it  was  agreed 
that  a  majority  of  the  company  should  decide  whether  they  were  to  proceed  farther 
or  not.  Joseph  Friend,  Richard  Kettle,  Alexander  West  and  Col.  Wilson  were 
the  only  persons  in  favor  of  going  on,  and  they  consequently  had  to  return. 

"But  though  the  pursuit  was  thus  abandoned,  yet  did  not  the  savages  get 
"tf  with  their  wonted  impunity.  When  the  land  claimants,  who  had  been  the 
first  to  encounter  this  party  of  Indians,  escaped  from  them,  they  fled  back  to 
Clarksburg,  and  gave  the  alarm.  This  was  quickly  communicated  to  the  other 
settlements,  and  spies  were  sent  out  to  watch  for  the  enemy.  By  some  of  these, 
the  savages  were  discovered  on  the  West  Fork,  near  the  mouth  of  Isaac's  creek, 
and  intelligence  of  it  was  immediately  carried  to  the  forts.  Col.  Lowther  collected 
a  company  of  men,  and  going  in  pursuit,  came  in  \iew  of  their  encampment, 
awhile  before  night,  on  a  branch  of  Hughes'  River,  ever  since  known  as  Indian 
Creek.     Jesse  and  Elias  Hughes — acti\c,  intrepid  and  \igilant  men — were  left  to 

(1)  See  page  446. 


134  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

watch  the  movements  of  the  savages,  while  the  remainder  retired  a  small  distance 
to  refresh  themselves,  and  prepare  to  attack  them  in  the  morning. 

"Before  day  Col.  Lowther  arranged  his  men  in  order  of  attack,  and  when  it 
became  light,  on  the  preconcerted  signal  being  given,  a  general  lire  was  poured  in 
upon  them.  Five  of  the  savages  fell  dead  and  the  others  fled  leaving  at  their 
fires,  all  their  shot  bags  and  plunder,  and  all  their  guns,  except  one.  Upon  going 
to  their  camp,  it  was  found  that  one  of  the  prisoners  (a  son  of  Alexander  Roney 
who  had  been  killed  in  the  Leading  creek  massacre)  was  among  the  slain.  Every 
care  had  been  taken  to  guard  against  such  an  occurrence,  and  he  was  the  only 
one  of  the  captives  who  sustained  any  injury  from  the  fire  of  the  whites. 

"In  consequence  of  information  received  from  the  prisoners  who  were  retaken 
(that  a  larger  party  of  Indians  was  expected  hourly  to  come  up),  Col.  Lowther 
deemed  it  prudent  not  to  go  in  pursuit  of  those  who  had  fled,  and  collecting  the 
plunder  which  the  savages  had  left,  catching  the  horses  which  they  had  stolen, 
and  having  buried  young  Roney,  the  party  set  out  on  its  return  march  home — 
highly  gratified  at  the  success  which  had  crowned  their  exertions  to  punish  their 
untiring  foe." 

To  the  foregoing,  Withers  adds  the  following  note: 

"As  soon  as  the  fire  was  opened  upon  the  Indians,  Mrs.  Roney  (one  of  the 
prisoners)  ran  towards  the  whites  rejoicing  at  the  prospect  of  deliverance,  and 
exclaiming,  'I  am  Ellick  Roney's  wife,  of  the  Valley,  I  am  Ellick  Roney's  wife,  of 
the  Valley,  and  a  pretty  little  woman  too,  if  I  was  well  dressed.'  The  poor  woman 
ignorant  of  the  fact  that  her  son  was  weltering  in  his  own  gore,  and  forgetting  for 
an  instant  that  her  husband  had  been  so  recently  killed,  seemed  intent  only  on 
her  own  deliverance  from  the  savage  captors. 

"Another  of  the  captives,  Daniel  Dougherty,  being  tied  down,  and  unable 
to  move,  was  discovered  by  the  whites  as  they  rushed  towards  the  camp.  Fearing 
that  he  might  be  one  of  the  enemy  and  do  them  some  injury  if  they  advanced, 
one  of  the  men,  stopping,  demanded  who  he  was.  Benumbed  with  cold,  and 
discomposed  by  the  sudden  firing  of  the  whites,  he  could  not  render  his  Irish  dialect 
intelligible  to  them.  The  white  man  raised  his  gun  and  directed  it  towards  him, 
calling  aloud,  that  if  he  did  not  make  known  who  he  was,  he  should  blow  a  ball 
through  him,  let  him  be  white  man  or  Indian.  Fear  supplying  him  with  energy, 
Dougherty  exclaimed,  'Loord  Jasus!  and  am  I  to  be  killed  by  white  people  at  last!' 
He  was  heard  by  Col.  Lowther  and  his  life  saved." 

Captain  William  White  and  John  Cutright  were  with  Colonel 
Lowther  on  this  occasion.  Christopher  Cutright,  son  of  John, 
gave  me  the  following  particulars  of  the  affair,  as  received  from 
his  father. 

The  whites  discovered  the  Indians  in  camp  in  the  evening, 
and  they  hid  in  a  ravine  until  the  next  morning.  When  it  was 
about  daylight,  Mrs.  Roney  arose  and  replenished  the  fire,  and  at 
that  moment  the  whites  opened  fire  on  the  Indians,  killing  and 
mortally  wounding  seven  of  their  number.     Young  Roney  was 


Border  Settlers  oi   Xokthwestern  \  ircixia  135 

killed,  and  Dougherty,  in  his  frantic  attempts  to  convey  to  the 
attacking  party  his  identity,  exclaimed,  '^Cant  ye  sae  that  Fm  a 
white  mon?'^  When  the  whites  rushed  upon  the  camp,  one  of  the 
Indians  struggling  in  the  agonies  of  death  was  recognized  as 
Captain  Bull,  the  founder  of  Bull  Town  on  the  Little  Kanawha. 
Jesse  Hughes  seized  the  dying  chieftain  and  dragged  him  through 
the  camp  hre  so  recently  replenished  by  Mrs.  Roney,  "^chile  he 
tvas  yet  kicking.'''  Not  satisfied  with  this,  he  then  tla\-ed  from  the 
thigh  of  the  dead  chieftain  pieces  of  skin,  with  whicli  he  repaired 
his  own  moccasins  which  had  become  badl\-  worn  during  the  pur- 
suit. (2)  "Upon  the  return  of  the  company  to  the  settlements," 
said  Mr.  Cutright,  "Hughes,  as  a  joke,  threw  his  moccasins  with 
their  ghastly  patches  into  my  mother's  lap." 

The  body  of  young  Roney  was  sunk  in  the  river,  or  creek, 
near  the  scene  of  his  death,  which  occurred  close  where  the  Indian 
Creek  schoolhouse  now  stands. 

Colonel  Lowther  was  accompanied  on  this  expedition  by  one 
of  his  sons,  a  lad  about  sixteen  years  old,  who  assisted  in  the  attack 
on  the  Indian  camp  and  its  subsequent  massacre.  Boys  of  those 
days  had  early  schooling  in  the  savage  warfare  of  the  border.  (3) 

On  the  evening  before  the  Leading  Creek  settlement  was 
destroyed,  Alexander  West  was  at  Friend's  Fort.  Late  in  the 
evening.  West  and  Joseph  Friend  were  sitting  on  the  porch  and 
saw  what  West  declared  to  be  an  Indian  skulking  near  the  fort. 
West  started  to  get  his  gun,  but  Friend  detained  him  and  declared 
the  figure  to  be  one  of  his  "yaller  boys."  "Yaller  boy  the  mis- 
chief!" exclaimed  West,  "It's  an  Injun."  West  and  Friend  had 
each  a  very  fierce  dog,  and  not  altogether  satisfied  as  to  the  iden- 
tity of  the  stranger,  they  attempted  to  set  them  on  the  slave  boy 
or  Indian.  But  the  dogs  flew  at  each  other,  and  during  the  con- 
fusion that  ensued,  and  while  the  men  were  engaged  in  separating 
the  dogs,  the  unknown  person  whose  mysterious  movements  had 
caused  the  uproar  vanished  into  the  nearby  forest,  and  night  com- 
ing on,  the  pursuit  was  abandoned. 

West  ever  alert  and  cautious,  wished  to  alarm  the  settlers 
that  night,  but  Friend  insisted  there  was  no  danger  and  that  they 
wait  until  morning.  West  reluctantly  acquiesced.  That  night 
or  early  the  next  morning  occurred  the  Leading  Creek  massacre. 
Six  families  were  destroyed.  When  the  news  of  the  disaster 
reached  West  he  became  furious,  and  condemned  himself  for  not 

(2)  Sec  page  446.  (3)  p.  446. 


r-1 


h5    o' 


s 

s; 

o 

O 

*^ 

-« 

">! 

■», 

S' 

Ci 

« 

"W 

^ 

s- 

« 

^ 

~^ 

1/3 

^CJ 


:^S  -5 


s    s    s  -«  -^ 


-fe  ^, 


S-S 


•-; 

s 

<3 

A, 

"^ 

c 

s 

-xs 

S 

f^  T  s  ^ 


f^ 


Ph 


"S         S      f~H 


^ 


g     ^  -o     to 


'^  J^ 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  \'irci\i.\  137 

acting  upon  his  own  judgnienl.  If  he  had,  it  is  probable  that  the 
tragedy  would  have  been  averted. 

From  the  date  of  the  Leading  Creek  massacre  and  the  killing 
of  Captain  Bull  cm  Indian  Creek,  to  1787,  a  period  of  six  years,  no 
mention  is  made  of  Hughes  by  the  historians  of  his  time. 

In  1787,  we  find  the  Indians  again  in  the  Hacker's  Creek 
settlement.  The  eldest  daughter  of  Jesse  Hughes  was  taken  cap- 
tive, and  several  of  the  settlers  were  killed.  This  tragedy  was 
only  the  sequel  of  that  which  directly  preceded  it.  and  so  closely 
are  the  incidents  connected  that  1  gi\e  them  both  as  set  out  by 
Withers.  (4) 

"In  September  of  this  year,  a  party  of  Indians  were  discovered  in  the  act 
of  catching  some  horses  on  the  West  Fork  above  Clarksburg;  and  a  company  of 
men  led  on  by  Col.  Lowther,  went  immediately  in  pursuit  of  them.  On  the  third 
night  the  Indians  and  whites,  unknown  to  each  other,  encamped  not  far  apart; 
and  in  the  morning  the  fires  of  the  latter  being  discovered  by  Elias  Hughes,  the 
detachment  which  was  accompanying  him  fired  upon  the  camp,  and  one  of  the 
sa\'agcs  fell.  Tlic  remainder  taking  to  tlii.'hl,  one  of  them  passed  near  to  where 
Col.  Lowther  and  the  other  men  were,  and  the  Colonel  firing  at  him  as  he  ran, 
the  ball  entering  at  his  shoulder,  perforated  him  and  he  fell.  The  horses  and 
plunder  which  had  been  taken  by  the  savages,  were  then  collected  by  the  whites, 
and  they  commenced  their  return  home,  in  the  confidence  of  false  security.  They 
had  not  proceeded  far,  when  two  guns  were  unexpectedly  fired  at  them,  and  John 
Bonnett  fell,  pierced  through  the  body.     He  died  before  he  reached  home.  (5) 

"The  Indians  never  tliought  the  whites  justifiable  in  flying  to  arms  to  punish 
liicni  for  acts  mereh'  of  rapine.  They  felt  authorized  to  levy  contributions  of 
tliis  sort,  whenever  an  occasion  ser\ed,  \icwing  property  thus  acquired  as  (to  use 
their  own  expression)  the  'only  rent  which  (6)  they  received  for  their  lands;'  and 
if  when  detected  in  secretly  exacting  them,  their  blood  paid  the  penalty,  they  were 
sure  to  retaliate  with  tenfold  fury,  on  the  first  favorable  opportunity.  The  murder 
of  these  two  Indians  by  Hughes  and  Lowther  was  soon  followed  by  acts  of  retribu- 
tion which  are  believed  to  have  been,  at  least  immediately,  produced  by  them. 

"On  the  5th  of  December,  a  party  of  Indians  and  one  white  man  (Leonard 
Schoolcraft)  came  into  the  settlement  on  Hacker's  Creek,  and  meeting  with  a 
daughter  of  Jesse  Hughes,  took  her  prisoner.  Passing  on,  they  came  upon 
E.  \\  est,  Scnr.,  carrjang  some  fodder  to  the  stable,  and  taking  him  likewise 
captive,  carried  him  to  where  Hughes'  daughter  had  been  left  in  charge  of  some 
of  their  party.  —  Here  the  old  gentleman  fell  upon  his  knees  and  expressed  a 
fervent  wish  that  they  would  not  deal  harshly  by  liini.  His  petition  was 
answered  by  a  stroke  of  the  tomahawk  and  he  fell  dead. 

"They  then  went  to  the  house  of  Edmund  W'est,  Jun.,  where  were  Mrs.  West 
and  her  sister  (a  girl  of  eleven  years  old,  daughter  of  John  Hacker)  and  a  lad  of 
twelve,  a  brother  of  West.  Forcing  open  the  door,  Schoolcraft  and  two  of  the 
savages  entered,  and  one  of  them  immediately  tomahawked  Mrs.  West.  The 
boy  was  taking  some  corn  from  under  the  bed,  —  he  was  drawn  out  h\-  the  feet  and 

(4)  See  page  446.  (5)  p.  446.  (6)  p.  446. 


138  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

the  tomahawk  sank  twice  in  his  forehead,  directly  above  each  eye.  The  girl  was 
standing  behind  the  door.  One  of  the  savages  approached  and  aimed  at  her  a  blow. 
She  tried  to  evade  it,  but  it  struck  on  the  side  of  her  neck,  though  not  sufHcient 
force  to  knock  her  down.  She  fell  however,  and  lay  as  if  killed.  Thinking  their 
work  of  death  accomplished  here,  they  took  from  the  press  some  milk,  butter  and 
bread,  placed  it  on  the  table,  and  deliberately  sat  down  to  eat,  —  the  little  girl 
observing  all  that  passed,  in  silent  stillness.  When  they  had  satisfied  their  hunger, 
they  arose,  scalped  the  woman  and  boy,  plundered  the  houses  —  even  emptying  the 
feathers  to  carry  off  the  ticking,  —  and  departed,  dragging  the  little  girl  by  the 
hair,  forty  or  fifty  yards  from  the  house.  They  then  threw  her  over  the  fence,  and 
scalped  her;  but  as  she  evinced  symptoms  of  life,  Schoolcraft  observed  'that  is  not 
enough',  when  immediately  one  of  the  savages  thrust  a  knife  into  her  side,  and  they 
left  her.  Fortunately  the  point  of  the  knife  came  in  contact  with  a  rib  and  did 
not  injure  her  much. 

"Old  Mrs.  West  and  her  two  daughters,  who  were  alone  when  the  old  gentle- 
man was  taken,  became  uneasy  that  he  did  not  return;  and  fearing  that  he  had 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  savages  (as  they  could  not  otherwise  account  for  his  absence), 
they  left  the  house  and  went  to  Alexander  West's,  who  was  then  on  a  hunting 
expedition  with  his  brother  Edmund.  They  told  of  the  absence  of  old  Mr.  West 
and  their  fears  for  his  fate;  and  as  there  was  no  man  here,  they  went  over  to  Jesse 
Hughes'  who  was  himself  uneasy  that  his  daughter  did  not  come  home.  Upon 
hearing  that  West  too  was  missing,  he  did  not  doubt  but  that  both  had  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  the  Indians;  and  knowing  of  the  absence  from  home  of  Edmund 
West,  Jun.,  he  deemed  it  advisable  to  apprise  his  wife  of  danger,  and  remove  her 
to  his  house.  For  this  purpose  and  accompanied  by  Mrs.  West's  two  daughters^ 
he  went  on.  On  entering  the  door,  the  tale  of  destruction  which  had  been  done 
there  was  soon  told  in  part.  Mrs.  West  and  the  lad  lay  weltering  in  their  blood 
but  not  yet  dead.  The  sight  overpowered  the  girls,  and  Hughes  had  to  carry 
them  off.  Seeing  that  the  savages  had  but  just  left  them,  and  aware  of  the  danger 
which  would  attend  any  attempt  to  move  out  and  give  the  alarm  that  night, 
Hughes  guarded  his  own  house  until  day,  when  he  spread  the  sorrowful  intelligence, 
and  a  company  were  collected  to  ascertain  the  extent  of  the  mischief  and  try  to. 
find  those  who  were  known  to  be  missing. 

"Young  West  was  found,  —  standing  in  the  creek  about  a  mile  from  where  he 
had  been  tomahawked.  The  brains  were  oozing  from  his  head,  yet  he  survived 
in  extreme  suffering  for  three  days.  Old  Mr.  West  was  found  in  the  field  where- 
he  had  been  tomahawked.  Mrs.  West  was  in  the  house;  she  probably  lived  but 
a  few  minutes  after  Hughes  and  her  sisters-in-law  had  left  there.  —  The  little  girl' 
(Hacker's  daughter)  was  in  bed  at  the  house  of  old  Mr.  West.  She  related  the 
history  of  the  transactions  at  Edmund  West's,  Jun.,  and  said  that  she  went  to- 
sleep  when  thrown  over  the  fence  and  was  awakened  by  the  scalping.  After  she 
had  been  stabbed  at  the  suggestion  of  Schoolcraft  and  left,  she  tried  to  recross. 
the  fence  to  the  house,  but  as  she  was  climbing  up,  again  went  to  sleep  and  fell 
back.  She  then  walked  into  the  woods,  sheltered  herself  as  well  as  she  could  in 
the  top  of  a  fallen  tree,  and  remained  there  until  the  cocks  crew  in  the  morning. 

"Remembering  that  there  was  no  person  left  alive  at  the  house  of  her  sister 
awhile  before  day  she  proceeded  to  old  Mr.  West's.  She  found  no  person  at  home, 
the  fire  nearly  out,  but  the  hearth  warm  and  she  laid  down  on  it.     The  heat  pro- 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  \  irgima  139 

duced  a  sickly  feeling,  which  caused  her  to  get  up  and  go  to  the  bed,  in  which 
she  was  found.  —  She  recovered,  grew  up,  was  married,  gave  birth  to  ten  children, 
and  died,  as  was  believed,  of  an  affection  of  the  head,  occasioned  by  the  wound 
she  received  that  night.  Hughes'  daughter  was  ransomed  by  her  father  the  next 
year,  and  is  yet  living  in  sight  of  the  theatre  of  those  savage  enormities." 

Jesse  Hughes  and  W  illiani  Powers  were  also  on  the  expedition 
with  Colonel  Lowther  when  Bunnell  was  killed,  lliey  followed 
the  Indians  to  the  Lilllc  Kanawha  Ri\er,  where  ihe  two  Indians 
were  slain.  Bonneii,  in  utter  disregard  of  W  est's  remonstrance, 
had  stepped  aside  from  ihe  parl\'  to  a  spring  and  had  knelt  there 
to  get  a  drink.  As  he  rose,  he  received  the  fatal  shot.  The 
return  march  of  ihe  parly  was  necessarily  slow,  encumbered  with 
a  dying  man.  It  is  not  likely  that  Bonnett  was  buried  any  great 
distance  from  where  he  was  shot. 

Mr.  Levi  Bond  heard  his  grandfather,  \\  illiam  Powers,  tell 
the  incidents  of  this  tragedy  as  follows:  Three  of  the  Indians 
were  killed.  When  they  were  fired  upon  in  camp,  only  one  of 
those  who  escaped  had  a  gun.  The  whites  felt  that  on  their 
retreat  some  one  of  their  number  would  be  shot  by  this  Indian, 
and  that  the  victim  would  in  all  probability  be  the  one  in  lead  of 
the  party.  Bonnett  declared  that  he  had  just  as  well  die  as  any 
of  them  and  stepped  to  the  front.  Powers  was  placed  at  some 
distance  in  the  rear,  to  guard  against  pursuit.  When  he  heard  the 
gun  report,  he  knew  that  some  one  of  their  party  had  been  lired 
upon,  and  possibly  killed.  He  saw  the  fleeing  Indian,  but  at  too 
great  a  distance  for  a  shot,  so  he  gave  chase.  Powers  was  a  swift 
runner  and  gained  on  the  warrior,  who  resorting  to  strategy, 
dodged  and  hid  from  his  enemy.  After  peace  was  declared,  an 
Indian  told  of  his  shooting  the  white  man  at  the  head  of  the  party, 
and  that  he  in  turn  was  pursued  by  a  "little  white  devil"  and 
barely  escaped.  Powers  said,  that  in  this  expedition,  as  in  all 
others,  Jesse  Hughes  led  in  the  trailing. 

The  daughter  of  Hughes,  who  was  captured  at  the  time  of 
the  West  tragedy,  was  his  eldest  child,  Martha.  She  was  then 
fourteen  years  old.  \\  hen  captured  she  was  returning  home  from 
the  house  of  John  Hacker,  where  she  had  gone  to  get  a  pup. 
Hacker  lived  about  four  miles  up  the  creek  from  where  Hughes 
lived.  If'ithers  says  she  was  "ransomed  by  her  father  the  next 
year,''  but  as  a  substance  of  fact  she  did  not  return  home  until 
1790  and  was  a  prisoner  two  years  and  nine  months.     Her  father 


140  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

secured  her  release  at  Sandusky  Plains  after  the  treaty  of  Fort 
Harmer,  January  9,  1789,  which  made  it  possible  to  secure  the 
release  of  Indian  captives. 

There  is  a  tradition  current  among  Jesse's  descendants  in 
Jackson  County,  West  Virginia,  to  the  effect  that  another  daughter, 
Nancy,  was  captured  by  the  Indians  and  held  in  captivity  three 
years.  In  this  short  time  she  became  thoroughly  Indianized,  and 
her  father  failed  to  recognize  her  when  he  went  to  bring  her  home. 
Personal  decoration,  paint,  rings  on  every  finger  and  in  her  lip,  a 
complete  Indian  dress,  so  changed  her  appearance  that  only  the 
closest  questioning  in  reference  to  the  time  and  place  of  her  cap- 
ture enabled  Hughes  to  determine  her  identity.  This  is  merely 
a  distorted  and  fanciful  version  of  Martha's  capture.  Hughes 
recognized  her  as  soon  as  he  caught  sight  of  her  in  the  Indian 
country. 

The  name  of  the  Hacker  girl,  who  figured  in  this  tragedy  was 
Mary.  Tradition  says  that  she  was  stabbed  seven  times  by  an 
Indian,  who  was  afterwards  killed;  his  body  ripped  open,  filled 
with  sand  and  sunk  in  Hacker's  Creek  on  the  David  Smith  farm. 
Mary  Hacker  married  a  Mr.  Wolf  and  settled  on  Wolf's  Run  in 
Lewis  County.  She  never  fully  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the 
scalping  and  her  death  was  caused  from  a  nasal  hemorrhage. 

Barring  a  few  burnings  at  the  stake,  there  is  hardly  a  more 
pathetic  tragedy  in  the  annals  of  the  border  wars  than  the  toma- 
hawking at  West's.  The  despairing  appeal  of  the  old  man,  who 
with  advancing  age,  had  lost  much  of  the  nerve  and  energy  of 
hardy  manhood,  the  utter  helplessness  of  Mrs..  West,  the  pulling 
from  beneath  the  bed  of  the  little  boy  and  his  brutal  tomahawking, 
the  ineffectual  attempt  of  the  little  girl  at  concealment  and  her 
instinctive  efforts  to  evade  the  murderous  blow  —  all  this  makes 
a  scene  of  pathetic  woe.  The  long  night  of  agony  for  the  two 
little  children  cannot  be  fully  imagined.  Contemplation  of  the 
boy  wandering  aimlessly  through  the  icy  waters  of  the  creek,  with 
skull  bared  from  scalping,  his  brains  oozing  from  the  ghastly 
wounds  in  his  forehead,  and  chilled  by  the  cold  winds  of  December, 
is  most  heartrending.  The  little  girl  dragged  by  the  hair,  faUing 
to  "sleep"  when  thrown  over  the  fence,  her  awakening  from  the 
excruciating  torture  of  the  process  of  scalping,  the  relentless 
thrust  of  the  murderous  knife,  the  feeble  and  unsuccessful  attempt 
to  reach  the  house,  the  going  to  "sleep"  the  second  time,  the  piteous 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  \  irginia 


141 


turning  to  the  solitude  of  the  woods  for  shelter,  the  arrival  at  the 
house  and  curling  down  upon  the  warm  hearth,  the  sensation  of 
sickness  and  the  climhiiig  inld  the  lonely  bed  make  up  a  story 
that  fills  the  heart  with  sadness.  It  certainly  must  have  been 
anvthing  but  comforting  to  Colonel  Lowther,  Elias  Hughes  and 
their   followers,   if   thc\-    realized    the   situation,   to   reflect    that    to 


The  Historic  Barn  on  the  Edmund  West,  Sr.,  Homestead 
(Queen,   1894) 

their  o\-er-zeal  in  protecting  a  few  miserable  horses  by  shooting 
two  fleeing  Indians,  was  this  awful  tragedy  due.  And  the  greatest 
pity  of  all,  retaliatory  vengeance  fell  upon  the  innocent  and 
helpless. 

The  Edmund  West,  Sr.,  homestead  was  covered  by  a  grant 
issued  in  1781  to  "Edmund  West,  400  acres  on  Hacker's  Creek, 
adjoining  lands  of  William  Ratcliff,  including  his  settlement  made 
in  1773."  This  was  the  present  Straley  farm,  about  one  mile 
above  Jane  I,ew.  The  old  barn,  of  which  a  cut  is  given,  is  still 
standing.  The  left  iTjom,  or  left  end  of  this  barn,  was  built  by 
Edmund  \\  est,  Sr.,  and  is  doubtless  the  stable  referred  to  by 
Withers,  where  Mr.  West  was  captured  while  "carrying  fodder." 

Tradition  sa}s  that  West's  Fort  was  built  by  Edmund  West's, 
Sr.,  two  sons,  Alexander  and  Edmund,  Jr.  This  I  believe  to  be 
a  mistake.  According  to  Withers,  (7)  the  fort  was  standing  in 
1778.  At  that  time  Alexander  West  was  but  eighteen  \-cars  old, 
and  there  is  e\'er\'  reason  to  belie\e  that  the  fort  was  built  at  the 


(7)  See  page  447. 


142  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

breaking  out  of  Indian  iiostilities  in  1774.     Summing  up  the  evi- 
dence at  hand,  Edmund  West,  Sr.,  was  the  builder  of  West's  Fort, 

Charles  West,  mentioned  by  Withers^  (8)  was  also  a  son  of 
Edmund  West,  Sr.  The  elder  West  and  several  of  his  family  are 
buried  near  the  old  fort. 

The  appellation,  "West's  Fort"  should  never  have  been 
changed.  The  village  that  sprang  up  there  was,  in  after  years, 
known  as  "McWhorter's  Mills."  In  1829,  Fields  McWhorter 
was  appointed  Postmaster  at  McWhorter's  Mills.  (9)  At  a  later 
day,  Lewis  Maxwell,  a  wealthy  bachelor,  who  owned  large  tracts 
of  realty  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  contrived  to  have  the  name 
changed  to  Its  present  form,  Ja7ie  Lew,  in  honor  of  his  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Jane  Lewis.  This  name  is  unhistoric 
and  inappropriate. 

Alexander  West,  who  figured  so  prominently  in  the  early 
history  of  Hacker's  Creek,  was  born  in  Aconach  County,  Virginia, 
August  11,  1760.  He  came  with  his  father,  Edmund  West,  Sr., 
to  Hacker's  Creek  just  prior  to  Dunmore's  War.  In  May,  1777, 
and  before  he  was  yet  seventeen  years  old,  he  enlisted  in  Capt. 
James  Booth's  Company  of  Rangers  and  Spies,  and  served  thirteen 
months  as  scout  In  (then)  Monongalia  County,  Virginia.  Before 
the  term  of  enlistment  had  expired,  Capt.  Booth  was  killed  by 
Indians  near  his  own  house  on  Booth's  Creek,  consequently  none  of 
the  company  w^ere  officially  discharged. 

In  May,  1781,  Alexander  West  volunteered  in  Capt.  George 
Jackson's  Company,  which  marched  to  Fort  Pitt  and  joined  Gen- 
eral George  Rogers  Clark  in  his  attempted  expedition  against 
Detroit.  It  had  been  Clark's  Intention  to  leave  Fort  Pitt  in  flat, 
boats  for  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  about  the  middle  of  June,  1881,  but 
disappointment  in  procuring  men  and  supplies  retarded  the 
embarkation. 

The  invasion  of  Virginia  by  Lord  Cornwallis  prevented  the 
acquisition  of  Virginia  State  troops  as  promised,  and  the  success 
of  the  expedition  eventually  devolved  upon  new  volunteers  and 
raw  levies  from  the  more  western  counties  of  Virginia.  This  sup- 
port, as  the  sequel  shows,  was  precarious  and  unreliable.  While 
clamorous  for  the  reduction  of  that  Important  post,  which  would 
in  a  measure  insure  peace  to  the  harassed  border,  the  settlers 
in  the  main  were  averse  to  engaging  in  an  expedition  which  would 
take  them  so  far  from  their  homes,  which  were  In  constant  need 

8)  See  page  447.  (9)  p.  447. 


Border  Settlers  of  Xortmwestern  \  irgima  143 

of  protection.  Consequently,  accessions  to  Clark's  army  came 
in  slowlv.  Drafts  upon  the  se\-eral  counties  for  men  proved  futile. 
The  boundary  line  dispute  between  \'irginia  and  Pennsylvania, 
was  a  prime  hindrance  to  the  acquisition  of  troops,  cither  by 
enlistment  or  tlrafting.  Gen.  Clark  and  his  methods  were  bitterly 
opposed  b}-  the  Pennsylvania  adherents.  They  impugned  his 
right  to  forcibly  take  men  from  the  controverted  territory;  and  in 
some  instances  armed  resistance  was  narrowly  averted.  The 
\'irginia  Volunteer  Militia  was  not  susceptible  to  strict  military 
discipline,  and  could  be  held  together  only  by  "ties  of  confidence 
and  affection  to  their  leader."  (10) 

It  was  doubtless  in  the  hope  to  escape  these  drafts,  made  on 
the  ninth  of  the  preceding  February,  that  the  settlers  of  Monon- 
galia and  Ohio  Counties  engaged  in  an  expedition  against  the 
friendly  Moravian  towns  on  the  Muskingum  in  the  Spring  of 
1781.  (11) 

r^inalh-,  (Jeneral  Clark  embarked  with  onl\-  four  hundred 
men  instead  of  two  thousand  as  first  intended.  On  the  fourth  of 
August,  he  was  at  Fort  Henry,  where  he  expected  to  be  joined  by 
one  thousand  militia  from  the  East  of  the  mountains.  Only  two 
hundred  and  fifty  of  this  troop  materialized,  and  half  of  these 
deserted  after  drawing  a  supply  of  guns,  blankets  and  clothing. 
Those  remaining  were  in  a  state  of  mutiny  for  several  days.  The 
expedition  was  abandoned  at  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio,  where  after 
a  service  of  seven  months  West  received  a  discharge  signed  by 
Ceneral  Clark,  and  he  returned  home. 

In  his  declaration  for  pension,  made  September  4,  1832,  West 
states  that  his  military  discharge  [paper]  was  torn  to  pieces  by  the 
Indians  sometime  in  1785,  at  which  time  they  killed  his  father, 
brother  and  brother's  wife  and  destroyed  all  their  papers,  ffltliers 
states  that  the  West  tragedy  occurred  December  5,  1787.  This 
is  evidenth-  correct,  for  Edmund  West.  Jr.,  and  Ann  Hacker  were 
not  married  until  1787,  the  year  that  the  young  wife  was  killed. 

When  applying  for  pension,  Alexander  West  was  vouched  for 
by  David  W.  Sleeth  and  Jacob  Bush,  and  afterwards  by  John 
Talbot  (clergyman)  and  Daniel  Stringer.  On  July  18,  1833,  he 
was  granted  a  pension  of  ^66.00  per  annum.  He  also  applied  for 
"bounty  lands"  granted  b}-  \'irginia  to  her  state  troops,  but  his 
claim  was  refused  on  the  grounds  that  he  had  only  served  seven 
months  in  the  military. 

(10)  Sec  page  447.  (11)  p.  447. 


144  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

In  the  Virginia   State  Library,   Richmond,  is  preserved   the 
following  endorsements  to  West's  claim  for  bounty  land: 

"Endorsed.  H.  E.  West  and  Alex.  West,  Rep.  29,  Jan.  1833.  March  S, 
1833.  Submitted  to  the  council  of  State  &  advice  required,  John  Floyd.  Rejected 
March  24,  1833,  J.  F. 

"Harrison  County! 

^r  ^  TO   wit: 

Virginia  J 

"This  day  Christopher  Nutter  appeared  before  Edward  Stewart,  a  Justice 
of  the  Peace  in  and  for  Harrison  County,  and  made  Oath  that  Alexander  West, 
a  resident  of  Lewis- County,  volunteered  under  Capt.  George  Jackson  sometime 
in  May  in  the  year  1781  and   marched    to  fort  Pitt.     Was  there  attached  to  the 

army  commanded    by  Gen. Clark;  from  fort  Pitt  we  descended   the  Ohio 

River  to  the  falls  thereof  and  served  the  whole  campaign  or  the  term  of  seven 
months. 

"Given  under  my  hand  this  21st  day  of  November,  1832. 

Christopher  Nutter 

"Sworn  to  before  me  this  day  and  year  above  written. 

Edward  Stewart,  J.  P." 

"Lewis  County! 
l\T  1  f  TO  wit: 

[VirginiaJ  J 

"This  day  Jacob  Bush  appeared  before  John  McWhorter,  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  in  and  for  said  county  of  Lewis,  and  made  oath  that,Alexander  West,  a  resi- 
dent of  the  said  county,  volunteered  under  the  command  of  Capt.  George  Jackson 
some  time  in  May  in  the  year  1781,  in  the  county  of  Monongalia  then,  but  now 
the  county  of  Lewis,  and  marched  in  company  with  this  affiant  to  fort  Pitt.     Was 

there  attached  to  the  army  commanded    by  Genl.  Clark.     From  fort  Pitt 

we  descended  the  Ohio  river  in  boats  to  the  falls  thereof  and  served  the  whole 
Campaign  under  Genl.  Clark,  or  the  term  of  seven  months.  Given  under  my  hand 
this  23rd  day  of  November  in  the  year  1832. 

his 
Jacob  X  Bush. 
mark 
"Sworn  to  before  me  this  day  &  year  above  written. 

John  A/JcWhorter." 

I  have  been  unable  to  find  anything  further  touching  West's 
bounty  land  claim. 

Alexander  West  was  married  twice,  but  no  record  of  his  first 
marriage  has  been  found.  His  second  wife  was  Mary  Straley. 
They  were  married  January  24,  1796,  by  Joseph  Cheuront.  They 
settled  near  the  home  of  West's  father. 

When  the  Baptist  church  on  Broad  Run,  Lewis  County^ 
was  organized,  W'est  became  a  charter  member.  He  was  buried 
there,  his  death  occurring  in  June,   1834.     On  April  12,   1851,  a 


BoRDFR  Settlers  of  Northwestern  N'ircinia 


145 


pension  certificate  was  issued  to  his  widow  for  }^66.{X)  a  \'ear  from 
March  4,  1848. 

Regarding  the  personal  appearance  of    West,  Editor  Thzvaites 
gives  the  following  note: 

"Alexander  West  was  prominent  as  a  frontier  scout.  Rev.  J.  M.  McWliorter, 
who  saw  him  frequently,  gives  this  description  of  him:  '.\  tall,  spare-built  man, 
very  erect,  strong,  lithe,  and  active;  dark-skinned,  prominent  Roman  nose,  black 
hair,  very  keen  eyes;  not  handsome,  rather  raw-boned,  but  with  an  air  and  mien 
that  commanded  the  attention  and  respect  of  those  with  whom  he  associated. 
Never  aggressive,  he  lifted  his  arm  against  the  Indians  only  in  time  of  war.'  West 
died  in  1S34.  His  house  of  hewed  logs  is,  with  its  large  barn,  still  standing  and 
occupied  by  his  relatives,  about  a  mile  east  of  the  site  of  West's  Fort."  (12) 


Bakn"  HuiLr  HY  Alkxan'dkr  Wkst 
Photographed  March,  1910 

Ilacker^s  Creek  is  seen  on  the  right. 


In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  my  father  writes  me  under  date 
June  l'^,  1899.  "Some  things  that  occurred  when  I  was  quite 
young  were  so  vividly  impressed  upon  my  mind  that  time  has 
never  erased  them;  none  inore  so  than  the  sight  of  Alexander  West. 
Long  frame,  broad  across  the  shoulders,  muscular  with  no  surplus 
flesh.  He  wore  the  old-fashioned  plain  blue  linse\-  hunting  shirt, 
cape  and  belt  and  fringed  in  front  of  same  color.  His  vest  and 
pantaloons  were  of  like  rnatcrial  and  he  wore  a  black  wool  hat  and 
moccasins.  I  remember  the  color  of  the  horse  that  he  rode.  He 
and   his  wife  stopped   with   n\\   parents  for  dinner  when  on   their 

(12)   See  page  44S. 


146  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

way  home  from  church  held  in  an  old  log  school  house,  where  I 
got  my  first  schooling.  It  was  built  before  my  earliest  recollec- 
tion. West  was  very  fleet-footed  and  but  few  could  outstrip 
him." 

The  log  barn  built  by  Alexander  West  is  still  standing,  but 
his  house,  which  stood  on  the  present  site  of  the  residence  of  the 
late  Lyman  Straley,  was  torn  down  several  years  ago. 

One  Alexander  West,  was,  in  1781,  granted  a  certificate  for 
"400  acres  on  the  head  of  Brown's  Creek,  adjoining  land  claimed 
by  Charles  Wolf,  to  include  his  settlement  made  in  1772,  with  a 
preemption  for  1000  acres  adjoining." 

If  this  settler  was  Alexander  West  the  scout,  he  was,  at  the 
time  of  this  "settlement,"  but  twelve  years  old;  which  is  not 
improbable.  Many  of  these  early  "settlements"  and  "improve- 
ments" were  made  by  mere  boys,  who  were  grown  before  it  was 
possible  to  secure  titles  to  homesteads  on  the  western  waters. 

The  earliest  census  of  Virginia  shows  but  one  Alexander 
West  in  Monongalia  County.  In  1782  his  family  consisted  of 
three;  and  in  1785  it  numbered  five  persons.  (13) 


(13)  See  page  448. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


The  histor\-  of  the  Schoolcraft  family,  of  u  hich  Leonard,  wlio 
figured  in  the  West  traged)'  was  a  member,  forms  a  pathetic  page. 

It  has  been  general!)'  supposed  that  but  one  family  of  this 
name  settled  on  the  waters  of  the  Upper  Alonongahela.  This  is 
an  error,  as  evidenced  b\-  the  record  of  homestead  entries.  In 
1781,  John  Schoolcraft  was  granted  a  certificate  for  "400  acres 
on  Stone  Coal  Run  [creek]  adjoining  lands  of  Henry  Flesher,  to 
include  his  settlement  made  in  1775."  In  the  same  \'ear,  James 
Schoolcraft  obtained  certificate  for  "400  acres  on  the  main  fork 
of  Fink  Run,  adjoining  lands  of  John  Schoolcraft,  to  include  his 
settlement  made  in  1774."  A  certificate  was  also  granted  to 
Matthew  Schoolcraft  for  "400  acres  on  Land  Fork  [evidently 
Sand  Fork,  in  Lewis  County]  of  the  Monongahela,  to  include  his 
settlement  made  in   1774." 

Austin  Schoolcraft  was  killed  b}'  Indians  near  the  iiuckhan- 
non  Fort  in  1780,  and  his  niece  taken  captive.  (1) 

Hie  first  notice  that  we  have  of  the  name  is  when  John 
Schoolcraft  and  Jesse  Hughes  came  in  close  contact  with  the 
Indians  who  killed  Mrs.  Freeman  on  Hacker's  Creek  in  1778.  (2) 
The  famih'  of  wliich  John  was  the  head,  came  from  central  New 
York,  (3)  and  is  supposed  to  have  settled  on  Fink's  Run,  near 
the  Buckhannon  Fort,  in  1774  or  1775.  This  supposition  is 
strengthened  by  the  knowledge  that  he  owned,  or  claimed  hmd 
on  that  stream,  and  that  he  was  identified  with  the  Buckhannon 
Fort.  But  evidently  he  was  the  same  Schoolcraft  who  made  the 
homestead  entry  adjoining  the  lands  of  Henry  Flesher. 

Fate  seems  to  have  been  against  this  devoted  famil\-.  In 
the  spring  of  1779,  Leonard,  a  son  sixteen  years  of  age,  was  cap- 
tured by  the  Indians  near  Ikickhannon  I'Ort  and  carried  into 
capti\'it\-.  In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year,  the  Indians  surprised 
and  killed  Mrs.  Schoolcraft  and  eight  of  her  children,  and  carried 
two  of  the  small  bo\s  away  captives.  In  April,  17S1,  the  last  of 
the  children,  three  boys,  Matthias,  Simon  and  Michael,  visited  a 
pigeon  roost  on  Stone  Coal  Creek,  where  passenger  pigeons  con- 
gregated in  vast  numbers.  (4)  4'his  was,  perhaps,  on  a  small 
stream,   known  as   "Pigeon   Rocjst,"   which,   however,   as  claimed 

(1)  See  pat'c  44S.  (2)  p.  44S.   (3)  p.  44,s.   (4)  p.  448. 


148  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

by  a  local  resident,  did  not  acquire  its  name  until  during  the  Civil 
War.  While  returning  to  the  fort,  they  were  fired  upon  by  the 
Indians;  Matthias  was  killed,  and  the  other  two  were  made  prison- 
ers. (5)  Thus,  within  two  years,  this  family  of  sixteen  was  entirely 
broken  up.  Nine  of  the  children  and  the  mother  were  killed,  five 
boys  were  swept  into  captivity,  while  the  father  disappeared  from 
the  annals  of  the  border.  (6)  There  were  many  such  instances  on 
the  frontier,  and  these  were  in  a  measure  responsible  for  such 
characters  as  Jesse  Hughes,  William  White,  John  Outright,  Lewis 
Wetzel  and  many  others.  According  to  Withers,  Leonard  "turned 
renegade,"  and  eight  years  after  his  capture  we  find  him  in  the 
Hacker's  Creek  settlement  in  the  role  of  an  Indian  warrior.  Pris- 
oners who  returned  from  the  Indian  country  reported  that  three 
of  the  brothers  had  turned  Indian  and  took  part  in  the  forays 
against  the  settlers.  (7) 

A  local  tradition  worthy  of  credence  accounts  for  the  two 
brothers,  John  and  Jacob,  so  completely  lost  sight  of.  They 
were  carried  away  when  the  family  was  massacred  and  were  held 
in  captivity  until  nearly  grown.  Then  they  escaped  under  the 
following  circumstances: 

The  lads  took  kindly  to  their  forest  life  and  often  accom- 
panied the  Indians  in  their  hunting  expeditions.  In  time  they 
were  entrusted  with  guns  and  a  limited  amount  of  ammunition, 
for  which  they  were  required  to  account  at  the  close  of  each  day's 
hunt.  After  determining  fully  to  attempt  an  escape  they  con- 
trived occasionally  to  conceal  a  small  quantity  of  ammunition. 
The  vigilance  of  the  Indians  was  such  that  after  several  weeks  they 
had  only  a  few  bullets  and  charges  of  powder  cached.  To  this 
they  added  a  supply  of  jerk,  and  one  morning  they  left  the  Indian 
encampment  for  the  ostensible  day's  hunt,  but  going  in  a  direction 
opposite  to  their  cache,  and  intended  retreat.  They  soon  changed 
their  course  and  after  securing  their  hoarded  supplies,  set  out  on 
their  long  journey  to  the  settlements,  following  a  well-beaten 
Indian  trail.  All  that  day  and  night  was  spent  in  travel.  The 
following  morning  found  the  fugitives  so  fatigued  that  rest  was 
a  necessity.  That  their  escape  had  been  discovered  and  they 
were  being  pursued  was  obvious,  but  the  wary  lads  baffled  their 
enemies  by  clever  stratagem. 

With  an  apparent  design  of  concealing  their  trail,  they  entered 
a  stream  along  which  they  had  been  traveling,  and  wading  up  its 

(5)  See  page  448.   (6)  p.  448.   (7)  p.  449. 


Border  Settlers  oi   Nurhiwestern  \  ir(,ima  149 

bed  for  some  distance,  then  doubled  and  carefully  passed  down 
the  creek  and  gained  the  shore  far  below  where  they  had  left  it. 
In  traveling  up  the  stream  they  were  careful  to  leave  an  occasional 
light  footprint,  or  other  signs  by  which  they  could  be  trailed,  hut 
when  retracing  they  avoided  everything  whereby  the  ruse  might 
be  detected. 

In  a  secluded  place,  they  slept  for  several  hours;  then  moved 
farther  and  secreted  themselves  in  a  cavern  in  a  bluff  commanding 
a  good  view  of  the  trail,  where  the_\'  kept  constanth'  on  the  look- 
out. Towards  sundown,  a  small  band  of  Indians  passed  in  pur- 
suit. The  following  evening,  the  baffled  warriors  repassed  on 
their  return  home.  That  night  the  b()\-s  continued  their  flight, 
making  a  detour  and  striking  the  trail  several  miles  ahead.  Dur- 
ing their  entire  journey  they  exercised  the  greatest  caution,  never 
camping  near  the  path,  nor  did  they  kill  any  game. 

In  due  time,  they  reached  one  of  the  settlements,  supposedly 
\\  est's  Fort.  As  they  approached,  they  narrowly  escaped  being 
hred  upon  by  some  of  the  settlers  who  mistook  them  for  Indians. 
The  lads  held  their  reversed  guns  aloft  and  made  other  demonstra- 
tions of  peace,  when  they  were  received.  They  made  known  the 
story  of  their  captivit\'  and  escape,  and  afterwards  proceeded  to 
the  W'appatomaka,  where  it  seems  that  their  father  had  gone  some- 
time after  the  destruction  of  his  family. 

Nothing  is  known  of  John  after  his  return  from  captivit)-. 
Leonard,  Simon  and  jMichael  always  remained  with  the  Indians. 

Jacob  married  a  Miss  Parsons,  a  daughter  of  Charles  Parsons, 
who  was  killed  b}'  Indians  while  descending  Shade  River  in  Ohio. 
Their  children  were  Aaron,  James,  John,  Alary,  Ann  and  Permelia. 
.Aaron  settled  in  Gilmer  County,  (West)  \'irginia,  and  was  a  noted 
hunter.  He  killed  the  last  wolf  seen  in  that  region.  This  wolf,  a 
lonely  survivor  of  his  race,  had  taken  refuge  in  a  secluded  retreat 
known  as  "The  Devil's  Den,"  and  had  succeeded  in  eluding  the 
best  hunters  and  dogs  of  the  surrounding  countr\\  Schoolcraft 
eventually  outwitted  the  wary  animal  and  took  his  scalp. 

My  father,  when  a  boy  and  carrying  the  mail  through  Gilmer 
County  in  the  early  forties,  witnessed  a  tight  between  this  nimrod's 
two  dogs  and  a  yearling  bear;  which,  being  chased,  had  taken 
refuge  in  a  tree.  Schoolcraft,  who  was  hunting  his  cattle,  was 
without  a  gun,  and  he  struck  bruin  with  a  rock,  causing  him  to 
drop   to  the  ground   where  he  was  immediateh'   set   upon   hv   tiie 


150  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

dogs.  They  were  well  trained  and  knew  their  business.  One 
seized  the  bear  by  the  side  of  the  head  while  the  other  fastened 
onto  its  ham;  holding  themselves  in  such  position  that  the  quarry 
could  get  at  them  with  neither  tooth  nor  paw.  But  Schoolcraft 
fearing  that  the  bear  might  tear  loose  and  disable  the  dogs,  dis- 
patched it  with  his  knife.  Aaron  Schoolcraft  moved  to  Spruce 
Creek,  Ritchie  County  (West),  Virginia,  in  1852. 

There  was  a  William  Schoolcraft  on  the  Upper  West  Fork 
River  in  an  early  day.  He  was  a  son  of  one  of  the  pioneer  School- 
crafts,  and  was  a  schoolteacher  and  a  noted  hunter.  He  had  been 
trained  in  the  superstitions  of  the  border,  and  told  weird  stories 
of  the  woods.  One  was  his  own  experience  with  the  ''''Phantom 
DeerT  This  ghostly  denizen  of  the  Monongahela  and  Little  Kan- 
awha wilderness  had  often  been  seen  and  unwittingly  fired  at  by  the 
old  hunters.    I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  John  Strange  Hall  for  the  story. 

Mr.  Schoolcraft  stated  that  while  hunting  one  day,  he  saw 
a  large  buck  standing  on  a  point,  or  narrow  ridge,  beyond  a  deep 
gulch  that  separated  him  from  it.  The  range  was  long,  but  there 
was  no  way  of  a  closer  approach  without  alarming  the  game.  The 
hunter  was  a  dead  shot,  and  determined  to  fire  from  where  he 
stood.  He  did  so,  and  was  surprised  to  find  that  the  deer  remained 
motionless.  He  repeated  the  shot,  with  the  same  result.  Cha- 
grined at  his  failure,  he  again  took  careful  and  deliberate  aim,  and 
at  the  report  of  his  rifle,  the  deer  vanished.  Reloading  his  gun, 
he  went  to  where  the  deer  had  stood,  but  the  most  careful  search 
failed  to  reveal  any  signs  of  the  game.  The  deep  snow  lay  smooth 
and  unbroken  by  track  or  trail.  Thinking  that  he  might  be  mis- 
taken in  the  location,  he  went  back  to  the  place  from  which  he  had 
fired,  and  placing  his  feet  in  his  former  tracks,  he  could  see  his 
trail  in  the  snow  to  where  the  deer  had  stood.  He  now  knew  that 
he  had  been  firing  at  the  ""Phantom  Deer."  A  strange  uncanny 
feeling  crept  over  the  hunter;  he  hastened  away,  and  hunted  no 
more  that  day.  (8) 

The  following  is  the  declaration  of  one  John  Schoolcraft  for 
pension  as  Revolutionary  soldier:  It  covers  some  of  the  most 
stirring  incidents  in  the  border  strife,  and  I  give  it  unabridged. 

"Lewis  County 
Virginia 

"On  this  2Sth  day  of  July,  1833,  personally  appeared  in  open  court  before  the 
Justice   of   the    County  Court   of    Lewis  Co.,  now    sitting,   John  Schoolcraft    a 


(8)  See  page  449. 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia  151 

resident  of    Freeman's  Cr.,  in  Lewis    Co.,  V'a.,  aged    76    years,   who    being    first 
duly  sworn,  etc. 

"In  the  month  of  February  near  the  last  of  that  month  in  the  year  1777,  in 
the  county  of  Ohio,  he  volunteered  under  Capt.  Bilderbock  as  an  Indian  spy,  and 
from  Hollidays  Fort  he  traversed  the  counties  bordering  on  the  Ohio  r.  from 
Wheeling  fort  to  Ft.  Pitt  watching  the  approach  of  the  savage  enemy  and  notify- 
ing the  garrisons  at  Boilings,  Hollidays,  Wheeling  Ft.  etc.,  of  threatened  danger 
of  the  Indians,  but  notwithstanding  all  the  vigilance  of  the  Indian  spies,  the  frontier 
settlements  in  the  counties  of  Yahogany,  Ohio  and  Monongalia  suffered  severely 
by  the  desultory  warfare  of  the  Savages.  About  September  1  of  this  year  a 
body  of  about  400  Indian  warriors  lay  in  ambush  near  Ft.  Wheeling  showing 
a  few  of  their  warriors  only  to  the  Garrison.  A  few  men  under  Captain  Mason  and 
Ogal  marched  out  from  the  Ft.  to  attack  them  and  soon  found  themselves  enclosed 
by  a  savage  body  of  Indians  and  nearly  every  man  perished  except  Capt.  Mason 
and  Capt.  Ogal,  the  former  of  whom  was  badly  wounded.  The  Indians  led  on 
by  Simon  Girty  immediately  after  appeared  before  the  Ft.  threatening  its 
destruction.  Intelligence  of  this  invasion  soon  reached  Holliday  and  Boilings 
Forts  and  declarent  under  command  of  Capt.  Bilderbock  and  Col.  Swearingen 
with  a  few  men  who  volunteered,  embarked  in  a  large  canoe  and  proceeded  during 
the  night  down  the  Ohio  r.  About  daybreak  [they]  discovered  the  little 
village  of  Wheeling  on  fire.  (9)  After  precautionary  measures  disembarked 
and  finding  the  enemy  had  abandoned  the  siege  proceeded  to  the  ground  where 
Mason  and  Ogal's  companies  were  slain,  found  them  cruelly  mangled;  buried  them 
and  soon  after  returned  to  Hollidays  Ft.  and  resumed  his  business  of  spying 
through  the  counties  aforesaid,  which  lie  continued  until  Dec.  1,  1777;  was  then 
dismissed  having  served  nine  mos.  as  an  Indian  spy  under  the  immediate  com- 
mand of  Capt.  Bilderbock,  subject  to  the  orders  of  Col.  Andrea  Swearingen.  During 
this  year's  service  he  became  acquainted  with  Cols.  Swearingen,  Shepherd,  and 
Gane  (?)  (10)  who  commanded  at  Ft.  Pitt,  and  CoJ.  David  W^illlamson  who 
commanded  at  Ft.  Red  Stone  in  Washington  Co.,  Pa.  In  the  spring  he  believes 
about  the  last  of  Feb.  or  Mar.  1  in  the  year  1778,  he  again  volunteered  as  an 
Indian  spy  at  the  said  Hollidays  ft.  under  the  command  of  the  said  Bilderbock, 
was  engaged  during  the  spring  and  summer  and  fall  of  this  year  in  spying  in 
the  said  country  which  now  compose  the  counties  of  Ohio,  Brooke  and  Washing- 
ton. He  also  made  several  excursions  on  the  n.  w.  side  of  the  Ohio.  An  expedi- 
tion was  made  under  Genl.  Mcintosh  into  the  Indian  towns  of  Muskingdon  and 
prevented  them  from  carrying  on  their  savage  warfare  as  in  the  year  '77.  Genl. 
Mcintosh  this  year  built  and  garrisoned  Ft.  Mcintosh  at  the  mouth  of  Big 
Beaver  Cr.  and  Fort  Lawrence  [Fort  Laurens]  on  the  Tuscarora  [Tuscarawas]  R., 
the  latter  visited  in  the  beginning  of  winter  in  this  year  '78  found  it  garrisoned  with 
a  few  hundred  men  commanded  by  Col.  Gibson.  Toward  the  last  of  December  '78, 
the  danger  from  incursions  of  the  Indians  ceasing,  declarent  was  again  dismissed, 
having  served  nine  mos.  as  an  Indian  spy  as  a  private.  In  the  month  of  April, 
1779,  he  again  entered  the  service  of  the  U.  S.  as  an  Indian  spy  by  order  of  Col. 
Zane  under  command  of  Capt.  Mason  and  from  the  fort  at  Wheeling  spied  through 
the  whole  country  bordering  on  the  Ohio,  now  Ohio,  Brooke  and  Tyler  Cos., 
and  also  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Ohio,  and  on  Nov.  30,  1779,  was  dismissed, 
served  this  year  seven  months  as  a  private  Indian  spy.     In  June  1780  he  again 

(9)  See  page  450.  (10)  p.  450. 


152  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

volunteered  under  Capt.  Mason,  marched  from  Wheeling  to  Ft.  Pitt,  there  joined 
the  regulars  under  Capt.  Broadhead,  was  from  thence  marched  up  the  Allegany 
;r.  to  its  fork,  then  up  the  North  fork  thereof  to  the  Munsie  Towns;  destroyed 
their  towns,  their  corn,  and  cut  off  a  party  of  warriors  that  were  on  their  march  to 
"Westmoreland  Co.,  then  retraced  their  steps  to  Ft.  Pitt,  from  thence  counter- 
inarched  to  Wheeling  where  he  believes  in  the  last  of  August  a  large  force  under 
•Col.  Broadhead,  Col.  Zane,  and  Col.  Shepherd  rendezvoused,  soon  afterwards 
inarched  toward  the  Indian  villages  in  the  forks  of  Muskingdon  River,  arrived 
at  White  [Eyes]  plains  towards  the  last  of  September,  here  discovered  2  Indians, 
fired  at  and  wounded  them,  pushed  on  rapidly  to  Coshocton,  took  it  by  surprise, 
was  in  consequence  of  a  great  rise  in  the  Coshocton  prevented  from  penetrating 
farther  into  the  Indian  settlements,  destroyed  their  village  and  corn  and  then 
returned  to  Wheeling  where  he  arrived  in  November  1780.  (11)  Served  in  the 
campaign  up  the  Allegheny  to  Coshocton  under  Capt.  Mason  and  Col.  Zane,  was 
in  Nov.  discharged,  having  served  five  months  as  a  private  volunteered  in 
the  militia  of  Ohio  Co. 

"In  the  year  1781  declarent  moved  to  Monongalia  County.  In  the  spring 
1782  volunteered  under  Capt.  Christopher  Carpenter  as  an  Indian  spy,  ranged 
the  country  from  McCans  Ft.  on  the  west  fork  river,  where  he  was  stationed,. 
to  the  Ohio  through  the  country  now  composing  the  counties  of  Harrison,  Lewis, 
Wood  and  Tyler,  was  on  the  last  of  Nov.  1782,  dismissed,  having  served  not 
less  than  seven  mos.  as  a  private  Indian  spy. 

"In  the  spring  1783  he  was  engaged  as  an  Indian  spy,  served  under  Capt. 
Carpenter  at  McCans  Ft.  until  peace  was  declared  and  for  many  years  afterwards, 
but  which  is  not  necessary  here  to  mention.  In  the  Rev.  War  he  served 
as  an  Indian  spy  including  the  campaign  to  the  Munsie  and  Coshocton  villages 
more  than  three  years.  He  has  no  documentary  evidence  by  which  to  prove  his 
services  and  knows  of  no  person  living  whose  testimony  he  can  procure  to  prove 
same.  He  was  born  near  Moorefield  in  Hampshire,  now  Hardy  County,  Va., 
on  Feb.  13,  1757,  lived  there  until  the  year  1774,  when  he  moved  to  West 
Augusta,  now  Ohio  [County],  lived  in  Ohio  [County]  until  the  year  1781,  then 
moved  to  the  west  fork  of  Monongahela  r.  in  Alonongalia,  afterwards  Harrison^ 
now  Lewis  Co.,  Va.,  has  lived  in  Lewis  ever  since. 

hie 

(Signed)  John  X  Schoolcraft" 

mark 

Then  followed  a  short  statement  vouching  for  Schoolcraft, 
signed  by  P.  McCan  and  James  Brown. 

In  1834,  W.  G.  Singleton,  Special  Pension  Agent,  investigated 
Schoolcraft's  case  and  gave  the  following  report: 

"Christopher  Nutter  aged  74,  John  Reger  aged  66,  William  Powers  aged  70, 
John  Neely  and  Nicholas  Carpenter  have  all  known  John  Schoolcraft  from  a  boy 
and  concur  in  saying,  that  he  is  too  young  by  many  years  to  have  been  in  the 
war  of  the  Rev.  (12) 

Respectfully  reported, 
July  1834.  W.  G.  Singleton,  S.  Agent." 

(11)  See  page  450.  (12)  p.  451. 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  \'ircini.\  153 

B\'  rcferrint,'  to  the  border  annals,  it  will  he  toiind  that  School- 
craft is  very  correct  in  regard  to  the  time  and  places  of  the  events 
referred  to  in  his  declaration,  which  bears  on  its  face  the  impress 
of  truth,  llis  dates  are  not  so  nearl\-  cimfused  as  in  man\-  of  the 
printed  records. 

Wheeling,  or  Port  llcnr\-,  pla\ed  an  important  part  in  the 
Rcx-i'lution.  Of  the  two  notable  sieges  which  it  withstood,  unfor- 
tunately the  greatest  chaos  prevails.  There  are  fanciful  descrip- 
tions of  events  connected  with  its  investments  which  really  never 
did  occur.  (13)  If'ithers,  as  a  recognized  authority,  is  largely 
responsible  for  this;  and  now  it  appears  as  though  he  derived  much 
of  his  information  from  traditions  in  the  Zane  family.  I'he 
renowned  defense  of  his  cabin  b_\-  Col.  h'.benezer  Zane  and  his  few 
followers,  and  the  "gun  powder"  exploit  by  Elizabeth  Zane,  or 
Molly  Scott,  or  both,  has  been  attributed  to  both  of  the  sieges. 
The  preference  is  with  that  of  1782.  Dellass,  McKnight  and  others 
favor  this  date,  while  Albach  is  only  one  of  many  who  agrees  with 
Lossing  that  these  events  took  place  in  the  siege  of  1777.  (14)  Of 
the  siege  of  1782,  which  was  the  last  engagement  of  the  Revolu- 
tion where  the  British  Hag  was  in  evidence,  Ifithcrs,  (15)  in  part, 
says: 

"In  the  first  of  September,  Jt)lin  l,\iiii  (a  celebrated  spy  and  the  same  who 
had  been  with  Capt.  Foreman  at  the  time  of  the  fatal  ambuscade  at  Grave  cr.), 
being  engaged  in  watching  the  warriors  paths,  northwest  of  the  Ohio,  discovered 
the  Indians  marching  with  great  expedition  for  Wheeling,  and  hastening  to  warn 
the  inhabitants  of  the  danger  which  was  threatening  them,  swam  the  river,  and 
reached  the  village,  but  a  little  while  before  the  savage  army  made  its  appearance. 
The  fort  was  at  this  time  without  any  regular  garrison,  and  depended  for  defense 
exclusively  on  the  exertions  of  those  who  sought  security  within  its  walls.  The 
brief  space  of  time  which  elapsed  between  the  alarm  by  Lynn,  and  the  arrival 
of  the  Indians,  permitted  only  those  who  were  immediately  present  to  retire  into 
it,  and  when  the  attack  was  begun  to  be  made,  there  were  not  within  its  palisades, 
twenty  effective  men  to  oppose  the  assault.  The  dwelling  house  of  Col.  Ebenezer 
Zane,  standing  about  forty  yards  from  the  fort,  contained  the  military  stores 
which  had  been  furnished  by  the  government  of  Virginia;  and  as  it  was  admirably 
situated  as  an  outpost  from  which  to  annoy  the  savages  in  their  onsets,  he  resolved 
on  maintaining  possession  of  it,  as  well  to  aid  in  the  defense  of  the  fort,  as  for  the 
preservation  of  the  ammunition.  Andrew  Scott,  George  Green,  Mrs.  Zane,  Molly 
Scott  and  Miss  McCullough,  were  all  who  remained  with  him.  The  kitchen 
adjoining  was  occupied  by  Sam  (a  negro  belonging  to  Col.  Zane)  and  Kate,  his 
wife. — Col.  Silas  Zane  commanded  in  the  fort.  *  *  * 

"When  Lynn  gave  the  alarm  that  an  Indian  army  was  approaching,  the 
fort  for  some  time  having  been  unoccupied  by  a  garrison,  and  Col.  Zane's  house 

(U)  See  page  451.  (14)  p.  451.  (15)  p.  451. 


154  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

being  used  as  a  magazine,  those  who  retired  into  the  fortress  had  to  take  with 
them  a  supply  of  ammunition  for  its  defense.  The  supply  of  powder,  deemed 
ample  at  the  time,  by  reason  of  the  long  continuance  of  the  savages,  and  the  repeated 
endeavors  made  by  them  to  storm  the  fort,  was  almost  entirely  exhausted,  a  few 
loads  only  remaining.  In  this  emergency  it  became  necessary  to  replenish  their 
stock  from  the  abundance  of  that  article  in  Col.  Zane's  house.  *  *  *  " 

Withers^  story  of  Elizabeth  Zane's  successful  run  from  the 
fort  to  her  brother's  house  to  bring  powder  for  the  garrison,  and 
the  more  plausible  claim  that  the  heroine  was  Alolly  Scott,  w^hose 
family  was  in  the  Zane  cabin,  who  ran  to  the  fort  to  bring  powder 
from  the  magazine  store  room,  is  here  omitted  as  having  no  direct 
connection  with  the  present  narrative.  (16)  Although  the  descent 
of  the  Indian  Army  was  swift,  it  would  appear  from  the  foregoing 
that  Col.  Zane  with  only  three  men  and  four  women,  including 
the  slave  man  and  his  wife,  remained  in  his  cabin  from  choice; 
and  that  such  action  was  necessary  for  the  protection  of  the  mili- 
tary supplies  stored  there.  It  is  hard  to  conceive  why  an  abun- 
dance of  ammunition  should  be  kept  in  this  isolated  and  weakly 
garrisoned  dwelling,  while  the  fort  was  so  scantily  supplied  with 
this  most  essential  means  of  defense.  It  is  not  reasonable  that 
such  disposition  was  deliberately  planned  by  men  with  the  experi- 
ence of  the  Zanes;  but  was  rather  the  result  of  surprise.  This  view 
is  strengthened  when  we  consider  that  there  were  not  to  exceed 
twenty  men  at  the  fort,  and  that  the  Indian  force  was  known  to 
be  great.  About  three  o'clock  that  afternoon  the  trail  of,  sup- 
posedly, two  hundred  warriors  had  been  discovered  near  the  fort, 
and  Capt.  John  Boggs  was  immediately  sent  to  alarm  the  settlers 
and  bring  re-enforcements.  Added  to  this  the  fact  that  the  walls 
of  the  stockade  were  not  in  condition  to  withstand  a  heavy  assault, 
it  certainly  appears  very  unmilitary  to  have  divided  the  strength 
of  the  defense  by  retaining  possession  of  the  outstanding  cabin. 
Capt.  Boggs  had  not  proceeded  more  than  one  mile  and  a  half 
before  he  heard  the  boom  of  the  fortress  swivel  gun  and  the  sound 
of  a  rifle,  attesting  that  the  attack  had  begun.  Soon  after  his 
departure,  Ebenezer  AlcColloch  on  his  way  from  VanMeter's 
Fort  on  Short  Creek,  had  reached  within  half  a  mile  of  Wheeling 
when  he  was  deterred  from  venturing  nearer  by  the  heavy  firing 
around  that  stockade.  (17)  The  report  of  Col.  Zane  himself 
denotes  with  what  rapidity  the  enemy  moved. 


(16)  See  page  451.  (17)  p.  451. 


Border  Settlers  ov  Xorthw  estern  \  irginia  155 

'Wheeling,  September  17,  17X2. 
Sir: — 

*'0n  the  evening  of  the  lltli  instant,  a  body  of  the  enemy  appeared  in  sight 
of  our  garrison.  They  immediately  formed  their  lines  round  the  garrison,  paraded 
British  colors,  and  demanded  the  fort  to  be  surrendered,  which  Was  refused.  About 
twelve  o'clock  at  night  they  rushed  hard  on  the  pickets  in  order  to  storm,  but  were 
repulsed.    They  made  two  other  attempts  to  storm  before  day,  but  to  no  purpose. 

"About  S  o'clock  next  morning,  there  came  a  negro  from  them  to  us  and 
informed  us  that  their  force  consisted  of  a  British  captain  and  forty  regular  soldiers 
and  two  hundred  and  sixty  Indians.  The  enemy  kept  a  continual  fire  the  whole 
day.  About  ten  o'clock  at  night,  they  made  a  fourth  attempt  to  storm  to  no 
better  purpose  than  the  former.  The  enemy  continued  around  the  garrison  until 
the  morning  of  the  13th  instant,  when  they  disappeared.  Our  loss  is  none. 
Daniel  Sullivan,  who  arrived  here  in  the  first  of  the  action,  is  wounded  in  the  foot. 

"  I  believe  they  have  driven  the  greatest  part  of  our  stock  away,  and  might. 
1   think,  be  soon  overtaken." 

(Col.  Ebenezer  Zane  to  Irvine.)  (18) 

But  the  strongest  evidence  that  the  inmates  of  Zane's  cabin 
did  not  remain  from  choice,  is  that  contained  in  the  declaration 
for  pension,  of  one  of  its  defenders,  Robert  Scott.  While  Scott 
gives  the  date  of  the  siege  (as  remembered)  1778,  and  the  house 
that  of  "Lane,"  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  was  the  siege  in 
question,  whether  1777,  or  1782;  and  that  Lane  appears  instead 
of  Zane,  through  a  misunderstanding  of  the  recorder.  Scott's 
declaration  was  given  in  Cjallatin  County,  Kentucky,  and  is  of 
such  moment  that  I  give  it  unabridged  and  in  the  original. 

"On  October  15,  183.3,  personally  appeared  before  me,  etc.,  Robert  Scott 
aged  69  years,  who  upon  oath  makes  the  following  statement:  That  he  entered 
the  U.  S.  service  under  the  following  named  officers  and  served  as  herein  stated, 
that  is  to  say  in  very  early  times  his  father  moved  from  Pa.  where  declarent 
was  born,  to  the  fort  at  Wheeling  in  Va.  and  carried  declarent  and  family  with 
him,  that  he  continued  at  said  fort  until  early  in  the  spring  of  1781,  that  whilst 
he  was  at  the  fort  at  Wheeling  the  Indians  were  very  troublesome,  and  during 
the  Rev.  War  the  said  fort  was  attacked  whilst  the  declarent  was  there  on  two 
different  occasions.  Upon  the  last  occasion,  deponent  thinks  it  was  in  1778,  there 
were  only  about  15  persons  in  this  fort  and  declarent  was  in  the  house  of  Mr. 
Lanes  with  his  family,  just  on  the  outside  of  the  fort,  and  the  descent  of  the 
Indians  was  so  sudden  and  unexpected  that  the  persons  in  the  house  were 
compelled  to  remain  in  it  and  make  the  best  defense  they  could;  he  states  he 
assisted  in  its  defense  actively  and  the  siege  of  the  house  and  fort  continued 
about  three  days,  and  the  Indians  retired  without  taking  either.  That  although  he 
was  quite  a  boy  at  the  time,  his  services  continued  to  be  required  to  assist  in 
defense  of  the  place  and  frontier  immediately  adjoining  until  he  moved  from 
there  in  the  spring  1781, — that  he  was  not  idle  nor  indeed  could  he  be,  for  self- 

(18)  See  page  451. 


156  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

preservation  required  the  utmost  vigilance  of  all.  He  states  that  in  Mar.,  1781, 
as  well  as  he  remembers,  having  moved  from  Wheeling  to  Jefferson  Co.,  Ky., 
he  entered  the  service  of  the  U.  S.  as  a  private  volunteer  soldier  under  Capt.  Floyd 
at  Floyd's  station  on  Bear  Grass  in  Jefferson  Co.,  Ky.,  and  he  there  remained 
as  a  part  of  the  garrison  of  the  fort  at  that  place  from  the  month  of  Mar.  1781 
till  Aug.  1781,  embracing  a  period  of  five  months,  during  all  which  time  he  served 
faithfully  as  a  part  of  the  garrison  of  that  place  and  in  scouting  parties  against 
the  Indians. 

"He  further  declares  that  in  Aug.  1781,  he  again  entered  the  U.  S.  service 
as  a  private  volunteer  soldier  upon  a  tour  of  six  months  in  Capt.  Floyd's  Company 
and  joined  Genl.  Clarke  at  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  upon  an  expedition  to  Vincennes, 
that  he  marched  with  the  troops  upon  said  expedition  and  continued  with' them 
until  his  return,  actively  engaged  in  the  service  and  upon  the  return  of  the  expedi- 
tion to  the  falls  of  Ohio  he  there  was  kept  in  garrison  till  the  expiration  of  his 
said  term  of  service;  he  then  returned  to  Floyd's  Station  where  he  was  again  im- 
mediately enrolled  under  Capt.  Floyd  as  a  part  of  the  garrison  of  that  place 
where  he  continued  under  Capt.  Floyd  actively  employed  against  the  Indians 
until  Dec,  1782,  that  he  was  engaged  in  many  skirmishes  and  scouting 
parties  against  them  during  his  service  and  encountered  much  hardship,  difficulty 
and  fatigue  and  danger,  and  that  in  the  year  1782  he  served  as  above  named  after 
the  expiration  of  tour  under  Genl.  Clarke  no  less  than  nine  months.  (19) 

"He  continued  at  the  fort  at  Floyd's  Station  during  the  winter  1782  and 
spring  1783,  and  that  in  April  1783  he  was  again  enrolled  under  Capt.  Floyd  as 
a  volunteer  soldier  and  continued  at  the  said  fort  as  a  part  of  its  garrison  not  less 
than  six  months  ending  in  Oct.  1783,  that  there  was  not  as  much  disturbance 
during  the  year  1783  from  the  Indians  as  there  was  the  preceding  year,  but  that 
his  services  were  as  unremittant  during  this  year  as  any  other  year. 

"He  states  that  during  the  Revolution  he  was  young  and  he  is  now  old  and 
his  memory  does  not  serve  him  in  relation  to  the  minute  circumstances  of  his 
service,  but  he  knows  he  did  not  serve  as  a  private  soldier  against  the  Indians 
in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  less  than  26  months,  and  for  that  service  he  claims 
pension.  He  states  that  he  has  no  documentary  evidence  and  that  he  knows 
of  no  person  who  can  testify  to  his  services. 

(Signed)   Robert  Scott." 

"John  Foster  and  Frederick  Coghill  testified  that  Scott  was 
reHable  and  believed  by  the  neighborhood  to  have  been  in  the 
Revolutionary  War. 

In  all  his  enlistments  Scott  was  a  volunteer.  After  going  to 
Kentucky,  he  lived  in  Jefferson  County,  in  the  midst  of  Indian 
troubles  for  about  ten  years  and  then  moved  to  Henry  County, 
same  State,  where  he  resided  for  about  six  years.  Then  he  went 
to  Gallatin  County,  where  he  still  resided  in  1833.  He  was  granted 
a  pension  of  330.00  a  year.     Born  in  Pennsylvania,  1764. 


(19)  See  page  452. 


CHAPTFR  XIV 


W'c  come  again  to  a  period  of  several  years,  in  which  we  hear 
nothing  of  Jesse  Hughes.  This,  however,  is  true  of  many  of  his 
noted  contemporaries  during  the  same  interval. 

Jesse  Hughes  went  hunting  for  service  berries  near  his  home 
on  Hacker's  Creek,  and  at  the  same  time,  two  Indians  were  hunt- 
ing for  Jesse.  Finding  a  tree  loaded  with  berries,  he  was  soon 
ensconced  among  its  branches  regaling  himself  with  the  delicious 
fruit;  when  suddenly  two  warriors  appeared  under  the  tree  and 
exultingly  exclaimed  that  they  "had  him,"  and  laughing  at  his 
predicament,  called  to  him  to  "come  down,  give  up;  Injun  no 
hurt."  Realizing  that  he  was  trapped,  and  in  order  to  gain  time 
to  formulate  some  plan  of  escape,  he  effected  a  nonchalant  air, 
and  requested  that  they  would  allow  him  to  eat  a  few  more  berries 
before  descending.  At  the  same  time  he  began  to  break  oiT  small 
branches  ladened  with  berries  and  toss  them  to  his  captors.  The 
Indians,  desiring  to  take  him  prisoner,  and  wishing  to  show  their 
good  intentions  towards  him,  complied,  and  were  soon  enjoying 
the  rich  fruit.  The  tree  stood  on  the  brow  of  a  steep  bluff,  or 
deep  gully,  and  Jesse,  with  ever}'  faculty  alert,  cautiously  and 
slowly  drew  the  Indians  away  from  the  tree  by  skillfull}'  dropping 
the  branches  further  and  further  down  the  declivity.  At  last 
getting  them  as  far  awa}'  as  possible  or  prudence  would  allow,  he 
suddenly  leaped  from  the  tree,  landing  in  an  opposite  direction. 
Before  the  astonished  braves  could  fire  upon  him,  Jesse  had  van- 
ished like  a  flash  over  the  brow  of  the  bluff,  and  was  soon  lost  to 
sight  in  the  deep  forest.  The  Indians,  knowing  from  experience 
the  utter  futility  of  pursuit,  made  no  attempt  to  recapture  him. 

A  Mrs.  Straley,  who  lived  near  West's  Fort,  related  that 
when  she  was  a  little  girl  she  went  to  hunt  some  sheep  that  had 
strayed  from  home,  and  getting  lost  on  the  West  Fork,  she 
remained  all  night  alone  in  the  wilderness.  Next  morning,  get- 
ting her  bearings,  she  started  home,  and  met  fesse  searching  for 
her. 

Somewhere  on  the  waters  of  the  West  Fork  River,  two 
Indians  were  tired  upon  by  the  settlers,  and  one  killed.  The 
other  badly  wounded,  made  off.     A  part}-  went  in  pursuit,  and 


158 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


found  him  lying  in  a  tangle 
of  brush.  As  they  ap- 
proached, he  greeted  them 
kindly,  and  the  men  were 
inclined  to  mercy,  but  Jesse 
Hughes  who  came  up  a  little 
later,  tomahawked  and 
scalped  the  helpless  warrior, 
accompanying  his  work 
with  many  profane  exple- 
tives. This  was  a  distinct 
incident  from  the  Morgan- 
Indian  tragedy  at  Pricket's 
Fort  in  1779,  referred  to 
elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

It  was  during  this  pe- 
riod that  Jesse  went  very 
early  one  morning,  to  bring 
in  a  horse  which  had  been 
in  a  pasture  some  distance 
from  his  cabin. 
He  arrived  at  the  edge  of  the  field  just  as  day  was 
breaking.  Ever  cautious,  the  wary  scout  paused  to  reconnoi- 
ter  the  premises  before  venturing  into  the  open.  Peering 
through  his  leafy  screen,  Jesse  saw  his  horse,  a  spirited  black,  flying 
across  the  field  pursued  by  a  young  Indian.  The  scout,  who  had 
on  more  than  one  occasion  measured  speed  and  endurance  with 
fleet-footed  warriors,  was  amazed  and  startled  to  see  this  Indian 
outstrip  the  frantic  steed.  But,  owing  to  the  dread  in  which  the 
horse  of  the  white  man  held  Indians,  this  wild  runner  could  not 
seize  or  fasten  upon  the  coveted  prize.  It  was  yet  too  dark  for 
Hughes  to  use  his  rifle  with  any  degree  of  accuracy.  So,  from,  his 
place  of  concealment,  he  watched  this  chase  in  the  dusk  of  the 
departing  night.  But  the  day  grew,  and  soon  the  silence  was 
broken  by  the  crash  of  the  scout's  deadly  rifle,  and  before  the 
answering  echoes  had  ceased  to  reverberate  through  the  valley, 
the  swiftest  runner  of  the  Monongahela  was  lying  still  in  death. 

One  cannot  but  feel  regret  at  the  tragic  death  of  this  bronzed 
athlete,  who  was  seemingly  alone  and  bent  on  no  bloody  designs 


Indian  Spring 
Photographed  by  Mr.  Percy  E.  Lawson,  1906 


BoRDKR  Settlers  ok  Nortiiw  i:sii;r.\  X'irgima 


159 


against   the   st-tt Icmciil 
nierelv  come 


IJke    the    untamed    llighlander,    he   liaJ 


"To  spoil  the  spoiler  as  we  may, 
And  from  the  robber  rend  tlic  prey." 


He  was  apparent!}'  tr}'ing  to  collect  in  his  own  way  the  poor 
tithe  regarded  as  justly  his  from  the  robber-like  usurpers  of  his 
country. 

Indians  sometimes  came  into  the  settlement  alone.  It  was 
not  uncommon  for  a  young  brave  to  go  singly  in  quest  of  horses  or 
scalps.  If  successful,  his  reputation  as  a  warrior  was  assured.  I 
have  often  heard  the  northwestern  tribes  narrate  incidents  of  this 
nature.  The  one  shot  through  the  shoulder  by  West  in  the  held 
just  st)ulh  of  the  old  Henry  McW  horter  cabin,  near  "Beech  Fort," 
(1)  was  a  straggler  of  this  kind.  This  Indian,  badly  wounded 
made  off,  and  as  was  afterwards  learned  by  following  his  trail,  he 
stopped  at  a  spring  on  the  hillside,  on  what  is  now  the  Nicholas 
Alkire  farm,  about  two  miles  up  Hacker's  Creek,  near  the  mouth 
of  Life's  Run,  and  bathed  his  wound. 

This  spring  has  since  been  known  as  Indian  Spring.  After 
dressing  his  wound,  the  Indian  went  perhaps  a  mile  further,  and 
crept  into  a  cleft  in  the  rocks,  where  his  dead  hod}-  was  afterwards 
found.  This  ridge-cliff,  known  as 
"Indian  Rock,"  is  on  the  farm 
now  owned  b}^  Jesse  Lawson,  on 
Life's  Run,  a  branch  of  Hacker's 
Creek. 

The  settlers  on  the  upper 
waters  of  the  IMonongahela  often 
went  in  canoes  and  flat-boats  to 
Fort  Pitt,  where  they  exchanged 
skins,  furs,  jerked  venison,  and 
other  products  of  the  wilderness 
for  ammunition  and  necessaries. 
Jesse  Hughes  and  Henr}'  McW  hor- 
ter  made  a  trip  together.  One 
da}-  the}-  jnit  ashore  where  a 
number  of  children  were  pla}'ing.  Anoihir  \  ii;\v  of  Indian  Spring 
among   them     a     little   Indian    bo}-.  IMiotograplied  I'^IO 


(1)  See  pape  452. 


160 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


The  incident  which  followed    I    will  give    in    McWhorter's   own 
words. 

"The  instant  that  Jesse  caught  sight  of  the  little  Indian  boy 
his  face  blazed  with  hatred.  I  saw  the  devil  flash  in  his  eye,  as 
feigning  great  good  humor,  he  called  out,  'Children,  don't  you 
want  to  take  a  boat  ride.'"     Pleased  with  a  prospective  glide  over 


Indian  Rock — Looking  East 
Photographed  1910 


the  still  waters  of  the  Alonongahela,  one  and  all  came  running 
towards  the  boat.  Perceiving  Hughes'  cunning  ruse  to  get  the 
little  Indian  into  his  clutches,  I  picked  up  an  oar,  and  gruffly 
ordering  the  children  away,  quickly  shoved  the  boat  from  the 
bank.  When  safely  away,  I  turned  to  Hughes  and  said,  'Now, 
Jesse,  ain't  you  ashamed.'"  'What  have  I  done.'"  he  sullenly 
asked.  'What  have  you  done.''  why,  you  intended  to  kill  that 
little  Indian  boy.  I  saw  it  in  your  every  move  and  look,  the 
moment  you  got  sight  of  the  little  fellow\'  'Yes,'  he  said,  'I 
intended  when  we  got  into  mid-stream  to  stick  ray  knife  in  him 
and  throw  him  overboard.'  When  I  remonstrated  with  him  about 
this,  he  said,  'Damn  it,  he's  an  Injun!'  " 

Brutal.''  Yes;  but  let  us  not  deal  too  harshly  with  the  mem- 
ory of  Jesse  Hughes,  whose  only  schooling  was  that  acquired  upon 
a  bloody  frontier.  Naturally  such  a  training  was  void  of  sentiment. 
It  contained  not  the  elements  of  charity  or  mercy.  It  was  narrow, 
cramped  and  selfish.  It  saw  only  the  smouldering  ruins  of  the 
settler's  cabin,  its  scalped  inmates;  the  helpless. swept  into  captiv- 


HoRDFR  Settlers  of  Xortiiwkstkrn  Xircinia 


161 


ity,  with  visions  of  the  gauiulet  and  the  torture  stake.  The 
whites  beHeved  their  own  actions  justifiable  and  in  the  interests 
of  their  civiHzation.  The  conquest  of  a  country  has  always 
brought  about  the  possibility  of  barbarous  conditions,  (2)  and  but 
comparatively  few  of  our  frontiersmen  have  possessed  the  sturdi- 
ness  of  purpose  to  avoid  the  inhuman  actions  prompted  by  them. 
But  there  were  two  sides.  The  Indians  were  cruelly  wronged. 
They  were  deceived,  defrauded  and  treacherously  dealt  with. 
Their  lands  were  encroached  upon,  in  gross  violation  of  solemn 
treat}'  rights.  Their  game  was  destroyed.  Friendlies  were  shot 
down  without  provocation,  and  entire  families  and  bands  of 
hunters  were  murdered,  in  the  fastnesses  of  their  own  domain. 
There  were  schemes  promulgated,  and  I  believe  employed,  by 
those  high  in  authority,  for  the  indiscriminate  destruction  of  the 
Indians,  far  more  hellish  than  those  ever  dreamed  of  by  the  (3) 
wilderness  warrior.  We  should  be  just  and  place  where  they 
belontr  the  various  causes  for  the  brutalities  enacted  on  the  border. 


Indian  Rock — Looking  West 
Photographed  1910 


(2)  See  page  452.   {?>)   p   452 


CHAPTER  XV 


The  first  permanent  settlement  on  theUpper  Alonongahela  was 
in  1769,  on  the  Buckhannon  River.  This  colony,  from  the  earliest 
records  that  we  find,  has  always  borne  the  name  of  the  stream  on 
which  it  is  located.  The  name  is  supposed  to  be  that  of  some  his- 
toric white  person  —  but  who.^  (1)  There  is  no  one  of  a  similar 
name  to  be  found  in  connection  with,  the  first  years  of  the  settle- 
ment. Records  bearing  the  date  of  1781  show  that  the  river  then 
bore  practically  the  same  name  as  at  present.  This  has  been 
spelled  in  various  ways  at  different  periods,  -some  of  the  modes 
being  Buchanan,  Buckanon,  Buck-Hannan,  Buchannon,  Buck- 
hannon. 

While  a  few  of  these  forms  may  be  due  to  carelessness  or 
ignorance  on  the  part  of  the  writers,  not  all  of  them  are  so.  There 
are  no  logical  grounds  for  supposing  the  name  to  be  that  of  a  white 
person.  The  origin  of  most  of  the  prominent  topographical  names 
of  that  region  can  be  accounted  for,  but  history  is  silent  as  to  the 
source  of  the  name  of  this  stream.  The  fort  at  Buckhannon  was 
built  by  John  Bush  in  1773,  but  it  has  usually  been  referred  to  by 
the  early  chroniclers  as  the  "Buchannon  Fort,"  or  the  "Fort  at 
Buchannon."  There  can  be  but  one  conclusion  —  the  river  was 
named  prior  to  or  contemporary  with  the  settlement  made  there 
in  1769.  The  only  knowledge  that  we  have  of  the  origin  of  the 
name  is  contained  in  a  statement  left  by  John  Cutright,  the  last 
surviving  scout  of  western  Virginia.  Cutright  secured  his  infor- 
mation directly  from  Pringles  of  the  sycamore,  the  first  known 
white  men  to  enter  the  Buckhannon  Valley. 

"While  the  Pringles  were  domiciled  in  the  mighty  sycamore 
at  the  mouth  of  Turkey  Run,"  said  Cutright,  "there  was  an  Indian 
village  located  at  or  near  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  chief  of 
the  Indians  of  that  village  was  Buck-on-go-ha-non,  renowned  in 
the  border  v.'ars  of  the  times.  The  first  white  settlers  conferred 
the  name  of  this  chief  to  the  beautiful  stream  on  which  he  lived." 

It  has  been  conceded  by  historians  generally,  and  maintained 
by  pioneers  universally,  that  in  the  region  between  the  Allegheny 
Mountains  and  the  Ohio  River,  in  the  present  bounds  of  West 
Virginia,  there  were  a  few  villages  inhabited  by  bands  of  those 

(1)  See  page  452. 


Border  Settlers  of  Xortiiw  kstkrn  X'irginia  163 

tribes  living  principalh'  north  (»t  the  Ohio.  Most  of  these  villages 
were  deserted  upon  the  approach  of  the  white  settlements,  and 
the  inhabitants  joined  their  people  in  the  country  northwest  of 
the  Ohio  River.  A  few,  however,  remained  until  the  settlements 
had  grown  numerous. 
IVithers  says: 

"Between  the  .\lleghen\'  niouiUains  and  the  Uliio  River,  within  ihe  present 
limits  of  Virginia,  there  were  some  villages  interspersed,  inhabited  by  small  numbers 
of  Indians;  the  most  of  whom  retired  northwest  of  that  riv'er,  as  the  tide  of  emi- 
gration rolled  towards  it.  Some  however  remained  in  the  interior,  after  settle- 
ments began  to  be  made  in  their  vicinity."  (2) 

The  same  writer  in  giving  the  causes  that  led  to  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Tygart  and  Files  settlements  near  Beverly  in  1754, 
states: 

"The  difficulty  of  procuring  bread  stuffs  for  their  families,  their  contiguity 
to  an  Indian  village,  and  the  fact  that  an  Indian  war  path  passed  near  their  dwel- 
lings, soon  determined  them  to  retrace  their  steps."  (3) 

Again  in  depicting  the  imminent  perils  that  constantly  hov- 
ered around  the  lonely  retreat  of  the  Pringles: 

"In  the  vicinit)'  of  a  savage  foe,  the  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife  were  ever 
present  to  their  imaginations. "(4) 

By  some  writers,  however,  these  Indian  habitations  are  termed 
"Mythical,"  but  I  find  no  good  reasons  for  such  inference.  It  is 
evident  from  personal  observation,  that  there  were  Indian  habita- 
tions of  some  magnitude  in  portions  of  this  region,  especialh'  on 
Hacker's  Creek,  in  quite  recent  historic  times.  This  topic  has 
been  briefly  noted  in  Chapters  V  and  VI  of  this  volume. 

The  summary  by  irithers  does  not  necessarily  denote  a  long 
continuous  occupancy  by  Indians,  (5)  but  it  certainly  is  conclusive 
that  there  were  resident  Indians  in  that  region  contemporary  with 
Tygart,  Files  and  the  Pringles.  Xot  onh'  were  the  latter  in  close 
proximity  to  an  Indian  village  but,  as  shown  in  the  ninth  chapter 
of  this  volume,  they  even  forayed  against  their  red  neighbors. 

The  distance  from  the  T}'gart  and  Files  settlement  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Buckhannon  is  only  about  thirty-five  miles,  and  it  is 
more  than  probable  that  somewhere  in  the  lower  part  of  this 
valley  was  located  the  village  referred  to  by  U'itlwrs,  and  was  the 
same  where  the  Pringles  purloined  the  bag  of  dried  buffalo  meat. 
Evidently  this  settlement  was  transient,  that  of  a  periodical  hunt- 

(2)  Sec  page  453.  (3)  p.  453.  (4)  p.  453.  (5)  p.  453. 


164  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

ing  band,  and  was  doubtless  composed  of  Delawares  living  on  the 
Miami  and  White  Rivers  in  Ohio  and  Indiana,  whose  chief  and 
head  warrior  was  Buckongahelas.  (6) 

This  chieftain  was  a  fearless  warrior,  and  tradition  credits 
him  with  having  led  some  of  the  war  parties  against  the  Virginia 
border.  This  may  be  true;  he  opposed  the  settling  of  the  Trans- 
Allegheny,  but  nowhere  can  there  be  ascribed  acts  of  cruelty  in 
the  warfare  of  this  lofty-minded  chieftain.  With  his  ability  as  a 
warrior,  was  coupled  a  humane  heart  and  a  noble  purpose.  He 
sought  not  the  injury  of  non-combatants,  nor  did  he  rejoice  in  the 
effusion  of  blood.  He  struck  only  in  the  defense  of  his  outraged 
people.  His  prowess  was  felt  in  the  French  and  Indian  War  of 
1763.  He  assisted  the  British  in  the  Revolution  (7)  and  helped 
Little  Turtle  plan  his  attack  on  St.  Clair.  He  was  a  signer  of  the 
Treaty  of  Greenville  and  other  subsequent  treaties.  With  the 
earlier  exploits  of  this  great  warrior  fresh  in  the  minds  of  the  set- 
tlers, and  the  fact  that  his  village  was  pitched  on  the  banks  of  the 
river,  it  was  natural  that  this  stream  should  have  been  given  his 
name.  From  Buckongahelas  to  Buckongehanon  and  Buckonhan- 
non  would  have  been  an  easy  transition  for  the  uneducated  and 
careless  speaking  pioneers.  As  time  went  on  and  new  settlers 
came  and  records  were  made,  it  was  an  easy  matter  to  still  corrupt 
the  fine  old  Indian  name  to  the  English  Buchannon,  Buckhannan 
and  finally  Buckhannon. 

So  deeply  has  the  name  of  Buckongahelas  become  woven  into 
the  legends  and  traditions  of  the  Virginia  border,  that  to  this  day 
his  name  is  mentioned  in  connection  with. a  supernatural  appari- 
tion which  is  said  to  occasionally  startle  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Roaring  Creek  and  Middle  Fork  countries.   (8) 

The  following  story  has  recently  (1903)  gone  the  rounds  of 
the  press.  The  reader  will  notice  the  slight  variation  in  the  name 
of  the  chief,  and  the  usual  exaggeration  in  the  portrayal  of  Indian 
character: 

"That  most  daring,  vindictive  and  determined  of  Indian  chiefs,  Buch-on- 
ga-ha-la,  whose  violent  and  murderous  bands  alarmed,  terrified  and  exterminated 
whole  settlements  through  this  state  125  years  ago,  on  and  after  an  occasion  of  a 
savage  raid,  like  the  destruction  of  the  Bozarth  family  or  the  wholesale  murder  of 
all  the  whites  on  Files  Creek,  made  his  camp  fires  frequently  on  the  waters  of 
Roaring  Creek  and  Middle  Fork,  where  he  said  evil  spirits  dwelt.  Middle  Fork, 
a  settlement  near  Belington,  reports  a  very  troublesome  ghost.  It  appeared  to 
a  party  of  young  folks  who  were  out  enjoying  the  fine  sleighing  the  other  evening 

(6)  See  page  454.  (7)  p.  454.  (8)  p.  454. 


B()1<1)1:K    Sl'.TTl.KRS  Ol     XdRTllW  KSTERN  \  IR(iINI.\  165 

and  frightened  ladies,  gentlemen  and  horses  out  of  their  wits.  'I'his  giiost  has 
the  right  of  way  between  the  battle  field  of  Rich  Mountain  and  the  bridge  over 
the  Middle  P'ork  River.  The  nocturnal  visits  of  this  frightful  unearthly  appari- 
tion have  occurred  as  far  back  as  the  oldest  settler  of  Roaring  Crock  can  remember. 
Buchongahela,  the  Indian  chief  who  commanded  the  war  parties  from  Ohio  that 
made  the  raids  on  the  settlements  of  Virginia,  said  that  the  evil  Manitou  inhabited 
the  wilderness  of  Roaring  Creek  and  Middle  Fork." 

It  is  hardly  necessar\-  to  say  that  Buckongahelas  could  not 
have  led  the  warriors  who  destroyed  the  Bozarth  family.  This 
chieftain,  with  his  followers  arrived  at  Greciu'ille,  June  21,  1795, 
and  remained  there,  participating  in  the  treaty  that  was  made 
August  3,  of  that  year.  The  Bozarth  tragedy  did  not  occur  until 
mid-summer,  and  the  raiding  warriors  returned  onl\'  in  time  to 
deliver  up  their  prisoners  at  that  treat}'.  (9) 

Buckongahelas  was  present,  hut  did  not  sign  the  treat}'  made 
at  Fort  Mcintosh,  Pa.,  in  1785.  He  signed  the  treaty  of  June  7, 
1803,  at  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana;  and  the  treat}'  of  August  18,  1804, 
at  V^incennes,  Indiana;  with  wliich  his  name  disappears  from  the 
border  annals.  lie  is  supposed  to  have  died  soon  after  the 
Treaty  of  Vincennes. 

It  is  hard  to  conceive  of  a  more  lofty  spirit  than  possessed  by 
this  proud,  virtuous  chieftain.  At  the  Treat}'  of  Fort  Mcintosh, 
he  wholly  ignored  the  other  peace  dignitaries,  and  stepping  up  to 
General  Clark,  took  him  by  the  hand  and  spoke: 

"  I  thank  the  great  spirit  for  having  this  day  brought  together  two  such  great 
warriors  as  Buckongehelas  and  General  Clark."  *  *  * 

"This  man  possessed  all  the  qualifications  of  a  hero;  no  Christian  knight  was 
ever  more  scrupulous  in  performing  all  his  engagements  than  the  renowned 
Buckongehelas."  (10) 

"Buckingehelas,  a  very  distinguished  war  chief  of  the  Dclawares,  lived  some 
years  subsequent  to  my  agency  for  that  nation,  died  on  White  River  Indiana 
prior  to  the  final  removal  of  the  tribe  to  the  S.  W.  of  Missouri.  My  impres- 
sion is  that  this  chief  had  no  male  descendants  in  a  direct  line  living  at  the  time 
of  his  decease,  he  probably  had  no  superior  as  a  warrior  and  orator.  I  first  remem- 
ber to  have  seen  this  chief  about  the  year  1800  when  on  a  visit  to  the  President 
of  the  United  States."  (11) 

"Buckingehelas  is  doubtless  the  same  as  quoted  b\-  Ileckwelder  by  Broadhead 
and  others,  as  we  had  but  one  Washington  so  the  Delawares  had  but  one  Buck- 
ingehelas, a  great  warrior,  chief  and  councillor,  whose  prowess  in  war  and  wisdom 
and  actions  in  peace  overshadowed  that  of  all  others,  his  name  descended  to  no 
other."  (12) 

"Buckingehelas  is  said  to  have  somewhat  resembled  Franklin  in  his  physiog- 

(9)  See  page  4.U.  (10)  p.  4=;4.  (Ill  \\  4=:4.  (12)  p.  454. 


166 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


nomy.     He    was    about    5    feet    10    inches    high,  strong,  &  of  powerful  muscle. 
Universally  esteemed   &   greatly  lamented. 

"Buckingehelas  figured  conspicuously  in  the  French  War  of  '63.     About  80 
when  he  died."  (13) 

Early  in  the  eighteenth  century,  there  was,  among  the  Sen- 
ecas,  a  very  old  warrior,  whose  name  was  Buck-in-je-hil-lish.  He 
was  a  great  councilor,  and  one  day  attended  a  war  council,  and 
declared  that  none  but  the  ignorant  made  war,  and  the  wise  men 
and  the  warriors  had  to  do  the  fighting.  For  this  reflective  speech, 
and  because  of  his  unprecedented  age,  and  that  he  could  give  no 
good  reason  why  he  had  not  died,  he  was  pronounced  a  witch,  and 
sentenced  to  be  tomahawked  by  a  boy,  which  was  immediately 
done.  (14)  This  tragedy  took  place  about  the  time  that  Buck- 
ongehelas,  the  Washington  of  the  Delawares,  was  born;  or  when 
he  was  a  very  small  lad. 


(13)  See  page  454.  (14)  p.  454. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


It  is  regrettable  that  so  little  is  known  in  regard  U)  the  dimen- 
sions and  characteristics  of  the  forts  erected  on  the  Virginia  border. 
Barring,  perhaps,  Fort  Henry  at  Wheeling,  it  is  doubtful  if  there 
is  at  this  time  sufficient  data  to  insure  a  lucid  reproduction  of  any 
one  of  the  several  forts  which  stood  between  the  Alleghenies  and 
the  Ohio.  The  early  historian  evidently  did  not  regard  it  of  suf- 
ficient importance  to  give  a  minute  description  of  those  important 
places  of  defense.  Constructed  entirely  of  wood,  they  have  long 
since  crumbled  to  dust.  So  complete  has  been  their  demolition, 
that  in  most  cases  there  remains  not  a  vestige  of  their  ruins. 

John  Bush  built  his  fort  at  Buckhannon  on  land  now  owned 
b}  Major  J.  \V.  Heavner.  It  is  not  probable  that  it  was  more 
than  a  blockhouse  when  first  constructed,  but  after  the  breaking 
out  of  Dunmore's  War  it  was  enclosed  by  a  stockade.  This 
stockade  was  of  logs,  one  end  planted  firmly  in  the  ground.  Large 
quantities  of  stone  once  marked  the  site  of  this  fort.  Since  owned 
by  Alajor  Heavner,  not  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  wagon- 
loads  have  been  hauled  from  its  ruins,  and  it  is  not  known  how 
many  were  previously  removed.  For  what  purpose  such  quanti- 
ties of  stone  were  used,  can  only  be  conjectured.  The  stockade 
could  not  have  been  reinforced  by  a  secondary,  or  interior,  wall  of 
earth  and  stone.  It  was  not  built  to  resist  the  assaults  of  artillery, 
for  none  were  employed  by  either  of  the  combatants  along  this 
region  of  the  frontier. 

In  Chapter  XXI  reference  is  made  to  the  vast  amount  of 
stone  used  in  the  chimney  and  in  "chinking"  the  Tanner  house 
near  W'est's  Fort.  This  fort-like  house  was  erected  for  a  private 
dwelling,  yet  was  sufficiently  strong  to  resist  the  assaults  of  the 
Indians.  In  the  construction  of  a  fort  where  it  was  expected  at 
times  that  an  entire  settlement  would  take  refuge,  the  building 
would  be  on  a  more  colossal  scale.  If  Bush's  Fort  was  built  with 
two  such  chimneys  as  that  of  the  Tanner  house  —  which  is  not 
improbable  —  it  would  be  easy  to  account  for  this  stone,  to  say 
nothing  of  that  used  for  the  foundation  and  chinking.  It  is  to  be 
regretted  that  the  ruins  of  this  fortress  were  not  left  inviolate  to 
future  generations. 


168  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


Cut  1 — Site  of  the  Buckhannon  Fort  and  Little  Indian  Knob* 
Miss  Josephine  L.  MacAvoy,  Photographer,  1909 


The  fort  stood  on  a  slight  eminence  or  flat  on  the  north  side 
of  the  valley,  but  the  location  could  hardly  be  termed  strategic. 
The  palisade  is  supposed  to  have  enclosed  a  half  acre  or  more  of 
ground,  which  would  include  the  most  of  the  flat.  This  flat  is 
flanked  on  the  north  by  "Little  Indian  Knob,"  shown  in  Cut  1. 
The  foreground  is  the  fort  site,  completely  commanded  by 
the  knob. 

The  figure  on  the  brow  of  "Little  Lidian  Knob"  {Cut  1)  is 
that  of  a  six-foot  man.  Just  over  the  summit,  on  the  east  side  of 
this  knob,  is  still  to  be  seen  a  slight  depression  where  once  grew 
a  large  poplar  tree,  behind  which  an  Indian  stood  one  morning, 
gently  tinkling  a  bell  taken  from  a  cow  for  the  purpose  of  decoying 
some  one  from  the  fort.  A  young  girl  went  to  bring  the  supposed 
cow,  and  escaped  capture  only  by  the  opportune  discovery  of  the 
ruse.     From  this  incident  the  knob  was  named. 

The  party  shown  on  the  right  {Cut  1)  is  standing  in  a  depres- 


*Owing  to  the  loss  of  negatives  (Cuts  1  and  2),  it  was  impossible  to  give  better 
illustrations.     The  party  standing  in  the  old  well  depression  (Cut  1)  is  not  visible. 


BoRDKR   SeTTLLRS   OF  NoRTMWKSTKRX  \'lR(;iNI.\ 


169 


sion  which  was  evidently  the  fort  well.  A  cellar  scjme  fourteen 
feet  h\-  twenty  feet  in  size  was  located  about  twenty-eight  feet 
southeast  of  tlie  well.  This  cellar  is  supposed  by  some,  not  to 
have  been  within  the  stockade,  and  was  the  "outbuilding"  where 
a  few  of  the  settlers  were  forced  to  take  refuge  from  Timoth\-  Dcjr- 
iiian  and  the  Indians  after  the  fort  was  burned  in  1782.  (1)  It  is 
hard  to  conceive,  however,  why  a  store  room  of  this  class  would 
be  constructed  without  the  enclosure.  It  was  built  in  the  side  of 
the  hill  just  below  the  brink  of  the  fiat,  and  walled  with  cobble- 
stone. There  is  a  graded  entrance  way  on  the  south.  The  ruins 
of  this  cellar  are  shown  in  Cut  3.  The  location  of  the  well  is  desig- 
nated by  a  stake  in  the  background,  where  the  horse  is  standing. 

There  was  a  spring  under  the  western  flank  of  "Little  Indian 
Knob,"  and  about  twenty-eight  steps  north  of  the  center  of  the 
fiat,  or  fort  site.  At  present  this  spring  is  little  more  than  a  marsh, 
or  wet  bog. 

Cut  2  taken  from  the  same  point  as  Cut  1  (southwest  part  of 
the  fort  site)  shows  the  Heavner  Cemeter}'  and  "Big  Indian  Knob" 


(.'«/  J — Big  Indian  Knuis  and   mil  IIl.vwnlk  Clmlilkv,  I.udkinl;  \\  Lsr  i  ku.\i 

THE   BUCKHANNON  FoRT 

MacAvoy,   1909 
•  1)  See  pace  454. 


170  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

to  the  west.  This  point,  jutting  out  from  the  main  ridge,  com- 
mands a  fine  view  of  the  entire  country,  and  it  was  here  that  the 
Indians  sometimes  came  to  spy  on  the  fort,  hence  the  name. 

The  fort  stood  about  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  paces 
from  a  point  on  the  river  where  a  mill  was  built,  supposedly  by 
Col.  George  Jackson.  The  date  of  its  erection  is  not  known  to 
me.      Withers  speaks  of  a  mill  there  in  1782.  (2)     The  dam  was 


Cut  3 — Ruins  of  the  Old  Cellar,  Buckhannon  Fort 
MacAvoy,  1909 

constructed  of  logs  and  stone,  and  within  the  memory  of  the  pres- 
ent generation  itwas  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation.  Traces  of  it  are 
still  seen  at  low  water  mark  just  below  the  Heavner  Ford.  Marks 
of  the  "race"  are  plainly  visible  in  the  north  bank  of  the  river. 
On  the  south  side,  the  river  sweeps  the  rocky  base  of  a  precipitous 
hill.  This  mill  was  evidently  destroyed  at  an  early  day,  probably 
immediately  after  the  fort  was  burned,  or  as  soon  as  the  whites 
completely  abandoned  the  settlement,  after  Capt.  White  was 
killed  in  1782.  It  was  not  rebuilt,  the  settlers  going  to  Nutter's 
Fort  for   their  grinding  until  Henry  McWhorter  built  his  mill   at 

(2)   See  page  454. 


I'xiRDKR   SkTTI.ERS   OF   XoRTIlW  KSTKRN   \  IRCIMA  171 

W  esl'sFort,  about  1790.      !"'or  iiian\- \cars  llic  IJuckhaniion  country 
patronized  the  McW  hortcr  mill. 

,  In  the  early  nineties  there  was  an  occurrence  of  some  magnitude 
at  the  Buckhannon  Fort,  which  has  never  been  chronicled.  Withers 
declares  that  this  settlement  was  exempt  from  Indian  incursions 
from  1782  to  1795,  when  the  Bozarths  were  killed.  (3)  This  is  a 
mistake.  That  the  incident  did  occur  is  conclusive,  and  evidence 
of  a  trustwDTth}-  character  places  it  near  the  close  of  Indian  hos- 
tilities on  the  border.  John  Cutright,  one  of  the  actors,  gave  the 
facts  to  Colonel  Henry  W'cstfall,  whose  manuscript  was  destroyed 
b\-  tire. 

Through  scouts,  said  the  Westfall  manuscript,  word  reached 
the  settlements  that  a  large  body  of  Indians  were  advancing 
against  the  Hacker's  Creek  region,  and  a  party  left  the  Buckhan- 
non Fort  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  West's  Fort,  where  the  settlers 
took  refuge  in  case  of  an  attack,  or  raid.  When  the  party  had 
reached  the  place  now  occupied  by  the  Baptist  Cemetery,  about 
one  and  one-fourth  miles  below  where  the  fort  stood,  they  encoun- 
tered a  band  of  Indians.  The  meeting  was  a  mutual  surprise, 
and  immediately  all  on  both  sides  "treed."  A  sharp  skirmish 
ensued,  and  two  Indians  were  killed;  one  said  to  be  the  chief,  was 
shot  by  Jesse  Hughes.  John  Cutright  was  in  this  fight,  sporting 
a  brand-new  shot-pouch,  which  was  badly  rent  by  a  ball  and  its 
contents  scattered  on  the  ground.  The  Indians  were  routed,  and 
in  the  short  pursuit  made  by  the  whites,  Cutright  was  left  behind. 
\\  hen  the  party  came  back,  he  was  sitting  on  a  log  stolidly  mend- 
ing his  damaged  shot-pouch,  embellishing  his  crude  work  with  an 
occasional  emphatic  expletive.  None  of  the  whites  were  killed. 
This  anecdote  of  Cutright  is  similar  to  that  reported  by  Dellass, 
of  the  German,  Phouts.  (4) 

A  tradition  handed  down  in  the  Reger  family,  declares  that 
it  was  Jacob  Reger,  Jr.,  a  scout,  who  anticipated  the  Indians  in 
this  raid,  and  by  his  prowess  and  heroic  exertion  prevented  what 
might  have  been  a  repetition  of  former  tragedies.  Through  the 
kindness  of  Mrs.  Lee  A.  Heavner,  of  Buckhannon,  I  am  enabled  to 
give  this  traditionary  account  of  the  fight,  as  found  in  a  manuscript 
among  the  papers  left  by  her  father,  Rev.  John  Reger,  a  grandson 
of  John  Reger,  Sr.,  who  was  in  the  skirmish  with   the  hulians. 

"It  was  near  the  close  of  Indian  hostilities  on  the  border  and  in  a  time  of  com- 
parative peace,"  says  the  tradition,  "when  Jacob  Repcr,  Jr.,  who  was  scoiitinp 

(3)  See  pape  4.vv  (4)  p.  455. 


172  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

on  the  Ohio  River,  came  one  day  upon  the  trail  of  a  considerable  body  of  Indians, 
who  had  but  recently  crossed  to  the  Virginia  side.  This  discovery  aroused  his 
suspicions  to  the  highest  pitch.  Cautiously  advancing,  he  came  suddenly  upon 
an  Indian  sitting  with  his  back  against  a  tree,  sleeping,  or  given  over  to  abandon 
and  ease  s-afe  in  false  security,  Reger  was  a  man  of  most  wonderful  strength, 
backed  with  courage  utterly  devoid  of  fear.  Prompted  b^'  the  hope  of  learning 
the  goal  of  the  war  party,  as  he  believed  it  to  be,  he  conceived  the  idea  of  cap- 
turing the  recumbent  warrior. 

"Stealthily  approaching,  he  sprang  upon  and  securely  fastened  the  astonished 
brave  before  he  could  make  any  resistance  or  outcry.  Reger  then  made  him  under- 
stand that  if  he  would  reveal  the  destination  of  the  Indians  his  life  would  be  spared; 
if  not  his  scalp  would  soon  dangle  at  the  white  man's  belt.  With  certain  death 
hovering  over  him  should  he  refuse  to  comply,  the  captive  declared  that  the  ob- 
jective point  of  the  party  was  the  Buckhannon  settlement.  (5)  Reger  was  endowed 
with  the  highest  sense  of  honor,  and  not  deigning  to  violate  his  compact  to  spare 
the  life  of  his  prisoner,  he  disarmed  him,  and  covering  him  with  his  rifle,  compelled 
him  to  swim  to  the  Ohio  side  of  the  river. 

"Reger  then  made  rapid  strides  for  the  settlement,  and  on  the  evening  of 
the  second  day  arrived  at  West's  Fort  greatlj^  exhausted.  In  consequence  of 
recent  heavy  rains,  the  intervening  rivers  and  creeks  were  flooded,  and  had  to  be 
crossed  by  swimming. 

"Jesse  Hughes  volunteered  to  go  on  to  the  Buckhannon  Fort  that  night  and 
in  the  meantime  West's  Fort  was  put  in  the  best  possible  state  of  defense.  Upon 
the  arrival  of  Hughes  at  the  Buckhannon  Fort,  preparations  were  immediately 
made  for  a  stout  resistance.  There  were  about  thirty  men  soon  gathered  at  the 
fort,  including  several  from  Clarksburg,  among  whom  was  Elias  Hughes.  A 
well  within  the  stockade  insured  plenty  of  water,  and  the  magazine  was  stocked 
with  ammunition.  Elias  Hughes  was  chosen  commander;  and  the  scouts  sent 
out  soon  reported  that  Indians,  to  the  number  of  forty,  were  advancing  by  way  of 
Brushy  Fork  Run.  A  hurried  council  of  war  was  held,  and  it  was  determined  to 
ambush  the  Indians,  and  the  spot  chosen  was  where  a  ravine  or  drain  breaks  into 
the  river  where  the  Baptist  cemetery  now  is. 

"A  desperate  conflict  ensued,  the  result  of  which  for  a  time  hung  in  the  balance, 
each  party  fighting  from  behind  trees.  An  attempt  by  the  Indians  to  flank  their 
enemy  under  cover  of  the  river  bank  was  detected  by  Jesse  Hughes,  and  frustrated. 
The  Indian  chief,  in  animating  his  warriors  by  personal  bravery,  exposed  himself 
to  Jesse's  aim  and  he  fell  to  rise  no  more.  Jesse  was  most  active  in  the  fight, 
flitting  from  tree  to  tree  like  an  evil  bird  of  the  woods;  he  seemed  to  anticipate 
every  move  of  the  enemy. 

"John  Reger,  brother  of  Jacob,  was  also  a  conspicuous  figure  in  this  battle. 
Observing  that  with  great  regularity  bullets  from  a  certain  point  whistled  uncom- 
fortably near,  he  soon  located  his  disagreeable  neighbor,  and  silenced  him  with  a 
shot.  (6)  When  their  chief  fell,  the  warriors  made  a  dash  to  recover  his  body, 
but  were  driven  back  and  routed," 

"This  battle,"  concludes  the  tradition,  "was  the  bloodiest 
fought  on  the  Buckhannon,  and  the  last  attempt  of  the  Indians 
against  this  fort." 

(5)  See  page  455.  (6)  p.  455. 


Border  Settlers  of  Xorthwestern  \  ir(;ini.\ 


173 


I'A'idcnU}'  llicrc  is  irulh  in  lliis  traLlilion,  l)ul  in  ihc  lapse  (A 
lime,  error  has  crept  in  as  to  the  magnitude  of  the  affair,  and  the 
original  point  of  attack  as  intended  by  the  Indians.  The  narrative 
agrees  with  the  manuscript  version  of  Colonel  \\  estfall,  who  got 
it  from  John  Cutright,  that  there  was  a  tight  at  the  place  men- 
tioned, perhaps  the  only  one  of  importance  that  ever  took,  place 
in  that  settlement.  It  would  be  in  keeping  with  the  character  of 
Jacob  Roger  to  have  spared  the  capti\c  Indian,  as  alleged.  He 
never  shed  human  blood  when  it  was  possible  to  avoid  it.  (7) 


The  Pifkk  Mill 
Kindness  of  Dr.  E.  B.  Alkire 

Built  on  the  Buckhannun  River,  six  miles  below  Buikluiniioii,  //'.  J'a.,  about 
1834.  JVas  in  use  until  the  beginning  of  the  present  century.  Dismantled  in  l'M)S 
and  rebuilt  as  a  fishing  camp  near  the  original  location. 


But  little  is  known  of  the  life  of  John  Bush,  who  gave  his 
name  to  the  fort  at  Buckhannon.  In  1781  he  received  a  certificate 
for  200  acres  on  the  Buckhannon  River  to  include  his  impro\ement 
made  in  1773.  JVulwrs  gives  two  incidents  in  connection  with 
John  Bush.  In  speaking  of  events  when  the  Buckhannon  settle- 
ment was  broken  up  in  1782,  (8)  he  says: 

"While  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  settlement  were  enj.'agcd  in  niovin>r 
their  property  to  a  fort  in  Typart's  \'a!!c)'  (the  others  reniovini:  to  Nutter's  Kort 

(7)  See  page  458.  (S)  p.  45S. 


174  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

and  Clarksburg),  they  were  fired  upon  by  a  party  of  savages,  and  two  of  them, 
Michael  Hagle  and  Elias  Paynter,  fell.  The  horse  on  which  John  Bush  was  riding 
was  shot  through;  yet  Bush  succeeded  in  extricating  himself  from  the  falling 
animal,  and  escaped  though  closely  pursued  by  one  of  the  savages.  Several 
times  the  Indian  following  him,  would  cry  out  to  him,  'Stop,  and  you  shall  not  be 
hurt — if  you  do  not,  I  will  shoot  you,'  and  once  Bush,  nearly  exhausted,  and  in  despair 
of  getting  off,  actually  relaxed  his  pace  for  the  purpose  of  yielding  himself  a  prisoner, 
when  turning  round  he  saw  the  savage  stop  also,  and  commence  loading  his  gun. 
This  inspired  Bush  with  fear  for  the  consequences,  and  renewing  his  flight  he 
made  his  escape.  Edward  Tanner,  a  mere  youth  was  soon  taken  prisoner,  and 
as  he  was  being  carried  to  their  towns,  met  between  twenty  and  thirty  savages, 
headed  by  Timothy  Dorman,  proceeding  to  attack  Buckhannon  Fort.  Learning 
from  him  that  the  inhabitants  were  moving  from  it,  and  that  it  would  be  abandoned 
in  a  few  days,  the  Indians  pursued  their  journey  with  so  much  haste,  that  Dorman 
had  well  nigh  failed  from  fatigue.  They  arrived  however,  too  late,  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  their  bloody  purpose;  the  settlement  was  deserted,  and  the  inhabitants 
safe  within  the  walls  of  other  fortresses."  (9) 

In  dealing  with  occurrences  on  the  border  the  spring  following 
General  Harmar's  campaign  against  the  Indians  in  September 
1790,  the  same  writer  says: 

"On  the  24th  of  April,  John  Bush  (living  on  Freeman's  Creek),  having  very 
early  sent  two  of  his  children  to  drive  up  the  cattle,  became  alarmed  by  their 
screams,  and  taking  down  his  gun,  was  proceeding  to  learn  the  cause  of  it,  when 
he  was  met  at  the  door  by  an  Indian,  who  caught  hold  of  the  gun,  forced  it  from  his 
grasp,  and  shot  him  with  it.  Bush  fell  across  the  threshold,  and  the  savage  drew 
his  knife  to  scalp  him.  Mrs.  Bush  ran  to  the  assistance  of  her  husband,  and  with 
an  axe,  aimed  a  blow  at  the  Indian  with  such  force  that  it  fastened  itself  in  his 
shoulder,  and  when  he  jumped  back  his  exertion  pulled  the  handle  from  her  hand. 
She  then  drew  her  husband  into  the  house  and  secured  the  door. 

"In  this  time  other  of  the  savages  had  come  up,  and  after  endeavoring  in 
vain  to  force  open  the  door,  they  commenced  shooting  through  it.  Fortunately 
Mrs.  Bush  remained  unhurt,  although  eleven  bullets  passed  through  her  frock 
and  some  of  them  just  grazing  the  skin.  One  of  the  savages  observing  an  aperture 
between  the  logs  thrust  the  muzzle  of  his  gun  thro'  it.  With  another  axe  Mrs. 
Bush  struck  on  the  barrel  so  as  to  make  it  ring,  and  the  savage  on  drawing  it 
back,  exclaimed  'Dern  you.'  Still  they  were  endeavoring  to  force  an  entrance 
into  the  house,  until  they  heard  what  they  believed  to  be  a  party  of  whites  coming 
to  its  relief.  It  was  Adam  Bush,  who  living  close  by  and  hearing  the  screams  of 
the  children  and  the  firing  of  the  gun,  had  set  off  to  learn  what  had  given  rise  to 
them,  and  taking  with  him  his  dogs,  the  noise  made  by  them  in  crossing  the  creek 
alarmed  the  savages,  and  caused  them  to  retreat,  taking  off  the  two  children  as 
prisoners.  A  company  of  men  were  soon  collected  and  went  in  pursuit  of  the 
Indians;  but  were  unable  to  surprise  them  and  regain  the  prisoners.  Thej^  how- 
ever, came  so  nearly  upon  them,  on  the  Little  Kenhawa,  that  they  were  forced 
to  fiy  precipitately,  leaving  the  plunder  and  seven  horses  which  they  had  taken 
from  the  settlement;  these  were  retaken  and  brought  back."  (10) 

(9)  See  page  458.  (10)  p.  458. 


Ijordkr  Settlers  oi-  Wjrtiiw  i:stkrn  \  ir(,ima  175 

The  hero  in  ihc  hrst  incidciil  here-  related  was  undcmbtcdly 
John  Bush  of  the  Buckhaniujn;  hut  the  Freeman's  Creek  tragedy 
deals  with  another  personage.  Cittright,  however,  would  luu'e  it 
differentl}'. 

"The  same  John  Bush,  after  whom  the  fort  on  Buckhannon  River  was  named, 
removed  after  some  years  of  residence  in  this  section  to  Freeman's  Creek,  Lewis 
County,  and  there  on  the  24th  of  April,  1791,  met  his  death  at  the  vile  liands  of 
the  Indians."  (11) 

"^riiis  unquestionably  is  error.  There  were  two  fantilies  of 
Bush's  in  the  early  settlements  of  the  Upper  Alonongahela,  one 
of  which  was  small  of  stature,  wiry  and  active,  the  other  was  of 
heavy  build  and  less  sprightly  in  movement.  (12)  John  Bush  of 
the  Buckhannon  was  certainly  of  this  first  family.  His  desperate 
flight  when  pursued  by  the  Indian,  entitles  him  to  the  distinction 
of  being  fleet-footed.  John  Bush  of  Freeman's  Creek  belonged 
to  the  second  family,  very  large  and  flesh}'.  He  was  not  killed  in 
the  fight  depicted.  Abram  Reger,  referred  to  elsewhere  in  this 
volume,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  facts  and  the  parties, 
gave  the  following  version  of  the  occurrence  to  his  grandson,  Mr. 
J.  S.  Hall: 

"Busii  was  a  large,  heavy  built  man,  simple  natiired,  but  very  passionate. 
The  Indians  came  upon  him  while  at  work  near  the  house,  and  before  he  was 
aware  of  their  presence,  one  of  them  gained  possession  of  his  gun,  which  he  had 
left  onl\-  a  few  feet  away.  Before  the  Indian  could  shoot,  Bush  knocked  him 
down,  and  ran  for  the  house.  As  he  neared  the  door,  another  Indian  grappled 
him  and  the  first  warrior  having  recovered,  came  up  and  shot  him  through  the 
hips.  Mrs.  Busii,  a  \ery  muscular  woman,  ran  out  with  an  axe  and  split  the 
head  of  the  Indian  who  had  hold  of  her  husband,  whom  she  then  drew  into  the 
house  and  fastened  the  door.  In  the  meantime  an  elderly  lady  in  the  room  came 
running  up,  retarding  the  movements  of  Mrs.  Bush,  who  threw  her  aside  with 
such  violence  as  to  do  her  serious  injury. 

"The  Indians  fired  several  ineflFectual  shots  through  the  door,  and  then  with 
their  tomahawks  began  chopping  a  hole  through  the  shutter.  They  soon  had  an 
opening  through  which  one  of  them  thrust  his  head,  and  was  instantly  killed  by 
Mrs.  Bush  with  an  a.xe.  Another  Indian  shoved  his  rifle  through  a  crevice  in  the 
cabin  wall,  but  before  he  could  fire  Mrs.  Bush  struck  the  muzzle  a  heavy  blow 
with  her  axe,  and  drove  the  breech  of  the  gun  against  his  shoulder  with  sucli  force 
as  to  partly  disable  him. 

"Bush  was  laid  up  for  the  winter,  his  wife  gathering  the  crops  and  doing  all 
the  outdoor  work.  Meat  was  scarce  in  the  cabin,  owing  to  the  husband's  inability 
to  hunt.  With  the  opening  of  spring,  Bush  was  able  to  go  into  the  woods,  where 
he  shot  a  bear,  which  was  lean  and  gaunt  from  its  long  winter  f.istini.'.     The  animal 

(11)  See  p.ige45S,  (12)  p.  45s. 


176 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


made  off,  and  Bush  followed  in  pursuit  and  came  up  with  it  in  a  ravine.  He  had 
no  other  bullet  and  approached  the  bank  too  closely,  which  giving  way  precipitated 
him  to  the  bottom  where  the  bear  had  laid  down  in  a  dying  condition.  The 
animal  instantly  seized  him  by  the  heel  and  notwithstanding  he  belabored  it  on 
the  head  with  a  heavy  stone,  it  continued  crunching  his  foot  until  dead.  It  is  a 
noteworthy  fact,  that  a  bear  when  fighting  only  snaps  with  its  teeth,  unless  in  the 
last  throes  of  death  when  it  grapples  and  holds  on  until  life  is  extiiict.  Bush 
was  again  disabled,  but  Mrs.  Bush  brought  the  bear  home  and  dressed  the  meat." 

The  bullet  which  Bush  received  in  the  encounter  with  the 
Indian  was  never  extracted.  The  wound  healed,  but  broke  out 
several  years  afterwards  and  finally  resulted  in  his  death. 


CHAPTKR  XVII 


George  Jackson  was  captain  of  the  first  military  company 
organized  in  the  Buckhannon  settlement.  I'he  date  of  this  organ- 
ization and  its  object  has  been  a  matter  of  conjecture.  It  is 
thought  by  some  to  have  originated  at  the  call  of  Col.  William 
Darke,  when  he  recruited  his  "Hampshire  and  Berkeley  Regi- 
ment'' in  the  Spring  of  1781.  This  was  an  emergency  regiment 
raised  to  oppose  the  invasion  of  Virginia  b}'  the  British.  This 
regiment  was  at  the  siege  of  "\'orktown  and  the  surrender  of  (gen- 
eral Cornwallis  in  the  following  October,  and  was  one  of  the  guard 
which  conducted  a  contingent  of  the  vanquished  army  to  the 
prison  barracks  near  W  inchcstcr,  Virginia. 

It  is  not  probable  thai  Capt.  Jackson  participated  in  the 
campaign  against  ^  orktown.  He  recruited  a  compan\'  from  the 
settlements  in  Ma}',  1781,  and  joined  General  Clark  at  Fort  Pitt 
in  his  attempted  expedition  against  Detroit. 

The  first  military  company  at  Buckhannon  was  a  band  of 
Indian  spies,  organized  in  1779.  George  Jackson  was  Captain  of 
this  body.  He  is  said  subsequently  to  have  had  general  command 
of  the  various  bands  of  spies  in  the  settlements,  and  was  succeeded 
in  this  rank  by  Col.  Lowther.  Later,  Jackson  was  a  Colonel  in 
the  militia,  and  is  inseparably  connected  with  the  carh'  history  of 
the  Upper  Monongahela.  He  is  mentioned  by  If  it  hers  on  several 
occasions,  and  his  memorable  night  run  from  Buckhannon  to 
Clarksburg  for  assistance  when  some  of  the  settlers  were  besieged 
in  an  out-house  in  1782,  (1)  was  characteristic  of  the  energy  and 
daring  courage  that  made  him  a  leader  among  men. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  First  \  irginia  Assembh'  in  1788 
which  ratified  the  Federal  Constitution.  His  long  subsequent 
public  career  is  of  record  and  need  not  be  repeated  here.  He  was 
an  associate  of  the  Hughes,  but  could  not  vie  with  them  in  Indian 
woodcraft. 

The  two  brothers  of  Jesse  flughcs,  Thomas  and  Flias,  were 
both  commissioned  officers  in  Col.  Lowther's  Company  of  Rangers 
and  Spies,  and  from  the  following  story,  which  was  gleaned  from 
a  source  worthy  of  credence,  it  would  appear  that  Jesse  was  also 
a  subaltern  officer  in  the  same  company. 

(1)  Sec  page  45!>. 


178  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Sometime  in  the  early  nineties,  Colonel  Lowther  ordered 
Jesse  Hughes  to  take  such  men  as  he  deemed  necessary  and  scout 
from  the  Buckhannon  Fort  by  way  of  French  Creek  and  the  head- 
waters of  the  West  Fork  to  the  falls  of  the  Little  Kanawha;  from 
which  point,  if  no  Indian  sign  was  discovered,  he  was  to  proceed 
to  the  mouth  of  Leading  Creek,  up  which  stream  he  was  to  return 
to  the  settlements  by  way  of  Polk  Creek.  Usually  the  scouts 
would  strike  the  Ohio  River  near  Wheeling,  there  construct  a  raft 
by  which  to  descend  the  Ohio  to  the  site  of  Parkersburg,  examining 
all  the  Indian  trails  leading  to  the  settlements.  If  signs  of  Indians 
were  discovered,  they  would  immediately  strike  for  the  settle- 
ments and  give  warning  of  the  threatening  danger,  but  if  none 
were  found  they  would  scout  over  the  Indian  warpath  that  fol- 
lowed up  the  Little  Kanawha  and  Leading  Creek  on  their  return 
home.  This  more  northern  territory,  on  the  occasion  of  which 
I  write,  was  doubtless  patrolled  by  other  efficient  scouts  residing 
on  the  Upper  Monongahela.  (2) 

The  route  laid  out  for  Jesse  Hughes  covered  the  several 
Indian  trails  leading  from  the  Little  Kanawha  to  the  Upper  Mo- 
nongahela. The  principal  path  was  up  Leading  Creek  and  down 
Polk  Creek  (3)  to  the  West  Fork.  There  were,  however,  a  few 
less  frequented  and  more  secluded  paths  among  the  labyrinth  of 
small  streams  flowing  from  the  divide  between  the  headwaters  of 
the  Little  Kanawha  and  the  West  Fork.  One  of  these  led  up  Oil 
Creek  from  the  Kanawha  and  passed  down  the  small  stream  known 
as  "Indian  Carrying  Run"  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  divide  to 
the  West  Fork.  The  distance  between  the  headings  of  these  two 
tributaries  is  only  a  few  hundred  yards  and  was  known  as  "Indian 
Carrying  Place."  This  was  the  only  point  where  the  Indians 
"portaged,"  or  "carried"  between  the  Kanawha  and  the  Monon- 
gahela, hence  the  name.  The  "Carrying  Place"  is  on  "Indian 
Farm,"  (4)  where  Arnold  Station  now  is. 

The  war  parties  from  Ohio,  in  their  forays  on  the  western 
Virginia  border,  never  traveled  by  water.  The  topography  of  the 
country  and  the  nature  of  its  streams  precluded  the  idea.  By 
placing  a  few  sentinels  along  the  streams  traversed,  the  settlers 
could  have  effectively  guarded  against  surprise,  and  have  easily 
intercepted  the  Indians  in  their  flight.  Canoe  voyages  were 
doubtless  resorted  to  on  some  of  these  western  streams  by  the 
Indians  when  raiding  the  settlements  east  of  th-e  AUeghenies,  prior 

(2)  See  page  458.  (3)  p.  458.  (4)  p.  459. 


BoRDKR   SkTTI.ERS   Ol     N  OKTll  WESTKRN  \  IRGINIA  179 

to  the  settling  of  the  I'pper  Mononuahehi.  At  that  period  tliey 
were  iinnume  from  pursuit  west  of  the  mountains,  where  tlie  canoe 
would  have  been  a  safe  and  easy  mode  of  travel.  The  Little 
Kanawha  from  its  mouth  to  the  "portage"  referred  to,  afforded 
a  direct  highway  of  some  tifty  miles. 

"Canoe  Run,"  which  flows  into  the  West  Fork  about  one-half 
mile  below  Roanoke,  in  Lewis  Count)',  derived  its  name  from  the 
scouts  finding  an  Lidian  canoe  moored  under  some  willows  in  or 
near  the  mouth  of  this  stream. 

"Indian  Cap  Run,"  which  enters  the  river  from  the  east, 
between  Jacksonville  and  W  alkersville,  took  its  name  from  an 
hidian  cap,  or  head-dress,  found  on  the  western  trail  near  its 
source. 

\\\  \\  alkers\ille,  about  one  hundred  and  tift)'  \'ards  from  the 
forks  of  the  river,  and  just  above  the  road,  a  block  of  sandstone 
juts  from  the  hillside,  on  which  is  carved  "1780."  The  date  is 
legible,  though  crudch'  executed.  It  was  found  there  by  the 
scouts,  who  attributed  it  to  Simon  Girty.  But  the  handiwork 
could  hardly  be  that  of  Simon  Girty  personally,  who  could  neither 
read  nor  write.  (5) 

In  the  scouting  expedition  referred  to,  Jesse  Hughes  thought 
that  a  small  party  would  be  sufficient,  and  selected  Alexander  \\  est 
to  accompany  him.  They  traversed  the  route  designated  without 
finding  an  Indian  sign.  They  reported  at  Clarksburg,  and  in 
general  council  it  was  apparent  that  no  Indians  were  lurking  on  the 
border.  \\  inter  was  fast  approaching,  and  there  was  but  little 
probabilit}'  of  further  hostilities  that  Fall.  Colonel  Lowther  com- 
mended the  scouts  highly  for  their  celerity  and  faithfulness,  and 
dismissed  them  for  the  season.  Colonel  George  Jackson,  who 
was  present,  also  praised  their  splendid  work. 

While  out,  the  scouts  had  noted  that  the  beech  mast  in  the 
bottoms  and  low  hills  ab(»ut  the  head  of  French  Creek  was  liea\  y, 
and  that  the  region  was  full  of  bear.  A  hunt  was  planned  by  the 
two  scouts  and  the  colonels.  Hughes  and  West  then  proceeded 
to  West's  Fort,  and  sent  a  dispatch  to  notity  ihe  IJuckhannon  set- 
tlement of  the  result  of  their  scouting.  W  ithin  a  few  days  they 
were  joined  at  West's  h\  the  two  officers,  and  the  next  day  the 
company  left  for  the  hunting  grounds.  The  first  night  they 
stayed  at  an  old  Indian  camp,  known  to  Hughes  only,  who  had 
been    there    on    previous    occasions.     Here    they    saw    an    abun- 

(5)  See  page  459. 


180  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

dance  of  deer,  which  at  that  time  held  no  attraction  for  them. 
The  next  morning  they  crossed  the  divide  to  French  Creek,  where 
they  found  all  the  bear  sign  reported  by  the  scouts.  (6)  The 
ground  had  been  scratched  over  for  miles,  such  as  they  had  never 
seen  before;  but  the  sign  was  all  old,  and  not  a  bear  could  be 
found.  They  had  evidently  gone  to  the  rough  mountainous 
regions  of  the  Kanawha,  the  Holly,  and  the  Buckhannon  for  winter 
quarters,  as  very  few  bear  wintered  in  the  more  open  hills  of  the 
West  Fork. 

Hughes  and  West  desired  to  follow  the  bear,  but  it  was  neces- 
sary for  Colonel  Jackson  to  return  home,  and  reluctantly  they 
decided  to  accompany  him.  They  recrossed  the  mountain  and 
spent  the  night  at  their  former  camp.  The  deer,  so  unattractive 
the  evening  before,  now  engaged  their  attention,  and  they  deter- 
mined to  spend  the  day  shooting.  They  divided  their  party: 
Hughes  and  West  were  pitted  against  the  two  colonels.  They 
were  to  hunt  for  a  wager,  the  prize  being  all  the  deer  skins  taken. 
No  fawns  were  to  be  counted,  and  if  a  shot  failed  to  bring  down 
the  game  it  was  to  deduct  one  from  the  party  who  fired  it.  All 
bullets  in  the  shot-pouches  were  counted,  and  for  these  the  hunter 
must  account  at  the  close  of  the  day.  It  was  agreed  that  the  two 
officers  were  to  hunt  below,  while  the  scouts  were  to  hunt  above 
the  camp. 

Everything  arranged,  the  hunt  began,  and  in  the  evening 
when  the  game  was  tallied  and  the  bullets  all  accounted  for,  the 
score  stood  nineteen  for  Hughes  and  West,  and  twenty-one  for  the 
colonels.  The  next  morning  the  game  was  skinned,  such  ven«ion 
selected  as  was  desired,  and  the  camp  broken.  It  was  then  sug- 
gested that  the  stream,  on  a  branch  of  which  they  were  encamped, 
was  yet  unnamed,  and  it  was  unanimously  agreed  that  it  should  be 
called  "Skin  Creek,"  in  commemoration  of  their  remarkable  hunt. 
As  Jesse  Hughes  had  piloted  them  to  the  camp,  and  to  him  alone 
was  known  the  sylvan  retreat,  they  called  this  tributary  "Hughes 
Fork."     These  names  they  still  bear. 

Afterwards,  Joseph  Hall,  who  came  from  England,  and  who 
was  a  corporal  in  Lord  Dunmore's  expedition  in  1774,  acquired 
title  to  a  tract  of  land  on  Hughes  Fork,  including  the  camp  site. 
Hall  learned  that  Jesse  Hughes  also  claimed  this  land  by  "toma- 
hawk improvement."  He  met  Hughes  in  Clarksburg  and  enquired 
regarding  his  claim,  offering  to  pay  him  for  any  right  he  might 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  \'irgixia  181 

hold  to  the  land.  Hughes  replied,  "I  did  have  a  claim  to  that 
land;  I  camped  there  two  or  three  times,  and  had  a  great  hunt. 
I  marked  some  trees  expecting  to  acquire  a  title  to  the  land.  But 
I  have,"  he  continued,  "more  of  such  claims  than  1  have  use  for; 
and  I  hear,  Joe,  that  you  now  have  a  wife,  and  will  need  the  land." 
Hall  told  him  that  he  not  only  had  a  wife,  but  also  a  little  curly- 
headed  boy.  Hughes  rejoined,  "In  that  case,  I  would  give  the 
land  to  the  boy  if  I  had  a  patent  ff)r  it."  He  then  described  the 
old  Indian  camp  —  a  spring,  and  a  beautiful  location  for  a  house. 

Joseph  Hall's  son,  Jonathan,  settled  on  this  land  in  1820. 
Ten  years  later  he  cleared  the  site  of  the  old  camp,  near  which  he 
built  a  new  residence.  The  fire  hearths  of  the  camp,  three  in  num- 
ber, were  unearthed  b}-  the  plow.  They  were  about  two  rods 
apart,  and  in  the  form  of  a  triangle.  They  indicated  long  use, 
the  ashes  and  burned  stone  extending  considerably  below  the  sur- 
face. Nearby  were  two  dark  spots  in  the  soil,  each  about  sixteen 
feet  in  diameter.  These  proved  extremely  fertile,  the  corn  grow- 
ing much  more  luxuriantly  there  than  on  the  surrounding  soil. 
The  unearthing  of  the  old  camp  was  witnessed  by  Jonathan  Hall's 
sons,  the  youngest  of  whom,  John  Strange  Hall,  is  still  living,  and 
occupies  the  ancestral  homestead.  To  Mr.  Hall  I  am  indebted 
for  most  of  the  particulars  contained  in  this  chapter. 

Alexander  West's  son,  Charles,  settled  on  Hughes  Fork  of 
Skin  Creek,  on  land  said  to  have  been  "tomahawked"  by  his 
father  during  this  hunt. 

Some  time  prior  to  the  close  of  Indian  hostilities  on  the  border, 
Henry  Jackson,  the  great  land  surveyor,  who  executed  several  of 
the  large  surveys  in  (now)  central  West  \'irginia,  received  warrants 
for  thirty-five  thousand  acres,  to  be  laid  off  in  five  thousand  acre 
tracts.  This  was  the  celebrated  Bank's  Survey,  destined  in  after 
years,  like  man}'  others  of  that  day,  to  figure  prominentK'  in  the 
courts. 

A  surveying  party  consisted  of  the  surveyor,  two  chain-bear- 
ers, a  "marker,"  and  a  cook,  who  helped  as  "packer;"  also  two 
hunters,  who  supplied  the  camp  with  meat  and  acted  as  scouts. 
Such  an  outfit  was  a  recognized  scouting  party  in  time  of  Indian 
hostilities,  and  was  often  attended  by  regular  Spies  or  Rangers 
employed  by  the  State  or  Federal  government. 

Jackson  selected  a  new  field  for  his  operations,  and  pitched 
camp  on   Leading  Creek  in   (now)   Gilmer  County.     He  arrived 


182  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

there  in  the  evening,  and  marked  a  black  gum  tree  for  a  corner. 
He  then  set  his  compass  and  noted  that  the  Hne  determined  on 
would  cross  the  creek  three  times.  After  this  he  rested  for  the 
day.  Supper  over,  Jesse  Hughes,  one  of  the  hunters,  announced 
that  he  and  his  comrade  would  go  down  the  creek  about  two  miles 
to  a  famous  lick  and  kill  a  deer  for  breakfast.  Before  starting 
they  heard  the  howl  of  a  wolf.  This  was  answered  by  another  in 
the  general  direction  of  the  lick,  but  apparently  some  distance 
apart.  The  calls  were  repeated  occasionally  and  seemed  to 
approach  each  other.  Jackson  declared  these  were  Indian  signals, 
and  that  they  must  return  at  once  and  alarm  the  settlements. 
Hughes  rebelled.  He  would  not  "run  from  Injuns  until  he  saw 
Injuns  to  run  from."  He  then  added  that  he  could  approach  the 
lick  from  the  bluff  and  see  any  object  near  it  without  danger  of 
discovery.  Jackson  reluctantly  permitted  Hughes  and  his  com- 
panion to  go,  but  first  exacted  a  promise  that  they  would  not  fire, 
no  odds  how  fair  an  Indian  mark  they  might  see.  If  the  signals 
heard  were  from  Indians  it  was  evident  that  others  were  in  the 
immediate  vicinity,  and  it  was  of  the  utmost  importance  that  the 
presence  of  the  whites  be  kept  secret.  The  scouts  set  out,  and 
soon  returned  with  the  intelligence  that  two  Indians  were  watch- 
ing the  lick,  armed  with  bows  and  arrows.  (7)  Thewhites  returned 
to  West's  Fort  that  night,  and  spread  the  alarm. 

The  Indians  evidently  discovered  signs  of  the  surveying 
party  and  its  hasty  retreat,  for  they  passed  by  the  immediate 
settlements  and  committed  depredations  on  Cheat  River,  carrying 
off  some  plunder.  Colonel  Lowther  had  his  scouts  and  rangers 
out  watching,  and  succeeded  in  intercepting  the  Indians  in  their 
retreat,  killed  a  few  of  them  and  recovered  the  stolen  property. 

Jackson  never  went  back  to  complete  his  work.  In  due  time, 
however,  the  Bank's  Survey  was- properly  returned,  neatly  plotted, 
and  showing  the  crossings  of  the  chief  streams.  It  was  forwarded 
to  the  Governor,  who  issued  the  patent.  In  later  years  Lewis 
Maxwell  became  owner  of  the  Bank's  Survey,  and  spent  years  in 
search  of  Jackson's  beginning  corner.  Finally  the  place  was 
located  where  the  three  crossings  of  the  creek  were  visible,  but  no 
marks  of  survey  were  ever  found  there.  However,  in  following 
one  of  Jackson's  imaginary  lines,  a  tree  was  found  with  an  old 
"line  mark."  This,  Maxwell  claimed,  had  been  placed  by  Jack- 
son.    In  the  meantime,  later  patents  for  the  land  had  been  dis- 

7)  See  paee  460. 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  \'irgini.\  183 

covered,  and  Maxwell  hrou^dil  suit  for  possession.  The  case  was 
tried  at  Glenville,  Gilmer  County,  and  lasted  two  weeks,  consum- 
ing the  entire  term  of  court.  The  main  point  involved  was  the 
identity  of  Jackson's  beginning  corner,  although  many  other 
points  were  contested.  The  defense  offered  to  prove  that  the 
mark  found  on  "Jackson's  line"  was  one  of  Jesse  Hughes'  toma- 
hawk claims,  antedating  the  Bank's  Survey;  but  the  Hughes' 
claim  had  never  been  carried  into  grant,  and  the  court  ruled 
against  the  introduction  of  such  testimony.  The  case  was  decided 
for  the  defense. 

Mr.  J.  S.  Hall  was  present  at  the  trial,  and  after  the  case  was 
settled,  Mr.  Enoch  Withers,  an  attorney  for  the  defense,  told  Mr. 
Hall  that  there  was  an  old  veteran  of  Jackson's  party  still  living, 
who  could  point  out  the  exact  spot  of  the  gum  tree  corner,  but  it 
was  not  to  the  interest  of  the  defense  to  divulge  his  name. 

Henry  Jackson  told  the  particulars  of  the  survey  and  scare 
by  the  Indians  to  his  young  nephew,  George  Jackson  Arnold,  (8) 
a  grandson  of  Col.  George  Jackson,  who  figured  in  the  Skin  Creek 
hunt. 

Xo  actual  settlements  were  made  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
West  Fork  Valley  until  after  the  treaty  of  Greenville  in  1795. 
Col.  Jackson  was  the  first  to  enter  this  field.  He  secured  a  large 
boundary  of  land  where  Jacksonville  now  stands,  in  Lewis  County; 
also  a  smaller  tract  at  the  forks  of  the  river.  In  1797,  he  settled 
four  families  by  the  name  of  Collins  on  his  larger  tract,  giving 
each  fifty  acres  of  choice  land.  They  were  to  remain  until  the 
colony  was  permanent  and  open  a  "Bridle  Path"  to  the  Flesher 
settlement,  at  Weston. 

These  settlers  were  hardy  and  gave  their  names  to  the  town- 
ship known  as  "Collins  Settlement."  The  Collins  were  after- 
wards followed  by  the  Bennetts:  William,  Joseph,  Abram  and 
Jacob,  who  came  over  the  Seneca  Trail  (9)  from  the  Upper  Poto- 
mac. The  Bennetts  were  fruit  growers  and  propagated  trees  from 
seed  brought  from  the  Potomac.  They  left  numerous  descend- 
ants in  the  country. 

The  "Ireland  Settlement"  at  the  extreme  head  of  the  right- 
hand  fork  of  the  river,  was  named  for  Andrew  Wilson,  a  son  of 
Erin,  who  was  the  first  settler  there.  He  voted  for  James  K.  Polk 
for  President  when  one  hundred  and  fourteen  years  old,  but  died 
the  following  year. 
(8)  See  patre  460.   (9)  r-  460. 


184  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

In  1781,  a  certificate  was  issued  to  "Joseph  Hall,  400  acres  on 
the  east  side  of  the  West  Branch  of  the  Monongalia  River,  in 
the  right  of  residence,  to  include  his  improvements  made  thereon 
in  1771,  with  a  preemption  right  of  1000  acres  adjoining." 

Joseph  did  not  settle  on  the  West  Fork  of  the  Monongahela 
until  several  years  after  his  "improvement"  of  1771.  He  was 
born  in  England  in  the  year  1745.  His  father,  Jonathan  Hall, 
was  a  land  owner,  or  tenant  proprietor,  and  like  his  ancestors,  a 
farmer.  Joseph  was  a  younger  son,  and  under  the  English  laws 
could  not  inherit  any  of  the  ancestral  acres,  so  he  was  educated  for 
the  mercantile  business  and  entered  the  employment  of  an  uncle. 

In  1764,  this  uncle  closed  up  business,  and  accompanied  by 
Joseph,  came  to  Alexandria,  Virginia,  and  became  one  of  the 
leading  merchants  of  that  place.  In  1774,  Joseph  volunteered  in 
Governor  Dunmore's  expedition  against  the  Indians,  and  was  made 
a  corporal  in  Dunmore's  division. 

After  the  return  of  this  wing  of  the  army,  the  feeling  against 
the  Governor  and  the  British  Government  became  intense,  and 
caused  an  estrangement  between  the  merchant  and  his  nephew. 
The  former  was  favorable  to  opposing  British  interferences  in 
colonial  affairs,  while  Joseph  advocated  passive  measures.  As 
the  Revolutionary  storm  thickened,  patriot  and  loyalist  parted 
■company  and  Joseph  rented  a  farm  of  Lord  Fairfax  on  Patterson 
Creek,  in  now  Mineral  County,  West  Virginia,  where  with  a 
partner  he  carried  on  farming  for  ten  years.  In  the  meantime, 
liis  views  changed  regarding  governmental  affairs,  and  he  rejoiced 
in  the  downfall  of  the  British  rule. 

In  1784,  in  company  with  Jacob  Forenash  and  James  Morri- 
son, old  comrades  in  Dunmore's  War  and  who  had  worked  for 
him,  he  came  to  Harrison  County  and  purchased  two  hundred 
acres  on  Peor's  Run,  in  now  Upshur  County,  West  Virginia.  He 
•employed  Fecknash  and  Morrison  to  build  a  house  and  clear  and 
cultivate  this  land  under  his  supervision.  For  many  years.  Hall 
spent  the  most  of  his  time  at  Clarksburg,  assisting  the  Surveyor 
and  the  County  Clerk.  He  entered  numerous  tracts  of  land, 
which  involved  him  in  lawsuits  with  but  little  compensation. 

Among  his  early  acquaintances  at  Clarksburg  were  three 
Englishmen,  whose  names  were  Hall,  but  they  could  trace  no 
family  relationship.  One  of  these  settled  in  now  Alarion 
County,    one   on   Hughes    River   and  the   other   on    Elk    Creek. 


Border  Settlers  ok  Northwestern  \  ircunia  185 

Sonic  of  the  descendants  of  the  latter  intermarried  with  the 
Rejjer  family.  (10) 

Joseph  Hall  was  educated  in  advance  of  those  around  him, 
and  was  useful  in  imparting  knowledge  to  his  neighbors.  He  died 
in  1825. 

In  Januar\'  1796,  Joseph  Hall  married  Ann  Strange,  nee  Hitt. 
Traged\'  had  twice  widowed  this  woman.  Her  first  husband, 
Joel  Martin,  a  soldier  nt  t  iir  Rc'\(  >hiti()n,  ilied  at  the  siege  of  "\  ork- 
town,  1781.  Her  second  husband,  William  Strange,  was  lost  on 
a  surveying  expedition  in  the  mountains  and  his  skeleton  only 
found  a  great  man\'  \ears  afterward.  The  following  is  an  account 
of  this  incident,  as  given  by  Adkinson: 

Strange  Creek. 

".\bout  the  year  1790  a  surveying  party  came  from  what  is  now  Upshur 
County,  to  Elk  and  Holly  Rivers,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  survey,  which  is 
known  as  the  Budd  Sur\cy.  i\mong  their  number  was  a  man  by  the  name  of 
William  Strange.  Old  Jerry  Carpenter,  who  was  the  first  adventurer  in  the  upper 
Elk  region,  was  employed  to  conduct  the  party.  The  lower  line  of  the  survey 
was  to  begin  with  the  left-hand  fork  of  Holly  river,  about  six  miles  above  its 
junction  with  main  Holly  river;  thence  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  crossing  the 
mountains,  to  main  Holly;  thence  o\er  another  mountain  to  Elk  river,  to  a  point 
near  Carpenter's  settlement.  .\t  that  day  there  was  no  settlement  in  that  section 
except  Carpenter's,  and  they  were  obliged  to  carry  their  provisions  and  cooking 
utensils  on  a  pack  horse.  Mr.  Strange  was  a  very  indifferent  woodsman,  and  to 
him  was  assigned  the  duty  of  taking  the  pack  horse  from  one  camping  place  to 
another.  He  was  directed  by  the  party  to  take  the  pack  horse  down  the  path 
on  the  left-hand  fork  to  its  mouth,  then  up  main  Holly  river  to  a  certain  creek, 
where  they  met  him  the  first  night.  They  then  directed  him  to  go  down  Holly 
to  its  junction  witli  Elk  river,  then  up  Elk  to  Carpenter's  settlement,  where  they 
would  meet  him  the  second  night.  The  path  down  Holly  was  on  the  left-hand 
side.  -About  a  half  or  three-quarters  of  a  mile  above  its  mouth  the  path  forked, 
one  path  crossing  the  river  and  going  up  Elk,  the  other  passing  on  down  Holly 
for  a  short  distance,  and  then  bearing  off  to  the  right,  ascending  the  mountain, 
passing  through  a  long  chestnut  flat,  and  striking  Elk  some  miles  below.  Owing 
to  the  dense  growth  of  timber  on  his  left.  Strange,  while  passing  by  the  ford  on 
Holly,  took  the  right-hand  path,  and  failed  to  discover  the  junction  of  the  rivers. 
A  short  distance  below  the  junction.  Elk  came  in  view,  and  still  believing  it  to  be 
the  Holly,  he  abandoned  the  path  and  attempted  to  follow  the  river  shore.  After 
having  gone  a  short  distance,  he  was  unable  to  proceed  further  in  consequence  of 
impassable  narrows,  and  was  forced  to  retrace  his  steps  to  the  path,  which  he 
followed  down  to  the  chestnut  flat,  where  he  became  utterly  confused,  and 
tied   his  horse  to  a  bush. 

"The  surveying  party  reached  Carpenter's  settlement  that  night,  and  as 
Strange's  non-arrival  created  uneasiness  among  a  portion  of  the  party  Carpenter 

(10)  See  page  460. 


186  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

immediately  explained  the  mystery  by  stating  that  he  had  evidently  been  misled 
on  account  of  their  failure  to  inform  him  where  he  would  have  to  cross  the  river. 
Early  next  morning  they  started  in  search  of  him,  crossed  Holly  and  followed  the 
tracks  of  the  horse  until  they  found  it  tied  to  the  bush  before  mentioned.  Strange 
had  wandered  away  from  the  horse,  and  while  Carpenter  was  endeavoring  to 
discover  his  trail  one  of  the  party  fired  his  gun  to  let  Strange  know  that  they  were 
near  him.  Carpenter  reprimanded  the  party,  and  warned  them  against  a  repeti- 
tion of  the  act;  telling  them  that  Strange,  in  his  bewildered  condition  would  take 
to  flight,  believing  them  to  be  Indians.  After  searching  for  some  time,  a  few 
miles  distant  they  found  where  he  had  been  lying  in  the  brush,  and  from  the  direc- 
tion he  had  taken,  he  had  evidently  fled  at  the  noise  of  the  gun,  as  suggested  by 
Mr.  Carpenter,  who  was  an  experienced  and  adroit  Indian  hunter.  They  followed 
his  trail  for  perhaps  five  or  six  miles  below,  where,  in  the  wildness  of  the  forest, 
they  lost  all  traces  of  him. 

"Nothing  was  heard  of  Mr.  Strange  for  a  number  of  years,  when  there  was 
found,  about  forty  miles  below,  on  a  branch  of  Elk,  the  bones  of  a  man  at  the 
foot  of  a  beech  tree.  The  name  of  Strange  and  the  following  couplet  had  been 
cut  in  the  bark  of  the  tree: 

'Strange  is  my  name,  and  I'm  on  strange  ground, 
And  strange  it  is  that  I  can't  be  found.' 

"This  branch,  before  that  time  known  as  Turkey  Creek,  from  this  incident, 
has  ever  since  borne  the  name  of  Strange  Creek.  It  is  a  few  miles  below  Birch 
river,  and  is  now  the  location  of  the  Elk  River  Iron  Works,  in  the  County  of 
Braxton,  seventy  miles  from  Charleston. 

"It  is  also  stated  that  the  rifle  of  Mr.  Strange,  with  his  shot-pouch  hanging 
on  its  ramrod,  was  found  leaning  against  the  tree  at  the  root  of  which  his  bones 
were  lying. 

"I  must  conclude,  from  this  remarkable  circumstance,  that  'Strange  creek' 
was  well  and  appropriately  named."  (11) 

Adkinson  errs  in  fixing  the  Strange  tragedy  in  1790,  as  attested 
by  the  birth  record  of  two  of  his  children  given  in  a  later  paragraph 
of  this  chapter.  Strange  was  lost  in  the  autumn  of  1795  subse- 
quent to  Wayne's  Treaty  with  the  Indians,  of  which  the  surveying 
party  were  wholly  ignorant.  This  date  is  not  only  supported  by 
family  tradition,  but  it  is  coincident  with  a  survey  made  in  that 
year  by  Henry  Jackson,  for  whom  Strange  was  "cook  and  packer." 

After  a  fruitless  search  for  the  missing  man,  Jackson  returned 
home  without  completing  the  survey,  but  the  im.aginary  lines 
were  afterwards  laid  down  and  a  patent  secured  covering  the 
grant.  Jackson,  be  it  said,  seldom  ran  all  the  lines  of  any  of  his 
surveys,  but  they  were  always  properly  patented;  such  was  the 
case  when  he  surveyed  Joseph  Hall's  estate  on  Skin  Creek,  not- 
withstanding Hall  was  present. 

(11)  See  page  460. 


BORDKR   SeTTLKRS  OF  XoRTHWESTERN  X'iRGIMA  187 

Upon  the  return  of  Jackson's  party,  others  went  in  search  of 
Strange,  among  them  a  Mr.  Loudin,  one  of  Jackson's  luinters, 
and  Philip  Reger. 

The  beech  tree  bearing  W  ilharu  St  range's  name  stood  near 
the  head  of  the  creek,  and  was  discovered  by  some  hunters,  who 
being  famihar  with  the  story  of  Strange,  gave  it  his  name.  It  is 
erroneously  spoken  of  by  some  contemporaries  as  "Stranger's 
Creek."  Mr.  John  Strange  Hall,  a  grandson  of  Mrs.  Strange,  and 
well  informed  regarding  his  family  history,  in  response  to  an 
inquiry,  says: 

"Mr.  Fitzwatcr,  tlie  tirst  settler  on  Big  Buffalo,  a  tributary  of  the  lilk  River, 
found  a  gun  under  a  shelving  rock,  with  the  stock  so  badly  damaged  that  it  fell 
to  pieces  when  handled.  Nothing  was  ever  known  touching  the  history  of  this 
gun,  but  it  was  supposed  by  many  to  have  belonged  to  the  unfortunate  Strange, 
who  placed  it  there  before  succumbing  to  death." 

I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Cnddcon  M.  Heavner  of  Buckhannon, 
\\  est  X'irginia,  for  a  traditional  version  of  the  tragedy: 

"Mr.  Strange  was  in  the  mountains  with  a  Mr.  Hall  and  a  \Ir.  Reger,"  writes 
Mr.  Heavner,  "and  was  directed  to  take  the  pack  horse  to  a  certain  gap,  where 
they  were  to  join  him  later.  Perhaps  Reger  and  Hall  did  not  make  the  place  of 
rendezvous  as  soon  as  expected,  but  when  they  came  up  the  horse  was  found  tied 
to  a  bush  with  the  pack  lying  near,  but  Strange  was  not  there.  He  had  gone  off 
in  an  opposite  direction  and  a  heavy  snowstorm  was  raging,  and  his  trail  could 
be  followed  only  a  short  distance.  They  searched  during  several  days,  but  found 
no  trace  of  the  missing  man.  Many  years  after,  about  five  miles  from  there,  his 
remains  were  found  by  the  side  of  a  log  with  his  gun  at  his  side.  On  a  beech  tree 
near  by  were  engraved  these  words: 

'William  Strange  is  my  name. 

And  in  these  strange  woods  I  must  remain.'" 

Mr.  Heavner  saj's  that  he  has  also  understood  that  Strange 
tied  the  abandoned  pack  horse  near  where  the  town  of  Pickens, 
West  \  irginia,  now  stands,  and  that  his  remains  were  found  on 
Sugar  Creek,  Braxton  County. 

The  story  was  told  Mr.  Heavner  by  his  mother,  Mary,  whose 
step-grandfather  was  Mr.  Strange.  She  was  the  oldest  child  of 
Stephen,  son  of  Joel  Martin  who  died  at  Yorktown.  Joel  was  not 
a  regular  enlisted  soldier  but  when  Virginia  was  invaded  by  the 
British  under  Gen.  Cornwallis,  he  took  his  gun  and  went  out  with 
the  patriot  troops,  never  to  return.  His  brother  William  was  an 
enlisted  soldier  in  the  Revolution,  and  is  said  to  have  been  killed 
at  the  siege  of  Yorktown.     Joel  Martin  left  two  children,  Joel, 


188  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

born  July  26,  1778,  Stephen,  born  April  14,  1781.  Stephen  never 
saw  his  father.  This  coupled  with  the  fact  that  he  pressed  his 
hand  into  the  throat  of  a  dying  wolf  thereby  hastening  its  death 
by  suffocation  gave  him  the  power  to  cure  the  thrash  in  children, 
as  more  fully  described  in  Chapter  XXIX,  this  volume. 

Doubtless  the  story  as  told  by  Heavner,  that  Strange  was 
with  Hall  and  Reger  when  last  seen,  originated  in  the  following 
incident: 

William  Strange  had  a  hunt  with  Jacob  Reger,  Sr.,  and 
Joseph  Hall;  and  he  got  lost,  but  was  near  his  home  and  there  was 
no  tragedy.  Reger  was  too  old  to  hunt  at  a  distance  and  he  pro- 
posed to  Hall  that  they  hunt  the  divide  between  Pecks  Run  and 
Turkey  Run.  This  region  was  no  longer  the  resort  of  the  younger 
hunters  who  went  far  afield  for  game.  William  Strange's  farm 
lay  on  their  route  and  he  joined  them.  As  the  latter  had  had  but 
little  experience  in  hunting,  he  was  directed  to  take  the  ridge  and 
upper  benches  to  a  "crossing"  in  a  low  gap  where  he  was  to  watch 
for  deer  which  might  break  cover,  and  where  they  would  later 
join  him. 

Reger  took  the  Pecks  Run  side  while  Hall  crossed  to  the 
Turkey  Run  side,  hunting  on  the  lower  benches  and  hollows,  or 
ravines.  After  a  time.  Hall  hearing  the  report  of  Reger's  gun, 
recrossed  the  ridge  and  helped  the  old  hunter  hang  up  a  large  doe. 
They  then  proceeded  together  to  the  appointed  rendezvous  where 
they  found  Strange  anxiously  awaiting  them.  He  had  heard 
Reger's  shot,  and  had  succeeded  in  bringing  down  one  of  three  deer 
which  had  been  startled  and  broke  for  the  accustomed  pass. 
Strange  had  been  tramping  snow  so  long  around  the  old  oak  where 
he  was  stationed,  that  he  had  decided  that  the  other  hunters  had 
returned  home  and  he  was  about  to  follow  suit. 

After  a  short  rest.  Strange  picked  up  the  fawn  which  he  had 
killed  and  started  to  lead  the  company,  but  he  took  the  path 
towards  Turkey  Run.  When  called  back,  he  insisted  that  he  was 
right  and  pointed  to  his  recent  tracks,  showing  that  that  was  the 
direction  from  which  he  came.  But  as  his  comrades  moved  off 
in  the  opposite  direction,  he  reluctantly  followed,  protesting  that 
they  were  going  wrong;  and  not  until  they  reached  Hall's  farm 
and  saw  his  house  was  he  convinced  of  his  error.  Strange  was 
joked  about  this  until  the  tragedy  in  the  wilderness  a  few  years 
later  when  he  was  lost  never  again  to  be  seen  alive.     Other  stories 


Border  Settlers  ok  Xorthwf.stern  \'irgim.\  1S9 

of  like  nature  were  related  of  William  Strange,  attesting  his  utter 
lack  of  woodcraft. 

William  Strange  was  born  in  Fauquier  County,  Virginia. 
His  children  were: 

Eliza,  born  September  22,  1784;  James,  born  October  18, 
1787;  John,  born  November  15,  1789;  Sarah,  born  July  26,  1792, 
married  Enoch  Hall,  of  the  Elk  Creek  family  of  Halls;  Margaret, 
born  July  Uth,  1794. 

Mrs.  Hall,  nee  Hitt,  was  an  estimable  woman,  and  her  mar- 
ried life  with  Mr.  Joseph  Hall  was  ideal.  She  died  in  1810  leaving 
two  children  by  her  last  husband;  Jonathan,  born  November  8, 
1797,  and  David,  born  March  4,  1800.  They  inherited  their 
father's  estate  on  Skin  Creek. 

A  unique  feature  of  Joseph  HalTs  residence  was  the  stairway, 
which  was  carved   in  one  piece  from  a  large  poplar  tree. 

A  tragedy  not  unlike  that  of  Strange  occurred  about  1S15. 

George  Mollohan  who  lived  with  his  son,  James,  on  Birch 
River,  left  one  day  to  visit  his  son  John,  w-ho  resided  about  sixteen 
miles  distant  and  near  where  Sutton  now  stands  on  the  Little 
Kanawha;  all  within  the  present  bounds  of  Braxton  County. 

.\bout  ten  days  after  the  old  gentleman's  departure,  a  settler 
from  the  Little  Kanawha  came  to  Birch  River  and  James  Mol- 
lohan inquired  about  his  father.  He  was  informed  that  Mr. 
Mollohan  had  not  been  at  his  son  John's,  nor  had  he,  in  coming 
over  the  path  seen  any  trace  of  him.  Moreover,  John  had 
requested  the  informant  to  tell  his  father  to  pay  him  a  visit. 

\n  unavailing  search  was  immediately  instituted  for  the 
missing  man.  The  only  trace  ever  found  of  him  was  his  gloves 
placed  in  the  forks  of  a  bush,  and,  at  no  great  distance,  his  horse 
feeding  in  the  bottom  lands.  This  incident  is  here  given  for  the 
first  time. 

George  Mollohan.  settled  in  Cjreenbrier  County,  in  1780.  (12) 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


When  forts  were  built  along  the  Ohio,  Indian  incursions  into 
Virginia  became  less  frequent.  The  garrisons  of  these  forts  and 
the  settlers  who  gathered  about  them  created  a  demand  on  the 
settlements  on  the  Western  Aionongahela  for  beef  and  milk  cows. 
In  1791  we  find  Jesse  Hughes  with  Nicholas  Carpenter,  in  his  ill- 
fated  enterprise  undertaken  to  supply  this  demand  at  Fort  Har- 
mer  at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum.  The  ensuing  brief  account 
of  this  occurrence  is  taken  from  Withers.  (1) 

"In  the  month  of  September,  Nicholas  Carpenter  set  off  to  Marietta  with  a 
drove  of  cattle  to  sell  to  those  who  had  established  themselves  there;  and  when 
within  some  miles  from  the  Ohio  river,  encamped  for  the  night.  (2)  In  the 
morning  early,  and  while  he  and  the  drovers  were  yet  dressing,  they  were  alarmed 
by  a  discharge  of  guns,  which  killed  one  and  wounded  another  of  his  party. 
The  others  endeavored  to  save  themselves  by  flight;  but  Carpenter  being  a  cripple 
(because  of  a  wound  received  some  years  before)  did  not  run  far,  when  finding 
himself  becoming  faint,  he  entered  a  pond  of  water  where  he  fondly  hoped  he 
should  escape  observation.  But  no!  both  he  and  a  son  who  had  likewise  sought 
security  there,  were  discovered,  tomahawked  and  scalped.  George  Legget,  one 
of  the  drovers,  was  never  after  heard  of;  but  Jesse  Hughes  succeeded  in  getting 
off  though  under  disadvantageous  circumstances.  He  wore  long  leggins,  and 
when  the  firing  commenced  at  the  camp,  they  were  fastened  at  top  to  his  belt, 
but  hanging  loose  below.  Although  an  active  runner,  yet  he  found  that  the  pur- 
suers were  gaining  and  must  ultimately  overtake  him  if  he  did  not  rid  himself 
of  his  incumbrance.  For  this  purpose  he  halted  somewhat  and  stepping  on  the 
lower  part  of  his  leggins,  broke  the  strings  which  tied  them  to  his  belt;  but  before 
he  accomplished  this,  one  of  the  savages  approached  and  hurled  a  tomahawk  at 
him.     It  merely  grazed  his  head,  and  he  then  again  took  flight  and  soon  got  off. 

"It  was  afterwards  ascertained  that  the  Indians  by  whom  this  mischief  was 
effected,  had  crossed  the  Ohio  river  near  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Kenhawa,  where 
they  took  a  negro  belonging  to  Captain  James  Neal,  and  continued  on  towards 
the  settlements  on  West  Fork,  until  they  came  upon  the  trail  made  by  Carpenter's 
cattle.  Supposing  that  they  belonged  to  families  moving,  they  followed  on  until 
they  came  upon  the  drovers;  and  tying  the  negro  to  a  sapling  made  an  attack  on 
them.  The  negro  availed  himself  of  their  employment  elsewhere,  and  loosening 
the  bands  which  fastened  him,  returned  to  his  master." 

The  following  more  elaborate  description  of  the  foregoing 
tragedy  is  given  by  Hildreth.  (3) 

"The  year  1791  was  more  fruitful  in  tragical  events  than  any  other  during 
the  war,  in  the  vicinity  of  Marietta.     After  that  period  the  attention  of  the  Indians 

(1)  See  page  460.  (2)  p.  460.  (3)  p.  461. 


B()ri)i:k  Settlers  of  Northwestern  \'ir(;ini.\  191 

was  more  occupied  with  the  troops  assembled  on  the  borders  of  their  own  country, 
or  already  penetrating  to  the  vicinity  of  their  villages.  The  United  States  troops 
stationed  at  the  posts  within  the  new  settlements,  drew  a  considerable  portion  of 
their  meat  rations  from  tlic  inhabitants  of  the  western  branches  of  the  Monon- 
gahela,  about  Clarksburg,  especially  their  fresh  beef.  Several  droves  had  been 
brought  from  that  region  of  the  country  in  1790  and  '91  and  sold  to  Paul  Fearing, 
Esq.,  who  had  been  appointed  Commissary  to  the  troops.  A  considerable  number 
of  cattle,  especially  milk  cows,  were  also  sold  to  the  inhabitants  of  Marietta. 
Among  those  engaged  in  this  employment  was  Nicholas  Carpenter,  a  worthy, 
pious  man,  who  had  lived  many  years  on  the  frontiers  and  was  well  acquainted 
with  a  forest  life.  I4c  left  Clarksburg  the  last  of  September,  with  a  drove,  accom- 
panied by  his  little  son,  ten  years  old,  and  five  other  men,  viz:  Jesse  Hughes, 
George  Legit,  John  Paul,  Barns,  and  Ellis.  On  the  evcnint:  of  the  3rd  of  October, 
they  had  reached  a  point  six  miles  above  Marietta,  and  encamped  on  a  run  half 
a  mile  from  the  Ohio,  and  since  called  'Carpenter's  run.'  The  cattle  were  suffered 
to  range  in  the  vicinity,  feeding  on  the  rich  pea  vines  that  then  filled  the  woods, 
while  the  horses  were  hoppled,  the  leaves  pulled  out  from  around  the  clappers  of 
their  bells,  and  turned  loose  in  the  bottom.  After  eating  their  suppers,  the  party 
spread  their  blankets  on  the  ground  and  lay  down  with  their  feet  to  the  fire.  No 
guard  was  set  to  watch  the  approach  of  an  enemy.  Their  journey  being  so  near 
finished,  without  discovering  any  signs  of  Indians,  that  they  thought  all  danger 
was  past. 

"It  so  happened  that  not  far  from  the  time  of  their  leaving  home,  a  party 
of  six  Shawanese  Indians,  headed  as  was  afterwards  ascertained,  byTecumseh,  (4) 
then  quite  a  youth,  but  ultimateh'  so  celebrated  for  bravery  and  talents,  had 
crossed  the  Ohio  river  near  Bellville,  on  a  marauding  expedition  in  the  vicinity 
of  Clarksburg.  From  this  place  they  passed  over  the  ridges  to  'Neil's  Station,' 
on  the  Little  Kenawha,  one  mile  from  the  mouth,  where  they  took  prisoner  a 
colored  boy  of  Mr.  Neil,  about  twelve  years  old,  as  he  was  out  looking  for  the 
horses  early  in  the  morning.  It  was  done  without  alarming  the  garrison,  and  they 
quietly  proceeded  on  their  route,  doing  no  other  mischief;  pursuing  their  way  up  the 
Kenawha  to  the  mouth  of  Hughes'  river,  and  following  the  north  fork,  fell  on  to 
the  trail  from  Clarksburg  to  Marietta.  This  took  them  about  three  days.  There 
was  no  rain,  and  the  leaves  so  dry  that  their  rustling  alarmed  the  deer,  and  they 
could  kill  no  game  for  food.  Their  only  nourishment  for  that  period  was  a  single 
tortoise,  which  they  divided  among  them,  giving  Frank,  the  black  boy,  an  equal 
share.  (5)  As  he  was  much  exhausted  and  discouraged,  they  promised  him  a 
horse  to  ride  on  their  return.  These  circumstances  were  related  by  Frank  after 
his  escape. 

"Soon  after  leaving  the  north  fork  of  Hughes'  river,  they  fell  onto  the  trail 
of  Carpenter's  drove,  and  thinking  it  made  by  a  caravan  of  settlers  on  their  way 
to  the  Ohio,  they  held  a  short  council.  Giving  up  any  further  progress  towards 
Clarksburg  they  turned  with  renewed  energy  and  high  spirits  upon  the  fresh  large 
trail,  which  they  percei\ed  had  very  recently  been  made.  So  broad  was  the  track 
made  by  the  cattle  and  four  or  five  horses  that  they  followed  it  without  difficulty, 
at  a  rapid  pace  all  night,  and  came  in  sight  of  the  camp  fire  a  little  before  day- 
light. Previous  to  commencing  the  attack,  they  secured  Frank  witli  leather 
thongs  to  a  stout  sapling  on  the  top  of  an  adjacent  ridge.      The  irampiini:  of  the 

(4)  See  page  461.  (5)  p.  461. 


192  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

cattle  and  the  noise  of  the  horse  bells  greatly  favored  the  Indians  in  their 
approach,  but  as  there  was  no  sentinel  there  was  little  danger  of  discovery. 
Tecumseh,  with  the  cautious  cunning  that  ever  distinguished  him,  posted  his  men 
behind  the  trunk  of  a  large  fallen  tree,  a  few  yards  from  the  camp,  where  they 
could  watch  the  movements  of  their  enemies. 

"At  the  first  dawn  of  day  Mr.  Carpenter  called  up  the  men,  saying  they 
would  commence  the  day  with  the  accustomed  acts  of  devotion  which  he  had 
long  practiced.  As  the  men  sat  around  the  fire,  and  he  had  just  commenced 
reading  a  hymn,  the  Indians  rose  and  fired,  following  the  discharge  with  a  terrific 
yell,  and  rushed  upon  their  astonished  victims  with  the  tomahawk.  Their  fire 
was  not  very  well  directed,  as  it  killed  only  one  man,  Ellis  from  Greenbrier,  and 
wounded  John  Paul  through  the  hand.  Ellis  instantly  fell,  exclaiming,  'O  Lord, 
I  am  killed!'  The  others  sprang  to  their  feet,  and  before  they  could  all  get  their 
arms  which  were  leaning  against  a  tree,  the  Indians  were  among  them.  Hughes 
who  had  been  an  old  hunter  and  often  in  skirmishes  with  savages,  in  his  haste 
seized  on  two  rifles,  Carpenter's  and  his  own,  and  pushed  into  the  woods,  with 
two  Indians  in  pursuit.  He  fired  one  of  the  guns,  but  whether  with  effect  is  not 
known,  and  threw  the  other  away.  Being  partly  dressed  at  the  time  of  the  attack. 
his  long  leggins  (6)  were  only  fastened  to  the  belt  around  his  waist  and  were  loose 
below,  entangling  his  legs,  and  greatly  impeding  his  flight.  To  rid  himself  of  this 
encumbrance  he  stopped  for  a  moment,  placed  his  foot  on  the  lower  end,  and  tore 
them  loose  from  his  belt,  leaving  his  legs  bare  from  the  hips  downward.  This 
delay  nearly  cost  him  his  life.  His  pursuer  then  within  a  few  feet  of  him,  threw 
his  tomahawk  so  accurately  as  to  graze  his  head.  Freed  from  this  impediment 
he  soon  left  his  foe  far  behind.  Christopher  Carpenter,  the  son  of  Nicholas,  now 
living  in  Marietta,  says  he  well  remembers  seeing  the  bullet  holes  in  Hughes' 
hunting  shirt  after  his  return. 

"In  the  race  the  competitors  passed  near  the  spot  where  Frank  was  concealed, 
who  described  it  as  one  of  the  swiftest  he  had  ever  seen.  John  Paul,  who  had  been 
in  many  engagements  with  the  Indians,  escaped  by  his  activity  in  running.  Burns, 
a  stout,  athletic  man,  but  slow  of  foot,  was  slain  near  the  camp  after  a  stout  resist- 
ance. When  found  a  few  days  after  his  jack  knife  was  still  clasped  in  his  hand, 
and  the  weeds  trampled  down  for  a  rod  or  more  around,  showing  he  had  resisted 
manfully  for  life.  George  Legit  was  pursued  for  nearly  two  miles,  overtaken  and 
killed.  Mr.  Carpenter,  although  a  brave  man,  was  without  arms  to  defend  him- 
self, and  being  lame  could  not  run  rapidly.  He  therefore  sought  to  conceal  him- 
self behind  some  willows  in  the  bed  of  the  run.  He  was  soon  discovered,  with 
his  little  boy  by  his  side.  His  captors  conducted  him  to  the  spot  where  the  black 
boy  had  been  left,  and  killed  both  him  and  his  son.  What  led  to  the  slaughter,  after 
they  had  surrendered,  is  not  known.  He  was  found  wrapped  in  his  blanket,  with  a 
pair  of  new  Indian  moccasins  on  his  feet,  and  his  scalp  not  removed.  It  is  supposed 
that  these  marks  of  respect  were  shown  him  at  the  request  of  one  of  the  Indians 
whose  gun  Carpenter  had  repaired  at  Marietta  the  year  before,  and  had  declined 
any  compensation  for  the  service.  He  was  by  trade  a  gunsmith.  This  circum- 
stance was  told  to  C.  Carpenter,  many  years  after,  by  one  of  the  Indians  who  was 
present,  at  Urbana  in  Ohio.  It  is  another  proof  of  the  fact,  that  an  Indian  never 
forgets  an  act  of  kindness,  even  in  an  enemy. 

"Tecumseh  and  his  men,  after  collecting  the  plunder  of  the  camp,  retreated 


(6)   See  page  46L 


Border  Settlers  of  Xorthwk.stkrn  \  ir(;im.\  193 

in  such  haste,  that  they  left  all  the  horses,  which  had  probably  dispersed  in  the 
woods  at  the  tumult  of  the  attack.  They  no  doubt  feared  a  pursuit  from  the 
rangers  at  Marietta  and  Williams'  station,  who  would  be  notified  by  the  escape 
of  their  prisoner,  Frank,  who  in  the  midst  of  the  noise  of  the  assault  contrived  to 
slip  his  hands  loose  from  the  cords,  and  hide  himself  in  a  thick  patch  of  hazel 
bushes,  from  which  he  saw  a  part  of  the  transactions.  .After  the  Indians  had 
left  the  ground,  he  crept  cautiously  forth,  and  by  good  fortune  took  the  right 
direction  to  Williams'  station,  opposite  to  Marietta.  A  party  of  men  was  sent 
out  the  next  day,  who  buried  the  dead  as  far  as  they  could  liicn  be  found.  Frank 
returned  to  his  master,  and  died  only  a  few  years  since."' 

Colonel  Joseph  Barker  assisted  in  burying  the  bodies  of  Car- 
penter and  his  men.  (7) 

From  the  foregoing  it  would  appear  that  Hughes  had  adopted 
the  Indian  mode  of  dress  so  popular  with  the  half-wild  hunters  and 
scouts  in  the  latter  years  of  the  Indian  wars  on  the  \  irginia  border. 
Tradition  says  that  Hughes  was  surprised  by  the  Indians  near  the 
Buckhannon  Fort  when  entangled  \vith  loose  leggins,  and  with 
difficulty  effected  his  escape.  Doubtless  this  story  had  its  origin 
in  the  Carpenter  occurrence. 

A  single  instance  illustrative  of  Hughes'  wonderful  fleetness  and 
dexterity  with  his  rifle  will  demonstrate  to  what  a  fearful  strait  he 
must  have  been  reduced  that  he  should  in  his  flight  cast  aside  a 
loaded  gun.  After  he  had  moved  from  Hacker's  Creek,  and  was  an 
old  man,  he  returned  on  a  visit.  A  Mr.  Bailey,  of  Freeman's  Creek, 
then  a  lad,  remembered  seeing  him  and  witnessing  the  feat  at  a 
house-raising  on  Broad  Run,  in  what  is  now  Lewis  County.  When 
the  house  was  completed  the  assembled  young  men  engaged  in 
athletic  sports,  hopping,  jumping  and  foot-racing,  as  was  custom- 
ary in  those  days.  One  athlete  excelled  all  competitors  in  fleet- 
ness, and  the  old  scout  offered  to  run  with  him.  The  conditions 
of  the  race  stipulated  that  Hughes  with  cmpt\-  rifle  in  hand  was 
to  have  ten  paces  the  start  of  his  adversar}';  and  if  successful  in 
charging  his  piece  before  caught  he  was  to  be  declared  winner. 
Arrangements  were  accordingly  made,  and  after  the  contestants 
had  been  properly  placed,  the  signal  was  given  and  they  sprang 
forward.  One  was  an  aged  man,  on  whose  visage  the  "shadows  of 
the  evening"  were  settling.  The  other,  strong  in  the  prime  of 
youth,  exulted  in  the  mounting  vigor  of  manhood.  Swift  was  the 
race,  but  the  chief  of  the  Monongahela  scouts  proved  himself. 
He  charged  his  rifle,  and  whirling  about,  could  easily  have  shot 
his  rival  before  being  caught. 

(7)  See  page  461. 


194  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

The  following  traditional  sequel  to  the  Carpenter  tragedy  is 
an  extract  from  a  manuscript  by  the  late  Mr.  S.  C.  Shaw,  of  Park- 
ersburg,  West  Virginia.  Mr.  Shaw  spent  considerable  time  in 
collecting  traditions  from  old  papers  and  the  descendants  of  the 
border  pioneers.     He  died  only  a  few  years  ago. 

"At  the  first  volley  from  the  guns  of  the  Indians,  Carpenter  and  three  of  his 
men  fell  dead.  Hughes,  the  only  one  to  escape  death,  was  slightly  wounded,  but 
by  his  extraordinary  activity  and  fleetness  succeeded,  after  a  long  and  at  times 
close  chase,  in  making  his  escape  to  Neal's  blockhouse  at  the  mouth  of  the  Little 
Kanawha.  The  colored  boy,  Frank,  whom  the  Indians  had  taken  prisoner  and 
tied  to  a  tree  with  deer  sinews  during  the  attack,  succeeded  with  his  teeth  in  sever- 
ing his  bonds,  and  though  closely  pursued  made  his  escape  to  the  fort.  When 
Hughes  and  the  boy  appeared  at  the  blockhouse  and  told  the  story  of  savage 
cruelty  and  murder,  Isaac  Williams,  (8)  a  noted  scout,  immediately  took  charge 
of  a  party  which  started  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians.  Arriving  at  the  scene  of  the 
tragedy,  they  found  the  body  of  Carpenter  and  his  three  men  lying  by  their  camp 
fire,  scalped  and  mutilated.  They  buried  their  dead,  and  struck  the  trail  of  the 
Shawnees  leading  towards  the  river.  Owing  to  a  heavy  rain,  they  lost  the  trail 
somewhere  near  the  point  on  which  St.  Alary's,  the  county  seat  of  Pleasants 
County,  now  stands,  and  the  pursuit  was  abandoned.  Williams'  party,  consisting 
of  Jesse  Hughes,  Malcomb  Coleman,  Elijah  Pixley  and  James  Ryan,  now  held  a 
council  of  war  and  unanimously  agreed  to  avenge  the  death-  of  Carpenter  and  his 
party  on  the  first  Indians  that  fell  in  their  way. 

"Williams  led  his  party  of  avengers  across  the  Ohio  at  a  ford  near  Willow 
Island  and  immediately  took  up  their  silent  march  towards  the  head  of  Shade 
River,  where  they  learned  from  the  scouts  belonging  to  the  Bellville  blockhouse, 
a  small  party  of  Shawnees  were  encamped  on  a  hunt.  The  scouts  went  into  camp 
on  the  Little  Hocking,  early  that  evening,  leaving  one  man  on  guard  to  be  changed 
at  midnight;  and  rested  until  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when,  after  a  hasty  meal 
of  dried  venison  and  parched  corn,  they  again  took  up  the  line  of  march.  Arriv- 
ing within  three  miles  of  where  they  had  been  told  the  Shawnees  were  camped, 
Williams  and  his  party  went  into  hiding  beneath  a  mass  of  thick  undergrowth 
lining  a  small  stream  between  two  wooded  hills.  Soon  after  being  here  ensconced, 
the  report  of  fire  arms  nearby  startled  them.  Peering  through  the  branches  of 
their  bushy  canopy  the  scouts  silently  listened  and  waited.  A  few  minutes  later 
a  large  buck  broke  cover  on  the  hillside  and  came  bounding  down  the  slope  in  a 
straight  line  for  the  thicket  in  which  they  were  concealed.  The  scouts  supposed 
that  the  Indians  were  in  pursuit,  and  were  fearful  that  the  buck  would  bring 
about  their  discovery.  Fortunately  for  them,  while  the  game  was  fifty  j^ards 
away,  a  rifle  rang  out  on  the  still  morning  air,  and  the  buck  sprang  high  and  fell 
dead.  An  instant  later  three  Indians  ran  down  the  hill,  and  began  dressing  the 
carcass.  From  their  head  dress  and  general  appearance,  the  scouts  recognized 
them  as  Shawnees,  and  knew  that  they  were  near  the  camp  for  which  they  were 
looking.  The  whites  remained  motionless  and  were  undiscovered  by  the  Indians, 
who,  after  completing  their  task,  moved  off  with  their  spoils.  The  whites  kept 
in  hiding  all  day  with  one  of  their  number  constantly  on  the  lookout. 

(8)  See  page  46L 


BORDKR   SlCTTLIiRS   Ol-    XoRTHWESTLRN   \  IRCIMA  195 

"On  the  banks  of  ihc  Shade  River,  three  miles  dist;iiU  from  the  hiding  place 
of  the  whites,  was  a  small  creek  which  emptied  into  the  larger  stream.  A  huge 
rock  stood  back  fifteen  or  twenty  yards  from  the  bank,  and  in  front,  and  between 
It  and  the  river,  stood  four  brush  wigwams.  The  Indians  had  brought  three  of 
their  squaws  with  them  to  cure  the  meat,  and  with  them  three  Indian  lads,  ranging 
from  four  to  eleven  years  of  age.  The  band  of  warriors  or  hunters  consisted  of 
four  men.  That  night  about  midnight  the  scouts  approached  within  two  or  three 
hundred  yards  of  the  Indian  camp  when  Jesse  Hughes  went  forward  to  ascertain 
their  exact  number  and  location.  Hughes  soon  returned  with  the  information 
given  above,  having  arrived  at  this  knowledge  from  the  number  of  lodges  and 
the  equipment  about  the  lodges.  W  Irii  Hughes  reported,  Williams  divided  his 
forces,  sending  Hughes  with  two  men  to  follow  under  the  bank  of  the  creek  until 
opposite  the  camp;  and  then  followed  by  the  remaining  hunter,  Williams  cautiously 
crept  up  until  he  was  directly  behind  the  rock  referred  to.  The  cry  of  the  whip- 
poor-will  was  Hughes'  signal  that  his  force  was  in  position,  and  a  minute  later 
Williams  and  Pixley  crept  from  behind  the  rock  and  up  to  the  nearest  wigwam. 
So  silent  was  their  approach  that  even  the  keen-eared  Shawnees  had  no  suspicion 
that  an  enemy  was  near.  The  moon  was  in  the  full  and  even  under  the  shade  of 
the  trees  objects  were  plainly  discernable.  Williams  and  Pixley  waited  near  the 
first  wigwam  until  they  saw  Hughes,  Coleman  and  Ryan  close  up  to  another, 
then  raising  his  hand  as  a  signal,  dashed  into  the  wigwam  with  a  fearful  yell,  and 
before  the  sleeping  Indians  could  spring  to  their  feet,  they  were  upon  them.  The 
scouts  had  rushed  with  tomahawk  in  hand,  and  almost  in  a  second  two  Indian 
warriors  and  a  squaw  were  tomahawked.  While  this  tragedy  was  being  enacted, 
Hughes  and  his  companions  were  holding  another  carnival  of  death  within  a  few 
>ards.  Veils  and  cries  of  pain  rent  the  air,  and  instantaneously  the  remaining 
Indians  were  out  of  their  wigwams  with  weapons  in  their  hands.  Heretofore  the 
whites  had  refrained  from  using  their  rifles,  but  after  they  had  exterminated  the 
occupants  of  two  wigwams  first  attacked,  they  sprang  out  with  their  rifles,  and 
before  the  panic-stricken  Indians  could  recover  their  presence  of  mind,  the  rifies 
of  the  whites  began  to  crack,  and  at  each  shot  an  Indian  fell.  Nine  of  the  party 
were  killed.  The  remaining  Shawnee  yelled  with  terror  and  fled  to  the  forest. 
Fearing  an  ambuscade,  the  scouts  quickly  reloaded  their  guns  and  then  looked 
over  the  field  of  battle. 

"One  little  Indian  boy,  not  over  four  years  old,  was  discovered  concealed 
under  a  pile  of  furs  and  hides  in  a  corner  of  one  of  the  wigwams,  where  he  had 
crawled  when  the  whites  made  their  attack. 

"Although  doubtless  frightened  at  the  sight  of  the  first  white  faces  and  heavy 
beards  he  had  ever  seen,  the  boy  did  not  so  much  as  whimper  when  Pixley  picked 
him  up  and  was  about  to  dash  him  against  a  tree.  Hughes,  near  Pixley  at  the  time, 
begged  him  to  spare  the  boy;  but  Pixley,  whose  brother  and  son  had  been  killed 
and  scalped  by  the  Shawnees  several  months  before,  at  first  refused  to  spare  him, 
but  after  a  good  deal  of  persuasion  Hughes  at  last  succeeded  in  getting  possession 
of  the  lad. 

"Four  horses,  a  large  amount  of  fresh  meat,  a  lot  of  furs  and  three  good 
rifles  were  found  and  taken  possession  of.  The  dead  Indians  were  scalped,  the 
horses  loaded  with  the  captured  plunder,  and  then  fastening  the  Indian  boy  securely 
to  the  back  of  one  of  them,  the  scouts  began  their  retreat.     Thc\'  followed  the 


196  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

banks  of  the  Shade  River  to  its  mouth,  at  what  is  today  the  town  of  Murrayville. 
From  that  point,  they  travelled  several  miles  up  the  Ohio  to  a  ford  where  they 
crossed,  and  arrived  at  the  Bellville  blockhouse.  The  little  Indian  prisoner 
was  taken  away  a  few  days  later  by  Jesse  Hughes,  and  an  old  manuscript  says 
that  he  lived  many  years  among  the  whites  in  a  settlement  called  Bulltown,  dying 
at  the  age  of  nearly  one  hundred  years,  a  devout  Christian,  greatly  loved  and 
respected  in  his  community." 

The  date  (1785)  and  some  of  the  details  as  given  in  the  origi- 
nal unabridged  version  of  this  tradition  are  so  conflicting,  and  the 
story  of  Hughes  saving  the  little  boy,  an  act  so  foreign  to  his  known 
nature,  serve  to  cast  doubt  on  the  story.  Some  parts  of  it  may  be 
true;  evidently  much  of  it  is  untrue.  It  was  published  in  the 
Pittsburg  Post  several  years  ago,  and  copied  by  the  press,  and  is 
given  for  what  it  is  worth. 

It  is  said  that  the  colored  lad's  name  was  Frank  Wykoff,  and 
that  he  was  caught  by  the  Indians  one  mile  above  Neal's  Fort 
while  fishing  at  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Kanawha;  that  his  captors 
tied  his  hands  behind  him,  and  packing  a  heavy  load  of  food  and 
utensils  on  his  shoulders,  compelled  him  to  keep  pace  with  them. 
But  it  is  not  probable  that  the  Indians  were  encumbered  with 
utensils  or  much  food  on  a  war  expedition. 

The  companions  of  Jesse  Hughes  in  this  traditional  expedi- 
tion of  revenge  and  plunder  were  well  known  on  the  Virginia 
frontier.  In  February,  1793,  we  find  that  Malcom  Coleman, 
Elijah  Pixley  and  James  Ryan,  accompanied  by  Coleman's  son 
John,  left  the  fort  at  Belleville,  Ohio,  in  a  canoe  on  a  hunting  trip 
up  Big  Mill  Creek,  in  what  is  now  Jackson  County,  West  Virginia. 
They  camped  at  or  near  where  Cottageville  now  stands,  and  in  a 
few  days  had  all  the  venison  and  bear  meat  their  canoe  would 
carry.  Their  return  home  was  delayed  by  the  freezing  of  the 
creek.  Pixley  and  young  Coleman  returned  overland  to  the  fort 
for  a  small  supply  of  flour  or  meal  and  salt,  expecting  to  return  in 
the  forenoon  of  the  third  day.  On  that  fatal  morning,  the  elder 
Coleman  and  Ryan  rose  early  and  prepared  breakfast.  While 
returning  thanks  at  the  beginning  of  the  meal  they  were  fired  on 
by  a  band  of  Indians  in  ambush,  and  Coleman  was  instantly 
killed.  Ryan  was  slightly  wounded,  but  fled  and  in  due  time 
reached  the  fort.  A  party  immediately  returned  to  the  camp, 
only  to  find  Coleman  scalped  and  stripped  of  his  clothing  and  the 
camp  plundered.  (9)  This  occurrence  was  strangely  coincident 
with  the  Carpenter  tragedy. 

(9)  See  page  461. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


When  the-  Waggoner  family,  (1)  on  jcssc">  Run,  was  massa- 
cred in  Ma_\',  1792,  it  was  Jesse  Hughes  who  carried  the  news  of 
the  tragedy  to  West's  Fort  and  alarmed  the  settlers.  Colonel 
John  McW  horlcr,  then  a  lad  eight  years  of  age,  was  out  hunting 
the  cows  not  far  from  his  father's  home  near  the  fort,  when  hear- 
ing the  rustling  of  underbrush  and  glancing  up,  he  saw  Jesse,  rifle 
in  hand,  running  towards  the  tort.  As  Jesse  passed  the  astonished 
lad  he  ejaculated,  "Heel  it  to  the  fort,  ye'  little  devil;  Injuns 
after  \e'I"  The  little  fellow  did  "heel  it,"  endeavoring  to  keep 
pace  with  the  scout,  hut  to  no  purpose.  The  fleet-footed  trailer 
disappeared  as  suddenly  as  he  came  to  view. 

This  raid  on  the  \\  aggoner  family  by  Tecumseh  and  his  two 
w^arriors,  with  its  subsequent  history,  and  the  story  of  the  tragedy 
as  told  by  the  Indians  in  after  years,  dimly  reveals  an  incentive 
to  these  border  forays  not  usually  attributed  to  the  Indian  by  the 
historian.  That  these  incursions  were  primarily  of  a  partisan 
and  revengeful  nature,  cannot  be  gainsaid,  but  that  occasionally 
thev  were  prompted  by  motives  of  a  different  character  is  also 
certain.  The  carrying  into  captivity  of  small  children  over  long 
and  dangerous  wilderness  paths  by  the  fierce  warrior,  is  significant. 
I  have  elsewhere  spoken  of  the  strong  parental  feeling  which 
sways  the  Indian  bosom.  The  vacant  seat  at  the  fireside  of  the 
wigwam  was  as  deeply  mourned  as  in  any  home  on  earth.  A 
longing  to  repair  the  broken  circle,  often  led  to  the  adoption 
of  a  stranger  by  the  bereaved  famih'  or  tribe.  Preferably  the 
adopted  one  was  a  child,  although  often  grown  or  matured  parties 
were  acceptable.  To  fill  these  vacancies,  young  children  of  likely 
appearance  were  kidnaped  from  the  settlements.  (2)  That  these 
adoptions  were  successful,  we  need  only  refer  to  the  pathetic 
scenes  enacted  at  the  several  treaties  where  these  captives  were 
surrendered.  Often  it  was  necessary  to  force  them  from  their 
foster  parents.  (3)  The  grief  caused  by  these  separations  was 
always  mutual.  The  running  of  the  gauntlet  by  the  prisoner 
before  his  adoption  was,  to  use  their  own  phraseology,  "like  how 
do  you  do,"  a  hearty  but  rough  initiation  into  Indian  society.  (4) 
The  ceremony  of  adoption  was  serious,  and  assumed  a  religious 

(1)  See  page  461.  (2)  p.  462.  (.i)  p.  462.  (4>  p.  462. 


198  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

phase.  The  eradication  of  every  drop  of  white  blood  from  the 
veins  of  James  Smith  when  he  was  adopted  by  the  Caughnewagos, 
was  highly  symbolical,  and  a  beautiful  portrayal  of  primitive  sim- 
plicity and  sincerity.  (5) 

In  Border  Warfare^  (6)  will  be  found  a  very  concise  account 
of  the  Waggoner  tragedy,  and  reference  here  to  the  published 
account  will  be  made  only  in  connection  with  some  of  the. incidents 
heretofore  not  of  record. 

The  attack  was  made  on  Monday  evening.  The  Indians, 
led  by  Tecumseh,  in  their  flight  passed  over  the  bench  land  between 
Buck  Knob  and  Jesse  Hughes'  cabin,  near  the  present  site  of  the 
old  Tanner  house.  They  crossed  the  small  stream  which  heads 
towards  McKinney's  Run  and  flows  between  Jesse's  cabin  and 
the  old  Indian  village  site  on  the  promontory,  near  where  it 
empties  into  the  creek.  On  the  right  and  near  the  road  now  lead- 
ing up  this  little  vale,  was  in  former  years  a  spring,  shaded  by  two 
beech  trees.  This  was  near  the  source  of  the  stream.  The 
Indians  with  their  prisoners  passed  between  these  trees,  against 
which  they  leaned  their  rifles  while  they  quenched  their  thirst 
at  the  spring.  I  have  been  at  this  spot  quite  often.  One  of  the 
trees  is  still  standing;  but  the  spring,  it  is  said,  has  ceased  to  flow, 
except  during  the  wet  spring  months.  From  here  they  crossed 
the  little  valley,  and  passed  over  the  ridge  onto  McKinney's  Run, 
on  the  farm  lately  owned  by  Rev.  Mansfield  McWhorter,  a  grand- 
son of  Henry  McWhorter.  There  on  the  hillside,  just  under  the 
brow  of  the  ridge,  finding  that  Mrs.  Waggoner  (who  was  in  no 
condition  to  travel)  and  the  two  smallest  children  were  an  imped- 
iment to  a  necessarily  rapid  flight,  the  Indians  tomahawked  and 
scalped  them. 

In  the  meantime,  Waggoner,  who  had  escaped  to  Hardman's,. 
a  neighbor  living  about  half  a  mile  away,  spread  the  alarm.  Hard- 
man  lived  about  one  and  one-half  miles  from  Jesse  Hughes,  the 
fleet-footed,  who  ran  to  the  fort  with  the  news.  A  rescue  party 
immediately  hastened  to  the  Waggoner  place,  and  started  in  pur- 
suit of  the  Indians.  The  pursuers  fully  acquainted  with  the  coun- 
try, and  under  the  skilled  guidance  of  West  and  Hughes,  pressed 
the  Indians  hard,  and  at  one  point  nearly  intercepted  them.  As 
subsequently  learned,  the  red  warriors,  alert  to  the  perils  of  their 
position,  kept  one  of  their  number  constantly  scouting  in  advance. 
By  a  code  of  signals,  this  scout  kept  his  two  comrades  informed 

(5;  Sej  page  462.   (6)  p.  462. 


P>c)ri)i:r  Settlers  of  XoRTinvESTERN  \'irgini.\  199 

of  conditions  ahead.  j\t  one  time,  they  observed  the  scout  com- 
ing towards  them,  making  signals  by  an  undulating  or  ducking 
posture  of  the  bod\-,  in  unison  with  the  downward  and  outward 
sweep  of  the  arm.  They  immediately  stopped  and  the  scout 
hurried  towards  them.  The}-  were  being  intercepted  by  the 
whites.  A  hasty  council  of  war  ensued,  then  changing  their  course, 
they  made  off  at  an  increased  rate  of  speed.  The  whites  pursued 
them  to  the  mouth  of  Kinchelo  Creek,  where  night  coming  on  and 
finding  that  the  Indians  were  out-traveling  them,  the  chase  was 
abandoned.  Hcnr)-  AlcW'horter  was  one  of  the  party,  and  helped 
to  carry  the  dead  to  the  fort.  He  often  spoke  of  the  appearance 
of  the  bodies  where  the  tomahawking  took  place,  but  never  men- 
tioned that  they  were  "mangled  in  the  most  barbarous  and  shock- 
ing manner"  as  stated  by  Withers. 

Peter  Waggoner,  the  only  surviving  boy,  remained  with  the 
Indians  more  than  twenty  years,  or  until  near  the  close  of  the  War 
of  1812.  He  was  then  seen  and  recognized  by  Mr.  Peter 
Booher,  (6)  with  a  band  of  friendly  Indians,  on  Paint  Creek,  (7) 
a  tributary  of  the  Scioto  River.  Booher  was  a  neighbor  of  Mr. 
Waggoner,  and  had  gone  to  Ohio  to  take  up  land.  He  recognized 
the  son  by  the  strong  resemblance  to  the  father;  and  immediately 
communicated  with  him,  telling  of  his  discovery.  Mr.  Waggoner, 
in  company  with  his  neighbor  Mr.  Hardman,  soon  visited  the 
Paint  Creek  Indians  with  the  \iew  of  inducing  his  son  to  return 
home  with  him.  W  hile  on  Paint  Creek,  an  old  Indian,  claiming 
to  have  been  one  of  the  raiding  party,  by  signs  and  broken  English 
gave  Mr.  Waggoner  the  following  incidents  of  the  destruction  of 
his  family. 

The  warrior  first  held  up  two  fingers;  pointed  to  the  sun,  and 
then  to  the  western  horizon,  signifying  that  the  sun  was  two  hours 
high  when  the\-  made  the  attack.  He  declared  that  it  had  been 
their  intention  to  take  the  mother  and  all  the  children  captives; 
and  that  the  killing  of  the  boy  at  the  house  was  accidental.  The 
warrior  struck  him  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  him  senseless,  and 
to  prevent  him  from  making  an  outcry;  but  the  blow  was  too  heavy, 
killing  him  instead.  Mrs.  Waggoner  and  the  two  smaller  children 
were  slain  because  it  was  learned  that  the}-  were  being  pursued, 
and  these  captives  could  not  travel  as  fast  as  was  necessary  to 
effect  an  escape.  Tecumseh,  who,  it  will  be  remembered,  visited 
Hacker's   Creek   after  the  Treat\-   of  Green\illc,   in   conversation' 


(6)  See  page  462.  (7)  p.  462. 


200  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia. 

with  a  Aiiss  Mitchell  told  practically  the  same  stor}'.  He  also 
declared  that  they  had  been  watching  the  Waggoner  family  for 
some  time,  waiting  until  the  children  were  large  enough  to  travel. 
If  we  can  place  credence  in  any  part  of  their  words,  and  if  we  are 
to  judge  from  all  the  circumstances  connected  with  this  unhappy 
affair,  there  was  surely  a  motive  back  of  the  perpetration,  not 
born  of  levenge. 

Peter  was  married  to  an  Indian  woman  and  was  the  father 
of  two  children.  He  was  very  much  attached  to  his  little  family 
and  refused  to  leave  them.  His  father  pleaded  that  he  go  home, 
if  only  for  a  short  visit.  His  wife  opposed  his  going,  saying  that 
he  would  never  return.  Mr.  Waggoner  was  obdurate  and  finally 
Peter  agreed  to  accompany  him  and  promised  his  wife  that  he 
would  return  in  so  many  "moons."  She  was  disconsolate,  but 
when  she  found  that  he  was  determined  to  go  she  said  in  broken 
English,  "Go,  me  no  see  you  more."  The  poor  woman's  words 
were  prophetic;  Peter  was  doomed  never  to  keep  the  promise  so 
sincerely  made. 

When  the  time  came  for  his  return  to  his  Indian  home,  he 
was  zealously  guarded  by  his  relatives  and  friends,  who  allowed 
no  opportunity  for  his  escape.  He  became  restive,  and  grew  des- 
perate in  his  determination  to  go.  In  an  altercation  with  his 
father,  who  was  sitting  at  the  loom  weaving,  Peter  suddenly  drew 
his  bow,  it  is  said,  and  let  fly  an  arrow  with  deadly  aim.  The  mis- 
sile struck  the  old  man  a  glancing  blow  on  the  head,  inflicting  a 
scalp  wound,  and  knocked  him  from  the  loom.  Peter  was  nov/ 
more  closely  confined,  and  after  the  allotted  moons  had  passed, 
he  was  afraid  to  return,  having  failed  to  keep  his  word.  Every 
influence  possible  was  brought  to  wean  him  from  his  Indian  attach- 
ments and  in  time  he  became  more  reconciled.  His  long  hair  was 
cut,  and  he  was  induced  to  discard  his  earrings  and  Indian  garb 
for  the  habiliments  of  civilization.  In  1814,  he  married  Catherine 
Hyde,  a  widow,  whose  maiden  name  was  Hardman,  and  raised  a 
family  of  children;  but  he  was  always  melancholy  and  often 
lamented  having  left  his  Indian  family. 

With  the  return  of  each  succeeding  "Indian  Summer,"  Peter 
would  languish  for  the  wild  free  life  of  the  wilderness.  If  ever 
the  Great  Spirit  looked  kindly  upon  his  red  children,  it  was  at 
this  season  of  the  year,  when  all  nature  is  indescribably  dreamy, 
pleasant   and   sad.     The   ripening  of  wild  grapes   and   nuts,   the 


Border  Settlers  of  Xorthuesterx  \irgixia  201 

maturing  of  corn;  the  harxest  and  feast  time  of  the  Indian.  Tlie 
season  of  the  great  annual  Iniffalo  hunt,  when  this  animal  was  in 
l^rimest  C(jndition;  all  this,  like  a  call  fmm  the  past,  appealed  to 
I'eter's  primitive  nature. 

Of  his  Indian  life,  he  was  ver\'  reticent,  and  would  seldom 
speak  of  it  to  his  white  friends.  Occasionally  however,  V-^.  would 
become  communicative  with  young  boys,  and  getting  r  few  of 
them  together,  he  would  relate  to  his  eager  listeners  some  wild 
hunter  stories  and  tales  of  forest  life.  He  once  told  of  a  fierce 
encounter  that  he  had  witnessed  between  a  large  panther  and  a 
bear.  The  panther  would  leap  upon  the  bear  and  hght  fiercely 
for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  spring  up  against  the  side  of  a  tree, 
w  here  it  would  cling  and  rest.  Then  it  would  again  leap  upon  the 
hear  an^l  the  deadh'  combat  would  rage  until  the  [^anther,  to 
escape  the  crushing  embrace  of  his  antagonist,  would  repeat  its 
former  tactics,  and  seek  shelter  of  the  tree.  Thus  the  battle 
raged  until  both  animals  were  badly  torn  and  exhausted,  then  the 
bear  walked  away  and  the  panther  stayed  in  his  tree. 

At  another  time,  he  was  with  a  hunting  party,  and  becoming 
lost,  wandered  two  days  and  a  night  in  the  wilderness  before  he 
was  found.  He  had  traveled  in  a  zigzag  course,  often  describing 
a  complete  circle.  Peter  was  fearful  lest  the  Indians  should  think 
that  he  was  tr\-ing  to  escape  and  would  deal  harshly  with  him,  but 
when  he  spoke  to  them  about  it,  they  only  laughed  and  said,  "No 
think  lun  'way,  him  go  too  clooked.  Him  lun  'way,  go  stiate." 
Colonel  James  Smith  had  the  same  experience  when  a  captive.  (8) 
This  coincidence  is  not  remarkable,  for  it  is  well  known  that  a 
person  lost  in  the  wilderness  will  usually  travel  in  a  circle.  Xone 
would  know  this  better  than  the  Indians,  hence  practically  the 
same  comment  by  the  red  hunter's  in  each  case. 

Peter  settled  on  Hacker's  Creek,  and  in  a  measure  adapted 
himself  to  his  changed  mode  of  life.  He  appears  to  have  at  first 
regarded  the  most  arduous  toil  in  the  light  of  amusement.  His 
first  experience  in  plowing  was  in  rooty  ground  with  a  "one-horse 
shovel  plow."  Most  \  irginia  farmers  know  what  this  mode  of 
plowing  means  both  to  muscle  and  temper;  it  is  hardly  conduci\'e 
to  pious  reflection.  But  with  Peter  it  was  novel,  and  when  the 
plow  would  strike  a  root,  he  would  go  lightly  into  the  air  with  a 
long,  loud  "cr// 0-0-0/).'"  He  never  lost  his  Indian  mode  of  speech. 
His  words  were  few,  but  expressive;  and  so  strong  is  the  law  of 

<8)  See  page  462. 


Peter  Waggoner 
From  a  ferrotype,  1876.     Courtesy  of  Albert  W.  Swisher 


Border  Settlers  of  Xori  iiw  estern  \  ir(;im a  203 

herediu'    that    nian\-   of   his   descendants   to   the   third   generation 
retain  to  a  degree  the  short  speech  of  their  Indiani/.ed  ancestor. 

Owing  to  his  long  Hfe  with  the  primitive  people,  Peter  was 
simple,  honest  and  upright,  lie  was  not  a  warrior  among  his 
adopted  people,  but  was  a  hunter  of  renown.  W  hen  he  first 
returned  to  the  settlement,  he  was  an  expert  with  the  bow,  as 
well  as  the  rifle.  He  often  taught  the  boys  of  the  neighborhood 
how  to  fashion  the  bow,  and  gave  them  lessons  in  the  use  of  this 
primitive  weapon.  For  man}'  years  there  was  among  his  descend- 
ants a  small  brass  barrel  pistol  brought  by  him  from  Paint  Creek, 
lie  could  give  the  war-whoop  of  his  tribe  anel  emulate  its  several 
dances,  although  he  could  seldom  be  induced  to  perform  them. 
He  never  k^st  the  traits  of  alertness  acquired  in  his  forest  life. 
W  hen  about  his  work  he  was  watchful  ani.1  prided  himself  on  his 
ability  to  detect  anyone  attempting  to  approach  him  unawares. 

One  of  his  grandsons  told  me  that  he  had  often  tried  to  sur- 
prise his  grandfather  when  at  work,  but  never  succeeded.  Once 
under  favorable  circumstances,  he  approached  within  a  few  rods 
of  the  old  man  before  he  was  discovered.  "Hey,"  he  ejaculated, 
"tried  to  slip  on  me;  didn't  do  it,  though."  Only  once  did  any- 
one ever  accomplish  this  feat,  although  it  was  constantly 
attempted. 

When  i^eter  was  quite  an  old  man,  he  was  husking  corn  "on 
the  stalk"  against  the  hillside  where  the  grain  stood  thick  and 
luxuriant.  A  neighbor  who  was  to  help  him,  with  great  caution 
came  upon  him  unawares,  and  placed  his  hand  on  his  shoulder. 
The  old  man  was  startled  and  deeply  humiliated.  His  Indian 
pride  was  touched;  he  felt  disgraced.  "Hey,"  he  exclaimed,  in 
a  voice  choked  with  emotion,  "Vou  slip  on  me.  ^  ou  first  man 
ever  slip  on  me."  Waggoner  all  that  day  seemed  not  himself, 
but  would  at  short  intervals  refer  to  the  incident  with  such  feeling 
that  the  joker  regretted  his  thoughtless  act. 

A  short  time  after  Peter's  return,  an  Indian  woman  passed 
through  Hacker's  Creek,  inquiring  for  him.  She  could  only  speak 
imperfect  English,  and  with  difficult}'  made  herself  understood. 
She"  was  Peter's  Indian  wife,  who  had  come  in  search  of  him. 
None  would  tell  of  his  whereabouts,  nor  was  he  ever  informed  of 
her  presence  in  the  settlements.  She  seemed  parth'  demented, 
and  sang  wild,  mournful  melodies  in  her  native  tongue.  At  one 
place,  where  she  was  granted  a  night's  lodging,  she  chanted  and 


204  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

danced  the  greater  part  of  the  night.  With  the  primitive  Indian 
dancing,  in  such  cases  is  an  invocation,  or  worship,  but  not  amuse- 
ment. What  became  of  this  lone  woman,  no  one  ever  knew. 
When  last  seen,  she  had  passed  beyond  the  settlement  and  was 
wending  her  steps  eastward.  Hints  of  a  darker  nature  in  time 
leaked  out.  It  was  said  that  she  met  death  at  the  hands  of  some 
of  Peter's  relatives  or  friends.  Whether  such  was  her  fate,  or  if 
in  time  she  wandered  back  to  her  people,  her  story  is  a  pathetic 
one.  She  was  a  young  widow  when  Peter  married  her,  the  wife 
of  a  sub-chief  of  his  tribe,  who  had  died  or  fallen  in  battle.  Peter 
was  his  adopted  brother  and,  it  was  said,  by  a  recognized  tribal 
custom  he  married  the  widow.  This  may  have  been  true,  but  at 
this  day  it  is  only  tradition.  Peter  held  some  position  of  authority 
in  his  tribe,  and  as  the  chieftaincy  is  usually  hereditary  with  the 
Indian,  it  is  probable  that  the  mantle  of  the  deceased  brother  fell 
to  him. 

Let  those  who  judge  harshly  of  the  capacity  of  the  Indian 
bosom  for  love,  think  well  of  the  desolation  in  this  poor,  faithful 
woman's  heart.  Let  those  who  would  approve  of  the  forcible 
detention  of  that  husband  and  father  from  wife  and  little  ones, 
dependent  on  his  rifle  for  meat  and  raiment,  go  learn  their  first 
lesson  of  charity  at  the  shrine  of  Moloch. 

Peter  died  at  his  home  on  Millstone  Run,  a  branch  of  Hacker's 
Creek,  February  26,  1879,  in  his  ninety-third  year.  This  would 
place  his  capture  at  six  years  of  age,  instead  of  eight,  as  Withers 
has  it.  He  was  buried  in  the  Harmony  Cemetery,  near  Jane  Lew. 
He  was  the  last  survivor  of  tragedy  on  the  Virginia  border. 

The  two  captive  sisters,  Mary  and  Lizzie  Waggoner,  were 
both  older  than  Peter.  Mary,  the  eldest  soon  escaped  to  the 
vicinity  of  Detroit  and  continued  there  until  the  Treaty  of  Green- 
ville, August  3,  1795.  Lizzie  remained  with  the  Shawnees  until 
after  the  treaty,  where  her  father  in  company  with  John  Hacker 
and  Jacob  Cozad  attended  and  brought  her  and  other  captives 
home. 

Mary,  in  1800,  married  Jacob  Wolfe.  She  is  buried  on  Polk 
Creek,  in  Lewis  County,  West  Virginia.  Lizzie  married  John 
Hardman.     I  do  not  know  where  she  is  buried. 


CHAPTER  XX 


The  last  traditional  account  that  we  have  of  Jesse  Hughes  as 
defender  of  the  border  on  the  Upper  Monongahela  was  in  the  fall 
of  1793.     It  was  really  the  sequel  of  the  following  incident:  (1) 

"In  the  spring  of  179.i,  a  parly  of  warriors  proceeding  towards  the  licadwaters 
of  tlic  Monongahela  river,  discovered  a  marked  way,  leading  a  direction  which 
they  did  not  know  to  be  inhabited  by  whites.  It  led  to  a  settlement  which  had 
been  recently  made  on  Elk  river,  by  Jeremiah  and  Benjamin  Carpenter  and  a 
few  others  from  Bath  county,  and  who  had  been  particularly  careful  to  make 
nor  leave  any  path  which  might  lead  to  a  discovery  of  their  situation,  but  Adam 
O'Brien  (2)  moving  into  the  same  section  of  country  in  the  spring  of  1792,  and 
being  rather  an  indiflFerent  woodsman,  incautiously  blazed  the  trees  in  several 
directions  so  as  to  enable  him  to  readily  find  his  home,  when  business  or  pleasure 
should  have  drawn  him  from  it.  It  was  upon  one  of  these  marked  traces  that  the 
Indians  chanced  to  fall;  and  pursuing  it,  came  to  the  deserted  cabin  of  O'Brien, 
he  having  returned  to  the  interior,  because  of  his  not  making  a  sufficiency  of  grain 
for  the  subsistence  of  his  family.  Proceeding  from  O'Brien's,  they  came  to  the 
house  of  Benjamin  Carpenter,  whom  they  found  alone  and  killed.  Mrs.  Carpenter 
being  discovered  by  them,  before  she  was  aware  of  their  presence,  was  tomahawked 
and  scalped,  a  small  distance  from  the  yard. 

'*The  burning  of  Benjamin  Carpenter's  house,  led  to  a  discovery  of  these 
outrages;  and  the  remaining  inhabitants  of  that  neighborhood,  remote  from  any 
fort  or  populous  settlement  to  which  they  could  fly  for  security,  retired  to  the 
mountains  and  remained  for  several  days  concealed  in  a  cave.  They  then  caught 
their  horses  and  moved  their  families  to  the  West  Fork;  and  when  they  visited 
the  places  of  their  former  habitancy  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  their  stock  and 
carrying  it  ofT  with  other  property,  scarce  a  vestige  of  them  was  to  be  seen — the 
Indians  had  been  there  after  they  left  the  cave,  and  burned  the  houses,  pillaged 
their  movable  property,  and  destroyed  the  cattle  and  hogs." 

The  following  traditional  account  is  still  preserved  by  the 
descendants  of  the  Carpenters  (3)  on  Elk  River. 

Jeremiah  Carpenter  was  born  at  Big  Bend,  Jackson  River, 
in  Bath  County,  Virginia,  and  was  there  taken  prisoner  by  a  band 
of  Shawnees  when  but  nine  }ears  old.  He  lived  with  the  tribe  at 
Old  Town,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kanawha  until  he 
was  eighteen,  when  he  was  exchanged  and  returned  to  Jackson 
River.  From  that  place  he  m()\ed  lo  I'.lk  Ri\cr,  in  what  is  now 
Braxton  County,  West  \  irginia,  settling  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
above  Dry  Run.     Into  that  region  the  Indians  came  every  spring. 

Adam  O'Brien  had  blazed  a  trail  from  the  site  of  the  present 

(1)  See  pa L'e  4^.2.   (2i  p.  4'.2.   (3i  p.  4'o. 


206  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

town  of  Sutton  to  the  Salt  Spring,  the  name  by  which  the  white 
people  spoke  of  the  Indian  Bull  Town.  O'Brien  went  there  to 
make  salt.  Bull  Town  being  on  the  old  Indian  war  trail,  a  party 
of  two  Shawnee  warriors  followed  the  blazed  path  made  by 
O'Brien,  to  Elk  River,  and  there  saw  chips  floating  down  the  stream, 
which  to  them  was  proof  that  settlers  had  erected  buildings  above. 
They  followed  the  river.  There  were  two  brothers,  Benjamin 
and  Jeremiah  Carpenter.  Benjamin's  cabin  was  lowest  on  the 
river,  at  the  mouth  of  Holly,  twelve  miles  above  Sutton.  The 
two  Indians,  one  large  and  the  other  small,  came  first  upon  the 
cabin  of  Benjamin.  At  the  time,  he  was  across  the  river  burning 
logs  in  his  clearing,  assisted  by  his  mother  and  little  sister,  who 
had  come  that  day  to  visit  him.  His  wife  was  sick  in  bed,  and  the 
Indians  tomahawked  her,  making  no  noise.  The  big  Indian  took 
Carpenter's  gun  from  the  rack  over  the  door,  and  seated  himself 
in  the  corner  of  the  cabin,  the  little  Indian  concealing  himself  on 
a  bank  above  the  house.  Carpenter  came  across  the  river  to 
assist  his  wife  if  she  should  want  any  aid,  and  also  to  prepare  din- 
ner. But  he  stopped  at  the  river  bank,  and  took  a  deer  skin  from 
the  water  where  it  had  been  soaking  in  the  process  of  dressing,  and 
began  work  upon  it.  While  about  this  business  the  little  Indian 
shot  at  him  and  missed  him.  He  ran  to  the  house  to  get  his  gun, 
and  as  he  reached  up  to  take  it  down,  the  big  Indian  shot  him  in 
the  side  under  the  arm,  and  killed  him.  They  then  scalped  Car- 
penter, took  his  gun,  powder-horn  and  shot-pouch,  and  left  that 
region.  Carpenter's  mother  concealed  her  little  girl  in  a  hollow 
stump,  and  ran  for  her  husband,  but  when  he  arrived  at  the  cabin 
of  his  son,  the  Indians  were  gone. 

The  following  fall,  at  a  fort  on  the  West  Fork  of  the  Monon- 
gahela,  possibly  at  Clarksburg,  the  Indians  killed  and  devoured  a 
cow  belonging  to  Jesse  Hughes.  They  carried  away  with  them 
a  bell  which  the  cow  wore.  One  afternoon  they  rattled  this  bell 
in  the  woods  on  the  mountain-side  above  the  fort.  Some  said  to 
Jesse  Hughes  that  his  cow  was  coming  back.  He  knew,  however, 
that  she  had  been  killed,  and  replied  that  he  would  "make  that 
bell  ring  for  something  in  the  morning."  That  night  he  secreted 
himself  in  the  woods  on  the  mountain  above  the  point  where  the 
bell  had  been  heard  the  previous  afternoon.  As  soon  as  it  was 
light  enough  to  shoot,  he  again  heard  the  bell,  and  cautiously 
made  his  way  towards  it.     He  discovered  two  -Indians,  one  large. 


l)<)ki)i:R  Setti.krs  ()i   Xorthwestkrx  \  ir(;ixia  207 

the  other  small.  The  bi^'  Indian  was  standing  up  with  his  gun 
ready  for  instant  use,  and  the  little  Indian  was  walking  about  on 
his  hands  and  knees,  with  the  bell  on  his  neck,  rattling  it  in  imita- 
tion of  a  cow  browsing  in  the  woods.  (4)  Hughes  shot  the  big 
Indian,  and  the  small  one  ran.  Jesse  threw  down  his  empty  gun, 
seized  that  of  the  dead  Indian,  pursued  and  soon  came  up  with 
the  little  Indian  and  shot  him.  The  gun  carried  by  the  big  Indian, 
and  with  which  Hughes  killed  the  little  Indian,  was  the  gun  of 
Benjamin  Carpenter.  The  gun,  powder-horn  and  shot-pouch 
were  returned  to  the  Carpenter  family. 

The  story  of  this  occurrence,  as  told  b\  the  ininiediale  descend- 
ants of  Jesse  Hughes,  is  as  follows:  Hughes  was  visiting  his  par- 
ents on  Elk  Creek,  near  Clarksburg.  One  evening  the  cow  did 
not  come  home  from  the  woods  as  usual,  nor  could  she  be  found. 
The  next  morning  Jesse's  mother  heard  the  bell  in  the  woods,  and 
told  her  daughter  to  go  and  bring  the  cow  home.  Jesse,  hearing 
the  order,  stepped  into  the  yard  and  listening  attenti\eh-  to  the 
bell  for  a  moment,  told  his  sister  that  he  would  go  and  bring  the 
cow.  Taking  his  rifle,  he  went  into  the  woods  opposite  to  where 
the  bell  was  still  rattling,  and  making  a  circuit,  came  near  the 
bell  on  the  side  furthest  from  the  house.  When  getting  near 
the  object  of  his  search,  the  odor  of  broiling  meat  was  wafted  to 
his  nostrils.  The  Indians  had  killed  the  cow,  and  had  been  roast- 
ing the  beef  over  the  camp-tire.  Cautiously  advancing,  he  saw 
an  Indian  rattling  the  bell  in  such  a  manner  as  the  noise  produced 
b\-  a  belled  cow  when  feeding.  The  Indians  had  gone  some  dis- 
tance from  their  camp  towards  the  house,  and  were  waiting  to 
see  if  anyone  would  come  to  get  the  cow.  Hughes  shot  the  Indian 
who  was  ringing  the  bell. 

In  this  version  no  mention  is  made  of  Jesse  killing  more  than 
one  Indian,  nor  of  the  big  and  little  Indian  and  Carpenter's  gun. 
The  last  version  is  correct  as  to  the  place  and  circumstance  of 
Jesse's  exploit;  but  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  Car- 
penter version  is  correct  in  its  relation  to  Carpenter  and  the  two 
noted  Indians. 

Karl}-  in  the  nineties  there  were  two  Indians  on  the  border  who 
were  well  known  to  the  rangers  and  scouts  of  Fort  Harmer,  and  other 
posts  on  the  frontier.     I/ildreth,  (5)  says  of  these  famous  warriors: 

"There  were  among  these  Indians  two  whose  footprints  (6)  were  well  known 
to  the  rangers.     One  of  them  left  a  track  eleven  inches  long,  the  other  not  more 


(4)  See  page  467.  (5)  p.  467.  (6)  p.  467. 


208  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

than  seven  or  eight.  They  were  known  as  the  big  and  little  Indian.  They  were 
men  of  great  subtlety  and  caution;  often  seen  together  by  the  spies,  yet  never  but 
once  within  reach  of  their  rifles.  Joshua  Fleehart,  (7)  a  noted  hunter,  and  as 
cautious  and  cunning  as  any  savage,  got  a  shot  at  the  big  Indian  as  the  two  lay 
in  camp  below  Bellville.  The  ball  cut  loose  his  powder  horn,  which  Joshua  took 
as  a  prize,  and  wounded  him  in  the  side,  but  he  escaped." 
L 

It  is  probable  that  these  were  the  warriors  killed  by  Hughes. 
No  mention  of  them  is  found  in  the  border  strife  after  this  time. 
The  killing  of  Carpenter  was  cunningly  planned  and  executed 
and  they  would  have  succeeded  in  their  decoy  with  the  bell,  but 
for  the  keen  discernment  of  Hughes.  Instead,  they  met  a  tragic 
death  at  the  hands  of  this  renowned  scout  of  the  Monongahela. 

On  file  in  the  Bureau  of  Pensions,  Washinton,  is  the  brief 
military  record  of  John  Carpenter,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  and 
an  Indian  spy  on  the  Virginia  border.  He  was  born  in  Botetourt 
County,  Virginia,  in  1764.  In  September,  1780,  he  enlisted  from 
his  native  county  for  six  months  in  Captain  John  Bowles'  Rifle 
Company,  Virginia  Alilitia,  and  marched  by  way  of  Albemarle 
Court  House,  Virginia,  to  headquarters  near  Guilford  Court  House 
in  North  Carolina,  where  he  joined  the  main  army  under  General 
Green.  Carpenter  participated  in  the  fiercely  contested  battle 
of  Guilford,  March  15,  1781,  which  was  the  principal  event  during 
the  term  of  his  enlistment.  He  was  discharged  in  April,  and  in  - 
Alay  of  the  same  year,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Captain  David 
May's  Company,  Virginia  Militia,  and  was  sent  to  various  points,  ■ 
including  Williamsburg,  Richmond  and  Raccoon  Ford  on  the 
Rappahannock  River  in  Culpepper  County,  Virginia.  There 
General  Wayne  joined  forces  with  the  Marquis  LaFayette.  Car- 
penter was  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  and  the  surrender  of  Lord 
Cornwallis  the  following  Autumn.  He  was  a  member  of  the  guard 
which  conducted  a  detachment  of  British  prisoners  to  the  Win-  • 
Chester  Barracks,  near  Winchester,  Frederick  County,  Virginia. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service,  he  was  discharged 
by  his  Lieutenant,  Wallace  Astre,  or  Aster  (name  illegible).  He 
then  returned  home.  In  December,  1781,  he  enlisted  for  one  year 
under  Captain  John  AicCoy  to  defend  the  Virginia  frontier  border- 
ing the  Ohio  River,  and  was  marched  to  West's  Fort  on  Hacker's 
Creek  under  orders  of  Col.  William  Lowther.     He  became  actively 


(7)  See  page  467. 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  \  irc.inia  209 

engaged  in  spying  thn^ughuul  ihc  region  cnibiaccd  between  the 
Upp^er  Monongahela  settlements  and  the  Ohio  Ri\-cr.  He 
reported  at  Bush's  Fort  on  the  Buckhannon  and  at  Neal's  Station 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Kanawha,  as  well  as  at  West's  Fort. 
He  was  not  at  all  times  under  ihe  immediate  orders  of  Colonel 
Lowther,  but  was  sometimes  moved  by  orders  from  Colonel 
Wilson  and  other  subaltern  officers  as  occasion  and  country 
demanded.  He  was  frequently  engaged  in  recovering  stolen 
property  carried  off  b>-  the  Indians.  In  Januar\-,  1782,  he  was 
discharged  by  Colonel  Lowther  and  returned  home. 

\u  March,  1783,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  Lidian  spy  in  Captain 
Peter  Hull's  Company  and  was  sent  to  where  Lewisburg  now 
stands,  in  Greenbrier  County,  where  he  scouted  throughout 
the  adjacent  country.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term,  he  received 
his  discharge  from  Captain  Hull.  This  ended  his  services  as  an 
enlisted  militiaman,  but  subsequently  performed  many  services 
of  value  to  the  frontier. 

It  is  not  known  just  when  John  Carpenter  settled  on  Hacker's 
Creek,  but  he  resided  there  in  1832,  when  he  successfully  applied 
for  a  pension  as  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  He  evidently  was  living 
on  the  Trans-Allegheny  border  in  1792,  at  which  time  he  speaks  of 
his  house  being  burned  by  the  Indians.  It  is  very  probable  that 
he  was  at  that  time  a  resident  of  Hacker's  Creek.  That  the 
State  Militia  east  of  the  mountains  was  sometimes  assigned  to 
duty  on  the  L'pper  Monongahela  border  is  apparent  from  If  addell, 
who  states  that  at  a  county  court  martial,  held  October  27,  1779, 
"Ensign  James  Steele  reported  the  desertion  of  sundry  men  from 
their  station  on  the  west  fork  of  Monongahela,  they  being  sub- 
stitutes for  Augusta  militiamen.  Many  other  substitutes  were 
returned  on  the  same  day  by  Ensign  Robert  Christian  for  desert- 
ing from  his  command  at  Buchanan  Fort."  (8) 

This  last  desertion  may  or  may  not  have  been  the  fort  at 
Buckhannon,  but  that  reported  by  Ensign  Steele  must  have 
occurred  at  West's  Fort  on  Hacker's  Creek,  or  Nutter's  Fort  at 
Clarksburg. 

It  is  not  known  that  John  Carpenter,  the  scout,  and  the  set- 
tlers on  the  Elk  River  were  of  the  same  family,  but  it  is  very  prob- 
able that  they  were,  as  they  hailed  from  the  same  region.     Bath 

(8)  See  page  467. 


210 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


County  was  formed  from  Augusta,  Botetourt  and  Greenbrier 
Counties  in  1791. 

Among  the  volunteer  troops  who  served  in  Dunmore's  War 
from  Botetourt  County,  were  Richard  Willson  Carpenter,  Thomas 
Carpenter,  Soloman  Carpenter,  Jeremiah  Carpenter  and  John 
Carpenter,  all  privates.     The  name  is  given  as  Carpender.  (9) 

Thomas  was  wounded  at  the  Battle  of  Point  Pleasant. 


(9)  See  page  467. 


CHAPTER  XXI 


The  border  had  receded:  the  fix)nlier  was  no  longer  Trans- 
Allegheny;  it  was  Trans-Ohio.  Wayne's  defeat  of  the  Indians  at 
Fallen  Timbers  in  1794  had  effectually  secured  the  Virginia 
settlements  from  Indian  forays.  The  Twenty  Years  War,  pro- 
voked b\'  the  white  man,  had  closed;  and  a  new  era  had  dawned 
for  the  Trans-Allegheny.  Peace  fearfully  bought  had  settled 
over  the  romantic  Monongahela  and  the  beautiful  Kanawhas. 
The  plumed  warrior,  the  untutored  patriot  of  the  Northwestern 
wilderness,  had  succumbed  to  the  inevitable,  and  was  again  facing 
the  sunset.  Life  on  the  Upper  Monongahela  was  now  tof)  tame 
for  the  sanguine  spirit  of  Jesse  Hughes,  the  pioneer,  ranger,  Indian 
fighter.  He  grew  restive,  and  chafed  under  the  inactive  life 
forced  upon  him.  \\  ith  the  dying  echo  ot  the  last  war-whoop  of 
the  painted  warrior  among  the  hills  of  Virginia,  Jesse  Hughes 
appears  to  have  made  preparations  to  follow  him  toward  the  west. 

In  the  fall  of  1797  or  1798,  he  sold  his  land  to  his  brother-in- 
law,  James  Tanner,  (1)  and  turning  his  back  on  the  scenes  of  his 
many  daring  adventures  and  marvellous  escapes,  struck  into  the 
wilderness  of  the  Northwest.  W  ith  his  lamih'  and  live  stock,  he 
moved  overland  to  or  near  Vincennes.  But  the  child  of  the  high 
forests  of  the  AUeghenies  could  not  flourish  in  the  swamp  woods 
of  the  Wabash.  His  family  suffered  from  chills  and  fever,  and 
this  made  him  resolve  to  return  again  to  his  old  paradise.  Little 
is  known  of  his  life  in  that  marsh  country,  and  I  can  give  but  one 
occurrence  ot  interest. 

The  Indians  were  in  the  habit  of  coming  to  the  tort  with  turs 
and  hides  to  barter  for  goods  and  rum.  One  da\',  a  drunken 
Indian  amused  himself  by  approaching  people  unawares  and  biting 
them  on  the  shoulder.  Observing  this,  Jesse  remarked  "If  that 
Injun  bites  me,  he  will  never  bite  another  man."  \'ery  soon  the 
Indian  came  upon  Hughes,  and  closed  his  teeth  on  the  scout's 
shoulder.  Hughes,  whirling,  struck  the  Indian,  and  at  the  same 
time  kicked  him  in  the  stomach,  knocking  him  trom  a  high  plat- 
form or  porch,  killing  him  instant)).  The  Indians  said  that  the 
fall  killed  their  brother,  and  the\-  did  not  attempt  to  molest 
Hughes  in  the  least. 

(1)  See  page  4<)7. 


212  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

From  Vincennes,  Hughes  moved  by  land  to  eastern  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1799  or  1800,  when 
he  moved  again,  overland,  to  what  is  now  Jackson  County,  West 
Virginia.  On  this  trip  they  camped  at  the  mouth  of  Twelve  Pole 
Creek,  Wayne  County,  West  Virginia,  where,  "setting  his  hooks," 
said  his  daughter  Massie,  then  twelve  years  old,  "my  father 
caught  the  largest  catfish  I  ever  saw."  He  continued  up  the  Ohio 
until  he  reached  the  mouth  of  Turkey  Run,  just  above  the  present 
town  of  Ravenswood,  Jackson  County,  West  Virginia.  Here 
he  built  a  cabin  and  settled  down  for  a  few  years.  His  main  sup- 
port, as  in  years  past,  was  his  rifle.  Finding  that  the  game  was 
disappearing  in  that  locality,  and  that  it  was  more  plentiful  back 
from  the  Ohio  River,  he  moved  eight  miles  up  Big  Sandy  Creek, 
and  settled  one  mile  north  of  where  Sandyville  is  located.  Here 
he  entered  a  tract  of  land,  built  his  last  cabin,  and  seemingly 
settled  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  the  seclusion  of  this 
sylvan  retreat.  But,  as  the  sequel  will  show,  he  was  doomed  to 
disappointment. 

The  record  of  his  career  in  this  region  is  extremely  meagre. 
No  early  history  of  Kentucky  has  ever  been  written,  and  the 
annals  of  the  southwestern  part  of  West  Virginia  is  not  so  replete 
as  the  other  portions  of  the  State.  The  passing  of  the  pioneer, 
and  the  great  changes  wrought  in  the  latter  section  by  the  Civil 
W' ar,  which  was  followed  by  an  inroad  of  strangers,  has  had  much 
to  do  with  the  loss  of  traditions  pertaining  to  the  early  days. 

Tradition  on  the  Big  Sandy  River  says  that  in  previous  times, 
Jesse  Hughes  scouted  and  hunted  all  over  eastern  Kentucky; 
that  he  was  an  associate  of  Alatthias  Harman  of  Ingles'  Ferry 
on  the  New  River,  and  that  he  or  his  father  was  one  of  the  famous 
"Long  Hunters."  (2)  On  one  occasion  he  swam  Red  River,  hold- 
ing his  rifle  and  shot-pouch  high  and  dry  in  one  hand.  This  was 
either  a  tributary  of  the  Cumberland  River  in  Tennessee  or  a 
small  contingent  of  the  Kentucky  River  in  eastern  Kentucky. 
Red  River  is  spoken  of  by  the  "Long  Hunters,"  who  first  came 
upon  it  in  1769.  (3) 

By  his  immediate  descendants  in  Jackson  County  is  pre- 
served the  following  story  of  Jesse  Hughes: 

Among  the  associates  of  Hughes  were  one  Morgan  and  one 
Straley.  Morgan's  two  children  were  captured  by  five  Indians 
in  a  cornfield.     And  Jesse  and  the  father  went  in  pursuit,  and  at 

(2)  See  page  469.  (3)  p.  470. 


BORDKR   SeTTLKRS   OK   \()R  IlIW  KSIKRN   \  IRCJINIA  213 

ni^ht  came  upon  the  Indians  and  iheir  captives,  sleeping  at  the 
foot  of  a  sN'caniore  tree.  I1ie\-  shot  two  of  the  warriors,  and 
rushing  in,  tomahawked  the  other  three  before  they  could  recover 
from  their  surprise  or  offer  an\'  resistance.  One  of  the  Indians 
they  flayed,  and  tanning  the  skin,  manufactured  it  into  shot- 
pouches. 

I'he  scene  of  this  incident  is  lost,  but  it  could  not  have  hap- 
pened after  Jesse  left  Hacker's  Creek.  The  fact  that  Morgan 
and  his  two  children  were  such  conspicuous  figures  in  the  tragedy, 
gives  strength  to  the  inference  that  the  story  may  have  had  its 
origin  in  the  famous  fight  near  Prickett's  Fort,  in  1779,  between 
Morgan  and  two  Indians  in  defense  of  his  two  children,  and  its 
ghoulish  sequel.  (4)  As  has  been  shown,  Hughes  was  often  at 
Prickett's  Fort,  and  no  doubt  engaged  in  the  stirring  scenes 
enacted  around  that  fortress.  The  revolting  outrages  perpetrated 
upon  the  bodies  of  the  two  dead  warriors  would  have  been  in  keep- 
ing with  the  savage  instincts  of  Jesse  and  his  border  associates. 

For  Jesse  Hughes  the  day  of  actual  conflict  had  passed.  The 
red  warrior  no  longer  haunted  the  Virginia  wilderness,  but  desul- 
tory bands  of  friendly  Indians,  degraded  by  the  vices  of  the  white 
man's  civilization  (5)  still  lingered  round  their  former  homes  and 
the  graves  of  their  people.  These  spent  much  of  their  time  in 
wandering  about  through  the  white  settlements  and  often  indulged 
in  drunken  carousals.  Against  these  beings,  Jesse  continued  to 
glut  his  insatiate  thirst  for  Indian  blood.  He  had  doubtless  m.any 
opportunities  for  waylaying  the  unsuspecting  tribesmen  who  occa- 
sionally passed  over  their  primitive  thoroughfares  in  this  region, 
living  as  he  did  on  the  old  Indian  path,  locally  known  as  the 
"Interior  Trail."  This  led  from  the  Little  Kanawha  to  the  Salt 
Licks  on  the  Great  Kanawha,  and  crossed  the  warpath  running 
from  the  Ohio  up  Sand  Creek.  This  latter  was  a  noted  trail, 
which  crossed  from  Sand  Creek  to  the  headwaters  of  Reedy 
Creek,  Spring  Creek  and  Henry's  Fork,  all  tributary  to  the  Little 
Kanawha;  also  Mill  Creek  flowing  directly  into  the  Ohio,  and 
Pocotaligo  and  its  tributaries  feeding  the  Great  Kanawha. 

Jesse's  awful  vow  of  his  younger  days,  "to  kill  Injuns  as  long 
as  he  lived  and  could  see  to  kill  them,"  was  fearfulh-  and  savagely 
kept  in  the  eventide  of  life.  The  laws  for  the  protection  of  life 
were  inefl'ective  on  the  border  and  were  seldom  enforced  when  the 
victim  was  a  "despised  redskin."     Too  often  have  the  minions  of 

(4)  See  page  470.  (5)  p.  472. 


214  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

the  law  winked  at,  or  shielded  the  blighting  hand  raised  openly 
against  the  peaceable  Indian.  His  daughter  Massie  used  to  tell 
that  Hughes  once  killed  three  Indians  and  hid  their  bodies  in  a 
cave,  since  known  as  Haynes'  Cave.  (6) 

Several  years  after  Jesse  settled  on  Sand  Creek,  he  was  visited 
by  one  of  his  former  associates  from  Hacker's  Creek.  Accompan- 
ied by  this  friend,  Jesse  repaired  to  a  secluded  part  of  the  forest 
and  took  from  the  cavity  of  a  hollow  beech  tree  eight  rifles,  the 
property  of  peaceable  Indians  whom  he  had  secretly  murdered. 
Another  version  of  this  tradition  is  that  it  was  not  Jesse,  but  his 
brother  Elias,  who  displayed  the  hidden  rifles  as  trophies  of  his 
prowess  on  the  Licking  River,  in  Ohio,  where  he  settled  in  1789. 
But  some  of  Jesse's  immediate  descendants  declared  that  Jesse 
alone  was  the  founder  and  sole  proprietor  of  the  Beech  Tree 
Museum.  Elias  Hughes,  as  hereafter  shown,  had  a  like  collection 
of  arms  in  a  hollow  sycamore. 

At  one  time,  Jesse  Hughes,  in  company  with  a  few  compan- 
ions, and  at  a  rendezvous  somewhere  near  the  Ohio  River,  sat 
about  a  camp  fire.  They  were  joined  by  an  Indian,  who  had  a 
club  foot.  After  carefully  scrutinizing  their  visitor,  Hughes 
remarked  to  one  of  the  company:  "I  have  tracked  that  old  devil 
all  over  Northwestern  Virginia."  Subsequent  conversation  with 
the  red  hunter  verified  this  statement,  (7)  it  was  evident  that 
Hughes  would  not  deal  gently  with  the  Indian,  who  with  a 
deformed  foot,  had  been  so  successful  in  evading  him  in  the  forest. 
The  weary  Indian  accepted  an  invitation  to  spend  the  night  with 
the  hunters,  and  after  partaking  of  food  furnished  him,  wrapped 
himself  in  his  blanket  and  lay  down  by  the  fire  to  sleep.  The 
next  morning  when  the  party  arose,  Hughes  was  gone,  and  the 
lifeless  body  of  the  Indian  was  found  to  have  a  knife  plunged  to 
the  hilt  in  his  heart. 

When  an  old  man,  Jesse  spent  much  of  his  time  fishings 
always  armed  with  his  tomahawk,  from  which  he  was  inseparable. 
Upon  one  occasion,  he  went  fishing  along  the  Ohio  accompanied 
by  one  of  his  little  grandchildren.  In  the  afternoon,  they  came 
upon  five  Indians  sleeping  on  the  river  bank,  a  tell-tale  jug  lying 
empty  near  them.  Scanning  the  recumbent  forms  a  moment, 
Hughes  remarked,  "They  are  drunk;"  then  went  on  with  his 
fishing.  But  angling  for  the  finny  tribe  no  longer  held  charms 
for  him.     He  became  restless,  going  from  place- to  place,  yet  ever 

(6)  See  page  472.  (7)  p.  473. 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


215 


hovering  about  the  objects  that  had  so  roused  his  lagging  propen- 
sities. He  was  the  hereditary  foe  of  the  Indian  in  peace  and  in 
war,  and  the  sight  of  these  inebriated  wretches  had  fanned  to 
flame  that  hatred  which  ever  rankled  in  his  bosom. 

Finally,  as  the  day  waned,  he  turned  to  his  little  companion 
and  said:  "Go  along  home.  I  will  come  soon."  The  lad  wended 
his  way  homeward,  leaving  the  old  man  still  lingering  near  the 
sodden  slumbering  Indians.  As  the  shades  of  night  settled  over 
the  beautiful  river  and  its  forest-clad  shores,  Jesse  Hughes 
returned  home,  but  the  five  wretched  Indians  were  never  again 
seen  or  heard  of.  They  had  in  some  mysterious  way  disappeared; 
but  what  had  been  their  fate.''  Had  they  aimlessly  stumbled  into 
the  dark  gliding  Ohio,  to  be  forever  swallowed  up  by  its  murky 
tide.''  Charity  for  the  memory  of  the  grizzled  scout  would  suggest 
as  much,  but  the  probability  is  that  he  first  tomahawked  his  help- 
less victims,  and  then  threw  their  bodies  into  the  river.  In  fact, 
there  is  Httle  doubt  that  this  was  the  doom  of  these  intoxicated 
friendlles. 


CHAPTER  XXII 


We  now  come  to  the  closing  scenes  of  the  turbulent  career  of 
Jesse  Hughes.  The  swirling  storms  of  threescore  years  had  swept 
his  path,  leaving  on  his  brow  the  heavy  touch  of  time's  relentless 
hand.  His  auburn  locks  were  thin  and  grizzled.  His  lithe  form 
was  not  so  erect,  nor  his  eagle  eye  so  keen  as  in  former  years,  when, 
daring  the  dangers  and  fearful  privations  incident  to  border  life, 
he  traversed  the  deep  forests  of  the  Monongahela  wilds,  meeting 
and  challenging  the  skill  and  endurance  of  the  most  wily  of  his 
hereditary  foes.  He  had  laughed  at  danger's  toils,  and  played 
"toss  up  and  catch"  with  death  in  a  hundred  daring  adventures, 
and  always  won.  The  great  object  of  his  life  had  been  revenge. 
With  death  ever  at  his  elbow,  he  had  successfully  run  the  grim 
gauntlet  of  war,  striking  down  in  his  passage  the  warrior,  the 
mother,  and  the  child.  And  now,  as  the  shadows  were  falling  to 
the  east,  they  thickened  and  became  black,  and  the  sunset  of  life 
was  overcast  with  bitter  disappointment,  gloomy  reflections, 
sorrow  and  despair.  Touching  the  pathetic  ending  of  the  life  of 
this  remarkable  borderman.  Judge  R.  S.  Brown,  in  his  Centennial 
address  delivered  at  Ravenswood,  West  Virginia,  July  4,  1876, 
says: 

"Jesse  Hughes,  brother  of  Thomas,  before  spoken  of,  was  the  son  of  Thomas 
Hughes  who  settled  on  the  Monongahela  River  in  1776,  and  was  soon  after  killed 
by  the  Indians,  leaving  a  large  and  helpless  family  in  the  wilderness.  (1)  Jesse 
grew  up  in  the  school  of  hardship  to  be  a  brave,  handsome,  active  man.  The 
stories  of  the  murder  of  his  father  and  other  kindred  and  friends  embittered  him 
against  the  Red  Man,  and  terrible  was  the  retribution  he  visited  upon  them. 

"His  name  was  a  terror  to  the  savage  foe  and  a  household  word  of  comfort 
to  the  scattered  settlers  on  the  Buckhannon  River,  Hacker's  Creek,  and  elsewhere 
where  he  visited  with  the  brave  and  chivalrous  spirit  of  the  knight-errant  to  ward 
off  the  savage  blow.  Always  on  the  alert  and  courting  danger  at  every  point, 
he  pursued  the  savage  with  the  pertinacity  of  a  bloodhound  and  never  stopped 
short  of  his  prey.  Hughes'  River,  a  large  navigable  stream  north  of  us,  was  so 
named  in  honor  of  his  exploits.  (2)  He  was  justly  regarded  as  the  peer  of  the  Zanes, 
McCoIloghs  and  Wetzels.  A  history  of  the  deeds  of  this  brave  man  in  defense 
of  his  people  would  fill  a  volume.  When  the  Indians  fell  back  Jesse  Hughes 
followed  them,  first  to  the  Muskingum,  and  then  to  the  Wabash,  and  only  after 
their  complete  surrender  to  General  Wayne  did  he  make  peace.  (3) 

"He  came  back  here  and  settled  on  the  Sandy  (4)  where  Mr.  J.  S.  Dilworth 
now  lives  near  [Sand3'\'ille],  where  he  obtained  a  patent  for  a  piece  of  land,  and 

(1)  See  page  473.  (2)  p.  473.   (3)  p.  473.  (4)  473. 


Closing  Days  or  Jesse  Hughes  217 

made  improvements.  He  was  the  first  settler  on  that  creek.  He  planted  an 
orchard  and  cleared  some  land  for  a  home  in  his  old  age;  but  after  living  there 
many  years  he  found  his  land  was  long  previously  granted  to  John  Allison,  so 
Jesse  Hughes,  the  hero  of  a  hundred  bloody  battles  in  defense  of  his  country  and 
his  race,  like  his  great  friends  Simon  Kenton  and  Daniel  Boone,  (5)  was  a  homeless 
wanderer  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years.  He  went  to  live  with  his  son-in-law, 
George  \V.  Hanshaw,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Mrs.  VV.  S.  Proctor.  Worn  out 
with  toil  and  exposure  and  stung  with  the  ingratitude  of  his  countrymen,  he  wan- 
dered one  day  with  his  gun  in  the  woods,  and  there,  alone  in  a  leafy  grove,  just 
on  the  run  (6)  near  where  we  are  met,  he  died.  He  was  buried  here  on  the  bottom 
but  no  stone  marks  the  spot  where  reposes  the  dust  of  the  brave  pioneer." 

After  the  loss  of  their  home,  Jesse  and  his  wife  li\-eiJ  for  a 
time  with  their  son,  Thomas,  who  resided  on  the  Ohio  just  below 
Ravenswood.  Afterwards  they  made  their  home  with  their  daugh- 
ter, Nancy  Aj^nes  Hanshaw,  who  lived  at  the  mouth  of  Turkey 
Run,  perhaps  on  the  site  of  Jesse's  former  home.  Here  Jesse  died, 
as  narrated  by  Judge  Brown  in  the  last  of  September  or  the  first 
of  October,  1829. 

In  his  old  age  he  became  ver}-  childish,  and  at  every  noise 
imagined  that  Indians  were  around.  Then,  taking  down  his  rifle, 
he  would  go  out  and  look  for  them.  It  was,  perhaps,  in  one  of 
these  sallies  against  an  imaginary  enemy,  that  the  old  scout  met 
death  in  the  lonely,  silent  woods.  His  death  was  a  fitting  one. 
He  had  spent  most  of  his  career  in  the  wilderness  —  a  part  of  the 
wild  savage  life  about  him.  Oft  had  he  heard  the  reverberating 
echo  of  his  deadly  rifle  answered  by  the  moaning  cadence  of  the 
sobbing  wind,  wailing  in  the  gloomy  forest  a  sad  requiem  over  the 
dying  warrior  who  had  fallen  a  victim  of  his  vengeance.  Again 
had  he  listened  in  superstitious  awe  to  the  demoniacal  shrieking 
of  the  might}-  Manitou  whirling  and  crashing  in  fury  through  the 
deep  fastnesses  of  the  sombre  mountains,  as  if  in  protest  against 
the  withering  hand  of  the  pale-face  lifted  so  unremorselessly 
against  the  red  children  of  his  wooded  domain. 

At  last,  in  the  beauteous  mellow  of  the  Southern  autumn 
day  —  in  the  dreamy  haze  of  the  soft  Indian  summer  —  there 
alone  under  the  trees  he  loved  so  well,  death  came  to  the  old 
woodsman. 

The  grimness  of  the  irony  of  fate  is  reflected  in  the  closing 
career  of  this,  the  greatest  of  the  pathfinders  of  western  Virginia. 
Of  all  the  vast  regions  that  he  had  been  so  active  and  ruthless  in 
wresting  from  the  rightful  owners,  not  an  acre  did  he  possess.     His 

<3)  See  page  473.  (6)  p.  474. 


218  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

very  grave  is  lost  to  the  second  generation  of  his  family.  No  one 
knows  where  Jesse  Hughes  was  buried.  I  have  tried  through 
every  available  source  to  locate  the  grave  of  the  renowned  scout, 
but  without  success. 

Jesse  Hanshaw,  his  grandson  and  namesake  (line  of  Nancy), 
was  born  in  1831,  at  the  home  where  his  aged  grandfather  had 
died  two  years  before.  The  cabin  in  which  Mr.  Hanshaw  was 
born  stood  on  the  present  site  of  the  residence  of  W.  S.  Proctor, 
who  still  owns  the  farm.  The  place  at  that  time  consisted  of  two 
cabins,  and  was  known  as  "Beggar's  Town."  Mr.  Hanshaw 
declared  that  his  mother  pointed  out  to  him  the  place  where  his 
grandfather  was  buried,  and  that  this  was  on  their  home-farm, 
now  owned  by  Proctor,  and  above  Turkey  Run,  on  the  upland  in 
the  old  orchard.  He  believes  that  he  might  be  able  to  locate  the 
spot,  though  no  stone  marks  the  grave.  In  1893,  while  digging  a 
post-hole  near  his  residence,  Proctor  found  a  human  skeleton, 
which  may  have  been  that  of  Jesse  Hughes.  The  location  where 
this  skeleton  was  found  —  on  the  high  ground  back  of  where  the 
Hughes  cabin  stood  —  corresponds  with  that  given  by  Mr.  Han- 
shaw, as  pointed  out  by  his  mother. 

There  is  an  old  burial  ground  between  the  road  and  the  river, 
on  the  lower  part  of  A.  J.  Rolif's  farm,  which  adjoins  that  of  Mr. 
Proctor,  where  repose  the  remains  of  some  of  the  oldest  settlers  of 
that  region,  and  it  has  been  suggested  that  Jesse  Hughes  might 
have  been  buried  there.  Another  tradition  says  that  he  was  buried 
near  "Hughes'  Eddy,"  (7)  below  Ravenswood.  But  I  am  inclined 
to  believe  that  Mr.  Hanshaw  is  right  in  his  location  of  the  grave  of 
the  old  scout.  There  is  no  doubt  that  Mrs.  Hanshaw  knew  where 
her  father  was  buried,  and  her  son  should  know,  within  a  reason- 
able degree  of  accuracy,  the  location  of  the  grave. 

After  the  death  of  Jesse  Hughes,  his  wife  lived  with  her  daugh- 
ter Massie,  at  Gandeeville,  Roane  County,  (now)  West  Virginia, 
where  she  died  in  January  1842.  She  was  buried  at  Gandeeville, 
and  at  this  writing  her  grave  is  shown  only  by  a  crude  stone.  It 
is  hoped  that  the  numerous  descendants  of  this  pioneer  mother 
will  mark  with  an  enduring  and  appropriate  monument  her  last 
resting  place,  before  it,  like  that  of  her  renowned  husband,  is  lost 
to  the  world  forever. 

A  few  years  ago,  the  old  rocking-chair  that  belonged  to  Mrs. 
Jesse  Hughes  was  still  preserved  by  some  of  her  immediate  descend- 

(7)  See  page  474. 


Closinc;  Days  of  Jesse  Mixuies 


219 


ants  in  Jackson  Count)',  West  X'irginia.  What  became  of  this 
chair  is  not  known  to  me,  but  it  is,  in  all  probability,  still  in  pos- 
session of  some  of  the  family  in  that  region. 

Mr.  Samuel  Alkirc  of  Hacker's  Creek,  was  once  in  possession 
of  an  old  gun  charger  that  belonged  to  his  great-grandfather,  Jesse 
Hughes.  This  charger  was  finely  carved  from  a  prong  of  the  antler 
of  a  deer,  and  evidenth'  measured  out  death  to  more  than  one 
Indian  in  the  wikls  of  the  Monongahela.  Unfortunately,  this 
interesting  relic,  perhaps  the  last  memento  of  the  great  scout,  was 
lost  about  thirt\-  years  ago,  by  a  squirrel  hunter,  on  lower  Hacker's 
Creek,  which  had  been  the  theatre  of  the  most  turbulent  scenes 
in  the  wild  life  of  Jesse  Hughes. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


Thomas  Hughes,  Senior  —  Settled  on  Elk  Creek,  in  (now) 
Harrison  County,  (West)  Virginia,  and  killed  by  Indians  on 
Hacker's  Creek  in  1778.  It  is  not  known  where  he  was  born, 
but  the  evidence  is  cogent  that  the  most  of  his  life  was  spent  on 
the  border,  (1)  and  that  his  removal  to  the  Upper  Monongahela 
was  from  the  Wappatomaka.  The  majority  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
country  in  which  he  settled  came  from  that  region,  and  there  is 
strong  proof,  in  the  birth  of  his  son,  Elias,  that  he  resided  there 
in  1757. 

It  is  not  certainly  known  whom  Thomas  Hughes,  Senior, 
married.  I  have  been  unable  to  find  any  record  touching  that 
phase  of  his  life.  Some  of  the  older  descendants  of  his  son  Elias 
think  that  his  wife's  maiden  name  was  Baker. 

The  number  of  children,  their  names,  and  the  dates  of  their 
births,  are  not  with  certainty  known.  The  names  of  some  of 
them,  however,  are  known. 

Jesse  Hughes  was  born  in  1750,  settled  on  Hacker's  Creek 
in  1771-72;  married  Miss  Grace  Tanner  the  year  of  his  settlement 
there;  became  one  of  the  most  famous  scouts  and  Indian  fighters 
of  all  the  west;  moved  to  the  Wabash  in  the  fall  of  1797  or  1798; 
moved  thence  to  eastern  Kentucky  the  following  fall,  exact 
location  not  known;  moved  thence  to  western  Virginia  in  the 
following  spring,  and  settled  at  the  mouth  of  Turkey  Run,  in 
what  is  now  Jackson  County,  West  Virginia;  afterwards  settled 
on  Sand  Creek,  same  county,  near  where  Sandyville  was  after- 
wards built;  died  at  the  mouth  of  Turkey  Run,  just  above  the 
town  of  Ravenswood,  in  the  Autumn  of  1829. 

Thomas  Hughes,  Junior,  was  born  about  1754;  settled  on 
the  West  Fork  about  1775;  was  an  active  scout  during  the  entire 
border  wars,  and  was  Lieutenant  of  a  Company  of  Spies.  He 
afterwards  settled  in  Jackson  County,  W'est  Virginia,  where  he 
died  in  October,  1837.  His  wife  died  three  months  previous. 
Her  name  is  unknown  to  me.  They  left  one  child,  Thomas,  born 
1774,  who  was  still  living  in  1854. 

Elias  Hughes  was  born  in  1757,  in  now  Hardy  County, 
Virginia.     He  was   called  "Ellis"  Hughes   by  many  of  the  early 

(1)  See  page  474. 


Genealogy  of  The  Hughes  I'\\mii,y  221 

settlers,  the  name  "I'.Uis"  being  applied  as  the  result  of  the 
inattention  of  the  pioneers  to  the  exactness  in  speaking  names. 
(2)  He  came  to  Harrison  County  while  only  a  boy  and  grew  up 
to  be  a  scout  and  Indian  fighter  second  only  to  his  brother  Jesse. 
W  as  in  Battle  of  Point  Pleasant  and  subsequentl)'  commissioned 
a  Captain  of  Spies.  He  married  Miss  Jane  Sleeth.  In  1797, 
moved  to  the  Muskingum  in  Ohio,  and  the  next  year  to  Licking 
County,  Ohio.  Was  Captain  of  Militia  ami  commissioned  Second 
Lieutenant,  Col.  Rennick's  Regiment  Mounted  Ohio  Volunteers, 
War  1S12.  Died  near  Utica,  Ohio,  December  22,  1844.  His 
wife  died  in  1S27. 

SuDN.A,  daughter  of  Thomas  Hughes,  Sr.,  married  Colonel 
William  Lowther,  who  settled  on  Hughes'  River,  and  w-as  a  pioneer 
in  Northwestern  Virginia,  and  active  in  the  protection  of  the 
settlers  from  the  attacks  of  the  Indians. 

Job  Hughes  —  History  of  this  son  not  known  to  me.  He 
married  Mar}-  Hamm,  1791,  in  Harrison  County,  (West)  \'irginia. 
Died  and  was  buried  in  Jackson  County,  now  West  Virginia. 

Another  Son  was  killed  by  the  Indians.  His  name  is  not 
known,  nor  can  it  at  this  time  be  determined  where  or  when  the 
tragedy  occurred,  but  it  must  have  been  on  the  western  waters. 

Another  Daughter,  name  not  know^n  to  me,  was  married 
to  Joseph  Bibbee,  who  settled  on  the  Ohio  River  below  the  present 
town  of  Ravenswood,  in  what  is  now  Jackson  Count}',  \\  est 
\  irginia. 

A  marriage  license  was  granted  in  Harrison  County,  Virginia, 
in  1795,  to  William  Bibby  and  Deborah  Hughes.  William  was 
a  brother  of  Joseph  Bibbee;  Deborah  may  have  been  the  daughter 
of  Thomas  Hughes,  Sr.  Tradition  among  the  descendants  of 
William  Bibby,  or  Bibbee,  in  Jackson  County,  West  Virginia, 
says  that  the  Bibbee  brothers  either  married  sisters  or  cousins. 
\\  illiam  Bibbee  was  a  noted  hunter  and  killed  the  last  buffalo  in 
now  Jackson  County,  West  \  irginia. 

In  the  same  year  (1795)  Benjamin  Cox  and  Mary  Hughes 
were  married  in  Harrison  County,  Virginia. 

Descendants  of  Jesse  Hughes. 

Martha,  born  in  December,  1773,  captured  by  the  Indians, 
December,  1787;  returned  from  captivity,  December,  1790;  mar- 
ried Jacob  Bonnett  in  1792,  a  brother  to  John  Bonnett  who  was 

(2)  See  page  474. 


222  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

killed  on  the  Little  Kanawha,  and  lived  all  her  life  near  West's 
Fort,  now  Jane  Lew,  just  below  the  main  road  and  opposite  the 
present  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  where  she  died  in  December, 
1834,  and  was  buried  at  the  old  Harmony  Church  Cemetery  on 
Hacker's  Creek.  Her  grave  is  marked  by  a  plain  sandstone  slab, 
on  which  is  the  following  inscription: 

Martha,  Daughter  of  Jesse  Hughes 

Born  December,  1773 

Made  Prisoner  by  the  Indians  Dec,  1787 

Returned  from  Captivity,  1790 

Married  Jacob  Bonnett,  1792 

Died  Dec,  1834 

Aged  61  Years. 

Martha  left  a  long  line  of  descendants  on  Hacker's  Creek. 
Some  of  the  best  families  of  the  valley,  including  the  Bonnetts 
and  the  Alkires.  To  the  late  Elias  Bonnett,  a  grandson  of  Martha, 
and  to  his  son,  Henry  G.  Bonnett,  I  am  especially  indebted  for 
some  of  the  incidents  in  the  life  of  Jesse  Hughes. 

Rachel,  married  William  Cottrell;  lived  on  Hacker's  Creek 
near  the  mouth  of  Life's  Run  until  the  death  of  her  husband,  when 
she  moved  to  Spring  Creek,  six  miles  from  Spencer,  Roane  County, 
West  Virginia,  where  she  died;  buried  near  Spencer.  The  old 
Cottrell  cabin  of  hewed  logs  is  still  standing  on  Hacker's  Creek, 
just  below  the  pike,  and  near  the  bridge  spanning  the  creek,  on 
the  road  leading  up  Life's  Run. 

SuDNA,  married  Elijah  Runner;  lived  and  died  near  Sandy- 
ville  on  Big  Sand  Creek,  Jackson  County,  West  Virginia. 

Elizabeth,  married  James  Stanley;  lived  and  died  on  Mud 
Run,  a  tributary  of  Big  Sand  Creek,  Jackson  County,  West 
Virginia. 

ALa.ssie,  born  on  Hacker's  Creek,  in  1786  or  1787;  married 
Uriah  Gandee;  lived  for  a  time  near  Sandy ville,  Jackson  County; 
in  1824  moved  to  where  Gandeeville  now  is  in  Roane  County, 
West  Virginia;  her  husband  died  in  1855,  when  she  went  to  live 
with  her  son,  J.  S.  Gandee,  where  she  resided  until  her  death, 
May  30,  1883.  She  was  buried  on  the  home  farm  near  Gandee- 
ville. 

Nancy  Agnes,  married  George  W.  Hanshaw;  lived  at  the 
mouth  of  Turkey  Run,  above  Ravenswood;  later  moved  above 
the  mouth  of  Straight  Fork  on  Big  Sand  Creek,-  Jackson  County. 


Genealogy  oi-  Thi:  Hi?ghls  Family 


223 


LouRANEY,  married  Uriah  Sa\re;  lived  at  the  mouth  of 
Groundhog  Run,  on  the  Ohio  River,  in  Meigs  County,  Ohio.  (3) 

Thomas,  Hved  on  the  Ohio  River  below  Ravensuood,  where 
he  died.     I  do  not  know  who  he  married. 

W'lLLLAM,  married  a  Miss  Statts;  lived  and  died  on  Mill 
Creek,  three  miles  below  Ripley,  in  what  is  now  Jackson  County, 
W  est  Virginia. 

Jesse,  married  Susana  Mock  in  1800.  His  history  is  unknown 
to  me. 


Thl  \\  ILLIAM  Cul  IKI'-LL  CaBIN 

Photographed  1909 

Originally  this  cabin  stood  near  the  right-hand  bank  of  Hacker's  Creek,  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  valley.  The  logs  were  hewed  after  they  were  placed  in  the  walls. 
A  spacious  fireplace  occupied  nearly  the  entire  right  end  of  the  room.  A  narrow 
vent,  not  unlike  a  porthole,  is  concealed  by  the  conspicuous  board  fust  to  the  right  of 
the  only  door.     There  are  no  other  openings  or  windows. 


The  above  are  the  children  of  Jesse  Hughes,  the  scout,  ranger, 
pioneer,  and  famous  Indian  fighter. 

It  is  said  that  in  size,  features  and  complexion,  W  illiam 
Hughes  was  almost  an  exact  counterpart  of  his  noted  father. 

Massie,  the  daughter  of  Jesse  Hughes,  who  married  Uriah 
Gandee,  had  twelve  children,  to  wit:  Sarah,  Jesse,  William, 
George,  Cynthia,  Grace,  Lucinda,  Samuel,  Mar\'  (who  died  when 
nine  years  old),  a  child  unnamed  that  died  in  infanc\',  Martha,  and 
James  Stanley.  Of  this  family  ten  li\cd  to  maturit\';  but  two 
are  now  living:  Samuel,  born  l''ebruar\'  24,  1S24,  and  James 
Stanley,  born  July  27,   1X32. 

(3)  See  pag;  47^. 


224  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

The  Gandee  children,  Hke  those  of  many  other  post-pioneer 
famiUes  of  Northwestern  Virginia,  were  reared  in  the  woods  with- 
out the  advantages  of  education.  James  Stanley,  the  youngest, 
named  for  the  husband  of  his  Aunt  Elizabeth,  did  not  attend 
school  more  than  ninety  days  all  told.  He  learned  to  write,  and 
the  rudiments  of  arithmetic,  after  his  first  marriage.  He  was 
married  twice,  and  true  to  the  traditions  of  his  forest  clan,  reared 
many  children  to  the  honor  of  his  country  —  twenty-one  in  all  — 
eighteen  of  whom  are  still  living.  Mr.  Gandee  has  filled  many 
positions  of  trust  in  his  county,  from  constable  to  high  sheriff,  and 
was  for  several  years  president  of  his  township  Board  of  Educa- 
tion. He  laid  out  the  town  of  Gandeeville  on  the  old  home  farm 
in  Roane  County,  West  Virginia. 

To  Mr.  Gandee,  more  than  any  other  person,  am  I  indebted 
for  facts  and  incidents  connected  with  the  Ufe  of  Jesse  Hughes. 
Pertaining  to  genealogy  and  family  history,  Mr.  Gandee  is  the 
best  informed  of  any  of  the  immediate  descendants  of  the  cele- 
brated scout.  His  opportunity  for  obtaining  data  regarding  the 
biography  of  his  grandfather  was,  perhaps,  unsurpassed,  by  any 
person  now  living..  His  grandmother  made  her  home  with  his 
parents  from  1827  until  her  death,  January  1842,  and  his  mother 
resided  with  him  during  the  last  quarter  century  of  her  life. 

Descendants  of  Elias  Hughes. 

Elias  Hughes  married  Miss  Jane  Sleeth.  I  am  unable  to 
give  the  names  of  their  children  in  the  order  of  their  ages,  but 
will  set  them  down  as  furnished  by  Mrs.  Pansy  Hall  Thatcher, 
a    descendant   of    Elias   Hughes.     The   names    are    as   follows: 

Margaret  (married  Jones),  Mary  (married  Foster),  Susanna 
(married  Leach),  Sudna  (married  Marlin),  Jane  (married  Hight), 
Sarah  (married  Davis),  Kate  (unmarried),  Thomas,  Henry,  Job, 
Elias,  David,  John  and  Jonathan  (the  youngest).  Two  others 
died  while  quite  young. 

Mrs.  L.  Bancroft  Fant,  of  Newark,  Ohio,  writes  me  that  one 
daughter  married Ratliif. 

Records  in  the  U.  S.  Treasury  Department  show  that  the 
pension  due  Elias  Hughes  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  paid  to  his 
children  as  follows:  Susanna  Leach,  Margaret  Jones,  Sarah 
Davis,  John,  Elias  and  Jonathan  Hughes,  and  Sudna  Marlin. 

Jonathan  Hughes  was  born  January  14,  1796,  in  Harrison 


Genealogy  of  The  Hughes  Family 


225 


County,  Virginia,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  Ohio  in  1798. 
In  IS  15  lie  was  apprenticed  to  a  carpenter  and  joiner  in  Mt. 
Vernon,  Ohio.  On  June  9th,  1S17,  he  married  Lavina  Davis,  who 
was  born  June  14th,  ISOO.  They  had  hve  children:  Clarinda, 
born  December  7th,  1818;  Louisa,  born  November  17th,  1820; 
James  M.,  born  March  31,  1827;  Adaline  N.,  born  December  7th, 
1829.     James   moved   to  Indiana. 

Jonathan  Hughes  "never  drank  whiskey  as  a  beverage,  never 
tasted  tobacco  but  once,  never  smoked  a  cigar,  never  voted  the 
Democratic  ticket  but  once,  and  that  was  for  Jackson.  Mr.  Hughes 
is  a  strong  prohibitionist."  (4) 


(4)  Sec  page  475 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


Elias  Hughes  survived  his  two  noted  brothers,  Jesse  and 
Thomas,  several  years,  and  was  among  the  last  of  the  Virginia 
frontiersmen.  As  a  scout,  he  excelled  in  some  respects  either  of 
his  two  brothers.  He  rose  to  the  rank  of  captain  and  was  the  recog- 
nized champion  rifle  shot  on  the  western  waters.  Like  many  of 
his  contemporaries,  the  border  annals  contain  but  little  of  his 
early  life.  Withers  mentions  him  in  connection  with  four  inci- 
dents only;  three  of  these  are  quoted  in  the  preceding  pages  of 
this  volume,  and  the  other  will  be  given  in  the  course  of  this  sketch. 
More  is  known  of  his  subsequent  life  in  Ohio,  where  he  moved 
soon  after  the  Treaty  of  Greenville. 

In  many  instances  historians  have  dealt  confusedly  with  his 
personality.  I  have  had  occasion  to  mention  that  while  his  given 
name  was  Elias  he  was  generally  known  as  "Ellis."  Under  this 
double  sobriquet  he  went  through  life  to  the  grave  and  passed  into 
history.  For  even  a  vague  conception  of  the  deeds  of  this  great 
borderman,  various  historical  works  must  be  consulted,  where 
the  reader  becomes  mystified  by  this  diversity  in  his  name.  Owing 
to  these  conditions,  it  has  been  deemed  desirable  to  reproduce 
here  in  a  concise  form,  all  that  could  be  gathered  concerning  his 
life.     Lewis  says:  (1) 

"Belonging  to  General  Lewis'  army  was  a  young  man  named  Ellis  Hughes. 
He  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  had  been  bred  in  the  hot-bed  of  Indian  warfare. 
The  Indians  having  murdered  a  young  lady  (2)  to  whom  he  was  very  much  attached, 
and  subsequently  his  father,  he  vowed  revenge,  and  the  return  of  peace  did  not 
mitigate  his  hatred  of  the  race.  Shortly  after  Wayne's  treaty  with  the  Indians 
in  1795,  he  forsook  his  native  mountains,  and  in  company  with  one  John  Ratcliff 
removed  north  of  the  Ohio,  where  they  became  the  first  settlers  in  what  is  now 
Licking  County,  in  that  State.  Hughes  died  near  Utica,  that  County,  in  March, 
1845,  at  an  advanced  age,  in  hope  of  a  happy  future,  claiming  and  accredited  by 
all  who  knew  him,  to  be  the  last  survivor  of  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant.  He  was 
buried  with  military  honors  and  other  demonstrations  of  respect." 

The  following  paragraph  is  found  in  connection  with  the 
Battle  of  Point  Pleasant: 

"The  admittedly  last  survivor  of  those  who  personally  participated  in  this 
memorable  fight  was  Mr.  Ellis  Hughes,  one  of  the  remarkable  family  of  border 

(1)  See  page  475.  (2)  p.  475. 


Elias  HiGHEs  227 

settlers  and  Indian  tigliters  of  that  name.  After  Wayne's  treaty,  he  and  a  neigh- 
bor, Radcliff,  removed  to  Ohio,  and  were  the  first  to  settle  in  (now)  Licking  County. 
Hughes  died  in  1K4.\  near  Utica,  aged  in  the  nineties."  (3) 

The  L.ast  Slrvivor. 

"It  is  adniittcd  by  all  that  the  last  survivor  of  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant 
was  Ellis  Hughes,  who  died  at  Utica,  Ohio,  in  1>S40,  aged  over  ninety  years."  (4) 

The  Last  Survivor  of  the  B.\ttle  of  Point  Pleasant. 

"The  assertion  has  been  made,  and  I  have  never  heard  it  disputed,  that  the 
last  survivor  of  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant  was  Ellis  Hughes  who  died  in  1840, 
at  Utica,  Ohio.  This  is  clearly  a  mistake.  There  was  certainly  a  soldier  in  that 
battle  who  survived  Ellis  Hughes  several  years,  and  who  died  in  February,  1848, 
in  that  portion  of  Randolph  County  which  became  Tucker  County  in  1856. 

"Samuel  Bonniheld  was  born  .Xpril  11,  1752,  where  Washington  City  now 
stands.  *  *  * 

"In  the  summer  of  1774  Samuel  Bonniticld  went  on  a  visit  to  Fauquier  County, 
Virginia.  At  that  time  Governor  Dunmore  was  preparing  for  a  campaign  against 
the  Indians  in  Ohio,  and  Bonnifield  joined  the  army,  although  he  was  not  a  citizen 
of  \'irginia.  When  the  march  began  for  the  west,  he  found  himself  under  General 
Lewis.  They  marched  to  Lewlsburg  in  Greenbrier  County.  Here  Bonnifield 
first  met  Isaac  Shelby,  with  whom  he  formed  an  intimate  acquaintance,  and  of 
whom  he  afterwards  frequently  spoke.  The  army  proceeded  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Gauley,  and  from  that  point  a  portion  made  canoes  and  went  by  water  to  the 
Ohio.  Among  these  was  Bonnifield.  His  reminiscences  of  the  battle  of  October 
10,  contain  a  few  minor  details  which  I  have  never  seen  published.  He  relates 
that  he  and  Isaac  Shelby  were  behind  the  same  log,  and  had,  for  some  time,  been 
trying  to  discover  the  spot  from  which  occasional  bullets  had  been  coming  which 
apparently  had  been  fired  at  them  whenever  they  showed  themselves.  Finally 
Bonnifield  made  the  discovery;  but  at  that  moment  his  gun  was  empty,  and  he 
therefore  pointed  out  the  head  and  face  of  an  Indian  some  fifty  yards  distant, 
protruding  from  behind  a  log.  Shelby  took  careful  aim,  fired,  and  when  the 
Indians  yielded  ground  shortly  after,  they  found  the  warrior  lying  behind  the 
log,  shot  through  the  head. 

"None  of  the  published  accounts  of  the  battle  which  1  have  seen  mention 
the  fact  that  the  retreating  Indians  were  observed  while  in  the  act  of  crossing  the 
Ohio.  Bonnifield  speaks  particularly  of  seeing  them  crossing  in  large  numbers. 
To  him  the  sight  seems  to  have  furnished  amusement;  for  he  related  with  much 
merriment  how  a  dozen  or  more  Indians  would  set  out  from  shore  on  a  single  log, 
how  the  log  would  roll  and  careen  despite  their  efforts  to  steady  it;  how  one  by 
one  they  would  fall  off,  and  strike  out  swimming  for  the  Ohio  shore,  while  the 
log  perhaps  would  float  away  without  a  passenger."  (5) 

"Ellis"  Hughes,  of  the  foregoing  citations,  and  Elias  Hughes, 
the  scout,  were  one  and  the  same  person.  In  the  Census  of  Mo- 
nongalia County,  Virginia,  1782,  he  is  listed  as  Elias  Hughes  at 
the  head  of  a  family  of  hve.     In  the  Census  of  Harrison  County, 

(3)  See  page  475.  (4)  p.  475.  (5)  p.  475. 


228  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Virginia,  1785,  he  appears  as  Ellis  Hughes  at  the  head  of  a  family 
of  six.     Both  enumerations  included  parents.  (6) 

Elias  Hughes  came  early  to  the  western  waters.  The  record 
of  homestead  entries  in  Monongalia  County,  1781,  shows  that 
he  was  granted  "400  acres  on  West  Fork  [river]  adjoining  lands 
of  James  Tanner,  to  include  his  improvement  made  in  1770."  (7) 
He  assisted  in  the  building  of  Nutter's  Fort  and  was  closely  identi- 
fied with  the  border  wars,  which  intervened  from  the  Battle  of 
Point  Pleasant  to  the  Treaty  of  Greenville.  We  get  a  glimpse 
of  his  career  during  this  period,  from  the  evidence  which  he  sub- 
mitted with  his  claim  for  pension  as  a  Revolutionary  soldier, 
heretofore  unpublished. 

In  his  deposition,  executed  August  23,  1832,  he  states  that 
as  near  as  he  could  recollect  he  was  then  about  seventy-five  years 
old.  He  entered  the  service  at  the  commencement  of  the  war, 
and  was  commissioned  a  captain  of  spies  under  Col.  Benjamin 
Wilson,  and  served  as  such  for  about  two  years.  Col.  Lowther 
then  took  command,  and  he  was  under  him  with  the  rank  of  captain 
for  over  a  year;  when  it  appears  that  Col.  Lowther  left  the  service. 
Hughes  was  under  the  impression  that  the  colonel  resigned,  but 
was  not  positive.  Col.  George  Jackson  then  took  command  of 
the  scouts  and  Hughes  continued  in  service  until  the  close  of  the 
war. 

Hughes  states  that  when  Col.  Jackson  assumed  command, 
owing  to  some  new  arrangement  in  the  disposition  of  the  Indian 
spies,  he  did  not  retain  his  commission  as  captain.  According  to 
the  then  regulation,  the  services  of  the  spies  were  no  longer  required 
in  companies.  They  were  separated  in  bodies  of  two,  and  bounda- 
ries assigned  over  which  they  were  to  scout.  They  met  at  certain 
points,  reported  their  observations  and  carried  any  appearance  of 
the  enemy  to  the  nearest  stations. 

In  his  petition,  Hughes  was  vouched  for  by  Jacob  Riley  and 
Stephen  McDougal,  but  he  was  not  granted  a  pension. 

In  1834,  Hughes  made  a  second  declaration,  which  is  so 
fraught  with  historic  interest  that  I    give  it  in  full: 

'  The  State  of  Ohio 
Licking  County 

"Personally  appeared  before  me,  the  undersigned,  a  Justice  of  the  Peace 
within  and  for  the  County  aforesaid,  Elias  Hughes,  who  being  duly  sworn  deposeth 
and  saith  that  by  reason  of  old  age  and  consequently  loss  of  memory,  he  cannot 

(6)  See  page  475.  (7)  p.  475. 


Ki.iAS  Hughes  229 

minutch  enter  into  a  detail  of  his  services  in  tlic  Revolutionary  War.  Deponent 
saith,  however,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that  he  served  as  a  ranger  and  spy 
during  the  whole  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  from  the  year  1775  to  the  year  1783, 
and  also  prior  and  subsequently  thereto,  that  his  first  engagement  against  the 
Indians  was  at  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant  on  the  Big  Kanhawa  in  the  year  1774, 
that  his  last  services  were  performed  in  the  year  of  Wayne's  treaty  with  the  Indians, 
in  the  year  1795  (as  he  thinks),  in  the  neighborhood  of  Buchannon  against  a 
party  of  22  Indians  by  pursuing  them  and  giving  the  alarm  to  the  settlement — 
that  said  Indians  succeeded  in  getting  off  with  Mrs.  Bozarth  (wife  of  John  Bozarth) 
and  two  of  the  children  as  prisoners,  who  were  delivered  up  to  General  Wayne 
after  the  treaty. 

"Deponent  saith  that  after  the  declaration  of  war  in  1775,  he  volunteered  in 
the  service  in  the  Virginia  States  troops  (he  thinks),  under  one  Captain  James 
Booth  under  whom,  to  the  best  of  his  recollection,  he  continued  to  serve  up  to 
the  year  (in  the  spring)  of  1778,  when  his  father  Thomas  was  killed  by  the  Indians 
on  Hacker's  Creek,  V'a.  Deponent  states  that  about  that  time  one  Stephen 
Ratcliff  or  Ratlift  who  held  a  commission  as  Captain  (under  Col.  or  Major  Lowther) 
left  the  service  and  went  back  on  to  the  south  Branch  of  the  Potomac.  Deponent 
saith  that  he  was  then  commissioned  by  Col.  Benjamin  Wilson  as  a  captain  to 
supply  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  reason  of  the  said  Ratcliff  leaving  the  service. 
Deponent  states  he  well  recollects  that  his  commission  was  printed  but  by  whom 
it  was  signed  he  cannot  saj%  but  under  the  impression  that  it  was  signed  by  the 
Gov.  of  \'a.  Deponent  states  as  he  has  before  stated  in  his  original 
declaration  that  he  served  not  less  than  three  years  as  captain  of  the  Rangers 
or  spies,  that  he  may  perhaps  he  mistaken  (from  the  great  length  of  time  which 
has  elapsed  and  from  loss  of  memory  which  he  is  sensible  has  failed  him  very 
materially),  in  the  order  and  disposition  of  arranging  Col.  Benj.  Wilson  and 
Col.  Wm.  Lowther  as  officers  of  the  Rev.  at  the  time  he  was  so  engaged 
and  serving  under  them  as  aforesaid,  he  is,  however,  satisfied  that  they  were  the 
two  principal  leaders  in  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution  in  West  Augusta 
Co.,  Va.,  and  whether  they  did  or  did  not  at  that  time  hold  commissions  under 
the  Government  as  Col.  or  Major  he  cannot  say  positively  (they  have  at  least 
subsequently  acquired  those  titles);  he  is  satisfied  however  that  they  either  assumed 
or  had  in  fact  such  authority  delegated  to  them  by  the  Government  that  they 
took  upon  themselves  the  organization  and  disposition  of  the  troops  in  that  section 
of  the  country  and  of  paying  off  the  soldiers,  recommending  the  appointment  of 
officers,  etc.,  and  that  he  did  in  fact  hold  a  commission  and  served  as  a  captain 
in  the  Rev.  for  not  less  than  three  years  as  before  stated.  (Deponent 
states  on  having  his  memory  refreshed  that  he  is  mistaken  in  saying  (as  stated 
in  his  original  declaration)  that  he  was  commissioned  as  captain  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  War,  that  it  was  not  until  the  spring  of  1778  (as  he  thinks). 

"Deponent  states  that  from  his  youth,  he  always  had  a  fondness  for  his  gun 
and  that  his  principal  occupation  was  that  of  hunting  from  the  time  he  was  able 
to  carry  a  gun  up  to  the  time  of  the  Rev.,  that  a  number  of  years  before 
the  time  of  the  Rev.  (does  not  recollect  the  year)  he  removed  with  his 
father  in  the  neighborhood  of  Clarksburg,  V'a.,  together  with  several  other  families, 
John  Hacker,  Wm.  Hacker,  Samuel  Pringle,  Wm.  Ratcliff,  John  Cutright  & 
John  Hacker  with  their  families,  that  on  the  breaking  out  of  war,  his  services 


230  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

being  required,  he  of  clioice  volunteered  his  services  as  he  has  before  stated,  that 
his  name  is  mentioned  in  the  Border  Warfare,  a  worlc  published  by  Alex.  Withers, 
at  Clarksburg,  1831,  and  in  which  a  part  of  his  services  is  detailed  (though  not 
generally  or  particularly).  Deponent  states  that  his  services  may  be  computed 
as  follows,  viz:  as  a  private  from  the  year  1775  up  to  the  year  1778,  as  a  captain, 
from  1778  up  to  the  year  1781,  and  from  the  year  1781  up  to  the  year  1783  as  a 
private.  Deponent  states  he  has  sent  on  to  Virginia  in  order  to  prepare  the  testi- 
mony of  witnesses  who  served  with  him  and  by  whom  he  expected  to  be  able  to 
prove  his  services  both  as  a  private  and  as  captain  in  the  service,  but  in  consequence 
of  the  death  of  Alexander  West  and  the  absence  of  David  Sleith,  his  most  important 
witness,  he  has  not  been  able  to  establish  his  services  as  satisfactorily  as  he  expected 
to  be  able  to  do.  Deponent  states  positively  from  his  own  knowledge  that  he 
has  actually  served  as  above  stated,  that  he  did  service  faithfully  during  the  whole 
of  the  Rev.  War  without  any  interruption,  and  that  he  also  served  after 
the  peace  of  1783  up  to  the  year  of  1795.  Deponent  states  that  he  is  unable  to 
say  whether  he  will  be  able  to  procure  any  further  testimony  in  regard  to  his 
services  than  that  which  is  attached  to  his  original  declaration,  to  wit,  the  testimony 
of  Wm.  Powers,  Esq.,  and  Jesse  Lowther — that  he  does  not  know  at  this  time  of 
any  person  living  within  his  knowledge  (except  David  Sleith)  whose  testimony 
will  be  material.  Deponent  states  that  for  three  years  past,  he  has  been  entirely 
blind  and  from  his  limited  means  he  is  unable  to  be  at  further  expense  in  order 
to  establish  his  services.  He  hereby  proposes  to  submit  to  the  Department  his 
original  and  amended  declaration  with  the  testimony  accompanying  the  same 
with  a  view  that  the  same  may  be  acted  upon  giving  the  department  a  discre- 
tionary power  to  grant  him  a  pension  as  captain  or  private,  as  the  evidence  \n 
the  case  may  in  their  discretion  seem  to  justify.  ,  . 

Elias  X  Hughes 
mark 
Sworn  and  subscribed  to  Dec.  5,  1834. 

M.  M.  Caffer,  Justice  of  the  Peace." 

The  foregoing  declaration  was  followed  by  several  lengthy 
testimonies  among  them  one  from  Tarah  Curtis,  a  clergyman,  all 
speaking  highly  of  Hughes  as  a  man  of  veracity  and  whose  state- 
ment could  be  relied  upon.  Some  of  these  affidavits  are  of  more 
than  passing  interest,  of  which  a  full  synopsis  is  here  given. 

Under  date  of  September  8,  1834,  before  John  Mitchell,  J.  P., 
William  Powers,  of  Harrison  County,  Virginia,  states  that  he 
was  then  sixty-nine  years  old,  and  that  he  first  became  acquainted 
with  Elias  Hughes  in  1774  at  the  building  of  Nutter's  Fort,  near 
where  the  town  of  Clarksburgh  now  is;  that  he  thought  Hughes 
was  then  seventeen  years  old,  and  resided  with  his  father  at  a 
place  now  called  Westfield,  in  Lewis  County,  Virginia.  From 
that  time  to  1796,  he  was  more  or  less  acquainted  with  Hughes, 
and  for  a  portion  of  the  time  participated  with  him  in  the  scenes 


Elias  Hughes  231 

of  warfare  then  going  on  between  the  whites  anei  Indians  on  the 
western  frontier  of  Virginia. 

Powers  could  not  state  from  personal  knowledge  of  Hughes 
service  from  commencement  of  the  Revolution,  1776  to  1783,  as 
he  was  not  in  the  same  company  of  spies,  but  frequently  met  him 
in  connection  with  the  discharge  of  his  duties  during  that  period. 
He  states  that  he  was  present  at  one  time  in  the  spring  of  1781, 
when  Colonel  Lowther  with  sixteen  others,  of  whom  Elias  Hughes 
was  of  the  number,  returned  to  Clarksburgh  with  five  Indian 
scalps,  a  great  quantity  of  plunder  and  two  prisoners,  whom  they 
had  taken  and  rescued  from  the  Indians.  Powers  further  states 
that  after  the  peace  between  C^reat  Britain  and  the  United  States 
in  1783,  the  war  with  the  Indians  did  not  subside  for  a  number  of 
years;  consequently  a  force  was  necessary  to  be  kept  up  for  their 
mutual  defense  against  the  Indians.  He  states  that  by  this 
means  he  and  Elias  Hughes  were  thrown  together  on  numerous 
occasions  (from  the  year  1783  up  to  the  year  1795),  and  he  had 
an  opportunity  of  forming  a  pretty  good  opinion  of  the  character 
of  Hughes  as  an  Indian  warrior;  that  he  believes  the  country  in 
those  days  did  not  contain  a  more  vigilant,  brave  and  efficient 
soldier;  that  from  all  that  he  had  seen  and  heard  of  Elias  Hughes, 
he  was,  when  his  services  were  needed  to  go  on  an  expedition,  at 
all  times  ready  to  go  at  a  moment's  warning. 

September  10,  1834,  Jesse  Lowther,  before  John  Davis,  J.  P. 
for  Harrison  County,  Virginia,  states  that  he  was  then  sixty-one 
years  old;  born  in  Harrison  County,  Virginia,  w^here  he  resided 
ever  since,  and  w-as  well  acquainted  with  Elias  Hughes  from  the 
time  that  he  was  capable  of  knowing  any  person,  and  the  most 
that  he  could  relate  respecting  said  Hughes  as  an  Indian  warrior 
was  information  derived  from  his  father,  William  Lowther,  and 
others;  that  during  the  Revolution  he  was  too  young  to  partici- 
pate in  the  scenes  of  warfare  then  going  forward  on  the  western 
frontier  of  Virginia.  Lowther  states  that  he  well  recollected  at 
one  time  that  Elias  Hughes  was  engaged  with  his  father,  William 
Low^ther,  then  a  Major,  in  March  1781,  with  fifteen  others  pur- 
suing a  party  of  fourteen  Indians,  who  were  then  retreating  from 
Randolph  County,  where  they  had  been  murdering  and  plundering 
a  number  of  inhabitants.  His  father  and  other  men  pursued  the 
Indians  from  Arnold's  Fort,  sometimes  called  Lowther's  Fort, 
to  Indian  Creek,  a  tributary  of  Hughes  River,  where  they  over- 


232  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

took  and  killed  five  of  the  Indians  and  returned  with  their  scalps 
to  said  fort,  having  rescued  two  of  the  white  prisoners,  Daugherty 
and  Mrs.  Roney,  whose  son  was  accidentally  killed  during  the 
attack  on  the  Indians.  Mr.  Lowther  well  remembered  that  the 
plunder  taken  from  the  Indians  at  that  time,  when  shared  to  each 
man,  amounted  to  £14  17  s.  5d.;  that  amongst  the  plunder 
taken  were  nine  guns,  six  silver  half-moons,  one  whole  moon  and 
one  war  club  and  spear,  a  number  of  "Tom  Hawks"  and  scalping 
knives,  silver  arm  bands,  earrings  and  nose  jewelry,  one  cap  con- 
taining 44  silver  broaches,  a  number  of  (as  he  thinks)  Kowaknick 
pouches  (of  otter  skins)  and  paint  bags. 

Lowther  states  that  as  far  back  as  his  recollection  extends, 
and  from  information  derived  from  his  father  and  others,  Hughes 
was  from  the  first  among  the  foremost  to  go  forth  against  the 
Indians  when  his  services  were  required,  and  understood  that  he 
was  Captain  of  Spies,  but  at  what  period  he  could  not  tell.  He 
further  states  that  he  has  been  at  Hughes'  house  in  Ohio  since  he 
left  Virginia,  and  is  satisfied  that  he  is  the  same  identical  Elias 
Hughes  mentioned  in  his  original  declaration  made  in  Licking 
County,  Ohio,  August  23,  1832,  now  here  exhibited  No.  4776. 

Mr.  Davis,  Justice,  adds  that  Jesse  Lowther's  statements  are 
entitled  to  credit. 

In  an  affidavit,  February  25,  1842,  before  John  Moore,  J.  P., 
Licking  County,  Ohio,  General  Thomas  W.  Wilson,  son  of  Colonel 
Benjamin  Wilson,  deceased,  who  figured  prominently  in  the  border 
wars  of  western  Virginia,  states  that  he  was  then  38  years  old, 
and  up  to  the  time  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age  he  continued 
to  reside  with  his  father  in  Harrison  County,  Virginia.  He  had 
frequently  heard  his  father  relate  many  incidents  relative  to 
border  warfare,  in  which  Elias  Hughes  played  part.  His  father 
always  spoke  of  Hughes  in  the  highest  terms,  as  a  brave  and 
efficient  soldier  and  spy,  and  in  whom  he  had  the  most  implicit 
confidence;  that  from  his  peculiar  sagacity  and  knowledge  of  the 
Indian  character  combined  with  his  personal  activity,  persever- 
ance and  bravery  he  ranked  him  amongst  the  foremost  of  the 
Rangers  and  Spies  of  his  day. 

General  W^ilson  stated  that  he  had  often  heard  his  father  say 
that  Hughes  was  appointed  Captain  of  the  Rangers  and  Spies  in 
place  of  one  Ratcliff,  who  was  discharged,  as  he  understood,  on 
account  of  his  cowardice;  that  it  was  necessary  for  the  safety  of 


Elias  Hlghes  233 

ihc  C()Uiur\'  ihat  said  Ralcliti  be  rcinnxcd,  aiul  lluirhcs  appointed 
in  his  place;  that  said  Ratclitf  was  a  careless,  trilling,  cowardl}'  dog 
and  not  to  be  depended  upon.  Hughes  recei\ed  his  appointment, 
as  the  (jeneral  thought,  on  Sunday  morning  before  da\light,  and 
started  upon  the  scout  and  pursuit  of  Indians,  and  thought  it 
was  the  same  trip  that  he  returned  with  the  scalps  of  seven  Indians. 

The  (jeneral  had  heard  man\"  circumstances  and  anecdotes 
told  of  Hughes  hv  those  of  his  actiuaiiitances,  in  relation  to  his 
encounters  and  exploits  among  the  Indians  in  the  time  of  the  Revo- 
lution, and  that  from  the  character  given  him  by  all  he  was  highly 
distinguished  for  his  braver}',  and  must  have  contributed  much 
to  the  defense  of  the  countr\'  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 

The  pursuit  and  defeat  on  Hughes  River  of  the  warriors  who 
desolated  the  Leading  Creek  settlement  in  1781  had  no  parallel 
on  the  western  waters.  The  number  of  Indians  killed  has  been 
variously  estimated,  ff'ithers,  as  previously  quoted,  placed  this 
loss  at  five,  which  number  is  confirmed  by  the  testimony  of  Jesse 
Lowther,  Gen.  \\  ilson,  who  got  his  information  from  Col.  Benja- 
min Wilson,  states  that  the  number  slain  was  seven.  This  tallies 
with  the  report  of  John  Cutright,  who  participated  in  the  affair. 
(8)  The  Indians  were  so  adroit  in  their  movements,  that  they 
were  seldom  anticipated,  or  punished  in  these  border  forays. 

Comparatively  few  incidents  in  the  Virginia  frontier  life  of 
Elias  Hughes  have  been  preserved.  I  am  indebted  to  Rev.  Daniel 
Cj.  Helmick  for  that  which  immediately  follows: 

Elias  Hughes  and  one  Brown,  for  whom  Brown's  Creek  in 
Harrison  County,  West  Virginia,  was  named,  were  hunting  in 
the  vicinity  of  Lost  Creek  near  the  \\  est  Fork  River,  when  Hughes 
shot  and  wounded  an  elk,  which  made  off.  There  was  a  rivalry 
between  the  two  men  as  to  their  personal  endurance;  to  settle 
which  it  was  agreed  that  they  give  chase  until  the  game  was  over- 
hauled, or  one,  or  both  of  the  hunters  ready  to  say  "quit."  The\' 
immediately  started  at  a  swinging  trot,  but  the  proverb  that  a 
"stern  chase  is  a  long  chase"  was  to  be  amply  verified.  Hour 
after  hour  went  by  with  no  let-up  to  that  relentless  trot. 

The  quarr\-  was  finally  overhauled  on  lower  Turke\'  Run, 
or  Peck's  Run  in  (now)  L'pshur  County.  Hughes  did  not  suffer 
materiall}'  from  this  remarkable  run;  but  not  so  with  Brown.  The 
tendons  of  his  lower  limbs  were  badl}'  strained,  which  contracting 
into  corded  knots,  disabled  him  for  several  days. 

(8)  See  page  475. 


CHAPTER  XXV 


The  memory  of  Elias  Hughes  in  later  years  is  inseparably 
connected  with  that  of  his  kinsman  and  associate,  John  RatcliflF, 
who  accompanied  him  to  Ohio.  The  following  biographical  sketch 
of  these  two  bordermen  is  by  Isaac  Smucker:  (1) 

Our  Pioneers 
Capt.  Elias  Hughes  and  John  Ratcliff. 
1798. 

"Elias  Hughes  and  John  RatHff  were  our  first  settlers,  and  closed  their  lives 
here,  hence  their  names  are  as  much  interwoven  with  the  history  of  Licking  County 
as  is  the  name  of  General  Washington  with  the  history  of  the  United  States,  or  as 
are  the  names  of  the  Presidents,  Lincoln  and  General  Grant,  with  the  history  of 
the  late  rebellion.  And  to  attempt  the  production  of  a  history  of  our  country 
without  making  Hughes  and  Ratliff  prominent  actors  therein  would  manifestly 
issue  in  failure. 

"Elias  Hughes  was  born  near  the  South  branch  of  the  Potomac,  a  section  of 
country  which  furnished  Licking  County  many  of  its  early  settlers  and  most  useful 
citizens.  His  birth  occurred  sometime  before  Braddock's  defeat  in  1755.  Of  his 
early  life  little  is  known,  until  in  1774,  we  find  him  a  soldier  in  the  army  of  General 
Lewis,  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant.  Gen.  Lewis,  you  are  aware,  com- 
manded the  left  wing  of  the  army  of  Lord  Dunmore,  who  was  then  Governor  of 
the  Colony  of  Virginia,  and  successfully  fought  the  distinguished  Shawanese  Chief, 
Cornstalk,  who  had  a  large  force  of  Indians  under  his  command.  One-fifth  of 
Lewis'  command  was  killed  or  wounded,  but  Elias  Hughes  escaped  unhurt  in  this 
hard  fought  battle,  which  lasted  an  entire  day.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  more  than  seventy  years  after  the  battle,  he  was,  and  had  been  for  years, 
the  last  survivor  of  that  sanguinary  conflict. 

"We  next  find  Hughes  a  resident  of  Harrison  County,  in  Western  Virginia, 
where  his  chief  eniployment,  during  the  21  years  that  intervened  between  the 
battle  of  Point  Pleasant  and  the  treaty  of  Greenville  in  1795,  was  that  of  a 
scout  or  spy,  on  the  frontier  settlements  near  to  or  bordering  on  the  Ohio  River. 
This  service,  which  was  a  labor  of  love  with  him,  he  rendered  at  the  instance  of  his 
State  and  of  the  border  settlers  that  had  been  for  a  long  time  greatly  harassed  by 
the  Indians,  who  had  murdered  many  of  the  whites  on  the  frontiers,  their  women 
and  children  included,  under  circumstances  of  atrocity  but  seldom  paralleled. 
Hughes'  father  and  others  of  his  kindred,  and  also  a  young  woman  to  whom  he 
was  betrothed,  had  been  massacred  by  them.  These  acts  of  atrocious  barbarity 
made  him  ever  after  an  unrelenting  and  merciless  enemy  of  the  whole  race  of  Red 
Skins,  and  in  retaliation  for  their  numerous  butcheries  his  deadly  rifle  was  brought 
to  bear  fatally  upon  many  of  their  number  in  after  years.  It  is  but  an  act  of 
simple  justice  to  the  memory  of  this  veteran  pioneer,  who  was  well  known  as  an- 

(Ij  See  page  475. 


Elias  Hughes  235 

Indian  hater,  and  an  Indian  ivillcr,  that  llic  provocations  he  had,  be  fully  presented, 
and  properly  understood.  Born  and  raised  on  the  frontiers,  among  a  rude  and 
unlettered  people,  and  untaught  and  wholly  uncultivated  and  unenlightened  as  he 
was,  it  is  not  surprising  that,  under  all  these  circumstances,  considering,  too,  the 
horrid  aggravation  he  had,  he  should  have  given  rather  full  play  to  strong  and 
malignant  passions,  and  that  he  should  have  cherished,  even  to  old  age,  the  harsher 
and  more  revengeful  feelings  of  his  nature.  His  vindictiveness  or  sense  of  justice 
led  him  to  keep  accounts  about  balanced  between  the  whole  race  of  red  men  and 
himself.  This  he  did  fully,  so  long  as  the  Indians  maintained  a  hostile  attitude 
towards  the  whites — perhaps  a  little  longer.  He  owed  them  nothing  at  the  final 
settlement. 

"The  treaty  of  Greenville,  commonly  called  'Wayne's  Treaty,'  made  and 
ratified  in  1795,  terminated  Indian  hostilities,  or  rather  the  defeat  of  the  Indians 
the  previous  year,  by  General  Wayne,  in  the  battle  of  the  'Fallen  Timbers,'  near 
the  rapids  of  the  Maumee,  brought  about  that  result,  and  hence  scouts  were  no 
longer  required.  Elias  Hughes,  like  the  Moor  in  Shakespeare,  when  he  reached 
the  conviction  that  'Othello's  occupation's  gone,'  now  finding  his  services  as  a 
scout  no  longer  in  demand,  surrendered  his  commission  of  Captain  of  scouts,  and 
directed  his  attention  to  more  pacific  and  less  hazardous  pursuits.  And  here  It 
may  be  stated  that  he  had  been  commissioned  by  that  distinguished  frontiersman, 
Col.  Ben  Wilson,  the  father  of  our  fellow  citizen,  Daniel  Wilson,  and  of  the  late 
Mrs.  Dr.  John  J.  Brice,  as  a  captain  of  scouts. 

"In  1796  Hughes  entered  the  service,  as  a  hunter,  of  a  surveying  party,  who 
were  about  to  engage  in  running  the  range  lines  of  lands  lying  in  part,  in  what  is 
now  Licking  County.  The  fine  bottoms  of  the  Licking  were  thus  brought  to  his 
notice,  and  he  resolved  to  leave  his  mountain  home  in  the  'Old  Dominion,'  and 
locate  himself  and  family  on  the  uncultivated  and  more  fertile  lands  of  the  Licking 
Valley,  beyond  the  white  settlements.  Accordingly,  in  the  spring  of  1797,  he 
gathered  together  his  limited  effects,  and  with  his  wife  and  twelve  children  started 
for  the  mouth  of  the  Licking,  most  of  them  going  on  foot,  and  the  remainder  on 
pack  horses.  This  point  had  been  made  accessible  to  footmen  and  horseback 
travelers  by  the  location  and  opening  in  the  year  before,  by  Zane  and  others,  the 
road  from  Wheeling  to  Maysville;  and  also  of  a  road  previously  cut  out  from 
Marietta  up  the  Muskingum  River.  (2)  John  Ratliff,  who  was  a  nephew  of 
Hughes,  came  with  his  wife  and  four  children,  with  the  latter,  and  in  the  same 
manner  to  the  mouth  of  the  Licking.  Here  they  remained  one  year,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1798,  both  families,  numbering  twenty-one  persons,  moved  in  the  same 
style  to  the  'Bowling  Green,'  twenty  miles  up  the  Licking  from  its  mouth,  and 
there  made  the  first  permanent  white  settlement  In  the  territory  now  forming 
Licking  County.  They  erected  their  cabins  near  the  mouth  of  the  Bowling  Green 
Run,  about  four  miles  below  Newark,  on  the  banks  of  the  Licking,  and  about 
half  a  mile,  or  less,  apart.  They  found  the  'Bowling  Green'  a  level,  untimbered 
green  lawn  or  prairie,  and  they  at  once  proceeded  to  raise  a  crop  of  corn.  Whether 
the  'Bowling  Green'  was  a  natural  prairie,  or  had  been  cleared  by  the  Indians  or 
some  white  persons,  remains  an  unsettled  question.  The  nearest  neighbors  of 
Hughes  and  RatlifF,  for  two  years,  lived  about  ten  miles  down  the  Licking,  one  of 
whom  was  Philip  Barrick,  who,  in  ISOl,  moved  up  the  valley  and  located  near  the 
'Licking  Narrows.' 

(2)  See  page  475. 


236  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

"The  Hughes  and  Ratliff  colony  subsisted  mainly  on  the  meat  of  the  wild 
animals  of  the  forest,  and  on  the  fish  caught  and  'gigged'  in  the  Licking,  although 
a  considerable  crop  of  vegetables  and  corn  was  raised  the  first  and  subsequent 
years.  The  elk  and  buffalo  had  disappeared,  but  bear,  deer,  wild  turkeys  and  a 
great  variety  of  the  smaller  game,  as  well  as  fish,  were  in  such  abundance  as  to 
supply  the  full  demands  of  these  early  settlers.  Berries,  wild  fruits,  nuts  and 
other  spontaneous  productions  of  the  earth  also  contributed  for  many  years,  in 
no  inconsiderable  degree,  to  the  subsistence  of  the  pioneer  settlers. 

"Ratliff,  in  some  particulars,  was  a  different  style  of  man  from  Hughes.,  He 
was  much  more  given  to  the  peaceful  avocations  of  life,  and  for  one  reared  on  the 
frontiers,  had  not  been  largely  engaged  in  border  warfare;  although  he  as  well  as 
Hughes,  was  considerably  devoted  to  the  chase,  to  fishing,  trapping,  bee  hunting, 
as  well  as  to  the  pursuit  of  the  ferocious  animals  of  the  forest,  and  the  birds  of 
prey  that  tenanted  this  wilderness. 

"In  1799,  a  son  was  born  to  Elias  Hughes,  and  he  was  the  only  accession  to 
the  Bowling  Green  colony  in  that  year.  *  *  * 

"In  the  year  1801,  an  event  of  no  inconsiderable  importance  transpired  at 
the  'Bowling  Green.'  Two  Indians  came  along  one  night  and  stole  four  horses. 
They  belonged  to  Elias  Hughes,  John  Ratliff,  John  Weedman,  a  recent  emigrant 
(from  Pennsylvania),  and  a  Mr.  Bland,  who  lived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Licking, 
but  who  was  at  that  time  visiting  Hughes.  In  the  morning  after  the  horses  were 
stolen,  their  owners  determined  to  pursue  and  kill  the  thieves,  feeling  assured  that 
they  were  Indians.  Weedman  backed  out,  but  Hughes,  Ratliff  and  Bland,  being 
well  armed,  started  in  pursuit.  They  were  enabled  to  follow  the  trail,  readily 
tracking  them  through  the  grass  and  weeds.  Overtaking  them  on  Owl  Creek, 
they  shot  them.  Bland's  flint  did  not  strike  fire,  but  Hughes'  and  Ratliff 's  did, 
and  those  Indians  stole  no  more  horses.  When  the  Indians  were  overtaken  and 
it  was  evident  that  the  horses  would  be  recovered,  Bland  and  Ratliff  relented, 
and  feeling  less  sanguinary  than  when  they  started  on  the  pursuit,  they  suggested 
to  Hughes  to  let  the  thieves  escape,  after  the  horses  were  obtained,  but  the  latter 
was  not  that  style  of  man.  He  negatived  their  proposition  in  such  emphatic 
terms,  and  in  use  of  such  forcible  expletives  of  the  profane  order  as  were  common 
among  frontiersmen  in  those  days,  as  to  soon  bring  them  to  the  determination 
with  which  they  set  out.  When  Hughes  said  a  thing  must  be  done,  and  he  could 
do  it,  or  cause  it  to  be  done,  it  was  done.  This  was  one  of  the  cases — he  had  his 
way — they  had  agreed  to  kill  the  Indian  horse  thieves — and  they  did.  Hughes 
knew  them  and  believed  them  to  have  been  engaged  in  stealing  horses  and  then 
returning  them  to  their  owners  for  a  compensation  in  skins  and  furs. 

"This  sanguinary  transaction  necessitated  the  erection  of  a  blockhouse  on 
the  'Bowling  Green'  as  a  means  of  protection  against  the  infuriated  friends  of  the 
defunct  horse  thieves,  who  were  greatly  incensed  against  those  they  suspected  of 
killing  them,  but  it  never  became  necessary  to  defend  it,  the  Indians  finally  decid- 
ing it  inexpedient  to  assault  it.  One  evening,  however,  after  the  excitement  had 
nearly  subsided,  two  well  armed  Indians  entered  Hughes'  cabin,  and  in  a  menacing 
manner  introduced  the  subject  of  killing  those  Indians.  Mrs.  Hughes  seeing  that 
trouble  might  be  had  with  their  visitors,  quietly  sent  for  Ratliff,  who  readily 
responded,  rifle  in  hand.  Hughes,  in  those  days  always  carried  a  butcher  knife 
in  his  belt,  and  he  also  had  a  rifle  at  hand.     Bloody  work  seemed  imminent,  but 


I*!lias  Hughks  237 

llic  Indians,  after  remaining  face  lo  face  with  those  veteran  back-woodsmen  all 
night,  sometimes  in  rather  spirited  discussion,  deemed  it  wise,  in  the  early  morning, 
to  retire  without  any  hostile  act.  *  *  * 

"In  1S02,  Elias  Hughes  was  elected  captain  of  the  first  company  of  militia 
raised  within  the  present  limits  of  our  county.  This  company  he  commanded  a 
number  of  years.  They  had  to  go  to  Lancaster  to  attend  battalion  drills.  Cap- 
tain Hughes  had  four  children  born  to  him  after  he  settled  at  the  'Bowling  Green,' 
making  the  sum  total  of  his  children  sixteen.  Jonathan  is  the  only  one  of  the  six- 
teen now  living  in  Licking  County.  He  was  born  in  Harrison  County,  Virginia,  in 
1796,  was  brought  to  the  mouth  of  Licking  in  1797,  and  was  two  years  old  at  the 
time  of  his  father's  reinnvai  in  179S  Xn  tlic  'Bowling  Green.'  The  older  children 
liad  to  walk,  on  their  removal  up  tlie  Licking,  but  Jonathan  and  his  brother 
David  (who  also  was  too  young  to  walk),  were  brought  up  in  a  salt  sack  thrown 
across  a  horse.  Jonathan  was  put  in  one  end  of  the  sack  and  David  in  the  other, 
openings  being  first  cut  in  the  sack  for  their  heads  to  go  through.  The  sack  was 
then  slung  across  the  pack  saddled  horse,  and  a  rider  or  two,  with  the  other  loading, 
put  upon  him  and  then  started  for  the  'Bowling  Green,'  while  the  others  walked 
or  came  up  in  a  canoe.  It  would,  indeed,  be  an  interesting  picture  that  gave  us, 
on  canvas,  an  accurate  view  of  this  original  colony  of  emigrants  while  in  motion. 
Jonathan,  the  salt  sack  boy  of  1798,  is  now  more  than  seventy-six  years  old,  and 
is  the  oldest  settler  of  our  county— emphatically,  our  Pioneer. 

"RatlifT's  wife  died  in  1802,  and  was  probably  the  first  white  adult  person 
that  died  within  the  present  limits  of  our  county.  *  *  *  Ratliff  married  again, 
his  second  wife  being  the  daughter  of  a  pioneer  by  the  name  of  Stateler,  w-ho  lived 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Rocky  Fork.  He  also  raised  a  considerable  family  but 
none  of  them  now  live,  if  living  at  all,  in  our  county.  He  had  a  son  in  the  army 
during  the  War  of  1812,  who,  after  his  return  from  the  ai'my,  removed  to  Louisiana. 
He  also  had  a  daughter,  Mary,  who  intermarried  with  a  Mr.  Evans.  Some  of  the 
issue  of  this  marriage,  being  grandchildren  of  John  RatlitT,  are  still  living  in  our 
county,  principally,  I  learn,  in  Perry  Township. 

"RatlifT  finally  removed  to  the  south  side  of  the  Licking  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Brushy  Fork,  where  he  died  about  theyear  1811.  He,  no  more  than  Hughes, 
seems  to  have  had  nnicli  success  in  the  acquisition  of  property.  Indeed,  it  is  not 
probable  that  either  of  thetii  ever  had  much  ambition  in  that  direction. 

"Capt.  Elias  Hughes,  on  all  other  subjects  except  Indian  warfare,  was  gen- 
erally of  a  taciturn  disposition,  but  he  was  fond  of  relating  his  exploits  and  successes 
as  a  scout;  sitting  up  whole  nights,  sometimes,  to  relate  to  willing  interested  lis- 
teners his  hair-breadth  escapes  and  adventures,  and  the  thrilling  stories,  heroic  acts 
and  deeds  of  renown  in  which  he  had  borne  apart.  He  was  unassuming,  temperate, 
honest,  mild-mannered,  unpretending,  unambitious,  but  firm,  determined,  unyield- 
ing, and  some  thought  him  vindictive.  When  he  resolved  on  a  certain  line  of 
conduct  he  commonly  pursued  it  tu  success,  or  failed  only  after  a  vigorous  effort. 
Fond  of  adventure,  he  displayed  in  border  warfare,  in  battle,  in  pursuit  of  Indians, 
and  in  explorations  of  new  countries,  and  in  the  pioneer  settlement  of  them,  the 
energy,  bravery,  self-sacrificing  virtues,  that  so  conspicuously  distinguished  the 
early  pioneers  of  the  Great  W'est. 

"In  the  War  of  1812,  Capt.  Hughes,  notwithstanding  his  age,  volunteered 
for  the  defense  of  Fort  Meigs.     On  the  formation  of  a  company  for  that  service, 


238  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

ho  wai  elected  to  conduct  the  men  to  headquarters  at  Worthington  for  organiza- 
tion. At  the  election  of  company  officers  he  was  made  a  Lieutenant,  the  late 
General  John  Spencer  being  p'ccted  Captain.  He  was  patriotic  to  the  core  and 
-  ■  were  fis  sons,  not  less  than  three  of  them  being  eng.-.ged  in  the  same  war.  One 
^f  ciiom  contracted  disease  while  in  the  service  of  his  ou.itry,  of  which  hf  died.  (3) 

"Elias  Hughes  lived  many  years  on  the  North  F ";  k,  a  few  miles  abov.j  Newark, 
and  also  for  several  years  at  Clinton,  in  Knox  Co". u'y,  from  whe-^ce  he  removed  to 
Monroe  Township,  near  Johnston.  Here,  in  1827,  Mrs.  Hu^'t-'  died.  (4)  She 
had  the  qualities  which  admirably  adapted  her  to  discharge  the  dudes  of  a  pioneer 
wife  and  mother.  Her  training  had  been  in  the  Presbyterian  faith,  and  the  instruc- 
tion to  her  children  was  in  accord  with  . ".  Upon  her  death,  most  of  his  children 
having  married  and  removed  from  the  .Muntv.  Capt.  Hughes  became  a  welcome 
inmate  of  the  house  of  his  son,  Jonathjn  wh-;  uved  in  Utica.  He,  you  remember, 
was  introduced  to  you  as  the  salt  sack        'grant  of  1798. 

"For  many  years  Capt.  Hughes  was  a  pensioner,  regularly  receiving  from 
his  beneficent  government  the  means  to  enable  him  to  spend  his  declining  years 
in  the  full  enjoyment  of  all  the  blessings  of  life,  kindly  ministered  unto  by  Jonathan 
and  his  family,  with  whoin  he  spent  the  last  seventeen  years  of  his  life. 

"Capt.  Hughe^  was  the  subject  of  more  varied  vicissitudes,  adverse  fortunes 
and  experience:  m?re  diversified  than  usually  fal'  to  the  lot  of  man,  but  he  met 
them  in  the  heroic  sp.r^t  -f  those  who  are  determinec  to  encounter  them  success- 
fully, and  meet  the  steri^  realities  of  life  like  men.  Enduring  as  he  did,  for  the 
last  sixteen  years  of  his  lite,  the  terrible  affliction  of  total  blindness,  he  was,  of 
course,  deprived  of  the  enjoyment  afforded  by  v'ews  of  the  glory  and  grandeur  of 
the  Creator's  works,  but  he  was  resigned  to  this  afflictive  dispensation  of  Provi- 
dence, feeling  disposed  to  endure  all  meekly,  calmly,  patiently,  and  to  trustingly, 
hopefully  'bide  his  time.' 

"In  his  declining  years  his  attention  was  directed  to  religious  subjects  to 
which  he  gave  much  thoughtful  and  serious  consideration,  and  for  many  years 
he  cherished  the  cheering  hopes  of  a  happy  future  inspired  alone  by  the  Christian's 
faith.  He  died  in  December,  1844,  and  was  buried  with  military  honors  and 
other  demonstrations  of  respect.  His  age  is  not  certainly  known,  but  the  best 
information  obtainable  makes  him  at  the  time  of  his  death  about  ninety  years  old. 

"Such  was  the  life  and  career,  thus  imperfectly  sketched,  of  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  men  that  ever  lived  in  our  county.  His  was  a  life  full  of  privations, 
adventures,  hardships,  toils,  exposures,  excitements,  anxieties — a  life  providentiall}^ 
preserved  through  so  many  years  of  constant  peril,  and  of  exposures  to  unusual 
hazards  and  dangers.  It  is  one  of  our  chief  duties,  as  a  Pioneer  Society,  to  pre- 
serve from  the  oblivion  the  recollection  of  the  heroic  deeds  and  achievements  of 
cur  pioneer  settlers,  and  to  keep  fresh  and  green  in  our  memories,  and  in  the  mem- 
ories of  those  who  are  to  come  after  us,  the  sufferings  and  noble  deeds  of  the  self- 
sacrificing  men  and  women  who  first  settled  in  these  forests,  erected  cabins,  cleared 
the  land,  and  converted  the  wilderness  into  fruitful  fields,  and  made  comfortable 
and  pleasant  homes  for  their  descendants,  the  men  and  women  of  the  present 
generation.  And  none  of  all  the  meritorious  pioneers  of  our  county  are  better 
entitled  to  this  service  at  our  hands  than  Capt.  Elias  Hughes  and  John  Ratliff, 
and  their  wives  and  children,  who  composed  the  colony  of  twenty-one  that  made 
the  first  settlement  in  the  territory  that  now  forms  Licking  County." 


(3)   See  page  476.  (4)  p.  476. 


Elias  Hughes  239 

"In  1820  an  Indian  squaw  of  the  Stockbridge  tribe  was  shot  near  the  county 
line,  between  Utica  and  Martinsburgh.  She  was  taken  to  Mt.  Vernon  where  she 
died.  One  McLane  shot  her,  and  was  sent  to  the  penitentiary  for  it.  He  and  four 
others  named  McDaniel,  Evans,  Chadwick,  and  Hughes  (not  Elias)  were  engaged 
in  chopping,  when  this  squaw  and  others  of  the  tribe  came  along  and  camped  near 
them.  The  diabolical  proposition  was  made  and  accepted  that  they  should  play 
cards,  and  that  the  loser  should  shoot  her.  McLane  was  the  loser,  and  did  the 
shooting.  His  confederates,  or  at  least  some  of  them,  were  tried  and  acquitted. 
In  Norton's  History  of  Knox  County  it  is  stated  that  'Hughes  shot  this  squaw, 
simply  to  gratify  his  hatred  of  the  Indian  race.'  How  an  intelligent  man,  writing 
history  could  justify  himself  for  making  such  a  gross  mistake,  regarding  a  matter 
on  which  he  could  easily  get  correct  information  from  a  thousand  residents  of  this 
county  and  of  Knox,  it  is  hard  to  conceive.  Elias  Hughes  had  neither  part  nor 
lot  in  the  matter,  directly  or  remotely,  but  condemned  the  outrage  in  unmeasured 
terms.  He  was  not  guilty,  and  this  emphatic  denial  is  deemed  an  act  of  simple 
justice  to  Mr.  Hughes."  (5) 

Hozve  (6)  says  Licking  County,  Ohio, 

"*  *  *  was  first  settled, shortly  after  Wayne's  treaty  of  1795,  by  John  Ratliff 
and  Ellis  Hughes,  in  some  old  Indian  cornfields,  about  five  miles  below  Newark, 
on  the  Licking.  These  men  were  from  Western  Virginia.  They  lived  mainly  by 
hunting,  raising,  however,  a  little  corn,  the  cultivation  of  which  was  left,  in  a  great 
measure,  to  their  wives." 

Howe  gives  the  following  account  of  the  shooting  of  the  Indian 
horse  thieves: 

"Hughes  had  been  bred  in  the  hot-bed  of  Indian  warfare.  The  Indians  having, 
at  an  early  day,  murdered  a  young  woman  to  whom  he  was  attached,  and  subse- 
quently his  father,  the  return  of  peace  did  not  mitigate  his  hatred  of  the  race.  One 
night,  in  April,  1800,  two  Indians  stole  the  horses  of  Hughes  and  RatliflF  from  a 
little  enclosure  near  their  cabins.  Missing  them  in  the  morning,  they  started  off, 
well  armed,  in  pursuit,  accompanied  by  a  man  named  Bland.  They  followed 
their  trail  in  a  northern  direction  all  day,  and  at  night  camped  in  the  woods.  At 
the  gray  of  the  morning  they  came  upon  the  Indians,  who  were  asleep  and  uncon- 
scious of  danger.  Concealing  themselves  behind  the  trees  they  waited  until  the 
Indians  had  awakened,  and  were  commencing  preparations  for  their  journey. 
They  drew  up  their  rifles  to  shoot,  and  just  at  that  moment  one  of  the  Indians 
discovered  them,  and  instinctively  clapping  his  hand  on  his  breast,  as  if  to  ward 
otf  the  fatal  ball,  exclaimed  in  tones  of  aflfright,  'me  bad  Indian! — me  no  do  so 
more!'  The  appeal  was  in  vain,  the  smoke  curled  from  the  glistening  barrels,  the 
report  rang  in  the  morning  air,  and  the  poor  Indians  fell  dead.  They  returned  to 
their  cabins  with  the  horses  and  'plunder'  taken  from  the  Indians,  and  swore 
mutual  secrecy  for  this  violation  of  law. 

"One  e\ening,  some  time  after,  Hughes  was  quietl\'  sitting  in  his  cabin,  when 
he  was  startled  by  the  entrance  of  two  powerful  and  well-armed  savages.  Con- 
cealing his  emotions,  he  gave  them  a  welcome  and  offered  them  seats.  His  wife, 
a  muscular,  squaw-like  looking  female,  stepped  aside  and  privately  sent  for  Ratliff, 

(5)  See  page  476.  (6)  p.  477. 


240  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

whose  cabin  was  near.  Presently  Ratliff,  who  had  made  a  detour,  entered  with 
his  rifle,  from  an  opposite  direction,  as  if  he  had  been  out  hunting.  He  found 
Hughes  talking  with  the  Indians  about  the  murder.  Hughes  had  his  tomahawk  and 
scalping-knife,  as  was  his  custom,  in  a  belt  around  his  person,  but  his  rifle  hung 
from  the  cabin  wall,  which  he  deemed  it  imprudent  to  attempt  to  obtain.  There 
all  the  long  night  sat  the  parties,  mutually  fearing  each  other,  and  neither  summon- 
ing suflicient  courage  to  stir.  When  morning  dawned,  the  Indians  left,  shaking 
hands  and  bidding  farewell,  but  in  their  retreat,  were  very  cautious  not  to  be  shot 
in  ambush  by  the  hardy  borderers. 

"Hughes  died  near  Utica,  in  this  county,  in  March,  1845,  at  an  advanced  age, 
in  the  hope  of  a  happy  future.  His  early  life  had  been  one  of  much  adventure; 
he  was,  it  is  supposed,  the  last  survivor  of  the  bloody  battle  of  Point  Pleasant. 
He  was  buried  with  military  honors  and  other  demonstrations  of  respect." 

This  was  Elias  Hughes  of  border  fame. 

The  pursuit  and  shooting  of  the  Indian  horse  thieves  by 
Hughes,  "Jack"  RatlilT  and  Bland,  is  given  by  Norton  (7)  and  is 
practically  the  same  as  Howe's  version,  but  not  so  elaborate,  and 
closes  with  this  statement: 

"Our  old  townsman,  Wm.  Mofford,  informs  us  that  when  improving  his  farm 
on  Mile  Run,  Wayne  Township,  he  was  clearing  off'  ground  on  which  to  build  his 
house,  and  he  then  plowed  up  the  two  Indians  killed  by  Hughes,  and  also  a  rusty 
gun  barrel,  brass  guard  and  other  pieces  of  a  gun,  which  had  not  decayed.  This 
was  in  1835,  and  Jacob  Mitchel  now  (1862)  has  the  old  relics. 

"George  Conkie  gathered  up  the  bones  and  buried  them,  and  the  house  was 
built  on  the  spot — the  old  Peck  Place  on  Mile  Run  bottom,  where  Mrs.  Acre  now 
lives.     In  early  days  there  was  a  favorite  camping  ground  for  the  Indians,  about    ^ 
where  these  Indians  were  killed." 

Norton  states  that  Hughes  died  in  March,  1845. 

Among  the  Draper  Manuscripts  (8)  are  the  following  commu- 
nications from  Col.  Robert  Davidson,  in  response  to  inquiries 
from  Dr.  Draper.     They  are  here  published  for  the  first  time. 

"Newark,  IQth  March,  1850. 
Mr.  Lyman  C.  Draper. 
"Dear  Sir,  Yours  of  23d  Nov  last  to  Mr.  William  Van  Buskirk  requesting  infor- 
mation as  to  the  adventures  of  his  father  John  Vanbuskirk  and  others  in  the  border 
warefare  along  the  Ohio  River  at  an  early  day  has  been  handed  the  subscriber  (as 
an  old  acquaintance  of  his  fathers)  by  M"".  W™.  Buskirk  to  reply  thereto.  Last 
week  I  placed  in  the  postoffice  directed  to  you  the  Granville  Intelligencer  contain- 
ing a  detailed  report  of  the  desperate  conflict  of  Adam  Poe,  his  brother  Andrew, 
and  others  with  the  gigantic  Indean,  Bigfoot,  and  brothers,  five  in  all  July  1782 
and  next  week  look  for  the  Newark  Gazett  of  this  place  containing  some  notes  of 
the  adventures  of  Jno  Van  Buskirk  written  and  published  for  your  convenience 
and  to  do  some  justice  to  the  memory  of  a  very  worthy  man  wom  I  always  esteemed 
as  one  of  the  fronteere  defenders  when  I  was  too  young  to  defend  my  self. 

(7)  See  page  477.  (8)  p.  477. 


Elias  Hughes  241 

"If  \  ou  shall  desire  it,  I  can  send  \()U  a  more  detailed  account  of  Elias  Hughes 
who  at  the  age  of  IS  was  in  the  batti  at  Point  Pleasant  October  10'''  1774 
and  continued  from  that,  emplojed  in  hunting,  spying,  and  killing  Indeans  until 
after  Gen.  Wains  Treaty  1794  [1795]. 

"You  will  pleas  excuse  my  friend  Wni.  Buskirk  in  not  writing  you.  In  the 
first  place  he  thought  the  information  would  come  with  a  better  grace  from  one  of 
the  early  aquantances  of  his  father  than  from  him  He  is  a  fine  young  man  but 
reluctant  to  write  would  rather  attend  his  saw  mill  a  day  than  write  an  hour. 
If  \-ou  shall  wish  for  an\-  mure  on  the  subject  the  border  wariors  write  to  him. 

Very  respectfully  yours,  &c 

Rom .  D.wiDsoN. 
Mr.  L)  Mian  C.  Draper  Ksc) 
Leverington 

Philadelphia  County,  Pa." 

"Xkw.akk,  February  22,  1S51  (9) 

**::{(  9|c  9|c  :4c  3^  :te  ^  9)e 

"I  wrote  some  time  past  to  know  of  Jonathan  Hughes  wiiere  his  father  was 
born  and  to  what  religious  denomination  he  entered  But  have  not  yet  heard 
from  him  I  presume  he  has  been  from  home  or  by  other  means  has  not  received 
my  letter.  As  to  Elias  Hughes,  it  is  something  uncertain  but  he  considered  him- 
self 18  [years]  of  age  when  in  the  battle  of  Point  pleasant,  Moutii  of  Kanawa, 
under  Colo.  Lewis — I  am  not  positive  as  to  the  Religious  denomination  to  which  he 
inclined  but  think  it  was  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  His  daughter  in 
law  M"^*.  Jonathan  Hughes  was  my  informant  as  to  his  vengeance  disposition 
not  long  after  his  death  I  was  then  (in  addition  to  what  I  knew)  endeavoring  to 
collect  more  knoledge  of  his  life  and  adventures  for  the  purpose  of  writing  the 
obituary  notice  which  soon  after  appeared  in  the  Newark  .Advocate  which  I  sent 
last  year. 

"When  I  saw  Gen.  Thomas  Wedsday  last,  he  enformed  me  that  he  would 
[be]  in  Philadelphia  this  winter  and  that  he  intended  to  do  himself  pleasure  of 
calling  upon  you — 

"If  I  shall  soon  hear  from  M^.  Jonathan  Hughes  I  shall  write  again  (10)  I 
should  have  remarked  on  the  other  side  that  I  think  Elias  Hughes  was  born  on 
the  South  branch  of  Potomac  Va.  and  that  his  father  at  an  early  day  moved 
thence  to  Harrison  county,  Va.  and  there  was  held  [killed]  by  the  Indeans. 

".Although  I  have  been  acquainted  with  Dr.  Coulter  many  years  I[t]  was  but 
lately  I  learned  that  he  knew  any[thing]  about  Capt.  Bready  But  have  not  the 
least  of  his  statements 

V'ery  respectfully  \-ours  &c 

ROBT.  DA\inSO.N'." 

'N.  B.  Since  writing  the  foregoing  Dr.  Coulter  informs  me  that  he  thinks 
Capt  Bready  was  from  30  to  35  years  of  age  when  he  died.  (11  j 

Lyman  C.  Draper  Esq 
Leverington 

Philadelphia  Count)-,  Pa." 

(9)  See  page  477.  (10)  p.  477.  (11)  p.  477. 


242  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Last  of  the  Border  Warriors.  (12) 

"Died  on  the  22nd  ult.,  Capt.  Elias  Hughes,  aged  ninety  years,  at  the  residence 
of  his  son,  Jonathan,  near  Utica,  O.  He  was  buried  with  military  honors  by  the 
mihtary  of  the  vicinity. 

"At  an  early  day  Thomas  Hughes  &  family  moved  from  the  South  Branch  of 
Potomac  to  Harrison  County,  North-Western  part  of  Virginia,  where  his  son,  Elias, 
became  one  of  those  extraordinary,  active  and  daring  spies  and  soldiers  of  the  day. 

"At  the  age  of  eighteen,  under  the  command  of  Col.  Lewis,  he  was  in  the 
battle  of  Point  Pleasant,  which  continued  from  early  in  the  morning  until  near 
night  before  the  Indians  gave  way,  October  10,  1774.  On  returning  home  he 
joined  a  company  of  spies  under  Capt.  Boothe,  for  the  protection  of  the  then 
exposed  frontier  settlements. 

"At  one  time,  being  out  spying  with  a  comerade,  they  examined  the  localities 
near  the  steep  bank  of  a  run,  under  smoke  of  rotten  wood  to  keep  off  the  gnats 
&  lay  down  upon  their  arms  for  the  night,  their  moccasins  tied  to  the  breech  of 
their  guns.  (13)  Some  time  after,  hearing  something  hke  the  snapping  of  a  stick, 
&  looking  in  the  direction,  saw  at  a  distance  three  Indians  approaching.  In- 
stantly the  whites  sprung  to  their  feet,  leaped  down  the  bank  and  over  the  run. 
The  Indians  in  pursuit,  not  knowing  the  place  so  well,  fell  down  the  bank.  The 
whites,  hearing  the  splash,  stopped  an  instant,  put  on  their  moccasins,  raised  a 
yell  &  put  off  at  full  speed,  leaving  the  Indians  to  take  care  of  themselves. 

"Capt.  Boothe  in  time  being  killed  by  the  Indians,  Joseph  Ratliff  succeeded  to 
the  command,  but  lacking,  as  a  soldier,  the  confidence  of  the  men,  left  the  country, 
and  Hughes  on  a  sudden  emergency  being  appointed  in  his  place,  under  Col. 
Lowther,  put  off  in  pursuit  of  Indians,  found  them,  &  returned  with  6  or  7 
scalps.     (Date  not  known  at  present.)     (14) 

"In  June,  1778,  three  women  were  in  the  field  near  West's  Fort  picking  greens, 
when  they  were  fired  upon  without  effect  by  one  of  a  party  of  four  Indians.  The 
women  screamed  and  ran  for  the  fort,  and  one  Indian  in  pursuit  speared  Mrs. 
Freeman.  Being  fired  upon  from  the  fort  without  effect,  the  Indians  ran  off  in 
different  directions.  They  were  soon  pursued  by  Jesse  Hughes,  Elias  &  others. 
After  some  time,  at  a  distance  they  heard  the  howl  like  that  of  a  wolf.  They  ran 
some  distance  in  the  direction  and  stopping  at  a  suitable  place,  Jesse  howled  also. 
He  was  answered,  and  two  Indians  were  soon  seen  advancing.  An  opportunity 
offering,  Elias  downed  one,  (15)  the  other  ran.  The  whites  pursued,  but  he  running 
into  a  small  hazel  thicket  and  they  round  on  each  side  to  take  him  in  the  outgoing, 
he  watching  them  ran  the  back  way  and  escaped.  In  the  meantime  he  who  had 
been  shot  recovered  so  much  as  to  make  off  also,  and  a  shower  coming  on  pre- 
vented the  pursuit  by  obliterating  the  blood  on  the  track. 

"In  March,  1781,  a  party  of  14  Indians,  nearly  depopulated  the  settle- 
ment upon  Leading  Creek  (Taggart's  Valley)  and  put  off.  They  were  pursued 
unsuccessfully  by  a  party  from  Clarksburg,  (16)  but  in  the  meantime.  Col.  Lowther 
&  Capt.  Hughes,  learning  by  spies  that  the  Indians  had  been  seen  near  the 
mouth  of  Isaac's  Creek,  put  off  with  a  party  of  17,  and  on  an  evening, 
Hughes  being  alone  in  advance  for  the  purpose,  discovered  the  Indians  on  a  branch 
of  Hughes'  River,  coolly  putting  up  for  the  night,  apparently  not  apprehensive  of 
pursuit  at  that  distance. 

(12)  See  page  477.  (13)  p.  477.  (14)  p.  477.  (15)  p.  477.  (16)  p.  477. 


Elias  Hughes  24-3 

■"On  the  rc-turn  to  tlie  party  it  became  an  object  of  interest,  not  to  risk  tlic 
li\es  of  the  prisoners,  Mrs.  Roney,  her  little  son  and  Daniel  Dohcrty;  therefore, 
when  it  was  thought  the  Indians  might  be  sleeping,  the  Captain  crawled  near 
enough  to  discover  the  position  of  Mrs.  Roney  and  Dohcrty,  but  saw  nothing  of 
the  bo}-.  Before  day  the  whole  party,  in  perfect  order,  crawled  close  &  fired 
upon  the  Indians,  one  only  escaping. 

Mrs.  Roney  and  Doherty  were  uninjured,  but  the  boy,  having  been  sleeping 
in  the  bosom  of  an  Indian  was  killed  by  a  ball  after  passing  through  the  Indian's 
hi.;id.  'I'lie  plunder  sold  the  17th  of  the  niontii,  pnxluced  a  dividend  of  14£.  17s. 
and  5d.  1(1  each  one  of  the  seventeen. 

"In  September,  1785,  Lowther,  Hughes  and  others,  in  pursuit  of  a  party  of 
Indians  who  had  stolen  horses  from  near  Clarksburg,  slept  near  them  on  the  third 
night,  not  knowing  it.  Next  morning  the  whites  parted,  taking  different  routes. 
Hughes  &  party  soon  discovered  the  Indians,  and  fired  upon  them,  killing  one. 
The  rest  ran  off  in  various  directions,  and  one  coming  near  Lowther's  party  was 
shot  by  the  Colonel  as  he  ran.  They  then  started  for  home,  and  before  going  far 
were  fired  upon,  &  John  Barnet  (17)  wounded  so  that  he  died  before  reaching 
home. 

"At  another  time  (date  not  known)  Hughes  and  party  discovering  a  party  of 
Indians,  fired  upon  them.  The  Indians  ran  in  different  directions:  Hughes  after 
one,  was  gaining  upon  him  fast,  in  a  piece  of  bottom  land  in  which  were  no  trees, 
when  the  Indian  turning  quickly  about  with  loaded  gun  uplifted.  Hughes'  gun 
was  empty,  &  no  tree  to  spring  behind.  But  instantly  springing  obliquely  to 
the  right  and  left,  with  a  bound,  &  outstretched  arm.  flirted  the  muzzle  of  the 
Indian's  gun  one  side,  and  the  next  moment  had  his  long  knife  in  him  up  to  the  hilt. 

"After  Gen.  Wayne's  treaty,  Capt.  Hughes  &  family  settled  upon  the  waters 
of  the  Licking,  Ohio.  The  Indians  having,  at  an  early  day,  killed  a  young  woman 
whom  he  highly  esteemed,  &  subsequently  his  father,  the  return  of  peace  did  not 
eradicate  his  antipathy.  In  the  month  of  April,  1800,  two  Indians  having  collected 
a  quantity  of  fur  on  the  Rocky  Fork  of  Licking,  proceeded  to  the  Bowling  Green, 
stole  three  horses  and  put  off  for  Sandusky.  The  next  morning  Hughes,  Ratliff 
and  Blair,  going  out  for  the  horses,  and  not  finding  them,  did  not  return  to  apprise 
their  families,  but  continued  upon  their  trail,  and  at  night  discovered  the  Indians' 
fire  on  Granny's  Creek,  some  few  miles  N.  W.  of  where  Mt.  Vernon  now  stands; 
lay  down  for  the  night,  and  the  next  morning  walked  up  to  the  Indians  as  they 
were  cooking  their  morning  repast.  At  first  the  Indians  looked  somewhat  embar- 
rassed, proposed  restoration  of  the  horses  and  giving  part  of  their  furs  by  way  of 
conciliation,  to  which  the  whites  did  not  dissent,  but  were  thinking  of  the  whole 
of  the  furs  and  future  safety  of  the  horses.  It  being  a  damp  morning,  it  was 
proposed  to  shoot  off  all  their  guns  and  put  in  fresh  loads.  A  mark  was  made, 
Hughes  ostensibly  raised  his  gun  to  shoot,  which  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
Indians  to  the  mark,  and  was  a  signal.  Ratliff  downed  one,  Blair's  gun  flashed, 
but  Hughes  turning  quickly  around,  emptied  his  gun  into  the  other  Indian's  head, 
setting  fire  at  the  same  time  to  the  handkerchief  around  it.  On  returning,  they 
kept  their  expedition  a  secret  for  some  time.  Many  more  interesting  incidents 
might  be  related,  but  not  with  desirable  accuracy  of  the  present  day. 

"Capt.  Hughes'  memory  failed  him  considerably  the  last  three  or  four  years. 
Previously  his  eyesight  failed  him  entirely,  but  partially  returned  again.     With 

(17)  See  page  477. 


244  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

patience  he  waited  his  coming  end,  firmly  believing  that  his  Redeemer  lived,  and 
that  through  him  he  should  enjoy  a  happy  futurity." — Communicated. 

That  Elias  Hughes  continued  to  murder  Indians  after  going 
to  Ohio  is  undeniable.  He  once  returned  on  a  visit  to  the  settle- 
ments on  the  Upper  Monongahela,  and  some  of  his  old  acquain- 
tances noticing  his  restless  movements  and  constant  watching 
on  every  side,  said  to  him,  "Ellis,  I  see  you're  still  hunting  Injuns." 
"Yes,  and  I'll  hunt  'em  as  long  as  I  live."  "Have  you  had  any 
luck  since  leaving  here.'"'  "Not  much,  but  I  know  where  there 
are  fourteen  guns  hid  in  an  old  sycamore  in  my  country." 

Through  the  kindness  of  Mrs.  Pansy  Hall  Thatcher,  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Capt.  Elias  Hughes,  I  am  enabled  to  give  a  personal 
description  of  the  old  scout,  by  two  of  his  granddaughters,  who 
were  still  living  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  in  1907. 

Elias  Hughes  was  small  in  size,  of  light  build,  small  hands  and 
could  wear  a  woman's  shoe.  His  hair  was  combed  down  smooth 
and  cut  off  evenly  at  the  shoulder.  His  hair  showed  no  signs  of 
grey,  even  at  his  death.  His  eyes  were  blue  and  his  face  was 
always  clean-shaved.  He  was  eccentric  in  his  dress,  at  all  times 
wearing  a  hunting  shirt  and  refusing  to  wear  a  coat.  This  shirt 
was  of  blue  trimmed  in  red,  and  with  red  fringe  around  the  edge. 
He  also  refused  to  have  a  button  on  his  hunting  shirt,  tying  it 
with  small  pieces  of  tape. 

A  family  tradition  says,  that  "Elias  Hughes  was  lying  asleep 
in  the  house,  when  he  dreamed  that  his  children  were  in  danger. 
When  he  awakened,  a  friend,  who  was  in  the  same  house,  was 
loading  his  gun.  Elias  asked  him  what  he  was  going  to  do.  He 
said,  "I  hear  a  wild  turkey;  I  am  going  to  shoot  it."  Elias  said, 
"I  will  get  your  turkey  for  you."  He  went  out  and  returned  in  a 
few  minutes  with  the  scalp  of  an  Indian,  whom  he  had  found  in 
his  cornfield  near  where  his  children  were  playing.  The  Indian 
had  imitated  the  turkey's  call  in  hopes  of  luring  some  one  from  the 
house." 

This  tradition  may  be  the  growth  from  Jesse  Hughes'  experi- 
ence with  the  turkey  at  Clarksburg,  and  of  David  Morgan's 
remarkable  dream  and  combat  with  the  two  Indians  near  Prickets 
Fort  in  1778,  cited  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  It  is  probable  that 
EHas  Hughes  was  connected  with  the  revolting  sequel  of  Morgan's 
battle,  which  might  account  in  part  for  the  story. 

In  1782,  Elias  Hughes  had  an  adventure  with  Indians  in  a 


Ili,i.\s  Hitches  245 

cornricld  on  ihc  West  Fork  Ri\'er,  but   with  uitfcrciit  results  from 
that  of  the  foreiroiii^  tradition. 

"In  August  as  Arnold  and  Paul  Richards  were  returning  to  Richards'  Fort, 
they  were  shot  at  by  some  Indians,  lying  hid  in  a  cornfield  adjoining  the  fort,  and 
both  fell  from  their  horses.  The  Indians  leaped  over  liie  fence  iniinediateh'  and 
tomahawked  and  scalped  them. 

"These  two  men  were  murdered  in  full  \  icu  of  the  fort,  and  the  firing  drew 
its  inmates  to  the  gate  to  ascertain  its  cause.  W  hen  they  saw  that  the  two  Richards 
were  down,  they  rightly  judged  that  Indians  had  done  the  deed;  and  Elias  Hughes, 
ever  bold  and  daring,  taking  down  his  gun,  went  out  alone  at  the  back  gate  and 
entered  the  cornfield,  into  which  the  savages  had  again  retired,  to  see  if  he  could 
not  avenge  on  one  of  them  the  murder  of  his  friends.  Creeping  softly  along,  he 
came  in  view  of  them  standing  near  the  fence,  reloading  their  guns,  and  looking 
intently  at  the  people  at  the  fort  gate.  Taking  a  deliberate  aim  at  one  of  them,  he 
touched  the  trigger.  His  gun  flashed,  and  the  Indians  alarmed,  ran  speedily 
away."  (18) 

It  is  claimed  that  Captain  Hughes  could  read  and  write, 
although  his  signature  appears  in  his  declaration  for  pension  and 
other  statements  with  an  "X."  This,  however,  may  have  been 
on  account  of  his  blindness  at  that  time.  Like  his  brother,  Jesse, 
Captain  Hughes  died  in  indigency.  His  life  had  been  devoted  to 
the  trail  and  the  chase;  and  his  wants  measured  only  by  his  present 
needs,  were  supplied  from  the  forest  and  streams.  For  two-score 
years  his  supreme  joy  had  been  a  saturnalia  of  blood,  and  not  until 
the  loss  of  his  sight  and  when  there  were  no  more  "Injuns  to  kill," 
did  his  thoughts  turn  to  the  "future  life." 

Captain  Hughes  is  buried  near  the  center  of  the  cemetery  at 
Utica,  Ohio.  At  the  interment  crossed  cannons  were  discharged 
over  his  grave,  which  is  yearly  decorated  with  flowers.  A  gray, 
flat  stone  marks  the  last  silent  catnp  of  the  ""Last  of  the  Border 
Warriors r  (19) 


(18)  See  page  477.  (19)  p.  477. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 


For  one  who  figured  so  prominently  on  the  Trans-Allegheny 
border,  Colonel  William  Lowther  has  received  but  meagre  consid- 
eration from  the  historian.  The  following  brief  summary  of 
his  life  by  Withers  is  practically  the  source  from  which  all  subse- 
quent writers  have  drawn: 

"There  was  likewise,  at  this  time,  a  considerable  accession  to  the  settlements 
on  Buchannon  and  Hacker's  Creek.  So  great  was  the  increase  of  population  in 
this  latter  neighborhood,  that  the  crops  of  the  preceding  season  did  not  afford 
more  than  one-third  of  the  breadstuff,  which  would  be  ordinarily  consumed  in 
the  same  time,  by  an  equal  number  of  persons.  Such  indeed  was  the  state  of 
suffering  among  the  inhabitants,  consequent  on  this  scarcity,  that  the  year  1773 
is  called  in  the  traditionary  legends  of  that  day,  the  starving  year;  and  such  were 
the  exertions  of  William  Lowther  to  mitigate  that  suffering,  and  so  great  the 
success  with  which  they  were  crowned,  (1)  that  his  name  has  been  transmitted  to 
their  descendants,  hallowed  by  the  blessings  of  those,  whose  wants  he  contributed 
so  largely  to  relieve." 

To  the  foregoing,  Withers  adds  the  following  note: 

"William  Lowther  was  the  son  of  Robert,  and  came  with  his  father  to  the 
Hacker  Creek  settlement  in  1772.  He  soon  became  one  of  the  most  conspicuous 
men  in  that  section  of  country;  while  his  private  virtues  and  public  actions  endeared 
him  to  every  individual  of  the  community.  During  the  war  of  1774,  and  sub- 
sequently, he  was  the  most  active  and  efficient  defender  of  that  vicinity,  against 
the  insidious  attacks  of  the  savage  foe,  and  there  were  very  few,  if  any,  scouting 
parties  proceeding  from  thence,  by  which  the  Indians  were  killed  or  otherwise 
much  annoyed,  but  those  which  were  commanded  by  him. 

"He  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace  in  the  district  of  West  Augusta — the 
first  sheriff  in  the  county  of  Harrison  and  Wood,  and  once  a  delegate  to  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  States.  His  military  merits  carried  him  through  the  subordinate 
grades  to  the  rank  of  Colonel.  Despising  the  pomp  and  pageantry  of  office,  he 
accepted  it  for  the  good  of  the  community,  and  was  truly  an  effective  man. 
Esteemed,  beloved  by  all,  he  might  have  exerted  his  influence  over  others,  to  the 
advancement  of  his  individual  interest;  but  he  sought  the  advancement  of  the 
general  weal,  not  a  personal  or  family  aggrandizement.  His  example  might  teach 
others,  that  offices  were  created  for  public  good,  not  for  private  emolument.  If 
aspirants  for  office  at  the  present  day  were  to  regard  its  perquisites  less,  and  their 
fitness  for  the  discharge  of  its  duties  more,  the  country  would  enjoy  a  greater  por- 
tion of  happiness  and  prosperity,  and  a  sure  foundation  for  the  permanence  of 
these  be  laid,  in  the  more  disinterested  character  of  her  counsellors  and  their 
consequent,  increased  devotion  of  her  interests."  (2) 

Although  an  officer  during  the  greater  period  of  the  border 


(1)  See  page  478.  (2)  p.  478. 


Colonel  W  illlam  Lowthlr  247 

wars  and  at  times,  in  general  command  of  the  military,  and  accred- 
ited w  ith  leading  many  of  the  pursuits  of  marauding  Indians, 
Withers  notes  but  two  such  occurrences.  These  have  already 
been  cited  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Lewis  gives  the  following 
brief  of  the  Colonel's  life:  (3) 

"William  Lowther — Henry,  George  and  William  were  the  sons  of  Henry  Low, 
and  were  English  miners;  for  their  superior  skill  and  meritorious  service  Uher^ 
was  added  to  the  name  by  royal  edict.  William  had  a  son  Robert,  who  with  his 
wife,  Aquilla  Rees  Lowther,  emigrated  to  America  in  1740,  and  came  to  the  Hacker 
settlement  in  1767,  accompanied  by  their  son  William,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  born  in  1742.  The  latter  married  Sudna  Hughes,  sister  of  Elias,  Jesse,Thomas 
and  Job,  of  Indian  war  fame,  and  settled  on  Simpson's  Creek  in  1772.  Many  of 
their  descendants  are  now  living  in  Clarksburgh  and  the  surrounding  country. 

"W  illiam  Lowther  became  distinguished  as  a  skillful  and  courageous  frontiers- 
man, and  for  his  unselfish  devotion  to  the  good  of  the  colonists.  The  population 
of  these  frontier  settlements  increased  so  rapidly  that  the  supply  of  provisions 
became  insufficient,  and  the  year  1773  was  called  in  the  early  traditions  of  the 
section,  'the  starving  year.'  Such  were  the  exertions  of  William  Lowther  to  miti- 
gate the  sufferings  of  the  people,  and  so  great  was  his  success  that  his  name  is 
transmitted  to  their  descendants  hallowed  by  their  blessings.  During  the  war 
1774,  and  subsequently,  he  was  the  most  active  and  efficient  defender  of  the  settle- 
ments in  that  vicinity,  against  the  savage  foe,  and  many  a  successful  expedition 
against  them  was  commanded  by  him.  He  was  one  of  the  first  justices  of  the 
peace  in  Harrison  County,  also  the  first  sheriff'  of  Harrison  and  Wood  Counties, 
and  a  delegate  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State.  He  also  attained  all  the 
subordinate  ranks  in  the  military  service  until  promoted  to  that  of  colonel,  and 
by  his  unassuming  good  qualities  endeared  himself  to  all  with  whom  he  became 
associated.     He  died  October  28,  1814." 

Many  of  Colonel  Lowther's  descendants  deny  that  the  name 
was  changed  by  royal  edict  as  late  as  set  forth  by  Lewis.  Mrs. 
Iva  Lowther  Peters,  of  New  York,  a  lineal  descendant  of  Colonel 
Lowther,  line  of  his  son  William,  after  devoting  several  }'ears  to 
the  stud}"  of  the  family  history,  is  confident  that  the  change,  if  at 
all,  could  not  have  been  made  so  recent  as  the  days  of  the  Colonel's 
grandfather,  Henry  Lowther.  That  the  name  in  its  present  form 
is  ancient,  and  is  found  in  connection  with  the  nobility  and  law- 
makers of  England,  cannot  be  gainsaid;  and  from  a  practical  and 
social  point  of  view,  the  authenticity  of  the  story  may  well  be 
questioned. 

Two  famih'  traditionary  accounts  of  the  origin  of  the  name 
and  the  migration  to  America  are  at  variance,  and  are  here  given 
for  the  first  time.  That  which  immediately  follows,  is  from  the 
Draper  Manuscripts,  and  is  fraught  with  historic  interest:  (4) 

(3)  See  page  478.  (4)  p.  479. 


248  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

"Robert  Lowther  was  born  in  Ireland  about  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth 
century  whose  primitive  name  was  Low  the  Lowther  generation  in  Ireland  and 
England  were  miners  to  trade  and  from  some  extraordinary  discovery  in  the  mineral 
business  the  King  of  England  added  "Ther"  to  their  name  which  made  it  Lowther. 
Robert  Lowther  emigrated  from  Ireland  to  America  he  was  a  quaker  and  fled 
from  the  Storms  and  Persecutions  incident  to  quakers  in  those  Days  and  Settled 
in  Pennsylvania  the  home  of  the  quakers  after  a  short  stay  in  Pennsylvania  he 
emigrated  to  Virginia  and  settled  in  Augusta  County  there  young  Wm  was  born 
who  is  the  subject  of  our  narrative.  Wm  Lowther  was  Born  in  Augusta  County 
va  who  was  the  son  of  Robert  the  quaker  he  was  Born  Dec  22d  in  the  year  1743 
and  there  he  receivd  his  education  (5)  and  when  a  youth  of  about  seventeen 
years  of  age  he  volunteered  his  services  under  David  Scott  to  repel  the  Indians 
from  the  borders  of  Augusta  County  and  he  was  occasionally  in  that  service  some 
length  of  time. 

"we  pass  over  several  years  of  Wm  Lowthers  life  and  come  directly  to  his 
emigration  to  Northwestern  Virginia  Wm  Lowther  emigrated  with  his  father 
Robert  to  Harrison  County  from  Augusty  County  va  in  the  year  1772  he  had 
not  been  long  in  that  country  before  he  was  appointed  Capt  of  a  small  boddy  of  men 
to  defend  the  infant  settlement  of  Harrison  County  va  from  the  fury  of  savage 
cruelty  he  defended  the  settlement  with  unexpected  success  with  a  small  boddy 
of  hardy  Virginians  and  in  a  short  time  Capt  Lowthers  worth  and  valure  was 
known  in  the  most  parts  of  Virginia  and  the  adjoining  states  he  remained  as  capt 
several  years  still  repelling  the  savages  with  unabating  zeal  untill  George  Rogers 
Clark  Caled  for  volunteers  in  northwestern  Virginia  and  of  this  call  hear  the  declara- 
tion or  surtificate  of  Wm  Powers  co  compiler  of  Border  Warfare. 

"In  the  year  1781  General  George  Rogers  Clark  caled  for  volunteers  he 
called  espesially  on  Capt  Wm  Lowther  and  offered  him  a  commission  if  he  would 
come  and  join  his  Legion  Lowther  acceded  to  the  call  and  there  was  a  company 
made  up  of  volunteers  and  joined  Clark  at  fort  pitt  and  Capt  Lowther  was  appointed 
Major  of  that  company  George  Jackson  was  appointed  Capt  of  said  company 
and  during  their  march  down  the  ohio  River  many  of  the  volunteers  Run  off  Major 
Lowther  finding  his  company  very  much  weakened  they  had  fallen  below  his  expecta- 
tion and  in  consequence  of  which  Major  Lowther  threw  up  his  Commission  and 
Clark  accepted  of  it  and  he  returned  home 

"and  in  the  year  1787  he  was  appointed  Col  of  the  Northwestern  territory 
of  Virginia  he  had  the  whole  command  and  to  superintend  all  that  region  I  saw 
his  commision  I  heard  it  red,  and  he  superintended  and  defended  it  with  vigilence 
and  care,  and  retaind  his  commission  untill  Wayns  treaty  with  the  Indians  at  Gran- 
ville given  under  my  hand  this  26  day  of  December  1850.  Wm  Powers  co  compiler 
Border  Warefare  no  sooner  than  he  had  returned  home  from  Clark's  campaign 
than  his  attention  was  caled  to  the  defense  of  his  respective  Settlement  he  had 
Forts  of  defense  and  Safty  built  in  each  respective  Settlement  he  had  raingers 
and  spies  imploid  in  reconnoiterlng  the  Country  and  when  the  faithless  Deviles  as  he 
frequently  caled  them  would  commit  murder  in  the  Settlements  he  would  follow 
them  in  person  and  frequently  overtake  them  kill  and  disperse  there  company 
Such  were  his  ardent  zeal  and  percevearance  that  the  Indians  grew  very  cautious 
and  were  hard  to  follow  and  suffice  it  to  say  that  there  was  nothing  done  in  any 

(5)  See  page  479. 


COLOXEI.   \\  II.I.IAM    LOWTIIER  249 

expedition  against  the  Indians  witiiout  his  presence  he  was  fearless  and  undanted 
in  all  his  undertakings. 

"he  was  a  man  of  extraordinary  strength  and  action  was  of  the  Billious  tem- 
penneni  his  stature  was  five  feet  eleven  inches  commonly  weighed  one  hundred 
and  eightv  pounds  he  was  cherry  and  undismaid  amidst  the  most  trying  circum- 
stances in  life 

"Col  Wm  Lowther  was  caled  the  defender  and  protector  of  Northwestern 
Virginia  he  defended  in  time  of  war  protected  in  time  of  famine  and  if  it  had  not 
been  for  his  energy  and  sympathy  for  his  fellow  beings  in  the  year  1773  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  infant  settlement  must  have  perished  with  hunger  he  roamed  amidst 
danger  and  alarm  kiled  venison  elks  Buffalow  and  Bear  and  tiuis  lie  supplied  all 
their  wants 

"Col  Will  l.owther  was  a  Lyon  in  time  of  war  and  famine  a  lamb  in  time  of 
Peace  and  plenty  he  was  kind  an  affectionate  to  all  his  friends  and  acquaintencies 
his  house  was  the  home  of  the  widow  and  fatherless  an  asylum  for  the  Preecher 
and  wavfaring  man  the  heralds  of  the  cross  would  frequently  call  on  him  in  time 
of  the  Indian  war  and  be  very  fearful  and  frequently  quote  this  passage  of  Scripture 
the  wicked  flee  where  no  man  persueth  but  the  Righteous  are  as  bold  as  a  Lyon 
and  they  would  ask  Col  Lowther  how  the  passage  could  be  true  for  they  the 
Preechers  were  feerful  but  Col  Lowther  was  bold  as  a  Lyon 

"his  house  was  a  common  house  to  repair  to  for  his  neighbors  children  to 
have  the  bonds  of  matrimony  Solemnized  he  gave  to  all  sheard  of  his  bounty  he 
has  given  some,  lasting  habitations 

"he  cared  not  for  wealth  or  Personal  aggrandizement  his  purse  was  not  his 
own  his  Neighbors  sheard  it  with  him  we  will  give  the  reader  to  understand  that 
when  Wm  Lowther  Received  his  commission  as  Col  his  business  became  very 
extensive  he  was  charged  says  Powers,  to  take  care  of  the  differant  Stations  on 
the  Ohio  River  he  visited  each  Station  occasionally  supplied  them  with  ammunition 
and  provision  gave  directions  for  defense  had  raingers  appointed  to  observe  the 
movement  of  the  enemy  and  what  could  be  done  by  any  mortal  being  in  person  he 
performd  with  unabating  zeal 

"now  suflfer  me  to  say  in  conjunction  with  Border  warfare  he  was  the  first 
justice  of  the  Peace  in  the  district  of  west  Augusto  the  first  Sheriff  in  Harrison 
and  wood  [counties]  and  the  first  Capt,  first  major,  first  Col  once  a  delegate  to  the 
general  assembly  of  the  states  and  then  retired  to  private  life 

"Enough  he  cries  I'm  freed  from  care  And  toil  and  pain 
My  countrys   liberty  and  peace  is  gaind 

"we  see  Col  Lowther  witii  peace  and  quietude  frcmi  1795  to  the  war  of  1S12 
with  Great  Britian  and  the  united  States. 

"I  was  but  a  boy  of  12  years  old  and  I  could  see  him  amidst  the  multitude 
Animating  his  country  man  to  enlist  in  the  cause  of  their  country  when  he  could 
do  no  more  he  would  frequently  Sing  war  Songs  tel  deed  of  Bravery  and  renoun 
all  to  inspire  his  countryman  with  zeal  and  courage  to  inlest  in  the  cause  of  their 
country  his  youngest  son  embarked  in  the  cause  of  his  country  in  1813  and  14 
the  old  Col  gave  him  up  that  he  never  Should  See  his  face  again  and  so  it  turned 
out  to  be  for  Col  Lowther  Died  before  his  son  returned. 

"as  many  other  men  he  had  his  favorites  among  his  children  like  Jacob  of 


250  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


old  he  had  his  Joseph  and  his  Benj  amine  when  he  died  his  Benj amine  was  gon  to 
fight  the  Battles  of  his  country  and  a  few  minetes  before  he  expired  he  caled  his 
Joseph  unto  him  laid  hands  on  him  and  imparted  unto  him  his  Benediction 

"Exhorting  him  to  serve  the  true  and  living  God  he  died  in  the  full  triumphs 
of  a  living  faith  in  the  Salvation  of  all  Adams  fallen  race. 

"your  humble  writer  would  have  written  more  extensively  concerning  Col 
Wm  Lowther  but  being  a  relative  he  feels  a  dilacy  in  following  through  all  the 
mianderings  of  Col  Wm  Lowthers  life  it  is  enough  for  me  to  say  that  CoLWm 
Lowther  was  one  of  the  first  to  defend  his  country  from  savage  cruelty  and  the 
last  to  lay  down  his  arms  of  defense. 

"Wm  Lowther  Died  amids  the  struggle  with  Great  Britian  and  the  united 
states  he  Died  in  the  fall  of  1814  aged  71  years  and  ten  months. 

"Dear  Sir  I  have  gone  threw  with  this  little  narative  you  are  at  liberty  to 
correct  any  errors  you  may  perchance  to  see  amend  or  abridge  as  you  see  proper, 
yours  with  due  respect 


Lyman  C.  Draper" 

Memoranda  by  Draper — This  statement  was  mailed  at  West  Milford,  Va., 
January  11,  1851,  and  furnished  at  my  request. 

Mr.  Granville  S.  Lowther,  of  West  Virginia,  a  son  of  Elias  J. 
Lowther,  writes  me: 

"The  Lowthers  are  of  Scotch  Irish  descent,  whose  original  name  was  Low. 
I  cannot  give  dates  for  this,  but  during  the  knighthood  days  of  England  it  Avas 
customary  to  appoint  days  for  athletic  sports,  over  which  the  king  and  his  royal 
court  presided.  Pitching  the  quoit,  or  stone,  was  among  the  tests  of  manhood, 
and  one  day  a  stranger  entered  the  arena  and  selecting  a  large  stone,  cast  it  farther 
than  could  any  of  his  competitors.  The  king,  astonished  at  this  feat,  had  the 
champion  brought  before  him  and  inquired  his  name.  'Low,'  was  the  reply. 
'Then,'  said  the  king,  'I  will  add  'ther'  and  for  your  valor  you  shall  be  called  Low- 
ther.' He  was  afterwards  appointed  clerk  of  the  King's  Bench,  as  Sir  Henry 
Lowther,  which  position  has  since  been  filled  by  others  of  his  name. 

"Their  emigration  to  America  dates  back  to  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  at  Plymouth 
Rock,  where  two  brothers  landed.  One  of  them  died  during  the  terrible  dearth 
of  the  colony,  but  the  other,  Henry,  survived,  and  subsequently  removed  to  Albe- 
marle County,  Virginia.  There  his  son,  Robert,  married  Aquilla  Rees,  and  was 
the  father  of  Colonel  William  Lowther,  of  whom  you  inquire." 

It  is  not  known  where  Colonel  William  Lowther  was  born, 
further  than  it  was  within  the  bounds  of  the  territory  then  known 
as  Augusta  County,  Virginia.  It  is  quite  evident  that  the  greater 
part  of  his  life,  prior  to  his  removal  to  the  Trans-Allegheny,  was 
spent  on  the  Wappatomaka.     It  is  claimed  that  the  birth  of  his 


Colonel  W  illlx.m  Lowther  251 

son  William,  Januar\-  11,  1769,  was  at  Moorcticld,  in  now  Hardy 
Count}-,  West  Virginia.  It  was  in  that  region  that  he  met  his 
wife,  Sudna  Hughes,  whose  parents  resided  there  in  1757.  It  is 
safe  to  say  that  with  his  father,  he  came  from  that  region  to  the 
Upper  Monongahela,  in  company  with  Elias  Hughes,  Ratliffs  and 
other  settlers. 

It  is  notable  that  Withrrs  and  L,-:ris  diHcr  in  regard  to  the 
year  of  the  settling  of  Colonel  Lowther  and  his  father  on  the 
western  border.  The  error  is  with  Lricis.  The  first  permanent 
settlement  on  Hacker's  creek  was  not  until  1769,  and  the  advent 
of  the  Lowthers  into  that  region  was  in  1772,  as  stated  by  Jfilhcrs. 

In  the  homestead  records  of  Monongalia  County,  1781,  we 
iind  that  a  certificate  of  entry  was  granted  "William  Lowther, 
400  acres  on  Hacker's  Creek  adjoining  lands  claimed  by  Jesse 
Hughes,  to  include  his  settlement  made  thereon  in  1772  with  a 
preemption  of  1000  acres  adjoining."  Colonel  Lowther  was  a 
man  of  resources,  and  acquired  several  tracts  of  land  by  pur- 
chasing the  claims,  or  improvements  of  other  settlers.  In  this  man- 
ner he  secured  several  thousand  acres  on  the  western  waters.  (6) 

It  would  be  difficult  to  determine  by  the  homestead  records 
just  where  Robert  Lowther  actually  settled.  He  must  have  died 
prior  to  1781,  when  Colonel  Lowther  inherited  title  to  400  acres 
at  the  mouth  of  Hacker's  Creek,  "settled"  on  by  his  father  in 
1775.  In  1781,  Joseph  Lowther,  as  "Heir-at-Law  of  Robert 
Lowther,"  secured  a  grant  for  400  acres  on  Washburn's  Run  in 
(now)  Harrison  County,  "to  include  his  settlement  made  thereon 
in  the  year  1775."  In  the  same  year  was  granted  to —  "Samuel 
Rubels,  Ass'e,  to  Robert  Lowther,  400  acres  on  Rubels  Mill 
Run,  a  branch  of  Cheat  River,  to  include  his  actual  settlement 
in  1770."  There  was  also  issued  a  certificate  of  title  —  "Arthur 
Trader,  Assignee,  to  Robert  Lowther,  400  acres  on  Roberts  Mill 
Run,  adjoining  lands  of  Samuel  Ruble,  to  include  his  settlement 
made  in  1770."  These  two  entries  were  doubtless  made  on  the 
same  stream,  Rubels  Run,  and  the  variations  in  the  name  are  due 
to  carelessness  on  the  part  of  the  recording  clerk.  In  18CX),  one 
William  Lowther  was  a  subscriber  to  St.  John's  Parish.  Brook 
County  (West),  Virginia.  (7) 

The  census  of  1782,  which  however,  is  \ery  incomplete,  shows 
that  William  Lowther  and  Joel  Lowther,  both  residents  of  Monon- 
galia County,  constituted  the  only  families  of  this  name  in  the 
(6)  See  page  479.  (7)  p.  479. 


252  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

state.  Joel's  name  reappears  in  the  enumeration  of  Harrison 
County,  1785,  but  that  of  WilUam  does  not.  It  is  very  probable 
that  Joseph  Lowther,  who  inherited  the  homestead  of  Robert 
Lowther  on  Washburn's  Run,  and  Joel  Lowther  were  one  and  the 
the  same  person,  and  perhaps  a  brother  of  Colonel  William 
Lowther. 

Jonathan  Lowther,  killed  by  Indians  on  Hacker's  Creek  in 
1778,  was  a  son  of  Robert  Lowther.  Thomas  Hughes,  father-in- 
law  of  Colonel  Lowther,  was  killed  at  the  same  time.  This  tragedy, 
as  narrated  by  Withers^  has  been  given  elsewhere  in  this  volume, 
but  a  tradition  among  the  Lowthers  gives  a  different  version. 
Hughes  and  Lowther  were  on  their  way  from  Clarksburg  to  give 
warning  at  West's  Fort  of  an  Indian  alarm,  and  were  shot  down 
within  one  mile  of  the  latter  post.  The  Indians,  fourteen  in  num- 
ber, fled,  and  Colonel  Lowther  at  the  head  of  a  party  of  settlers, 
gave  pursuit.  They  crossed  the  Ohio  at  Blennerhassett's  Island 
and  overtook  the  retreating  warriors  and  surprised  their  camp  not 
far  from  Chillicothe,  and  killed  thirteen  of  them.  The  whites 
made  a  hurried  march,  and  reached  the  settlements  in  safety. 

This  is  purely  a  mistake.  Not  even  the  fierce  desire  for 
revenge,  which  would,  in  this  case  have  prompted  Col.  Lowther 
and  the  Hughes'  to  great  exertion,  could  have  carried  them  and 
their  followers  so  far  into  the  Indian  country. 

By  referring  to  Withers,  it  will  be  seen  that  when  Hughes  and 
Lowther  were  killed,  two  of  the  company,  being  intercepted  from 
West's  Fort,  fled  to  Richards'  Fort,  (8)  not  only  for  safety,  but 
to  give  warning  as  well.  This  last  precaution  was  unnecessary. 
Isaac  Washburn  had  been  found  shot  and  scalped  at  no  great  dis- 
tance from  Richards,  and  the  alarm  spread  before  the  arrival  of 
the  fugitives.  The  Indians  committed  no  further  depredation, 
nor  were  they  pursued  by  the  settlers. 

In  a  letter  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  March  22,  1793,  Col.  ■ 
Lowther  tells  of  a  party  of  Indians  stealing  six  horses  within  about 
seven  miles  of  Clarksburg;  and  of  his  pursuing  the  marauders 
with  a  company  of  sixteen  men,  to  the  Ohio  River,  where,  being 
re-enforced  with  five  men,  went  down  the  river  from  Williams 
Station,  to  about  four  miles  below  Belleville,  crossed  the  river  and 
continued  the  pursuit  fifty  miles  in  the  Indian  country,  came  upon 
the  Indian  camp  in  daytime.  "One  we  killed  and  the  other  got 
much  wounded.     He  dropped  his  gun  in  the  pursuit,  which  we 

(8)  See  page  479. 


Colonel  W  illlxm  Lowtmkr  253 

got,  but  unfortunately  for  us  he  got  into  the  thick  bushy  woods 
and  we  lost  him.  We  re-took  four  of  the  horses,  before  we  got  up 
a  party  of  Indians  had  left  the  canip  and  took  off  two  of  the 
horses.  My  men  were  so  fatigued  and  our  provisions  exhausted 
that  I  pursued  no  further." 

In  following  the  "ditlerent  windings  taken  b\'  the  Indians" 
the  whites  traveled  about  186  miles,  nearly  the  same  distance  to 
return,  occupied  fourteen  days.  Captain  John  Haymond,  one  of 
the  part}',  lost  a  valuable  horse;  one  other  horse  strayed  awa)'  in 
the  woods,  which  they  expected  to  recover. 

On  the  26th  of  the  same  month,  the  colonel  writes  the  (jov- 
ernor  informing  hini  of  great  numbers  of  Indians  crossing  the 
Ohio,  and  anticipated  a  blow.  Indians  had  paid  them  a  visit, 
"as  you  will  discover  by  my  former  letter,  to  the  proof  of  which 
I  ha\c  sent  }i)u  the  skin  of  one  of  their  heads." 

The  colonel  was  of  opinion  that  neither  "General  Wayne's 
army  nor  the  talk  of  peace  can  be  of  any  safety  to  him." 

Col.  Lowther  could  not  have  remained  for  any  considerable 
length  of  time  on  Hacker's  Creek.  No  local  tradition  connects  his 
residence  with  that  settlement.  He  was  closely  identified  with 
the  region  about  Xutter's  Fort  during  the  earliest  davs  of  its 
existence.  He  resided  on  a  large  homestead  on  the  West  Fork 
River,  about  seven  miles  from  Clarksburg,  and  near  one  and  a 
half  miles  from  West  Alilford.  What  is  said  to  be  his  main  original 
cabin  is  still  occupied  by  some  of  his  descendants.  It  is  built  of 
hewed  logs  and  measures  sixteen  feet  by  twenty  feet.  The  joists 
are  flattened  timbers,  three  and  a  half  inches  by  seven  and  a  half 
inches.  The  fire  place  is  five  feet  and  four  and  a  half  inches  in 
height.  The  cabin  had  at  some  time  been  torn  down  and  rebuilt. 
Its  age  is  computed  from  1772,  the  year  of  the  colonel's  advent 
into  the  settlement.  This,  I  believe,  is  nearly  correct.  There  is 
strong  evidence  that  Col.  Lowther  did  not  remain  on  Hacker's 
Creek  more  than  one  }ear,  and  that  he  resided  in  the  Clarksburg 
settlement  during  the  ''starving  year,'^  1773.  The  house  is  among 
the  oldest,  if  not  the  oldest,  in  that  part  of  the  state.  Lt't  it  be 
preserved.  (9) 

Tradition  accredits  Colonel  Lowther,  Jesse  Hughes  and  Flias 
Hughes  with  the  first  actual  exploration  of  the  Little  Kanawha, 
and  its  main  trihutar\-,  Hughes  River,  in  1772,  (10)  at  which  time 
Jesse  Hughes  conferred  his  own  name  on  the  latter  stream.     The 

<^M  See  page4Sl.   (10)   p.  481. 


254 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


explorers  gave  such  names  to  the  principal  affluents  of  the  tv/o 
rivers  as  were  suggested  by  some  peculiarity  or  object  observed  in 
connection  with  the  stream.  With  a  single  exception,  these  names 
have  all  been  retained.  Walnut  Creek,  so  named  from  the  great 
number  of  walnut  trees  fringing  its  bank,  was  the  scene  of  the 
surprise  and  defeat  of  Captain  Bull's  camp,   and  release  of  the 


Colonel  William  Lowther's  Original  Cabin 
Photographed  June,  1908 


Leading  Creek  captives  by  Colonel  Lowther's  Rangers  in  1781, 
since  which  time  it  has  been  known  as  Indian  Creek.  (11)  The 
explorers.  It  is  averred,  passed  up  the  West  Fork  River  and  crossed 
to  the  head  of  the  Little  Kanawha  by  way  of  Sand  Creek. 

Another  version  of  this  tradition  places  the  explorations  in 
1774.  The  party  reached  the  Little  Kanawha  by  way  of  the 
Indian  trail  up  Polk  Creek  and  down  Leading  Creek.  After 
striking  the  Ohio,  the  Hughes  brothers  proceeded  to  Point  Pleas- 
ant, where  joining  the  forces  of  General  Lewis,  participated  in 
the  battle  fought  there  in  October  of  that  year.  Colonel  Lowther 
went  up  the  river  to  Fort  Pitt  on  some  business  of  importance. 

(11)   See  page  481. 


Colonel  W  illl\.m  Lowther  255 

The  following  story  was  told  Mr.  J.  S.  Hall,  by  Colonel 
Lowther's  son  Jesse,  some  sevent}'-five  years  ago. 

"When  111}-  father  with  sc\eral  other  families  settled  on  the 
West  Fork  River,"  said  Mr.  Lowther,  "grain  was  so  scarce  that 
it  was  impossible  to  buy  corn  for  bread.  They  were  compelled 
to  rely  on  game  for  food  until  a  crop  could  be  raised.  It  was 
agreed  that  my  father  and  Jesse  Hughes,  the  best  hunters  in  the 
party,  should  furnish  provisions  while  the  others  cleared  and 
cultivated  the  land.  These  two  hunters  not  only  supplied  plenty 
of  game  and  fish  for  their  own  people,  but  they  gave  assistance  to 
others  in  need  on  Hacker's  Creek.  Before  the  crop  matured, 
my  grandfather  visited  us,  bringing  a  knapsack  of  biscuit.  I  was 
then  a  small  bo}'  and  my  mother  gave  me  one.  I  tasted  it,  then 
threw  it  down  and  called  for  'jerk.'  Mother  cried  at  the  thought 
of  living  in  the  wilderness  so  long  that  her  children  had  forgotten 
the  use  of  bread."  (12) 

This  incident  is  very  similar  to  that  related  of  the  Hacker 
famil}'  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  It  could  not  have  occurred 
during  "starving  }'ear,  "  1773.  which  was  the  year  of  Jesse  Low- 
ther's birth. 

At  one  time  the  inhabitants  were  driven  to  the  fort  b_\-  Indians 
when  provisions  were  extreme!}'  scarce.  The  inmates  were  on 
the  verge  of  starvation,  when  a  large  turke}'  lit  on  some  grape- 
vines near  the  stockade  and  Col.  Lowther  shot  it.  Under  the 
protection  of  the  garrison  rifles,  Mrs.  Lowther  ran  out  and  brought 
it  in.     She  said:     ''^God  has  sent  this  to  preserve  our  lives." 

Colonel  Lowther  did  not  confine  his  military  exploits  alone 
to  the  local  defense  of  the  border.  In  1781  he  was  identified  with 
General  Clark's  attempted  expedition  against  Detroit,  h.  rare 
summary  of  this  phase  of  his  life  is  the  evidence  submitted  b}'  his 
children  in  support  of  their  claim  for  bounty  land  due  their  father 
as  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  This  record  is  preserved  in  the  \  ir- 
ginia  State  Library,  and  is  here  produced  for  the  first  time. 

From  an  affidavit  before  Abner  Abbott,  Justice  of  the  Peace 
for  Lewis  County,  Virginia,  bearing  date  November  7,  1832,  it 
would  appear  that  Jesse  Carpenter,  aged  70,  and  Thomas  Cottrell, 
aged  73,  served  as  Indian  spies  under  Captain  W  illiam  Lowther, 
about  1778;  when  they  first  knew  him  as  an  officer.  In  1781, 
Lowther  went  to  Pittsburg  as  a  Major  and  joined  Colonel  Joseph 
Crockett's    Regiment,    and    descended    the    Ohio    under   Cieneral 

(12)  Sec  page  4Sl. 


256  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Clark.  After  his  return  he  continued  in  the  command  of  soldiers, 
issuing  orders  to  Indian  spies  and  subaltern  officers;  first  as  Major 
and  then  as  Colonel  until  the  end  of  Indian  hostilities  about  1795. 
He  was  a  faithful  and  vigilant  officer  during  all  the  years  of  the 
war  that  they  knew  him.  Abbott,  the  Justice,  vouched  for  Car- 
penter and  Cottrell  as  "credible  men  and  their  statements  entitled 
to  full  credit." 

To  the  foregoing  testimony  was  added  that  of  Jacob  Bush, 
November  24,  1832.  Bush,  whose  declaration  for  pension  appears 
in  Chapter  X,  this  volume,  knew  Lowther  as  early  as  1779,  at 
which  time  he  was  captain.  He  was  then  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  Major,  and  in  1781  was  with  Col.  Crockett  in  General  Clark's 
campaign.  Upon  his  return  was  made  Colonel,  and  so  continued 
until  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War  and  Indian  hostilities  in 
1795.  He  was  brave  and  vigilant  during  the  entire  Revolution, 
devoting  all  of  his  time  and  energy  to  his  country's  service.  He 
died  in  1814,  leaving  children:  Robert,  William,  Elias,  Thomas 
and  Jesse.     Thomas  never  married  and  was  then  (1832)  dead. 

Michael  Stump,  Justice,  testified  to  the  good  character  of 
Jacob  Bush,  which  entitled  him  to  full  credit  on  oath.  The  testi- 
mony of  two  of  Major  Lowther's  men  is  here  given  in  full. 

"Endorsed,  Public  Document,  The  Executive  Department  for  the  State  of 
Virginia,  Richmond,  Virginia  (Weston,  Virginia,  11th  February),  February  23, 
1833,  submitted  to  the  Council  of  State  and  advice  required,  John  Floyd. 

"Lewis  County  1 
-,  >TO  wit: 

Virginia  J 

"Lewis  Bonnett  aged  seventy-one  years  and  Peter  Bonnett  aged  sixty-nine 

years    both  personally  appeared  before  the  Justices  of  Lewis  county  court  at  the 

courthouse  now  sitting  at  the  February  term  thereof.     And  severally  declared  on 

oath  that  they  voluntarily  entered  the  service  of  Virginia  on  the  western  waters 

about  the  year  1780  to  descend   the   Ohio   river  to  act  for  an  indefinite  period 

against  the  Indians  that  they  embarked  on  the  West  Fork  of  the  Monongahelia 

river,  and  descended  it  with  many  men  from  what  are  now  Harrison,  Randolph 

and  Lewis  counties.      That    they    were   under  the  command  of  Major  William 

Lowther,  captain  Jonathan  Coburn,  Ensign  Benj.  Sills,  they  were  kept  a  while  at 

Red  Stone  fort  (Brownsville  now),  thence  to  Newell's  Store  (Elizabeth  now)  and 

about  there  and  Pittsburg  and  Mature's  Island,  below  Pittsburg,  procured  boats 

[and]  provisions  for  to  descend  the  river  to  join  General  Clarke,  proceeded  down 

the  Ohio  as  they  now  think  in  the  spring  of  1781.     Major  Lowther  was  attached 

to  Col.  Crockett's  Regiment  at  Pittsburg.     When  the  troops  arrived  at  the  mouth 

of  the  little  Kachawa,  [Kanawha]  Capt.  Coburn  and  these  affiants  and  some  other 

soldiers  were  stationed  at  Neal's  Station  to  act  as  Indian  [spies]  and  otherwise  as 

circumstances  might  require  to  defend  the  frontier  of  Virginia  here   they  parted 


Colonel  W'h.llam  Lowther  257 

with  their  Major  who  proceeded  on  down  the  river  with  Col.  Crockett's  Regiment. 

They  saw  no  more  of  their  Major  till  after  they  returned  home  which  was  in  the 

fall  of  1782.     They  are  of  the  opinion  that  Major  Lowther  returned  in   1783. 

He  came  back  as  a  colonel  and  so  continued  and  conducted  or  commanded  spies, 

rangers  and  scouts  until  the  close  of  Indian  hostilities  about  1794.     They  knew 

Col.  Lowther  until  his    death   which    was    about    1814   in  Harrison   Co.      These 

affiants  were  well   acquainted  with  Jacob    Bush   a    soldier    under  Capt.  George 

Jackson  and  Maj.  Lowther,  he  also  went  on  toward  Kentucky  when  they  stopped 

at  Neal's  Station,  now  Parkersburg.     They  further  certify  that  Major  Lowther 

was  a  brave  and  excellent  officer  they  knew  him  when  he  was  a  captain,  then  a 

Major  and  lastly  a  Col.;  in  this  last  capacity  they  often  after  1783  acted  under 

him  as  spies.     Subscribed  and  sworn  to  in  open  court  this  fifth  day  of  February 

1833.  ,. 

his 

Lewis  X  Bonnett 

mark 
his 
Peter  X  Bonnett" 
"Lewis  County  Court  1  mark 

February  Term  1833    J 

"This  day,  Lewis  Bonnett  and  Peter  Bonnett,  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  personally  appeared  in  open  court  and  signed  and  swore  to  a  Joint  Declara- 
tion of  the  Revolutionary  services  of  the  late  Col.  William  Lowther  who  was  a 
Major  in  Col.  Crockett's  Regiment,  and  the  Court  do  certify  that  it  appears  to 
them  that  the  said  Lewis  Bonnett  and  Peter  Bonnett  arc  respectable  men,  and 

their  statement  is  entitled  to  credit. 

A  copy  teste, 

J.  TALBorr,  C.  L.  C." 

"At  the  request  of  the  heirs  of  the  late  Col.  W.  Lowther,  I  transmit  the  fore- 
going statement  of  two  respectable  old  men  in  this  County.  This  is  (by  the  heirs) 
offered  as  additional  evidence  of  the  Revolutionary  services  of  Col.  Lowther,  on 
their  applications  for  his  land  bounty.  Please  report  to  me  the  result  of  the 
executive  deliberations  on  this  matter  as  soon  as  practicable. 

V^ery  respectfully,  your  obt.  servant, 

J.  Wamslky." 

Bount\'  was  refused  Colonel  Lowthcr's  heirs,  but  for  what 
cause  is  not  known.  The  evidence  of  his  service  is  uncontrovert- 
ible, and  is  the  best  record  of  his  border  life  prior  to  1792  extant. 
There  was  no  application  for  pension  in  his  behalf  under  the  Act 
of  1806,  which,  however,  provided  for  those  only  who  incurred 
wounds  in  the  Revolution.  The  incomplete  muster  rolls  on  file 
in  the  War  Department  contain  no  record  of  his  military  career, 
as  evinced  in  the  following  communication  in  response  to  an 
inquiry: 

"The  name  \\  iUiam  Lowther  has  not  been  found  on  the  rolls, 
on  tile  in  this  office,  of  any  organization  of  Virginia  troops  in  serv- 


258  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

ice  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  The  records  show,  however, 
that  one  William  Lowther  served  as  a  private  in  Captain  Timo- 
othy  Hughes'  Company,  Colonel  James  Livingston's  Battalion, 
Continental  Troops,  Revolutionary  War.  He  enlisted  December 
22,  1776,  to  serve  during  the  war;  was  transferred  about  June, 
1779,  to  Captain  Dirck  Hansen's  Company,  same  battalion,  and 
was  mustered  to  January,  1782.  No  later  record  of  him  has  been 
found." 

In  connection  with  Col.  Lowther's  military  career,  might  be 
mentioned  that  of  Sotha  Hickman,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in 
the  region  of  Nutter's  Fort.  It  would  appear  from  Hickman's 
first  declaration  for  pension  that  he  was  born  on  the  eastern  shore 
of  Maryland,  June  10,  1748,  and  enlisted  as  a  scout  under  Captain 
William  Lowther  at  Nutter's  Fort  in  1780,  and  served  six  months, 
and  in  1781,  a  tour  of  two  months.  In  1782  he  enlisted  for  a 
term  of  six  months  under  Captain  Thomas  Nutter,  same  region. 
His  second  declaration  executed  in  Harrison  County,  July  17,  1832, 
is  of  historic  value,  and  is  here  given  in  full. 

"Sotha  Hickman  first  being  sworn,  stated  that  he  entered  the  service  of  the 
U.  S.  as  a  volunteer  under  Capt.  William  Louther  of  the  Va.  militia,  Lieut. 
John  Pacverz  (this  is  very  uncertain),  the  ensign's  name  not  now  recollected 
and  William  More  being  sergeant  in  the  fall  of  1780,  that  he  continued  in  said 
service  until  the  expiration  of  six  months,  the  period  for  which  he  had  enlisted. 
When  he  entered  the  service  as  aforesaid,  he  was  a  resident  of  Monongalia  Co., 
that  while  thus  engaged  in  the  service  at  the  time  aforesaid,  he  was  in  no  battle 
or  engagement,  being  employed  in  watching  the  frontier  and  protecting  it  from  the 
invasions  and  ravages  of  the  combined  Indian  and  British  Canadian  troops.  That 
another  time  he  was  called  into  the  militia  service  of  the  state  aforesaid  under  the 
aforenamed  Capt.  Lowther  on  a  report  of  invasions  by  the  Indians  and  continued 
in  said  service,  scouting  along  waters  of  Ten  mile  creek  and  on  the  West  Fork 
river  and  below  and  around  the  now  town  of  Clarksburg,  then  known  as  Nutter's 
Fort.  That  he  was  again  called  into  service  as  aforesaid  by  said  officers  to  repel 
an  invasion  of  the  country  made  by  the  Indians  and  punished  them  for  the  murder 
committed  by  them  on  Booths  creek,  that  while  thus  out  there  was  no  skirmish 
with  the  enemy,  they  having  immediately  retreated  and  were  not  to  be  found 
and  that  after  being  engaged  in  burying  those  who  had  been  killed,  and  in  pur- 
suing the  Indian  trail,  he  returned  after  the  lapse  of  5  or  six  days.  That  at 
another  time  he  was  likewise  engaged  in  repelling  an  invasion  of  the  country  made 
by  the  Indians  and  under  Captain  Lowther,  together  with  Daniel  Daripon  (?), 
Nathaniel  Davisson,  Stuffield,  Baker,  and  others  and  Lieut.  Powers,  when  con- 
siderable mischief  had  been  effected,  and  when  upon  coming  near  to  the  enemy, 
they  were  discovered  to  be  too  numerous  to  be  attacked  by  a  body  of  troops  as 
small   as   that   under   the    command    of    Captain    Lowther,   only   about   24  or 


COLONEI.   \\  II.I.I  AM    LcnVTlIKR  259 

25  men,  and  after  bur\ing  the  killed,  V  <ir  10,  tiie\  returned  to  Nutter's  Fort  for 
security,  where  they  had  to  remain  until  the  Indians  withdrew  from  the  neigh- 
borhood. That  at  several  other  times,  he  was  in  like  manner  called  into  serv- 
ice and  served  until  the  company  engaged  with  him  was  ordered  by  the  officers 
in  command  to  return  into  fort  or  to  their  homes.  He  further  states  that  although 
he  does  not  remember  now,  the  length  of  time  which  he  was  those  several  calls 
employed  and  engaged  in  service,  yet  he  feels  confident  that,  independent  of  his 
tour  of  duty,  for  six  months  as  first  stated  he  was  nearly  if  not  quite  three  months 
in  actual  service.  Has  no  documentary  evidence  to  prove  his  statements,  and  the 
last  persons  he  knew  of  who  could  substantiate  his  claim,  were  a  Douglas  near  the 

Ohio  River  and  a  Greeorv  in  Greenbrier  Co.  of  \'a.  . 

ins 

(Signed)  Sotha  X  Hickman" 

mark 

Christopher  Nutter  testilied  that  Hickman  was  a  soldier 
under  Captain  Lowther  at  the  time  he  (Nutter)  was.  Hickman 
was  granted  a  pension  of  ^40.66  a  year. 

The  Douglas  referred  to  by  Hickman  was  e\idcntl\-  Levi 
Douglass,  who  was  a  boon  companion  of  his  during  the  border 
period. 

These  men,  while  trapping  on  the  Little  Kanawha,  were  cap- 
tured and  taken  to  the  Indian  towns  on  the  Scioto  River.  One 
night  they  managed  to  elude  the  Indians  while  they  were  feasting 
and  dancing  and  by  traveling  at  night,  succeeded  in  effecting  their 
escape.  Hickman  was  a  great  sportsman  and  came  near  being 
shot  by  Indians  while  gigging  fish  with  others  one  night  in  the 
West  Fork  River,  near  Nutter's  Fort.  The  Indians  surprised 
them  from  the  bank,  and  attempted  to  fire  on  them,  but  owing  to 
a  heavv  fog,  the  priming  in  their  guns  had  become  wet,  which 
caused  them  to  "flash  in  the  pan."  The  whites  dropped  their 
torch,  and  escaped  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  ri\-er. 

Notwithstanding  all  residents  in  the  Trans-Allegheny  capable 
of  bearing  arms  during  the  Revolutionar}'  and  Border  wars,  were 
enrolled  in  some  branch  of  the  militar\-,  and  engaged  acti\el\  m 
repelling  invasions  or  making  expeditions  into  the  enemies'  coun- 
try, local  histor\'  has  done  but  little  towards  preserving  their 
identity.  The  names  of  man\-  are  lost  forever.  The  fragmentary 
muster  rolls  of  both  Virginia  and  the  War  Department  are  woefully 
deficient  in  records  of  the  border  militiaman.  The  names  of  some 
of  them,  however,  are  found  in  the  archives  of  the  Pension  Office, 
and  in  the  Claims  for  Bounty  Lands  on  file  in  the  Virginia  State 
Librar\-.     Although    research    in    these    departments    is    ofttimes 


260  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

attended  with  disappointment,  occasionally  a  narration  of  historic 
value  is  unearthed.  Such  is  that  of  Christopher  Nutter  whose  signa- 
ture often  appears  in  evidence  against  those  who  were  dropped  from 
the  pension  roll  subsequent  to  their  re-examination  by  Singleton. 

Nutter  made  two  declarations  for  pension,  one  July  16,  1832, 
the  other  the  22nd  of  the  following  December.  From  these 
documents  it  would  appear  that  Christopher  Nutter  was  born  in 
Sussex  County,  Delaware,  January  21,  1760,  and  while  yet  an 
infant,  his  parents  moved  with  him  to  Augusta  County,  Virginia, 
where  they  remained  until  1769,  and  then  removed  to  "Featt" 
[Fayette]  County,  Pennsylvania.  In  March,  1772,  they  moved 
to  West  Augusta,  now  Harrison  County,  West  Virginia,  where 
young  Nutter  lived  during  the  rest  of  his  life. 

He  was  residing  in  Nutter's  Fort  in  1780  when  he  volunteered 
as  a  militiaman  under  Captain  William  Lowther  and  served  six 
months,  ostensibly  as  scout.  In  the  latter  part  of  May,  or  first 
of  June,  1781,  he  volunteered  under  Captain  George  Jackson  in 
General  George  Rogers  Clark's  campaign  to  "serve  during  the 
war."  He  left  the  village  of  Clarksburg  and  descended  the  West 
Fork  and  Monongahela  to  Pittsburg,  and  from  there  down  the 
Ohio  to  its  Falls,  where  Louisville  now  stands,  at  which  point  they 
landed  August  19,  1781.  He  continued  in  service  "under  Captain 
George  Jackson,  George  R.  Clarke  and  Zachariah  Morgan,  a 
colonel,  until  after  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis,"  when  he  was  dis- 
charged, as  he  remembered,  in  the  same  year  at  Louisville.  He 
was  released  from  further  duty  because  of  his  indisposition,  but 
all  those  of  Jackson's  company  capable  of  service  were  continued 
on  the  roll  until  after  their  return  to  Clarksburg. 

During  this  tour,  Nutter  states  that  he  was  with  some  con- 
tinental troops,  regiments  not  recalled,  but  he  remembered  Cap- 
tain Tipton,  an  officer  by  the  name  of  Chevay  [very  illegible], 
another  of  Blue,  and  a  major,  as  he  believed,  by  the  name  of 
Wales,  who  were  considered  of  the  regular  troops.  Captain  Tip- 
ton and  Chaplain  were  killed  near  the  mouth  of  Bear  Grass,  in 
going  to  Floyds  and  Sullivans  stations.  Nutter  was  in  no  battle, 
but  a  skirmish  took  place  at  the  Sandy  Island  below  the  Falls  while 
he  was  in  service  in  which  Captain  Johnson  of  the  militia  and 
Benjamin  Wright  were  killed,  and  Jonathan  Wright,  Michael 
Umbels,  two  men  named  Blair  and  Armstrong,  with  others  were 
wounded. 


CoLONKI.  \\l  1.1.1  \M    1.()\\T11I;R  261 

Xutlcr's  subscqueiU  niilitar\'  service  was  on  the  \  iiginia 
frontier.  In  17S2  he  \-olunleereJ  in  CafUain  'I'honias  Nutter's 
Company  and  served  six  months,  and  in  1783  he  again  volunteered 
for  a  like  term  in  Captain  Christopher  Carpenter's  Company, 
during  which  time  he  was  still  a  resident  of  Nutter's  Fort.  He 
was  called  out  several  times  by  William  Lowther,  first  as  Captain 
and  then  as  Major,  and  served  during  his  several  enlistments  as 
private  not  less  than  two  years. 

Matthias  Winters,  James  Radcliff,  Joseph  Morris  and  Richard 
Hudkins  testified  in  behalf  of  Nutter,  and  his  service  was  proven 
by  Jacob  Bush  and  Alexander  West  who  were  with  him  in  General 
Clark's  campaign.  He  was  granted  a  pension  of  eighty  dollars 
a   year.     He   died    February   21,    184-5. 

Christopher  Nutter  married  Rebecca  Moorhead,  June  28, 
1785,  in  Harrison  County,  Virginia.  Mrs.  Nutter  died  October 
16,  1861.     The  records  contain  no  list  of  children. 

In  1781,  the  Land  Commissioners  of  Monongahela  County 
issued  to  Christopher  Nutter  a  certificate  for  "300  acres  on  Suds 
Run,  a  drain  of  Flk,  to  include  his  improvement  made  in  1772." 
Nutter  was  only  twelve  years  old  when  he  made  the  "improve- 
ment." 

The  Pension  Ofiicc  contains  no  record  of  Captain  Thomas 
Nutter.  Jfitlwrs  (13)  says  that  in  1772  Thomas  Nutter  settled 
on  Elk  in  the  vicinity  of  Clarksburg,  near  the  Forge-Mills,  and 
that  John  Nutter  settled  on  the  West  Fork,  "near  the  place  now 
owned  by  Adam  Hickman." 

Thomas  Nutter  was  granted  a  certificate  for  "400  acres  on 
Elk,  adjoining  lands  claimed  by  Sotha  Hickman,  to  include  his 
settlement  made  in  1775."  It  was  on  this  tract  that  Nutter's 
Fort  was  built  in  1774;  and  Captain  Thomas  Nutter,  whose  name 
it  bore,  certainly  liv^ed  there  at  that  time;  and  there  is  no  reason 
for  supposing  that  he  was  not  settled  there  in  1772,  as  stated  by 
ffithers.  Surely  arc  these  early  land  records  an  anomaly,  like 
unto  the  riddle  of  the  Sphinx. 

Nutter's  Fort  stood  about  two  miles  from  Clarksburg,  on  the 
Buckhaniion  Pike,  and  "the  trolley  line  now  passes  directly  over 
the  site  of  the  old  fort."  Captain  Nutter  preempted  1,CX)0 
acres  adjoining  his  settlement  right,  and  both  tracts  were  sur- 
veyed in  1785.  The  new  Fair  Grounds  are  located  on  this  land, 
and  some  of  it  is  still  occupied  by  Nutter's  descendants. 

(13)  See  page  482. 


262 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


I  have  not  found  when  John  Nutter  was  granted  a  home- 
stead but  the  records  show  that  he  claimed  lands  on  Simpson's 
Creek  in  1781. 

In  the  same  year  a  certificate  was  issued  to  Mathew  Nutter 
for  "300  acres  on  east  side  of  Elk,  to  include  his  settlement  made  in 
1772." 

The  census  of  1782  shows  that  Thomas,  Christopher,  Mathew 
and  John  were  then  residents  in  Monongahela  County,  Virginia; 
and  all  are  listed  in  the  enumeration  of  Harrison  County,  1785, 
with  the  exception  of  Mathew,  whose  name  nowhere  appears. 


LowTHER  Coat  of  Arms. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 


\\  c  have  a  elinipsc  of  Colonel  Lcnvlher's  military  service 
subsequent  to  1791,  in  the  following  excerpts  from  the  Virginia 
State  papers:  (Volume  \  .) 

Letter  of  Wm.  Lowther  to  the  Governor. 

AIoRGANTOWN,  June  7,  1792. 
"D'r  Sir: 

"Agreeable  to  your  request  as  to  my  part,  as  far  as  relates  to  my  conduct,  I 
will  endeavor  to  give  as  near  as  my  memory  will  serve  at  present,  which  is  as 
foiloweth,  to  wit:  I  have  under  my  command  by  order  from  the  Executive  (in 
Harrison  County)  one  Insign,  two  Sergeants,  two  Corprils,  and  forty  privates. 
I  was  authorized  to  appoint  two  Scouts  by  the  Executive,  which  I  have  complyed 
with.  And  by  a  letter  received  from  Capt.  McMachan  of  Ohio  country  was  to 
appoint  one  more  in  addition  to  the  two.  Capt.  McMachan  also  appointed  one 
in  conjunction  with  the  one  I  appointed  by  his  orders,  which  four  scouts  is  now 
under  my  command,  two  of  which  I  have  at  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Kanaway, 
the  other  two  on  the  frontier  of  the  West  Fork  Settlement.  The  Rangers,  I  thought 
proper  to  submit  the  distribution  to  a  council  of  officers  of  Harrison,  who  advised 
me  to  station  them  in  three  detachments,  which  I  have  Done  along  the  West  Fork 
settlements,  about  forty  miles,  with  a  small  deviation  to  wit:  the  little  Kanaway, 
being  an  exposed  part  of  the  county,  and  a  small  station  near  the  mouth,  I  sent 
a  sergeant  and  eleven  men  with  the  two  Spyes  or  Scouts  as  above  mentioned.  In 
Randolph  County,  I  have  under  my  command  a  Lieutenant,  two  Sergeants,  two  Cor- 
porals, and  Twenty-five  privates,  the  distribution  of  which  I  also  left  to  a  Council 
of  the  Randolph  County  Officers,  which  they  have  done  as  foiloweth:  The  Lieu- 
tenant and  fifteen  privates  including  the  Sergeant  and  Corporal  in  the  upper  end  of 
the  valley,  and  a  Sergeant  and  eleven  men  at  Buchannon  settlement.  The  two 
Scouts  I  was  authorized  to  appoint  for  that  county  I  have  also  made  and  is  now 
under  my  command  with  the  rest  of  the  Rangers  of  that  place,  &c. 

"I  have  the  Honour  to  be,  Sir,  your  most  obedient  and  Humble  Serv't."  (1) 

William   Lowther  to   the  Governor, 

"January  25,  1793. 
"D'r  Sir: 

"I  received  your  commission  of  Captain  by  the  Hand  of  Hazekiah  Davison, 
which  I  do  accept  and  find  myself  happy  in  having  it  in  my  power  to  render  service 
to  your  excellency  and  my  suffering  fellow  citizens. 

"I  gave  the  vanity  to  flatter  myself  that  past  services  has  been  pleasing,  which 
shall  and  ought  to  be  motives  to  Induce  me  to  gain  a  continuation  of  yours  and 
my  fellow  citizen's  favor. 

"Notwithstanding  I  have  been  informed  that  complaints  were  to  be  lodged 
before  you  against  Lieutenant  Whitman  and  myself,  how  far  the  malitious  haste 
proceeded  in  laying  complaints  before  you,  I  know  not;  but  is  suspicious  they  have 

(1)  See  page  482. 


264  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

had  some  effect  against  Lieutenant  Whitman,  particularly  as  I  hear  he  is  Discon- 
tinued. 

"We  were  both  hard  Threatened  by  one  of  our  Scouts  which  we  turned  out  of 
service  for  his  ill  conduct,  and  Docked  him  part  of  the  time  he  pretende  to 
serve.  I  have  Reason  to  believe  that  some  of  our  Delegates  from  this  District  were 
active  in  doing  Mr.  Whitman  an  Injury  to  the  woundin  of  his  carructor  and  Pri- 
vate feelings. 

"Sir,  should  complaints  have  appeared  before  the  Executive  or  any  of  the 
Gentlemen  of  your  counsell,  I  heartily  wish  they  may  be  made  publick,  so  that  Mr. 
Whitman  may  have  It  in  his  power  to  do  himself  Justice  before  you  or  a  court  of 
law.  The  Bearer,  Mr.  Wilson,  is  able  to  give  you  information  as  Touching  the 
Premises.  I  presume  it  will  be  out  of  my  Power  to  engage  all  young  Experienced 
men  as  Requested  by  your  letter  and  none  but  those  that  are  acquainted  with  the 
use  of  the  Rifle  I  wish  to  enlist.  I  wish  you  to  Discourse  with  the  Bearer  on  this 
subject. 

"I  have  made  some  progress  in  the  Engagement  of  men,  but  find  by  those 
who  has  been  service  last  year  they  wish  to  receive  their  pay  for  past  services 
before  they  make  any  new  engagements,  which  Difficulty  I  hope  will  be  removed 
upon  the  Return  of  Mr.  Wilson,  who  by  me  is  Empowered  to  settle  my  accounts 
and  Receive  the  money  for  the  year  1792. 

"By  a  former  letter  I  requested  you  to  write  if  the  money  was  Ready  but 
as  you  did  not  write,  I  take  it  for  granted  you  are  fully  prepared. 

"I  am  with  Regards,  Your  very  Humble  Serv't."  (2) 

John  Jackson  to  the  Governor.  (3) 

"Buck  Hanan,  January  25,  1793. 
"Sir: 

"I  think  it  my  duty  to  Infirm  you  that  the  conduct  of  Capt.  Wm.  Lowther, 
extremely  blamable  for  some  time  past  Instead  of  attending  to  his  duty,  he  im- 
ployed  his  time  in  Gambling,  Rioting,  &c.  he  treated  the  men  under  him  in  such  a 
manner  that  it  is  thought  he  can  git  no  others  to  ingage.  Instead  of  paying  his 
men  thar  wages  would  seek  occasion  to  purchase  Clames  on  them  and  then  stop 
the  money.  I  conceive  that  only  the  Intrust,  but  Reputation  and  dignity  of  the 
commonwealth  suffers,  tis  certainly  an  Imposition  to  have  a  man  in  public  office 
who  disregards  the  public  Intrust.  During  all  the  time  he  has  been  in  service 
he  has  not  visited  the  Different  stations,  but  has  Imployed  himself  in  amusements 
of  various  Kinds.  If  the  Information  which  this  gives  is  Doubted,  it  may  be  known 
from  many." 

This  accusation  was  sent  to  the  governor  by  Capt.  Bogart, 
together  with  a  letter  commending  John  Jackson. 

Letter  of  James  Wood  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  June 
14,  1793. 

"June  14,  1793. 

"c 

oir: 

"On  my  arrival  .in  the  Mongelia  district,  I  found  that  Capt.  Lowther,  Ensign 
Brown,  and  Ensign  Davidson  had  not  enlisted  the  quota  of  men  assigned  to  them. 

(2)  See  page  482.  (3)  p.  482. 


COLONLI.   \\  Il.l.l  \M    l.owrill.R  265 

Tlic  two  ensigns  declined  their  appointments  and  1  nominated  Jolinatliaii  Cobuin 
and  Bartholomew  Jenkins  to  succeed  them.  These  gentlemen  have  completed 
their  quota  since  the  men  have  been  mustered,  and  are  now  in  service.  If  this 
nomination  should  meet  the  approval  of  the  Executiv-e,  I  flatter  myself,  they  will 
be  commissioned  after  visiting  all  the  exposed  parts  of  the  western  frontier,  review- 
ing the  three  companies,  and  mustering  such  as  had  not  been  mustered.  I  made 
tlie  disposition  which  will  appear  in  the  inclosed  instructions  given  to  Captain 
Lowther.  the  Senior  officer  in  the  district.  The  scouts  which  have  been  emploj'ed  in 
the  different  parts  of  the  frontier  have  great  merit;  they  have  discovered  and  fired 
on  several  parties  of  Indians  on  their  way  to  the  Frontier  at  different  times,  and 
who  immediately  retreated  with  precipation,  and  without  doing  any  mischief, 
if  my  proceedings  should  be  approved  by  the  Board,  I  shall  think  myself  amply 
compensated  for  my  trouble. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be  with  the  greatest  respect.  Sir, 

Y'r  mo.  ob't  serv't." 

June  14th,  1793.     Capt.  James  Wood's  Instructions  to  Cap- 
tain W  ni.  Loutlier  (enclosed  in  above  letter). 

"Ohio,  28tli  May,    1793. 
"Sir: 

"From  my  observations  on  the  frontier  of  this  district,  I  am  confirmed  in 
my  opinion  that  to  afford  the  best  protection  to  the  Inhabitants,  will  be  to  have 
a  respectable  force  judiciously  posted  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  in  order  to  effect 
this  purpose,  I  have  placed  Lieut.  Willis'  detachment  of  Captain  Bogard's  com- 
pany at  Hilliday's  Cove,  at  the  Mingo  Bottom,  and  at  the  mouth  of  Shoal  Creek. 
Captain  McCollock  with  his  company  will  occupy  the  posts  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Ohio,  above  the  mouth  of  Wheeling,  opposite  the  mouth  of  Grave  Creek,  at 
the  mouth  of  Fish  Creek,  and  at  Martin's  station  at  the  mouth  of  Fishing  Creek. 
1  wish  it  was  in  my  power  to  establish  a  post  at  the  mouth  of  Middle  Island,  but 
there  is  no  Inhabitants,  nor  possibility  of  subsisting  the  men  with  con\cnience,  1 
must  be  satisfied  at  present  with  posting  twenty-five  men  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Little  Kanawha,  either  Captain  Bogard,  Ensign  Coburn,  or  Ensign  Jenkins  must 
take  post  at  this  place.  In  your  quarter,  I  hope  the  scouts  already  appointed 
with  thirty  men  to  be  divided  and  posted  at  the  mouth  of  Freeman's  Creek,  at 
Salem,  or  at  the  mouth  of  Ten  Mile  Creek,  will  be  adequate;  those  small  Detach- 
ments you  will  be  pleased  to  post  immediately.  A  sergeant  &  ten  men  I  think 
will  be  necessary  to  the  Upper  end  of  Tigris  \^alley,  and  the  same  number  in  the 
Buchannon  Settlement,  those  you  will  post  in  the  manner  you  may  suppose 
most  likely  to  render  service.  I  have  nominated  Johnathan  Coburn  &  Bartholo- 
mew Jenkins  to  succeed  Ensigns  Brown  and  Davidson;  they  both  raised  their 
quota  of  men,  which  will  enable  you  to  make  the  disposition  I  have  mentioned, 
and  which  I  trust  will  be  made  as  soon  as  possible.  With  respect  to  the  detach- 
ment of  your  company  at  present  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Evans,  I  mean  them 
to  be  posted  in  the  most  advantageous  manner  for  the  protection  of  the  exposed 
parts  of  Monongalia  County;  as  there  is  no  scouts  employed  on  that  Frontier  at 
present,  it  will  be  necessary  for  Lieut.  Evans  to  keep  small  Patrols  constantly  in 
his  front — you  will  be  pleased  to  direct  him  where  to  take  post,  and  how  to  emplo\- 


266  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

the  men -under  his  command.  Ensign  Morgan  with  his  detachment  is  to  join 
Capt.  McColloch's  company  on  the  Ohio,  where  he  will  receive  his  instructions. 
You  will  be  pleased  to  issue  your  orders  for  his  immediate  march;  the  two  scouts 
in  the  valley  may  be  discharged  as  soon  as  you  appoint  two  others,  who  are  to  be 
attached  to  the  little  Kanawlia  Station.  To  you  as  senior  officer  on  this  frontier, 
will  be  Confided  the  Command,  superintending,  and  direction  of  all  the  Posts 
within  the  district  of  Monongalia;  and  to  you  the  Junior  officers  will  be  directed 
to  make  their  reports;  and  to  communicate  all  material  occurances  which  may 
arise  within  their  respective  commands.  As  you  are  the  officer  on  whom  the 
responsibility  will  be  fixed,  you  are  to  take  your  own  station  at  the  place  where 
you  may  think  most  likely  to  answer  the  objects  of  your  command.  A  report  of 
the  State  of  the  frontier,  and  of  the  different  posts  under  your  superintendency 
you  will  make  as  frequently  as  opportunity  offers  to  Winchester,  where  your  dis- 
patches addressed  to  the  Governor  will  be  forwarded  by  the  Post  Master,  Mr. 
George  Norton;  or  if  more  convenient  to  you,  forward  them  to  the  Postmaster  at 
Pittsburg,  from  whence  there  is  a  regular  post  via  Philadelphia  to  Richmond  etc. 
*  *  *  (Nothing  of  importance  follows.) 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be  with  real  esteem,  Sir, 

"Y'r  Ob't  Servant." 

Col.  Bogard  to  Col.  Wm.  Lowder,  Harrison  Co.,  Va. 

,,.^         „  "October  3,  1793. 

Dear  Sir: 

"After  my  respective  compliments  to  you,  I  wish  to  inform  you  that  the 

Indains   has   been    Near    Neels    Station,    and    has   taken   away   3    horses,    and 

got  three  days  start  of  us.     But  we  persude  them    and  they  crost   the  Big  River 

at  the  mouth  of  Deavil  hole,  and  we  followed  them  to  a  water  called  Raccoon  creek, 

which  ar  alowed  to  be  sixty  miles,  and  all  the  Men  Being  in  bad  state  of  Health, 

we  could  not  follow  them  any  further.     From  thence  we  went  across  the  country 

to  the  falls  of  Hawking,  where  we  discovered  a   great  deal  of  Indian  sign,  whar 

they  had  been  this  summer.     Also  I  will  inform  you  that  Mr.  Jenkins  was  taken 

very  sick  at  our  Return  Home.     I  wish  to  inform  you  that  the  Spyes  has  seen  Line 

of  Indians  Going  up  Big  Elk  River,  and  I  should  now  be  glad  that  you  would  send 

word  to  the  Head  of  the  Valley  as  soon  as  possible  you  can,  Sir.     I  will  inform  you 

that  there  was  a  Spye  Shot  by  the  Indians  at  the  mouth  of  Big  Cannoway,  this 

one  was  shot  through   hips,   and   the   other   through   the   arm;   the  name  of  the 

latter  was  Andrew  Lewis,  and  the  name  of  the  other  is  unknown  to  us." 

John    \IcCollock    to    the  Governor,   Richmond,   Feb.     8th, 
1794. 

I  considered  it  my  duty  to  arrest  Lieut.   Joseph  Biggs  of  mj^  company  of 
volunteer  militia  on  the  charges  which  I  have  the  honor  to  enclose.      I  immedi- 
ately made   a   report   to  William   Lowther,  Esq.,    as  commandant  of  the  rnilitia 
in  actual  service,  in  expectation  that  he  would  Direct  a  Court  Martial.  (4) 
'  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  etc."  (5) 

P.  179,  under  date  of  June  12,  1794,  John  McCollock  writes 
the  Governor: 


(4)   See  page  482.  (5)  p.  482. 


Colon Ki.  William  Lowthkr  267 

(1)  That  the  Indians  "killed  4  and  took  three  of  a  family  at  the  little 
Canavvay  early  in  May,  and  killed  one  man  at  Marata  the  last  of  May.  They 
have  killed  4  and  wounded  3  men  on  Allegheny  river  a  few  miles  above 
Pittsburgh. 

(2)  "They  are  so  lacking  in  amnuinilinn  they  would  not  be  able  to  follow 
the  Indians  if  invaded."  (6) 

Al  this  time  there  were  many  complaints  of  lack  of  ammuni- 
tion and  supplies,  while  the  IiKlians  were  very  active.  Pay  was 
more  than  a  year  in  arrears. 

Chas.  Wells  to  the  Governor: 

■•June  13,  1794. 

"I  am  honored  with  your  letter  of  the  18th  of  April,  by  Mr.  Boggs,  wherein 
your  excellency  conceives  that  1  complain  of  Injur)'  in  furnishing  provisions  at 
the  posts  on  the  River. 

"Your  Excellency  will  please  to  observe  that  I  did  not  mean  the  complaint 
to  extend  to  posts  on  the  River  only,  the  number  on  the  River  being  increased  since 
the  time  of  Messrs  Wood's  furnishing,  and  the  Rations  demanded  at  each  post. 
1  only  wished  the  privilage  of  furnishing  at  the  posts  mentioned  in  m\'  letter  of 
the  7th  of  January. 

"Captain  Lowther's  inforniaticMi  to  your  I'^xccUency  respecting  my  construc- 
tion of  the  contract  must  be  very  singular,  as  I  have  neither  seen  nor  heard  from 
Captain  Lowther  since  I  undertook  the  contract,  nor  do  I  recollect  of  mentioning 
m\'  opinion  to  any  Gentlemen  on  the  subject. 

"In  March  last.  General  Biggs  mentioned  to  me  that  he  had  wrote  to  Captain 
Lowther  to  meet  him  at  West  Liberty  to  arange  the  stations  before  or  at  the  time 
the  troops  were  to  be  mustered  in  Ohio;  on  which  account  I  attended  to  get  instruc- 
tions as  to  the  supply,  but  was  disappointed,  and  as  I  have  not  heard  from  Captain 
Lowther,  or  where  his  detachment  is  posted,  I  have  drawn  the  conclusion  that  he 
has  appointed  a  contractor  to  supply  the  posts  under  his  Immediate  inspection, 
which  perhaps  was  the  object  he  founded  his  complaint  on.  If  so,  I  wish  him  to 
continue  his  contractor  as  the  furnishing  of  his  post  or  posts  is  not  an  object  with 
me,  and  I  shall  account  with  him  or  any  other  person  for  Quantity  of  rations  fur- 
nished under  my  contract  as  soon  as  the  money  comes  to  hand  etc. 

"In  closing,  the  Indians  continue  depredations  on  our  frontiers." 

Cornelius  Bogard  to  the  (jovernor;  Randolph  County,  Aug. 
16,  1794: 

"On  recei\ing  your  orders  I  raised  a  Company  of  \  olunteers  for  the  defence 
of  Monongalia  District.  On  the  17th  of  March  last  I  received  orders  from  Col. 
William  Lowther  to  station  the  troops  raised  in  this  County  at  the  head  of  Tygarts 
Valley  and  Buchannon  river."  (7) 

Sept.  4,  1794.     John  llaymond  to  the  Governor: 

"  .Mr.  Stilwell,  I  am  informed,  is  sent  b\-  Capt.  Lowther  for  money  due  the 
soldiers  on  our  frontiers.  " 


(6)  See  page  482.   (7)  p.  4S2. 


268  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

William  Lowther    to    the  Governor;   Harrison  Co.,  Feb.  21, 
1795. 

"I  rec'd  your  Excellency's  instructions  dated  the  last  of  December  and 
have  noted  the  contents  thereof.  In  conformity  thereto  you  will  herewith  receive 
the  necessary  papers  and  documents,  in  order  that  the  money  may  be  forwarded 
I  discharged  the  Scouts  and  Rangers  immediately  under  my  command  on  the  first 
of  this  instant,  and  as  Colonel  George  Jackson,  who  was  appointed  by  the  Executive 
to  muster  the  rangers  of  Harrison  was  on  the  Assembly,  I  called  upon  Capt.  John 
McCally  to  perform  that  duty  which  he  did.  This  I  thought  would  be  more  proper 
than  to  continue  them  in  service  till  Colonel  Jackson  returned, 

"I  have  sent  you  also  through  Thos.  Wilson,  Esq.,  Jonathan  Coburn's  papers 
as  well  as  my  own,  together  with  the  papers  of  eight  scouts  of  this  county,  and  also 
two  ration  abstracts,  one  for  Ensign  Coburn,  and  his  men,  and  one  for  myself 
and  eleven  men  including  our  own  additional  rations  as  officers.  You  will  dis- 
cover they  are  made  out  in  our  own  names,  as  there  was  no  person  who  was  author- 
ized to  furnish  us  with  rations  by  the  Executive  within  one  hundred  miles  of  us, 
except  while  on  the  Ohio  river,  therefore  we  had  to  become  contractors  ourselves. 
I  flatter  myself  the  papers  are  all  properly  authenticated.  If  there  is  substance 
I  hope  your  Excellency  will  not  be  so  particular  as  to  form.  They  are  indorsed 
and  numbered.  No.  1  contains  my  pay  abstract,  muster  rolls  of  eleven  men 
immediately  under  my  own  command  etc. 

"I  beg  leave  to  mention  that  our  scouts  and  rangers  have  received  no  com- 
pensation for  their  two  last  year's  services  whereas,  those  other  counties  in  the 
district  had  received  a  partial  payment  etc. 

To  the  Governor,  9th  April,  1794. 

"  I  am  of  the  opinion  it  would  be  best  to  order  the  three  companies  des- 
tined for  the  defence  of  the  Western  Frontiers  to  the  Ohio  River  to  be  posted  at  the 
best  stations  between  Holliday's  Cove  and  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Kanawha;  that 
Captain  Lowther  as  Commandant  of  the  whole,  fix  his  own  station  as  near  the 
center  of  his  command  as  possible.  That  he  be  instructed  to  visit  the  Different 
Posts,  to  direct  the  mode  of  performing  the  Duty,  and  to  take  the  most  effectual 
measures  for  protecting  the  frontier  of  the  Monongalia  District;  and  that  he  for- 
ward by  post,  regular  monthly  returns  of  the  companies  under  his  command.  " 

(Signed)  "  James  Wood.  " 

Wm.  Lowther  to  the  Governor,  April  21,  1795.  Clarks- 
burg. 

"Assigning  reasons  for  docking  John  Jackson  19  days  pay  as  scout  for  time 
taken  in  attending  to  his  private  business  and  for  his  discharge  from  the  service. 

"Pay  abstracts  for  scouts  ordered  into  service  under  instructions  from  the 
Executive  in  the  year  1792,  Harrison  County. 

"Ellis  Hughes,  Robert  Lowther,  David  Carpenter,  Jonathan  Coburn,  John 
Hall,  Thomas  Herbert,  Watson  Clark,  William  Haymond,  Christopher  Carpenter, 
Obediah  Davison." 


Colonel  W  illlxm  I.owtiilr  269 

W'm.  Lowlhcr  to  ihc  Cjovcriujr,  Aug.  24,  1795,  Harrison 
County. 

"From  the  repealed  depredations  comiiiittcd  by  the  hostile  tribe  of  Indians 
1  iia\e  been  under  the  necessity  at  sundry  times  to  call  out  parties  of  the  militia, 
but,  by  the  delay  occasioned  by  that  round  of  order,  find  it  still  ineffectual.  There- 
fore, by  counsel  of  others  with  myself,  have  thought  it  best  to  call  out  a  Lieutenant 
and  a  company  for  Harrison  and  Ensign  and  company  for  Randolph,  and  have 
also  augmented  the  number  of  scouts  from  six  to  nine  for  Harrison  and  Randolph, 
and  keep  them  stationed  in  the  most  exposed  part  of  each  county,  to  be  ready 
at  any  call,  and  to  continue  while  necessity  may  require,  or  until  1  have  further 
instructions  from  your  Excellency,  and  further  I  flatter  myself  to  meet  with 
your  approbation  in  what  I  have  done  etc."    (8) 

Win.  Lowtlier  to  the  (jovernor,  Sept.  S,  1794. 

"Yours  by  express  came  to  hand,  and  I  am  happy  to  inform  you  that  the  people 
of  this  county  have  discovered  no  disposition  to  aid  or  abet  the  lawless  Penn- 
sylvanians,  but  still  continue  their  attachment  to  our  happy  government. 

"In  a  letter  from  Gen.  Wood,  I  was  desired  to  forward  accurate  returns  of  the 
situation  of  the  Posts,  etc.  The  posts  on  the  river  are  not  yet  fixed.  I  wrote 
different  times  to  Captain  Bogard  to  march  to  the  post  assigned  for  his  company  at 
Newberry,  a  few  miles  above  the  mouth  Great  Hockhocking,  and  he  has  not 
complied,  and  I  know  not  the  reason,  but  expect  it  is  owing  to  alarms  in  his  own 
county.     However  I  learn  he  is  now  on  his  way. 

"I  had  appointed  the  mouth  of  Middle  Island  for  Ensign  Coburn's  station."  (9) 

William  Lowther  was  Colonel  of  Militia,  Randolph  County, 
\  irginia,  in  1796. 

Robert  Lowther,  whose  name  appears  on  the  Moncmgahela 
pay  abstract  for  scouts,  1792,  was  Colonel  Lowther's  oldest  son. 
William,  his  second  son,  also  took  part  in  some  of  the  border 
forays  just  prior  to  the  Treaty  of  Greenville.  Of  this  son  and 
his  descendants.  Rev.  Granville  Lowther,  D.  D.,  says: 

"My  great  grandfather,  William  Lowther,  was  Colonel  Low- 
ther's son  and  was  an  old  man  when  I  was  a  child.  Some  char- 
acteristics of  the  man  are  as  clear  to  me  as  anything  of  later  date. 
In  physical  appearance,  he  was  about  medium  height,  but  very 
muscular,  high  forehead,  prominent  nose,  firm  mouth,  greyish 
blue  eyes  with  arching  brow,  strong,  sinew\-  and  erect;  but  at 
times  a  little  bent  and  walking  with  a  cane.  Mentally  he  was 
optimistic,  proud,  determined,  willful,  yet  lo\-ing  and  tender  as 
a  child.  He  used  to  take  me  on  his  knee  and  tell  stories  of  his 
Indian  adventures  until  in  m\"  childish  imagination,  I  could  see 
the  chase,  the  trail,  the  tight   ami  all   the  realities  of  the  border 

(8)  See  page  482.  (9)  p.  482. 


270  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

conflict.  He  would  tell  of  how  the  pioneers  lived  in  log  cabins; 
how  they  dressed  in  flax  and  tow-made  garments  in  summer,  and 
homespun  linsey  in  winter.  He  told  how  he  used  to  work  clear- 
ing land,  plowing  and  hoeing  corn  from  before  daylight  in  the 
morning  until  dark  at  night,  with  only  an  hour  for  noon,  and 
during  that  hour  he  would  weave  on  the  old  hand  loom,  except 
what  time  he  was  at  his  meals.  Alany  of  the  nights  were  spent  in 
burning  brush  and  logs,  which  tended  to  economize  time  and 
advance  the  interests  of  the  one  end  in  view;  the  conquest  of  the 
forest.  His  example,  influence  and  traits  largely  stamped  the 
character  of  his  descendants. 

To  illustrate:  "His  son,  John  A.  Lowther,  was  a  man  of 
superior  strength,  who  with  others  were  out  hunting  when  they 
came  upon  a  herd  of  wild  hogs.  The  old  boar  showed  fight  and 
charged  them  as  they  were  debating  whether  to  run,  climb  trees 
or  fight.  As  he  came,  John  sprang  to  one  side,  caught  the  boar 
by  an  ear  with  one  hand  and  beat  him  over  the  snout  with  a  stick 
until  he  was  subdued. 

"John  was  for  a  time  sheriff  of  Ritchie  County,  and  when 
he  got  his  hands  on  a  man  neither  handcuffs  nor  other  criminal 
appliances  were  necessary,  for  he  could  outrun  and  overcome  any 
man  he  ever  met.  He  at  one  time  went  to  arrest  a  wrongdoer, 
who  had  taken  refuge  with  two  of  his  friends  in  a  cabin.  He 
approached  the  house  and  was  about  to  enter,  when  his  presence 
was  discovered.  The  inmates  sprang  to  close  the  door,  but  not 
until  the  officer  had  thrust  his  hand  through  the  opening.  The 
shutter  was  slammed  against  his  arm  and  the  combined  weight  of 
the  three  men  pressed  against  it.  With  no  apparent  effort,  Low- 
ther flung  back  the  door,  seized  his  man  and  walked  away. 

"Another  son,  Alexander  Lowther,  (10)  my  grandfather,  was 
in  temperament  nervous,  quick  and  excitable;  a  man  of  strong 
will  power,  who  scoffed  at  the  idea  of  failure.  He  was  hopeful, 
cheerful  and  sociable,  with  enough  imagination  to  have  been  a 
poet,  novelist  or  orator;  but  living  where  these  powers  were  not 
in  demand,  he  exercised  his  imagination  in  laying  plans  for  the 
future  of  his  children,  building  machinery  and  buying  almost 
every  patent  device  that  agents  tried  to  sell  to  him.  He  was 
hospitable  to  a  fault,  and  for  miles  in  every  direction  people  knew 
that  if  they  reached  'Uncle  Alex  Lowther's,'  about  meal  time  or 


(10)  See  page  482. 


CoLONKL  William  Lowthkr  271 

nighl,  food  or  lodging  ^^'^'i"*-'  ^^  free  as  llic  water  from  the  well. 
In  this  way,  he  gave  to  travellers  hundreds  of  dollars,  but  gained 
in  return  the  information  and  sociability  they  brought  into  his 
home,  for  it  was  before  the  days  of  newspapers,  railroads  or  tele- 
graph, and  the  principal  source  of  information  of  a  public  character 
was  gained  from  travellers  passing  from  place  to  place  on  horse- 
back. He  was  never  a  member  of  church,  inclining  to  a  belief  in 
the  doctrine  of  Universalism.  When  he  was  approaching  death, 
he  appeared  for  a  time  a  little  disturbed  about  his  destiny  in  the 
future,  until  someone  read  to  him  the  language  of  Christ,  "I  was 
hungered  and  ye  gave  me  meat;  thirsty  and  ye  gave  me  drink; 
a  stranger  and  ye  took  me  in;  naked  and  ye  clothed  me."  When 
the  reading  was  finished,  he  seemed  at  perfect  ease  and  to  rest 
his  hope  of  salvation  upon  it.  He  was  married  twice;  the  first  time 
to  Miss  Sarah  Ireland.  By  this  marriage,  there  were  six  sons, 
viz:  Alexander,  William  I.,  John  A.,  Jesse,  Archibald,  Robert 
and  Jackson;  two  girls,  Elizabeth  and  Sarah.  He  married  the 
second  time  the  widow  Neal.  There  were  no  children  by  this 
marriage.     He  died  at  the  age  of  62  years. 

"My  father,  Jesse  Lowther,  was  a  man  of  smaller  stature, 
about  five  feet  ten  inches  high,  but  very  quick  and  muscular.  He 
is  now  living  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years  and  is  still  strong. 
(11)  He,  too,  was  of  the  pioneer  type,  who  knew  no  defeat  and 
acknowledged  no  superior.  He  was  captain  of  Virginia  Militia 
upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  Excitement 
ran  high  and  many  reports  of  raids  and  invasions  from  the  Confed- 
erates were  rife.  The  colonel  had  ordered  his  regiment  to  West 
Union,  West  Virginia,  to  meet  a  supposed  enemy  and  to  guard 
the  town.  My  father  mounted  a  horse  and  rode  it  down,  gather- 
ing his  compan\'.  He  rode  a  second  one  down  getting  equipment 
and  necessary  preparations  for  the  journe\'  and  camp.  Then 
they  started  on  a  forced  march  of  eight  miles  across  the  hills  to 
West  Union.  When  about  half  way,  they  were  met  b>-  the  col- 
onel on  horseback,  who  in  anger  and  excitement  commanded: 
'Quick  step.  Run  into  town.''  My  father  retorted  'Run  your- 
self. We  will  be  there  to  assist  in  any  fight  you  may  have  on  hand 
when  wc  arrive.'  This  was  insubordination,  but  he  had  inher- 
ited the  spirit  of  his  ancestors  and  brooked  no  intolerance,  even 
from  his  commandant." 


(11)  Sec  page  482. 


272  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Mr.  Granville  S.  Lowther,  previously  quoted,  a  great  grand- 
son of  Col.  Lowther,  line  of  his  son  Jesse,  tells  me  that  soon  after 
the  Treaty  of  Greenville,  Col.  Lowther's  boys  all  immigrated  to 
the  Ohio,  and  settled  about  Marietta,  and  on  the  Aluskingum. 
Chills  and  fever  drove  them  back  to  their  former  home,  where 
some  of  them  settled  on  the  West  Fork  near  West  Milford,  Har- 
rison County,  which  is  known  as  the  Lowther  "Settlement." 
Others  located  on  Hughes  River,  Ritchie  County,  West  Virginia, 
and  formed  there  a  "Lowther  Settlement"  where  many  of  their 
descendants  still  live. 

Col.  Lowther,  born  1742  or  1743,  died  October  28,  1814,  and 
is  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  his  home  farm,  on  the  West  Fork. 
His  grave  is  marked  with  a  rough  stone,  which  still  bears  his  initials 
(or  name,)  but  all  other  inscriptions  are  practically  defaced  by 
time.  There  is  a  movement  on  foot  to  mark  his  grave  with  an 
appropriate  block  of  granite.  His  wife,  Sudna  Hughes  Lowther, 
survived  her  husband  several  years,  and  died  at  the  home  of  her 
son,  Elias,  in  Ritchie  County,  West  Virginia,  and  lies  in  an 
unmarked  grave  on  the  Flannegan  farm,  on  Hughes  River,  above 
Berea.  Mrs.  Lowther  is  said  to  have  been  low  in  stature  and 
dark  complexioned. 

There  is  confusion  regarding  the  relative  ages  of  the  colonel's 
children,  but  Mr.  G.  S.  Lowther  has  given  what  is  believed  to  be 
the  correct  genealogy.  Mr.  Lowther  copied  the  record  with  its 
explanatory  note  from  an  old  Bible  now  in  his  possession,  which 
belonged  to  his  uncle,  Jesse  G.  Lowther: 

"Robert  Lowther,  born  ,  1765;  Thomas  Lowther,  born 

7  day  March,  1767;  WilUam  Lowther,  born  27  Jan,  1768; 
Jesse  Lowther,  born  21  July,  1773;  Elias  Lowther,  born  16 
Sept  1776;  this  was  taken  from  Grandfather's  Bible  by  me,  Jesse 
G.  Lowther." 

Colonel  Lowther's  old  Bible  cannot  be  located,  and  is  supposed 
to  have  been  lost  some  years  ago. 

It  has  been  impossible  to  secure  a  genealogy  of  Colonel 
Lowther's  descendants,  other  than  that  of  his  two  sons,  Robert 
and  Jesse. 

Robert's  children  were:     William  B.  Lowther,    married  

Coburn;   Jesse    G.    Lowther,    married   Switzer;    Robert    J. 

Lowther,  married Eliza  Highland;    Dr.  John  C.  Lowther, 


COLONKI.   W  11.1.1  \M    I.owrill.R 


273 


married    Prichard;    jaincs    K.    l.ou  thcr,   Jr.,    married    

Knight;    "Peggy,"    married   Thomas    Ireland;  Susanna,    married 
Abraham  Morrison. 

The  children  of  Jesse  Low  t her  were:  Dr.  Jesse  Lowlher, 
Dr.  Robert  Lowther,  William  Lowther,  Uriah  Lowther,  Klias 
Jackson  Lowther,  married  Miss  Celina  McW  horter;  Mary  Ann, 
married  W  illiam  Hall;  Sarah,  married  William  Xorris;  Drusilla, 
married  Bradley  Morgan;  .Millie  M.,  married  Daniel  Wire;  Kliza- 
bcth,  married  Conrad  Kester. 


^^W 

^^m^ 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 


There  was  a  settler  at  West's  Fort  who  did  much  towards 
developing  the  country,  and  ameliorating  the  condition  of  the 
pioneers.  This  was  Henry  McWhorter  who  was  born  in  New 
Jersey,  November  13,  1760.  A  note  in  Border  Warfare  (1)  states 
that  he  was  born  in  Orange  County,  New  York.  This  data  was 
taken  from  his  old  gravestone,  and  is  erroneous.  The  same  note 
places  the  date  of  his  arrival  on  Hacker's  Creek  six  years  too  soon. 
Of  his  antecedents,  but  little  is  known.  His  father,  a  linen  weaver 
by  trade,  hailed  from  northern  Ireland  (date  unknown)  and  set- 
tled in  New  Jersey  prior  to  the  French  and  Indian  Wars.  The 
name  is  Scotch.  J.  P.  AlacLean,  Ph.  D.,  an  authority  on  Scotch 
Highland  literature  and  clan  history,  says,  that  the  family  belonged 
to  the  "Clan  Buchanan,"  located  along  the  eastern  shores  of  Loch 
Lomond,  Scotland.  The  Highland  appellation  was  "Na  Canon- 
aich."  The  coat  of  arms  is  given  in  illustrated  clan  works.  The 
badge  was  "Bilberry."  The  slogan  was  "Clare  Junis,"  this  being 
the  name  of  an  island  in  Loch  Lomond. 

Mr.  George  C.  AlcWhorter  says:  "The  ]\Ic^^'horter  family 
is  Scotch  extraction.  In  Scotland  the  name  is  now  generally 
written  McWhirter.  In  this  country  it  is  now  written  McWhorter. 
The  family  belonged  to  Galloway,  and  at  an  early  day  formed 
part  of  a  small  clan  which  bore  the  name  of  MacWhorter.  Many 
Scotch  Lowlanders,  and  among  them  some  of  the  MacW^horters, 
emigrated  to  the  north  of  Ireland.  One  of  these  families  was  cut 
off  in  the  Irish  massacre  of  1641,  save  one  girl.  She  married  a 
MacWhorter.  Of  the  history  of  the  MacWhorters,  except  that 
they  were  Protestants,  little  if  anything  is  known  prior  to  about 
the  year  1700. 

"In  the  beginning  of  the  18th  century  we  find  Hugh  Alac- 
Whorter  a  prosperous  linen  merchant  of  Armagh.  In  1730  he 
emigrated,  at  the  solicitation  of  his  eldest  son,  Alexander,  to 
America  and  settled  in  the  county  of  New  Castle,  Delaware, 
where  he  became  a  prominent  farmer  and  an  elder  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  By  his  only  wife,  Jane,  he  had  eleven  children. 
He  died  in  1748.  Of  his  numerous  children  the  eldest,  Alexander, 
who  had  been  educated  for  the  Presbyterian  ministry  and  had 

(1)  See  page  482. 


Henry  McW  hortkr  275 

spent  two  \-ears  in  the  I'niversit)'  of  Edinburgh,  died  in  1734  witli- 
out  issue:  John  removed  to  North  CaroHna:  Xanc\-  married 
Alexander  Osborne  of  North  Carolina,  and  Jane  married  John 
Brevard  of  the  same  state.  The  descendants  of  John,  Nancy 
and  Jane  are  numerous  and  have  doubtless  found  their  way  into 
various  parts  of  the  south. 

"The  youngest  of  Hugh  MacW  horier's  children,  the  second 
Alexander,  was  born  July  15,  1734  C).  S.  He  subsequenth'  became 
distinguished  as  the  Rev.  Alex.  MacWhorter  D.  D.  A  sketch  of 
his  life  will  be  found  in  the  funeral  sermon  preached  by  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Griffin  on  the  occasion  of  the  death  of  his  venerable  predecessor 
in  the  pastorship  of  the  First  Presb.  Ch.  at  Newark;  also  in  one 
of  the  Presb.  magazines  for  1853.  Appelton's  Cyclopedia  likewise 
contains  a  biographical  notice  of  Dr.  MacWhorter  from  the  pen 
of  the  late  George  MacWhorter,  grandson  of  Dr.  McW'horter: 
and  corresponding  member  of  the  Historical  Society  of  New 
Jersey.  Alexander  MacWhorter,  D.  D.,  was  born  Jul\'  15,  1734, 
O.  S.'    Died  July  20,  1807. 

"In  1758  Dr.  MacW  horter 'married  Mary  Cumming,  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  Cumming,  of  Freei|old,  High  Sheriff  of  the  County 
of  Monmouth;  and  sister  of  the  late  Gen.  Cumming  of  the  Rev. 
Army.     He  left  four  children  viz.: 

"(1)  Mary  who  married  Samuel  Beebee,  a  merchant  of  the 
City  of  New  York. 

"(2)  Ann  who  married  the  Rev.  Geo.  Ogilvie,  Rector  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  at  New  Brunswick. 

"(3)  Alexander  Cumming  McW  horter,  born  1771,  died 
October  8,  1808.     (See  account  below.) 

"(4)  John  McW  horter  who  married  Martha  Dwight  of 
Newark,  b)-  whom  he  had  three  children,  only  one  of  whom, 
Alargaret  McW  horter,  spinster,  is  now  living.     (1865) 

''Alexander  C.  McW  horter  (see  above)  was  the  first  to  change 
the  spelling  of  the  name.  (2)  He  was  a  distinguished  member 
of  the  New  Jersey  Bar  and  one  of  the  most  eminent  citizens  of 
Newark.  Coleman,  of  the  New  York  Evening  Post,  at  the  time 
of  Mr.  McW  horter's  death  wrote  and  published  a  very  fine  obituary 
of  him.  Alex.  C.  McW  horter  married  Phoebe  Bruen  of  Newark, 
and  sister  of  the  late  Matthias  Bruen  of  Perth  .\mboy,  N.J."  (3) 

"Mc\\'hortcr,  George  Cumniinjr,  of  Oswego,  New  York,  president  and  com- 
piler of  the  Oswego  City  Library,  holds  several  prominent  lay  positions  in  the 

(2)  See  page  482.  (3)  p.  4S.S. 


276  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Protestant  Episcopal  Church;  son  of  George  H.  of  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  B.  at 
Newark,  N.  J.,  June  18,  1795,  D.  at  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  June  1,  1862,  for  many  years 
a  prominent  citizen  of  Oswego,  author  of  Handbook  of  the  New  Testament,  Church 
Essays,  etc.,  a  prolific  writer  for  the  press,  held  several  positions  of  honor  and 
trust,  member  of  Prot.  Epis.  Ch.  (m.  Feb.  9,  1819,  Margaret  T.,  dau.  of  John 
Lawrence,  judge  advocate-general  of  the  Rev.  Army,  and  conducted  the  trial 
of  Andre);  son  of  Alexander  C.  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  b.  there  1771,  D.  there  October 
8,  1808,  an  eminent  lawyer  (m.  1790,  Phoebe,  dau.  of  Caleb  Bruen  of  Newark, 
and  sister  of  Mathias  Bruen,  a  leading  citizen  of  Perth  Amboy,  N.  J.);  son  of 
Alexander  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  b.  at  New  Castle,  Del,  July  26,  1734,  d.  at  Newark, 
July  20,  1807,  an  eminent  Presbyterian  clergyman,  a  friend  of  Dr.  Witherspoon, 
and  under  him  the  First  Presb.  Ch.  in  Newark  was  built,  he  was  Chaplin  in  Gen. 
Knox's  brigade,  was  at  council  of  war  before  the  army  crossed  the  Delaware,  . 
intimate  with  Washington,  his  portrait  by  Copley  is  in  Yale  Gallery,  New  Haven, 
Conn.  (mar.  Oct.,  1758,  Mary,  dau.  of  Gen.  Gumming  of  the  Rev.  Army);  son  of 
Hugh  of  New  Castle,  Del.,  the  first  of  the  name  in  America.  The  McWhorters 
were  a  small  lowland  clan,  one  went  to  the  north  of  Ireland,  whence  a  descendant, 
Hugh  came  to  America."  (4) 

It  is  reasonably  sure  that  Henry  McWhorter  was  the  son 
of  one  of  the  eleven  children  of  Hugh  McWhorter,  the  Hnen  mer- 
chant of  Armagh,  who  settled  in  New  Castle,  Delaware,  1730. 
Some  of  the  family,  as  shown,  settled  in  New  Jersey  and  NewYork, 
where  their  descendants  still  reside. 

Henry  was  one  of  four  known  brothers,  all  famous  for  their 
wonderful  physical  achievements.  He  was  about  five  feet  ten 
inches  high,  broad  shouldered,  weight  about  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  pounds;  and  was  endowed  with  tireless  energy  and 
endurance.  He  was  fair  complexioned,  had  blue  eyes,  light  hair 
and  a  Roman  nose.  His  temperament  was  sanguine,  but  under 
complete  self-control. 

Of  his  three  brothers,  Thomas,  James  and  Gilbert,  (5) 
all  were  "mighty  men"  of  prodigious  strength  and  nerve.  James 
(Jim)  was  of  ordinary  size,  but  a  noted  athlete.  It  is  related  of 
him,  that  with  his  fists  alone  he  knocked  out  six  rugged  Keel 
Boatmen,  who  came  to  his  mother's  house,  taking  liberties  which 
he  would  not  tolerate. 

The  rivermen  entered  the  cabin  at  meal-time  and  boisterously 
took  possession  of  the  table.  Jim  was  not  staying  at  home  but 
happened  to  be  there  on  a  visit;  and  hoping  to  avoid  a  colhsion, 
did  not  interfere  until  a  protest  from  his  step-father,  an  aged  and 
infirm  Irishman,  elicited  from  the  rowdies  a  tirade  of  abuse.  This 
was  more  than  the  fiery  Jimmie  could  endure,' and  he  perempto- 

(4)  See  page  483.  (5)  p.  483. 


Henry  McW  iiorter  277 

rih  ordered  the  men  to  leave  the  premises,  lie  was  greeted  with 
a  chorus  of  insulting'  jeers  and  a  combined  onshiuuhi  from  the 
crowd.  The  undauiiled  \-oung  athlete  backed  into  a  corner  of 
the  room  and  struck  so  rapidh"  and  effectually  that  the  six  were 
on  the  Hoor  at  the  same  time.  As  soon  as  they  were  able, 
the\-  picked  themselves  up  and  went  away.  The  step-father 
proudU'  strikin.e  the  hero  on  the  shoulder,  exclaimed:  "Och 
fammie  an'  \'er  the  b\e  fer  me." 

(Gilbert  was  a  good-natuiCLl  ^nant,  who  was  ne\er  known  to 
lose  his  temper  but  once,  on  which  occasion  he  "cleaned  up  the 
ttnvn."  So  great  was  his  size,  that  the  calf  of  his  let:  Hlled  the 
thigh  of  his  brother  Jim's  pantaloons. 

Their  father  d\'ing  prematureh',  left  the  famii}'  in  penury, 
and  the  boys  were  "bound  out"  to  work  for  their  board  and 
clothing.  Henr\-  was  apprenticed  to  a  mill-wright,  and  mastered 
his  trade  when  but  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  then  joined  the 
Patriot  Army  as  a  "Minute  Man."  These  troops  were  a  potent 
factor  in  the  Revolution,  and  like  the  "Shirt  Man"  of  Virginia, 
was  a  unique  figure.  McW'horter's  declaration  for  pension,  Sep- 
tember 4th,  1832,  and  his  re-examination  b>-  Singleton,  December 
7th,  1833,  depicts  an  interesting  phase  in  the  career  of  this  class 
of  troops. 

He  hrst  enlisted  in  Capt.  W'isner's  Company  of  Minute  Men, 
from  Orange  County,  New  \'ork.  This  was  in  February  or  March, 
1776,  and  the  men  were  immediately  marched  to  Fort  Constitu- 
tion, on  the  North  River,  and  attached  to  Col.  Livingston's  Reg- 
iment of  State  Militia;  who  also  was  in  command  of  the  fort.  At 
the  end  of  four  months,  and  before  the  term  of  enlistment  had 
expired,  the  regiment  was  disbanded. 

In  the  last  of  July  or  the  first  o\  August,  McW  horter  again 

enlisted    from    the    same    County,    in    Capt.    W'isner's    Company 

known  as  The  Flying  Camp;  and  hastened  to  Kingsbridge,  over 

Spike-and-Devil  Creek,  and  attached  to  "Col.  Isaac  Nichols  Regi- 

'-     ment;  under  Cjen.  George  Clinton."  (SM) 

While  at  this  point,  several  companies  were  detailed  to  Long 
Island,  but  while  on  the  way,  McW'horter  with  others,  under 
Lieut.  Langdon  was  stopped  at  l'"oit  Washington,  on  the  Hudson. 
near  New  York.  While  here,  the  Battle  of  Long  Island  was  fought, 
after  which  Lieut.  Langdon's  men  were  marched  back  to  Kings- 
bridge  and  rejoined  their  former  companies. 

(S)^)  See  page  484. 


278  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

The  day  that  the  Battle  of  Long  Island  was  fought,  Gen. 
George  Clinton  hurried  to  re-enforce  the  Americans,  but  the 
ensuing  night  being  very  dark,  he  escaped  marching  directly  into 
the  British  lines,  only  by  the  timely  discovery  of  the  danger 
by  his  scouts.  The  next  day  Gen.  Clinton  returned  with  his 
forces  to  his  old  rendezvous,  Kingsbridge. 

Shortly  after  this  episode.  Gen.  Clinton  moved  with  his  troops 
to  the  White  Plains.  McWhorter  was  present  but  did  not  partic- 
ipate in  the  battle  fought  there  October  28,  1776.  The  wing  of 
the  army  to  which  he  belonged  was  not  brought  into  action. 
After  this  battle  Gen.  Clinton  moved  to  Peach  Hills,  on  the 
North  River;  where  McWhorter  lay  ill  all  winter.  He  was  sent 
home  on  a  furlough  by  Dr.  Henry  White,  and  his  term  of  enlist- 
ment expired  before  he  was  fully  recovered. 

In  April,  1777,  McWhorter  entered  from  his  home  County, 
Capt.  Totliff's  Company  for  one  month  as  a  substitute  and  served 
at  "Peramas  Mamaps"(.0  (name  not  clear)  and  in  May  (1777) 
enlisted  for  three  months  under  Capt.  Thompkins,  to  work  on  the 
famous  chevaux-de-frise ;  (6)  "which  was  placed  in  North  River  just 
below  New  Windsor."  Capt.  Thompkins  and  one  Gray  had 
control  of  this  work.  Thompkins,  it  was  said,  "turned  Tory  and 
piloted  the  British  ships  through  the  gap  that  had  been  left." 

In  August,  1777,  he  again  substituted  from  his  home  County, 
for  a  term  of  three  months  under  Capt.  Parsons,  and  was  sent  to 
Fort  Montgomery,  which  was  under  the  command  of  Gen.  George 
Clinton.  A  few  days  before  the  Battle  of  Fort  Montgomery, 
McWhorter  was  detailed  to  attend  a  ferry  across  the  North  River, 
three  miles  above  the  Fort;  and  thus  escaped  this  engagement. 
Gen.  James  Clinton  had  command  of  Clinton's  Fort,  and  was 
wounded  in  the  British  attack  upon  these  strongholds. 

Immediately  upon  the  expiration  of  this  term,  McWhorter 
enlisted  for  one  month  under  Capt.  John  Decker,  of  the  "Insur- 
gent" Militia  of  New  Jersey,  and  was  marched  to  Woodley,  on 
the  Delaware  River;  where  he  was  detailed  on  fatigue  duty  at 
Red  Bank  Fort.  While  there  Mud  Fort  was  abandoned  by  the 
Americans,  who  set  fire  to  the  barracks.  The  next  day  the  Fort 
was  taken  possession  of  by  the  British. 

In  March  1778,  McWhorter  went  to  Northumberland  County, 
Pennsylvania,  and  volunteered  under  Capt.  Thomas  Chaplain,  as 
a  Ranger  to  serve  against  the  Indians  of  that  region.     During 

(6)   See  page  484. 


IIenrv  McWhortf.r  279 

this  time  he  was  frequently  employed  in  guarding  the  boats  carry- 
ing provisions  to  the  army  up  the  Susquehanna  River. 

In  answer  to  some  further  questions  by  the  court,  McW  hor- 
ter  stated.  1.  "I  was  born  the  13th  day  of  November  in  1760 
in  the  State  of  New  Jersey.  2.  "I  have  the  record  of  my  age  in 
my  Bible  taken  from  my  father's  Bible.  (7)  3.  "When  called 
into  service  I  was  living  in  Orange  County,  N.  W  Married  in 
Bucks  County,  Pa.,  (8)  moved  from  there  to  Hampshire  Co., 
Va.,  in  1786,  from  thence  to  Harrison  County,  but  now  Lewis 
in  the  year  1790  where  I  now  live." 

Alexander  West,  William  Powers  and  several  others  testified 
in  McWhorter's  behalf,  stating  that  "as  a  man  of  truth  he  stands 
as  high  as  any  man."  On  this  declaration,  he  was  granted  a 
pension  of  373.33  a  year,  for  twenty-two  months'  service  in  New 
York,  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania  Line. 

To  his  second  declaration,  Mr.  Singleton  gave  this  endorse- 
ment: 

"I'his  is  a  very  intelligent  and  honest  man  and  is  entitled  to 
all  that  has  been  awarded  him." 

However,  his  allowance  was  reduced  to  ^560. 00  a  year,  on  the 
grounds  that  four  months  of  his  enlistment  had  been  employed 
against  the  Indians.     Apropos  to  this  is  the  following: 

"Weston,  IVa.,]  April  20,  1835. 
"Sir: 

"My  pension  certificate  lias  been  required  to  be  returned  for  correction  and 
as  I  understand  will  be  reduced  from  allowance  for  twenty-two  months  service 
in  the  Rev.  War,  to  18  months  on  the  ground  that  four  months  were  for  services 
against  the  Indians — it  is  true  that  much  time  was  employed  against  them — 
but  whatever  of  the  time  I  was  not  engaged  against  the  Indians  was  employed 
on  other  duties  and  it  is  equally  true  that  the  officers  under  whom  I  served  was 
employed  by  the  Gov.  either  of  the  state  General  Government.  I  am  now  very 
old  and  infirm  and  must  submit  to  whatever  may  be  done  in  my  case  still  it  seems 
to  me  that  my  right  to  an  allowance  for  twenty-two  months  service  is  just  as  clear 
as  it  is  to  eighteen  months. 

"Mr.  Singleton  examined  me  twice  and  each  time  pronounced  my  claim 
good  and  states  he  so  reported.  I  had  much  rather  have  nothing  than  by  a  false 
statement  of  facts  to  receive  from  the  government  one  dollar  unfairly. 

I  am  with  respect,  etc.. 


(7)  See  page  4S4.   (S)   p.  484. 


280 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


On  August  1,  1783,  in  Bucks  County,  Pennsylvania,  Henry 
McWhorter  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Fields,  a  noble  woman, 
to  whom  he  owed  much  for  his  success  in  life.  She  was  born  in 
1760.  From  Bucks  County  they  moved  in  1786  to  Hampshire 
County,  Virginia.  In  1790  with  their  little  family,  they  sought 
by  wagon  a  home  in  the  wilds  of  western  Virginia,  and  settled  on 
McKinney's  Run,  a  branch  of  Hacker's  Creek,  Harrison  County, 
where  McWhorter  built  a  cabin  and  cleared  some  land. 


The  Henry  McWhorter  House 
Photographed  by  Professor  G.  F.  Queen,  1894 

Mr.  Ned  J.  Jackson,  a  noted  "Forty-niner,"  who  then  owned  it,  is  seen  at 
door.     The  view  is  fronting  the  creek  on  the  north. 


Three  years  later,  he  moved  near  West's  Fort,  and  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  murky  "Wiya-nipe,"  built  a  house  of  hewed 
logs,  where  he  resided  for  thirty-seven  years.  This  house  is 
eighteen  and  a  half  feet  wide,  by  twenty-four  feet  long.  It  is 
substantially  constructed,  and  bears  the  marked  characteristics 
of  pioneer  architecture.  The  chimney,  like  that  of  the  Tanner 
house,  described  in  Chapter  XXI,  is  built  inside  of  the  room. 
This  was  evidently  a  precaution  against  a  vulnerable  point  of 
Indian  attack.  If  constructed  on  the  outside  it  could  have  been 
demolished   and   an  entrance  gained   through  the  opening   in  the 


Henry  Mc  WiioRTKR  2S1 

wall  which  was  alwa\s  left  the  height  of  the  fireplace  lo  guard 
against  possible  conflagration.  This  opening  was  closed  most 
substantialh'  with  stone  laid  cvenh'  with  the  outside  wall. 
After  Indian  hostilities,  the  cabin  chinine\s  were  built  on  the  out- 
side of  the  house;  giving  more  room  on  the  interior.  Logs  were 
sometimes  placed  upon  the  eaves  of  the  cabins,  t(j  be  cast  on 
Indians  besieging  the  door.  The  fireplace  is  six  feet  ten  inches 
wide  and  three  feet  six  inches  high,  with  a  stone  arch.  The  original 
depth  can  not  be  determined  under  present  conditions,  as  the 
back  wall  has  been  tilled  in  with  false  work.  There  are  now  two 
rooms  on  the  ground  Hoor,  and  a  garret  room  under  the  roof. 
The  building  is  in  a  splendid  state  of  preservation,  and  should  be 
kept  as  hrst  constructed.  Buih  in  1793,  it  is  the  oldest  house 
showing  original  construction,  in  the  historic  Hacker's  Creek 
\'alley,  if  not  in  central  West  Virginia.  There  is  a  fine  hickory 
grove  standing  between  the  house  and  the  pike  on  the  west, 
grown  from  nuts  planted  b\-  Mr.  Ned  J.  Jackson,  during  the  first 
week  in  October,  1S57.  They  produce  an  excellent  quality  of 
fruit.  Jackson  carried  the  seed-nuts  in  his  hat  from  Jackson's 
null  on  the  \\  est  Fork  River. 

After  settling  in  the  wilderness,  McW  horter  experienced  many 
pri\'ations  and  hardships  incident  to  frontier  life.  He  often  went 
to  \\  inchester  with  pack  horses  for  salt;  and  once  made  the  trip 
in  company  with  John  Sims.  On  their  return  it  grew  desperately 
cold  in  the  mountains.  They  were  compelled  to  dismount  and 
walk  in  order  to  keep  from  freezing.  Sims  was  at  length  over- 
come by  the  cold,  and  sat  down  by  the  trail  to  rest.  McW  horter, 
well  knowing  the  subtle  nature  of  the  threatening  danger,  had 
been  encouraging  Sims  to  greater  exertion,  and  now  became 
thorough!)'  alarmed  for  his  safety.  He  urged  him  not  to  give  in, 
and  pointed  out  the  imminent  danger  of  his  situation,  but  to  no 
purpose.  Sims  begged  to  be  let  alone.  "I  am  so  tired,"  he 
drowsily  murmured,  "and  so  sleepy.  You  go  on  and  I  will  come 
soon."  McW  horter  continued  to  plead  with  him,  but  he  rapidly 
sank  into  a  state  of  lethargy.  The  death  stupor  was  upon  him, 
and  McW'horter  realized  that  he  could  be  saved  only  by  the  most 
heroic  treatment.  From  a  beech  tree  he  cut  a  keen  limb,  and 
trimrning  it  of  its  branches,  he  applied  it  most  vigorously  to  the 
lower  extremities  of  his  half-conscious  companion.  It  required 
several  stinging  blows  to  arouse  Sims,  who  made  piteous  appeals 


282 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


to  be  permitted  to  "take  just  one  little  nap."  His  pleadings  were 
answered  only  by  the  fierce  "swish"  of  the  beech  "gad"  cutting 
the  frosty  air  as  it  descended  in  unabated  fury  on  the  suffering 
victim.  Finally  the  pain  became  unbearable,  and  Sims  starting 
up,  made  at  his  relentless  tormentor.  This  was  the  result  for 
which  McWhorter  had  been  striving,  and  he  dexterously  kept 
beyond  reach.  Failing  in  his  attempt,  Sims  again  sat  down,  but 
only  to  feel  a  renewal  of  pain  from  the  beech  switch  in  the  hands 


A  Mountain  Corn  Cracker 
Photographed  Jan.  1910,  especially  for  this  work.     Kindness  of  Mr.  J.  A.  Heaton 

A  mountain  ''''corn  cracker,^''  located  in  an  unbroken  forest,  on  Hickory  Knob 
Run,  tributary  of  Bufalo  Creek,  Clay  County.  W.  Va.  This  is  the  oldest  mill  in  that 
region,  and  is  still  in  service,  patrons  coming  twenty  miles  to  have  corn  ground. 
Capacity  about  fifteen  bushels  a  day.  The  "jolly  miller"  is  Mr.  William  (Uncle  Billy) 
Kyle,  74  years  old. 


of  the  obdurate  Scotch-Irishman.  Again  did  he  start  up  in  vain 
pursuit  of  the  fleet-footed  wielder  of  the  effective  "persuader." 
This  drama  was  enacted  repeatedly,  and  until  Sims  had  become 
thoroughly  "warmed  up,"  when  realizing  the  certain  death  from 
which  he  had  escaped,  and  the  danger  of  the  situation,  he  required 
no  further  incentive  to  hasten  his  lagging  steps.  The  remainder 
of  the  journey  was  made  in  harmony,  and  without  further  incident. 
McWhorter  crossed  the  mountains  alone  on  one  occasion,  and 
camping  one  night,  he  wrapped  his  blanket  about  him,  and  lay 
down  in  the  cavity  made  by  the  upturned  roots  of  a  fallen 
tree  w^hich  was  well  filled  with  dry  leaves.  The  night  was  cold, 
and  he  drew  the  cape  of  his  great  coat  over  his  head  and  slept  in 


Hlnry  McW  iiorter  283 

comfort.  riie  next  morning  he  fouiul  that  he  was  buried  under 
several  inches  of  snow. 

Xot  of  a  warlike  nature,  there  is  no  account  of  Henry  McW  iior- 
ter engaging  in  any  of  the  border  forays.  His  life  was  devoted  to 
peaceful  pursuits,  and  to  the  betterment  of  the  conditions  of  those 
around  him.  There  could  not  be  a  more  useful  artisan,  nor  one 
who  was  more  appreciated  in  the  new  settlements  than  a  mill- 
wright. The  old  sandstone  hand  mill  manufactured  a  poor  qual- 
ity of  coarse  gritty  meal.  McW  horter  as  we  have  seen,  was  a 
skilled  mill-wright,  and  in  the  same  year  he  settled  at  the  fort,  he 
erected  a  mill  on  the  creek,  just  below  his  residence.  This  mill 
was  built  of  hewed  logs,  and  the  clapboard  roof  weighted  down 
with  poles.  It  was  primaril)"  for  grinding  corn  only,  but  in  later 
years,  when  the  settlers  grew  wheat  and  rye,  it  was  equipped  for 
the  manufacture  of  flour  also.  It  was  a  fine  structure  for  its  day, 
and  later  it  was  improved  by  having  its  roof  nailed  on.  It  was 
the  first  mill  built  in  (now)  Lewis  and  Braxton  Counties  and  for 
man}-  years  the  most  accessible  to  the  Buckhannon  settlement.  (9) 

Mills  of  a  more  primiti\'e  type  are  still  to  be  met  with  in 
certain  sections  of  West  Virginia.  In  1896,  my  father  noticed 
one  of  them  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Gauley,  in  Webster  CountA*. 
It  stood  in  the  forest,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  any  residence,  and 
had  no  other  roof  than  the  overhanging  boughs.  Although  no 
one  was  in  attendance,  the  mill  was  "running  full  blast."  One 
or  two  bushels  of  corn  poured  into  the  hopper  kept  it  grinding 
until  noon,  when  another  "turn"  would  last  till  night.  The 
drooping  bough  of  a  neighboring  tree  came  within  such  close 
proximity  to  the  hopper,  that  a  squirrel  could  use  it  as  a  pathway, 
in  carrying  oflF  the  grain.  While  the  "turn"  was  grinding,  the 
miller  and  his  customer  were,  perhaps,  in  the  forest  hunting  deer, 
or  trout-hshing.  This  was  one  hundred  and  six  years  after  the 
observer's  grandfather  had  built  his  up-to-date  corn  mill  on 
Hacker's  Creek,  not  more  than  fifty  miles  away. 

An  amusing  incident  occurred  within  the  present  century 
during  a  court  proceeding  in  Webster  County,  West  Virginia, 
where  the  value  of  one  of  these  "corn  crackers,"  as  they  are  still 
called,  was  in  question.  A  typical  mountaineer  was  on  the  wit- 
ness stand. 

"^  ou  have  seen  the  mill  in  question,  have  you  not.'"  asked 
the  attorne). 

(9)  See  page  485. 


284  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

"I  reckon  I  hev." 

"You  go  there  to  mill  occasionally?" 

"I  take  co'n  thar  onst  in  er  while." 

"What  is  the  value  of  this  mill?" 

"Hit  aint  got  no  valer." 

"You  don't  mean  to  say  that  this  mill  is  of  no  value?" 

"I  'low  thets  w'ot  I  sed." 

"But  it  must  be  worth  something;  what  is  its  capacity?"  ^ 

"Hit  aint  got  no  kerpasity." 

"What?     has  no  capacity?" 

"I  'low  thets  erbout  hit." 

"Did  you  not  just  now  say  that  you  go  there  with  corn  occa- 
sionally?" 

"I  aim  ter  go  thar  onst  every  two  weeks." 

"Yet  you  insist  that  this  mill  has  no  capacity  notwithstand- 
ing you  have  grinding  done  there  at  least  twice  a  month." 

"I  'low  thats  ke-rect." 

"Have  you  not  seen  this  mill  in  operation?" 

"I  kalkerlate  thet  I  hev  seed  her  a  humpin'  ok-kasionally." 

"Well,  how  fast  can  It  grind?" 
'     "Jes'  middlin." 

"Will  you  tell  just  how  rapidly  the  corn  passes  between  the 
burs,  or  grinding  stones  of  this  mill?" 

"Bout  ez  fas'  ez  a  man  kin  eat." 

"How  long  could  he  keep  this  up?" 

"Ontil  he'd  starve  ter  death,  I  low." 

It  would  appear  from  Withers,  that  there  was  a  mill  on 
Hacker's  Creek  in  1778,  when  Isaac  Washburn,  "who  had  been 
to  mill"  on  this  stream,  was  shot  from  his  horse  and  killed  while 
returning  to  Richards'  Fort.  (10) 

This  was  evidently  a  "hand  mill,"  even  these  rude  imple- 
ments for  manufacturing  meal  were  not  common  in  the  settle- 
ments. When  a  boy  I  saw  a  fragment  of  one  of  the  stones  of  a 
mill  of  this  kind  lying  by  the  roadside  near  the  old  residence  of 
John  Hacker,  on  Hacker's  Creek.  (11)  Usually  corn  was  crushed 
in  crude  mortars. 

No  patron,  man  or  child,  ever  left  the  A-lcWhorter  mill  either 
cold  or  hungry.  I  well  remember,  when  a  lad,  listening  to  an  old 
man  who  told  how,  when  a  little  boy,  he  would  in  the  dead  of 
winter  ride  horseback,  perched  upon  a  grist  of  corn,  all  the  way 

(10)  See  page  485.   (11)  p.  485. 


Henry  McW  mortkr  285 

from  the  I'pper  Hacker's  Creek  Valley  to  this  mill.  Huw  his 
breeches  would  "scruch"  up  and  leave  his  legs  bare,  and  by  the 
time  he  arrived  at  the  mill,  his  shins  would  be  blue  with  cold,  and 
so  chilled  and  numb  that  he  scarce  could  walk.  The  old  man's 
voice  grew  tender  with  emotion,  as  he  added,  "Then  gran-daddy 
McW  horter  would  take  me  to  the  house  and  get  me  warm,  and 
give  me  some  dinner." 

One  year  there  was  a  dearth  of  crops  throughout  the  settle- 
ments, and  parties  from  Clarksburg  and  other  points,  offered 
McW  horter  one  dollar  per  bushel  for  all  the  corn  stored  in  his 
mill.  He  declined  the  offer,  saying,  "If  I  let  this  corn  go,  my 
neighbors  will  suffer  for  bread."  He  kept  the  grain,  and  let  the 
needy  settlers  have  it  in  exchange  for  labor,  giving  the  accustomed 
bushel  of  corn  for  a  day's  work,  notwithstanding  wages  were  only 
twenty-five  cents  a  day.  Money  in  those  days  was  not  plentiful, 
and  the  virtue  of  such  unselfish  generosity  by  one  w-ho  was  as 
poor  as  the  majority  of  the  settlers  cannot  be  overestimated.  In 
1790,  a  sacrifice  of  this  nature  was  made  by  Isaac  Williams,  the 
founder  of  Williams  Station,  on  the  Virginia  side  of  the  Ohio, 
opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum.  This  deed  immortal- 
ized Williams.  (12) 

For  sixty  years  McW  horter  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church;  fifty  years  of  this  time  he  was  a  class  leader. 
He  was  conducting  a  meeting  at  West's  Fort  with  armed  sentinels 
standing  guard,  on  Sunday,  the  day  preceding  the  attack  on  the 
Waggoner  family.  During  that  day  Tccumsch  and  his  two  war- 
riors lay  hid  in  a  ravine  near  the  fort.  Had  the  sentinels  given 
heed  to  the  alarm  of  the  dogs  that  continually  barked,  and  dashed 
towards  the  Indian  concealment,  the  Waggoner  tragedy  might 
have  been  averted.  It  was  supposed  at  the  time  that  the  outcry 
among  the  dogs  was  caused  by  wolves.  Evidently  Jesse  Hughes 
was  not  in  attendance  at  this  meeting. 

Henry  McW  horter  was  one  of  the  appointed  trustees  for 
\\  eston,  when  that  place  was  established  a  town  (then  Preston), 
in    lanuar)',  1(S18. 

In  1827,  McW  horter  was  compelled,  through  financial  embar- 
rassment caused  by  security  debts,  to  sell  his  home  and  mill,  and 
return  to  his  former  residence  on  McKinne\'s  Run;  where  he 
died,  February  4,  1848.  He  was  buried  in  the  McW  horter  ceme- 
tcr)'  on  his  farm,  by  the  side  of  his  wife,  who  died  in  1834.     For 

(12)  See  page  485. 


286  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

many  years,  his  grave  was  marked  by  a  sandstone  slab,  bearing 
this  legend: 

"He  first  engaged  in  Freedom's  cause. 
And  fought  for  liberty  and  laws, 
Then  counting  all  earthly  things  as  dross, 
Became  a  soldier  of  the  cross."  (13) 

After  coming  to  Virginia,  McWhorter  lost  all  trace  of  his 
people  in  the  north.  It  is  known,  however,  that  some  of  their 
descendants  at  a  later  day  migrated  to  the  southern  states. 

The  children  of  Henry  McWhorter  were  three  in  number: 
John,  Thomas  and  Walter. 

John,  the  eldest,  was  born  April  28,  1784.  Early  in  life,  he 
studied  law  and  without  the  advantages  of  an  education,  soon 
became  a  barrister  of  extraordinary  ability.  As  an  advocate, 
his  logic  was  hardly  surpassed,  and  his  judgment  on  contested 
points  unerring.  Not  through  his  long  career  at  the  bar  was  he 
ever  known  to  champion  the  cause  of  wrong.  Although  of  a 
reckless  nature  during  his  earlier  years,  his  respect  for  Christianity, 
even  in  his  wildest  moods,  was  proverbial.  He  has  been  known 
while  at  the  card-table,  to  throw  down  his  "hand,"  and  in  scathing 
words,  rebuke  a  boon  companion  for  irreverent  reflections  on 
Christianity.  His  generosity  and  kindness  of  heart  were 
unbounded,  and  he  was  ever  ready  with  loosened  purse-strings  to 
relieve  the  needy  and  the  distressed.  He  was  never  married. 
From  his  earliest  childhood  he  was  noted  for  his  eccentricity  and 
absent-mindedness;  and  many  are  the  amusing  incidents  related 
of  him  in  this  respect. 

Like  most  lads  reared  in  the  forest,  he  was  fond  of  the  rifle. 
One  morning  he  was  charging  his  gun  preparatory  for  a  deer- 
hunt,  when  his  mother  requested  that  he  first  bring  a  pail  of 
water  from  the  spring  near  the  edge  of  the  clearing.  Hastily 
laying  aside  his  rifle,  he  snatched  a  bucket  and  forgetting  his  errand, 
strode  directly  past  the  spring.  Oblivious  to  everything  but  his 
expected  hunt,  he  was  soon  buried  in  the  deep  woods  of  the  hill- 
side. Cautiously  wending  his  way,  he  soon  discovered  a  buck 
standing  partly  concealed  by  the  intervening  brush.  While  seek- 
ing a  point  more  advantageous  for  a  rifle-shot,  the  irrepressible 
bucket  pending  from  his  arm  came  noisily  in  contact  with  a  log 
over  which  he  was  stepping.     This  brought  the  dreamy  lad  back 

(13)  See  page  485. 


Henry  McWHortkr  287 

to  the  realities  of  life  with  startling  effect,  as  he  saw  the  alarmed 
buck  bound  away. 

He  was  commissioned  Captain  of  Militia  and  when  the  W  ar 
of  1812  broke  out,  raised  a  company  of  volunteers  (14)  and  with 
this  band  footed  it  to  Parkersburg,  u  here  they  embarked  on  flat- 
boats  for  Point  Pleasant.  There  the  men  were  mustered  into 
service,  and  on  the  16th  of  November,  1812,  he  was  commissioned 
Captain  in  John  Connell's  First  Regiment  Virginia  Militia.  They 
then  proceeded  on  foot  to  the  Alaumee  River  and  were  attached 
to  Gen.  Harrison's  command  at  Fort  Meigs,  until  April  13,  1813, 
at  which  time  their  term  of  enlistment  expired.  On  the  return 
trip,  which  was  made  on  foot,  one  of  the  men  becoming  exhausted, 
the  Captain  relieved  him  of  his  camp  baggage,  adding  it  to  his 
own  burden. 

In  1S14  he  was  in  the  recruiting  service  of  the  United 
States  and  March  17,  1814,  he  accepted  a  captaincy  in  Colonel 
William  King's  Third  Regiment,  U.  S.  Rifles;  and  continued  in 
service  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  then  commissioned 
Colonel  of  Militia,  and  was  ever  afterwards  known  as  "Colonel," 
and  in  later  years  as  "Judge."  Although  his  law  office  was  in 
Clarksburg,  his  interests  were  centered  largely  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  county,  now  generally  embraced  in  Lewis  County. 

With  the  settlers  throughout  this  region  the  young  Colonel 
was  very  popular,  and  when  a  division  of  the  county  was  agitated, 
by  common  impulse  they  demanded  that  he  represent  their  cause 
in  the  coming  session  of  the  Legislature.  In  this  race,  he  had 
strong  opposition,  but  his  colleague.  Dr.  Edward  Jackson,  had  a 
clear  field.  Under  the  old  constitution  of  Virginia,  all  voting  was 
done  at  the  count}'  seat,  where  the  polls  were  open  three  days. 
It  was  very  difiicult  to  secure  a  full  cast  of  the  votes,  scattered 
over  so  vast  a  region.  But  the  Colonel  was  equal  to  the  emergency, 
and  at  his  call,  the  settlers  flocked  to  the  polls  from  the  Kanawah, 
L'pper  \\  est  Fork,  and  other  remote  settlements;  dressed  in  their 
best  homespun.  Each  man  carried  a  rifle,  also  a  knapsack  con- 
taining a  "johnny  cake"  (a  corruption  of  journey  cake)  and 
jerked  venison.  Mone}'  for  tavern  bills  was  not  dreamed  of. 
Hunting  en  route  to  the  polls  was  indulged  in  by  many,  and  no 
small  amount  of  game  secured.  This  was  turned  over  to  the 
friends  of  the  candidates,  who  were  expected  to  entertain  the 
voters  during  their  stay  at  the  polls.     It  was  understood  that  the 

(14)  See  page  485. 


288  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Colonel  was  to  deliver  the  voters,  while  Jackson  and  his  friends 
were  to  see  that  they  were  cared  for. 

The  opposition,  having  secured  the  leading  hotel,  the  home 
of  Dr.  Williams  became  headquarters  for  the  Jackson-McWhorter 
party.  Here,  for  three  days  and  three  nights,  the  savory  pot 
ceased  not  to  boil,  and  often  during  this  time  Mrs.  Williams,  in 
doing  her  work,  was  compelled  to  step  over  the  bodies  of  sleeping 
men,  with  scarce  room  to  set  her  foot.  Notwithstanding  each 
candidate  had  a  barrel  of  whiskey  and  tin  cup  at  the  polls,  and 
after  casting  his  vote,  every  man  was  at  liberty  to  help  himself, 
yet  Mrs.  Williams  and  her  family  were  treated  with  the  highest 
respect  by  these  rough  honest  woodsmen.  Many  others  found 
commodious  quarters  by  roaring  camp  fires  in  the  adjoining 
woods,  where  the  appetizing  venison  roast,  the  merry  jest  and  the 
wild  hunter  stories,  regaled  the  passing  hours. 

The  Colonel  was  elected,  and  in  1816,  he  and  Dr.  Jackson 
originated  the  bill  that  created  Lewis  County.  Buckhannon  was 
constituted  a  town  the  same  year,  and  the  Colonel  was  one  of  the 
appointed  trustees.  He  afterwards  served  in  the  Upper  House 
of  the  Virginia  legislature,  and  was  for  many  years  Prosecuting 
Attorney  of  Lewis  County  and  Braxton  County,  residing  at 
Weston. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  his  great  absent-mindedness. 
This  trait  grew  with  years,  and  the  cares  of  public  life.  Many 
amusing  incidents  are  related  of  him  in  this  respect.  One  was  his 
"bachelor  day"  efforts  at  tailoring;  after  fifteen  minutes  spent  in 
diligently  sewing  a  button  to  his  coat,  he  let  go  the  button  only 
to  see  it  fall  to  the  floor.  By  the  roadside  near  his  house,  and 
where  he  had  passed  hundreds  of  times,  stood  a  large  black  gum 
tree,  whose  branches  hung  low  over  the  highway.  In  the  autumn 
this  tree  was  laden  with  dark  rich-looking  berries  of  nauseating 
bitterness,  but  in  appearance  not  unlike  the  sweet  palatable 
black-haw,  of  which  the  Colonel  was  extremely  fond.  One  day, 
with  mind  deeply  engrossed,  he  rode  under  this  tree,  when  the 
berries  hanging  so  temptingly  near  arrested  his  eye.  He  snatched 
some  of  them  as  he  passed  by,  and  emptying  his  mouth  of  a  "quid," 
filled  it  with  the  supposed  haws.  The  effect  can  be  better  imagined 
than  described,  and  unlike  the  traditional  Christian,  the  Colonel 
invoked  his  God  after  the  feast. 

He  was  passionately  fond  of  "egg  custard,"  and  at  a  banquet 


Henry  McW  iiorter 


289 


in  ClarkshuiL'.  he  hclpcLl  hinisclt  lihcrall}'  to  what  he  supposed 
was  his  favorite  dish.  The  slave-waiter,  who  was  aware  of  the 
Colonel's  weakness,  approached  and  said  politely,  "Colonel,  dat 
am  not  custard,  it  am  ground  hoss-radish."  Humiliated  at  his 
own  blunder,  and  irritated  at  what  he  regarded  as  an  imperti- 
nence in  the  waiter,  the  Colonel  exclaimed,"!  reckon  I  know  what 
I  am  doing."  He  then  lilled  his  mouth  with  the  fiery  portion. 
Tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks;  but  otherwise  he  endured  the 
excruciating  torture  with  the  stoicism  of  an  Indian  warrior. 

He  was  notorious  for  his  bad  penmanship,  irritable  temper, 
and  emphatic  expletives.  While  Prosecuting  Attorney,  he  one 
da)'  presented  to  the  Court  an  indictment  drawn  in  his  own  hand- 
writing; so  intricate  and  unintelligible  to  the  clerk  did  it  appear, 
that  that  dignitary's  most  scholarly  efforts  failed  in  deciphering 
its  meaning.     The  Colonel  was  called  upon  for  a  "translation." 

SlCNATURE    OF   CaPTAIN   JoHN    McW  HORTER,    AS    IT  ApPEARS    WITH    HiS 

Application  for  Pension,  May  27,  1781 

Solemnly  scanning  the  document  for  a  moment,  a  puzzled  expres- 
sion came  over  his  face.  Utterly  unable  to  read  it,  he  was  about 
to  lay  it  down,  when  becoming  irritated  at  the  suppressed  tittering 
of  the  bar,  he  burst  forth,  "Now  who  in  hell  wrote  this,  why  the 
devil  couldn't  read  it."  When  informed  that  it  was  his  own  pro- 
duction he  bravely  declared  that  "anybody  could  read  it,"  and 
proceeded  to  do  so  without  further  trouble.  Members  of  the  bar 
often  amused  themselves,  and  disturbed  the  dignity  of  the  court, 
by  stealing  the  Colonel's  papers  when  he  was  deeply  absorbed  in 
pleading.  "Just  to  hear  him  rave,"  they  said,  and  seldom,  if 
ever,  were  they  disappointed.  His  voice,  a  deep  gutteral  bass, 
was,  unless  provoked,  low  and  well  mcululated,  his  language 
sedate  and  dignified,  but  on  such  occasions,  he  was  licensed  to 
"swear  in  open  court,"  which  he  would  do  most  beautifully. 

A  client  one  day  asked  him  to  fight  some  litigation  thivugh 
the  courts.  The  Colonel  listened  in  polite  silence  as  the  gentle- 
man unfolded  his  plan,  but  it  was  obvious  that  he  was  growing 
indignant   at   the  bra/.en  duplicit\- of  the  plotter.     To  the  anxious 


290  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

inquiry,  "Colonel,  can  I  win  the  case?"  came  the  prompt  reply, 
"That  depends  upon  the  jury.  If  you  have  an  unscrupulous  or 
fool  jury,  you  are  likely  to  win;  but  if  you  have  an  honorable  and 
intelligent  jury,  they  will  see  at  once  that  the  whole  scheme  is 
based  upon  damned  rascality."    The  case  never  appeared  in  court. 

After  withdrawing  from  the  bar,  he  served  as  Judge  of  the 
Lewis  County  Court  under  the  old  regime  for  several  years.  When 
old  age  compelled  his  retirement  from  public  life,  he  was  ordained 
a  local  minister  in  the  M.  E.  Church.  It  was  through  his  means 
that  a  small  church  was  built  on  Rush  Run,  in  Lewis  County, 
where  he  often  preached.  He  died  April  14,  1880,  and  was  buried 
near  his  home  on  Rush  Run. 

Thomas,  the  second  son,  born  July  15,  1785,  inherited  a  part 
of  the  home  farm  on  McKinney's  Run,  and  was  a  prosperous 
farmer.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  worth  to  his  community  during 
his  short  life.  He  died  December  28,  1815,  and  was  the  first 
buried  in  the  McWhorter  cemetery. 

On  Easter  morning,  1807,  Thomas  McWhorter,  married 
Delila  Stalnaker,  daughter  of  Samuel  Stalnaker,  Sr.,  an  old  resi- 
dent of  Hacker's  Creek.  Their  children  were  Tabitha,  married 
David  H.  Smith;  Henry,  married  Hannah  Jones;  Salina,  married 
Elias  J.  Lowther;  Rulina  married  Washington  Sleeth;  Mary,  mar- 
ried Hamilton  J.  Nutter. 

His  only  son,  Henry,  was  a  commissary  Sergeant,  Com- 
pany E.,  Third  West  Virginia  Volunteers  Cavalry.  He  was  killed 
in  a  fight  at  the  Gibson  house  on  Greenbrier  River,  Pocahontas 
County,  West  Virginia,  January  22  or  23  (near  midnight),  1863. 
Early  in  the  engagement,  he  fell  mortally  wounded,  and  congrat- 
ulated himself  that  it  was  his  privilege  to  die  in  battle  for  his 
country.     A  few  moments  later  he  was  shot  through  the  heart. 

Two  of  his  sons  were  non-commissioned  officers  in  the  same 
company  and  saw  their  father  killed.  One  of  them.  Fields,  was 
captured  and  sent  to  Libby  Prison,  but  at  the  end  of  three  months 
was  exchanged  and  returned  to  his  regiment  and  promoted  to 
Commissary  Sergeant. 

At  the  battle  of  Sailor's  Creek,  Virginia,  three  days  before 
Gen.  Lee's  surrender,  he  captured  a  confederate  flag  and  received 
the  guns  of  seven  prisoners,  for  which  he  was  granted  a  thirty 
days'  furlough.  For  this  signal  bravery,  it  is  said  that  he  was 
awarded  a  special  medal  by  Congress,  but  this  I  have  not  verified. 


IIexrv  MlW  hortkr  291 

He  participated  in  the  Battle  ot  Salem,  \  irginia,  December 
1863,  and  on  the  retreat  in  crossing  a  badly  swollen  stream,  a 
four-horse  team  became  stranded  and  were  drowning.  General 
Averil  ordered  McW'horter  to  swim  out  and  cut  them  loose,  which 
he  successfully  accomplished.  The  team  was  saved,  but  the 
health  of  the  brave  soldier  was  ruined  fore\-er.  It  was  bitter 
cold,  and  within  a  few  moments  after  emerging  from  the  icy 
waters,  his  clothing  was  frozen  stiff.  He  contracted  a  severe 
cold,  which  settled  on  his  lungs,  and  ultimatch'  caused  his  death 
in  April  1877. 

The  other  son,  Rev.  John  S.  .McW  horter,  M.  D.,  was  also  in 
the  Salem  fight  where  he  suffered  extremeh'  from  frozen  feet. 
While  at  Salem  he  called  at  a  house  for  a  lunch,  for  which  he  paid 
the  woman  fift\-  cents.  The  hungr\'  soldier  devoured  this  and 
came  near  d}ing;  the  food  contained  poison.  Afterwards  he 
contracted  kidne)'  trouble,  followed  b\'  a  severe  attack  of  pneu- 
monia. Finally  he  was  injured  by  the  fall  of  his  horse,  from 
which  he  has  never  fully  recovered.     He  served  as  a  corporal. 

Walter,  the  third  and  last  son  of  Henry  McWhorter,  Sr.,  was 
born  October  31,  1787,  married  Margaret  Hurst  in  1806.  He 
inherited,  with  his  brother  Thomas,  the  homestead  on  AlcKinney's 
Run.  Under  the  old  military  law,  \\'alter  was  Major  of  Militia. 
He  was  a  noted  athlete,  and  never  met  his  equal  in  wrestling, 
jumping  or  foot-racing.  Lithe  and  acti\e,  and  fond  of  daring 
sports,  he  would  toy  with  a  living  rattlesnake,  avoiding  its  quick, 
deadly  blows  with  all  the  ease  of  an  East  Indian  snake  charmer. 
He  delighted  in  hunting,  and  often  engaged  in  this  fascinating 
sport.  (15)  In  one  of  his  hunts  he  fired  at  a  deer,  which  fell  seem- 
ingly dead.  W  hen  he  attempted  to  knife  it,  he  was  "kicked  so 
high,  that  when  he  landed  from  his  aerial  flight,  the  deer  was 
bounding  away." 

At  another  time,  he  and  his  son-in-law,  Samuel  Stalnaker, 
were  hunting  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Buckhannon,  and  found 
where  a  bear  had  gone  into  winter  quarters  in  a  cleft  among  the 
rocks.  They  succededed  in  routing  bruin,  who  proved  large  and 
very  fat.  The  entrance  to  the  den  was  small,  and  the  animal  was 
some  time  in  squeezing  through.  Stalnaker  took  his  stand  in  front, 
with  rifle  levelled  to  fire  the  instant  that  the  bear  had  emerged 
sufficiently,  that  when  shot,  it  would  not  drop  back  into  the  den. 
The  Major  stood  just  over  the  entrance,  with  tomahawk  raised 

(15)  See  page  485. 


292  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

ready  to  strike,  should  the  shot  prove  ineffectual.  Stalnaker 
gave  warning  that  he  was  "going  to  shoot."  The  Major  withheld 
the  blow,  as  he  afterwards  said,  "expecting  every  instant  to  see 
the  fur  fly,  as  the  half-ounce  of  lead  crashed  into  the  bear's  skull." 
In  another  moment,  he  did  see  the  "fur  fly,"  but  intact  with  a  very 
lively  bear,  which  wriggled  through  the  crevice  and  scampered 
away.  After  the  animal  had  disappeared,  Stalnaker  was  humili- 
ated to  find  that  in  his  excitement  he  had  failed  to  draw  back  the 
hammer  of  his  rifle. 

There  was  no  church  in  the  neighborhood,  and  the  Major's 
house,  as  with  his  father,  was  the  recognized  place  of  public  wor- 
ship. It  was  also  the  free  home  of  the  itinerant  minister,  and 
traveller.  His  wife  cheerfully  bore  this  additional  hardship  to 
the  burden  of  caring  for  a  large  family,  without  murmur  or  com- 
plaint. It  was  the  unenviable  privilege  of  the  Major's  boys  to 
cut  and  haul  from  the  forest  a  store  of  hickory  wood,  for  the  great 
open  fireplace,  during  the  "winter  revivals."  These  revivals,  or 
"big  meetings,"  with  their  "mourners  bench,"  were  regarded  as  an 
essential  adjunct  to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  community. 
Occasionally  an  amusing  feature  would  bubble  up  at  these  meet- 
ings. One  poor  sinner  who  had  "wrastled"  at  the  altar  night 
after  night,  and  concluding  that  an  open  confession  was  the  only 
road  to  salvation,  exclaimed  in  a  loud  voice,  "Lord,  why  is  it  that 
I  cannot  get  a  blessin'  ".^  Then  as  if  in  answer  to  his  own  inter- 
rogation, he  continued,  "I  know.  Lord!  I-have-cussed-and-I-have- 
swore;  and-I-have-back-bitten-my-neighbors,  and,  L-o-r-d,  how- 
I-have-1-i-e-d !"  It  is  hoped  that  this  penitent  found  that  peace 
of  mind  which  his  honest  confession  merited. 

Walter  died  August  12,  1860.  His  wife  died  December  27, 
1853,  from  injuries  sustained  in  a  fall  from  the  back  of  a  runaway 
horse.  Both  were  buried  in  the  McWhorter  cemetery.  Their 
children  were: 

(1)  Dr.  Fields  McWhorter,  married  Miss  Margaret  Kester. 
(16)     His  second  wife  was  Sarah  O.  Darr. 

(2)  Mary  McWhorter,  married  Benjamin  Morris. 

(3)  Elizabeth  McWhorter,  married  Samuel  Stalnaker,  Jr. 

(4)  Rev.  Eli  McWhorter,  married  Jane  Morris. 

(5)  Levi  McWhorter,  married  Eliza  Alkire. 

(6)  Sally  McWhorter,  married  Nicholas  Straley. 

(7)  Cassandra  McWhorter,  married  William  Colerider. 

(16)   See  page  485. 


Hknrv  McWhortkr  293 

(8)  Mansfield  McW  huilcr,  died  while  \uung. 

(9)  Thomas  McW'horter,  died  while  young. 

(10)  Rev.  John    Minion,  M.  D.,  married    Rosetta    Marple; 
second  wife,  Phoebe  C.  Cunningham,  nee  Hardman. 

(11)  Waller,  married  Ailce\'  Lawson. 

(12)  Rev.  Mansfield  (named  for  his  deceased  brother)  mar- 
ried Sarah  Francis;  second  wife,  Sarah  Davis. 

(13)  Margaret,  died  before  maturity. 

(14)  Amy,  died  before  maturity. 

(15)  Elsie,  died  before  maturity. 

(16)  Gilbert,  died  in  infancy. 

(17)  Marion,  died  in  infanc>'. 

Of  this  famih',  only  two  are  now  living,  Dr.  j.  M.  and  Rev. 
Mansfield.  The  latter  was  second  Lieutenant  of  Militia  and  was 
for  sixteen  years  a  magistrate  and  a  member  of  the  Lewis  County 
Court  under  the  old  regime.  Both  he  and  Eli,  the  eldest  son, 
were  ministers  in  the  M.  E.  Church.  Dr.  J.  M.  espoused  the 
Universalist  faith,  and  was  the  pioneer  promulgator  of  that  doc- 
trine in  his  part  of  the  State.  He  used  to  say  that  when  a  boy  he 
spent  days  cutting  wood  for  the  "big  meetings"  held  by  the  Meth- 
odists at  his  father's  home  and  while  thus  engaged,  the  preachers 
were  remorselessly  shaking  him  over  the  fiery  lake  for  his  unright- 
eousness. 

In  May,  1909,  at  the  age  of  87,  the  Doctor  visited  his  boy- 
hood home  of  which  he  writes: 

"The  old  McWhortcr  stand  in  Harrison  County  is  all  blotted  over  with  dwel- 
lings, factories  and  one  or  two  stores.  It  does  not  look  like  the  home,  when  mother 
stood  on  the  high  front  porch  and  called  us  boys  to  dinner.  I  took  a  drink  from 
the  old  well,  whose  fountain  is  still  pure  and  cold;  but  the  noise  and  confusion  of 
public  life  has  destroyed  the  beauty  and  harmony  of  our  old  home.  As  the  world 
progresses  the  hum  and  bustle  of  trade  silences  the  sweet  music  of  domestic  life, 
and  reminds  us  that  our  existence  is — 

'but  one  breath  from  Times  old  hoary  nostrils  blown, 

As  scouring  o'er  the  spacious  earth,  we  hear  his  dismal  moan.' 

— a   short  span,   and   we   too   must   pass  on   to   the   great   unknown,   silent    and 
mysterious."  (17) 

During  the  latter  thirties  and  early  forties.  Major  McW  horter 
held  contracts  for  carrying  the  mail  from  Clarksburg  to  distant 
points  in  Lewis,  Gilmer,  Braxton,  Upshur,  Barbour  and  Randolph 
Counties.     The  mail  was  carried  horseback,  and  J.  M.  and  W  alter 

,(17)  See  page  486. 


294  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

did  the  riding.  Alost  of  the  route  lay  through  unbroken  forests 
and  was  fraught  with  many  dangers.  The  boys  were  never 
armed,  and  in  a  few  instances  met  with  thrilUng  adventures,  one 
or  two  of  which  have  been  recorded  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
Walter  was  waylaid  by  two  highwaymen  in  the  Cheat  Mountain, 
and  escaped  capture  only  by  his  cool  bravery  and  remarkable 
presence  of  mind.  These  boys  often  swam  their  horses  through 
the  waters  of  the  West  Fork,  Little  Kanawha  and  Tygart's  Valley 
Rivers,  when  the  "mush  ice"  was  running.  They  would  get  up 
at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  in  the  dead  of  winter,  and  ride 
fifteen  miles  for  breakfast;  that  too,  with  clothing  frozen  stiff  with 
ice  from  fording  the  deep  unbridged  streams.  They  rode  sixteen 
hours  out  of  the  twenty-four  with  only  two  meals  a  day.  The 
compensation  for  horse  and  rider  was  one  dollar  per  day.  The 
savings  were  applied  to  a  grinding  family  debt.  The  same  spirit 
of  energy  prompted  these  boys,  when  young  men,  to  engage  as 
helpers  in  driving  stock  on  foot  to  Baltimore,  Maryland,  at  twenty- 
five  cents  per  day.  On  the  return  trip  they  were  allowed  one 
cent  per  mile  for  walking,  with  two  meals  a  day.  With  the  money 
earned  on  these  return  trips,  the  older  brother,  J.  M.,  paid  for  his 
wedding  suit,  resplendent  with  brass  buttons,  and  the  cloth  costing 
five  dollars  a  yard.  He  also  engaged  in  freighting  with  a  six- 
horse  team  from  Cumberland,  Md.,  to  Clarksburg,  (West)  Va., 
and  from  Parkersburg  to  Beverly,  (West)  Virginia. 

Walter  was  instantly  killed  by  a  passing  train  on  April  16, 
1901,  at  a  railroad  crossing  near  his  own  gate. 

Dr.  Fields  McWhorter,  like  his  father,  was  a  noted  athlete. 
He  later  moved  to  Sullivan  County,  Missouri,  and  was  a  Fife 
Major  in  the  23d  Missouri  Regiment,  Federal  Army,  participating  in 
the  Battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing.    He  had  two  sons  in  the  same  army. 

Walter  F.  McWhorter,  sergeant  in  Company  B.,  9th 
Virginia  Regiment,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Cloyd's  Mountain, 
Virginia,  May  9,  1864.  He  had  served  during  the  entire  war,  and 
was  a  soldier  of  more  than  ordinary  fighting  ability.  It  is  related 
of  him  that  he  was  not  only  daring  on  the  field  of  battle,  but  was 
absolutely  immune  to  fear. 

A  singular  incident  is  connected  with  his  death.  Although 
shot  through  the  heart,  he  was  not  instantly  killed.  The  regi- 
mental surgeon  saw  him  fall  and  hastened  to  his  side.  The  dying 
soldier  asked  the  surgeon  to  examine  for  the  ball,  which  was  found 


Henry  McW  iiortf.r  295 

lodged  under  the  skin  at  his  back.  This  he  requested  removed.  He 
was  informed  that  it  was  useless,  as  he  could  not  live.  "I  know  that," 
he  gasped,  "but  1  want  you  to  give  the  bullet  to  my  brother  Henry." 
His  request  was  granted,  and  the  conical  minnic  ball,  whose  con- 
cave end  had  collapsed,  enclosing  a  small  fragment  of  the  dead 
soldier's  vest,  is  now  in   the   possession  of  the  surviving  brother. 

Henry  Ci.ay  McWhorter  enlisted  for  the  entire  war,  Sep- 
tember 16,  1861,  as  a  private  in  Company  G,  9th  Virginia  Infantry 
and  on  the  30th  of  the  same  month  was  mustered  in  as  Second 
Lieutenant  of  Company  B,  same  regiment.  On  March  1,  1862, 
he  was  appointed  Captain  of  Company  G,  and  resigned  September 
17,  1863,  on  account  of  an  accidental  wound  received  December 
8,  1862,  on  Patterson  Creek,  Hardy  County,  Virginia.  During 
the  balance  of  the  war,  he  was  Chief  Clerk  of  Provost  Marshals, 
Enrollment  Office  (for  drafting)  at  Charleston  and  Point  Pleasant, 
West  \'irginia.  He  was  later  Speaker  of  the  West  Virginia  State 
Senate  and  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  that  State. 

Joseph  Marcellus,  an  older  son  of  Dr.  Fields  McWhorter, 
filled  several  positions  of  public  trust.  Was  clerk  of  County  Court 
of  Roane  County,  West  Virginia,  State  Auditor  of  West  Virginia, 
an  eminent  barrister  and  late  Judge  of  Circuit  Court  of  that  State. 

He  is  the  oldest  great  grandson  now  living  of  Henry  McW  hor- 
ter  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  (18) 

Mary  Morris,  nee  McWhorter,  had  three  sons  in  the  Federal 
Army.  Thomas  and  Walter  M.  enlisted  September  15,  1862,  in 
Company  E,  Third  Regiment,  West  Virginia  Volunteer  Cavalry, 
and  were  mustered  October  20,  1862. 

Thomas  was  Second  Corporal,  Walter  was  promoted  Bugler, 
but  as  he  could  not  "toot"  effectively,  he  continued  a  private. 
Both  were  fearless  soldiers  and  experienced  hard  service,  not  only 
on  the  battle  field,  but  with  b us h-zv hackers  in  the  hills  of  their 
native  state.  Walter  has  written  an  interesting  manuscript 
memoir  of  his   personal   army  life. 

W  iLLi.AM  H.  was  mustered  March  1,  1864,  as  volunteer  pri- 
vate in  Company  E,  First  Regiment,  W  est  Virginia  Light  Artillery, 
and  served  to  close  of  war.  Flis  hearing  was  greatly  injured  by 
the  heavy  detonation  of  his  gun. 

Ervin  H.,  son  of  Rev.  Eli  McW  horter,  was  also  a  volunteer 
private  in  the  same  company  during  the  period  of  W  m.  H.  Morris' 
enlistment.     He  died  soon  after  the  close  of  the  war. 


(18)  See  page  486. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

The  Regers  were  active  men  on  the  Virginia  frontier  during 
the  latter  years  of  the  Revolution,  and  the  stormy  period  that 
immediately  followed.  They  were  not  of  that  class  of  bordermen, 
who  were  likely  to  be  prominent  in  the  recorded  annals  of  their 
■day.  They  had  not  that  aggressive  temperament  which  immor- 
talized many  of  their  contemporaries.  While  brave  and  fearless, 
and  not  hesitating  to  take  up  arms  when  occasion  demanded,  they 
had  early  learned  that  "Every  human  heart  is  human,"  and  not 
in  tradition  can  we  find  where  they  ever  caused  wanton  suffering, 
even  to  the  most  deadly  of  their  foes.  If  they  shot  fewer  Indians 
than  did  some  of  their  associates,  they  at  least  took  out  more 
grubs  and  planted  more  corn. 

Jacob  Reger,  the  principal  founder  of  his  family  in  western 
Virginia,  came  from  Germany.  He  was  married  in  his  native 
country  to  Barbara  Crites,  and  they  with  a  few  of  their  oldest 
children  landed  at  some  port  in  Virginia,  probably  about  1765, 
although  it  has  been  claimed  that  their  arrival  was  much  earlier. 
It  is  said  that  immediately  after  landing,  the  children  complained 
of  hunger  and  the  mother  purchased  a  loaf  of  bread  at  a  nearby 
bakery.  She  gave  them  some  of  it,  but  was  surprised  to  see  them, 
after  tasting  it,  throw  it  away.  The  parents  then  tasted  it  and 
they  too  threw  it  aside.  It  was  their  first  experience  with  corn 
bread.  They  settled  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  but  later  moved 
to  the  Wappatomaka,  where  they  resided  until  after  the  close  of  the 
Revolution.  They  then  moved  to  Big  Run,  near  the  village  of 
Burnersville  in  (now)  Barbour  County,  West  Virginia. 

In  1781,  a  certificate  was  issued  to  Jacob  Reager  (Reger)  for 
400  acres  on  Second  Big  Run,  to  include  his  settlement  made  in 
1776.  Reger  made  an  "improvement"  there  in  1776,  but  it  is 
known  that  he  did  not  take  up  actual  residence  until  sometime 
after  1782.  He  was  still  residing  on  the  Wappatomaka,  in  April 
1782,  when  Isaac,  his  youngest  child  was  born.  The  census  of 
1782  shows  that  he  was  at  that  time  a  resident  of  Hampshire 
County,  Virginia  (now  West  Va.),  and  was  the  head  of  a  family 
of  eleven.  (1)  This  illustrates  the  caution  that  should  be  exer- 
cised in  fixing  a  positive  date  of  an  actual  residence  settlement, 
based  on  the  date  of  the  Trans-Allegheny  homestead  certificates. 

1)  See  page  486. 


I'hl:  Rkgers  297 

Jacob  Reger  had  a  brother  John,  who  was  also  a  resident  of 
Hampshire  Count}',  \'ireinia,  in  1782,  at  the  head  of  a  family  of 
four.  (2)  John  Rceer  improved,  or  claimed  land  on  Tygart's 
River.  I'he  date  is  uncertain  but  it  was  in  the  earliest  settling 
of  the  country.  In  1773,  he  made  an  "improvement"  on  the 
Buckhannon.  He  at  that  time  entered  4(J0  acres  on  each  side  of 
the  river,  adjoining  lands  claimed  by  Timothy  Dorman.  Leonard 
Reger,  a  sergeant  in  Captain  William  Darke's  Company,  8th 
X'irginia  Regiment,  Re\-olutionar\-  War,  was  doubtless  a  son  of 
til  is  John  Reger. 

Jacob  Reger  raised  a  large  famil_\'  of  children,  and  a  notice  of 
I  hem,  it  is  believed,  will  be  of  interest. 

Anthony,  the  eldest  son,  was  a  volunteer  in  the  Patriot  Army, 
Revolution.  He  was  commissioned  an  ensign,  April  16,  1777,  in 
Captain  Silas  Zane's  Company,  15th  \'irginia  Regiment,  under 
Colonel  William  Russell.  It  is  not  known  for  what  length  of  time 
the  young  ensign  enlisted,  nor  can  anything  be  learned  of  his 
army  career.  He  doubtless  saw  active  service,  judging  from  the 
fighting  record  of  his  commanding  officers.  (3) 

The  date  of  Anthon\'  Reger's  advent  into  the  Buckhannon 
country  is  not  known.  In  the  census  of  1782,  one  Anthony 
Reger  is  listed  without  a  family  in  the  enumeration  of  Hampshire 
County,  \'irginia.  (4)  This  was  doubtless  the  young  ensign  of 
Captain  Zane's  Company. 

The  census  of  1784  shows  the  enrollment  of  one  Anthony 
Reger,  as  head  of  a  family  of  ten,  in  Hampshire  County.  (5)  This 
person  is  believed  to  be  a  brother  of  Jacob  Reger,  Sr.  According 
to  the  best  information  Ensign  Reger  went  to  Ohio  with  his  brother 
Jacob,  but  nothing  is  known  of  his  subsequent  life.  He  married  a 
Widow  Simmons. 

J.ACOB,  Jr.,  the  second  son,  was  never  married.  He  seems 
to  have  spent  his  time  in  the  Buckhannon  and  surrounding  settle- 
ments. He  was  a  noted  hunter,  and  during  the  later  years  of 
Indian  hostilities,  was  a  scout  of  recognized  ability.  In  this  capac- 
ity he  often  rendered  valuable  service  to  the  settlements  on  the 
Upper  Monongahela.  One  Schoolcraft  was  his  associate  and 
boon  companion  in  these  hunting  and  scouting  excursions. 

During  one  of  their  hunts,  Reger's  dog  attacked  a  bear  near 
their  camp  in  the  night.  The  dog  could  not  be  called  off,  and 
Reger,  got  up,  remarking,  "If  I  don't  go  and  kill  that  bear,  that 

(2)  See  page  486.  (3)  p.  487.  (4)  p.  4S7.  (':>)  p.  487. 


298  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

dog  will  follow  it  all  night."  Taking  his  rifle  he  sallied  forth,  and 
coming  near,  he  shot  the  bear  through  the  body,  but  the  wound 
was  not  fatal.  The  animal,  rendered  ferocious  with  pain,  now 
charged  his  new  assailant  with  fury.  Reger  was  of  gigantic 
stature  and  wonderful  strength,  but  he  was  no  match  for  the 
enraged  brute.  It  seized  him  by  the  hip  with  its  great  jaws,  and 
hurled  him  violently  to  the  ground.  It  then  caught  him  by  the 
shoulder  and  "shook  him  as  a  dog  shakes  a  rabbit."  Things 
looked  desperate  for  the  stalwart  hunter,  and  the  fray  would  cer- 
tainly have  terminated  fatally  for  him  had  not  Schoolcraft  hurried 
to  his  assistance,  and  placing  his  rifle  to  the  bear's  side,  fired, 
killing  it  instantly.  Reger  was  badly  hurt.  His  hip  was  so  man- 
gled, that  afterwards  in  dressing  the  wound,  his  brother  used  a 
razor  freely  in  cutting  away  the  hanging  shreds  of  flesh. 

Tradition  says  that  Jacob  Reger,  Jr.,  once  owned  a  tract  of 
land  on  the  Ohio,  where  Cincinnati  now  stands,  but  forfeited  the 
title  through  unpaid  taxes.     He   is    supposed   to  have  died  there.. 

Philip,  the  third  son,  was  born  in  Hampshire  County,  Vir- 
ginia, in  1767.  He  was  still  a  resident  of  that  county  in  the 
spring  of  1782,  when  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  volunteered  as  pri- 
vate in  Captain  James  Simmerel's  Company,  Virginia  Troops, 
Patriot  Army,  and  served  six  months  or  until  the  close  of  the  Rev- 
olution, the  following  November.  He  was  employed  in  guarding 
the  Yorktown  prisoners  confined  in  the  Winchester  Barracks, 
Virginia.     For  this  service  he  was  granted  a  pension  in  1832, 

But  little  is  known  of  Reger's  life  on  the  border.  He  was 
sometimes  employed  as  a  hunter  in  Henry  Jackson's  surveying 
parties,  and  also  engaged  in  scouting  during  the  last  years  of 
Indian  hostilities  on  the  border.  With  Samuel  Jackson,  he  was 
watching  an  Indian  trail  on  the  Upper  West  Fork  waters,  and 
while  lying  concealed  in  a  thicket,  was  bitten  by  a  rattlesnake. 
Reger  soon  grew  blind,  and  Jackson,  a  very  strong  man,  carried 
him  and  their  two  guns  to  the  nearest  settlement,  some  ten  or 
twelve  miles  distant.  Reger  suffered  intense  agony  from  the 
wound,  but  under  the  application  of  such  remedies  as  were  at 
hand,  he  eventually  recovered. 

Philip  Reger  was  one  of  the  appointed  trustees  for  Buckhan- 
non,  when  that  village  was  created  a  town  in  1816.  He  was  the 
first  Sheriff  of  Lewis  County,  and  was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for 
forty  years.     He  married  twice.     His  first  wife  was  Sarah  Jackson. 


Tm:  Ri:(;i:rs  299 

His  second  wife  was  Mar\-  Bozarth,  a  daughter  of  John  Bozarlh, 
Sr.,  whose  famil}'  suffered  the  last  attack  made  by  the  Indians  on 
the  \'irginia  border  previously  referred  to  in  this  volume.  (6) 

JOHN,  the  fourth  son,  who  participated  in  the  fight  at  Buck- 
haniion,  was  born  in  Hardy  County,  \  irgiiiia,  Jaiuiar\'  15,  1769. 
He  stood  six  feet  two  inches  in  his  moccasins,  with  well-rounded 
and  muscular  proportions.  .\  veritable  Hercules,  he  was  re- 
nowned for  his  enormous  pinsical  strength,  which  was  unequalled 
on  the  western  frontier.  He  married  Elizabeth  West,  "Little 
Bettie,"  as  she  was  called,  a  daughter  of  Edmund  \\  est,  Sr.,  of 
West's  Fort.  The  wedding  took  place  the  year  after  the  bride's 
father  was  killed  by  the  Indians,  December  5,  1787.  .At  the 
ceremony  the  bride  sported  a  "store  gown"  to  procure  which  the 
bridegroom -elect  walked  from  the  Buckhannon  settlement  to 
\\  inchester  and  back  with  rifle  on  shoulder.  During  the  wedding 
festivities,  the  bride  stood  in  midair  on  the  groom's  outstretched 
hand.  The  newly-wedded  couple  settled  near  where  Burnersville 
(Barbour  County,  \\  est  \  irginia)  now  stands,  where  they  resided 
as  long  as  they  lived. 

John  Reger's  nature  was  as  kindly  as  his  physical  strength 
was  great.  I  cannot  refrain  from  giving  a  few  incidents  in  his  ca- 
reer on  the  border,  illustrative  of  the  rude,  happy-go-luck  of  those 
days.  He  could  easily  swim  the  flood-swollen  rivers  in  his  excur- 
sions, holding  his  gun,  shot  pouch  and  clothing  high  and  dry  in 
one  hand.  He  was  a  noted  hunter  and  many  are  the  accounts  of 
his  daring  feats  and  great  endurance.  On  one  of  his  hunting 
trips,  he  killed  a  yearling  bear  earh'  in  the  morning  and  after 
taking  out  the  entrails,  he  slung  the  carcass  over  his  shoulder  and 
carried  it  with  him  during  the  entire  day's  hunt 

As  a  bear  hunter  he  excelled,  and  once  when  hunting  with 
several  others,  it  was  agreed  that  he  should  hunt  for  bear,  while 
the  rest  of  the  party  went  for  deer.  A  boy  who  was  with  them 
decided  to  go  with  Reger;  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  dogs 
engaged  a  large  bear  in  a  dense  laurel  thicket,  where  it  had  its 
lair.  Soon  dogs  and  bear  were  engaged  in  a  fierce  combat,  and 
Reger  crawling  on  hands  and  knees  along  a  narrow  winding  path, 
shot  the  bear,  but  not  fatally.  With  the  report  of  the  heavy  rifle, 
and  the  sting  of  the  leaden  missile,  bruin  seemed  to  realize  that 
things  were  becoming  decidedly  hot  at  home,  and  that  he  would 

(6)  See  page  487. 


The  Hercules  of  the  Border" 


From  a  Pencil  Sketch,  Date  Uncertain 
Kindness  of  Miss  MacAvoy 


Tin:  Regers  301 

vacate.  W  ith  this  sudden  impulse,  he  bolted  for  the  only  exit  of 
his  domicile,  which  was  completely  blocked  by  the  muscular  form 
of  the  hunter.  None  but  those  who  have  attempted  to  penetrate 
the  tangled  depths  of  a  Virginia  laurel  bed,  can  form  any  concep- 
tion of  its  density.  When  bruin  turned  in  retreat  the  dogs  held 
on,  and  a  running  tight  ensued.  The  hunter  had  no  time  to  retreat, 
neither  could  "he  dodge  the  issue"  by  stepping  aside.  His  only 
recourse  was  to  throw  himself  face  down  upon  the  ground,  and  let 
the  rage  of  battle  pass  over  him.  This  he  did,  and  the  bear  was 
kept  so  busy  with  the  dogs,  that  it  had  no  time  for  its  prostrate 
enemy.  Reger  escaped  unhurt,  and  when  he  emerged  from  the 
thicket,  his  young  companion  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  Reger 
halloed,  and  was  answered  from  a  nearby  gum  tree,  where  the  lad 
had  taken  refuge. 

Perhaps  it  was  during  this  same  hunt  that  a  bear's  den  was 
found  in  a  rock-cliff.  Reger  crawled  into  the  cave  and  guided  by 
the  gleam  of  the  bear's  eyes,  shot  it.  He  then  backed  out  from 
the  narrow  passage  and  waiting  until  the  death  struggle  ceased, 
re-entered  feet  foremost  and  kicked  bruin  on  the  head  to  ascertain 
if  life  was  extinct.  Finding  there  was  no  response  to  his  most 
vigorous  kicks,  he  again  crawled  out,  only  to  re-enter  head  first. 
He  twined  a  stout  hickory  withe  about  the  neck  of  the  quarry, 
then  came  forth  and  with  the  help  of  his  comrades  drew  it  from 
the  den.  (7) 

At  another  time  the  dogs  engaged  a  bear  in  a  cavity  made  b}- 
an  upturned  tree,  and  when  Reger  came  to  the  brink  of  the  pit, 
the  earth  suddenly  gave  way  beneath  his  weight  and  he  was  pre- 
cipitated onto  the  struggling  mass  of  bear  and  dogs.  As  he  went 
down,  he  caught  with  one  hand  a  bush  growing  on  the  brink,  and 
the  other  arm  coming  in  reach  of  the  bear  the  enraged  animal 
sunk  its  claws  into  the  sleeve  of  his  strong  homespun  hunting 
shirt.  The  dogs  had  fastened  on  the  bear's  hams,  and  were  pull- 
ing with  all  their  might  in  the  opposite  direction,  while  the  bear, 
with  equal  energy,  was  endeavoring  to  drag  the  hunter's  hand 
within  reach  of  its  fangs.  The  Herculean  strength  of  the  mighty 
woodsman  was  taxed  to  its  utmost  resisting  the  combined  weight 
and  strength  of  bear  and  dogs.  At  times  the  bear  was  lifted  clear 
off  the  ground  by  the  opposing  efforts  of  hunter  and  dogs.  More 
than  once  Reger  felt  the  hot  breath  of  the  infuriated  brute  upon 
his  hand,  so  nearly  did  it  succeed  in  overcoming  the  iron  sinews  of 
(7)  See  page  4SS. 


302  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

the  man.  Human  strength  could  not  long  endure  the  terrific 
strain,  and  the  hunter  felt  that  he  would  soon  lose  his  hold  upon 
the  bush.  Fortunately  for  him,  one  of  the  dogs  let  go  its  hold 
and  seized  upon  the  bear's  jaw,  when  it  released  its  hold  on  Reger's 
arm  to  box  away  this  tormentor.  Reger  then  soon  ended  the 
fray  with  his  knife. 

Reger  went  to  Winchester  on  one  occasion  with  pack  horses 
for  salt,  dressed  in  homespuns  and  moccasins.  A  horse  carried  two 
bushels  of  salt  weighing  eighty-four  pounds  per  bushel.  (8)  This 
amount  (measured)  was  regarded  as  a  sufficient  load  for  a  horse 
whose  principal  feed  consisted  of  "browse"  during  its  long  trip 
through  the  mountains.  While  getting  ready  his  salt,  Reger  was 
ridiculed  by  some  of  the  town  gentry  and  local  toughs.  The 
easy-going  borderman  deigned  no  reply  to  their  coarse  banterings, 
but  when  his  salt  was  secured,  he  lightly  slung  two  sacks  over  his 
shoulder,  and  taking  one  in  either  hand,  eight  bushels  in  all, 
walked  leisurely  to  where  his  horses  were  tied.  This  feat  gained 
him  the  admiration  of  his  tormentors. 

The  fame  of  his  strength  travelled  far,  and  one  day,  while 
sitting  on  his  porch,  a  powerfully  built  stranger  accosted  him,  and 
challenged  him  to  fight.  Reger,  who  was  peaceably  disposed,  said 
that  he  had  nothing  to  fight  for.  The  stranger  insisted  and 
became  obdurate,  stating  that  he  could  whip  any  man  that  he  had 
ever  met,  and  hearing  of  Reger's  prodigious  strength,  had  come 
a  long  way  to  fight  him  and  would  not  be  disappointed.  Reger 
would  not  fight,  but  he  suddenly  seized  the  stranger  and  threw 
him  upon  the  porch  roof.  The  pugilist  now  expressed  himself  as 
satisfied,  and  after  partaking  of  refreshments,  he  departed  without 
further  testing  the  strength  of  his  self-sought  antagonist.  (9) 

But  this  good  natured  Titan  was  not  always  so  lenient  with 
the  braggart.  During  those  days,  the  militia  met  for  muster  at 
Beverly,  and  it  was  no  unusual  occurrence  at  such  gatherings  for 
a  few  "ring  fights"  to  take  place.  There  was  a  stalwart  bully  by 
the  name  of  Kerns  living  in  Tygart's  Valley,  who  was  the  acknowl- 
edged champion  of  the  "ring"  throughout  the  surrounding  country. 
At  public  gatherings,  musters,  log-rollings,  house-raisings  and  wed- 
dings, this  redoubted  brave  would,  at  an  opportune  moment,  leap 
upon  a  stump,  flop  his  arms  vigorously  and  crow.  This  was  a 
challenge  for  anyone  to  meet  him  in  a  "square  up-and-down 
fight;"  and  woe  to  the  hapless  aspirant  for  pugilistic  honors  who 

(8)   See  page  488.  (9)  p.  488. 


Tin:  Rkgers  303 

had  ihc  icnicrity  to  answer  with  a  like  challenge.  Rerns  had  never 
met  his  match.  At  one  cjf  the  musters  referred  to,  Reger  attended 
with  the  avowed  purpose  of  accepting  the  challenge  of  this  woods- 
tyrant,  who  had  so  terrorized  his  community.  When  Kerns 
learned  that  the  "Hercules  of  the  Border"  was  on  the  ground,  he 
did  not  crow.  Reger's  modest)'  forbade  an\'  exultation  over  his 
easily-won  victory. 

The  following  incident  is  related  of  Reger,  and  it  illustrates  his 
good  humor  and  gigantic  strength.  Reger  had  made  bacon  of 
some  bear  meat  which  he  sold  to  a  Mr.  Black  at  twelve  and  one- 
half  cents  a  pound.  To  pay  for  this  bacon,  Mr.  Black  worked  for 
Reger  in  the  harvest  field  at  fifty  cents  a  day.  The  weather  was 
hot,  the  work  heavy,  and  Reger  would  taunt  Black  by  frequently 
exclaiming  in  broken  English,  "Hurrah  for  de  bear  pork."  It 
was  Reger's  eighty-second  birthday,  and  as  they  were  returning 
to  the  field  from  dinner,  Black  and  Reger's  son,  both  large  strong 
men,  thought  to  take  advantages  of  the  old  man,  and  "wallow" 
him.  Slipping  up,  each  caught  hold  of  a  leg,  then  throwing  him 
and  whirling  him  upon  his  back,  both  immediately  sprang  on  him, 
one  on  either  side,  with  arms  tightly  hugging  the  old  man's  shoul- 
ders. For  a  moment  Reger  lay  surprised,  and  occasionally  ejacu- 
lating, "Poys,  you  had  better  let  me  be,"  at  the  same  time  feeling 
for  a  secure  hold  in  the  waistbands  of  their  strong  homespun 
pantaloons.  Having  secured  a  satisfactory  hold  on  each,  he 
slowly  lifted  them  from  him,  swung  them  in  mid-air,  cracked  their 
heels  together,  then  jammed  their  heads  together  a  few  times  and 
cast  them  from  him,  and  laughing,  rose  to  his  feet. 

John  Reger  died  May  14,  1844,  and  was  buried  in  the  ceme- 
tery on  his  home  place.  He  left  four  children:  Jacob,  Abram, 
Barbara  and  Elizabeth. 

J.ACOB,  married  Permilia  Arnold.  But  ver\'  little  is  known  of 
his  life. 

Abr.am,  born  1793,  married  Leah  Brake,  daughter  of  Jacob 
Brake,  hereafter  referred  to.  He  was  commissioned  lieutenant  in 
Captain  John  Bozarth's  Company,  \'irginia  Troops,  \\  ar  of 
1812.  He  was  known  as  "Maje"  Reger,  but  I  do  not  know 
how  he  came  by  the  title.  Most  likeh'  he  was  Major  of  Militia 
after  the  war  closed.  Abram  Reger  had  two  sons  in  the  Civil 
War.  Rev.  John  \\  .  Reger,  D.  D.,  who  enlisted  September  2, 
1861,  as  private  in  the  7th  Virginia  Infantry,  Federal  Arm)'.     He 


304  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

was  shortly  afterwards  appointed  Chaplain,  and  served  in  that 
capacity  with  only  a  brief  interval,  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
The  latter  part  of  his  enlistment  was  as  Chaplain  of  the  Military 
Hospital  at  Grafton,  West  Virginia.  The  other  son.  Major  Albert 
G.  Reger,  espoused  the  Southern  cause,  and  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  war  was  commissioned  captain  of  the  "Barbour  Greys," 
recruited  at  Philippi,  Twenty-sixth  Virginia  Infantry.  He  was 
soon  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major,  and  served  in  this  capacity 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  saw  hard  service  under  Generals 
Thomas  J.  {Stonewall)  Jackson  and  Longstreet.  He  was  a  law- 
yer of  ability,  and  served  in  the  State  Senate  for  eight  years. 
Another  son.  Rev.  Alfred  A.,  was  for  many  years  an  able  orthodox 
minister. 

Of  the  two  daughters,  Barbara  wedded  James  Teter  and 
Elizabeth  married  Jacob  Crislip.  In  the  Teter  family  is  pre- 
served an  immense  German  Bible  brought  from  Germany  by 
Jacob  Reger,  Sr. 

Elizabeth,  the  fifth  child  of  Jacob  Reger,  Sr.,  was  married 
twice.  Her  first  husband  was  Cottrell  Talbot,  who  settled  about 
one  mile  from  Burnersville  on  the  Buckhannon  River.  Talbot 
met  a  tragic  death.  He  shot  and  wounded  a  large  buck,  which 
took  refuge  in  the  river,  where  it  was  followed  by  Talbot's  dog. 
The  harassed  buck  turned  on  the  dog,  which  was  no  match  for 
the  enraged  animal  in  the  water.  Talbot  went  to  the  dog's 
assistance  and  was  drowned.  (10)  Elizabeth's  second  husband 
was  Christian  Hall.  She  left  a  long  line  of  descendants  through- 
out central  West  Virginia. 

Abram,  the  sixth  child,  was  born  in  1774.  He  also  was  a 
man  of  large  stature  and  great  physical  strength.  Although  quite 
young,  he  was  said  to  have  participated  in  the  Indian  battle  at 
Buckhannon.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Reeder,  and  they 
reared  a  large  family  of  children,  whose  names  were:  John, 
Isaac,  Jacob,  Abram,  (Rev.)  Hanson,  Anthony,  Mary,  Nancy, 
Elizabeth  and  ^Martha. 

John  was  Colonel  of  Militia,  and  was  a  skilled  hunter.  I 
well  remember  the  Colonel,  a  tall,  venerable  and  kind  looking  old 
man.  He  had  light  eyes  and  a  soft  musical  voice.  Ele  often 
visited  at  my  parents,  and  it  was  with  feelings  of  av^^e  that  we 
children  listened  to  the  thrilling  hunter  stories  of  his  younger 
days.     He   took   pride   in   demonstrating   to   his   young   auditors 

(10)  See  page  489. 


Tm:  Rkcers  305 

how  supple  were  his  joints,  attributing  this  to  his  regular  diet  of 
bear  meat  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life. 

The  Colonel  was  early  distinguished  for  his  fearless  nature 
and  iron-like  nerve.  These  qualities,  coupled  uitii  an  amiable 
disposition,  won  the  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him,  and  made  him 
a  favorite  and  a  leader  among  his  companions  in  their  annual 
hunts. 

Elizabeth  Reger  married  Jonathan  Hall.  Mr.  John  Strange 
Hall,  of  W'alkersville,  West  Virginia,  referred  to  elsewhere  in  this 
volume,  is  a  son  of  this  marriage. 

Anthony  Reger  recently  died  in  Buckhannon,  West  Virginia. 
He  was  ninety  years  old  and  the  last  grandson  of  Jacob  Reger,  Sr. 

Barbara,  the  seventh  child  of  Jacob  Reger,  Sr.,  wedded 
Samuel  Jackson.  Many  of  her  descendants  still  reside  in  the 
state. 

Anna  and  Mary,  eighth  and  ninth  children,  married  brothers: 
Anna,  John  Bozarth;  Mary,  George  Bozarth.  These  brothers 
were  the  sons  of  John  Bozarth,  Sr.,  whose  family  was  attacked, 
and  some  of  them  killed,  by  the  Indians  on  Fink's  Run,  in  1795. 
They  were  the  two  boys  mentioned  by  IVithers  (11)  who  were 
helping  their  father  haul  grain  when  the  attack  was  made.  John 
was  a  commissioned  captain  in  the  \'irginia  Volunteers,  War  of 
1812.  It  has  been  claimed  that  George  was  a  non-commissioned 
officer,  same  war,  but  I  have  been  unable  to  verify  this  statement. 
Both  brothers  were  identified  with  the  early  history  of  Lewis 
County;  both  acting  justices.  With  their  families  they  moved 
to  Indiana  at  an  early  date,  and  were  lost  sight  of  by  their  Vir- 
ginia friends. 

Isaac,  the  tenth  child,  was  born  on  the  Wappatomaka,  August 
19,  1782.  He  was  married  to  Mary  Magdaline  Brake,  daughter 
of  Jacob  Brake,  the  Indian  captive.  Isaac  inherited  the  Reger 
homestead  on  Big  Run,  but  in  1830  sold  it,  and  settled  on  Upper 
Hacker's  Creek,  where  some  of  his  descendants  still  reside.  Isaac, 
like  his  older  brothers,  was  a  great  hunter,  and  had  some  thrilling 
experiences  in  this  pursuit. 

When  a  boy,  he  went  coon-hunting  one  night,  accompanied 
by  two  hounds,  a  cur,  and  a  small  fice.  Most  hunters  kept  a 
fice  in  their  pack,  as  they  proved  most  efficient  in  bear  fighting. 
They  would  tree  a  bear  when  the  larger  dogs  could  not.  The 
fice  will  invariably  attack  in  the   rear,   and  then  get  away  before 

(11)  See  page  490. 


306  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

the  bear  can  turn  or  seize  it.  Bruin  can  not  long  endure  this 
mode  of  warfare,  and  will  soon  "tree."  The  noisy  fice  also  excelled 
in  treeing  the  dreaded  panther. 

On  the  night  in  question,  Isaac's  dogs  were  attacked  by  wolves, 
and  getting  the  worst  of  it,  they  fled  to  their  master  for  protection. 
The  wolves  pursued,  fighting  the  dogs  within  a  few  feet  of  the  boy, 
who  stood  with  rifle  ready  to  fire,  had  there  been  sufficient  light 
to  distinguish  wolf  from  dog.  Emboldened  by  the  presence  of 
their  master,  the  dogs  turned  upon  the  wolves,  and  drove  them  a 
short  distance,  only  to  be  forced  back  in  turn.  Thus  the  battle 
raged,  the  wolves  often  coming  near,  and  with  such  violence  that 
the  dry  leaves  were  thrown  about  Isaac's  feet.  Finally,  the  dogs, 
badly  hurt  and  exhausted,  gave  up  the  fight.  The  hounds  crawled 
into  a  nearby  sink-hole,  where  their  enemies  dared  not  follow. 
The  cur  remained  close  to  the  boy,  but  the  fice  had  disappeared. 
The  wolves  hung  close  around,  and  the  boy,  disdaining  to  abandon 
his  hounds,  remained  on  guard  until  the  first  rays  of  dawn,  when 
the  wolves  fled.  Isaac,  with  much  coaxing,  induced  the  hounds 
to  come  from  their  subterranean  retreat.  The  fice  was  never 
heard  of  afterwards,  evidently  having  been  devoured  by  the 
wolves. 

At  a  later  time,  when  Isaac  was  about  eighteen  years  old, 
he  went  coon-hunting,  and  during  his  rambles  he  reached  the 
crest  of  a  hill,  or  knob,  where  he  paused  for  a  short  rest.  Suddenly, 
the  stillness  was  broken  by  a  wild  piercing  scream,  emanating 
from  the  hillside  just  below  where  he  stood.  His  dogs  immediately 
gave  pursuit  to  some  object,  circling  the  hill,  and  baying  furiously. 
Soon  the  chase  had  reached  the  starting  point;  where  again  there 
came  that  same  wailing  shriek,  so  intense  and  penetrating,  that 
the  boy,  although  inured  to  the  dangers  of  the  forest,  felt  the 
blood  chill  to  his  heart.  On  sped  the  dogs  in  that  endless  circle, 
and  once  more  at  the  same  point  there  arose  above  the  deep  bellow- 
ing of  the  hounds  that  awful  scream.  A  thrill  of  unaccountable 
terror  shook  the  boy,  as  again  and  again  the  gloomy  hill-top  was 
circled,  and  at  regular  intervals  was  repeated  that  frightful  cry. 
This  was  more  than  he  could  stand,  schooled  as  he  was  in  the 
superstitions  of  the  woods.  He  intuitively  associated  the  myster- 
ious being  and  its  ominous  cry  with  the  supernatural,  and  calling 
off  his  dogs,  he  hastened  from  the  haunted  hill,  under  the  firm 
conviction  that  they  had  been  chasing  the  devil.     Years  after,  in 


Till    Ri;(;ers  307 

relating'  the  incident,  Isaac  said  that  he  had  no  doubt  but  that 
the  creature  was  a  panther,  or  some  species  of  wild  cat;  but  for  a 
long  time  he  was  unshaken  in  his  belief  that  the  t]uarry  was  his 
Satanic  majesty  himself. 

Some  years  after  Isaac  had  settled  on  Hacker's  Creek,  a  bear 
killed  a  hog  on  an  adjoining  farm,  where  his  son-in-law,  John  W. 
^larple,  settled.  Having  gorged  himself  on  pork,  the  bear  went 
only  a  short  distance  and  la\-  down.  Isaac  was  notified,  and  he 
immediately  took  his  rifle,  and  accompanied  by  his  dogs,  went  to 
where  the  hog  had  been  killed.  The  dogs  soon  routed  the  bear, 
which  started  for  "Bear  Knob,"  followed  and  worried  by  the  dogs. 
When  about  half-way  up  the  mountain,  the  bear  took  refuge  in 
a  poplar  tree,  where  Isaac  killed  it  with  his  rifle.  This  tree  was 
felled  and  sawed  into  lumber  a  few  years  ago. 

Tradition  sa\-s  that  from  the  foregoing  incident  Bear  Knob 
derived  its  name.  It  is  claimed,  however,  that  the  knob  bore  its 
present  appellation  before  Isaac  Reger  settled  on  Hacker's  Creek. 
The  early  settlers  first  called  it  Potato  Hill,  because  of  its  supposed 
resemblance  to  a  "hill"  of  this  growing  tuber.  The  Knob  has 
always  been  an  object  of  interest,  and  the  resort  of  Easter  Sunday 
parties.  It  was  originally  covered  with  a  dense  forest,  but  has, 
in  recent  years,  been  cleared,  and  is  now  clothed  with  blue  grass 
from  base  to  summit.  It  is  the  highest  point  on  the  Hacker's 
Creek  waters. 

The  superstitions  of  the  early  settlers  is  instanced  in  the  fol- 
lowing: Isaac  Reger's  son,  David  B.,  when  a  small  boy,  became 
the  proud  possessor  of  a  young  wolf,  which  he  determined  to  keep 
as  a  pet.  One  day  while  feeding  it,  the  wolf  bit  him.  This  so 
angered  the  boy  that  he  struck  it  with  a  mallet,  causing  its  death. 
David's  mother,  who  was  well  versed  in  the  occult,  was  standing 
near,  and  told  him  to  hold  his  hand  in  the  wolf's  mouth  while  it 
was  dying,  and  he  could  e\er  afterwards  cure  the  "thrash"  in 
children,  by  using  the  hand  thus  treated,  in  washing  the  afflicted 
child's  mouth  at  a  stream  of  running  water.  David  acted  upon 
his  mother's  suggestion,  and  until  he  was  seventy-five  years  old, 
he  was  called  upon  to  exercise  this  mysterious  art  of  healing.  He 
always  performed  this  dut\'  with  reluctance,  contending  that  there 
was  no  virtue  in  the  operation.  Strange  to  say,  howe\-er,  that  in 
every  case  the  treatment  was  followed  b)'  a  speedy  cure.  Mr. 
Nicholas  Linger,  who  resided  on  the  Upper  W  est  Fork,  acquired 


308 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


in  a  like  manner  this  power,  and  was  reputed  to  have  successfully 
treated  many  cases  of  thrash.  David  Reger  died  in  1905,  the 
last  of  seven  children. 

Isaac  Reger's  children  were:  Philip,  died  young;  Ruth,  mar- 
ried John  W.  Marple;  Rebecca,  married  Nicholas  McVany;  Lydia, 
married  Henry  Jackson;  Elizabeth,  married  David  T.  Wolf; 
David  B.,  married  Elizabeth  Nealy;  Maria,  married  Nimrod  Scott. 


I 


CHAPTER  XXX 


There  was  a  noted  character  living  in  the  Buckiiannon  set- 
tlement at  this  time.  Jacob  Brake  was  captured  by  the  Indians 
on  the  Wappatomaka  when  eleven  years  old,  and  remained  in  cap- 
tivity ten  years  and  ten  months.  It  is  said  that  his  brother  Abram 
was  also  made  prisoner  at  the  same  time.  Their  mother  was 
killed  there  by  Indians  in  1758  (1)  and  it  is  probable  that  the  cap- 
ture was  made  at  the  time  of  this  tragedy,  but  this  is  not  known 
to  be  true. 

Jacob  was  adopted  into  a  family  of  four  brothers,  one  of 
whom  was  killed  in  a  massacre,  or  fight,  at  Romney,  Va.,  and  he 
took  the  place  of  this  fallen  brother.  The  most  of  his  captivity 
was  spent  in  northwestern  Ohio,  southeastern  Michigan  and 
northeastern  Indiana.  After  the  treaty  of  1763,  a  fur  trader 
found  him  with  a  band  of  Indians  on  White  Woman's  Creek,  (2) 
who  promised  upon  his  return  to  the  settlements  to  notify  his 
family;  but  failed  to  keep  his  word.  During  the  years  which 
ensued,  Pontiac  ravaged  the  entire  western  border,  and  not  until 
sometime  after  the  restoration  of  peace  in  1765,  was  Jacob  met 
by  another  trader  who  carried  the  news  to  his  people.  John 
Brake,  Jr.,  immediately  arranged  to  return  with  the  trader  and 
claim  his  brother  under  the  terms  of  the  treaty.  They  were  to 
meet  at  Fort  Pitt,  but  John's  anxiety  caused  him  to  appear  at  that 
post  a  month  before  the  appointed  time.  They  at  once  proceeded 
to  the  Indian  towns  and  found  that  a  band  of  hunters  including 
Jacob,  were  to  leave  the  following  day  on  the  great  annual  fall 
hunt.  There  was  but  little  difficulty  in  arranging  for  his  release 
and  Jacob  returned  home  with  his  brother. 

Nothing  is  known  of  his  life  during  his  captivity,  only  that  he 
acquired  those  inevitable  traits  of  character  so  peculiar  to  the 
Indian  race.  His  step  was  light  and  noiseless,  and  in  passing 
through  the  forest  he  left  no  visible  trail.  He  was  taciturn  and 
would  sit  silently  by  the  fireside  drawing  solace  from  his  pipe. 
He  was  subject  to  fits  of  savage  temper  and  at  one  time  while 
butchering  hogs,  he  flew  into  a  violent  rage  and  terrorized  those 
near  him  with  wild  flourishes  of  his  knife  and  threatening  exple- 
tives in  the  Indian  tongue. 
(1)  See  page  490.  (2)  p.  490. 


310  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

It  is  related  of  Jacob  Brake  that  he  knew  of  a  lead,  or  copper 
mine,  perhaps  the  latter,  in  Michigan,  where  the  Indians  resorted 
for  supplies  of  that  mineral.  The  excavation  was  kept  concealed 
from  the  whites  by  refilling  and  building  a  camp  fire  over  the  dis- 
turbed spot.  Brake  became  acquainted  with  the  mine  while  a 
captive,  and  in  later  years  agreed  to  pilot  a  party  of  settlers  to  the 
locality  with  the  understanding  that  he  was  to  share  in  all  the 
profits  accruing  from  a  commercial  development  of  the  mineral. 
A  company  was  organized  with  Henry  Jackson  as  leader,  whose 
object  was  to  survey  and  "enter"  a  large  body  of  land  on  which 
the  mine  was  located. 

The  party  left  Buckhannon,  and  after  several  days  travel 
through  the  wilderness.  Brake  one  evening,  announced  that  they 
were  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  their  goal.  They  pitched 
camp,  and  the  next  morning  Jackson  without  further  preliminaries 
began  his  survey;  when  Brake,  ever  suspicious,  became  incensed 
and  refused  to  guide  them  further.  It  was  in  vain  that  Jackson 
and  his  companions  sought  to  allay  his  fears  of  treachery,  and  to 
get  from  him  the  location  of  the  coveted  treasure.  His  Indian 
intuition  of  the  white  man's  avarice  had  been  fully  aroused,  and 
he  was  obdurate  and  steadfast  in  his  refusal.  Jackson  and  his 
party  continued  the  survey,  but  in  an  opposite  direction;  and 
Brake,  as  he  afterwards  declared,  taking  advantage  of  their 
absence,  went  directly  to  the  mine.  Completely  foiled,  the  adven- 
turers returned  home  in  disappointment. 

Jacob  Brake  married  Miss  Mary  Slaughter,  sister  of  Jesse 
Slaughter,  and  settled  near  where  the  present  Baptist  Cemetery  is 
located.  His  cabin  stood  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  where  North 
Buckhannon  now  stands. 

In  1781,  a  certificate  was  granted  to  "Jacob  Break"  [Brake], 
assignee  to  Samuel  Pringle,  400  acres  on  Buckhannon,  adjoining 
lands  of  Peter  Pufenglory,  to  include  his  settlement  made  in  1776." 

Jacob  Brake  was  a  Lieutenant  in  Captain  George  Jackson's 
Company  of  Spies,  or  Rangers,  in  1779.  His  knowledge  of  Indian 
character  fitted  him  admirably  for  this  position. 

Jacob's  father,  John  Brake,  who  during  the  Revolution 
resided  about  fifteen  miles  above  Moorefield  on  the  Wappatomaka, 
was  a  German  nobleman,  a  baron,  who  migrated  from  Germany 
several  years  prior  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion.    He  was  the  first  of  the  Brake  family  in  Virginia.  (3) 

(3)  See  page  490. 


Jacob  Brake,  Indian  Captive  311 

The  (jernian  clement  in  the  Colonies  in  general  espoused  the 
cause  of  freedom,  but  the  barcjii  remained  loyal  to  King  George 
and  during  the  latter  years  of  the  war,  became  noted  for  his  zeal 
and  energy  in  the  Tory  cause.  There  is  a  tradition  that  the  baron 
recei\'ed  from  King  George  a  royal  grant  for  a  tract  of  land  l\ing 
along  the  \\  appatomaka  where  he  lived,  and  that  this,  coupled 
with  his  love  for  royalty,  was  the  main  or  real  reason  for 
his  loyalty  to  the  British  Crown.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
King  George  was  of  German  descent,  and  would  iiaturalK-  feel 
well-disposed  towards  this  German  nobleman. 

W  hen  (jeneral  Cornwallis  invadei.!  \  irginia  with  his  formid- 
able army  in  June,  1781,  the  Tory  element  on  the  W  appatomaka 
became  restive  and  manifested  signs  of  rebellion.  Under  the 
leadership  of  John  Cla\  pole,  a  Scotchman,  who  resided  on  Lost 
River,  a  tributary  of  the  South  Branch,  they  raised  the  British 
flag  and  refused  to  be  amenable  to  the  Continental  authorities. 
The  home  of  the  rich  baron  was  the  recognized  headquarters  for 
this  band  of  loyalists.  (4) 

A  small  company  of  militia  from  Hampshire  County  was  sent 
to  assist  the  local  officers  in  enforcing  order,  but  finding  the  Tories 
too  strong  for  them,  they  withdrew  without  accomplishing  the 
object  of  their  errand.  This  emboldened  the  Loyalists,  who  then 
regularly  organized,  and  made  John  Claypole  commander-in 
chief,  and  only  awaited  a  favorable  opportunity  to  join  the  British 
forces.  To  suppress  this  uprising,  a  volunteer  army  of  four  hun- 
dred wild  mountain  riflemen,  well  armed  and  mounted,  under 
the  command  of  General  Morgan,  left  \\  inchester  about  the  18th 
or  20th  of  June  and  headed  directly  for  the  scene  of  the  disturb- 
ance. The  army  marched  by  Claypole's,  captured  that  chieftain 
and  scattered  his  followers.  Claypole  was  released  on  bail,  and 
the  command  passed  up  Lost  River  and  over  the  South  Branch 
Mountain,  dispersing  and  capturing  a  few  Tories  as  they  went. 
In  some  instances,  the  reckless  troopers  inflicted  wanton  torture 
on  their  prisoners  before  releasing  them.  One,  an  aged  man,  was 
killed  by  a  drunken  Irishman.  John  Payne  w^as  branded  with 
a  hot  spade  and  IMathias  W'ilkins  w^as  threatened  with  hanging  by 
having  a  rope  placed  about  his  neck. 

General  jVlorgan's  objective  point  w-as  the  noble  baron's,  and 
when  he  reached  there,  he  halted  his  army.  The  horses  were 
turned  into  the  unharvested  meadows  and  oat  fields;  and  for  two 


(4)  See  page  491. 


312  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

days  and  nights  the  men  revelled  in  the  best  that  the  splendid 
estate  of  the  baron  could  produce.  His  fields  were  stocked  with 
fat  cattle,  sheep,  and  hogs,  with  the  usual  complement  of  barn- 
yard fowls.  Possessing  also  a  well  stocked  mill  and  a  large  dis- 
tillery, the  unrestrained  troopers  fared  most  riotously.  The 
Tories  being  subdued  and  scattered,  IMorgan  now  marched  his 
men  back  to  Winchester,  where  they  were  disbanded.  (5) 

This  incipient  uprising  of  Tories  was  the  only  one  in  (now) 
West  Virginia  during  the  war,  and  it  was  far  from  serious.  Evi- 
dently the  most  of  Claypole's  adherents  were  only  half-hearted 
in  the  movement,  for  many  of  them  soon  after  enlisted  with  the 
Patriots  and  marched  against  Cornwallis.  (6) 

There  is  a  tradition  which  says  that  sometime  after  the  sup- 
pression of  the  Brake-Claypole  uprising,  the  baron,  smarting 
from  the  humiliating  indignities  which  he  had  suffered  at  the 
hands  of  his  enemies,  defiantly  raised  a  large  British  flag  over  his 
castle-like  residence.  He  was  ordered  by  the  Continental  troops 
to  haul  it  down,  but  with  the  tenacity  of  purpose  which  has  made 
the  German  race  famous,  he  refused.  The  troops  tore  it  down 
and  destroyed  it.  Another  version  is,  that  when  the  baron  refused 
to  haul  the  colors  down,  the  troops  destroyed  his  buildings  and 
laid  his  fine  estate  in  ruins.  However,  this  may  be,  the  episode  of 
the  flag  did  occur,  and  with  the  sequel,  that  the  baron  soon  after- 
wards went  back  to  his  native  country,  never  to  return  to  America. 

For  the  following  genealogical  table,  I  am  indebted  to  Mr. 
Carl  Reger,  a  great-grandson  of  Isaac  Reger.  Mr.  Reger  has 
compiled  a  very  complete  and  up-to-date  genealogical  record  of 
the  Reger-Brake  families,  but  the  scope  of  this  work  will  not  per- 
mit of  its  insertion  in  full.  Mr.  Reger  also  rendered  other  valuable 
assistance  in  the  sketch  of  the  Reger  family. 

The  baron,  John  Brake,  had  four  children. 

(1)  Elizabeth,  married  Captain  George  Jackson,  the  oldest 
son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Jackson.  (7) 

(2)  John  married  twice.  His  first  wife  was  Elizabeth 
Wetherholt,  who  died  leaving  one  child,  Elizabeth,  who  married 
Colonel  Edward  Jackson,  as  his  second  wife.  John's  second  wife 
was  Catherine  Shook. 

(3)  Abram,  married  Miss  Davis,  whose  mother,  Sophia,  was 
a  daughter  of  the  "first  John  Jackson  who  settled  in  this  country." 


(5)  See  page  491.  (6)  p.  491.  (7)  p.  491. 


Jacob  Brakk,  Indian  Captive 


313 


(4)  Jacob,  the  captive,  niarried  Miss  Mary  Slaughter,  as 
before  stated,  and  had  h\'e  children: 

(1)  Leah,  married  Major  Abrani  Reger. 

(2)  Mary  Maiidalen,  married  Isaac  Reger. 

(3)  Name  unknown,  married   |(«se[Mi  Shreves. 

(4)  Abram,  married  Miss  KHzabetli  Jackson. 

(5)  John,  whose  wife's  name  is  unknown  to  me.  His 
descendants  are  numerous  in  the  Buckhanimn  countr}-. 

Jacob,  the  captive,  died  in  1831.  His  wife  died  in  1S30. 
Both  are  buried  in  the  Heavner  Cemetery,  Buckhannon,  West 
Virginia. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 


Jacob  Cozad,  Sr.,  was  born  in  1755,  and  was  said  to  have  been 
the  fourth  Jacob  in  the  direct  Hne  of  the  Cozad  family.  As  nearly 
as  can  be  ascertained,  he  came  from  New  Jersey,  perhaps  with  his 
father,  and  settled  on  Cheat  River,  Virginia,  just  prior  to  the  Rev- 
olutionary War.  The  name  was  originally  Cossart,  and  is  Flem- 
ish, belonging  to  families  in  Rouen,  France,  as  also  in  the  French 
portion  of  Belgium.  It  was  pronounced  without  the  final  "t"  in 
France,  and  with  the  "t"  made  to  "d"  in  Belgium.  The  name 
appears  Cossart,  Cosart,  Cozard,  Cosad,  Cozad,  and  in  several 
other  forms.  The  Cozads  first  settled  in  this  country  in  New 
Jersey,  and  were  associated  with  the  Buttons,  who  are  said  to  have 
come  from  England,  and  settled  in  or  near  New  York  City.  Some 
of  the  Buttons  also  migrated  to  Virginia,  where  the  two  families 
remained  in  close  touch  for  many  years.  David  Sutton,  who 
settled  at  the  mouth  of  Kinchelo  Creek,  now  Harrison  County, 
West  Virginia,  was  of  this  family.  He  died  there,  and  was  buried 
in  the  Broad  Run  cemetery. 

The  following  certificates  of  land  entries  were  granted  to 
Jacob  Cozad,  Sr.,  by  the  Land  Commissioners  convened  at  the 
house  of  Colonel  John  Evans,  near  Morgantown,  in  1781. 

"...  Jacob  Cazad  [Cozad]  ass'ee  of  Moses  Templin,  is 
entitled  to  a  preemption  of  one  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Monon- 
galia County,  adjoining  his  settlement  on  Cheat  River,  made  in 
1770." 

"...  Jacob  Cazad  [Cozad]  ass'ee  to  Samuel  Sutton,  on 
Morgan's  Run,  a  branch  of  Cheat  River,  to  include  his  settlement 
thereon  1770." 

"...  Jacob  Cozad  heir  of  William  Drago,  400  acres  on  the 
head  of  Drago  Run  at  the  right-hand  fork,  to  include  his  improve- 
ment made  thereon." 

At  the  time,  1770,  that  these  entries  were  made,  Jacob  Sr., 
was  but  fifteen  years  old,  and  it  is  obvious  that  some  of  them,  at 
least,  were  made  by  his  father,  Jacob  the  third,  whose  wife  was 
Elizabeth  Sutton. 

Jacob,  Sr.  (or  Jacob  the  fourth),  while  yet  in  his  teens,  was 
married  to  Miss  Mercy  Woodward.     This  couple,  at  a  later  day. 


Jac(jb  Cozad,  Indian  Cai'tixk  315 

settled  un  Hacker's  Creek,  (1)  about  one  mile  below  Berlin,  where 
Lewis  Morrison  now  resides.  Their  hewed  log  cabin,  only  removed 
within  the  last  few  years,  stood  where  Mr.  Morrison's  wash-house 
is  now  located.  A  larpe  pear  tree,  of  the  sugar  variety,  which 
stands  directly  between  the  roail  and  the  ^ite  of  the  cabin,  was 
planted  by  Jacob  Cozad,  Sr.,  soon  after  settling  there.  This 
venerable  tree  measures  over  sixty  feet  from  outer  branch  to  outer 
branch,  and  o\-er  three  feet  in  diameter,  eight  feet  from  the  ground. 
It  is  still  vigorous,  and  produces  an  abundance  of  delicious  fruit. 

Jacob  Cozad,  Sr.,  was  a  Baptist  minister,  and  was  one  of  the 
early  pastors  of  the  Baptist  church,  organized  at  Buckhannon  in 
1786.  (2)  He  afterwards  moved  to  Fairfield,  Ohio,  and  was  min- 
ister of  the  early  Baptist  churches  near  there.  He  died  in  Fair- 
held,  August  22,  1S27.  His  wife  died  in  1S35,  aged  eighty  years. 
They  had  several  children;  among  them,  William,  Jacob,  Benja- 
min, John,  and  David;  also  two  daughters,  Mary  and  Mercy. 
\\  illiam  became  his  father's  executor.  If  there  were  other  chil- 
dren, no  record  has  been  found  of  their  names. 

\\  hile  the  Cozads  were  residing  on  Hacker's  Creek,  a  tragedy 
occurred  which  made  the  famih"  historic.  A  tolerably  concise 
account  of  this  occurrence  is  to  be  found  in  JJ^ithers,  (3)  which  is 
deemed  unnecessary  to  copy  here. 

On  Ju!\-  26,  1794,  four  of  the  boys,  William  and  Jacob,  with 
two  of  their  brothers,  said  to  have  been  "Benny"  and  David,  were 
bathing  in  the  creek  a  short  distance  below  the  mouth  of  Little 
Stone  Coal  Run,  (4)  which  enters  the  creek  about  three-quarters 
of  a  mile  below  the  present  village  of  Berlin. 

The  creek  at  that  time  was  bounded  on  either  side  by  a  heav\- 
growth  of  forest,  while  its  banks  were  lined  with  willows  and  tall 
weeds.  The  boys  were  enjoying  themselves  as  only  healthful 
bo\s  can,  and  doubtless  their  shouts  of  hilarity  betrayed  them  to 
some  Indians  lurking  on  the  ridge  just  south  of  the  creek.  At 
this  point  the  stream  skirts  the  base  of  the  hill,  which  rises  abrupt 
and  steep  from  the  creek  bed.  The  Indians  could  not  make  a 
direct  descent  upon  the  unsuspecting  youths,  without  danger  of 
discovery.  They  therefore  descended  to  the  stream  a  short  dis- 
tance above  the  bathers,  and  were  among  them  before  they  knew 
of  their  presence.  One  of  the  Indians  caught  at  Jacob,  Jr.,  who, 
supposing  that  his  assailant  was  a  neighbor  boy  trying  to  surprise 
him,  exclaimed,  "Jake  Sleeth,  you  can't  catch  me,"  and  immedi- 

1)  See  page  492.  (2)  p.  492.  (3)  p.  492.  (4)  p.  492. 


316 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


ately  dived  beneath  the  water.  But  when  he  came  to  the  surface, 
he  was  seized  and  led  ashore.  In  the  meantime,  the  other  boys 
were  being  secured.  A  small  ravine,  densely  canopied  with  weeds, 
broke  through  the  creek  bank  nearby.  Into  this  one  of  the  lads 
crawled,  but  was  seen  and  dragged  out  by  an  Indian. 

It  was  the  object  of  the  Indians,  in  this  case   as  always,  in 
either  entering  or  leaving  the  settlements,  to  avoid  the  low  valley 


r— .^"^^ 


The  Cozad  Beech  Tree 
Photographed  by  Mr.  Kent  Reger,  October  8,  1898 


and  travel  on  the  high  ridges  as  much  as  possible.  They  could 
move  more  readily,  discover  danger,  and  avoid  the  deadly  ambus- 
cade. They  could  also  more  effectually  conceal  their  trail  on  the 
dry  uplands,  where  the  vegetation  was  less  rank.  But  in  camping, 
when  the  weather  necessitated  a  fire,  they  were  compelled  to  seek 
the  shelter  of  some  valley,  or  narrow  ravine,  where  they  were 
occasionally  surprised  by  the  enemy.  In  order  to  regain  the  ridge, 
the  Indians  with  their  captives  proceeded  up  the  creek  to  the 
mouth  of  Little  Stone  Coal  Run.  The  boys  carried  their  clothes 
and  donned  them  as  they  travelled.  At  this  point,  the  youngest 
of  the  prisoners,  a  lad  only  six  years  of  age,  cried  piteously  for  his 


Jacob  Co/ad,  Indian  C"\i'ti\e  317 

mother.  One  of  the  Indians  seized  him  h\-  the  heels  am.!  killed 
him  h\'  strikini:  his  head  against  the  roots  of  a  beech  tree.  He 
was  then  scalped,  and  his  bod}'  left  at  the  foot  of  the  tree,  where 
it  was  afterwards  found,  and  buried  in  what  is  now  the  Morrison 
Cemetery,  on  the  old  Cozad  homesteail.  'This  lad  "s  name  was 
''Benny."  Another,  perhaps  later  son  named  Benjamin,  sur- 
vived his  father  in  Ohio. 

The  evident  design  of  the  Indians  in  this  raii.1  was  to  secure 
prisoners.  Two  days  previously  they  had  captured  the  daughter 
of  John  Runyan  but  two  of  the  band  carried  her  away  and  killed 
her.  The  remaining  four  Indians  hid  in  the  settlements  for  two 
days,  doing  no  further  damage  than  shooting  one  or  more  of  Car- 
der's cattle.  The  little  Cozad  boy  who  was  dashed  to  death 
against  the  tree  was  making  an  outcry  which  jeopardized  the 
safety  of  the  Indians.  From  their  standpoint  this  weeping  child 
had  not  the  requisites  of  the  coming  warrior,  and  this  hastened  his 
death. 

There  has  been  some  doubt  regarding  the  identity  of  the  tree 
which  figured  so  prominently  in  the  Cozad  tragedy.  Mr.  J.  K. 
P.  Maxson,  of  Berlin,  \\  est  \'irginia,  a  grandson  of  Jacob  Cozad, 
Jr.,  and  who  was  raised  in  the  immediate  neighborhood,  assured 
me  that  his  grandfather  pointed  out  to  him,  not  only  the  tree, 
but  the  heavy  spur-root  against  which  he  saw  the  Indian  dash 
the  head  of  his  little  brother.  This  tree  stood  in  the  bottom 
near  the  west  bank  of  the  run  before  mentioned,  and  not  far  from 
the  creek  bank.  The  cut  here  given  of  this  tree  is  from  a  photo- 
graph made  especially  for  this  work.  Mr.  Maxson  accompanied 
the  photographer  and  designated  the  fatal  root,  by  thrusting  a 
walking-stick  into  the  ground  by  its  side.  This  stick  can  readily 
be  discerned  in  the  front,  and  to  the  side  of  the  center  of  the  tree. 
W  hen  photographed,  this  legend,  cut  in  the  bark  of  the  tree  could 
be  read,  "Jacob  Cozad,  17 — ".  The  last  two  figures  of  the  date 
could  not  be  deciphered.  The  tree  at  that  time  was  dead,  having 
put  forth  its  last  coat  of  leaves  the  preceding  year.  It  was  a 
large  tree,  but  for  several  years  onl\-  about  twcnt\'  feet  of  its  trunk 
had  been  standing.  The  primitive  forest  had  been  cleared  from 
around  it,  and  it  stood  alone,  a  silent,  decaying  monument  to  one 
of  the  man\-  pathetic  tragedies  of  a  century  before. 

After  killing  the  little  bo_\',  the  Indians  turned  westward,  and 
climbed  the  point  of  the  ridge  facing  the  east.     While  ascending 


318 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


this  hill,  Jacob  conceived  the  idea  of  possibly  alarming  the  whites 
by  giving  a  loud  and  prolonged  whoop.  This  he  had  no  sooner 
uttered  than  he  was  knocked  senseless  with  a  rifle  in  the  hands  of 
one  of  his  captors.  Jacob  said  afterwards,  in  relating  this  incident, 
that  when  he  came  to  his  senses,  a  squaw  was  dragging  him  up  the 


\ 


Scene  of  the  Cozad  Tragedy 
Photographed  March  20,  1910 

Hacker's  Creek  is  to  the  right  and  the  place  of  capture  was  at  the  base  of  the 
or  "first  bench''  seen  in  the  distance.     On  the  left  is  shown  a  sectiofi  of  the  hill  up 
which  the  Indians  retreated  with  their  captives. 

The  square  block  of  stone  marks  the  exact  spot  where  stood  the  beech  tree  against 
the  root  of  which  the  Indian  dashed  the  head  of  Benny  Cozad.  This  monument  was 
placed  March  19,  1910,  by  Mr.  John  B.  Swisher  of  Berlin,  W.  Va.,  and  bears  this 
legend,  "Benny  Cozad,  killed  by  Indians,  July  26,  1794."  To  Mr.  Swisher  must  be 
credited  the  first  patriotic  work  of  this  kind  in  the  historic  Hacker's  Creek  Valley. 


hill  by  one  foot,  the  others  of  the  party  having  gone  on  ahead. 
There  were  but  four,  some  claim  only  three,  Indians  concerned 
in  this  adventure,  yet  Jacob  declared  that  it  was  a  squaw  who 
dragged  him  by  the  foot.  It  is  not  improbable  that  occasionally 
women  accompanied  war  parties  in  raiding  the  border.  (5) 

The  solicitude  of  this  Indian  woman  for  the  boy,  surrounded 
as  they  were  by  the  most  deadly  peril,  betrays  a  tenderness  of 
heart  not  usually  attributed  to  the  race  under  like  circumstances. 

(4)  See  page  492. 


Jacob  Cozad,  Indian  C\i'Ti\e  319 

llcjwcver,  the  fearlessness  inanifcsled  in  the  lad's  attempt  to 
alarm  the  whites  would  appeal  strongly  to  his  captors  and  win 
their  admiration.  They  were  not  likely  to  deal  more  harshly  b\' 
him  than  their  own  safety  demanded.  The  party  reached  the 
West  Fork  River  that  niuht.  and  camped  near  where  the  old 
Jackson  mill  now  stands  —  the  birthplace  of  "Stonewall"  Jackson. 

After  arriving  at  their  town  on  the  Scioto  River,  the  Indians 
displayed  a  fresh  scalp  which  the  Cozad  boys  recognized  as  that 
of  their  little  brother.  It,  with  others  Jacob  mentioned,  was 
sold.  .\l  no  time  <Md  the  j^risoners  dare  manifest  any  signs  of 
grief  or  bewail  their  condition.  They  were  held  at  the  different 
Indian  towns  until  the  Treaty  of  Greenville  the  following  year, 
when  two  of  them  were  delivered  to  their  father.  He  attended 
the  treaty  in  compan\-  with  John  Hacker  and  John  Waggoner,  as 
noted  in  a  previous  chapter.  Cozad  was  recognized  by  some  of 
the  Indians,  they  having  often  seen  him  plowing  in  his  field. 

Jacob,  Jr.,  remained  with  his  captors  until  the  next  year, 
when  he  was  found  at  Sandusky  by  his  older  brother  and  brought 
home.  (6)  He  had  been  adopted  into  the  family  of  a  chief.  One 
day  while  at  work  in  a  cucumber  patch  with  his  foster  mother, 
some  of  the  little  children  were  playing  nearb\'.  One  of  them 
came  upon  a  large  rattlesnake  and  was  in  imminent  danger  from 
the  reptile  when  discovered  by  the  child's  mother.  These  Indians 
held  the  rattlesnake  in  reverence  and  wouKl  not  kill  nor  molest 
it.  But  the  love  and  solicitude  of  the  pocjr  niother  for  her 
imperiled  child  overcame  her  superstitious  veneration  for  the 
deadly  serpent-god,  and  while  she  would  not  injure  the  reptile,  she 
permitted  Jacob  to  kill  and  conceal  it  from  the  other  Indians. 
Ever  after  he  was  a  favorite  of  the  grateful  mother,  and  it  was  not 
long  until  she  was  enabled  to  show  her  gratitude  in  a  substantial 
way. 

After  the  crushing  defeat  of  the  Indians  by  Wayne's  army 
in  1794,  Jacob  was  condemned  by  his  enraged  captors  to  be  burned 
at  the  stake.  Every  preparation  was  made  for  the  execution  of 
the  awful  sentence,  and  he  was  permitted  to  bid  farewell  to  those 
of  his  friends  assembled  to  witness  his  death.  While  passing 
through  the  throng  for  this  purpose,  he  felt  a  light  touch  upon  his 
shoulder,  and  turning,  was  face  to  face  with  a  strange  Indian 
woman.  She  covertU'  signed  him  to  follow  her,  and  unnoticed, 
led  the  way  to  a  wigwam.     Here  she  concealed  him   among  some 

(6)  See  page  402. 


320 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


trunks  and  covered  him  with  blankets.  Soon  he  was  missed  and 
a  great  commotion  ensued.  Diligent  search  was  made  for  him, 
many  of  the  Indians  coming  into  the  wigwam  where  he  lay,  even 
removing  the  blankets,  but  their  quest  was  futile.  Jacob  after- 
wards said  that  he  was  fearful  lest  his  presence  should  be  revealed 
by  the  heavy  beating  of  his  heart,  such  was  his  anguish  and  dread 
of  discovery.  When  the  excitement  had  died  down,  two  of  his 
foster  brothers  secretly  conveyed  him  to  the  Old  Delaware  TOwn, 
where  he  remained  until  after  the  Treaty  of  Greenville.  He 
never  again  saw  the  strange  woman  who  helped  him  to  escape; 
nor  was  he  ever  mistreated  again  after  returning  to  his  adopted 
home.  The  sudden  furious  outburst  against  him  had  been 
prompted  greatly  by  the  baleful  influence  of  whiskey,  which  the 
Indians  had  procured  in  quantity. 

Mrs.  Cecilia  Pifer,  of  Buckhannon,  West  Virginia,  a  grand- 
daughter of  Jacob  Cozad,  line  of  his  son  Woodward,  often  heard 
the  old  man  relate  incidents  in  his  captive  career. 

When  the  boys  were  captured,  their  father  and  mother  were 
alone  at  the  house.  They  were  asked  the  number  of  men  there, 
and  answered,  "Twelve."  The  leading  warrior  ejaculated,  "Too 
many  mans;  too  many  mans." 

Jacob  said  that  his  foster  father  was  very  fond  of  him  when  not 
under  the  influence  of  intoxicants.  Both  he  and  most  of  the  men, 
if  not  all  of  them,  were  drinking  when  he  was  given  up  to  die. 

The  captive  lad  often  had  the  care  of  the  smaller  children 
and  he  learned  to  sing  to  the  crying  pappoose.  The  following  is 
a  fragment  of  the  song  as  remembered  by  !\Irs.  Pifer.  The  last 
part  of  it  is  missing. 


i 


The  Cozad  Indian  Song 

It  is  noticeable  that  the  last  word  of  this  song  is  almost,  if 
not  wholly  identical  with  the  "Pa-la-wa"  of  the  Turkey  clan  of  the 
Shawnees. 

Jacob  was  instructed  in  the  hunter's  craft,  and  often  accom- 
panied the  hunter  bands  in  the  wilderness.   .  On  these  trips  they 


Jacob  Co/ad,  Indian  Captive  321 

sometimes  suffered  exceedinj^ly  from  hunger.  Once  when  reduced 
to  the  verge  of  starvation,  a  wild  turkey  was  shot  and  Jacob's 
portion  was  the  entrails.  He  always  declared  that  this  was  the 
best  feast  of  his  life. 

At  another  time  he  was  made  to  climb  a  "bee  tree"  which 
ihev'  had  discovered,  with  instructions  to  secure  and  toss  the 
honey  to  the  hungr}'  baiKJ  on  the  ground.  The  boy  was  so  fam- 
ished that  he  first  sought  to  appease  his  own  sufferings;  at  which 
the  Indians  called  to  him  in  a  threatening  manner.  He  replied  by 
brandishing  his  knife  at  ihcin,  which  so  pleased  them  that  he  was 
greeted  with  laughter  and  exclamations  of  approval. 

He  was  put  through  the  most  rigorous  treatment  to  inure 
him  to  the  hardships  of  the  hunter  and  warrior. 

At  one  time  his  head  was  shaved  and  then  bathed  in  warm 
water;  and  after  being  divested  of  all  clothing,  he  was  sent  into  the 
intensely  cold  forest  to  carry  firewood.  He  said  that  he  never 
suffered  with  the  cold  so  much  in  all  his  life.  This  seeming  cruelty 
was  not  enforced  through  any  spirit  of  animosity  or  ill  will,  but 
was  a  part  of  the  schooling  of  the  young  Indian  boys. 

After  returning  from  captivity,  Jacob  married  Sarah  Taylor 
and  settled  on  part  of  his  father's  estate,  where  his  son-in-law, 
George  Lawson,  now  resides.  The  site  of  his  first  cabin  is  now 
occupied  b}-  Mr.  Lawson's  garden.  The  cabin  was  burned  down, 
and  Cozad  then  built  a  frame  house  near  the  site  of  the  first. 
This  house  is  still  standing,  and  is  a  part  of  Mr.  Lawson's  present 
residence.  Jacob  moved  to  Fairfield,  Ohio,  and  was  living  there 
in  1807  or  1808.  Later  he  returned  to  Hacker's  Creek,  where  he 
resided  as  long  as  he  lived.  By  his  first  wife  he  had  six  children, 
Woodward,  Jacob,  Samuel,  David,  Mercy  and  Jackson,  all  of 
whom,  except  Samuel  and  David,  lived  to  be  grown,  married  and 
raised  families. 

Jacob  survived  his  first  wife,  and  married  Ruby  Beeman. 
B}"  her  he  had  four  children,  whose  names  were  Elijah,  Frank, 
Clerenda  and  Elizabeth.  Clerenda  married  Mr.  George  Lawson, 
whose  son,  G.  C.  Lawson,  of  Meadow  Bluff,  West  Virginia,  ren- 
dered material  aid  in  the  preparation  of  this  sketch.  Elizabeth 
married  Mr.  John  A.  Maxson,  the  father  of  .Mr.  J.  K.  P.  Maxson, 
of  Berlin,  West  Virginia.  In  later  years  Jacob,  Jr.,  was  again 
left  a  widower,  and  again  married.  His  third  wife  was  a  Skid- 
more.     Jacob  Cozad,  like  his  father,  was  a  "Hard  Shell"  Baptist 


322  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

minister,  and  preached  at  Buckhannon  and  elsewhere.  He  was 
also  a  "Sweat  and  Herb"  doctor,  having  learned  this  art  of  healing 
from  the  Indians  during  his  captivity.  He  owned  slaves,  but 
before  his  death  he  freed  them,  willing  them  one  hundred  dollars 
each  when  of  age.  Cozad  died  at  his  home  in  1862,  in  his  eighty- 
ninth  year,  and  was  buried  in  the  Morrison  Cemetery. 

The  adventure  of  Jacob  Cozad  with  the  rattlesnake,  while 
among  the  Indians,  is  interesting  and  most  significant. 

With  primitive  man,  as  far  back  as  record  or  myth  extends, 
the  serpent  has  been  an  object  of  mystery  and  veneration.  Man 
in  the  hunter  state  has  ever  been  a  close  student  of  nature.  Con- 
stant contact  with  the  living  creatures  upon  which  he  preyed,  or 
contended  in  the  fierce  struggle  for  existence,  schooled  him  in  the 
habits  of  all  manner  of  life  about  him.  His  mind  incapable  of 
grasping  and  reasoning  out  the  potent  elements  governing  the 
actions  of  certain  animals,  birds,  and  reptiles,  he  associated  them 
with  the  supernatural.  This  led  to  the  individual,  or  tribal 
adoption  of  the  creature  as  a  sub-deity,  or  totem,  and  its  worship 
as  such.  The  noiseless  uncanny  glide  of  the  serpent,  without  vis- 
ible means  of  locomotion,  and  its  subtile  power  over  its  prey,  has 
doubtless  been  a  prime  factor  in  placing  it  among  the  chosen 
totems  of  primitive  man.  There  are  but  few  religious  systems  in 
the  world  that  does  not  pay  in  some  way,  homage  to  the  serpent. 

With  the  American  Indian  various  animals,  birds  and  reptiles 
were  worshiped  as  emblematic  or  representative  of  the  Master  of 
Life.  In  many  localities  the  historic  Indian  has  painted,  or 
carved  the  images  of  these  totem-animals  upon  the  smooth  surface 
of  stone  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  abode.  We  also  find  them 
upon  the  walls  of  the  secluded  and  sacred  temple  cave  of  the  medi- 
cine man  and  prophet.  These  crude  pictographs  and  petroglyphs 
:speak  plainly  of  mystic  and  religious  ceremonies.  They  are  the 
pathetic  record  of  the  strivings  of  the  children  of  nature  to  solve 
the  mysterious  problems  of  life,  and  to  probe  the  dark  night  of 
the  future. 

Interesting  examples  of  the  petroglyphs  may  be  seen  on  a 
large  fiat  stone  on  Lost  Creek,  Harrison  County,  West  Virginia. 
Also  on  the  walls  of  a  small  cave,  or  rock  shelter,  on  Two  Lick 
Run,  same  county.  In  1888,  I  brought  the  existence  of  this  cave 
to  the  notice  of  the   Bureau   of  Ethnology,  Washington,   which 


Jacob  Co/.ad,  Indian  Captixe 


323 


culminated  in  a  thorough  examination  of  it  in  the  same  year  by 
Professor  W.  H.  Holmes  of  that  Bureau.  (7) 

Of  serpents,  the  rattlesnake  was  the  favorite  totem  of  the 
Red  Man.  We  find  the  conventional  form  of  this  reptile  etched 
on  the  shell  gorgets,  buried  deep  in  the  tumuli  (A  the  mound- 
building  Indians.  This  points  strongly,  if  not  conclusi\el\ .  tf)  its 
lotemic  significance  with  that  ancient  people.  (8) 

It  is  not  know  n  by  what  tribe  Jacob  Cozad,  Jr.,  was  held  cap- 
tive; but  it  is  supposed  to  ha\-e  been  the  Shawnee,  or  possibly  the 
Delaware.  The  incident  of  the  rattlesnake  implies  that  his  cap- 
tors were  worshippers  of  that  reptile.  That  such  was  the  custom 
in  vogue  among  the  Chippeway-Ojibwas,  we  learn  from  Henry's 
observance  of  this  practice  while  a  captive  with  the  Chippewas.  (9) 

This  specie  of  worship  was  also  observed  among  the  Menom- 
inee, by  Colonel  McKenney,  (10)  while  encamped  on  Fox  River, 
Wisconsin,  in  1827.  In  this  case,  however,  sentiment  was  not  so 
highly  developed  as  with  the  Chippewas,  but  partook  more  of  the 
nature  of  Fetich  ism.  (11) 


(7)  See  page  492.   (S)  p.  492.   (9)  p.  492.  (10)  p.  49  5.   (11)  p.  4'^.>. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 


The  Hurst  family  settled  on  Cheat  River.  The  head,  William 
or  Henry,  name  uncertain  but  probably  the  first  given,  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolution  and  served  during  the  greater  part,  if  not  the 
entire  period,  of  that  conflict.  I  have  been  unable  to  trace  his 
military  record,  as  no  claim  for  pension  was  ever  filed  and  the 
muster  rolls  in  the  War  Department  are  very  incomplete.  From 
the  information  at  hand  it  would  appear  that  he  came  from  the 
Wappatomaka  to  the  Cheat  River.  Tradition  has  it  that  the  fam- 
ily first  lived  in  Hardy  County;  and  later  in  Hampshire  County. 

Hurst  died  early  and  his  widow,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Sims,  came  with  her  family  to  the  West  Fork  country  when  her 
eldest  child,  John,  was  fourteen  years  old.  The  widow  remarried 
and  the  children,  eight  in  number,  were  placed  in  different  families 
to  work  for  their  board  and  clothing.  They  were  John,  Kather- 
ine,  Nancy,  Daniel,  Margaret,  Samuel,  Sallie  and  William.    John 

married Winans;    Katherine  married  John  Shall,  and  moved  to 

Ohio;  Nancy  married  a  Mr.  King,  and  settled  in  Harrison  County, 
West  Virginia;   Daniel   married    Eleanor   Powers,  nee   Davidson; 

Margaret   married   Walter  McWhorter;  Samuel    married 

Romine,  and  settled  on  a  branch  of  McKinney's  Run,  Harrison 
County;  Sallie  married  John  West,  a  son  of  Alexander  West,  the 
scout,  and  settled  on  Fink's  Creek,  in  now  Gilmer  County,  West 

Virginia;  William  married Sigler,  and  moved  to  Ohio,  and 

later  to  Missouri;  died  in  1869.  His  descendants  are  scattered 
through  the  west  and  Pacific  slope.  John  and  Daniel  were  sol- 
diers in  War  of  1812. 

John  Hurst  was  a  private  in  Captain  John  Bozarth's  Com- 
pany, Fifth  Regiment,  Virginia  Militia,  under  Col.  Isaac  Booth. 
His  service  commenced  August  30,  1814,  and  expired  March  19, 
1815,  during  which  time  he  was  at  Norfolk,  Virginia. 

This  soldier  settled  on  Fink's  Creek,  in  now  Gilmer  County, 
West  Virginia,  ten  miles  from  any  human  habitation  and  when 
that  region  was  an  unbroken  wilderness.  He  completed  his  cabin 
and  moved  on  the  10th  day  of  April,  and  carved  from  the  heavily- 
timbered  bottom  land  a  corn  patch  the  same  season.  He  grubbed 
and  cut  down  trees  and  piled  the  brush  in  the  day  time  and  at 


'I'll  I    I  liRSTs  325 

night  would  tire  the  brush  hcaj'is  and  cut  ihc  trunks  into  lops  by 
the  liuht  of  the  blaze.  \\  lien  tatit'ued,  lie  would  lay  down  within 
the  circle  of  light  where  the  wild  animals  would  not  \'cnture,  and 
sleep  soundh'.  \\  hen  refreshed,  he  would  replenish  his  fires  and 
proceed  with  his  chopping  anel  otttiines  the  ring  of  his  axe 
resounded  throughout  the  entire  night.  The  held  he  thus  cleared. 
Hurst  cultivated  in  corn  for  thirty  consecutive  years,  with  no 
perceptible  diminution  ot  fertility.  Iht-  back-water  o\-erflow 
from  the  creek  amply  replenished  the  soil. 

Hurst  cleared  land  and  shot  wild  animals  during  the  week- 
days and  devoted  his  summer  Sunday's  killing  poisonous  reptiles. 
These  latter  were  very  numerous,  and  the  hrst  year  he  destroyed 
seventy  of  them  b}'  actual  count.  One  night  he  arose  to  give  one 
of  the  children  a  drink  of  water,  and  when  he  stepped  on  the 
loose  puncheon  fioor,  a  rattlesnake  sounded  an  alarm  in  the  cor- 
ner of  the  cabin.     The  intruder  was  dispatched. 

Hurst's  antipathy  for  these  reptiles  was  augmented  in  an 
early  day.  W  hen  a  boy  and  residing  with  his  parents  on  Cheat 
River,  he  was  cow  hunting  one  evening  during  the  first  warm 
days  of  spring.  He  stepped  upon  a  large  boulder  to  listen  for  the 
bell.  A  rattlesnake  crawled  from  under  the  rock,  and  he  struck 
it  with  a  stick.  In  its  dying  throes  it  sounded  an  alarm,  when 
others  made  their  appearance.  The  lad  was  soon  kept  busy 
knocking  them  from  his  perch,  as  they  advanced  from  every  side. 
Before  realizing  his  danger  he  was  surrounded,  and  was  nearly 
overcome  b\'  the  nauseating  aroma  from  the  loathsome  angr\" 
swarm.  This  odor,  which  is  always  perceptible,  is  greatly 
increased  when  the  serpent  is  in  a  state  of  excitement.  Hurst 
was  bare-footed,  and  his  only  means  of  escape  was  by  leaping  over 
them,  which  he  did,  and  ran  for  a  small  creek  only  a  short  distance 
awa}-.  But  he  was  not  to  escape  so  easily.  The  reptiles  pursued 
him  so  closeh'  and  in  such  numbers,  that  he  was  compelled  to 
continue  his  flight  across  the  stream,  which  at  this  point  was  both 
narrow  and  shallow.  Two  of  the  rattlers  swam  after  him,  and 
these  he  killed. 

The  habit  of  the  rattler  and  the  copperhead  is  to  congregate  in 
dens  in  the  fall,  where  they  hibernate  during  the  winter.  These 
dens  occur  in  favored  localities,  usualh'  among  the  rocks  on  the 
sunny  side  of  the  hill,  or  mountain.  During  the  first  warm  days 
of  spring,  the  inmates  will  make  their  appearance  and  bask  in  the 


326  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

sun.  In  the  early  days  of  the  country,  and  even  now  in  sparsely 
settled  and  mountainous  districts,  the  reptiles  have  been  seen  by 
the  hundreds  lying  in  tangled  masses  about  their  dens.  This 
they  continue  to  do  for  a  few  days  before  scattering  throughout 
the  surrounding  country.  It  was  such  a  den  that  Hurst  happened 
upon.  (1) 

Just  before  moving  to  the  West  Fork,  a  bear  came  near  the 
Hurst  cabin  one  night  and  the  dog  chased  it  up  a  tree  on  the 
river  bank.  John,  who,  it  must  be  remembered,  was  only  thirteen 
or  fourteen  years  of  age,  procured  his  father's  gun  and  a  torch  and 
hastening  to  the  spot  built  a  fire  with  the  intention  of  remaining 
there  until  morning  when  he  could  shoot  the  bear.  In  the  after 
part  of  the  night  a  terrific  storm  burst  over  the  forest  and  the  rain 
descending  in  a  deluge  the  fire  was  soon  extinguished.  The  lad 
sought  shelter  in  the  house  but  the  faithful  dog  remained  on  guard. 
Just  before  daybreak,  bruin  came  down  from  his  perch  when  the 
dog,  a  strong,  courageous  animal,  engaged  it  in  deadly  conflict. 
The  struggle  was  protracted  for  one  of  its  nature.  The  uproar 
was  plainly  audible  at  the  cabin  and  the  mother  experienced  great 
difficulty  in  restraining  the  intrepid  boy  from  going  to  the  help 
of  the  brave  dog.  Finally  the  tumult  subsided  and  the  dog  came 
home  badly  hurt.  Soon  as  it  was  light,  the  lad  hastened  to  the 
scene  of  the  fight  and  found  the  sand  bar  on  which  it  had  been 
waged,  stained  with  blood  and  other  signs  attesting  to  the  desper- 
ate nature  of  the  battle.  The  bear  had  made  off  leaving  a  trail 
of  blood.  This  the  boy  followed  to  the  top  of  a  bare  ridge  where 
it  was  lost. 

After  settling  on  Fink's  Creek,  wild  animals  and  reptiles  vied 
in  making  Hurst's  life  strenuous.  Panthers  were  so  fierce  and 
numerous  that  the  children  were  not  permitted  to  go  alone  in  the 
woods.  One  autumn  day  the  father  left  home  to  secure  help  for 
a  "house  raising."  Not  returning  in  the  evening,  George,  the 
eldest  boy,  went  to  bring  the  cows  from  the  forest.  He  had  pro- 
ceeded about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  home  when  he  stepped  from 
the  path  to  pick  up  a  few  hickory  nuts.  While  thus  engaged,  a 
small  dog  which  accompanied  him  and  had  preceded  him  some 
three  or  four  rods,  gave  a  yelp  of  agony.  Cautiously  peering 
ahead,  he  saw  the  dog  in  the  clutches  of  two  panthers.  Unob- 
served by  the  animals,  he  climbed  a  dog-wood  bush,  while  they 
carried  their  prey  a  short  distance  up  the  hillside  and  concealed  it 

(1)  See  page  494. 


The  Hursts  327 

in  a  small  ca\crn  in  a  ledge  of  rocks.  The  boy  descended  from 
the  bush  and  ran  home.  The  dog's  body  was  never  afterwards 
disturbed,  but  eventually  shriveled  away.  Panthers  are  extremely 
dangerous  when  guarding  their  prey. 

Hurst  was  hunting  one  day  near  the  summit  of  a  ridge  when 
he  discovered  the  partly-eaten  carcass  of  a  deer  only  recently 
killed,  and  buried  in  a  mound  of  leaves.  W  hilc  examining  the 
find,  he  was  startled  by  a  series  of  screams  emanating  from  the 
lower  slopes  of  the  hill;  and  looking  he  saw  a  large  panther  charging 
dircctl}-  toward  him.  A  steep  bluff  intervened,  and  as  the  animal 
climbed  this,  it  was  hidden  from  view  for  a  moment.  Hurst 
sprang  to  the  side  of  a  large  tree  and  raised  his  rifle.  When  the 
panther  reached  the  brow  of  the  declivity,  still  shrieking  with  rage, 
it  paused  to  locate  its  enemy;  when  the  rifle  rang  out  and  it  fell 
dead. 

Hurst  was  a  splendid  marksman.  Once  while  watching  a 
lick  from  a  ''blind,"  he  caught  the  glimpse  of  a  shadowy  form 
approach  the  brow  of  the  bluff  just  over  the  lick.  It  stopped  and 
remained  motionless,  with  only  a  spot  of  it,  some  four  inches  in 
diameter,  visible  through  the  dense  foliage  of  the  thicket.  Hurst 
not  knowing  what  the  animal  was  refrained  from  tiring,  trusting 
to  secure  a  deer.  But  as  the  sun  sank  behind  the  forest-clad  hills 
and  no  other  game  in  sight,  he  determined  to  take  a  shot  at  the 
strangely  silent  visitor  on  the  bluff.  At  the  report  of  his  rifle 
the  animal  bounded  twenty  feet  through  the  bushes  and  disap- 
peared. Upon  investigation,  the  hunter  found  a  large  panther 
stone  dead.  It  had  only  made  two  or  three  leaps,  the  ball  having 
passed  directly  through  its  heart.  It,  too,  had  been  lying  in  wait 
for  deer. 

At  another  time  while  hunting  with  a  companion,  their  dogs 
chased  an  immense  panther  which  took  refuge  in  a  lofty  tree.  It 
walked  upon  a  large  limb  where  it  crouched  watching  its  enemies 
on  the  ground.  Hurst  declared  his  intention  of  shooting  it  in  the 
eye.  His  companion  remonstrated,  pointing  out  the  imminent 
danger  of  an  attack  should  he  miss,  or  slightly  wound  the  animal. 
He  should  aim  at  the  vital  part  of  its  body,  where  the  heavy  ball 
would  be  sure  of  disabling  it.  Hurst,  self-confident,  disregarded 
the  warning  and  fired.  The  panther  toppled  from  its  perch  and 
fell  lifeless  among  the  dogs.  The  bullet  had  entered  the  eye  so 
cleverh-  that  not  even  a  lash  had  been  damaged. 


328  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Hurst's  hair  was  turned  prematurely  gray  by  the  following 
incident:  He  often  in  the  summer  time  slept  alone  in  the  woods, 
preferring  the  open  air  to  the  close  cabin.  He  would  build  a 
"smothered"  fire  to  "smudge"  the  insect  pests,  rake  up  a  few  dry 
leaves  for  a  couch  and  pillowing  his  head  on  the  root  of  a  shelter- 
ing tree,  sleep  soundly.  One  night  he  was  awakened  by  a  stealthy 
creeping  noise  at  no  great  distance  from  where  he  was  lying, 
followed  by  a  light  tapping  in  the  dead  leaves.  This  was  succeeded 
by  the  same  gliding  rustle  as  if  some  animal  was  crawling  towards 
him.  Again  it  ceased,  when  once  more  came  that  ominous:  tap, 
tap,  tap,  like  the  measured  toll  of  a  funeral  bell.  This  was 
repeated  at  successfully  nearer  points,  while  Hurst  lay  helpless 
and  unable  to  see  the  supposed  danger.  He  had  not  the  least 
doubt  but  that  he  was  being  stalked  by  a  panther.  The  tapping 
was  made  by  its  tail  as  it  paused  in  its  approach.  Hurst  grasped 
his  knife,  which,  with  his  rifle,  was  at  his  side,  but  dared  not  move 
for  fear  of  provoking  an  immediate  attack.  After  a  seemingly 
long  interval,  he  discerned  a  light  spot  on  a  dark  and  dimly  out- 
lined body  flattened  to  the  ground  only  a  few  feet  away.  This 
proved  to  be  his  dog,  who  forbidden,  had  followed  him  and  con- 
scious of  disobedience,  was  endeavoring  in  its  mute  way  to  curry 
favor  with  a  displeased  master.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the 
faithful  animal  was  greeted  kindly.  Hurst's  hair  from  this  time 
on  turned  rapidly  white. 

Perhaps  it  was  this  same  dog,  whose  disobedience  upon 
another  occasion,  was  probably  instrumental  in  saving  his  mas- 
ter's life.  Forbidding  the  dog  to  follow  him,  Hurst  was  watching 
a  deer  lick  where  the  dog  soon  joined  him,  manifesting  great 
uneasiness.  He  was  scolded  down,  but  immediately  looking  up 
into  the  tree  overhead,  he  bristled  his  mane  and  growled.  Hurst's 
glance  followed  and  he  saw  a  great  panther  in  the  act  of  leaping 
upon  him.  Like  a  flash  his  rifle  went  to  his  shoulder  and  the 
panther  came  hurtling  to  the  ground  dead. 

Bears  were  numerous  around  Hurst's  wilderness  home.  One 
autumn  while  hunting  his  winter's  meat,  he  came  upon  the  trail 
of  four  bears  where  they  had  entered  a  dense  laurel  thicket,  or 
"bed,"  as  usually  called.  Hurst  crawled  after  them  on  hands 
and  knees,  and  after  much  difficulty  located  the  game  lying  fast 
asleep  in  a  depression  made  by  the  upturned  roots  of  a  fallen  tree. 
Selecting  the  fattest  he  dispatched  it  with  a  single  shot,  when  the 


Tin:  I  liRSTS  329 

olhcr  ihrce  scampered  a\\a\-.  The  (me  killed  pr()\-ei.l  lo  he  very 
fat,  weighing  some  four  hundred  pounds.  'I"he  hunter  exjieri- 
enced  hard  labor  in  rolling  it  from  the  cavity  onto  ground  where 
the  carcass  could  be  dressed.  The  hams  cured  as  bacon,  weighed 
when  sold  in  Clarksburg  the  next  spring,  forty  pounds  each.  The 
price  was  twelve  and  a  half  cents  a  pound. 

Hurst  had  innumerable  adventures  with  both  bears  and 
panthers  but  the  folknving  was,  he  afterwards  declared,  the  most 
trying  ordeal  in  his  hunter  life.  He  shot  and  wounded  a  bear 
near  his  home  and  it  escaped  into  a  nearby  laurel  bed.  He  called 
to  his  children,  George  and  "Betsy,"  to  bring  two  young  dogs  which 
he  was  training.  The  children  came  in  haste  to  see  the  sport. 
The  dogs  took  up  the  trail  and  entered  the  thicket  but  immediately 
came  out  with  accelerated  speed  closely  pursued  by  the  enraged 
bear.  The  children  ran  screaming  to  their  father  and  clung 
tightly  to  the  tail  of  his  hunting  shirt;  while  the  dogs  with  true 
canine  instinct  also  sought  the  protection  of  their  master.  Around 
the  hunter  and  children  in  a  narrow  circle  raced  the  demoralized 
dogs  with  bruin  growling  at  their  heels.  Hurst  could  not  use  his 
rifle  with  safety  and  the  situation  began  to  look  desperate.  Finally 
clubbing  his  gun,  he  succeeded  in  felling  the  bear  and  then  dis- 
patched it  with  his  knife. 

But  few  excelled  Hurst  as  a  hunter.  The  wary  turkc\-  he 
decoyed  to  its  death  by  calls  upon  the  hollow  wing  bone  of  this 
bird;  and  the  wolf  by  imitating  the  peculiar  pack-gathering  howl 
of  this  animal.  These  feats,  however,  were  not  uncommon  with 
the  hunter. 

Wolves  were  numerous,  and  Hurst,  for  years,  could  keep  no 
sheep  because  of  their  depredations.  One  night  a  band  of  four 
of  them  attacked  his  hogs  and  in  turn  were  set  upon  by  the  dog. 
As  Hurst  opened  the  door,  a  powerful  wolf  threw  the  dog  at  his 
feet.  The  light  from  the  open  fireplace  streaming  through  the 
doorway  frightened  the  pack  away.  The  next  morning  Hurst 
went  in  pursuit  and  trailing  them  about  half  a  mile,  he  discovered 
a  single  wolf  standing  in  the  brush,  and  hred.  1'he  animal  fell, 
when  another  one  leaped  from  the  thicket  and  ran  down  the  hill. 
Reloading  his  gun,  Hurst  howled  and  was  answered  in  the  dis- 
tance. Repeating  the  call,  he  soon  had  the  wolf  within  rifle 
range,  when  it,  too,  was  killed.  In  this  way  he  dispatched  a  third 
one  and  then  went  in  search  of  the  one  he  saw  running.     He  was 


330  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

surprised  to  come  upon  its  dead  body.  Unawares  to  him,  it  had 
stood  in  line  and  beyond  the  wolf  first  killed,  and  the  bullet  had 
slain  them  both.  Four  wolves  with  three  shots  before  breakfast 
was  no  mean  achievement  even  in  that  early  day. 

Hurst  found  a  cavern  in  which  a  mother  wolf  had  her  young. 
He  did  not  disturb  them,  but  just  before  the  puppies  were  old 
enough  to  leave  the  nest,  he  captured  them,  letting  the  old  wolf 
escape.  This  he  did  for  three  or  four  consecutive  seasons,  realiz- 
ing eight  dollars  a  scalp,  the  bounty  paid  by  the  state.  Later,  as 
the  number  of  wolves  grew  decimated,  and  the  injury  to  the  live 
stock  industry  decreased,  the  bounty  was  reduced  to  four  dollars. 
It  was  not  unusual  for  settlers  to  "breed"  wolves  for  bounty 
money  as  did  Hurst;  nor  was  it  regarded  as  illegitimate  gain. 
There  was  a  large  hollow  chestnut  tree  on  the  farm  where  I  was 
raised,  from  which  for  two  years  young  wolves  were  secured  by 
Thomas  C.  Hinzeman,  a  local  hunter.  This  was  at  a  later  day 
and  when  the  animal  was  nearing  extinction. 

When  a  young  man,  Hurst  walked  through  the  wilderness  to 
the  salt  works  at  Charleston  and  cut  wood  for  the  furnace  at 
twenty-five  cents  a  cord.  He  was  very  athletic  and  made  four 
cords  a  day.  It  was  practically  the  only  place  in  the  country 
where  money  was  paid  for  labor  and  he  remained  until  he  had 
earned  the  munificent  sum  of  forty  dollars.  When  starting  on 
his  return  home  he  was  short  of  powder,  nor  could  any  be  pro- 
cured at  the  works.  He  left  at  noon  and  as  he  passed  the  last 
isolated  cabin  in  the  settlement,  he  ofltered  the  settler  twenty-five 
cents  for  two  loads  of  powder,  which  was  refused.  Hurst  pro- 
ceeded about  a  half-mile  further  when  he  shot  a  fawn  and  encamped 
for  the  night.  He  roasted  venison  for  supper  and  soon  his  camp 
was  invested  by  wolves.  Some  of  them  came  so  near  that  he 
heard  them  gnawing  the  bones  which  he  had  cast  aside.  A  rifle 
shot  dispersed  them  for  the  night. 

Hurst  lay  down  by  his  camp  fire  in  repose.  Inured  to  a 
hunter's  life  he  was  a  light  sleeper  and  far  in  the  night  was  aroused 
by  the  approach  of  stealthy  footsteps.  An  intuition  of  impending 
danger  prompted  him  without  rising  to  glide  beyond  the  blaze  of 
his  camp  fire.  He  took  shelter  behind  the  upturned  roots  of  a 
tree  and  with  rifle  thrust  over  this  effective  screen,  he  watched 
and  listened.  Soon  a  dog  came  into  the  camp  light  and  was 
recognized  as  one  seen  at  the  cabin  where  the  ammunition  had 


The  Hursts  331 

been  refused  him  the  evening  before.  Cautious  steps  drew  nearer 
and  presently  there  appeared  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  low- 
burning  fagots,  silhouetted  against  the  dark  background  of  forest, 
the  form  of  his  friend  of  the  powder  episode.  He  was  carrying  a 
rifle  and  at  his  belt  hung  a  long  murderous-looking  knife.  The 
sinister  design  of  the  night  prowler  seemed  fully  manifest.  In 
negotiating  for  the  powder  Hurst  had  disclosed  that  he  was  from 
the  salt  works  where  he  had  been  employed  and  the  stranger, 
right!}'  surmising  that  he  had  money,  had  followed  him  with  evil 
intent.  For  a  moment  the  man  stood  scrutinizing  the  deserted 
camp  and  then  turned  away.  During  this  brief  interval  Hurst 
drew  careful  aim  at  the  intruder  and  twice  did  his  nervous  finger 
touch  the  trigger.  Reflecting,  however,  that  he  was  in  no  imme- 
diate danger,  he  restrained  his  impulse  to  fire.  Hurst  did  not 
return  to  his  camp  that  night,  nor  did  he  see  or  hear  anything 
more  of  his  unwelcome  visitor. 

The  next  morning  after  a  breakfast  of  roast  venison,  and  pre- 
paring a  steak  to  serve  for  dinner,  he  set  out  on  his  journey.  It 
was  forty  miles  to  the  settlement  on  Steer  Creek,  now  Gilmer 
County,  and  he  reached  there  early  in  the  evening.  Hurst  lived 
to  old  age  and  died  at  his  home  on  Fink's  Creek,  W  est  Virginia. 

Daniel  Hurst  volunteered  at  Clarksburg,  Virginia,  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  Thomas  Bond  in  Captain  John  Bozarth's  Company, 
Fifth  Regiment  Virginia  Militia,  under  Colonel  Isaac  Booth. 
He  was  mustered  in  at  Bridgeport,  Harrison  Count)",  Virginia, 
about  September  1,  1814.  Captain  John  McW'horter  was  the 
United  States  Recruiting  officer  of  that  station  at  that  time. 
Hurst  with  his  company,  was  marched  to  Norfolk,  Virginia, 
where  he  was  honorably  discharged  in  February  or  March,  1815. 
On  the  return  trip  home,  which  was  made  on  foot,  the  soldiers 
suffered  so  intensely  from  lack  of  food,  that  Hurst,  who  was 
marching  in  the  rear,  came  one  day  upon  the  closely  picked  bones 
of  a  dead  horse  by  the  road-side.  He  said  afterwards:  "I  would 
have  been  glad  for  a  piece  of  the  meat,  but  those  in  advance  had 
taken  every  scrap."  Hurst  afterwards  received  warrants  for  two 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  Militarj'  Bounty  Land. 

On  May  31,  1818,  Daniel  Hurst  married  Olenor  Powers  and 
settled  on  Duck  Creek,  (2)  Harrison  County.  Later  he  moved 
to  Fink's  Creek,  Lewis  County.  In  his  declaration  for  pension 
his  wife's  name  is  given  as  Ellen  Davison.     Hurst  was  allowed  a 

(2)  See  page  495. 


332  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

pension  of  $96. 00  a  year.  He  died  in  Lewis  County,  West  Vir- 
ginia, October  7,  1872. 

Daniel  Hurst  was  a  good-natured,  sympathetic  man  but 
often  incurred  the  displeasure  of  others  by  his  impetuosity  and 
readiness  to  decry  any  apparent  injustice  to  the  weak  or  unfortu- 
nate. Once,  in  company  with  my  father,  driving  stock  across 
the  miountains,  and  while  in  Staunton,  Virginia,  they  were  regaled 
with  stories  of  slave  floggings  by  several  rough  slave  overseers. 
One  worthy  loudly  boasted:  "I  have  tied  up  many  a  nigger, 
stripped  him,  and  given  him  a  hundred  lashes  before  breakfast." 
Hurst  sprang  to  his  feet,  his  eyes  flashing  with  indignation,  and 
shaking  a  finger  in  the  face  of  the  blustering  stranger,  burst  forth, 
"Yes,  and  you  ought  to  be  in  Hell  before  breakfast.  Why,  damn 
you,  you  don't  know  how  to  treat  a  nigger.  In  our  country  we 
feed  them  and  keep  them  as  fat  and  slick  as  stable  horses,  and 
when  the  master  wants  to  shave  he  calls  Sambo  and  uses  his  face 
as  a  mirror.  We  don't  whip  slaves,  and  if  you  were  half  as  decent 
as  the  meanest  nigger,  you  would  find  no  occasion  to  use  the  lash." 
The  boaster  quailed  before  this  furious  outburst  and  was  content 
to  make  no  reply. 

In  the  widow's  claim  for  pension  she  states  that  her  maiden 
name  was  Eleanor  Davidson,  and  that  she  married  Powers  who 
died  about  fifteen  months  later;  and  then  she  married  Daniel 
Hurst. 


I 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 


In  the  boyhood  days  of  my  fatlicr  there  Hved  in  his  neighbor- 
hood on  McKinney's  Run,  an  honest,  eccentric,  good-natured 
character  by  the  name  of  James  Bent,  Belt  or  Broadbelt;  usually 
called  "Jim  Belt."  The  variation  was  owing  to  the  careless  mode 
of  speaking  names  in  certain  sections  of  the  country,  and  did  not 
reflect  on  the  good  reputation  of  its  possessor.  Jim  was  a  tall, 
handsome,  well-proportioned  specimen  of  the  Virginia  mountain- 
eer; free-hearted  and  generous  to  a  fault.  His  voice  was  like  the 
roar  of  a  lion  and  his  soul  embraced  the  universe.  Not  an  habit- 
ual drinker,  yet  was  he  better  at  his  cups  than  the  accumulation 
of  this  world's  goods  with  its  accompanying  worry  and  annoy- 
ances. His  boast  was:  "I  came  into  this  world  with  nothing  and 
I  want  to  leave  it  in  the  same  way,  with  all  accounts  squared." 
His  hope  was  realized. 

Jim's  conscientiousness  was  proverbial.  He  decried  chican- 
ery in  all  of  its  forms;  a  man  should  live  up  to  his  word  and  moral 
obligations.  \\  hen  drinking,  his  ideas  of  right  and  wrong  were 
ofttimes  somewhat  confused.  John  Fletcher,  a  neighbor,  bor- 
rowed his  saddle  which  he  was  to  return  the  same  evening.  On 
that  day  Jim  took  a  few  eggs  to  Jane  Lew,  the  nearest  village,  to 
exchange  them  for  a  pound  of  coffee  and  incidentally  got  drunk. 
The  afternoon  came  on  wet  and  drizzly,  and  Jim,  ever  loath  to 
leave  genial  companions,  did  not  start  home  until  long  after  night- 
fall. By  the  time  he  reached  his  domicile,  the  rain  had  increased 
to  a  steady  downpour,  and  the  night  was  pitchy  black. 

Owing  to  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  and  the  fact  that 
Jim  had  no  horse  and  could  make  no  immediate  use  of  the  saddle, 
Mr.  Fletcher  did  not  return  it  as  agreed.  This  aroused  Jim's  ire, 
and  despite  the  earnest  protest  of  his  patient  wife,  he  tramped  a 
mile  back  over  the  muddy  road  and  calling  Fletcher  from  his  bed, 
berated  him  roundh'  for  his  negligence  and  lack  of  integrity. 
Fletcher  took  it  good-naturedly,  closed  the  door  and  went  back 
to  his  couch. 

Jim  returned  home,  still  "preaching,"  and  on  his  way  back 
was  met  by  a  belated  neighbor  who  inquired  why  he  was  out  so 
late  in  such  a  storm,  and  the  cause  of  his  perturbation.     \\  ithout 


334  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

halting,  the  stickler  for  truth  replied:  "I  am  saying  curse  John 
Fletcher:  and  curse  the  man  who  would  not  get  up  at  the  hour  of 
midnight  to  burn  his  shirt  to  see  how  to  curse  him:  I  will  curse 
him  'til  the  end  of  eternity;  and  then,  curse  him,  I  will  double 
my  diligency  on  him."  The  next  morning  Jim  called  on  Mr. 
Fletcher  with  a  profuse  apology  and  the  offer  of  his  saddle  so  long 
as  he  had  need  for  it. 

At  a  later  day  Jim's  grey  horse,  Jack,  the  only  one  that  he 
owned,  broke  into  his  cornfield,  and  he  was  drunk  enough  to 
believe  that  he  should  enforce  the  law  against  the  culprit.  Placing 
a  rope  about  Jack's  neck,  he  led  him  to  the  summit  of  Buck  Knob, 
(1)  and  seating  himself  on  a  log,  still  holding  the  rope,  there  alone 
in  the  woods,  proceeded  to  preach  old  Jack's  funeral. 

"Well  Jack,"  exclaimed  the  self-constituted  judge  and  moral- 
ist, "this  is  a  damned  pretty  scrape  in  your  old  days.  Your  past 
life  has  been  a  credit  to  you  and  your  country.  For  your  previous 
good  record  I  fain  would  spare  you:  but  you  have  fallen.  Meteor- 
like, you  have  flashed  athwart  the  way,  only  to  go  down  in  the 
oblivion  of  night.  All  too  late  have  you  learned  that  the  aeonian 
career  of  the  tiniest  atom  in  the  Milky-way,  is,  far  preferable  to 
that  of  the  greatest  of  shooting  stars.  You  have  violated  the  law 
and  the  morals  of  the  universe  cry  out  against  you.  Immutable 
Justice  demands  that  your  life  atone  for  your  wrongdoing.  In 
the  evening  of  life,  when  homage  and  grandeur  should  be  yours, 
here,  on  this  magnificent  mountain  top,  canopied  with  the  trees 
of  the  ages,  and  overlooking  the  scenes  of  your  youth,  are  you  to 
die  in  disgrace.  You  are  sentenced  to  be  hanged  by  the  neck 
until  you  are  dead,  dead,  dead.'" 

Jim  now  fixed  a  running  noose  in  the  end  of  the  rope  about 
Jack's  neck,  and  then  bent  down  a  stout  sapling  to  which  he 
securely  fastened  the  other  end.  Then  bidding  poor  Jack  an 
affectionate  farewell,  he  let  go  the  bush,  which  in  its  rebound, 
threw  the  executioner  over  the  brink  of  the  summit  and  sent  him 
rolling  down  the  steep  declivity.  Scrambling  to  his  feet  he 
climbed  back  to  the  scene  of  action,  but  the  horse  was  nowhere 
in  sight.  The  rope  breaking,  Jack  had  decided  that  it  was  a 
reprieve  and  galloped  away. 

Jim  gazed  around  awe-struck  and  mystified.  "Why,  where 
is  Jack.''"     he  exclaimed.     "Well,   now!"   he  mused,   "perhaps  I 


James  Belt  335 

was  mistaken.     Jack,  aflcr  ail  was  not  so  bad.      Like  Knoch  and 
i"",lijali,  he  has  l^cen  translated. " 

)im  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  served  from  August 
l-.t,  1814,  to  September  20th,  1814;  as  private  in  Captain  Edward 
Digg's  Company,  \'irginia  Militia.  He  was  extremch'  proud  of 
his  militar}'  abilit\'  and  training. 

At  log  rollings,  where  the  ubiquitous  jug  alwa\-s  appeared, 
Jim  would  "tea  up,"  and  at  the  close  of  the  day's  labor  muster  the 
men  as  a  company,  armed  with  handspikes  and  march  them 
to  the  house  with  all  the  dignity,  pomp  and  precision  of  a  true 
Martinet. 

Like  many  others,  Jim's  courage  was  wanting  in  some  respects. 
Napoleon,  the  military  scourge  of  Europe,  would  pale  at  the  sight 
of  a  cat;  while  our  hero  of  1812  stood  in  mortal  terror  of  a  toad. 

One  day  at  a  log  rolling  Jim,  during  the  noon  hour,  was  sent 
to  the  cellar  for  a  bucket  of  "hard  cider."  In  anticipation  of 
coming  joy,  he  placed  the  vessel,  and  as  he  turned  the  faucet  his 
eye  fell  upon  a  large  toad  ensconced  by  the  side  of  the  barrel.  He 
sprang  back  and  stood  gazing  transfixed  at  the  goggle-eyed  mon- 
ster, until  a  half-hogshead  of  cider  had  gushed  forth  and  flooded 
the  floor.  The  proprietor  wondering  at  Jim's  delay,  entered  the 
cellar  and  in  amazement  inquired  the  meaning  of  such  waste. 
Without  shifting  his  eyes  the  captain  of  the  "hand-spike  brigade" 
pointed  to  the  terrible  batrachian  now  sitting  "belly  deep"  in  the 
sparkling  beverage,  and  exclaimed:  "Do-you-see-that-damned- 
thing-sitting-there-by-the-bar-;r/.'" 

At  another  time  Jim  was  mowing  grass  for  a  neighbor  on  low 
marshy  ground,  infested  with  numerous  "spring"  frogs.  One  of 
these  on  being  disturbed  sprang  against  the  mower's  scythe,  which 
caused  him  to  pause  in  considerable  agitation.  He  resumed  work, 
however,  until  his  ankle  was  struck  by  another  of  the  leaping 
terrors.  This  was  more  than  the  grim  fighter  could  stand,  and  with 
an  exclamation  of  dismay,  he  shouldered  his  scythe  and  abruptly 
left  the  held  saying:  "The  whole  earth  seems  polluted  with  the 
cursed  things." 

Jim,  like  many  others  of  his  day,  was  wholly  uneducated  and 
could  neither  read  nor  write;  but  was  both  pleasing  and  polite  in 
speech  and  bearing.  This,  with  his  nati\e  dignity  and  really 
good  character,   made  him   a  general  favorite  with   all  who  knew 


336  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

him.  When  in  his  cups  he  was  fond  of  oratory,  and  the  village 
boys  supplying  him  with  a  few  drinks  and  "ofhcial  documents," 
consisting  usually  of  old  almanacs,  would  mount  him  on  a  store- 
box  in  the  street  and  call  for  a  speech  on  some  topic  of  vital  impor- 
tance. Jim  was  ever  ready  to  respond  to  these  patriotic  appeals, 
and  after  making  some  extravagant  statements  would  say:  "Now, 
gentlemen,  I  will  prove  this  by  my  doc's;"  (documents)  and  pro- 
ceed to  quote  elaborately  from  his  last  year's  almanacs. 

Jim  possessed  not  an  acre  of  ground,  but  when  in  these  moods 
he  imagined  that  he  was  very  wealthy.  He  "owned"  all  the  land 
from  Jane  Lew  to  his  home,  distant  two  miles.  At  such  times, 
in  his  boundless  joy,  he  would  hurl  his  hat  high  in  the  air,  giving 
vent  to  a  wild  throat  bursting  roar.  Then,  as  he  listened  in 
ecstacy  to  the  echoes  rolling  along  the  wooded  hillside,  he  would 
bellow:  "/j"  it  possible  that  we  are  in  the  land  of  the  living  and  the 
land  that  flows  with  milk  and  honey?" 

Some  of  Jim's  escapades  were  pathetic.  One  day  while 
drinking,  he  conceived  the  munificent  idea  of  buying  a  wool  hat 
for  each  of  his  "six  boys."  He  was,  at  that  time  childless  and  had 
no  money,  but  the  unscrupulous  merchant  well  knowing  his 
honesty,  let  him  have  the  goods  on  credit.  The  next  morning  Jim 
went  to  flailing  wheat  at  fifty  cents  a  day  to  pay  for  the  useless 
hats,  costing  one  dollar  each. 

Jim  was  a  magnificent  horseman,  and  at  one  time  rode  as 
mail  carrier  on  the  Benjamin  Bell  contract.  His  splendid  appear- 
ance on  his  fine  cream-colored  saddler  was  remarked  by  all,  and 
was  recognizable  at  a  great  distance  upon  the  highway.  He  once 
owned  a  small  bay  pony  called  Sam.  Unlike  the  recreant  Jack, 
Sam  was  the  joy  of  his  master's  life,  sharing  his  light-hearted  pov- 
erty and  entering  into  his  military  exploits  with  an  intelligence 
and  equine  affection  that  was  almost  human.  Jim  resided  on  a 
branch  of  McKinney's  Run.  He  often  went  to  Jane  Lew,  where 
he  would  usually  take  aboard  a  cargo  of  "bust  head"  before  start- 
ing home.  Whether  from  genuine  endearment  for  Sam  and  a 
deep  solicitude  for  his  comfort,  or  from  some  other  cause,  these 
trips  were  generally  made  on  foot.  Some  distance  below  Jim's 
lowly  mansion  was  a  bottom  field,  perhaps  one-fourth  of  a  mile  in 
length,  open  to  the  commons.  In  this  secluded  sunlit  dale,  Sam 
was  wont  to  while  away  his  time  nibbling  at  the  short  goose-pasture 
found  there. 


James  Bki.t  337 

Jim,  erstwhile  meandering  home,  hilarious  with  "tangle- 
foot" and  swelling  with  patriotism,  when  reaching  this  held, 
would  call:  ^'' A-t-l-e-n-t-i-o-n:  To  A-r-m-s:"  Recognizing  the  war 
cr\'  of  his  ''pard/'  Sam  would  respond  with  alacrity,  rushing 
to  Jim's  side  with  every  nerve  tense  and  ciui\ering  with  anticipa- 
tion of  the  coming  "fray." 

Throwing  himself  on  Sam's  bare  back,  this  grim  warrior 
would  proceed  to  marshal  an  imaginary  army  in  battle  array.  In 
a  stentorian  voice  that  could  be  heard  for  a  mile,  the  "general" 
would  arrange  his  forces  in  divisions,  regiments,  battalions  and 
companies.  Then  in  tones  that  reverberated  among  the  surround- 
ing hills,  would  thunder: 

''''C-h-a-r-g-e  the  E-n-e-m-y:''  With  no  restraining  bit  or  rein, 
Sam  would  dash  away  at  the  top  of  his  speed  for  the  far  end  of 
the  field.  As  the  cavalcade  reached  the  goal,  "M-a-r-k  T-i-m-e:" 
would  resound  above  the  thunder  of  hoofs  and  Sam  would  imme- 
diately "take  up." 

''Right  about  face:^^  and  Sam  would  wheel  and  stand  motion- 
less while  the  "general"  rearranged  his  shattered  host  for  the 
counter  charge.  These  maneuvers  the  "pards"  would  go  through 
by  the  hour  and  ofttimes  long  after  nightfall,  with  perhaps  not  a 
soul  in  sight.  Often  Jim  would  take  Sam  to  the  summit  of  Buck 
Knob,  and  there  command  his  "army"  so  vociferously,  as  to  be 
heard  all  over  the  surrounding  country. 

Peace  to  the  memory  of  the  "pards." 

Jim  died  at  his  residence  near  Jane  Lew,  October  11,  1851, 
and  was  buried  either  in  the  Harmony  Cemetery  or  at  Broad  Run. 

On  April  18,  1878,  his  widow,  Mrs.  Jane  Scarf,  nee  Sims, 
applied  for,  and  was  granted  a  pension  on  account  of  her  husband's 
military  service  in  War  of  1812.  She  was  then  residing  near  Jack- 
sonville, West  \  irginia.  In  her  claim  for  pension,  she  stated  that 
she  believed  that  her  husband's  name  was  Bent.  She  died  April 
3,  1887,  aged  eighty-four  years. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 


The  belief  in  witchcraft  and  auguries  was  intuitive  with  the 
border  settler.  The  Witch,  and.  the  Black  Wizard  were  mediums 
of  evil  spirits,  or  the  Devil,  to  do  secret  injury  to  the  human  race. 
The  baleful  influence  of  these  invidious  enemies  of  mankind  was 
more  to  be  dreaded  than  the  visible  dangers  besetting  the  wilder- 
ness home.  The  scout  and  the  hunter  knew  not  at  what  hour  a 
"witch  spell"  cast  over  his  usually  trusty  rifle,  would  render  it 
impotent  in  the  conflict  or  the  chase.  Not  only  the  rifle,  and  the 
shot-pouch  with  its  contents,  but  his  own  person  was  subject  to 
those  appalling  "spells."  Flagrant,  or  continued  "bad  luck"  was 
always  attributable  to  the  malignant  "witch  spell."  These  could 
be  broken  only  by  negative  conjury  and  necromancy.  In  every 
settlement  there  was  usually  a  conjurer,  or  "witch  doctor."  These 
gifted  persons,  successfully  combating  the  malevolency  of  the 
witch,  were  regarded  as  public  benefactors.  Their  status  among 
those  believing  in  sorcery,  was  scarce  below  that  of  the  good 
Indian  "medicine  man"  with  his  own  people. 

These  superstitious  fallacies  were  so  strong  with  our  first 
settlers,  that  it  is  no  surprise  that  we  still  find  the  occult  among 
their  descendants  in  the  isolated  and  mountainous  districts.  It 
is  no  unusual  occurrence  at  this  day  for  the  stalwart  mountaineer 
to  be  saddled,  bridled  and  ridden  to  some  distant  town  and  return, 
in  a  single  night.  One  unfortunate,  living  on  the  headwaters  of 
the  West  Fork  of  the  Monongahela,  was  subjected  to  this  indig- 
nity. He  was  galloped  to  Weston,  the  county  seat,  a  distance  of 
ten  miles  and  back;  but  in  this  case  the  impressed  steed  fared 
most  sumptuously.  The  gratitude  of  his  invisible  rider  was 
attested  in  a  generous  feed:  "Eight  big  y'ars  uv  yaller  co'n  jes' 
like  I  wus  a  hoss."  The  effects  of  this  strenuous  night  journey 
and  the  bounteous  "feed"  were  such  that  it  was  necessary  the 
next  day  for  the  jaded  "broncho"  to  tramp  seven  miles  to  a 
Witch  Doctor,  for  the  purpose  of  having  the  "spell"  broken. 

I  remember  an  old  Virginian,  a  tenant  on  my  father's  farm, 
who  was  a  victim  marked  for  the  witches.  He  could  not  keep  a 
cow:  if  he  did,  a  neighboring  woman,  who  was  said  to  be  part 
Indian,  would  draw  the  milk  by  spreading  a  table  cloth  over  a 


Witchcraft  ^^9 

hollow  stump  and  then  "stripping"  at  the  four  corners.  He  lost 
a  horse  through  the  machinations  of  a  witch,  or  sorceress,  whose 
enmity  he  had  incurred.  The  long-suffering  victim  determined, 
if  [X)ssiblc,  to  rid  the  community  of  this  Machiavellian  curse.  He 
would  kill  the  witch.  This  could  be  done  by  burning  the  dead 
body  of  the  horse,  and  perforating  it  with  a  pointed  stick  while 
being  consumed.  Proceeding  to  carry  this  scheme  into  effect, 
and  while  the  "killing"  was  in  progress,  the  executioner  was 
startled  to  see  a  shadowy  black  cat  leap  from  the  flames  and  vanish. 
This  was  the  witch,  now  destroyed  forever. 

But  there  were  others,  and  the  persecution  continued.  The 
old  gentleman  was  lamed  by  a  "ha'r  ball"  shot  into  his  leg  by  one 
of  these  malicious  creatures.  These  "balls"  are  composed  of  hair 
and  other  foreign  material,  and  are  very  troublesome.  He  thought 
to  remove  it  by  incision,  but  was  deterred  from  further  effort 
when  he  felt  the  point  of  his  jackknife  grate  on  the  end  of  a  wire. 
His  wife,  by  using  due  caution,  escaped  many  of  the  personal  ills 
which  befell  her  less  fortunate  spouse.  In  crossing  a  field,  she 
avoided  the  bars,  or  gateway',  nor  would  she  climb  the  fence  con- 
secutively in  the  same  place. 

This  family  was  not  alone  in  misfortune.  A  near  neighbor 
lost  several  pigs  through  the  agency  of  a  witch.  The  proof  of 
this  was  apparent  when  the  skins  of  the  dead  porkers  turned  dark. 
The  half-Indian  woman  was  the  guilty  party,  but  in  this  case  the 
"execution"  by  fire  and  spear  proved  ineffectual.  The  "witch" 
lived  for  many  years  after. 

In  another  instance,  which  came  under  my  observation,  a 
farmer  dismantled  a  small  log  stable  and  burned  it  with  the  body 
of  a  "bewitched"  horse  that  had  died  therein,  for  the  purpose  of 
annihilating  the  witch. 

Mr.  John  S.  Hall,  who  has  been  referred  to  often  in  the  course 
of  this  volume  as  one  well  versed  in  local  history  and  traditions, 
gave  me  the  following  story.  It  dates  back  within  forty  years  of 
the  close  of  the  Virginia  border,  and  is  the  same  occult  philosophy 
that  swayed  the  minds  of  the  first  Monongahela  pioneers.  It  is 
not  unlike  others  that  were  told  me  in  childhood  by  the  mountain 
people,  and  is  interesting  to  the  folk-lore  student. 

"llie  only  person  exercising  the  occult  in  bchalt  of  some  of 
my  earliest  acquaintances,"  said  Mr.  Hall,  "was  Elkany  Roby, 
known  as  'Elk\'."'     He  was  a   pioneer  of  Collins  Settlement,  in 


340  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Lewis  County,  West  Virginia,  and  at  my  earliest  recollection  he 
had  reached  the  zenith  of  his  fame.  His  summary  method  of  dis- 
posing of  witches  gave  him  notoriety.  He  shot  them  with  a  silver 
bullet.  Roby's  chief  work  as  wizard  was  in  removing  spells  from 
guns.  The  old  flint  locks  were  very  subject  to  these  spells;  but 
sometimes  the  spell  was  on  the  hunter.  It  was  the  wizard's  work 
to  ascertain  the  cause,  and  apply  the  remedy.  For  this  purpose, 
the  gun  was  first  examined,  unbreeched,  and  every  piece  scruti- 
nized and  cleaned.  If  no  trace  of  the  witch  was  found,  the  shot- 
pouch  was  then  examined,  which  generally  proved  that  the  spell 
was  on  the  hunter.  Sometimes  the  witch  was  found  to  be  young 
and  timid,  and  could  be  frightened  away  without  resorting  to 
drastic  means.  In  other  cases  the  depredation  was  so  great  that 
the  ow^ner  was  advised  to  dispose  of  the  gun  to  a  gunsmith  for 
what  he  could  get,  and  to  buy  a  new  one.  He  was  not  to  sell  or 
trade  it  to  anyone  in  the  neighborhood,  under  pain  of  the  severest 
spell  that  the  wizard  could  conjure. 

"Roby's  execution  of  a  witch  was  weird  and  unique.  A 
charcoal  outline  of  the  witch  was  drawn  on  a  board,  which  was 
then  set  up  against  a  tree,  facing  the  south.  Then  taking  his 
position  in  front  of  the  witch-board  (the  witch  was  invisible  to 
the  uninitiated)  he  would  load  his  gun.  A  charm  which  he  took 
from  his  mouth  was  carefully  pushed  down  on  the  bullet.  Then 
muttering  an  incantation,  unintelligible  to  the  few  permitted  to 
witness  the  scene,  he  aimed,  and  discharged  the  weapon.  Usually 
a  splotch  of  blood  would  appear  on  the  drawing,  which  indicated 
that  the  shot  was  fatal.  Sometimes  the  process  had  to  be  repeated 
before  such  a  result  was  obtained.  If  only  wounded,  the  witch 
was  liable  to  return  when  healed.  No  bullet  mark  was  ever  visi- 
ble on  the  board,  and  that  the  outlined  figure  should  flow  blood 
was  a  wonder.     But  all  is  mystery  in  the  occult. 

"When  well  advanced  in  years,  Roby  moved  to  the  Little 
Kanawha,  now  Gilmer  County.  The  fame  of  his  achievements 
had  preceded  him,  and  fortunately  he  arrived  when  his  help  was 
most  needed.  He  had  occupied  his  new  home  but  a  few  days 
when  he  was  called  upon  to  slay  the  most  malevolent  witch  that 
had  ever  visited  the  community.  It  was  just  at  the  opening  of 
the  sugar  season,  and  a  neighbor  found  a  large  'turn-off'  of 
sugar  unfit  for  use.  It  had  a  salty  taste  and  a  disagreeable  odor. 
Even  children,  so  fond  of  sweets,  refused  it  with  disgust.     Roby 


\\  ITCH  CRAFT  .l41 

was  suninioiic'd,  and  after  a  careful  examination  of  the  premises, 
pronounced  it  the  most  malicious  and  diabolical  case  that  had 
ever  come  to  his  notice.  No  mercy  should  be  shown  such  a  witch, 
and  he  would  exterminate  it  if  in  his  power.  If  successful,  he 
would  e.xpect  a  compensation  of  hft}-  pounds  of  sugar;  this  was 
satisfactory  to  the  victim,  and  Roby  proceeded  to  business. 

"He  first  directed  that  the  spiles  be  withdrawn  from  the  trees, 
and  the  troughs  emptied,  washed,  and  set  up  to  drain.  While 
this  was  being  done,  the  wizard  returned  home  to  prepare  for  the 
conflict.  In  the  afternoon  he  appeared,  bearing  his  trusty  rifle, 
and  a  board  on  which  was  drawn  in  bold  lines  the  figure  of  a  witch. 
This  was  placed  against  a  noble  sugar  tree  near  the  center  of  the 
grove;  then  calling  his  patron  to  witness  the  operation,  the  execu- 
tioner took  his  position  in  front  of  the  image.  He  carefully 
charged  his  rifle,  exhibiting  the  shining  bullet  before  thrusting  it 
to  its  place,  with  the  secret  charm  added.  Then  invoking  a 
'spell,'  he  took  deliberate  aim  and  fired.  As  the  echo  of  the  shot 
rang  through  the  grove,  and  the  wizard  was  yet  wreathed  in  smoke, 
the  excited  patron  exclaimed,  'Begosh,  yer  hit  'er,  old  man,  I  see 
blood.'  'Yes,'  was  the  solemn  reply,  'I  seed  the  witch  drap  and 
vanish.'  The  blood  showed  a  wound  near  the  heart,  and  conse- 
quently fatal. 

"All  hands,  including  the  women,  were  then  called  to  replace 
the  spiles  and  troughs,  the  wizard  assisting.  The  next  morning 
the  disenchanter  was  on  hand  to  note  the  result.  Pure  sweet 
water  was  flowing  and  the  troughs  well  filled.  The  magician  took 
charge  of  the  furnace  while  the  family  did  the  outside  work.  That 
night  they  had  a  'turn-off'  to  delight  an  epicure.  The  salutary 
result  of  the  incantation  was  complete,  and  the  hero  of  the  occa- 
sion was  gratefully  invited  to  take  control  of  the  furnace,  and 
share  in  the  'run'. 

"The  late  William  Bennett,  of  \\'alkers\-ille,  a  gentleman  of 
intelligence  and  veracity,  got  closer  to  Roby's  conjuring  than  any- 
one else.  This  he  accomplished  by  patronage  and  flattery.  The 
Bennetts  were  renowned  hunters,  and  for  one  so  distinguished  to 
bring  his  gun  for  treatment  appealed  to  the  old  man's  vanity. 
After  a  long  and  intimate  study  of  Roby  and  his  'Black  Art,'  Mr. 
Bennett  expressed  the  belief  that  Roby  was  honest  and  sincere  in 
his  assumption  of  magical  powers." 


CHAPTER  XXXV 


Of  the  carnivora  of  West  Virginia,  the  common  or  Black  Bear, 
the  Grey  or  Timber  Wolf  and  the  Panther  were  the  principal:  and 
the  last  two  by  far  the  most  ferocious.  Owing  to  the  many  game 
preserves  established  by  the  different  sporting  clubs  in  recent 
years,  the  first  of  these  animals,  which,  more  properly  speaking, 
is  omnivorous,  have  increased  in  such  numbers  as  to  become  a 
menace  to  the  domestic  stock  in  their  vicinity.  The  panther  is 
still  met  with  in  certain  remote  regions,  but  the  wolf  is  practically 
extinct.  A  few  are  said  to  haunt  the  more  obscure  wilds  of  the 
Alleghenies  and  the  gloomy  recesses  of  the  Gauley  Mountains  in 
Pocahontas  County,  but  their  pack-howling  has  long  since 
ceased  to  be  a  source  of  dread  to  the  belated  traveler.  In  Sep- 
tember 1902,  Mr.  William  E.  Connelley  heard  them  one  dark 
night  in  the  deep  forest  between  Buffalo  Creek  and  Gauley  River, 
in  Nicholas  County.  (1)  The  last  one  seen  on  the  waters  of 
Hacker's  Creek,  was  about  1854,  by  Mr.  Thomas  Boram,  on  the 
farm  where  I  was  raised  on  Buckhannon  Run.  The  last  one  killed 
in  that  section  was  by  Mr.  Thomas  Hinzman,  on  the  head  of  the 
right-hand  fork  of  the  same  stream. 

The  settler  pursued  the  wolf  with  rifle,  trap  and  poison;  but 
Doddridge  claims  that  the  rabies  was  the  prime  factor  in  their 
extermination.  (2)  But  some  of  them,  at  least,  escaped  all  ene- 
mies and  died  of  old  age.  \\'hen  the  Hurst  family  was  residing 
on  the  Cheat  River,  the  children  going  to  the  spring  one  morning 
found  a  wolf  lying  dead  nearby  w^ith  no  visible  marks  of  violence 
upon  it.  An  examination  revealed  that  it  did  not  have  a  tooth  in 
its  head,  and  that  it  had  succumbed  to  the  ravages  of  hunger  and 
senile  decay. 

Owing  to  the  crafty  nature  of  the  wolf,  comparatively  few  of 
them  fell  before  the  hunter's  aim.  The  strategy  by  which  they 
secure  their  prey  enabled  them  to  flourish  in  vast  numbers  through- 
out this  uninhabited  wilderness  teeming  with  game.  Their  cun- 
ning in  this  respect  has  always  been  proverbial;  (3)  and  today 
among  the  western  Indians,  the  success  of  the  most  noted  hunter 
is  usually  attributable  to  the  skill  or  "power"  obtained  from  the 
wolf  through  the  occult.  The  young  Indian  whose  tutelary  is  the 
wolf,  will  be  sure  to  excel  as  a  hunter. 

(1)  See  page  495.   (2)  p.  495.   (3)  p.  495. 


Carnivora  oi-  W  kst  Virginia  343 

Singly  the  wolf  is  cowardly,  but  when  driven  by  extreme  hun- 
ger it  is  then  very  bold.  \\  hile  my  grandparents  were  living  on 
McKinney's  Run,  a  wolf  caught  a  sheep  in  daylight  and  throt- 
tled it  against  the  corner  of  the  house.  My  grandmother  hearing 
the  disturbance,  ran  out  and  chased  the  marauder  away.  \\  hen 
banded  together  in  hunting  packs,  they  are  exceedingly  fierce  and 
dangerous.  They  overran  the  entire  Trans-Allegheny.  (4)  No 
one  was  safe  alone  in  the  woods  at  night,  or  at  any  time  during 
the  winter  when  the  wolves  were  often  in  a  starving  condition. 

Treed  by  Wolves. 

Late  one  evening  Henry  Glaze  was  hunting  on  the  right- 
hand  fork  of  Buckhannon  Run,  near  the  base  of  the  mountain  and 
not  far  from  the  trail  which  led  from  West's  Fort  to  the  Buckhan- 
non settlement;  on  land  later  owned  by  David  Wilson,  when  he 
discovered  fresh  wolf  sign.  The  State  paid  a  bounty  for  the 
scalp  of  this  animal,  and  with  the  view  of  decoying  one  or  more  of 
them  within  rifle  shot,  he  uttered  a  howl  so  like  that  of  the  wolf 
that  ere  the  echoes  had  ceased  there  came  an  answering  cry  from 
the  woods.  This  was  in  tur,n  answered  at  intervals  from  several 
points  in  the  forest.  Elated  with  his  success,  the  wily  hunter 
repeated  the  cry  and  was  answered  at  closer  proximity.  Flach 
successive  howl  brought  a  response  more  numerous  and  from  a 
rapidly  narrowing  circle.  Before  the  hunter  realized  his  danger 
he  heard  the  swift  patter  of  feet  among  the  dry  leaves,  and  hastily 
dropping  his  rifle,  he  had  barely  time  to  spring  into  the  branches 
of  a  large  dogwood  bush.  He  was  immediately  surrounded  by  a 
cordon  of  hungry  beasts,  which,  made  fearless  by  numbers,  surged 
and  snarled  at  the  root  of  the  tree.  Safely  ensconced  in  the 
branches  of  the  sturdy  dogwood,  the  hunter  gazed  down  into  the 
green  and  baleful  eyes  of  the  hungry  pack.  The  deadly  fangs  of 
a  hundred  froth-covered  jaws  gleamed  and  snapped  in  the  fitful 
starlight.  The  sanguine  hunter  was  now  himself  hunted.  Dur- 
ing the  entire  night  the  wolves  growled  and  fought  beneath  him. 
Finally  they  began  to  leave,  one  by  one.  When  the  last  wolf  had 
slunk  into  the  dark  thickets  the  hunter  descended  and  hurried  to 
camp,  content  to  return  without  wolf  scalps. 

At  a  later  day,  Mrs.  Edmonds,  who  resided  on  McKinney's 
Run,  was  coming  home  from  Lost  Creek  late  one  evening,  and 

(4)  Sec  paec  496. 


344  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

just  as  she  reached  the  brow  of  the  ridge  dividing  those  two 
streams,  she  was  startled  to  find  that  she  was  being  closely  pur- 
sued by  wolves.  Escape  by  flight  was  impossible,  so  she  took 
refuge  in  a  beech  tree.  There  she  was  held  prisoner,  until  after 
dark,  when  her  family,  knowing  the  danger  of  the  forest  path, 
went  in  search  of  her  with  torches.  At  the  approach  of  the 
lights  the  wolves  vanished.  Mrs.  Edmonds  then  descended  from 
her  uncomfortable  perch,  and  the  party  returned  home  in  safety. 


A  Wilderness  Mystery. 

When  Lost  Creek  was  first  visited  by  hunters  and  home  seek- 
ers, they  discovered  signs  of  some  one  having  been  there  previously, 
and  who  seemingly  was  lost.  From  this,  the  stream  was  named. 
Various  trees  on  which  '  T.  G."  had  been  carved  were  found.  One 
such  stood  near  a  brackish,  or  "salt"  lick  which  the  hunters  found 
on  a  branch  of  the  creek;  a  great  resort  for  deer.  To  this  day 
this  branch  is  known  as  "T.  G.  Lick  Run."  The  letters  were 
supposed  to  be  the  initials  of  the  unfortunate  one,  whose  coming 
to  that  wilderness  ever  remained  as  deep  a  mystery  as  was  that 
of  his  subsequent  fate. 

Stalked  by  a  Panther. 

The  perils  experienced  by  the  early  settlers  from  the  panther 
cannot  at  this  day  be  realized.'  Though  cautious  and  stealthy 
to  the  point  of  cowardice,  this  animal,  when  driven  by  hunger  or 
disturbed  at  its  prey,  is  extremely  fierce  and  dangerous.  Innum- 
erable adventures  of  pioneers  with  this  animal  in  the  Virginia 
forests  could  be  recounted,  of  which  the  following  are  illustrative: 

One  of  the  Bozarths  was  cow-hunting  near  his  home  one  eve- 
ning, and,  contrary  to  the  general  rule,  was  unarmed.  For  the 
purpose  of  listening  for  the  bell,  and  a  possibly  wider  view,  he 
mounted  a  large  rock  where  he  was  stalked  by  an  enormous 
panther;  which  he  discovered  in  the  act  of  springing  upon  him. 
Knowing  the  power  of  the  human  intellect  over  the  lower  animals, 
Bozarth  met  its  glance  with  a  steady  and  unflinching  eye.  This 
cowed,  but  did  not  vanquish  the  foe.     It  began  circling  the  rock 


CaRNUORA   Ol     W  KST   \  IRCJIMA  345 

to  seek  an  unguarded  point  from  which  to  attack,  but  Bozarth 
turned  with  it  and  at  the  same  time  called  loudh'  for  his  dogs. 
Fortunately  the\-  heard  him  and  coming  to  the  rescue,  the  panther 
made  off. 

A  Baby  Swkd  hv  a  Fice. 

A  pioneer  famil\-  settled  on  Cheat  Ri\er.  One  summer 
morning  the  husband  started  hunting  leaving  the  wife  alone  in  the 
cabin  with  her  baby  sleeping  in  a  cradle  near  the  open  door.  A 
full-grown  panther  entered  the  \'ard,  and  was  carelessly  mistaken 
by  the  mother  for  a  calf.  The  animal,  gaunt  with  hunger,  thrust 
its  head  in  the  doorway  and  sniffed  at  the  unconscious  child,  when 
a  little  fice  which  was  in  the  room,  flew  at  the  intruder  and  chased 
it  up  a  tree.  There  the  little  dog  bayed  it  until  the  woman  called 
her  husband,  who  had  not  yet  passed  beyond  the  reach  of  her 
voice,  who  came  and  shot  it. 

Combat  in  the  Dark. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  remarkable  encounters  with  the 
panther  in  the  Trans-Allegheny,  occurred  in  the  southern  part  of 
now  West  Virginia,  in  the  early  years  of  the  last  century.  A  set- 
tler was  returning  home  from  one  of  his  neighbors  in  the  evening 
just  after  dark.  His  path  led  over  a  "foot-log,"  which  consisted 
of  a  tree  felled  across  a  stream  not  far  from  his  cabin.  As  he 
stepped  from  the  log,  a  large  animal  rose  from  out  the  shadows  of 
the  stump,  and  fastened  one  paw  on  his  shoulder  and  striking  him 
on  the  cheek  with  the  other,  attempted  to  seize  him  b\-  the  neck 
with  its  teeth.  The  man,  a  powerful  athlete,  was  wholly  unarmed; 
but  he  caught  his  strange  assailant  by  the  throat  and  struck  it 
three  heavy  blows  with  his  fist.  It  loosed  its  hold  and  with  a  low 
moaning  cry  sank  to  the  ground.  The  man,  badly  torn  about  the 
face  and  shoulder,  and  bleeding  profusely,  made  his  way  to  the 
house.  The  next  morning  he  returned  to  the  scene  of  the  combat 
and  found  an  immense  panther  lying  dead  where  it  had  dropped 
in  the  fight.  The  sledge  hammer-like  blows  had  landed  directh" 
over  the  heart,  breaking  three  ribs  and  causing  instant  death. 
The  animal  made  no  resistance  after  receiving  the  first  blow. 


346  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Heroic  Woman. 

Heroic  combats  with  the  panther  were  not  confined  to  the 
men  alone.  Tradition  and  history  abounds  with  the  intrepidity 
of  the  pioneer  women,  in  every  phase  of  wilderness  life.  One 
winter  day  a  panther  entered  the  yard  of  a  Mr.  Gothrup,  living  in 
now  Taylor  County,  West  Virginia,  and  caught  a  sheep.  In  the 
absence  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Gothrup  seized  a  rifle  and  shot  the 
marauder,  breaking  its  back.  Disabled,  the  savage  animal  lay 
writhing  in  pain,  uttering  frightful  growls  and  shrieks.  Having 
no  more  powder,  Mrs.  Gothrup  requested  a  neighbor  who  was 
passing,  to  dispatch  it  with  an  axe.  This  honor  was  declined,  and 
the  courageous  woman  took  the  axe  and  with  a  well-directed  blow 
ended  its  misery. 

A  Mail  Carrier's  Thrilling  Adventure. 

Panthers  continued  to  be  a  source  of  menace  to  the  isolated 
settlers  for  many  years  after  the  border  was  freed  from  the  raids 
of  the  red  warrior.  In  1841,  my  father,  then  a  lad  carrying  the 
mail  through  central  western  Virginia,  had  an  adventure  not 
unlike  that  of  Mr.  Bozarth.  One  bright  sunshiny  day,  while 
riding  down  Leading  Creek,  just  below  the  mouth  of  Camp- 
meeting  Run,  in  Lewis  County,  he  saw  what  he  supposed  to  be  a 
large  dog  on  the  hillside  above  the  road,  and  halloed,  expecting  it 
to  run.  At  the  sound  of  his  voice  the  animal  stopped,  looked 
around,  and  Instead  of  running  away,  changed  its  course  and 
came  trotting  into  the  road  only  a  few  yards  ahead  of  him.  There 
it  stopped  and  crouched  down.  The  boy  at  once  saw  that  it  was 
a  panther,  and  fully  realized  the  imminent  danger  confronting 
him.  The  animal  was  large,  gaunt,  and  appeared  very  hungry, 
but  the  fearless  boy,  wholly  unarmed,  did  not  for  a  moment  waver 
in  his  determination  to  deliver  the  mail  on  schedule  time.  He 
pressed  his  horse  so  close  to  the  savage  beast,  "that  I  could,"  he 
afterwards  said,  in  relating  the  incident,  "have  struck  it  with  an 
ox-gad."  His  horse  hesitated,  snorting  with  fear  and  excitement. 
The  great  cat  crouched  low,  ready  for  a  spring.  Its  muzzle  was 
thrust  forward,  and  its  ears  laid  close  to  its  head.  It  gave  invol- 
untary notice  of  its  intentions  to  spring  by  instinctively  thrust- 
ing out  its  immense  claws,  and  nervously  twitching  its  long  slen- 
der tail.  With  these  ominous  warnings,  it  would  instantly  lift  its 
head,  every  muscle  drawn  tense.     But  the  boy,  keen,  alert  and 


Carm\'or.\  oi-  \\  Ksr  \  ikcima  347 

well  aware  of  his  enemy's  one  weakness,  met  its  fierce  appalling 
e\'e  with  a  calm  unwavering  gaze.  The  panther  quickly  shrank 
back,  only  to  repeat  ihc  inaneu\ers,  hut  at  each  attempt  to  leap, 
it  was  held  in  check  by  the  lad's  fearless  eye.  While  this  thrilling 
eve  duel  was  in  progress,  the  lad  thought  tc)  frighten  his  wily 
enenu'  with  loui.!  blasts  upon  the  post-horn,  with  which  all  mail 
carriers  were  equipped,  for  the  purpose  of  heralding  their  approach 
to  the  postoffice.  The  attempt  was  vain;  the  hungr>'  beast  did 
not  for  an  instant  relax  its  \-igilance,  nor  abate  its  attempt  to  leap 
upon  its  prey  unawares.  The  boy  was  still  urging  his  horse  for- 
ward, and  at  length  came  opposite  the  animal.  Slowly  he  moved 
on,  and  at  the  same  time  turned  in  his  saddle  to  keep  his  eye  on  the. 
enemy.  In  this  fashion  he  rode  away,  leaving  the  panther  still 
crouching  in  the  road.  In  that  position  it  remained  until  he  had 
ridden  several  hundred  \-ards  and  passed  beyond  its  sight  in  a  bend 
of  the  road. 

In  December,  1839,  this  lad  was  crossing  the  Cheat  Mountain 
with  the  mail.  It  was  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
very  dark.  He  was  on  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  far  from  any 
human  habitation,  and  where  the  road  on  either  side  was  hemmed 
with  an  unbroken  wilderness  of  sombre  hemlock  and  dense  laurel. 
On  one  or  two  previous  occasions  travelers  had  at  this  point  been 
attacked  by  a  panther,  and  even  in  daylight  the  place  with  its 
gloomy  tangle  of  impenetrable  thicket  was  calculated  to  inspire 
the  bravest  with  a  sense  of  loneliness  and  instinctive  dread.  As 
the  boy,  numbed  and  sleepy  with  cold,  was  letting  his  horse  plod 
along,  he  heard,  only  a  few  rods  from  the  road,  what  seemed  the 
hoot  of  an  owl,  blending  gradually  into  the  dismal  howl  of  the  wolf, 
but  ending  in  a  wild  shrieking  scream.  The  startled  boy  attempted 
to  urge  his  horse,  a  very  frisk}-  animal,  to  greater  speed.  To  his 
dismay,  he  found  that  the  bit  had  slipped  from  its  mouth.  The 
horse  was  laboring  through  a  snowdrift  which  reached  the  saddle 
skirts,  and  the  rider  could  do  nothing  but  let  it  proceed  at  a  walk. 
He  fully  expected  every  instant  to  feel  the  panther's  claws  in  his 
back,  but  from  some  cause  he  was  not  further  molested. 

A  SlRPRISED  P.\Nriii:R. 

Sometime  m  the  first  quarter  of  the  last  centur\',  Stephen 
Martin,  referred  to  elsewhere  in  this  \'olume,  was  hunting  near 
the    mouth   of   White   Oak    Run,   on    the    .Middle    Fork    Ri\er,    in 


348  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Randolph  County,  West  Virginia,  and  camped  one  night  by  the 
side  of  an  immense  fallen  oak  tree.  Gathering  a  quantity  of  the 
thick  dry  bark,  he  built  a  fire,  and  after  eating  a  repast,  lay  down 
near  it,  and  under  the  sheltering  side  of  the  log. 

Far  in  the  night,  Aiartin  was  aroused  by  the  stealthy  move- 
ments of  some  animal  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  trunk,  and 
instinctively  he  knew  that  it  was  a  panther.  Knowing  the  terri- 
ble strength  and  savage  nature  of  his  foe,  and  not  daring  to  move, 
he  secured  his  knife  and  awaited  the  assault  with  some  misgiving. 
The  fire  had  died  down  leaving  a  bed  of  extremely  hot  coals,  so 
characteristic  of  oak  bark.  This  was  completely  masked  by  a 
covering  of  feathery  white  ashes,  which  showed  conspicuously  in 
the  darkness.  Presently  the  panther  reared  up  against  the  log 
directly  over  Martin,  whose  keen  ear  detected  in  sniffing  the  air 
trying  to  locate  Its  prey.  Suddenly  it  leaped  and  struck  the  ash- 
hidden  fire  with  deadly  precision.  There  was  a  surprised  panther, 
and  action  was  decisive.  Maddened  with  pain  and  fury,  it  filled 
the  forest  with  the  most  terrifying  shrieks  and  screams.  The 
frenzied  animal  was  a  whirlwind  of  agility,  as  grappling  with  its 
mysterious  foe  the  glowing  embers  were  scattered  in  every  direc- 
tion. There  could  be  but  one  sequel  to  such  contest,  and  in  a 
moment  the  vanquished  cat  bounded  away,  still  screaming,  into 
the  forest.  Its  cries  were  heard  growing  fainter  and  fainter  until 
they  finally  died  in  the  distance.  Martin  replenished  the  demol- 
ished fire  and  then  returned  to  his  couch  of  leaves,  knowing  that 
he  would  not  be  molested  again  soon  by  that  panther. 

A  Scared  Darky. 

Occasionally  the  actions  of  these  fierce  animals  in  attacking 
man,  are  strange  and  eccentric.  "Black  Wash,"  a  mulatto,  was 
a  slave,  born  near  the  Blue  Ridge  in  Virginia,  and  with  other 
slaves  was  brought  by  Thomas  McDonnald,  to  Lewis  County, 
(now)  West  Virginia,  about  the  year  1850.  "Wash"  was  a  young 
man,  tall  and  muscular,  trusty  and  a  good  worker.  He  was  hired 
out  to  work  for  Jackson  Arnold,  on  the  "Indian  Farm"  referred 
to  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Wash  lived  alone,  caring  for  the 
stock  and  doing  general  farm  work.  One  autumn  day  he  went 
to  help  a  neighbor  kill  hogs  some  two  or  three  miles  distant.  The 
work  was  not  completed  until  after  dark,  and  Wash  was  advised 


Carmvora  (>i   W  i:s  r  \'ir(,ima  349 

in  returning  home  nol  lo  go  (nor  the  forest  path,  as  a  panther  had 
recentl}-  been  seen  there;  but  to  tra\el  the  main  road,  altliough 
the  distance  was  greater.  Wash  declared  that  he  had  seen 
"Painters"  afo',  and  that  he  was  not  afraid  of  any  in  the  woods. 
Carrying  a  small  piece  of  meat  ani.i  his  big  knife,  Wash  started 
over  the  hill  path.  When  in  the  depth  of  the  woods,  a  huge  pan- 
ther suddenly  appeared  in  the  path  in  front  of  him.  It  crouched 
and  sprang,  going  over  Wash's  heail,  w  ho  struck  at  it  but  the  blow 
went  wild.  Thoroughh-  frightened.  Wash  turned  facing  his  nim- 
ble assailant,  which  again  crouched  to  spring.  With  eyes  gleaming 
like  coals  of  hre,  it  went  into  the  air,  and  soared  over  the  head  of 
the  six-foot  man,  who  this  time  succeeded  in  plunging  the  long 
blade  of  his  knife  full  l°ngth  in  its  flying  body.  The  animal  made 
a  peculiar  moaning  wail  as  it  struck  the  ground,  and  vanished 
among  the  trees.  W  ash  hurried  home,  and  the  next  morning  in 
company  with  another  man,  he  returned  to  the  place  of  the  attack 
where,  following  a  trail  of  blood,  they  came  upon  the  dead  bod\-  of 
the  panther,  not  more  than  twenty  steps  away.  The  random 
knife  blow  had  passed  directly  through  its  heart. 

A  Hunter  Pursued. 

In  the  autumn  of  1S78  a  striking  instance  of  the  ferocious, 
craven  nature  of  the  panther  came  under  my  personal  observa- 
tion. A  hunting  party  was  rendezvoused  on  the  waters  of  the 
Greenbrier  Ri\er  in  Pocahontas  County,  West  Virginia;  and  one 
dark  rainy  day  five  of  its  members  were  overtaken  by  night  some 
three  miles  from  camp.  The  forest  at  this  point  was  a  dense, 
pathless  tangle  of  pine  and  laurel,  through  which  no  sunbeam 
could  penetrate,  even  on  the  brightest  of  days.  The  rain  was 
a  steady  downpour,  and  a  thick  fog  coupled  with  the  pitchy 
night,  rendered  the  otherwise  gloomy  woods  a  veritable  dungeon 
of  blackness.  Fallen  timber  constantly  obstructed  their  steps, 
and  the  men  became  separated  and  considerably  scattered  as  they 
laboriously  climbed  the  prostrate  trunks,  or  crawled  under  the 
snarls  of  dripping  laurel.  They  were  guided  by  the  occasional 
discharge  of  a  heavy  rifle  b}'  those  at  the  camp,  which  was  termed: 
"Shooting  the  lost  into  camp." 

For  three  hours  the  drenched  and  weary  hunters  struggled 
through  this  chaos  of  hidden  dangers,  and  were  still  a  half-mile 


350  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

from  camp.  Suddenly  my  older  brother,  Cyrus  S.  McWhorter, 
who  was  several  yards  in  the  rear,  was  startled  by  the  loud  crash- 
ing of  brush  as  some  large  animal  charging  in  great  leaps  over  the 
laurel,  came  down  within  four  or  five  feet  of  him.  Several  times 
during  the  evening  he  had  detected  stealthy  steps  following  him, 
and  he  instantly  surmised  that  it  was  a  panther.  Turning  quickly 
he  faced  his  invisible  assailant,  and  thrusting  his  rifle  towards 
where  he  knew  the  animal  to  be  crouching,  he  fired.  The  lurid 
flash  and  report  frightened  it,  and  it  fled  noisily  through  the  thick- 
ets. Soon  after  this  the  gleam  of  a  torch  carried  by  a  rescue 
party  lit  up  the  surrounding  gloom,  and  it  was  not  long  until  the 
fatigued  men  were  all  gathered  about  a  roaring  log  fire  within  the 
sheltering  camp.  The  attacking  animal  was  undoubtedly  a 
panther,  as  one  had  been  heard  "yowling"  in  the  forest  during 
several  of  the  preceding  nights.  Had  the  young  man  attempted 
to  flee,  even  if  such  had  been  possible,  he  must  have  been  killed. 

A  Startled  Irishman. 

Not  far  from  this  same  locality  and  only  a  few  months  previ- 
ously a  young  man  named  Cofl^,  while  hunting  cattle  was  over- 
taken by  darkness  several  miles  from  home.  Wearied  with  the 
day's  tramp,  he  sat  down  upon  a  log  for  a  short  rest  and  was  soon 
dozing.  Presently  he  became  aware  of  a  light  measured  tap, 
tap,  tap,  in  the  dry  leaves  just  back  of  him;  which,  in  his  half- 
somnambulent  condition,  he  attributed  to  a  rabbit.  This  timid 
little  animal  has  a  habit  while  gamboling  at  night,  of  stopping 
abruptly  and  striking  the  ground  with  its  hind  foot  with  the  result 
as  described.  The  noise  was  continued  at  short  intervals  and  at 
closer  points;  and  Coff^,  realizing  a  sub-consciousness  of  impending 
danger,  suddenly  turned  his  head,  when  a  huge  panther  leaped 
away  and  ran  screaming  through  the  forest.  Its  cries  were  heard 
until  it  passed  over  a  distant  ridge.  The  disturbance  in  the  leaves 
was  caused  by  the  nervous  twitching,  or  beating  of  the  panther's 
tail,  which  invariably  accompanies  the  movements  of  this  animal 
when  creeping  upon  its  prey. 

The  Last  Panther. 

The  last  panther  killed  in  Lewis  County,  West  Virginia,  was 
by  John  Rifile,  on  Oil  Creek,  nearly  sixty  years  ago,  just  above 


Carnivora  ()I  \\  i:st  X'ircima  351 

where  the  village  of  Confluence  is  now  located.  The  animal  had 
committed  several  depredations  and  one  da\-  entered  a  Held  where 
there  was  a  herd  of  cattle  belonging  to  Alexander  Skinner.  The 
stock  was  in  mortal  terror  of  the  intruder,  while  the  panther  seemed 
in  the  best  of  humor.  It  would  crouch  and  snitT  alontr  the  ground, 
gambolling  and  frisking  like  a  kitten  Occasionally  it  would  bound 
towards  the  cattle,  then  suddenh'  stop  and  watch  the  affrighted 
animals  run  away.  This  panther  had  often  been  hunted  with  the 
best  dogs  in  the  community,  but  had  in\'ariabl\-  eluded  its  pur- 
suers. Finally  a  noisy  flee  chased  it  up  a  tree  and  it  was  shot  as 
above  stated,  llie  heroic  little  dog  was  killed  b\-  having  its  head 
crushed  in  the  jaws  of  the  panther  during  the  death  struggle. 

The  Last  Bi;ar. 

Perhaps  the  last  bear  ever  seen  on  the  lower  waters  of  Hack- 
er's Creek,  was  on  McKinney's  Run,  about  the  }ear  1828.  My 
father,  who  was  just  "old  enough  to  hoe  corn,"  went  into  the 
orchard  one  day  during  the  noon  hour,  before  returning  to  the 
corn  field.  He  saw  what  he  supposed  was  a  large  short-tailed 
dog  climb  the  fence  some  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  away,  and  go  into 
the  woods.  A  dozen  years  later  he  saw  a  bear  in  a  show  and  then 
for  the  first  time  he  knew  that  the  big  short-tailed  dog  was  a  real 
bear. 

A  Daring  \\  oman. 

When  Hacker's  Creek  was  being  settled,  a  Mrs.  Wolf  was 
out  hunting  cows  not  far  from  her  cabin.  A  small  dog  which 
accompanied  her,  chased  a  bear  up  a  tree.  Having  no  gun  and 
seeing  that  bruin  was  inclined  to  come  down,  the  dauntless  woman 
took  a  penknife,  the  only  weapon  that  she  had,  and  with  hickory 
bark  lashed  it  to  the  end  of  a  pole  and  used  this  as  an  effective 
"prod"  whenever  his  bear-ship  attempted  to  descend.  In  this 
way  she  prevented  the  animal's  escape  until  her  husband  came 
and  shot  it. 

Ill MORous  Bear  Story. 

When  a  bo}',  an  old  huntiM-  and  a  neighbor  told  iiic  about 
shooting  a  bear  on  the  tarni  where  1  was  raised,  on  Inickhaniion 
Run,  a  branch  ot  Hackers  Creek. 


352  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

"I  wus  a  huntin  on  the  north  side  uv  the  hill,  in  yanders- 
cove,"  said  the  ancient  nimrod,  pointing  to  the  deeply  wooded 
hillside,  "when  I  run  onter  a  big  bar'  a  raken  uv  the  leaves  fer 
mast.  I  ups  with  my  rifle  an'  let  him  have  it  jest  back  uv  the 
shoulder.  At  the  report  uv  the  gun,  he  rolled  over  on  his  side  a 
clawin'  at  the  hurtin'  place  an'  a  bellerin':  ''Oh  Lord!  Oh  Lord! 
Oh  Lord!  He  didn't  see  me  an'  the  win'  wus  ag'in  him  an'  he 
couldn't  git  me  located;  but  I  tell  yer  that  he  made  the  leaves  fly 
fer  a  minit.  I  hurried,  but  a-fore  I  could  git  a-nuther  load  down 
the  old  flint  lock,  that-er  bar'  up  an'  skeedadled  an'  I  see'd  nuthin' 
more  uv  him.  Why  didn't  I  wade  inter  him  with  my  huntin' 
knife  arter  shootin'  him.''  Wall,  that-er  bar'  wus  a  snorter,  an' 
he  had  a  mighty  fine  hide  that  I  didn't  wanter  spile;  besides,  I 
wus  purty  bizy  jest  then  a  ramin'  a  bullet  down  my  rifle,  an'  I 
hadn't  no  time  ter  spar'.  I  guess,  sonny,  yer  never  see'd  a  big 
bar'  all  crazy  with  hurtin'  an'  a  rantankerin'  in  the  woods,  didyer."* 
Wall  when  yer  do,  I  bet  yer  don't  go  a  spilen'  uv  his  hide  with  a 
knife." 

The  First  Buck. 

"An'  right  up  yander,"  continued  the  old  man,  designating 
the  south  hillside,  "on  the  Huckleberry  Pint,  I  killed  my  fust 
buck;  an'  he  was  a  whopper  too.  I  wus  a  little-like  shaver,  an'  my 
dad  had  never  let  me  go  huntin'  with  the  gun.  That  day  arter  I 
had  begged  fer  sometime,  he  give  me  the  flint  lock  an'  two  loads  uv 
powder  an'  said:  'If  yer  don'  come  back  with  a  deer  I  won't  let 
yer  go  no  more.'  Thar'  wus  snow  on  the  ground  but  hit  wus  not 
cold  an'  the  sun  wus  a  shinin'  and  thawy-like  an'  I  knowed  that 
the  deer  would  likely  be  whar'  the  snow  wus  meltin'  an'  all  shel- 
tered from  the  wind;  up  thar'  whar'  yer  dad's  sheep  like  ter  stay 
on  sich  days.  I  wus  mighty  anxious  ter  find  a  deer,  an'  when  I 
come  on  the  upper  bench  an'  looked  over  the  bluff  an'  see'd 
four  a  layin'  down,  my  heart  give  a  jump  an'  I  feel  sorter  qua'r; 
but  I  took  sight  at  a  big  buck  an'  broke  his  back  an'  the  others  run 
away.  I  finished  him  with  my  knife  an'  I  bet  yer  that  Gineral 
Washington  didn't  feel  bigger  at  the  Battle  uv  Waterloo  than  I 
did  when  I  went  home  ter  git  a  hoss  an'  bring  in  that-er  buck. 
An'  I  killed  one  arter-wards,  over  thar'  whar'  the  wilier  tree  is  a 
growin'  by  the  spring  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  the  north  side  uv 


C\RNI\()R.\   OI     W  i:ST  \  IRGINIA  353 

the  bottom.  \cv  see  my  dad  let  me  ^o  huntin'  often  arter  1ki\  in 
sich  good  luck  the  fust  time." 

A    MoDl.RN    NiMROD. 

The  followinu  interesting  letter  was  a  reluctant  compliance 
with  the  rceiuest  of  my  father  for  a  brief  synopsis  of  a  hunter's 
career.  Bearing  no  date,  it  was  written  in  April,  1907,  and  is  the 
record  of  a  typical  mountaineer;  a  simile  of  the  hundreds  who  have 
spent  their  lives  in  killing  game  throughout  the  ranges  of  the 
mightv  Alleghenies.  In  1889,  my  father  visited  Mr.  Arbogast, 
and  went  with  him  to  one  of  his  bear  traps  some  three  or  four 
miles  from  his  house  and  up  the  (jreenbrier  River.  The  trap  was 
constructed  of  logs,  and  contained  a  yearling  bear,  which  was 
dead.     The  hunter  had  dela\ed  his  rounds  one  da\-  too  long. 

"DiAK  I)k.  j.  M.  McWhorter: 

1  will  try  to  answer  a  few  of  your  questions.  I  killed  first  deer  in  184S  with 
a  riiiu  lock  rifle.  About  1852  I  had  the  lock  changed  to  percusion.  I  killed  the 
majority  [of  deer]  with  [this]  mountain  rifle.  In  1878  I  got  a  45-60  Winchester. 
The  first  fall  after  I  had  the  [flint]  lock  changed  I  killed  8  [deer]  next  fall  20;  next 
[fall]  25.  After  that  I  killed  from  25  to  30  every  fall.  32  was  the  most  I  killed 
in  one  fall.  I  killed  2  to  5  Red  Deer  every  Summer  which  w^ere  not  counted  in 
fall  hunts  at  that  time.  I  killed  2  at  one  shot  3  [different]  times.  1  killed  4  a  day 
2  [twice]  I  killed  5  in  half  day  out  of  six  I  saw  with  muzzle  loader.  I  made  an 
estimate  I  have  killed  between  6  and  7  hundred  [deer]  25  was  the  highest  number 

1  sawin  one  day — I  killed  and  caught  several  Bear — I  shot  one  wolf  and  Poisoned 
and  caught  several  others  in  trap.  We  have  had  8  sheep  killed  in  sight  of  house 
and  many  less  numbers  at  difi"erent  times  by  wolves  Bear  and  Panthers.     I  killed 

2  Panthers  [in]  one  day.  My  father  had  a  dog  that  treed  11  panthers  that  he  killed. 
Dog  went  out  on  his  own  accord  and  treed  one.  Panther  came  down  and  killed 
the  dog.  Was  snow  on  the  ground — was  a  young  dog  along  with  him  came  back 
next  morning  wounded  by  the  panther.  Father  took  his  back  track  to  where  the 
old  dog  was  killed.  The  panther  had  carried  him  into  a  laurel  thicket  [and]  had 
eat  him  about  half  up  [and]  was  laying  by  the  dog.  When  father  followed  the 
trail  to  where  the  dog  was  the  panther  walked  away.  Father  w'ent  about  2  hundred 
yards  in  the  thicket.  Panther  had  stopped  twice  in  that  distance  til  he  saw 
Father  coming,  so  he  thought.     Was  a  soft  snow  in  April  which  made  things  plain. 

A  Bear  came  at  night  when  I  was  a  small  Boy  father  was  not  at  home — took 
a  small  hog  from  where  they  lay  at  night  before  we  had  gone  to  bed;  heard  it 
squeal  as  the  Bear  carried  it  off.  Must  have  been  200  yards  away  when  stopped 
squealing.  The  hog  bed  was  about  50  yards  from  house.  Second  night  after,  it 
came  back  caught  a  fat  hog  in  pen  about  30  feet  from  house.  Father  heard  it 
squeal  went  out  with  gun  was  too  dark  to  see  it  He  hallooed  [and]  as  it  climbed 
over  pen  he  shot  at  the  noise  did  not  hit  it.     I  had  a  salt  lick  for  deer  at  the  root  of  a 


354  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

chestnut  tree;  deer  and  groundhogs  dug  down  through  the  roots.  Went  thare 
one  morning  to  salt  it — a  deer  had  put  its  head  down  between  the  roots  got  its 
head  fast  was  dead,  and  warm  yet.  I  had  killed  a  number  of  deer  thare  before 
and  after — I  killed  an  eagle  that  had  swallowed  about  6  inches  of  a  deer's  rib  one 
end  was  broken  off  slanting  very  sharp  the  other  end  being  a  joint  was  round. 
This  end  was  in  its  craw  the  other  end  stuck  out  about  2}^  inches  to  one  side 
of  back  bone.  The  part  that  stuck  out  was  bleached  as  white  as  a  bone  that 
had  laid  on  ground  several  years,  and  wore  as  smooth  as  if  it  had  been  done  with 
sand  paper.     I  suppose  in  using  its  wings  the  feathers  wore  it  smooth. 

I  only  had  one  close  call  in  the  woods  that  I  know  of.  Was  out  hunting 
snow  was  about  a  foot  deep  commenced  sleeting  in  a  short  time  crust  on  snow 
bore  me  up  and  slick  as  glass.  Feet  slipped  from  under  me  was  on  a  steep  hill- 
side. Down  the  hill  I  went  feet  front  about  30  yards  to  a  large  log,  the  gun  stopped 
against  the  log.  I  went  over  turned  head  in  front  about  30  yards  run  into  a  bunch 
of  dead  brush  which  caught  in  my  clothes  by  breaking  off,  the  snags  caught 
which  I  think  saved  me  from  getting  killed  or  badly  hurt.  It  was  about  100 
yards  to  stream  of  water  nothing  in  way  to  stop  me.  I  worked  my  way  back  to 
where  my  gun  stopped  at  log,  by  breaking  through  the  snow  crust  with  heel  of 
shoes.  Then  used  breech  of  gun  to  break  through  crust  of  snow,  until  I  got  down 
to  a  stream  of  water  which  led  to  river  and  home.  I  met  Father  about  half  a 
mile  from  home  going  to  look  for  me.  I  was  born  in  a  cabin  20  feet  from  the 
house  I  now  live  in,  72  years  ago  6th  of  last  Anarch  1907  lived  here  all  the  time. 

I  wish  I  had  kept  a  statement  of  every  day's  hunt  during  my  life  taken  down 
every  evening.     I  give  this  as  a  true  statement  &ct. 

Kindest  Regards  to  any  one  who  by  chance  may  read  this  statement. 

A.  M.  V.  Arbogast. 
Dunlevie  Pocahontas  Co  W.  Va. 


I 


APPENDIX 


1 


Lord  Dunmore 
Courtesy  of  Wisconsin  State  Historical  Society 
Reduced  from,  an   old  engraving  in   JVisconsin  Historical  Society's  Library. 


APPENDIX  I 


A  published  Descriptive  List  of  the  Manuscript  Collection  of 
the  Stair  Historical  Society  of  IVisconsin,  has  onl>'  recently  placed 
the  Dr.  L\maii  C.  Draper  Manuscripts  within  the  reach  of  the 
general  student  of  pioneer  history.  They  consist  of  four  hundred 
and  sixty-nine  volumes,  and  are  the  most  valuable  of  their  kind 
extant.  Research  along  special  lines  in  this  great  mass  of  hitherto 
unclassified  material  was  attended  with  such  cost  and  uncertainty, 
that  it  was  practically  inaccessible  to  other  than  the  local  student. 

Thirty-three  volumes  consist  of  data  for  a  series  of  sketches 
on  frontier  wars.  Two  of  these.  Volumes  XX  and  XXI,  are 
devoted  entirely  to  material  for  a  new  edition  of  Withers  Chroni- 
cles of  Border  Warfare. 

This  work  Dr.  Draper  commenced  in  1890,  and  was  thus 
engaged  when  stricken  with  death,  August  26,  1891.  The  vol- 
ume was  afterwards  completed  b\-  Dr.  Thwaites,  and  published 
in  1895,  by  The  Robert  Clarke  Company,  Cincinnati.  The  cor- 
respondence here  published  for  the  first  time  is  interesting  in  con- 
nection with  some  of  the  topics  treated  in  this  volume.  \\  ith  but 
two  exceptions,  the  letters  bear  the  date  of  1891,  and  some  of 
them  within  a  few  days  of  Dr.  Draper's  death.  The  Manuscripts 
were  not  accessible  to  me  until  1908,  and  after  all  but  chapters 
31  and  32  had  been  written;  and  any  reference  in  previous  chap- 
ters to  these  documents  has  been  inserted  subsequent  to  this 
date.     The  correspondence  is  given  under  catalogue  numbers. 

"HUCKHANNON  ToWN   LeWIS  Co.  \'a. 

Febry  24tli,  1S49. 
"L.  C.  Draper  Esqr. 

"Sir:  I  now  proceed  to  answer  your  Enquires  in  your  3  Letters  to  me  of  Octo- 
ber 17th,  1848  Janry  15  1849  and  Janry  22^  1849.  I  should  have  answered  you 
sooner  but  have  been  waiting  to  obtain  some  information  on  some  points  whicli 
would  have  been  use  to  you  in  getting  up  the  needful  information  you  desire,  but  1 
have  been  unable  to  obtain  the  information  desired  in  consequence  of  the  advanced 
age  of  the  persons  from  whom  I  expected  to  Learn  the  facts  of  several  Transactions 
of  importance,  but  their  old  age  and  doted  condition  of  their  minds  has  prevented 
me  from  doing  so.  Mr.  John  Cutright  for  whom  you  enquire  is  one.  You  first 
enquire  about  the  Bull  affair,  this  place  is  situated  on  the  Little  Kanawha  River 
(in  the  County  of  Braxton  \'a.)  now  known  as  the  Bull  Town  salt  works,  where 
Lick  salt  is  made,  David  White,  the  brother  of  \V'".  White  was  taking  [taken] 


358  Appendix  I 

prisoner  some  time  previous  to  the  destruction  of  Bull  Town,  and  was  present 
at  the  taking  of  Stroud's  family  in  the  summer  of  1772,  this  occurence  led  to  the 
destruction    of  Bull  Town,  David  White  knew  the  property  and  household  fur- 
niture of  belonging  to  the  family  of  Mr.  Stroud  and  after  White  escaped  from  the 
Indians  he  in  company  with  others  frequently  went  to  the  settlement  at  Bull 
Town  on  hunting  expeditions,  and  when  he  saw  the  goods  and  Chatties  of  Stroud, 
White  inform^  the  settlement  of   Buckhannon  and  it  was  fully  believed  amongst 
them  that  the  inhabitants  of  Bull  Town  were  a  harbour  and  shelter  for  the  un- 
friendly and  invading  savage  foe,  and  no  doubt  was  the  case  (1)  this  enraged  the 
white  settlement  to  think  that  the  Indians  who  professed  friendship  was  a  place 
of  Refuge  for  the  foe  &c.  so  a  party  of  5  or  more  men  went  and  doubtless  destroy^ 
the  place,  kiH  the  whole  party  &  perhaps  throwed  the  bodies  in  the  River.     W™. 
White  VJ^.  Hacker  Samuel  Pringle  and  Andrew  Skidmore  were  four  of  the  party, 
perhaps  John  Pringle  Andrew  Friend  and  David  White  and  Elijah  Runner  was 
also  of  the  party.     Samuel  Pringle  is  one  of  the  1st.  settlers  that  settled  on  the 
Buckhannon  River  who  settled  at  the  mouth  of  Turkey  Run  about  three  miles 
from  our  Town.     Pringle  resided  in  this  neighborhood  untill  he  died  he  was  up- 
wards of  100  years  of  age,  Hacker  also  died  an  old  man  on  his  farm  on  hacker's 
creek  (you  enquire)  what  finely  became  of  White,  White   was  a  Terror  to  the 
Indians  they  had  several  chances  to  shoot  at  him  but  was  afraid  to  do  so  for  fear 
they  would  miss  their  mark  and  then  he  would  retaliate.  White  was  the  stay  of 
Buckhannon  fort,  and  was  the  Leader  of  many  of  the  scouting  parties  and  the 
parties  following  and  Chastizing  the  Indians  for  the  depredations  committed  on 
the   Citizens.     White   being  dead   when  the   information  was   gathered   for  Co'. 
Wither's  cronicle     It  was  therefore  gathered  principly  from  the  friends  of  Lowther, 
Sleeth,  Wilson,  and  Hacker  and  not  giving  White  the  Honor  due  him.     White 
was  taken  prisoner  twice  By  the  Indians  and  managed  so  as  to  disguise  himself 
and  was  enable[d]  to  make  his  escape  at  one  time  in  making  his  escape  he  kiled    - 
an  Indian  feeding  his  Horse  (2)  White  took  the  horse  and  flew  for  his  safety  after 
traveling  some  distance  passing  near  Other  Horses  feeding  one  of  White['s]  followed 
after  the  one  White  was  Riding  so  he  took  them  both  away  Riding  Them  by  Turns 
the  Indians  followed  him  closely  for  a  Long  distance  one  of  their  dogs  over  took 
him  and  the  Dog  knowing  White  followed  him  off  also — White  fought  at  the 
Battle  of  Point  Pleasant  his  Brother  David  White  fought  Bled  and  died  in  that 
Battle,  kiled  several  Indians  on  that  day,  he  stated  that  he  had  IS  fair  Shots 
and  saw  them  all  fall,  he  said  5  in  One  heap.  L^.  frog  was  shot  By  an  Indian  in  sight 
of  White  the  Indian  ran  up  to  scalp  Frog  frog  raising  and  grapling  with  the  Indian 
untill  White  could  single  out  the  Indian  from  Frog,  White  then  shot  the  Indian     • 
so  another  ran  up  and  was  Shot  By  White  also  and  so  on  untill  five  Indians  were 
laid  in  One  heap — after  the  Battle  was  over  White  took  some  of  his  company  of 
Virginians  to  the  Spot  and  Shew[ed]  them  the  Heap  of  Dead  Bodies,  Frog  has 
by  this  time  expired  when  the  white[s']  examined  the  5  persons  kild.  by  White 
the  features  of  one  of  them  has  the  appearance  of  a  white  man  accordingly  he  was 
washed  and  recognized  By  his  Brother  Thomas  Collet  of  Tygerts  Valley     This 
was  George  Collet  (3)  that  was  kiled  he  encouraged  the  Indians  throughout  all 
the  fight  with  Loud  Hussaws  and  was  seen  firing  a  Large  Gun  up  into  the  air  and 
crying  fight  on  fight  on  we  will  soon  whip  the  white  Damnd.  Suns  of  bitches,  White 
was  in  company  with  John  Cutright  and  others  in  capturing  the  Stolen  Horses, 


(1)  See  page  496.  (2)  p.  496.  (3)  p.  496. 


Draper  Correspondence  359 

at  wliicli  liiiR-  Cutriglit  was  wounded  in  tlic  side  as  spoken  of  b)'  Wilher's  cronicle 
page  210  (4) — this  John  Cutright  spoken  of  was  John  the  younger  son  of  Ben- 
jannn[.]  John  Sen''.  I  think  remo\ed  at  an  early  day  to  Kentucky.  He  was  the 
one  that  fought  at  Point  Pleasant.  John  Cutright  the  younger  was  a  brave  man 
and  frequently  accompanied  White  in  exccrsions  through  the  country  spying  &c 
at  one  time.  White  and  Cutright  was  out  on  Culrights  farm  weeding  corn  one 
would  work  and  the  other  standing  guard,  in  the  c%cning  when  they  went  to 
Leave  they  Turned  out  their  Horse  and  Salted  iiini  on  a  Rock.  the\'  then  left 
for  home,  the  Indians  took  the  Horse  before  lie  had  took  but  a  few  licks  of  the 
salt,  they  no  doubt  was  watching  White  and  Cutright  but  was  afraid  to  attact 
them,  on  the  next  day  when  they  returned  to  llicir  labor  ihey  found  the  Horse 
gone  and  the  salt  yet  Laying  on  the  Rock,  they  followed  the  Trail  for  about 
6  miles  when  they  found  the  Horse  turned  Loose  with  a  Bell  on  him,  and  found 
first  sign  of  the  Indians,  they  crept  up  to  the  Horse  stoped  the  Bell  and  made 
their  way  off  Cutright  on  tlic  Horse  and  \\  hitc  on  foot  the\'  had  not  went  far 
when  Cutright  espied  a  Large  Buck  he  dismounted  and  in  spite  of  White  would 
shoot  the  Buck,  White  told  him  the  Indians  would  be  on  tiicm  before  thelyl  could 
dress  the  Deer,  so  Cutright  fired  and  kili^.  the  buck.  White  walked  ahead  Cutright 
dressJ.  the  Buck  t[h]rowed  him  on  the  Horse  mounted  and  Rode  on  after  White 
the  Indians  follow^,  in  close  pursuit  to  within  one  half  mile  of  the  fort,  when  they 
arrived  at  the  fort  Cutright,  White  &  several  others  returned  on  the  trail  in  hopes 
to  Meet  the  savages  on  the  pursuit  and  thus  be  enabled  to  take  them  by  surprise, 
but  not  going  more  than  one  half  mile  the[y]  found  they  had  discovered  them  and 
Left  the  path — no  doubt  but  \\  hite  kiled  number  of  Indians,  he  at  one  time  was 
arrested  an[d]  took  to  Winchester  Jail  and  there  plac'd  in  Irons,  this  act  enraged 
the  friends  of  White  they  raised  a  company  of  some  100  or  more  and  march'l.  to 
Winchester  at  the  break  of  day  all  Black'^.  except  two  of  the  M"".  Fryes  who  would 
not  paint  themselves  they  were  the  commanders,  they  went  to  the  Jail  &  demanded 
the  prisoner  tiie  Jailor  refused  thc[y]  cocked  their  guns  on  him  and  told  him  to  open 
the  Door  and  Release  the  prisoner  the  Jailor  gave  them  up  the  key  they  took  him 
out  took  him  to  the  smiili  sliop  cut  oiT  his  Irons  S:  brought  him  Home,  last  of  all 
he  was  kiled  by  the  Indians  in  sight  of  Buckhannon  Fort,  he  was  betrayed  into 
the  hands  of  his  enemies  by  a  white  man  named  'I'imothy  Dorman  Dorman  lived 
about  2  and  a  half  miles  from  the  fort,  and  while  the  other  inhabitants  fled  to  the 
fort,  Dorman  remained  at  home  apparently  unconcerned,  saying  there  was  no 
danger,  (had  White  treated  Dorman  to  the  same  severity  that  he  did  John  Bull, 
for  harboring  the  Indians,  Dorman  would  have  rept  his  reward  as  a  traitor  before 
the  betrayal  of  Wiiite.)  One  day  he  professed  to  have  fears  for  his  safety  and 
desired  White  to  come  down  on  the  next  day  and  aid  himself  and  family  to  the 
fori.  \\  Ivite  promised  him  to  do  so,  and  accordingly  went,  and  wlicn  lie  got  there 
lie  saw  signs  of  Indians  in  the  yard,  White  told  Dorman  that  the  Indians  had 
been  their  and  that  It  was  a  plot  between  him  Dorman  and  the  Indians  to  kill 
him  and  said  he  would  go  away  and  leave  him  with  them.  Dorman  denied  knowing 
that  the  ind^.  had  been  there  and  Beged  of  White  not  to  Leave  them  there  for  the 
Indians  would  kill  him  and  all  his  famih'  White  consented  to  remove  them  to  tiie 
fi  irt  by  a  back  road  after  they  had  passed  on  to  wliere  the  two  Roads  run  togeth[er|. 
The  Indians  in  ambush  fired  on  him  3  balls  passing  through  his  body  not  with- 
-tanding  the  \o.  of  Wounds  he  had  Received  he  still  remained  on  his  horse  for 

(4)  See  page  497. 


360  Appendix  I 

some  time  and  It  was  believed  that  If  liis  Horse  [had]  not  become  so  frighted  and 
Ran  into  the  falhng  Top  of  a  Tree  he  would  have  made  his  escape  to  the  fort 
safely  with  his  scalp,  though  he  was  wounded  mortally,  he  fell  in  sight  of  the  fort 
the  men  from  the  fort  got  to  him  before  he  was  Dead  he  still  knew  his  friends. 
the[y]  had  the  River  to  cross  in  a  canoe  before  they  could  reach  him  or  they  would 
of  saved  his  scalp  from  the  savages.  (5)  Dorman  &  family  went  off  with  the 
Indians,  and  soon  returned  again  at  the  head  of  a  party  and  conducted  them  to 
the  dwelling  of  his  friends  and  aided  in  the  Buchery  of  them,  he  was  worse 
than  a  savage — his  character  is  Given  by  Col.  Withers  in  his  cronicle  page- 250, 
251,  (6)  on  the  eight  of  Fabry  1782,  (7)  John  Fink  was  kiled  while  engaged  in 
hawling  rails  to  his  farm  on  Buckhannon  River  the  savages  fired  several  guns  at 
him  and  before  he  could  unloose  the  Horses  from  the  sled  he  fell  his  father  was 
with  him  he  mounted  on  one  of  the  horses  and  rode  of[f]  making  his  escape.  John 
Fink  fell  within  a  few  yards  from  where  my  office  now  sta:nds  near  the  center  of 
our  Town,  this  occurence  took  place  1  month  previous  to  the  murder  of  White. 
(8)  Page  229  (9)  while  John  Jackson  and  his  son  George  was  returning  to  the 
fort,  passing  within  one  half  mile  of  our  town  and  upon  my  present  farm  the  Indians 
fired  on  them  but  fortunately  missing  both,  George  discovered  the  smoke  from  the 
Indians  Gun  rising  from  behind  a  forked  tree  prepared  himself  and  as  the  Indian 
peaked  through  the  croch  of  the  Tree  Jackson  fired  at  him  the  Ball  struck  too  Low 
in  Crotch  and  thus  glancing  perhaps  over  the  savages  head.  Jacksons  then  made 
their  way  with  all  spead  to  the  fort  not  knowing  but  what  they  were  more  Indians 
in  reach,  the  Horse  on  which  George  Jackson  was  Riding  Took  fright  and  ran  to 
the  fort  the  Horse  pass^.  out  of  his  Girt  &  left  Jackson  &  the  saddle  lying  on  the 
ground  safely  landed  at  the  fort  gate  &c. 

You  enquire  for  the  chief  Bald  Eagle  the  account  giving  By  Co'.  Withers  in  his 
work  is  correct  105.  (10)  or  at  Least  as  much  so  as  I  can  give,  as  I  cannot  find  any 
person  Living  that  can  give  any  further  particulars  of  the  murder  of  the  old  chief. 
It  is  said  he  was  kild  by  Jacob  Scott,  (11)  W^".  Hacker  and  Elijah  Runner,  they 
are  all  three  Dead.  Runner  while  wrestling  with  a  friend  fell  and  Died  in 
a  short  time  after  was  Burj-ed  one  half  or  three  fourths  mile  from  this  place. 
There  are  many  small  errors  committed  by  the  information  Given  to  Co'. 
Withers  such  as  rong  names  &c  It  was  David  Conly  that  struck  the  Indian 
over  the  head  with  the  Drawing  knife  instead  of  Ralston  as  discribd.  by  Withers. 
(12)  Petro  (13)  who  was  taken  prisoner  with  White  was  said  never  to  be  heard  of 
after.  Petro  was  heard  of,  when  some  of  the  prisoners  return^.  the[y]  stated  that 
he  died  at  detroit  before  peace  was  made.  My  father  was  but  a  boy  in  the  days 
of  invasion  here,  he  Resided  on  the  South  Branch,  at  one  time  the  Indians 
came  to  the  House  of  John  Wilson  who  was  his  step  Father,  after  Wilson  had  done 
with  the  Labors  of  the  daj^  laid  himself  on  his  bed  to  rest  while  the  wife  was 
preparing  the  supper,  the  Dogs  sprang  from  their  slumber  to  an  attact  in  the  yeard 
the  night  being  dark  the  old  Gentleman  knew  too  well  the  cause,  he  spring  from 
his  Bed  the  Door  was  standing  open  and  throw^.  back  against  the  wall  from  where 
the  old  man  were,  he  consequently  had  to  pass  the  Door  way  to  get  to  the  Door 
and  shuved  it  shut,  while  he  was  closing  the  Door  the  Indians  struck  with  a  stick 
on  the  Door  step,  the  old  man  making  fast  the  Door  calling  to  the  old  Lady  to  put 
out  the  fire,  after  he  had  fastened  the  Door    as  well  as  he  could  he  took  down  his 

(5)  See  page  497.     (6)  p.  500.     (7)  p.  500.     (8)  p.  500.     (9)  p.  500.     (10)  p.  500. 
(11)  p.  500.  (12)  p.  500.  (13)  p.  500. 


Draper  Corriisi'ondknce  361 

old  rusty  ^'iin  prepared  her  for  action,  while  tlie  old  Lad\'  took  the  axe  and  my 
father  took  an  old  rusty  sword,  the  Indians  made  several  attempts  to  forc(cl  open 
the  Door,  but  not  being  able  to  do  so,  again  the\-  would  fall  back  to  get  rid  of 
the  Dogs,  at  every  attempt  they  made  at  the  Door,  the  old  man  would  incouragc 
the  Dogs,  they  being  very  cross  no  Doubt  but  they  took  hold  to  the  savages  at 
every  attempt  they  made  to  force  open  the  Door,  they  thus  continued  during  the 
night  until  the  appearance  of  Day  drove  them  off,  knowing  If  they  waited  till  I.iL'ht 
tiiat  the  Old  man  would  reak  his  \ingence  on  them  for  disturbing  himself  and  fam- 
il\-  during  the  night. 

I  could  mention  a  number  of  circiiinstances  of  the  Indians  making  their 
appearance  and  trying  to  decoy  persons  in  tlRir  hands,  but  not  knowing  whether 
such  information  is  desirable  to  you  I  w  ill  therefore  desist.  /  7>ifan  suck  as  the 
following,  at  one  time  while  my  mother  was  a  mear  child  (Daughter  of  W"^. 
\\'hitc)  was  playing  near  the  fort  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  an  Indian  passing 
near  them,  held  out  to  some  of  the  smallest  of  the  children  in  his  hand  some  nuts 
in  order  to  get  them  to  come  silcnth'  to  him,  but  being  discovered  by  one  of  the 
Larger  children  and  cried  out  Indians  the  children  all  ran  towards  the  fort.  White 
ahva\'s  quick  and  ready  Rushed  to  the  gate  Just  in  time  to  see  the  Indian  pass  in 
to  a  thicket  of  Timber,  the  Indian  seeing  White  had  discovered  him  he  spring 
behind  a  laru'c  tree  and  kept  White  and  the  tree  in  a  range  untill  he  pass  behind 
Bluff  or  bank,  and  thus  made  his  escape,  at  an  other  time  two  boj's  went  out 
to  bring  up  their  cows,  while  driving  the  cows  homeward,  they  discovered  some 
milk  keelers  Laying  in  the  path  which  had  been  placed  ther  after  they  had  pass^. 
out.  (these  vessels  had  been  taken  a  few  days  previous  from  a  neighboring  house) 
One  of  the  Boys  was  in  act  of  stoping  to  Look — while  the  other  one  cried  out 
run.  (knowing  the  object)  as  soon  as  the  boys  commenced  running  the  Indians 
whistled  and  then  call^.  stop,  stop,  but  the  boys  was  off  homewards — Tigerts 
\  alley  so  called  is  now  the  County  of  Randolph  was  named  after  David  Tigert 
who  first  settled  on  this  valley  uppon  what's  now  calH.  the  Valley  River[.]  Tigert 
It  seems  was  a  trapper  followed  the  waters  for  the  purpose  and  Lastly  made  a 
Trip  and  never  returned  back  to  this  Valley  again  I  have  no  knowledge  of  any  of 
his  decendants — I  now  close  my  communication  By  saying  1  have  not  been  able 
to  obtain  as  much  information  as  I  had  expected  I  should — W"\  White  as  I  before 
mentioned  was  kil^.  and  Treacherously  kil^  too,  and  deserves  more  Honor  for 
active  service  in  defending  his  country  against  a  savage  foe  than  his  memory 
e\er  receiv'ed  in  the  pages  of  History,  White  had  but  two  children  one  son  &  one 
Daughter;  his  son  W"'.  W.  White  still  lives  here  the  Daughter  Elizabeth  married 
Joel  Westfall  my  Father,  raised  a  large  family  and  died  here  Whites  widow  never 
married  but  lived  to  an  old  age  and  died  near  this  place. 

Respectfully  yours 

(Signed)  Henry  V.  Wkstfai.l  (14) 
'  I  am  Co',  of  a  Regiment  of  Infantr\'  ix  P  M  at  this  place. 
To  L.  C.  Draper  Esq 

from  H.  F.  Westfall  P  M 
Lyman  C.  Draper  Esq 

Philadelphia  Pa 
Box  797  P  O" 


<U)  See  page  500. 


362  Appendix  I 

(Draper  A'ISS.  8ZZ4S.) 

Harmony  grove  (15)  April  12th  1849 

Mr  Draper  Sir,  yours  of  the  16th  of  Jan  was  duly  received  when  received  I 

was  Laying  with  a  fevor  which  kept  me  prostrate  4  weeks  then  I  had  an  attac 

of  Cholera  but  I  yet  Hve  this  is  the  appology  I  offer  for  my  delay. 

"As  my  uncle  W^.  Hacker  &  Wi".  Powers  of  this  neighborhood  wrote  the 
Borderwarfare  thare  is  to  be  found  all  or  nearly  so  that  can  be  had  of  information 
as  to  the  difficulties  of  this  region  with  the  Indians. 

"I  have  been  to  see  Jonathan  Hacker  (distance  20  miles)  a  Bro.  of  Said  W^. 
Hacker  but  cannot  get  the  time  that  Bald  eagle  was  kilH.  nor  nothing  that  might' 
be  of  advantage  to  you 

"The  William  Hacker  referd.  to  in  the  case  of  Bald  Eagle  was  Brother  to  Old 
John  Hacker  first  settler  on  Hacker's  creek  (as  in  Border  warfare),  his  scouts  & 
campaigns  are  not  known  it  is  said  he  was  the  foremost  in  danger  the  bravest  in 
peral  &  the  first  to  assist  In  need,  When  one  of  his  comerads  I  understood  a  mr 
Cutright  was  shot  through  the  flesh  of  the  brest  W™.  Hacker  drew  a  piece  of  silk 
through  the  bullet  hole  to  dense  &  then  bound  up  the  wound,  &  one  old  man  says 
he  once  had  the  name  of  doctor  from  his  attention  to  the  wounded,  he  moved  to 
the  Read  banks  of  Ohio  River  in  Kentucky  Shortly  after  the  Death  of  Bald  Eagle 
— Reports  say  he  moved  from  Ky  to  Canady  &  became  wealthy  this  by  some  is 
doubted  But  I  believe  it  true — he  must  now  be  dead  for  I  am  informed  he  was 
Older  than  my  Grandfather  Old  John  Hacker  we  cant  hear  of  any  W"^.  Hackers 
Decendants 

"I  am  Very  Sorry  that  I  cannot  give  you  more 

"William  Hacker  the  writer  of  the  Border  Warfare  was  the  son  of  John  Hacker 
But  my  Grand  uncle  W™.  Hacker  Was  the  Man  that  assisted  in  distroying  Bull- 
town  &c. 

"This  I  have  done  I  would  have  done  more  with  pleasure  but  I  can  get  nothing, 
more  of  Use  to  you." 

(Signed)  Yours  David  H.  Smith  (16) 
Addressed:  Mr  Lyman  C  Draper  Philadelphia  Pa 
(Postmarked  Jane  Lew  [Va]  April  16) 

(The  following  correspondence  is  all  from  the  Draper  MSS. 

3U.) 

"Green  Clay  Co  Kan  Jan  20  1891 
'Mr  Draper 
"Dear  Sir 

'  I  received  your  letter  yesterday  after  examining  carefully  I  will  proceed 
answer  it  the  best  I  know  how.  my  grate  Grand  Father  come  from  England  in 
1740  and  my  Grand  Father  (John  Hacker)  was  born  about  3  weeks  after  landing 
in  America  near  Winchester  va  (17)  what  time  in  the  year  I  am  not  able  to  say 
(write  H.  M.  Hacker  my  son  Jane  Lew  W  va  he  will  go  to  the  simetury  &  take 
the  right  date  off  the  tomb  stone)  he  died  April  24,  1824  at  the  [age]  of  84  years. 
he  filled  no  office  but  Indian  scout,  he  had  6  sons  and  4  daughters  his  oldest 
son  William  was  a  Preacher  a  Majestrate  and  School  teacher  in  that  early  da}', 
as  I  have  answared  all  the  questions  you  have  ask  me  I  remain  5^ours  truly 

J.  T.  Hacker 

(15)  See  page  500.   (16)  p.  500.   (17)  p.  501. 


Drapkr  C'orrkspondknce  363 

"if  you  desire  any  other  infertnatioii  coimiianti  iiic  I  meanc  about  tlic  family 
records  I  am  at  your  surves  J.  T.  H." 

"Grkkn  Kan  Jan  26  1K91 
"Mr  Drapkr 
"Dkar  Sir 

"as  for  my  Grand  Father  ever  scouting  in  ohio  is  soniething  I  cannot  say. 
as  for  the  collections  being  facts  I  suppose  there  arc  no  doubt;  but  my  Grandfather 
did  not  collect  an\  of  iheni:  il  was  ni\  uncle  William  Hacker  his  oldest  son  & 
William  Powers  who  collected  the  facts  of  the  Indian  troubles  in  W  va  and  my 
uncle  died  before  he  completed  the  work;  and  his  Heirs  were  not  able  nor  willing 
to  go  on  with  it  and  Powers  and  the  Hacker  sold  to  Mr  Withers.  I  suppose  Judge 
Duncan  had  something  to  do  in  ihc  collection  of  facts.  I  am  not  shore  about 
the  date  of  my  uncles  death;  the  tomb  stone  will  tell;  he  was  buried  in  the  same 
semetory  that  my  Grand  Father  was.  (18)  if  my  memory  serves  me  right  he  died 
in  1830  I  suppose  that  what  is  written  in  the  border  warefare  is  truth  but  perhaps 
it  is  not  all  that  might  have  been  Collected  and  written 

Yours  very  truly 

J.  T.  Hacker 

"an  old  democrat  in  my  79i''  year  only  39  days  till  my  burth  day  I  was  12 
when  my  Grand  Father  died  \\'"^.  Hacker  my  uncle  and  ni\'self  are  all  the 
Preachers  of  the  famih'." 

"Janelkw  W.  \a  Janua  28ili/91 
"Mr.  Ly.man  C.  Draper 

""Sir  I  received  yours  of  the  23"''^  but  I  was  not  able  to  take  the  trip  to  the 
jravyard  till  yesturday  it  is  5  mis  from  here  I  send  you  a  true  coppy  of  the  Inscrip- 
tion and  you  can  use  just  what  you  want  of  it.  I  also  send  you  his  wifes  birth  and 
death,     if  you  dont  need  it  all  right  it  costs  nothing  to  send  it 

I  will  Just  sa>-  to  you  if  there  is  any  more  information  you  wish  from  here 
that  I  can  gather  up  I  will  gladly  do  so.  and  I  will  say  now  that  I  wish  the  agency 
of  this  State  when  the  work  is  ready  for  sale  hoping  to  hear  from  you  soon  I  am 
yours 

H.  M.  Hacker" 
[Copy] 

"'I'liis  luonunient  erected  in  memory  of  John  Hacker  Born  1*'  of  January, 
1743.  Settled  on  this  farm  in  Wilderness,  1769,  endured  innumerable  privations 
by  Indian  hostilities— died  April  20tl'  A.  D.  1821,  (19)  aged  81y.  3m.  9d.  was 
the  first  intered  in  this  graveyard.     Prepare  to  follow  me 

"Margaret  Hacker,  wife  of  John  Hacker,  was  born  in  Ireland,  June  24.  1747 
—Came  to  America,  1748.     Died  May  8th  1832— aged  84  ys  10  m  &  14  days." 

"Green  Kan  Feb  13  1891 
"Mr  L.  Draper  Esq 
"Dear  Sir 

"I  received  you  letter  yesterday 

"examined  its  contents  and  to  my  best  recolections  there  was  but  two  Children 
>f  my  Great  Grandfather  and  they  were  both  Boys  Wm  and  John,  and  they  were 
*be  only  family  of  that  name  I  ever  heard  of  being  in  .\merica.     at  that  early 


d8)  See  page  501.  (19)  p.  501. 


364  Appendix  I 

date.  Wm  went  down  the  Mississippi  to  what  was  then  called  the  Red  Banks* 
and  that  was  the  last  account  as  for  my  Grand  Father  ever  being  in  Illinois  I 
cannot  say.  Jacob  Hardman  a  grand  son  living  in  South  Bend  Indiana  (dead 
now  perhaps)  wrote  to  me  14  years  ago  for  accounts  of  the  family  and  I  gave  him 
dates  &C  he  was  writing  a  Book  if  he  is  not  living  some  of  his  family  may  be  he 
was  to  send  me  a  Book  but  I  never  got  it.     all  the  Hacker  boys  went  to  Ind. 

"all  well  and  striving  for  Heaven. 

"Kansas  has  turned  upside  down  politically 

"I  say  huray  for  Democracy 

Yours  trely 
J.  T.  Hacker" 

*[Note  by  L.  C.  Draper] 

Red  Banks  or  Hendersonville,  Ky:  Dr.  Hildreth  in  American  Pioneer,  II,  102. 

"South  Bend,  St.  Joseph  County, 
Indiana,  March  20,  1891 
"Lyman  C.  Draper 
"Dear  Sir: 

"Dr.  Jacob  Hardman  died  in  this  city  several  years  ago.  Was  very  old  at 
the  time  of  his  death  but  had  a  good  memory.  He  has  one  daughter  living  in 
this  city — Miss  Maggie  Hardman.  Hon.  Wm  Hacker,  Shelbyville,  Ind.,  a  cousin 
of  Dr.  Hardman  would  be  of  service  to  you  in  looking  up  the  family  history.  He 
is  quite  a  historian  and  a  great  masonic  leader  and  teacher. 

Respectfully 

Elmer  Crockett,  P.  M." 

"Green  Clay  Co  Kan  April  13/91 
"Dear  Bro  Draper  I  reed  your  letter  a  few  days  ago  &  I  now  will  try  to  answer 
it  as  near  as  I  can.  Wm  Powers  lived  on  Hackers  Creek  5  Ms  below  where  Wm 
Hacker  lived  close  to  Jane  Lew  and  was  a  farmer  and  owned  a  fine  farm  in  the 
valley  of  Hackers  Creek,  and  died  there:  as  for  his  age  I  cannot  tell  had  3  sons 
Benjamin  Ezeckial  &  Wm  they  moved  off  I  know  not  where  j'-ou  can  get  his  age 
and  death  by  writing  to  Col  James  W  Jackson  Jane  Lew  Lewis  Co  W  va  as  for 
the  extent  of  the  ade  he  gave  my  uncle  I  cannot  inform  you  but  I  always  under- 
s[t]ood  they  were  equal  pardners.  Hacker  died  first,  as  for  Wm  Hacker  in  Shel- 
byville of  whome  you  wrote  I  know  nothing:  he  must  be  a  cousin  of  mine 

yours  trely 

J.  T.  Hacker" 

"Green  Kan  may  12/91 
"Mr  L  C  Draper 
"dear  sir 

"I  received  your  letter  yesterday  and  I  now  procede  to  answer  it  1st  Wm 
Powers  clamed  an  equal  share  with  Wm  Hacker  and  Hackers  Heirs  and  Powers 
himself  before  his  death,  sold  to  Withers  what  they  received  I  know  not. 

2nd  of  this  W™.  G.  Hacker  of  Wichita   I    know  nothing  he  clames  to  be  a 


\ 


I 


Draper  Correspondence  365 

grandson  of  Alex  Hackers  who  says  you  say  that  his  father*  colectcd  the  matter 

used  by  Wethers.     It  cannot  be  true  for  this  was  all  done  before  the  oldest  son  of 

Alex  was  grown.    Alex  Hacker  Wife  [died]  and  he  bound  his  boyes  all  out,  and  went 

to  Ind.  and  married  again,     there  were  6  Boys  of  John  Hacker  my  Grand  father, 

and  Alex  was  the  5th  one  and  2  Girls  before  Alex.  W  ni  was  the  1st  you  can  see 

the  policy  of  it 

3rd  I  cannot  answer  that  whether  the  Indians  killed  Wm  Hackers  Wife  &  family 

or  not  my  father  had  told  me  often  that  iiis  unklc  W'illiam  had  no  family  he  acted 

as  sergcnt  in  the  Indian  wars 

4th  in  reference  to  the  killing  of  the  Indian  Chief  Bald  Kagle  1   know  nothing; 

but  if  the  Border  Warfair  says  so  I  suppose  it  is  true,     of  these  other  Men  that 

you  write  was  with  Hacker  I  know  nothing 

5.     I  was  raised  on  Hackers  Creek  and  lived  iIktc  liie  most  of  my  life:  was  born 

.March  6  1812  therefore  I  was  seventy  nine  March  6  last 

7th  Wither  got  the  Collections  for  a  trifle  I  always  understood;  1  know  [not]  how 

much 

•Sth  I  knew  Withers  Persanly  and  my  idea  is  that  he  in  reference  to  education  he 

was  limited  and  not  strictly  honest  (this  is  confidential) 

'^)     I  cannot  [say]  any  thing  about  Israel 

10     W.  Powers  has  a  son  living  in  Norton  Co  Kansas  norton  is  the  town  his  name 

is  Wm  D  Powers  lives  in  Norton  Co  Norton  P  O  Kansas 

I  have  answered  the  10  questions  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge.     My  Father  has 

often  told  me  that  his  uncle  William  Hacker  went  down  the  Mississippi  to  what 

is  called  the  red  Banks:  whether  he  ever  had  any  heirs  or  not  I  am  not  apprised 

"1  am  very  much  under  obligations  to  you  for  the  Magazine  you  sent  me 
yours  trul_\- 

j.  T.  IIackkr 

*It  was  grandfather,  .Mexr.  Hacker." 

"Green  Kan  May  25/91 
".\Ir  Draper 
"Dear  Sir 

"your  letter  of  the  19  reed  will  say  first  that  I  was  mis  informed  about  the 
address  of  W' m  D.  Powers  and  gave  you  the  rong  one,  have  learned  cince  that  his 
adress  is  Wichita  Sedgwick  Co  Kansas  you  will  not  be  likely  to  hear  from  that  letter, 
you  say  that  perhaps  my  grand  father  furnished  some  scheches  [sketches]  to  his  nefew 
my  uncle  William  my  uncle  was  my  Grand  Fathers  oldest  son:  perhaps  he  did  furnish 
some;  but  I  do  not  know  that  he  did  my  Grandfather  was  born  3  weks  after  his 
Parents  landed  in  America  his  Bro  Wm  was  born  in  Engeland  how  old  he  was 
when  they  landed  in  America  I  cannot  say.  The  last  depridation  committed  in 
west  va  was  in  the  year  of  1795  after  pease  made  Wm  Hacker  my  Great  uncle 
went  down  the  Mississippi  to  the  read  banks  was  supposed  to  have  died  there:  in 
reference  to  his  family  being  kiled  or  his  being  wounded  or  fighting  in  111  as  I  wrote 
before  I  know  nothing:  only  what  the  Border  Warfair  says;  which  you  can  read 
for  )-our  self. 

"as  for  this  Dr.  Wm  .\.  Hacker  in  Hi  know  nothing  there  is  \  Wm  Hacker 
the  Mear  [Mayor]  of  Leavensworth  Kan  you  may  get  some  information  [from] 
him  my  uncles  Hacker  four  of  the  Boys,  moved  in  an  early  day  to  Shelby  Co  Ind 
and  consiciuenth-  I  lost  sight  of  them 


366  Appendix  I 

as  for  my  Grandfather's  Brother  Wm  what  I  said  or  intended  to,  if  I  did  not 
that  he  came  to  Hackers  Creek  and  acted  as  surgen  and  had  no  family  tho  the 
Indians  were  on  the  warpath  before  that.  I  said  if  the  Border  Warfair  said  his 
family  were  killed  by  the  Indians  it  must  be  true  but  when  he  came  to  Hackers 
Creek  he  had  no  family  so  I  have  understood 

J  T  Hacker 

'  excuse  bad  speling  and  writing  for  my  education  was  gotten  in  the  wilderness  of 
W  va  in  a  log  school  House  with  paper  window  glass  your  friend 

JTH" 

"Green  Kan  May  30  1891 
'  Mr  Draper  Dear  Sir 

I  received  your  letter  yesterday  and  I  will  proceded  to  answer  it  to  the  best 
of  my  judgement  my  memory  (from  what  my  father  said)  is  that  Wm  Hacker  my 
Grand  fathers  Bro  was  about  23^  years  the  oldest;  but  my  understanding  is  that 
he  never  had  any  family,  in  reference  to  the  destroying  and  murdering  the  Indeans 
at  Bulltown  it  is  true  my  father  has  told  me  often  about  it;  and  blamed  his  uncle 
much  for  the  masacree.  for  they  were  friendly  Indians  and  it  was  so  inhuman 
they  kiled  Wimen  and  Children  caught  the  poore  little  Children  by  the  heels 
and  nocked  their  brains  out  against  there  huts,  this  horable  story  has  been  told 
me  by  my  Father  and  several  old  Indian  wariers  on  Hackers  Creek,  it  is  horable 
but  true.  Its  not  worth  while  to  deneigh  it.  those  men  said,  gnits  would  make 
lice;  and  the  Bulltown  Indians  harbered  the  wariers  there  Were  several  of  the  old 
wariers  who  scouted  and  fought  the  Indians  that  remained  on  Hackers  Creek  and 
died  there  so  I  got  many  Indian  storyes  when  there  would  2  or  more  get  togather. 
(as  for  Wm  Hacker  of  shelbyville  I  would  love  to  know  whose  son  he  is  an  his  age) 
as  for  Scott  and  Runner,  or  White  I  can  give  you  no  certain  account:  or  there 
decendance  my  opinion  is  they  went  to  Kentucky  down  about  Louisville  or  below; 
this  is  only  my  opinion  not  from  any  evidence  only  impression,  as  for  the  cheaf 
Bald  Eagle  I  have  said  in  a  former  letter  I  know  nothing  but  will  say  as  I  have 
allread}^  said  to  you  in  other  letters  that  that  is  written  in  Withers  work  is  true 
considdered  so  by  all  the  old  warriers  with  whome  I  have  converst  Withers  was 
not  consedered  strictly  upright  but  honest  in  compiling  the  Book  People  thought 
he  aught  to  have  sined  Hackers  and  Powers  name  to  the  Book  insted  of  his  own. 
tho  that  matter  but  little 

My  Dear  Bro  I  am  still  of  the  opinion  that  W^"  Hacker  my  grand  Fathers 
Bro  was  never  marrierd  my  Father  always  told  me  so  it  has  been  some  time  since  I 
have  read  the  Border  Warfair:  I  do  not  remember  whether  it  is  mentioned  in  the  Book 
of  W"i  Hackers  family  being  killed  by  the  Indians  if  it  is  mentioned  there  I  will 
beleave  it  and  if  it  is  not  there  I  will  think  it  ought  not  be  there.  I  am  honest 
and  I  dont  want  you  to  think  otherwise 

I  have  done  all  I  could  to  collect  my  mind  togather  to  find  the  trouth  and  to 
keep  off  of  what  I  have  read  in  withers  work  suposing  you  had  it  and  give  you 
what  I  have  from  memory  and  tradition  no  more  at  this  time 
but  remaen  your  sincear  friend 
and  bro  in  Christ 

J.  T.  Hacker"  (20) 

(20)   See  page  501. 


Draplr  Correspondence  367 

"Wichita  Kansas  March  17'''  ISVI 
"Lyman  C.  I3rapi;r  Esq. 

Madison,  \\  isconsiii. 
"Dear  Sir 

"Your  loiter  of  Feb.  25ih  to  hand  whicli  has  been  delayed  on  account  of  my 
name  being  addressed  Granvill  Hacker.  I  am  known  in  this  country  only  by  the 
name  of  W.  G.  Hacker  I  have  been  here  in  Sedgwck  Co.  going  on  21  years.  I 
resided  in  Illinois  4  years  previs  to  that  time  I  lived  in  V'a  where  I  was  borned  and 
raised  on  Hackers  creek  now  Lewis  Co.  West  V'^  You  speak  of  the  Rev.  William 
Hacker.  I  do  not  know  of  such  a  man  on  our  side  of  the  house.  My  fathers 
name  is  Thomas  S.  Hacker,  he  was  born  in  1816  and  died  in  Letart  Falls*  in  1885; 
my  father's  father's  name  was  Alexander  Hacker,  his  fathers  name  was  John 
Hacker  the  Mary  Hacker  that  the  border  of  Warfare  speaks  of  was  the  daughter 
of  John  Hacker  and  a  sister  of  my  fathers  father  was  scalped  and  stabbed  seven 
(7)  times  by  the  Indians  on  Dec.  5th  1787  (21)  in  the  year  1760  (22)  my  great  grand 
father  John  Hacker  and  his  brother  William  Hacker  came  from  the  valley  of  V^ 
not  far  from  Lexington,  to  the  old  fort  Buckhannon  now  West  V",  our  family 
arc  quite  numerous  and  wonderfully  scattered,  there  is  a  great  many  of  them 
L'ncle  Jonathan  Hacker's  children  reside  in  Indiana;  Uncle  Philip's  are  in  Ten- 
nessee and  Kentucky.  Uncle  William's  in  Kentucky  &.  Indiana  My  great,  greal 
grandfather,  John  Hacker,  and  his  brother  William  resided  where  Buchanon 
now  stands.  Some  eight  or  ten  years  before  tiic  arrival  of  Smuel  Pringle,  (23) 
John  and  Benjamin  Carturighi  and  it  appears  that  Samuel  Pringle  and  my  great 
grand-father  John  Hacker  had  a  dispute  in  regard  to  what  we  call  claims  on  land 
John  Hacker  and  John  and  William  Radicliff  taken  up  their  farms  in  about  one 
and  a  half  miles  of  where  Jane  Lew  now  stands,  (and  later)  know  now  in  later 
days  as  Powers  farm  on  the  creek  what  is  known  then  as  a  branch  of  the  Monon- 
gahela  The  creek  was  named  after  my  great  grand-father  John  Hacker  as  Hacker's 
creek  in  the  year  1769  You  speak  of  or  asked  me  if  I  knew  of  any  of  my  kinsmen 
furnishing  any  of  the  chronicals  of  the  border  of  war  fare  to  Alexander  Withers, 
I  beg  to  say  while  it  appears  on  the  pages  of  border  of  war  fare  in  the  beginning 
that  Alexander  Withers  was  the  author  of  the  Border  of  War  Fare,  or  history  of 
the  settlements  by  the  whites  of  North  Western  V^  I  say  he  is  ntu  the  author, 
m\-  grandfather  Alexander  Hacker,  my  fathers  father  is  the  original  writer  and 
had  the  manuscript  ready  for  publication  about  the  year  1830  but  was  not  able  to 
bear  the  expens  of  publication  at  that  time,  my  father  informed  me  also  my  mother 
of  who  was  Charlotte  Hess  her  father  Heschia  Hess  who  went  through  the  Revolu- 
tionary [&.]  War  of  1812  whom  I  knew  when  I  was  a  small  boy  just  beginning  to 
pry  into  historical  writings — that  .Alexander  Withers  did  make  a  bargain  with  my 
grandfather  Alexander  Hacker,  if  he  would  allow  iiim  to  \\nw  a  "jreat  many  of 
the  books  published  and  have  controll  of  their  sale  he  would  bear  the  expences  of 
the  publication  and  that  Alexander  Hacker  should  have  the  credit  of  writing  the 
book,  this  my  grandfather  agreeded  to,  j'ou  see  on  the  first  page,  under  the  fly- 
leafed  cover,  that  Alexander  S.  Withers  did  steal  the  right  and  title  of  the  cronicles 
of  the  Border  of  Ware  Fare,  from  GrandfalluT  Hacker:  and  tlie  Withers    family 

*.Meigs  County,  Ohio.      1.  \  .   \KW. 

(21)  Sec  page  501.   (22)  p.  501.   (23)  p.  501. 


368  Appendix  I 

is  intitled  to  no  credit  for  the  writing  of  the  Border  of  War  Fare  ma[li]ciously 
stolen  away  from  my  ancestors.  I  beg  to  give  Mr.  Withers  credit  only  for  having 
the  money  to  bring  about  the  publication  of  this  valuable  book  now  open  before 
my  eyes.  I  refer  you  to  pages  93  and  105  and  280  &  281  for  facts  printed  and 
published  in  the  Border  of  War  Fare,  (24)  my  kinsman  in  V^  are  numerous  namly 
Smith's  Baton's  Allman's  Alkires  Post's  Bonnet's  Morrison's  West's  many  others 
to  tegious  to  mention.  I  will  say  that  I  myself  and  a  cousin  of  Indina  have 
traced  our  ancestors  through  North  America  back-  to  England  even  to  Colonel 
Francis  Hacker  who  read  the  death  warrant  of  King  Charles  the  (1)  first  where 
he  was  beheaded  at  White  hall  England  after  the  thirty  years  war  and  the  end 
of  the  Romish  yoke  by  Lord  Cromwell  and  others.  The  name  was  then  spelled 
previous  to  this,  Hecker;  under  the  old  Anglo  Saxon  of  Germany,  it  was  spelled — 
Heckeredt:  We  go  on  farther  to  the  seven  high  priests,  that  our  sacred  history 
gives  an  account  of,  long  before  John  Knox's  time  when  they  resolved  to  form  a 
band  and  called  themselves  Knight  Templars  and  drew  their  swords  in  defence 
of  the  widows  the  orphans  and  the  Christian  religion  from  thense  we  came  and 
now  we  stand  my  cousin  informs  me  it  would  cost  about  ^800  to  have  his  manu- 
script published  in  book  form,  it  appears  that  he  does  not  want  history  of  our 
people  published  till  after  his  death.  I  persume  he  is  waiting  to  add  to  the  last 
days  and  moments  of  our  lives,  or  his  life  while  he  remains  with  us  on  earth.  I 
would  be  very  glad  to  know  who  this  H  W  Hacker  of  Jane  Lew  is  and  what  age 
he  is,  if  he  is  a  man  of  means  and  moral  and  in  good  standing  1  could  give  him  a 
position  with  our  manufacuring  astablishment  would  like  to  correspond  with  him. 
I  am  unable  to  make  out  who  this  Rev.  William  Hacker  is  perhaps  he  is  a  descendant 
of  my  great  grand  father  John  Hacker's  brother  William.  1  had  a  cousin  John 
Hacker  that  was  a  preacher  about  Jane  Lew.  I  beg  of  you  in  honor  to  the  Hacker's 
in  general  not  to  allow  the  name  of  Alexander  Wither's  to  bear  any  connection^ 
to  your  rewriting  the  Border  of  War  Fare.  I  knew  a  Rev  Mr.  Clark  who  I  think 
was  connected  with  the  Cincinnati  Publishing  Company  about  42  years  ago. 
Could  this  be  any  relation  to  R.  C.  Clarke — if  so,  I  know  him  to  be  a  good  preacher. 
In  answer  to  yours  I  could  not  say  right  now  whether  &  where  there  any  living 
children  of  my  grandfather.  I  think  that  Jonathan  Hacker  my  fathers  brother 
is  dead.  I  know  that  my  father  died  in  1885  I  think  that  William  Hacker  my 
uncle  is  living  in  Tennessee.  You  might  write  L'ncle  Daniel  Helmick  at  Tenbon- 
parise  Tennessee  if  he  Is  living  he  can  give  you  the  desired  information,  he  married 
one  of  my  fathers  brothers  daughters  I  think,  or  my  grandfathers  only  sister  1 
don't  know  which,  there  were  seven  children  in  my  grandfathers  family  six  bo}'s 
and  one  girl.  I  will  cheerfully  do  so  from  time  to  time,  and  hope  to  hear  from 
you  often.  I  have  a  better  head  than  I  have  a  stead[y]  hand,  my  daughter  Mary 
Ella  H.  has  written  this  letter  for  me  very  hurridly  and  in  a  very  much  embarrased 
condition  this  being  the  first  attempt  of  writing  a  letter  dictated,  hope  you  will 
excuse  all  urse  and  omittances  and  more  aspecialy  our  paper,  as  I  only  received 
your  letter  yesterday  and  under  the  pressure  of  buisness  have  been  hurried  to 
answer  your  communication  now  approaching  the  "wee"  hours  of  the  night, 
please  find  enclosed  two  cards  which  one  will  you  choose. 

I  remain  Yours  Very  Truly 

William  Granvill  Hacker" 


(24)  See  page  502. 


Dk.m'kr  Correspondknck  369 

"W  icinTA,  Kas,  May  KH''  1S91 
"Lyman  C.  Drapkr 

"Dr  Sir:  My  father  was  born  in  1816  his  name,  'I'h^  S.  Hacker.  I  was 
his  oldest  child,  born  in  1841,  &  the  only  one  living. 

".My  fatlier's  father  was  Ale-x""  Hacker,  a  son  of  John  Hacker.  John  &  his 
brother  William  Hacker  settled  at  old  fort  Buchannon.  John  locating  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  from  Jam-  I.iw.  on  the  road  from  Jane  Lew  to  Jackson's  Mill 
on  the  West  Fork.  (25) 

"I  did  not  say  that  my  grandfather,  .Mexr  Hacker  wrote  ihe  Chronicles  of 
Border  Warfare,  but  by  his  father,  John  Hacker.  (26)  1  cant  iielp  what  other 
claim,  that  VV^'"  Hacker,  John's  son,  wrote  the  Chronicles;  or  what  John  T.  Hacker, 
a  Methodist  minister,  says,  that  W"^  Hacker,  a  .son  of  John,  &  one  W"!  Powers 
did  the  gathering  of  the  materials  for  the  work.     Thinks  they  are  not  old  enough. 

"The  father  of  W'"  Powers,  married  into  the  Hacker  family.  I  knew  W"> 
Powers  when  [I  was]  a  small  boy.  John  T.  Hacker  wd  like  to  have  owned  the 
whole  world,  but  only  got  enough  of  it  to  lay  his  body  on,  after  he  came  out  of 
the  Confederate  army.  (27)  ♦     *     *     * 

"Sail\-  Hacker,  daughter  of  Jnlm  Hacker,  tiic  pioneer,  married  l^avid  Smith— 
she  lived  to  be  84  years  old 

"In  answer  to  your  question  what  did  Withers  pa_\-  for  the  manuscript  he 
used  in  his  work.  Have  no  knowledge  of  Israel,  the  publisher.  Have  often  heard 
my  parents  speak  of  Wither's  book,  that  he  defrauded  the  Hackers  out  of  the 
title  or  authorship  of  the  work.  I  have  seen  them  shed  tears  over  it.  Withers 
did  [not]  pay  anything  for  the  work,  nor  promise  to  pay  anything.  There  was 
some  consideration  made,  I  know,  in  regard  to  the  publishing  of  the  work  with 
John  Hacker.  There  was  a  great  intimacy  between  my  father  &  Henry  Withers, 
son  of  .Mexr  Withers,  who  kept  a  store  some  6  or  7  miles  on  Hackers  Creek,  handed 
down  by  his  father  There  was  something  wrong  about  the  publication  of  the  book. 
I  c<l  have  known  more,  but  I  left  that  countrv  in  1859,  when  I  was  abt.  18  vears 
old. 

"William  Hacker,  brother  of  John  Hacker  that  came  to  Hackers'  Creek — 
there  is  not  much  known  of  him  only  as  an  Indian  fighter.  I  suppose  you  are 
aware  that  he  lost  his  wife  in  the  early  settlement  of  Virginia  near  old  fort  Buc- 
hannon— murdered  by  the  Indians  in  a  lull  of  peace,  after  they  came  to  Hacker's 
Creek  about  the  year  1769  or  1770.  From  this  time  on,  we  find  him  killing  Bald 
Eagle  on  Hacker's  Creek  on  tiie  frontier  with  Jacob  Scott  &  Elijah  Runner.  W"^ 
Hacker  also  took  more  Ind"  scalps  at  BuUtown,  in  retaliation  for  the  murder  of 
his  family:  The  family  of  Strode  [Stroud]  living  on  Gauley  river — in  company 
with  a  party  of  5  men,  two  of  whom  were  W"'  White  &  W>"  Hacker  [destroyed 
Bulltown.]  Respectfully 

W.  C.  Hackkr 
B\'  Eli, A  Hacker" 

"Lyman  C  Drapkr  ".May  IS'li  1891 

"Madison,  Wisconsin 

'Dear  Sir  I  am  happy  to  inform  you  tiuit  Uncle  William  Hacker  married 
a  Scotch  lady  she  was  murded  by  the  Indians  about  the  time  or  .■^ome  little  time 

(25)  See  page  502.  (26)  p.'  502.  (27)  p.  502. 


370  Appendix  I 

before  the  second  coming  of  Samuel  Pringle  in  the  year  of  1768.  I  know  of  Pringle's 
they  with  the  Hackers  Jackson's  and  Sleath's  Davis  Brown's  and  Hughes  and 
Radchif's  settled  in  and  around  Buckhannon,  my  grand  father  Hesicha  Hess 
Peter  Wagner  my  uncle  David  Smith  Jaboc  Cocad  I  have  heard  them  talk  this 
over  that  W™  Hacker's  wife  had  never  been  mentioned  in  the  Border  of  Ware 
Fare  I  have  often  when  I  was  a  small  boy  heard  Peter  Wagner  once  a  captive 
talk  about  these  matters  when  he  was  a  very  old  man  I  used  to  work  for  him, 
spreading  hay  in  harvest  and  have  heard  him  tell  Indian  massacres  and  of  his 
capture.  I  have  also  heard  Aunt  Math  Bonnet  speak  of  WiUiam  Hacker's  wife 
being  murded  by  the  Indians  I  have  also  heard  the  above  parties  speak  of  Aunt 
Mary  Wolf  being  murded.  In  the  year  according  to  record  of  Withers  1768  we 
find  that  W"^  Hacker  and  John  Hacker  his  brother  my  fathers  grandfather  with 
others  let  out  from  Buckhannon  or  Bushs  Fort  and  went  on  to  the  West  Fork 
of  the  Mongalia  the  following  year  now  known  as  Hackers  creek.  And  that  W^-i 
Hacker  Jess  Hugh's  was  the  hunters  with  others  that  killed  the  game  that  supplied 
those  that  tilled  the  ground  and  give  considerable  service  to  the  new  settlements 
and  once  and  a  while  take  in  an  Indian  on  the  sly  I  have  heard  folks  speak  in  very 
sly  way  about  parties  killing  Indians  and  tha[t]  W°>  Hacker  was  getting  revenge 
or  I  should  say  did  get  revenge  but  there  was  but  few  people  that  knew  it.  W™ 
Hacker  at  the  time  his  wife  was  murded  did  not  have  any  children  or  as  I  never 
heard  any  of  his  children  spoken  of.  I  seen  that  his  brother  John  Hacker  had  a 
girl  a  sister  to  Edmond  West['s  wife]  a  daughter  of  John  Hacker  11  years  in  1787 
this  Mary  Hacker  was  my  fathers  great  aunt  that  was  scalped  and  stabbed  seven 
times  in  the  body  threw  over  the  fence  for  dead  by  order  of  Lenard  Schoolcraft 
a  trator  to  the  whites,  you  take  1768  and  1787  and  deduct  the  lesser  from  the 
greater  and  you  have  19  years  between  the  time  of  the  settling  of  Buckhannon 
by  the  Hacker  and  the  massachres  and  captures  of  the  daughter  of  Jess  Hughs 
■on  Hackers  creek  you  take  the  eleven  years  from  the  19  years  and  you  have  left 
8  years,  now  this  is  supposed  to  be  the  youngest  daughter  of  John  Hacker,  the 
■oldest  daughter  marrying  the  Hess  and  Hughs,  would  bring  the  time  or  the  elapse 
of  8  years  down  that  W"^  Hacker  must  have  got  married  about  the  time  his  brother 
John  did  my  grandfather  Hess.  (28)  I  have  heard  him  talk,  with  my  father  and 
mother  about  killing  an  old  Indian  up  above  the  mill  dam  by  Jackson  mill  at 
Jane  Lew  (29)  and  cutting  him  open  filling  him  full  of  sand  and  sinking  him  in 
the  water  I  have  went  to  the  place  to  see  if  I  could  see  him  myself  when  I  was 
smal  I  cannot  explain  why  W™  Hackers  wife  was  not  mentioned  in  the  border  of 
War  Fare  any  more  than  I  can  tell  why  this  Indian  grandfather  Hess  killed  was 
not  mentioned  by  Withers,  this  is  where  I  have  heard  the  folks  talk  that  Withers 
hadn't  all  of  the  Hacker  manuscript  published  I  can  not  help  what  honorable 
W"'  Hacker  of  Shelbyville  says,  but  I  have  heard  Peter  Wagner  Jacob  Corcad 
Richard  Baton  Aunt  Math  Bonnet  maiden  name  Hacker  (30)  Uncle  David  Smith 
my  father  my  grandfather  Hess,  and  mother  speak  of  the  BuUtown  that  was 
named  Bultown  by  the  Indians  masachred  and  was  spoken  in  a  way  that  it  was 
W"^  Hacker  and  the  two  whites  and  two  other  parties  that  Withers  has  left  out 
that  did  murder  those  Indians  for  revenge  now  since  I  have  written  you  the  first 
letter  I  called  to  memory  what  is  known  at  the  North  edge  of  Braxton  and  South 
edge  of  Lewis  Co's  a  farm  of  plantation  known  as  the  Hacker  by  some  Hacke 
flats  and  Hacker  plantation  or  Hacker  farm  near  Jacksonville  not  a  great  ways 

(28)  See  page  502.  (29)  p.  507.  (30)  p.507. 


i 


Draper  Correspoxden'ce  371 

from  Sutonville  talking  with  Mr.  Law  a  few  days  ago  of  which  he  claimed  relation- 
ship to  me,  of  which  I  have  only  known  him  a  short  time  less  than  a  year  Mr  Laws 
wife  was  a  Keth  and  her  grandmother  was  a  Hacker  now  I  have  no  doubt  in  my 
mind  but  that  William  Hacker  married  the  second  time  in  amongst  the  children 
of  his  associates  as  I  do  know  that  he  did  associate  with  Jesse  Hughs  and  that 
Hughs  and  Keth's  and  Slegthcs  and  M^Xcamor  Mackletess  and  Hackers  arc  all 
related,  with  others  I  have  not  mentioned  some  of  these  a  little  distant  relation 
above  mentioned  to  somewhat  some  others  are  a  distinction  being  between  John 
H  and  W""  Hacker  it  is  very  evident  that  W">  Hacker  has  carried  his  side  of  the 
relationship  in  a  se[c]ond  marriage  to  that  of  John  H  his  brother  as  to  the  Bald 
Eagle  the  old  Indian  cheif  I  am  unable  to  say  wether  Bald  Eagle  had  any  hand 
in  the  killing  of  Wm  H.  wife  or  not.  (31)  In  regard  to  Elijah  Runner  the  associate 
of  William  Hacker  and  Jacob  Scott  as  to  Jacob  Scott  I  have  never  seen  but  have 
heard  him  spoken  of  frequently  as  to  Elijah  Runner  I  have  been  in  his  son's  black- 
smith shop  or  the  original  Elijah  Runner  I  don't  know  which  many  a  time  when 
I  was  about  8  or  10  years  old  Mr  Runner  was  a  very  old  man  at  that  time  and  had 
his  home  and  shop  located  of  Jessie  Run  Lewis  Co  W  V^  my  father  was  a  very 
intimate  friend  of  Mr.  Runner  (32)  I  do  not  know  of  any  of  his  family  that  is 
living  I  have  not  known  anything  of  Mr  Runner  for  about  40  yars  I  have  given 
you  the  dates  and  all  the  information  and  what  I  have  heard  talked  of  when  I 
was  small  in  regard  of  the  killing  of  Mrs  Hacker  Bald  Eagle  and  others  that  I 
can  it  matters  not  what  Mr  Withers  book  has  not  chronocclized  or  has  cronciklized 
I  have  only  given  to  you  what  I  have  learned  and  heard  before  I  ever  saw  the 
Border  of  War  Fare  that  book  I  never  saw  until  after  I  was  16  or  17  years  old 
then  I  precured  one  and  read  it  and  found  that  it  did  not  contain  all  that  I  knew 
before  I  saw  the  book  as  my  memory  from  others  and  from  old  heads  was  my 
education  by  listening  reletting  and  remembering  was  all  tiiat  I  had  to  speak  of 
I  never  could  write  to  amount  to  anything  or  read  writing  to  our  last  civil  war  I 
will  give  you  the  name  of  a  relative  of  ours  that  lives  on  Hacker  creek  West  V* 
Lewis  Co.  by  the  name  of  Nicklos  Alkire  who  might  give  you  information  in  regard 
to  Elijah  Runner  or  Jacob  Scott's  children  that  would  give  the  diserd  information 
W'hich  you  request  of  me.  I  will  also  refer  you  to  Iscic  Jackson  Jane  Lew  West  V^ 
I  believe  that  I  have  answered  all  of  your  questions  and  the  facts  as  near  as  I 
possibly  can 

Yours  Respetaly 

W  G  Hacker  (33) 
Per  E" 

"Pen'nsboro  Ritchie  Co  W  Va 
June  5/91 
"L  C  Draper  Esqr 
"Dr  Sir 

''I  received  your  letter  and  will  try  to  get  mydaughters  Husband  Mr  T.\Brown 
attorney  at  law  at  Elizabeth  Wirt  Co  W  V'a  to  attend  to  your  request  but  if  he 
cant  spare  the  time  I  will  consider  the  Proposition  my  self  the  Book  was  written 
by  Grandfather  Powers  and  a  Friend  at  his  own  house  I  have  the  table  uppon 
which  it  was  written.  Withers  was  only  employed  by  him  to  make  it  ready  for 
the  Press  in  case  Mr  Brown  will  undertake  it  I  will  furnish  him  with  what  informa- 


(31)  Sec  page  507.  (32)  p.  507.  (33)  p.  507. 


372  Appendix  I 

tion  I  have  and  can  collect,  which  I  think  will  be  considerable.  Please  write  to 
him  and  if  he  cannot  undertake  the  correspondence  I  will  do  the  best  I  can  to  help 
you  out  with  your  undertaking. 

with  the  best  wishes  that  you  may  sucksead  in  seting  rite  a  long  standing 
wrong  to  my  Grandfather  and  his  descendents  to  God  and  mankind  I  bid  you 

A  Respectful  adiew 

William.  M.  Powers 
PS — always  consider  me  at  your  service     Wm  M.  P." 

"Pennsboro  Ritchie  Co  W  Va 
June  27/91 
"L  C  Draper  L.  L.  D. 
''Dear  Sir 

as  I  roat  to  you  before  I  met  with  an  accident  that  nearly  cost  me  my  life 
but  am  getting  some  better  so  that  I  am  able  to  write  a  little  agane  I  have  written 
to  various  ones  for  information  and  I  think  we  will  soon  begin  to  reap  a  rich  harvest 
I  am  doing  every  thing  I  can  to  ade  in  the  cause  and  I  would  thank  you  for  any 
suggestion  you  think  Proper  to  make  you  asked  in  your  first  letter  if  Grandfather 
was  a  Publick  man  yes — under  the  Virginia  law  of  his  day.  I  have  understood 
that  the  madgistrate  was  appointed  instead  of  elected  as  is  now  the  case  and 
after  being  madgistrate  for  so  long  then  they  served  a  turn  of  Sheriff  and  then 
Madgistrate  for  so  long  againe  at  any  rate  my  Grandfather  was  [has]  filled  the 
two  offices  for  a  grate  number  of  years  he  also  held  a  commision  as  captain  (34) 
in  the  Indian  war  and  had  charge  of  some  posts  on  the  Ohio  River  and  was  a  can- 
didate for  the  legislature  but  was  defeated  by  one  voat.  He  was  a  Freemason 
and  was  known  and  respected  as  far  as  any  man  in  western  Virginia  in  his  day 
and  when  he  died  he  was  buried  in  the  honors  of  war  the  melistia  was  commanded 
by  Col.  D.  H.  Smith  now  dead  and  the  general  Program  was  aralnged  by  Hon 
Blackwell  Jackson  of  Jane  Lew  now  dead  now  as  to  this  statement  I  will  write 
and  find  out  some  of  the  statement  who  of  his  old  nabors  are  living  and  give  you 
thare  address:  he  drew  a  Pension  from  the  U.  S.  Government  you  ask  in  the  second 
letter  who  aded  Grandfather:  W">.  Hacker  the  first  male  white  child  born  on  the 
crick  and  the  crick  was  named  after  this  W^.  Hacker  (35)  to  what  extent  did  he 
assist  whether  in  writing  or  gathering  the  statements  I  dont  know  but  as  I  have 
always  understood  that  grandfather  was  the  author  of  the  book  it  would  be  reson- 
able  to  suppose  that  Hacker  furnished  infermation  and  grandfather  did  the  writing 
as  grandfather  was  a  good  scribe  and  a  well  educated  and  informed  man  for  the 
backwoods:  this  would  seam  the  true  case  but  to  as  I  have  never  herd  the  Hacker 
Family  lay  any  clame  to  the  authorship  of  the  Book  in  such  cases  we  only  can 
infer  from  what  reason  teaches  at  what  Period  did  your  grandfather  work — I 
dont  know;  but  would  suppose  him  to  be  from  50  to  60  years  old  when  he  done  it 
what  araingements  did  he  make  with  withers  I  always  understood  that  withers 
was  only  imployed  by  grand  father  to  correct  or  rather  to  devide  in  chapters  and 
such  like,  so  as  to  be  ready  for  the  Press  without  delay  so  that  the  type  setting 
could  be  gone  on  with  without  delay;  but  what  Pay  he  was  to  have  I  dont  know- 
did  withers  fulfill  what  he  agreed  to  do  in  the  matter  I  have  understood  that  he 
left  out  considerable  that  should  have  ben  in  it  especially  some  fites  with  indiens 
which  grandfather  was  in  was  this  assistant  of  your  grand -father  connected   with 

(34)  See  page  507.  (35)  p.  507. 


I 


Ukapkr  C(jrrespondknce  375 

this  withers  arraingemciit  I  think  not  1  never  herd  so;  in  fact,  1  never  herd  tiiat  lie 
lade  any  claim  to  the  work.  1  think  if  he  demanded  any  thing  that  grandfather 
must  have  satisfied  liim.  what  became  of  the  manuscript  statements  Joseph 
Israel  the  Printer,  ran  of  to  the  west  and  took  the  manuscripts  with  him  and  that 
was  the  reason  always  asigned  by  grandfathers  family  wli\  trrandfather  didnt 
go  to  law  for  his  property  and  I  think  he  was  getting  old.  and  altho  a  very  brave 
man  and  grate  tighter,  1  tiiink  rather  tiian  go  to  law  he  would  suffer  wrong,  how 
many  Pages  of  them  wasc  ihare  or  about  how  many?  1  have  no  Knowledge 
when  and  whare  did  your  grandfather  die  and  at  what  age?  at  his  home  near 
Jane  Lew  June  6"  1855  in  his  90'''  year,  dont  know  when  born  but  know  he  was 
nearly  90  when  he  died  whare  was  he  born  at  what  was  then  known  as  Powers 
foart  on  Simpsons  Crik  wliarc  the  town  of  bridgeport  now  stands  in  Harrison 
County,  W.  Va.  (.16) 

and  when  settled  in  west  \  a  1  Joni  know  when  his  failicr  setied  in  w  va  but  he 
came  from  Hagersluwn  M.  D.  lha\-  once  owned  liie  land  thai  hagerstown  stands 
on;  thay  decended  from  very  welthy  europeans,  1  bclive  thay  ware  inglish: 
grandfather's  grandfather  once  owned  10  merchant  ships  was  he  old  enough  to 
take  any  part  in  the  Indian  wars  yes  and  did  take  Part  and  was  not  given  credit 
with  it  in  his  own  book  on  p  105  (37)  of  withers  work  is  given  an  account  of  the 
deth  of  Bald  Eagle  what  was  it  led  to  his  murder  I  dont  know  but  will  try  to  find 
out  on  p  10()  (38)  the  destruction  of  Bulltown  is  it  correct  I  dont  know  but  will 
try  to  find  out  do  you  know  when  and  whare  Jacob  Scott  &  Elijah  Runner  died  &c 
thare  ages  &  descendants  do  not  I  know  a  Elijah  Runnion  perhaps  he  is  one  L  C 
Draper  a  man  I  gratly  respect  let  me  apoligise  for  this  delay  I  could  have  got 
others  to  write  in  fact  made  the  trial  but  met  witii  such  Poor  success  that  I  stoped 
untill  I  could  write  myself  now  kind  old  friend  he  sure  and  write  all  you  want  to 
and  ask  all  questions  you  want  and  he  assured  I  will  L'iadh'  do  my  best  to  answer 
them  correctly  as  I  can  of  course  I  know  nothing  only  by  tradition  but  of  course 
that  is  all  you  can  expect  and  to  dont  send  stamped  envilopes  to  me  I  will  not  put 
you  to  that  expense  in  your  old  days  altho  a  Poor  Enjinear  &:  inventor  yet  it  dos 
me  more  good  than  you  think  to  correspond  with  a  man  of  your  integrity  lerning 
and  such — now  may  you  live  to  complete  all  your  works  and  to  enjoy  the  fruits 
of  your  labors  and  when  you  go  hence  as  we  all  must  inay  you  find  the  Peas  which 
Paseth  understanding 

Kind  Friend  fair  the  well 

W'm.  M.  Powkrs" 

"Pennsboro  RrrciiiK  Co  \\   \'^ 
July  4791 
'"L  C  Drai'kr 
"1)r  Sir 

"I  received  your  letter  a  day  or  two  ago  and  will  tr\-  to  answer  your  inqur>'s 
the  best  I  can 

"1st  Grandfathers  Fathers  name  was  John;  dont  know  when  he  was  born 
or  when  he  died  or  his  age:  he  owned  a  farm  at  VV'estfield  on  the  West  fork  river 
5  or  6  miles  below  weston  the  1st  site  of  Lewis  Co  but  the  site  was  moved  to  wcston 
and  the  town  dwindled  to  nothing  I  think  thare  is  where  he  died  Kather  moved  to 
Kans  and  took  his  Grandfathers  large  Eamih'  Bible  witii  him  a  lari/e  planly  eUL'raved 

<3())  See  page  507.   (37)  p.  507.   (38)  p.  507. 


374  Appendix  I 

Bible  costing  ?17  dollars  at  that  time  would  cost  about  ^3.50  only  now  Father  is 
dead  and  I  fear  I  cant  find  the  record  of  Great  Grandfathers  birth  but  at  any 
rate  I  have  wrote  to  day  to  my  Brother  in  Kansas  to  send  me  the  records  of  Grand- 
father and  his  Father  and  a  copy  of  Grandfathers  commission  as  captian  of  the 
post  on  the  ohio  river  if  he  can  find  them  I  have  understood  from  outside  partys 
that  the  name  of  the  Fort  at  Bridgeport  was  Powers  fort;  (39)  I  never  herd  our 
■family  call  it  by  that  name;  but  I  dont  doubt  but  that  was  the  name  of  the  fort 
I  have  herd  Grandfather  sa}^  he  knew  when  the  city  of  Clarksburg  was  all 
in  the  woods  and  that  is  only  5  miles  west  of  Bridgeport  now  Joseph  Johnson  was 
once  Govner  of  Virginia  and  a  relation  of  Grandfathers  he  was  living  a  few  years 
ago  but  is  very  likely  to  be  dead  by  this  time  but  his  children  might  know  all  about 
the  Powers  Family  while  they  lived  at  Bridgeport  he  had  a  soninlaw  by  the  name 
of  English  who  used  to  visit  Grandfather  often,  some  years  before  he  died.  I 
am  satisfied  If  he  is  living  he  could  give  you  very  valuable  information:  2d  yes, 
Father  and  me  Placed  a  marble  Headstone  at  his  grave  in  1861  that  will  give  the 
dates  in  full  &  it  may  be  his  Father  was  buried  there  (at  Broad  Run  Graveyard) 
also  3d  I  have  understood  he  had  the  office  of  sheriff  several  terms.  I  recollect 
the  last  time  he  had  it  when  he  was  eighty  odd  years  old  and  could  not  ride  the 
County  and  sold  the  office  to  other  partys:  he  has  a  Grand  Son  by  the  name  of 
Levi  Bond  at  Lost  Creek  Postoffice  Harrison  Co  W  Va  who  must  be  about  70  I 
expect  he  knows  how  often  he  had  the  ofliice  and  mite  have  other  valuable  informa- 
tion but  if  you  address  him  dont  mention  my  name  as  we  ar  not  on  good  terms 

"4  never  saw  Joseph  Israel  he  must  have  Run  off  soon  after  publishing  the 
Border  warefare  5  Elija  Runnion  died  (40)  about  1858  aged  about  60,  thirty  years 
or  more  younger  than  Grandfather  was  a  renter  &  laborer;  lived  in  Lewis  &  Harri- 
son Countys  and  liked  a  dram;  has  a  son  Wm  Runnion  at  Jane  Lew  or  Buchanen 
I  dont  know  which 

"Wm.  D.  Powers  was  my  father  he  is  dead  I  have  written  more  letters  of  in- 
quiry &  will  write  some  more  be  assured  your  letters  is  always  welcom 

Your  True  Friend 

William  M.  Powers" 

"Pennsboro  Ritchie  Co  W  Va 

July  20/91 
"Lyman  C  Draper 
"Dr  Sir 

"I  have  ben  wating  to  hear  from  the  letters  I  wroat  to  difron  Parties  for  inform- 
ation in  regard  to  Grandfather  &  his  works  but  have  received  no  answer  as  yet  I 
have  written  to  the  P  M  in  Kansas  to  find  my  Brothers  address  as  I  havent  got  no- 
answer  from  the  letter  I  sent  my  Brother  he  must  have  moved  I  have  written 
other  leters  of  enquiry  and  hope  to  gane  some  information  from  some  of  them  I 
have  lerned  from  enquiry  that  Luther  Haymond  the  Cashier  of  the  1st  National 
Bank  of  Clarksburg  is  still  living  he  is  as  Honerable  Alan  as  West  Virginia  affords 
he  was  an  old  friend  of  Grandfathers  I  believe  if  you  would  write  to  him  he  could 
give  you  more  information  about  Grandfather  &  his  Book  &  his  Indian  fighting- 
than  any  other  man  now  living  I  recollect  of  hearing  the  old  folks  talk  of  two 
fights  that  Grandfather  had  with  Indians  one  was  with  Elis  &  Jess  Hughes  &  Alex 
West  Grandfather  &  others  the  indeans  had  taken  a  lot  of  Prisoners  and  these- 


(39)  See  page  507.  (40)  p.  508. 


Draper  Correspondence  375 

men  folowed  them  and  overtook  them  at  night  and  wated  till  in  the  nite  and  the 
attacked  Indians  and  recaptured  the  Prisoners  John  Rony  a  white  Boy  captive 
was  I  believe  the  only  white  one  kiled  in  the  battle  he  also  was  in  the  fight  with 
them  I  think  some  whare  in  the  country  in  company  with  Col  Lowther  and  others 
and  one  of  thare  Party  one  John  Bonnet  I  think  was  kiled  in  the  fight  and  they 
caried  his  remanes  as  long  as  thay  could  and  rapt  him  in  a  blanket  &  buried  him 
in  a  cave  in  the  rocks. 

Vour  'I'ru  Friend 

\\M.  M.  PowiiRs" 

"Pennsboro  W  \'a  Aug  12/91 
"Lyman  C  Drapkr  Ritchie  Co 

"Dr  Sir 

"I  have  just  received  a  letter  from  my  Brother  giving  old  family  records  &c 
he  says  thare  is  no  exact  record  of  the  birth  of  our  grate  grandfather  John  but  will 
suppose  he  was  born  between  the  years  1740  &  1745  since  the  record  of  the  birth 
of  his  eldest  son  Thomas  is  1763  John  Powders  the  husband  of  Prudence  was  born 
Probably  about  1742  and  deceased  Oct  26  1823  his  son  William  the  2nd  son  of 
John  and  Prudence  and  the  Husband  of  Hannah  was  born  Nov  9  1765  and  de- 
ceased June  6  1855  he  say  he  cant  tiiid  Grandfathers  commission  as  captane 
in  the  Indian  war  but  has  sean  his  land  warrent  for  160  akers  of  land  entitled  to 
him  as  a  soldier  I  lia\e  written  several  letters  of  enquiry  about  Grandfather  but 
only  Part  of  them  have  been  answered  and  such  as  was  was  not  of  any  value  if 
this  had  only  ben  begun  some  15  years  ago  before  some  of  those  who  knew  about 
old  times  died  it  would  have  ben  an  easy  mater  to  find  out  about  it  but  now  it 
seam  nearly  impossible  to  obtain  much  information  on  the  subject  I  have  ben 
informed  by  one  who  I  wrote  to  for  information  that  Aliss  Withers  a  grandaughter 
of  the  Clament  of  Border  warefare  is  at  work  overhawling  hur  grandfathers  Book 
with  the  intention  of  having  it  republished  I  understand  that  Noah  Flesher  of 
Weston  Lewis  co  is  Prepareing  a  similar  work  for  Publication  I  wish  to  keep  you 
informed  about  such  matters  as  well  as  I  can 

"You  wrote  me  in  your  last  letter  that  your  Lady  was  very  sick  Pleas  re- 
ceive my  sympathy  for  you  &  hur  we  have  had  sickness  in  our  family  at  times 
I  know  the  trouble  and  the  sorrow  of  it  and  if  what  we  see  with  the  hewman  eye 
was  ail  it  would  be  sad  indead  but  when  we  look  through  sickness  sorrow  Pane 
and  death  with  the  eyes  of  the  spirit  upheld  by  our  Savior  then  we  have  hope  of 
eternal  safety  beyond  the  river  that  we  all  must  cross  may  she  be  upheld  by  his 
Spirit  that  he  Promised  to  send  us  all  and  when  she  starts  over  the  Jordan  that 
Jordan  that  we  all  must  cross  may  she  cross  not  with  sadness  &  regret  but  with 
the  Joy  of  the  blest 

From  your  ever  Gratefull 
Friend 

Wm  M  Powers" 

"Jane  Lew  W  \a  May  26  91 
"Mr  Lyman  C  Draper 

"Dear  Sir  I  Received  yours  of  9  and  in  Reply  I  do  not  know  very  Much 
a  bout  the  Early  Settles  of  this  Country  all  Though  my  Grand  &  Create  Grand 


376 


Appendix  I 


Fathers  was  a  most  the  first  Settlers  of  this  Country  tha  Emigrated  her[e]  from 
New  Jersey  1st  you  wish  to  know  How  the  Work  of  Withers  Border  War  Fare 
Was  goten  up  and  How  the  People  Regarded  it.  I  think  Withers  Wrote  it  and 
Wti.  Powers  gave  Him  the  Most  of  the  Sketches  I  was  acquainted  With  Both 
that  is  Withers  &  Powers  and  they  Were  Good  Men  and  I  think  Whot  Sketches 
thay  give  were  very  Corect  as  far  as  I  know;  I  never  Read  it  but  understand  it 
to  be  only  a  few  of  the  Many  accurences  With  the  Indians  in  this  Section  of  the 
Country  I  Supose  thar  is  no  person  here  that  knows  anything  about  the  killing 
of  Indian  Bald  Eagle  tha  is  a  Mr  Cutright  (41)  at  Hinkle's  Ville  Upshur  Co  W  V* 
I  under  Stand  he  is  91  years  old  he  mite  give  you  some  good  infermation  I  do 
not  know  any  descendants  of  Jacob  Scott  or  Elija  Runnen  W™.  Powers  Has  a 
Grand  Son  Lives  at  Pennsborough  Ritchie  Co  W  V^  Martime  Powers  the  Reason 
I  did  not  Write  Sooner  is  I  thought  I  Mite  git  Some  More  infermation  but  I  do 
not  know  of  any  More  I  Have  Heard  My  Grand  Father  Jackson  &  other  Old 
People  Tell  a  good  deal  about  the  Early  days  of  this  Country  but  I  was  young 
then  and  tha  ar  all  pased  a  way  and  thar  is  but  few  that  can  give  Much  account 
of  the  Indian  Times  in  this  Country  Now.  So  I  Give  you  all  the  Infermation 
I  cold 

Yours  &C 

J.  W.  Jackson"  (42) 


(41)   See  page  508.   (42)  p.  SOS. 


APPENDIX  II 


The  former  presence  of  the  liutialo,  i»r  American  Bison,  has 
been  traced  as  far  east  as  Ca\etown,  Marx  hmel,  and  records  show 
that  it  was  not   unknown   in   the  j-iroximity  of   the  (leor^ia  coast, 


f  LA  HISTORIA  GENER 


AL 


'^'^'^^^lM:::.-^ 


yenoj.in  :  finsdnentc  cs  animal  ko  y  fiero  dero- 
ftro,y  cucrpo,  I  luyC'  de  los  los  caujUos  por  fii  ma- 
la caMdura,o  por  nuiica  los  nuer  vifco.  No  ticnen 
fus  durhos  otra  dqiieia ,  m  haiicnd j ,  dcllos  co- 
n;en,l>euen,vilkn,c.il^an ,  y  liaien  mudias  colas 
■dcJosciicros,cani$,cali;ado,veftidoyro[;a«:dcIo» 
Jiuciros,piin9C)Hcs:dclos  iieruios,v  pdos,  hilo;d<j 
los  ctieinos,biii.lics,v  bcxigas ,  valbsidclas  bcni- 
^as,Uimbrc:y  debs  tci ncras ,  odits ,  eii  que  traen 
y  ticiitn  aptia :  liazen  en  fin  untas  colas  deilos 
quinus  Iian  meitf Iter,  o  quantas  las  baftan  p"ara 
-fii  Inuienda.Ay  tatnbicn  orros  animales,  un  pran 
jclfs  coirio  cauallo.sqiie  por  tcner  cucnios ,  y  lali» 
^fiiifijK'S  llaman  cariicros,y  diren ,  que  cada  cucr-, 
no  pt(i  dos  airouas.  Ay  t.imbicn  grandcs  pciios, 

que 


J 


The  Buffalo  of  Gomara 

Courtcsv  of  Smithsonian  Instiiiiiidii 


but  no  remains  of  it  has  ever  been  found  adjacent  to  the  Atlantic 
seaboard.     Handbook  of  American  Indians,  Part  I,  p.  169. 

While  the  animal  was  known  to  some  of  the  inland  valley 
Indians  east  of  the  Appalachians,  and  where  its  presence  in  his- 
toric times  is  attested  b\-  an  occasional  geographical  name,  it  was 
not  common  in  that   region.     This  miijht\'   mountain  range  was  a 


378  .  Appendix  II 

barrier  to  eastern  migration,  broken  only  by  a  few  passes.     It  was 
crossed  by  buffalo  and  Indian  trails  at- — 

Cumberland  Gap,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 

Head  of  the  James  River,  Virginia. 

Head  of  the  Potomac  River,  West  Virginia. 

Head  of  the  Juniata  River,  tributary  to  the  Susquehanna, 
Pennsylvania.  Hulbert's  Washington  and  the  West,  New  York, 
1905,  pp.  17,  18. 

Wagon  roads,  then  railways  have  been  built  through  all  of  these 
passes,  practically  following  the  old  paths,  or  trails  in  question. 

The  great  range  of  the  buffalo  was  between  the  Allegheny 
and  the  Rocky  Mountains,  with  general  migrations  North  and 
South.  While  a  recognized  plains  animal,  it  was  more  widely 
diffused  throughout  the  Trans-Allegheny  and  western  Virginia, 
than  has  been  supposed;  but  never  in  extensive  herds.  This,  in 
a  measure,  was  owing  to  the  great  dearth  of  grasses  in  the  dense 
forests;  which,  however,  was  more  open  then  than  at  a  later  period. 
Especially  is  this  true  in  those  regions  where  this  animal  and 
droves  of  deer  and  elk  were  wont  to  feed.  Clear  Creek,  Clearfield 
County,  Pa.,  was  so  called  by  the  Indians  because  of  the  exten- 
sive aeries  there  cleared  of  underbrush,  destroyed  by  buffaloes. 
On  the  Border  with  Colonel  Antes,  p.  67. 

In  dealing  numerically  with  the  Trans-Allegheny  buffalo,' 
there  was  one  factor  that  has  never  been  properly  considered. 
The  animal,  a  lumbering  beast,  lived  there  the  year  round,  and 
its  numbers,  especially  in  winter,  must  have  been  greatly  deci- 
mated by  the  innumerable  packs  of  timber  wolves  which  infested 
this  vast  wilderness.  Young  calves  and  isolated  individuals  fell 
an  easy  prey  to  this  voracious,  fleet-footed  carnivora.  Escape 
by  flight  was  impossible.  Doddridge,  p.  104,  speaks  of  the  destruc- 
tiveness  of  the  wolf  to  the  cattle  of  the  early  settlers.  Waddell 
testifies  to  their  former  great  numbers,  their  scourge  to  the  west- 
ern settlers  and  bounty  paid  for  their  scalps.  —  Annals  oj  Augusta 
County,  pp.  22,  42. 

Easily  hunted,  the  buffalo  became  practically  extinct  soon 
after  the  advent  of  the  white  man  on  the  western  waters,  and 
allusion  to  it  by  the  chronicles  is  casual.  It  was  a  century  before 
the  more  wily,  tenacious  elk  was  exterminated  in  the  alpine-like 
regions  of  the  Alleghenies.  The  following  data  on  the  subject  is 
from  the  Draper  Manuscripts,  LBB46-49,  Wisconsin   State  His- 


BlFFALO   IN    W  ESTERN   \  IRGIMA  379 

torical  Society.  ^''The  Buffalo  or  Bison  in  West  I'irginia,''^  "frotn 
Geological  Survey  of  Kentucky,^''  ''''The  Ainerican  Bison"  by  J.  A. 
Allen,  1876. 

"Warden  also  refers  to  tlie  former  existence  of  buffaloes  in  the  western  part 
of  Pennsylvania  and  to  tlieir  early  extinction  there  and  in  Kentucky.  (1)  Gallatin 
says:  The  name  of  Buffalo  Creek,  between  Pittsburg  and  Wheeling,  proves  that 
'hey  had  spread  thus  far  eastwardly  when  that  country  was  first  settled  by  the 
Anglo-Americans.  (2)  Further  to  the  southward,  in  West  \'irginia,  in  the  \'allies 
of  the  Kanawha  and  its  tributaries,  as  well  as  thence  westward,  the  former  abun- 
dance of  the  buffalo  is  well  attested. 

"One  of  the  earliest  references  to  the  existence  of  the  buffalo  in  West  \'irginia 
is  that  contained  in  the  Journal  of  the  Rev.  David  Jones,  who  in  1772,  made  a 
journey  to  the  Indian  tribes  west  of  the  Ohio  River.  (3)  Under  date  June  18, 
1772,  he  writes:  'Went  out  to  view  the  land  on  the  east  side  [of  the  Little  Kanawha] 
to  kill  provisions.  Mr.  Owens  killed  several  deer,  and  a  stately  buffalo  bull, 
i'he  country  is  here  level,  and  the  soil  not  despicable.'  In  speaking  of  that  part 
if  the  \'allcy  of  the  Ohio  near  the  mouth  of  the  'Great  Guiandot,'  he  says  under 
date  of  January,  1773:  'In  this  part  of  the  country  even  at  this  season,  pasturage 
is  so  good  that  creatures  are  well  supplied  without  any  assistance.  Here  are  great 
abundance  of  buffalo,  wliicii  are  a  species  of  cattle,  as  some  suppose,  left  here  by 
the  former  inhabitants.'  In  describing  the  country  about  Wheeling  he  says: 
'The  wild  beasts  met  wiili  iicre  are  bears,  wolves,  panthers,  wild  cats,  foxes,  rac- 
coons, beavers,  otters,  and  some  few  squirrels  and  rabbits;  buffaloes,  deer  and 
elk,  called  by  the  Delawares  moos.'  (4) 

"Buffaloes  are  well-known  to  have  existed  on  the  Monongahela,  and  (5) 
throughout  the  region  between  this  river  and  the  Ohio,  over  the  area  drained  by 
the  Little  Kanawha,  Buffalo,  Fishing,  Wheeling,  and  other  small  tributaries  of 
the  Ohio,  where  it  is  said  to  have  been  much  interval  or  open  land,  (6)  and  thence 
southward  to  the  Great  Kanawha.  As  already  noticed,  there  is  abundant  evi- 
dence of  its  former  existence  on  the  sources  of  the  Kanawha,  extending  to  the 
head  of  the  Greenbrier  Rivers,  in  Pocahontas  County,  and  thence  eastward,  at 
times  at  least,  over  the  sources  of  the  James. 

"Gallatin  states  that  in  his  time  (1784-85)  "they  were  abundant  on  the  southern 
-ide  of  the  Ohio,  between  the  Great  and  Little  Kanawha.  I  have  during  eight 
months  lived  principally  upon  their  flesh.'  (7).  The  following  additional  testi- 
mony, contained  in  a  letter  written  by  Dr.  Charles  McCormick,  dated  Fort  Gibson, 
Cherokee  Nation,  August  18,  1844,  is  furnished  by  Dr.  P^lliott  Coues.  Dr.  McCor- 
nick  says:  'I  have  just  seen  Capt.  [Nathan]  Boone,  and  he  promises  to  write 
nd  tell  you  all  about  it.'  In  the  meantime,  he  says,  he  killed  his  first  buffalo 
-  imewhere  about  1793,  on  the  Kanawha  in  Virginia.  He  was  then  quite  a  small 
iioy.  He  has  also  killed  buffalo  on  New  River,  and  neai  the  Bic  Sand\-,  in  \'irginia 
in  '97  and  '98.  (8)  

"The  Bison  Americanus,  or  wild  buffalo,  had  retired  from  Western  New 
York  and  Pcnnvslvania  to  the  Ohio  V'allev. 


"H.  T.  Wiley's  Hist,  of  Monongalia  Co.,  JF.  I'a.,  p.  26,  says:     \\  mile  or  so 


(1)  See  paee  508.  (2)  p.  508.  (3)  p.  508.  (4)  p.  508.  (5)  p.  508.  (6)  p.  508.  (7)  p.  508. 
(8)  p.  508. 


380  Appendix  II 

from  Stewart-town  is  the  'Buffalo  Pond' — a  long,  narrow  hollow,  with  high  rocky 
sides  running  back  from  Cheat  River,  and  terminating  in  a  wall  ten  or  twelve 
feet  high.  It  is  asserted  that  the  Indians  used  this  as  a  trap  for  buffaloes.  They 
drove  the  bison  up  into  it  from  the  river,  and  then  shot  them." 

"Buffalo  Creek  in  Logan  Co.,  W.  Va. — on  scrap  of  W.  Va.,  in  Mitchells' 
Atlas  of  1884. 

"1756 — Buffalo  killed  on  Shawnee  expdn.  on  Sandy  Tug  Fork: — Withers, 
63-64  [p.  83,  new  edition].  (9) 

"1767-69:  Buffalo  on  Buchanan  R. — Barbour  Co. — Water  of  Monorigahela: 
Withers,  91-93  [pp.  120-122,  new  edition].  (10) 

"In  1784,  in  descending  the  Ohio,  Gen.  Aluhlenberg  first  mentions  killing 
buffalo,  below  Hockhocking. 

"In  Oct.  1785  Gen.  Butler  mentions  first  buffalo  killed  at  Big  Sandy. 

"1770 — In  the  autumn  of  1770,  when  Washington  made  his  Ohio  Tour,  he 
went  as  low  as  the  Great  Kenhawa  and  up  that  stream  about  fourteen  miles, 
finding  'buffaloes  and  other  wild  game  in  great  abundance.'  Sparks^  Washington, 
I,  121,  II,  524,  525,  528. 

"In  1780,  buffalo  were  so  plenty  on  the  Little  Kenhawa  that  Col.  Brodhead 
sent  hunters  there  for  a  supply  of  buffalo  meat  for  use  of  his  troops  at  Fort  Pitt. 
(Hist,  of  Fayette  Co.  Pa.,  p.  86.) 

"1773 — Rev.  D.  Jones'  Journal  mentions  buffaloes — p.  30. 

"Doddridge  is  indefinite  as  to  buffaloes  in  Monongahela  country — pp.  8 J, 
123,  &c. 

"About  1742,  in  Augusta  Co.,  Va.,  Withers,  43  [p.  50,  new  edition].  (11) 

"Between  1763  and  1774,  there  were  some  buffaloe  and  elk  to  be  seen  in  the 
Greenbrier  country.     Kercheval's  Hist,  of  the  Valley,  2nd  edn.,  230. 

"Range  of  the  bison:  see  The  Nation,  Aug.  16,  1877,  105."  (12) 

This  history  of  the  bison  in  western  Virginia  is  far  from 
complete. 

Christopher  Gist,  who  was  sent  into  the  Trans-Allegheny  by 
the  Ohio  Company  in  1750-52,  saw  droves  of  forty  to  fifty  buffalo 
on  the  Little  Miami  River,  Ohio.  Gisfs  Journals,  Pittsburg, 
1893,  p.  55. 

Killed  one  barren  buffalo  cow  on  the  Little  Miami  River, 
Ohio,  p.  56. 

Killed  two  buffalo  on  the  Little  Kanawha,  p.  60. 

Killed  a  buffalo  on  the  Big  Kanawha,  p.  64. 

1752,  Killed  two  buffaloes  on  the  waters  of  Monongahela 
River,   p.   73. 

1752,  Killed  four  buffaloes  while  camped  at  mouth  of  Law- 
wellaconin  Creek  (Pond  Creek,  Wood  County,  West  Va.),  p.  76. 

1752,  Molchuconickon,  or  Buffalo  Creek  (Middle  Island 
Creek,  in  Tyler,  Doddridge  and  Pleasants  Counties,  West  Va.,) 
p.  16. 

(9)  See  page  508.  (10)  p.  508.  (11)  p.  508.  (12)  p.  508. 


Buffalo  in  \\  fstkrn  \  ir(;ima  381 

1752,  Xeemokeesy  Creek,  "saw  signs  of  buffalo,  elk  and  deer, 
which  frequented  a  large  cave  to  lick  a  kind  of  saltish  clay  which 
I  found  there  in  the  cave"  (cave  50  by  150  feet  wide),  p.  76. 
Gist  speaks  of  killing  a  black  fox  at  this  place. 

173-,  John  Macky  hunts  buffalo  on  the  Shcnaneloah  and 
James  Rivers,  in  Virginia.     Xotc  by  Draper,  Withers,  p.  50. 

1738-40,  John  Sailing,  a  captive  with  the  Cherokees, 
kills  a  buffalo  at  the  Salt  Springs  in  Kentuck}-.      Withers,  p.  48. 

176-,  The  Pringles  purloin  jerked  buffalo  meat  from 
Indians  on   Buckhannon   River.     Chapter  IX,   this  vol. 

1769,  John  Hacker  kills  buffalo  cow  on  waters  of  C^reat 
Kanawha.     Chapter  \T,    this   vol. 

1788,  Buffalo  in  Kentucky.      Withers,  p.  373. 

1796,  Buffalo  on  Fishing  Creek.  (Wetzel  County  West  \'a.) 
If 'it  hers,  p.  374.     Deli  ass  gives  the  date  1786,  p.  294. 

Buffalo  killed  in  (now)  Jackson  County,  West  Va.,  by 
W  illiam  Bibbee,  date  unknown.     Chapt.  XXIII,  this  vol. 

1772,  In  a  hunt  on  New  Year's  day  settlers  kill  seven  buf- 
faloes on  Elk  Creek,  in  (now)  Harrison  County,  West  Va. 

1790,  Buffalo  bull  killed  in  autumn,  on  Hughes  River,  in 
(perhaps)   now  Ritchie  County,   West  \  a. 

1791,  Two  buffaloes  killed  in  March,  on  the  West  Fork  of 
the  Little  Kanawha  River. 

1792,  Two  buffalo  hunters  killed  b\-  Indians  while  canoeing 
on  the  Little  Kanawha. 

Haymo7id^s  History  of  Harrison  County,  If  est  J  a.,  pp.  21, 
122,  359,  360. 

1774,  May  17,  300  buffaloes  seen  at  a  "salt  spring"  on  Ken- 
tucky River. 

.1774,  Aug.  4,  "a  gang  of  Buffaloes"  met  on  the  Kentucky 
River,  two  killed. 

1774,  Oct.  17,  Indians  seen  hunting  buffaloes  on  I  he  lower 
Great  Kanawha  River. 

1774,  Oct.  26,  buffalo  "sign"  observed  on  the  Ohio  side  of 
the  river  opposite  Point  Pleasant. 

Dunmore's  JVar,  pp.  122,  133,  286,  369. 

1805,  last  buffalo  seen  in  the  region  of  Huntington,  Cabell 
County,  West  Va. 

"'I'lic  last  buffalo  killed  in  Kanawha  County.  West  \  a.,  was  in  1815,  on  the 

waters  (if  tlic  l.ittio  Sand\-  Creek  of  Klk  Ri\er.  about  twei\c-  miles  from  Charleston. 


382  Appendix  II 

The  last  elk  killed  in  that  country  was  in  1820  on  Two  Mile  Creek  of  Elk  River, 
about  five  and  a  half  miles  from  Charleston."  Trans-Allegheny  Pioneers — p.  62. 
The  same  authority  continues  "It  is  said  that  vast  herds  of  buffalo  summered 
in  the  Kanawha  Valley,  'in  an  early  day,'  within  reach  of  the  Salt  Spring,  or 
'Buffalo  Big  Lick,'  as  it  was  called,  and  in  the  fall,  went  to  the  grass  regions  of 
Ohio  and  Kentucky,  and  the  cane  brakes  of  the  Kentucky  streams.  Their  routes 
were — for  Kentucky,  down  through  Teay's  Valley,  and  for  Ohio,  down  Kanawha 
to  Thirteen  Mile  Creek,  and  over  to  Letart,  where  they  crossed  the  Ohio  River. 
Colonel  Croghan,  who  came  down  the  Ohio  in  a  boat  in  1765  encountered  a  vast 
herd  crossing  at  Letart." 

"In  1825 — at  least  as  late  as  that — a  buffalo  cow  and  her  calf  were  killed  at 
Valley  Head,  near  the  source  of  Tygart's  River,  *  *  *  *  About  1830  the 
wife  of  Thomas  B.  Summerfield  shot  an  elk  at  a  lick  near  the  head  of  Sandy  Creek, 
a  branch  of  the  Dry  Fork  of  Cheat  River.  Five  years  later  Abraham  Mullenix 
killed  another  elk  at  the  same  place.  In  1840  another  was  killed  on  Red  Creek, 
in  Tucker  County.  In  1843  three  hunters  from  Dry  Fork,  Joab  Carr  and  two 
men  named  Flannagan,  killed  three  elk  on  the  Black  Fork  of  Cheat  River,  near 
where  the  present  town  of  Davis  now  stands.  So  far  as  known  these  were  the 
last  elk  killed  on  the  soil  of  West  Virginia,  but  the  animal  was  not  extinct  for 
fifteen  or  twenty  years  later.  Hunters  were  not  able  to  bring  any  in,  but  they 
knew  their  haunts,  and  spent  considerable  time  chasing  them,  almost  as  late  as 
the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War.  The  animals  last  range  .was  in  the  Canaan  Valley 
in  Tucker  County,  and  one  of  the  last  hunters  to  pursue  them  was  William  Losh 
of  Tucker."     Trans- Allegheny  Historical  Magazine,  pp.  200-201. 

In  1867  an  elk  was  killed  by  an  unknown  hunter  at  Elk  Lick 
on  Middle  River,  Pocahontas  County.  I  heard  it  related  in  a 
hunter's  camp  on  Greenbrier  River  in  1878,  that  only  a  few  years 
previous,  the  enormous  antler  of  an  elk,  recently  cast,  had  been 
found  in  the  mountain  fastness  of  Pocahontas  County.  Tracks 
of  the  animal  had  also  been  seen  near  the  headwaters  of  the  Cheat 
River,  no  later  than  1873. 

Buffaloes  the  maker  of  "McColloch's  path,"  (Preston  County, 
WestVa.)  mentioned  in  Washington's  Diary  of  Sept.  1784.  Wash- 
ington and  the  West,  Vol.  I,  p.  67. 

Buffalo  and  Indian  path,  or  trail  followed  by  the  Baltimore  and 
Ohio  Southern  Railway,  Doddridge,  and  Wood  Counties,  West  Va. 
Hiilberfs  Historic  Highways,  Cleveland,  1904,  Vol.  I,  p.  138. 

"Granny's  Creek,"  in  Braxton  Cou;ity,  received  its  name 
when  Henry  Jackson  commenced  a  survey  thereon  and  one  of  his 
hunters  named  Loudin,  killed  a  buffalo  cow,  which  was  so  old  and 
tough  that  the  men  declared  her  to  be  the  grandmother  of  all 
buffaloes. 

The  low  gap  between  Rover's  Run  and  Buckhannon  Run, 


Buffalo  ix  \\  ester x  \  irgixia  3S3 

just  cast  of  my  boyhood  home  on  the  last  named  stream,  was 
known  as  a  "Buffalo  \\  allow,  or  Slumping  (jround."  The  soil  is 
a  stiff  red  clay,  and  over  an  area  of  perhaps  a  quarter  of  an  acre, 
there  was  a  depression  of  from  one  to  two  feet,  devoid  of  timber. 
I  was  familiar  with  this  "wallow"  while  the  ridge  was  yet  covered 
with  forest;  but  it  has  since  been  practically  obliterated  by  the 
plow.  There  was  also  a  small  "bear  wallow"  on  the  opposite  high 
ridge  next  to  Bridge  Run,  which  was  visible  only  a  few  years  ago. 

A  slightly  brackish  or  saline  spring,  on  Bone  Creek,  a  tribu- 
tary of  Hughes  River,  Ritchie  County,  West  Virginia,  was  evi- 
dently a  resort  of  buffalo  aiul  other  large  animals.  The  spring, 
or  lick,  is  on  the  old  Somerville  farm  near  Auburn,  and  is  located 
at  the  head  of  a  shallow  marshy  ravine  in  the  creek  bottom.  The 
deep  paths  worn  in  the  banks  of  the  ra\ine  by  the  hoofs  of  the 
animals  were  still  visible  when  I  visited  it  in  1879.  The  Creek 
derived  its  name  from  the  numerous  bones  and  teeth  found  at 
this  "Bone  Lick."  Some  of  the  teeth  were  very  large.  One  seen 
and  described  by  Captain  John  Somerville  as  a  "double  molar" 
was  evidenth'  that  of  a  mastodon.  Another  remarkable  specimen 
was  a  "tusk"  which,  when  "placed  with  either  point  on  a  table, 
described  an  arch  through  which  a  large  in\'erted  teacup  could 
be  passed." 

Evidence  of  an  occupation  of  this  bottom  b}-  the  aborigines 
were  not  lacking.  A  grooved,  well-polished,  hard  stone  axe, 
about  six  inches  in  length,  was  ploughed  up  just  above  the  lick. 
In  another  part  of  the  same  field,  and  near  a  living  spring,  stood 
an  oak,  not  less  than  three  feet  in  diameter.  This  tree  was  made 
into  rails,  and  when  cut,  it  was  found  to  have  been  ineffectually 
girdled  when  onh'  about  five  inches  in  diameter.  The  girdling 
was  about  two  feet  from  the  ground  and  was  a  series  of  bruises 
from  a  blunt  implement,  such  as  would  be  produced  with  a  stone 
axe.  The  injury  caused  a  swelling,  or  ridged  growth,  in  whicii  at 
one  point  a  small  cavity  had  formed.  In  this  was  a  sandstone, 
one  inch  in  thickness  —  other  dimensions  not  given. 

In  1886  Captain  Somerville  in  digging  a  fish  pond  about  tift\' 
feet  below  where  the  last  mentioned  spring  now  comes  to  the  sur- 
face, at  a  depth  of  three  feet  took  out  a  quantity  of  stone  where 
the  spring  had  at  some  former  time,  been  systematical!}'  walled. 
Flint  implements  and  other  relics  of  primitive  industry  have  often 
been  unearthed  by  the  plow  contiguous  to  these  springs. 


384  Appendix  II 

Buffalo  Geographical  Names  of  West  Virginia. 

For  assistance  in  the  following  compilation,  I  am  indebted  to 
Mr.  David  B.  Reger,  Assistant  State's  Geologist  of  West  Virginia. 
Gannatt's  Gazetteer  of  West  Va.  (Bulletin  No.  233,  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey,  1904)  was  also  consulted. 

Buffalo  Creek,  tributary  to  the  Little  Kanawha;  Braxton 
County. 

Buffalo  Creek,  rising  in  Pennsylvania  and  flowing  west  through 
Brook  County,  into  the  Ohio. 

Buffalo  Calf  Fork,  branch  of  Middle  Island  Creek,  Doddridge 
County. 

Buffalo  Creek,  small  tributary  of  Meadow  River;  Fayette 
and  Greenbrier  Counties;  so  named  from  quantities  of  "buffalo 
grass"  found  there  by  first  settlers. 

Buffalo  Fork,  affluent  of  Meadow  River;  Fayette  County. 
This  stream  is  called  "Buffalo  Lick  Branch,"  in  Col.  Fleming's 
Orderly  Book,  where  "Camp  5th"  was  pitched  by  Gen.  Lewis' 
Army  on  the  night  of  Sept.  15,  1774.     Dunmore'' s  War,  321. 

Buffalo  Creek,  small  tributary  to  New  River;  Fayette  and 
Summers  Counties. 

Buffalo  Creek,  tributary  to  North  Branch  of  Potomac; 
Grant  County. 

Buffalo  Creek,  tributary  to  Monongahela  River;  Harrison 
County. 

Buffalo  Creek,  Jackson  County. 

Buffalo  Lick,  tributary  to  Mill  Creek;  Jackson  County. 

Buffalo  Lick,  small  affluent  of  Elk  River;  Kanawha  County. 

Buffalo  Fork,  small  branch  Hughes  Creek;   Kanawha  County. 

Buffalo  Fork,  branch  of  Smither's  Creek;  Kanawha  County. 

Buffalo  Lick,  small  unchartered  stream  entering  Hacker's 
Creek  from  the  south,  just  east  of  the  John  Hacker  homestead; 
Lewis  County. 

Buffalo  Creek,  small  branch  of  Mud  River;  a  tributary  of 
Guyandot  River;  Lincoln  County. 

Buffalo  Creek,  small  left-hand  tributary  to  Guyandot  River; 
Logan  County. 

Buffalo  Creek,  small  right-hand  branch  of  Guyandot  River; 
Logan  County.     (Noted  by  Draper.) 


Buffalo  in  \\  estkrn  \'irc;ini.\  385 

BufTak)  Mountain,  Logan  and  \\  ymnine  Counties:  elevation, 
2000  to  2500  feet. 

Buffalf)  Creek,  small  branch  <if 'I'uir  I'l'ik  <i('  Big  Saiuly  Ri\er; 
Mingo  Count}'. 

Buffalo  Creek,  large  tributary  to  the  Moncmgahela  Ri\er; 
Alonongalia  and  Marion  Counties. 

Buffalo  Creek,  tributary  to  Mlk  Ri\er;  Nicholas  and  Clay 
Counties. 

Buffalo  Hills,  elevation,  2000  to  2500  feet;  Pendleton  County. 

Buffalo  Run,  now  called  "Trout  Run,"  near  Franklin;  Pen- 
dleton Count)'. 

Buffalo  Run,  iorincr  name  of  a  small  tiibular}'  to  Cheat 
River;  Preston  County. 

Buffalo  Creek,  large  tributary  to  Cheat  River;  Preston 
Count}'. 

Buffalo  Mountain,  spur-ridge  near  where  the  Staunton  and 
Parkersburg  Pike  scales  the  Allegheny  Mountain;  Pocahontas 
County.  So  named  because  of  its  resemblance  to  the  profile  of 
an  enormous  buffalo.  Rev.  \\  illiam  T.  Price,  of  Marlington, 
\\  est  \  a.,  writes  me:  "From  a  point  of  view  one  or  two  miles  to 
the  southwest,  the  contour  of  this  spur  is  suggestive  of  the  'Amer- 
ican Spread  Eagle.' 

Buffalo  Ridge,  summit  in  Marthas  Ridge;  Pocahontas  County. 

Buffalo  Fork,  tributar}'  to  East  Fork  of  Greenbrier  River; 
Pocahontas  Count}'. 

Buffalo  Run,  small  branch  of  Deer  Creek,  tributar}-  to  North 
Fork  of  Greenbrier  River;  Pocahontas  Count}'. 

Buffalo  Creek,  tributar}'  to  the  Great  Kanawha;  Putnam 
Count}'. 

Buffalo  Ridge,  Putnam  Count}'. 

Buffalo,  post-village,  named  from  Big  Buffalo  Creek;  PutJiam 
Count}'. 

Buffalo-lick,  post-village;  Roane  Count}'. 

Buffalo  Fork,  small  tributar}'  to  Clear  Fork  of  Coal  River; 
Raleigh  Count}'. 

Buffalo  Run,  two  small  branches,  having  the  same  name,  of 
Middle  Island  Creek:  Tyler  Count}'. 

Buffalo  Lick  Run,  small  unchartered  branch  ot  Bull  Run; 
Upshur  Count}'. 


386  Appendix  II 

Buffalo  Bull  Knob,  summit  in  Webster  County. 

Buffalo  Run,  tributary  to  Right  Fork  of  Middle  Fork  of 
Little  Kanawha;  Webster  County. 

Buffalo  Lick  Great,  forks  of  Elk  River;  Webster  County.  See 
Chapter  VI,  this  vol. 

Buffalo  Fork,  tributary  of  Back  Fork  or  Right  Fork  of  Little 
Kanawha;  W'ebster  County.     See  Chapter  VI,  this  vol. 

Buffalo  Run,  branch  of  South  Fork  of  Fishing  Creek;  Wetzel 
County. 

Buffalo  Creek,  small  branch  of  Little  Huff  Creek;  tributary 
to  Guyandot  River;  Wyoming  County. 

Buffalo ,  tributary  to  Pond  Creek;  W^ood  County. 

There  are  a  number  of  streams  within  the  State  which  bear 
the  name  "bull;"  such  as  bull  creek,  bull  run,  bull  fork  and  bull 
lick.  It  is  more  than  probable  that  the  most  of  these,  if  not  all 
of  them,  were  named  from  some  incident  connected  with  bull- 
buffaloes.  The  majority  of  our  watercourses  were  named  in  the 
earliest  settlement  of  the  country;  and  these  names  can  hardly 
be  associated  with  our  domestic  cattle.  This  deduction  will  also 
hold  when  applied  to  the  several  geographical  appellations  denoting 
^'cow,"  and  "calf." 

Buffalo  in  Virginia  East  of  the  Allegheny  Mountains. 

Buffalo  Gap;  middle  branch  of  the  Shenandoah  River. 
Withers,  p.  50. 

"The  buffalo  roamed  at  will  over  these  hills  and  valleys,  and 
in  their  migrations  made  a  well-defined  trail  between  Rockfish 
Gap,  in  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  Buffalo  Gap,  in  the  North  Mountain, 
passing  by  the  present  site  of  Staunton."  Annals  of  Augusta 
County,  p.  7. 

A  section  of  a  buffalo  path  is  still  to  be  seen  one  mile  north  of 
the  bridge  crossing  the  Cowpasture  River,  on  the  Harrisonburg 
and  Hot  Springs  Pike;  in  Bath  County. 

Old  hunters  reported  that  buffaloes  frequented  the  salt  licks 
at  (now)  Saltville;  in  Smythe  County. 

Buffalo  Run;  Amherst  County. 

Buffalo  River;  Amherst  and  Nelson  Counties. 

Buffalo  Ridge;  Amherst  and  Nelson  Counties.  Elevation 
1,000  feet. 


Bui  TALO  IX  W  kstern  \  irgima  3^7 

Buffalo  Ilill;  Augusta  County. 

Buffalo  Branch;  tributary  to  Shenandoah  River,  Augusta 
Count}". 

Buffalo  Cap;  caused  by  Buffalo  Branch,  in  Little  North 
Mountains,  Augusta  County. 

Buffalo  Gap;  post  village,  Augusta  Ct)unt\'.  .\ltitude. 
1,882  feet. 

Buffalo  Creek;  affluent  Roanoke  River,  Bedford  and  Campbell 
Counties. 

Buffalo  Creek;  tributar}-  Roanoke  River,  Botetourt  County. 

Buffalo  Gap;  tributary'  James  River,  Buchanan  Count)'. 

Buffalo  Creek;  tributar\'  Roanoke   River;  Ilalifa.x  Count}'. 

Buffalo  Lithia  Springs;  post  village,  Mecklenburg  Count}'. 

Buffalo  Junction;  post  village,  Alecklenburg  County.  (Named 
from  Buffalo  Lithia  Springs.) 

Buffalo  Creek;  tributary  James  River,  Nelson  County. 

Buffalo  Station;  post  village,  Nelson  Count}'. 

Buffalo  Springs;  r.  r.  station.  Nelson  County. 

Buffalo  Ridge;  post  village,  Patricks  Count}'. 

Buffalo  Creek;  branch  of  Appomattox  River,  Prince  h'.dward 
Count}'. 

Buffalo  Creek;  righl-hand  tributar}'  James  River,  Rockbridge 
Count}'. 

Buffalo  Creek;  left-hand  tributar}'  James  River,  Rockbridge 
Count}'. 

Buffaloforge;  post  village,  Rockbridge  County. 

Buffalo  Mills;  post  village,  Rockbridge  Count}-. 

Buffalo  Ford;  crossing  the  North  Fork  of  Holston  River, 
Russell  County.     Consult  Gazetteer  of  f'irginia.  (Gannett.) 


APPENDIX  III 


At  various  times  human  bones  have  been  found  at  Indian 
Camp,  described  in  Chapter  VIII,  this  vol.  These  consisted  of 
fragments  of  bone,  among  them  pieces  of  skull.  Some  of  the  latter 
have  been  thrown  up  by  woodchucks  burrowing  under  the  wall  at 
the  north  end  of  the  camp.  Such  instances  were  noticed  by  me  on 
several  different  occasions  when  making  observations  there.  An 
occasional  tooth  was  found  but  they  were  not  plentiful. 

The  Indians  frequently  resorted  to  this  shelter.  It  was  a 
favorite  location,  if  we  are  to  judge  from  the  amount  of  camp 
refuse  and  potsherds  found.  The  abundance  of  these  last  would 
indicate  that  women  were  largely  identified  with  its  occu- 
pancy. Pottery  is  seldom  associated,  and  never  In  quantity, 
with  camps  occupied  by  men  exclusively;  such  as  war  parties  or 
members  of  the  priestcraft.  A  few  fragments  of  steatite  vessels 
have  been  secured,  mistaken  by  treasure  seekers  for  "crucibles." 
A  piece  obtained  by  me  in  1883,  was  of  superior  workmanship. 
This  ware  is  more  properly  identified  with  the  tribes  of  the  South; 
the  Catawbas,  Cherokees,  Creeks  and  others.  It  was  in  vogue 
on  a  smaller  scale  among  some  of  the  Northern  tribes,  while  in 
California  its  usage  was  considerable. 

In  1892,  Prof.  G.  F.  Queen  and  myself  made  a  hurried  exam- 
ination of  Indian  Camp.  Bones,  or  kitchen  refuse;  shells  of  the 
mussel,  shreds  of  pottery  and  rude  and  broken  arrow  points; 
a  bone  awl  and  the  rim-fragment  of  a  solid  sandstone  pot 
or  vessel  were  found.  The  outside  surface  of  this  last  relic 
shows  a  series  of  long,  rasp-like  marks  of  uniform  depth,  while 
the  interior  is  smooth.  The  top  was  finished  with  a  slightly 
projecting  rim.  The  contour  of  the  vessel  rounded  and  narrowed 
towards  the  bottom,  but  its  capacity  could  hardly  be  determined 
by  the  fragment  obtained;  but  perhaps  about  one  gallon, 
maybe  less. 

In  1893,  with  Mr.  Ernest  Phillips,  I  made  a  thorough  investi- 
gation of  the  floor  debris  of  the  Camp;  with  the  indisputable 
proof  of  both  remote  and  recent  occupation  by  the  aborigines.  Six 
separate  fire-hearths  were  discovered  at  various  depths.  The 
principal  one   used    by  the  Indians  was  at  the  north   end  of  the 


Archaeology  axd  tiii:  I.ost  Mines  389 

Camp  and  measured  four  feet  by  four  feet.  It  was  six  inches  thick, 
and  was  buried  under  ten  inches  of  vegetable  mould.  It  was  near 
this  hearth  that  the  woodchucks  unearthed  the  several  pieces  of 
human  skull.  A  smaller  hearth  found  nearby  evidently  antedated 
it  many  years.  It  was  twelve  inches  by  twelve  inches  across, 
three  inches  ihick,  and  was  bcncatli  a  bed  of  what  appeared  to  be 
clay  burned  to  a  bright  reddish  color,  free  from  sand  or  grit.  This 
deposit  seemingly  had  been  systematicalh'  arranged  and  was  of  the 
same  size  of  the  uni^lcrlying  ash  bed;  and  was  one  and  a  half  inches 
thick.  Beneath  the  cla\-  and  hearth,  at  the  dcjith  of  two  feet 
three  inches  was  lounil  the  bone  from  the  foot  of  a  hear,  just 
back  of  the  large  altar-like  stone  at  the  entrance  of  the  Camp,  at 
the  depth  of  eighteen  inches  was  found  a  human  skull  crushed  into 
fragments.  W  hile  the  cavern  had  for  several  years  been  used  as  a 
stable,  there  had  been  no  rapid  accumulation  of  vegetable  mould. 
On  the  contrary,  Mr.  Lothan  Phillips,  the  owner,  had  hauled 
considerable  of  the  original  rich  debris  and  ashes  and  scattered 
them  on  an  adjoining  "truck  patch;"  and  in  all  probability  the 
skull  was  not  then  covered  deeper  than  when  first  buried.  It  was 
here  that  the  old  hunter  had  many  years  previously  uncovered 
the  eighteen  skeletons. 

Near  the  center  of  the  Camp  and  at  a  depth  of  sixteen  inches, 
on  a  rough  block  of  stone,  seemingly  the  natural  floor,  was  found 
a  quantit}-  of  a  substance  which  we  could  not  entireh'  identify. 
This  deposit  was  three  inches  thick  in  the  center,  six  inches  wide 
and  twenty-four  inches  long;  tapering  to  an  edge  on  everv  side. 
It  extended  in  a  southeasterly  and  northwesterl\'  direction.  In 
color  it  combined  all  the  hues  of  the  rainbow.  It  resembled 
ochre,  or  a  paint-pigment  and  was  probably  a  mass  of  decorative 
paint  in  preparation  by  the  Indians.  The  different  mineral  ingre- 
dients had  not  yet  been  thoroughly  kneaded  or  mixed.  In  texture 
it  was  free  from  grit,  soft  and  pasty.  Unfortunately  the  large 
sample  secured  was,  through  accident,  lost  before  it  could  be 
analyzed.  The  Yakimas  tell  me  that  their  old  people  used  to 
obtain  a  clay-like  substance  from  a  cavern  in  Mt.  Adams,  which 
they  made  into  war-paint,  first  subjecting  it  to  a  burning  process. 
Doubtless  this  deposit  had  been  so  treated;  and  that  which  was 
overlaying  the  fire-hearth  mentioned,  was  found  as  placed  in  the 
method  of  baking. 

A  few  hundred  yards  south  of  this  Camp,  about   1S81,  Mr. 


390  Appendix  III 

Burton  Phillips  unearthed  with  his  plow,  twenty  perfect  flint 
implements  of  the  spear-head  class.  There  was  also  one  common 
polished  stone  celt  and  an  ordinary  water  crystal.  I  was  fortu- 
nate in  securing  thirteen  of  the  spear-heads  in  perfect  condition, 
also  the  stem  or  base  of  another  one  which  had  been  broken  after 
discovery.  The  others  were  scattered  or  destroyed  before  I 
learned  that  they  had  been  found.  Those  obtained  are  nicely 
chipped  thin  blades  of  chalcedony  or  jasper.  They  vary  in  color 
from  pure  white  to  black,  while  some  are  translucent.  With  but 
one  exception  they  are  of  the  leaf-shaped  pattern  with  notched 
base.  One  is  un-notched.  They  are  of  medium  size  and  show  a 
similarity  of  workmanship;  and  are  doubtless  the  handiwork  of 
the  same  artisan.  Mr.  Phillips  declared  that  they  were  found 
some  ten  or  twelve  inches  below  the  surface,  planted  point  down- 
ward, in  a  circle  about  two  feet  in  diameter.  They  are  a  finished 
product,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  had  been  buried  precludes 
the  idea  of  the  ordinary  "cache"  so  often  noted  in  preliminary 
chipped  or  unfinished  flint  implements. 

Some  eighteen  inches  below  these  spear-heads  was  a  heavy 
slab  of  sandstone  in  its  natural  condition.  It  measured  about  four 
feet  by  six  feet  across,  and  some  twelve  inches  thick.  In  his 
search  for  treasure,  Mr.  Phillips  uncovered  this  stone,  carrying 
the  excavation  down  one  side  to  a  point  below  and  under  it.  Not. 
having  at  hand  the  means  of  lifting  it,  a  charge  of  blasting  powder 
was  exploded  beneath  it  which  cracked  it  into  two  or  three  pieces. 
These  were  not  removed.  I  saw  the  stone  in  its  original  position 
after  it  had  been  broken,  and  evidently  it  had  not  been  placed 
there  by  man  nor  had  it  any  connection  with  the  flint  implements 
buried  over  it.  (1)     Such  a  find  of  relics  is  unusual  in  that  region. 

Ash  Camp,  four  miles  east  of  Indian  Camp,  on  the  waters  of 
Ten  Mile  Creek,  tributary  of  the  Middle  Fork  River,  was  so 
named  from  its  vast  accumulation  of  ashes.  The  estimate  was  sev- 
eral hundreds  of  bushels  when  I  first  saw  the  camp  in  1883,  and 
old  settlers  claimed  that  the  quantity  had  greatly  deteriorated 
within  their  recollection.  It  was  a  noted  rendezvous,  and  was 
much  frequented  by  the  red  men,  as  was  also  a  rock-shelter  on 
French  Creek,  affluent  of  the  Buckhannon  River.  In  a  visit  to 
Ash  Camp  in  1892,  I  noticed  traces  of  human  remains  mingled 
with  broken  pottery  and  other  refuse.  There  were  a  few  other 
rock-shelters  scattered  throughout  that  region,  but  Indian  Camp> 

(1)  See  page  508. 


Archaeology  and  the  Lost  Mines  391 

and  Ash  Camp,  situated  as  they  were  on  an  Indian  trail  or  war- 
path, were  preferred  haunts  of  the  tribesmen  until  about  the 
opening  of  Dunmorc's  War  in  1774.  It  is  not  at  all  probable  that 
these  resorts  were  ever  used  by  the-  Indian  iiunter-bands  after 
the  Bull  Town  and  Indian  Camp  massacres. 

Near  Indian  Camp  until  a  few  )-ears  ago,  there  stood  a  beech 
tree  on  which  was  carved  the  outlines  of  an  Indian  warrior  in  full 
costume.  This  work  was  old  and  was  supposed  to  have  been  the 
handicraft  of  some  of  the  first  settlers  on  the  Buckhannon;  or  pos- 
siblv  "Snath,"  of  whom,  more  anon. 

About  Indian  Camp  there  hovers  an  interesting  tradition  of  a 
"Lost  Mine,"  and  buried  treasure  of  fabulous  richness.      Its  ori- 
gin antedates  the  Revolution,  with  some  apparent   foum-lation  of 
truth;  although  this  region  is  not  alone  in  its  claim  to  the  scene 
of  original  operations;  but  covers  portions  of  Kentucky  and  Ten- 
nessee as  well.     The  mine  was  worked  b\-  a  party  of  Spanish  and 
English  adventurers,  who  were  subsequently  nearly  exterminated 
by  their  Indian  allies.     It  appears  that  there  were  Spaniards  by 
the  name  of  Petro,  or  Pedro,  on  the  I'ppcr  Monongahela  as  early 
as  1777,  whose  descendants  are  still  living  in   Randolph  County. 
(2)     Nothing  is  known  of  their  previous  histor\'.     Their  presence 
in  the  settlements  ma>-,  perhaps,  be  traced  in  the  tradition.     There 
were  Petros  in  Hampshire  County,  Virginia,  in  1782,  if  not  earlier. 
It  is  believed  by  some  investigators  that  straggling  bands  of  the 
early  Spanish  explorers  of  the  Southern  tide  water,  penetrated  the 
Virginia  and  Kentucky  wilderness.     It  would  have  been  in  keeping 
with  the  traditions  of  these  insatiable  gold  seekers  to  have  done  so. 
Near  Indian  Camp,  in   1883,  I  was  shown  the  ruins  of  the 
"ancient  mine,"  and  also  a  small  polished  stone  relic,   resembling 
a  disc,  and  a  fragment  of  dross}-  lead,  claimed  to  have  been  taken 
from  the  debris  or  waste  of  this  mine.     With  these  relics  were  found 
pieces  of  basketry  and  a  buckskin  moccasin.     I  also  examined  an 
interesting  figure  carved  on  a  large  sandstone  boulder  in  a  nearby 
grotto,  known  as  the  "Chimney  Rocks."     Owing  to  the  porous 
nature  of  this  boulder,  the  figure  had  been  nearly  obliterated  by 
vandals,  and  its  outlines  could  not  be  accurately  deciphered.     In 
appearance,  it  rudely  represented   the  compasses.     The  trace  of 
a  camp  fire  was  observed  in  the  smoke-tinged  wall  at  the  back  of 
the  grotto. 

An  interesting  \-olume  could  he  written   trom  data   at   hand, 

(2)   See  page  509. 


392 


Appendix  III 


regarding  the  "mine."  The  wild  legends  relating  to  its  discovery 
and  working;  its  subsequent  forced  abandonment  through  the 
hostility  of  the  Indians,  brought  about  by  the  reckless  deed  of  one 
of  the  miners;  the  burial  of  vast  treasure;  the  battle;  the  massacre, 
and  final  flight  and  escape  of  but  two  of  the  party,  —  all  are 
fraught  with  thrilling  romance. 

On  July  15th,  1867,  Dr.  L.  S.  S.  Farnsworth,  resident  dentist 
of  Buckhannon,  brought  to  light  some  legendary  rock  inscriptions 
on  the  head  of  Stone  Coal  Creek,  which  were  supposed  to  have 

connection  with   this    mine 

WAS     FouciHT  Fob 

THE-  Rich  m\//dz 


2WARTU2  C/1/A/^cu 
DO/VE  WHILE  THE  BATCL 


and  its  disastrous  tragedies. 
These  had  previously  been 
found  by  a  squirrel  hunter 
named    Calvin    Smith,   who 
determining  to  seek  a  home 
in  the  west,  revealed  to  Dr. 
Farnsworth  the  location  of 
his  discovery.     In  company 
with  Mr.  Valentine 
Lorentz,  Dr.  Farns- 
worth   repaired     to 


Fig.  1 


the  region  indicated  by  the  hunter, 
where  they  found  in  the  woods  on  a 
high  ridge,  an  immense  flat  stone  bear- 
ing the  inscription  shown  in  Fig.  1. 

About  three-fourths  of  a  mile 
northwest  of  this  mysterious  monu- 
ment, was  found  an  upright  stone, 
^'resembling  a  tombstone"  bearing  the 
legend  shown  in  Fig.  2. 

The  soHtary  "S"  is  supposed  to 
signify  Silver. 

Dr.  Farnsworth  had  this  relic  in 
his  office  for  several  years,  where  it 
was  seen  by  a  number  of  persons. 

Three-fourths  of  a  mile  further 
northwest  was  found  a  small  cave,  or 
shelter  formed  by  a  rock  projecting  some 


1 55^  Uz 


2,2EPERAT 
ED    FRO/A 

7^ 


Fig.  2 


Archaeology  and  tife  Lost  Mines 


39i 


1m<;.   3 


ten  or  fifteen  feet  from  the  hillside.  This  grotto  had  at  some 
time  previous  been  cjccupied  as  a  camp.  Back  from  the  entrance 
and  lying  on  the  floor  was  a  heavy  slab  of  stone,  measuring  several 
feet  across,  which  had  in  more  recent  years  fallen  from  over- 
head. Carved  in  the  roof  of  the  cave  was  a  rude  circle,  with  the 
four  cardinal  points  of  the  compass 
designated    by  the    usual    alphabetical  ^ 

characters.     Across  the  surface  of  this  /^?l^\ 

circle,  extended  a  well-defined  "point-         /^  \ 

er,"  not  unlike    the    needle  of  a  com-  __J /y 

pass.     The  fallen  fragment  of  the  roof        ^^-^J^,^    G^/ 
had  evidenth'  carried   awa}'  an  inscrip-  /  T^  ' 

tion,   as   shown    b>'   the   accompanying 
cut.      (Fig.  3.)     This   stone   could   not 
be  overturned  for  the  purpose  of  de- 
ciphering the  full  inscription,  but  it  required  but  little  imagination 
to  determine  that  Gold  and  Snath  were  largeh-  its  component  parts. 

By  the  aid  of  his  compass  Dr.  Farnsworth  writes  me,  it  was 
apparent  that  the  "pointer"  at  this  cavern  and  the  finger  of  the 
inverted  hand  on  the  upright  stone,  indicated  lines  which  con- 
verged at  a  point  on  the  Buckhannon  River  just  below  the  cross- 
ing, or  ford  at  the  village  of  Sago.  Afterwards  four  other  stone 
"pointers  or  guides"  were  found  near  the  Sago  ford,  which  appar- 
enth'  had  connection  with  those  on  Stone  Coal. 

My  brother,  C.  C.  F.  McWhorter,  who  was  for  many  years 
County  Clerk  of  Upshur  County,  saw  and  examined  the  inscribed 
stone,  in  Dr.  Farnsworth's  office.  It  appeared  ver\-  old  and 
weather  worn,  the  lettering  evidently  had  been  done  with  a  small 
pointed  steel  instrument,  and,  while  crude,  was  very  legible. 

Mr.  McW  horter  has  a  cop}-  of  an  inscribed  stone,  made  bv 
the  late  Col.  Henry  F.  Westfall,  local  historian  of  Buckhannon. 
This  inscription  is  ver}'  nearly  that  which  Dr.  Farnsworth  savs 
was  on  the  large  immovable  stone  (Fig.  I),  but  its  contour  is  verv 
much  that  of  Fig.  2.  The  accompanying  cut  (Fig.  4)  is  from  a 
photograph  of  the  Westfall  copy,  which  is  made  on  the  discolored 
fly-leaf  of  an  old  book,  with  no  attempt  at  imitating  the  handi- 
craft of  the  mysterious  Snath.  The  Colonel,  it  should  be  noted, 
places  the  discovery  of  this  stone  in  January  1866.  This  ma\- 
perhaps  be  the  discovery  by  Smith  referred  to.  It  is  proper  to 
state  that  Figures  1,2  and  3,  are  from  copies  which  Dr.  Farnsworth 


394 


Appendix  III 


made  from  memory;  not  having  at  hand  the  originals  which  he 
carefully  executed  at  the  time  of  his  discovery. 


AislAil^O^    d'^'Hr    ^-'nrU 

X"  '"■""■"  "^>-.  '■ ' 

/    '■''^'                          ''  -i\   ' 

r'       '            "^ 

''^■■>^yA:.    /,y    ,,„M^ 

/><J.'i. 

'^'•-/-  <v.,....,.. 

'  '/'-  A/?/^,,//4  /,%,//^;,-,^ 

Fig.  4 


Cuiright  says  in  connection  with  Indian  Camp:  — 

"There  is  other  data  pointing  to  this  rock  as  the  rendezvous  of  the  Indians. 
On  the  Buckhannon  river  west  of  Sago  and  Ten  Mile,  certain  stones  are  planted 
in  the  shape  of  a  spearhead,  whose  sharp  end  points  in  the  direction  of  Indian 
Camp  Rock.  These  rock  or  pointers  the  author  himself  has  observed  and  there 
may  be  others  whicli  aim  in  the  same  direction,  evidently  for  the  purpose  of  telling 
wandering  bands  of  Indians  where  they  might  find  a  safe  seclusion,  sheltering 
protection  and  a  temporary  home."  (3) 

Whether  or  not  Mr.  Cutright's  theory  in  regard  to  the  pointed 
rocks  is  correct,  it  is  certain  that  speculation  relative  to  the  "mine" 
and  buried  treasure  ran  high;  and  not  all  of  which  was  confined 
to  local  circles.  Parties  from  across  the  water  made  fruitless 
quest  with  "chart"  and  "key"  for  the  secreted  bullion.  There  are 
those  still  living  who  have  not  abandoned  the  search,  and  who 
believe  that  success  will  yet  be  theirs. 

Mr.    Outright   gives    a   narrative   of    three    Frenchmen   who 

(3)  See  page  509. 


Archaeology  and  the  Lost  Mixes  395 

crossed  the  mountains  at  an  earlier  period,  perhaps  in  the  forties, 
in  quest  of  gold  and  camped  for  man\"  \ears  under  a  shelving  rock 
on  the  waters  of  the  Little  Kanawha,  near  Rock  Cave  Postofhce, 
in  Upshur  County.  One  of  them  e\entually  died  and  was  buried 
by  his  comrades,  under  the  rock  whicii  had  sheltered  them  so 
long;  and  where  a  century  later  a  Caucasian  skull  was  unearthed. 
(4)  The  two  survivors  recrossed  the  mountains  never  to  return. 
It  is  not  known  that  these  adventurers  were  in  any  way  connected 
with  the  later  achievements  of  Swartus  Cnancu  and  Snath,  but 
their  dreams  of  wealth  in  the  western  wilderness  were  never  realized. 

Legends  of  the  celebrated  "Swift  Adines"  are  linked  with 
Indian  Camp  and  its  connecting  stories  of  "buried  treasure." 
One  version  of  the  original  discovery  of  the  mine,  or  mines,  is  that 
an  Indian  appeared  in  Jamestown,  Virginia,  wearing  arm-bands 
and  other  ornaments  of  silver  and  when  interrogated,  offered  to 
pilot  a  party  across  the  mountains  where  there  was  "plenty"  of 
such  metal.  This  he  afterwards  done,  and  on  the  sequel  hangs  the 
wild,  weird  story  of  Swartus  Cnancu,  the  resourceful  Snath  and 
their  unfortunate  companions,  in  the  wilderness  of  the  Buck- 
hannon. 

While  working  the  "mine"  at  Indian  Camp,  so  runs  the  tra- 
dition, the  Indians  were  friendh'  until  late  in  the  season  and  after 
a  large  quantity  of  the  metal  had  been  smelted,  one  of  the  adven- 
turers, in  an  altercation  with  an  Indian  while  hunting,  struck  the 
red  man,  which  precipitated  hostilities,  fatal  to  the  expedition. 
To  avenge  the  insult,  the  Indians  attacked  and  killed  several  of 
the  miners  and  held  the  camp  in  a  state  of  siege.  The  survivors 
foreseeing  their  probable  doom,  attempted  to  obliterate  all  visible 
traces  of  the  mine  by  blasting  great  fragments  of  stone  from  the 
overhanging  cliff  and  letting  them  drop  into  the  opening  of  the 
shaft,  or  tunnel.  W  hile  this  was  being  done  and  while  the  battle 
still  raged,  Snaih  managed  to  extricate  himself  from  the  beleagured 
camp,  and  at  various  places  set  up  stone  "pointers,"  and  con- 
structed a  "key"  and  "chart"  by  which  a  return  to  the  mine  could 
be  accomplished. 

A  lull  in  hostilities  induced  the  belief  that  the  Indians  had 
abandoned  the  wilderness  and  the  miners  prepared  to  return  east 
of  the  mountains.  They  buried  vast  quantities  of  bullion  and  set 
up  additional  "markers"  by  which  it  could  be  subsequently  located. 
In  the  meantime  they  were  again  set  upon  by  the  Indians  and  only 

{■i)  See  page  509. 


(^ 


fe. 


E^     5 


Archaeology  and  thi:  Lost  Mines  397 

-\vo,  with  the  "chart"  and  "key"  escaped.  These  instruments 
lave  been  variously  deciphered  and  seemingly  applied  alike  to 
jifferent  localities. 

The  old  "drill  marks"  which  I  examined  on  some  blocks  of 
stone  at  this  "mine,"  appeared  to  resemble  certain  fossil  imprint 
belonging  to  the  carboniferous  period.  The  same  can  be  said  of 
the  "frying  pan"done  in  intaglio  on  the  face  of  the  cliff  where  the 
blasting  had  been  done.  However,  the  lapse  of  more  than  one 
hundred  years  might  have  a  tendency  to  produce  in  the  porous 
sandstone  the  noticeable  irregularity  of  surface  in  both  the  "drill" 
cuts  and  the  "frying  pan;"  this  last  a  supposed  "marker."  A 
large  "drill"  groove  was  also  observed  on  the  front  of  this  cliff. 

In  1883,  report  came  to  me  that  a  few  ancient  looking  tools, 
supposedly  those  of  the  "Mound  Builders,"  had  been  discovered 
in  a  small  cave  on  Grass  Run  not  far  from  Indian  Camp.  Upon 
investigation  it  was  learned  that  the  implements,  whatever  they 
were,  were  of  iron  and  very  rusty;  and  ignorant  of  their  impor- 
tance, the  finder  had  taken  them  to  a  local  blacksmith,  who  ham- 
mered them  into  articles  better  fitted  to  modern  domestic  use. 
The}'  were  described  as  "strange  looking  tools,"  and  no  one  knew 
how  they  came  to  be  placed  there. 

I  have  an  old  map  done  in  ink  on  parchment,  which  tells  of 
money  cjr  mineral  in  a  cave  on  the  Buckhannon  River.  It  was 
given  me  b}'  the  late  Joseph  M.  Wilson,  of  Berlin,  West  \  a.,  in 
1891,  who  found  it  among  some  papers  left  by  his  grandfather  who 
died  a  few  years  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War.  Mr.  \\  ilson 
could  tell  but  little  about  the  map,  further  than  that  when  a  boy 
in  his  early  teens,  he  accompanied  his  grandfather  to  Marion 
County,  to  obtain  a  companion  paper,  or  "key"  to  the  map;  and 
the  old  gentleman  said  to  him  on  the  return  trip:  "I  now  have 
the  paper  that  I  wanted  and  I  can  go  directly  to  the  cave  and  find 
the  money."  The  old  man  was  soon  afterwards  taken  ill  and  never 
recovered.     I  remember  him  distinctly. 

It  was  more  than  a  year  after  his  death  that  the  map  and 
"key"  occurred  to  Mr.  Wilson,  and  he  went  to  his  step-grand- 
mother and  asked  her  about  them.  She  produced  a  bundle  of 
papers  and  among  them  was  the  map.  The  most  diligent  search 
failed  to  reveal  the  other  paper  and  the  inference  was  that  it  had 
been  destroved.     The  old  lad\'  was  ver\"  illiterate  aiul  acknowl- 


398  Appendix  III 

edged  that  she  had  "burned  a  lot  of  such  trash,"  deeming  it  of 
no  value. 

Mr.  Wilson  in  commenting,  said:  "My  grandfather  had  no 
doubt  about  the  authenticity  of  these  papers  and  their  import; 
otherwise  he  never  would  have  ridden  across  two  counties,  nearly, 
to  get  one  of  them.  He  told  me  that  the  map  was  given  him  during 
the  Civil  War  by  a  party  whose  name  I  do  not  recall,  in  Monon- 
galia County;  and  who  was  then  on  his  way  to  secure  the  treasure, 
but  was  deterred  on  account  of  the  dangers  encountered.  Not 
only  were  contingents  of  both  armies  to  be  met  with,  but  the 
dreaded  "bush-whacker"  infested  every  mountain  pass.  He 
informed  my  grandfather  where  he  could  find  the  "key"  with  the 
party  in  Marion  County,  and  promised  to  return  after  the  close  of 
the  war,  when  they  would  go  together  and  find  the  hidden  money. 
The  man  then  rode  away  never  to  be  seen  again." 

The  map  locates  this  treasure  or  mine,  near  the  head  of  the 
Buckhannon  River,  and  adjacent  to  a  mountain  on  the  right- 
hand  side  of  the  stream.  It  is  on  a  "Wor  Path"  which  crosses 
the  Cheat  River  at  the  "Hoss  Shoo."  Both  Indian  Camp  and 
Ash  Camp  are  on  an  old  Indian  war  path,  or  trail. 

Of  the  Swift  Mines  in  Kentucky,  the  following  contribution 
from  Mr.  Connelley  is  apropos.  The  mystery  is  only  deepened 
by  this  anomalous  written  record,  added  to  the  unaccountable' 
stone  inscriptions  of  the  mountain  fastness.  It  is  hoped  that 
some  writer  will  enter  this  romantic  field  and  rescue  from  oblivion 
the  fascinating  legends  of  the  "Lost  Mine"  and  "Buried  Treasure" 
of  the  Trans-Allegheny. 


Swift's  Journal — The  Apperson  Copy 
by  william  e.  connelley. 

The  first  account  of  Swift's  Silver  Mines  that  I  ever  saw  is 
the  following  Journal.  It  was  put  into  my  hands  when  I  was 
eleven  years  old.  The  constant  reading  of  this  paper  developed 
in  me  a  desire  to  learn  and  preserve  all  obtainable  information 
concerning  John  Swift.  It  was  the  momentary  impulse  of  a  good 
man  that  placed  this  copy  of  Swift's  Journal  in  my  possession. 

At  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  the  Hon.  Richard  Apperson,  of 


Archaeology  wd  thk  Lost  Mixes  399 

Mount  Sterling,  Kentucky,  was,  for  a  sliorl  time,  the  Judge,  or 
the  acting  Judge,  of  the  Circuit  CV)urt  of  Mat'offin  County,  where 
m)'  father,  Constantino  Conncllc\  ,  ji.,  ihrn  H\ed.  When  in  our 
village  Judge  Apperson  aKva\s  stopped  with  \\  illiani  Adams,  the 
founder  of  the  town  and  the  pioneer  settler  in  tliat  part  of  the 
count) .  Ml-.  Ai-lams  had  three  sons  near  my  own  age,  and  we  were 
inseparable  companions.  Judge  Apperson  possessed  a  deep  love 
for  children;  I  think  I  can  truthfully  say  that  he  made  an  acquain- 
tance and  friend  of  every  boy  in  the  village  during  the  first  week 
of  his  sojourn.  He  was  an  excellent  conversationalist  and  an 
entertaining  stor\-tellcr,  as  well  as  an  able  and  popular  Justice. 
He  told  stories  b}-  the  score  of  the  ad\cntures  of  Kentucky  pio- 
neers. And  I  remember  that  he  enjoyed  our  ju\enile  sports,  and 
that  he  never  failed  to  join  our  game  of  marbles  when  he  had  a 
leisure  hour;  we  looked  upon  him  as  a  friend  and  regarded  him  as 
a  companion. 

At  the  end  of  one  of  his  terms  of  Court,  one  of  the  Adams 
bo\\s  and  m^'self  were  assisting  him  to  gather  up  his  books,  papers, 
and  a  few  articles  of  clothing.  We  were  stuffing  these  into  a  pair 
of  saddle-bags  preparatory'  to  his  departure  for  the  next  count}'  ir: 
his  circuit.  We  requested  that  he  tell  us  one  more  story  before 
leaving;  he  readil\'  complied.  I  remember  that  he  told  of  .Mrs. 
Hannah  Dennis,  and  her  escape  from  the  Shawnees  by  concealing 
herself  in  a  hollow  sycamore  log  on  the  bank  of  the  Scioto  River. 
\\  hen  leaving  the  room  some  one  of  us  found  this  copy  of  Swift's 
Journal.  Whether  he  did  not  wish  to  re-open  his  crowded  saddle- 
bags to  stow  it  away,  or  whether  he  did  not  care  for  the  paper,  I 
do  not  know.  He  looked  it  over  a  minute,  then  handed  it  to  me, 
telling  me  to  keep  it,  and  not  to  destroy  it  nor  lose  it.  I  never 
saw  Judge  Apperson  after  that  day. 

I  kept  the  paper  twent}'-nine  years,  and  \ahied  il  much;  I 
lost  it  through  the  stupidity  of  an  inexperienced  typewriter  tc 
whom  1  entrusted  it  to  cop\-.  1  did  not  then  know  of  Judge 
Apperson's  death,  and  wrote  to  him  to  enquire  if  the  cop>-  the 
typewriter  made  was  accurate,  and  to  ask  him  where  he  had  ob- 
tained the  paper.  His  brother  replied,  informing  me  of  the  Judge's 
death  several  years  before.  I  received  the  intelligence  of  his 
death  with  deep  regret. 

I  beiiexc  tlie  cop\-  made  for  me  is  an  exact  copy  of  the  orig- 
inal.     It  follows: 


400  Appendix  III 

Started  on  the  25th  of  June,  1761,  from  Alexandria,  Virginia, 
and  came  to  Leesburg;  thence  to  Winchester;  thence  to  Little's; 
thence  to  Pittsburg;  thence  to  the  headwaters  of  Wheeling;  thence 
to  the  Little  Kanawha;  thence  to  the  Big  Kanawha;  thence  to  the 
Guyandotte;  thence  to  Great  Sandy  Creek;  and  from  thence  to 
the  Great  Ridge  bearing  in  a  southwesterly  direction;  and  from 
thence  to  a  large  river  the  name  of  which  was  unknown  to  us;  and 
from  thence  to  a  large  and  very  rocky  creek;  and  from  thence  to 
the  mines,  where  we  remained  from  the  18th  of  July  to  the  26th 
of  October,  1761,  when  we  left  them  and  returned  over  the  same 
way  we  had  taken  to  come  out.  And  on  the  28th  of  October  our 
scouts  discovered  six  savages;  by  altering  our  course  we  avoided 
them.  On  the  30th  we  were  pursued  by  savages,  but  we  esccaped 
from  them.  We  saw  no  more  of  the  savages  until  the  9th  of 
November,  when  they  fired  on  us  and  shot  a  hole  in  our  lading 
which  soon  enlarged  and  spilled  the  silver.  We  fired  in  return 
and  they  must  have  fled  for  we  saw  no  more  of  them;  we  did  not 
camp  this  night  until  after  we  had  crossed  the  Kanawha.  \\  e 
arrived  at  the  settlements  without  further  conflict,  December  2nd. 
1761. 

April  15th,  1762.  We  this  day  started  back  to  the  mines. 
W"e  arrived  there  on  the  10th  day  of  May  without  accident  except 
the  spilled  rum. 

August  1st,  1762.  \\  e  this  day  left  the  mines  to  return  home. 
We  came  to  a  sudden  halt  and  camped  a  short  time  on  the  2nd  of 
August  when  we  were  alarmed  by  savages.  We  escaped  from  them 
and  camped  on  our  creek.  We  were  greatly  pestered  but  came 
through  safe;  we  left  a  valuable  prize  on  the  south  of  the  big  Gap 
where  we  marked  some  trees  with  our  names  and  curious  marks. 
From  this  place  we  went  to  Cassell's  Woods,  and  from  that  place 
we  went  to  Virginia,  where  we  remained  until  the  next  spring,  1763. 

We  then  started  on  the  1st  day  of  May,  1763,  and  came  to 
New  River;  and  from  thence  to  the  Holston;  and  from  thence  to 
the  Cumberland  Valley. 

Here  we  set  our  course  and  went  to  the  place  where  our  mines 
are  situated,  arriving  there  the  2nd  of  June,  1763. 

We  remained  here  until  the  1st  of  September,  when  we  set 
out  for  home.  We  went  through  Cassell's  Woods,  and  stopped 
with  Cassellman  for  five  days.  From  Cassellman's  we  went  to 
the  settlements,  and  arrived  home  October  12'th,  1763. 


Arch  \i:(JLOGY  and  ihk  Lost  Mines  401 

We  started  from  home  on  the  1st  of  October,  1767,  and  got  to 
the  mines  on  the  4th  of  November,  1767.  We  stayed  until  the 
1st  of  April,  1768,  when  ue  set  out  for  home.  \\  c  went  by  the 
way  of  Sandy  Creek,  meeting  with  nothing  material  on  the  way 
to  the  settlements. 

\\  (•  left  Alexandria  on  the  4tli  o|  Juir-,  same  _\ear,  176S.  and 
arrivetl  safely  at  the  mines  on  the  1st  of  Jul\  .  We  remained  here 
till  the  26th  of  October,  1768.  .Arrived  at  home  on  the  24th  of 
December.  Our  horses  stolen  by  the  Indians  was  a  great  loss  to 
us  as  we  were  compelled  to  conceal  and  leave  their  lading  at  the 
mouth  of  a  large  creek  running  due  east. 

We  left  our  homes  in  .North  Carolina  on  the  l6th  i.la\'  ot  Ma\', 
1769,  and  started  ior  the  mines.  W  e  went  by  the  way  of  the  door 
in  the  Cumberland  Mountains  and  arrived  at  the  mines  safe  and 
sound  24th  of  June.  1769. 

We  sta\ed  at  the  mines  until  19th  October,  1769.  On  that 
da\'  we  started  home,  and  went  by  the  way  of  Sandy  Creek.  At 
the  Forks  of  Sand\'  we  lost  two  of  our  horses,  stolen  by  savages, 
and  here  we  concealed  their  lading,  a  great  loss  to  us,  but  we  escaped 
with  our  lives,  and  got  safe  home  1st  December,  1769. 

1  was  at  the  place  again,  and  came  by  the  place  where  we  left 
the  two-horse  loads,  and  the  valuable  pri/.e,  and  found  all  things 
as  we  left  them  in  1762  and  1763.     |17681 

On  the  1st  September,  1769,  we  left  between  )^22,()()().()()  and 
,s3(),()CX).00  in  crowns  on  a  large  creek  running  near  a  south 
course.  Close  by  the  creek  we  marked  our  names,  Swift,  Jefferson, 
and  Munday,  and  other  names  on  a  large  beech  tree  with  com- 
passes, square  and  trowel.  About  twenty  or  thirty  poles  from  the 
creek  stands  a  small  rock,  and  between  it  and  the  creek  }ou  will 
find  a  small  rock  of  a  bluish  coloi'  with  three  chops  made  with  a 
grit-stone  by  rubbing  it  on  the  rock.  By  the  side  of  this  rock 
you  will  find  the  prize.  We  left  prizes  here  at  three  different 
times.  At  no  great  distance  from  the  place  we  left  )^15,000.(X)  of 
the  same  kind,  marking  three  or  four  trees  with  marks.  Not  far 
from  these  trees,  we  left  a  prize  near  a  forked  white  oak,  and 
about  three  feet  underground,  and  laid  two  long  stones  across  it, 
marking  several  stones  close  about  it. 

At  the  Forks  of  Sandy,  close  b\-  the  fork,  is  a  small  rockhouse 
which  has  a  spring  in  one  end  of  it,  and  between  it  and  a  small 
branch    we    hid    a    prize    under    the    ground.      It    was    valuetl    at 


402  Appendix  III 

36,000.00.  We  likewise  left  ^3,000.00  buried  in  the  rocks  of  the 
rockhouse. 

Directions  to  Find  Swift's  Silver  Mines  in  Kentucky. 

The  furnace  that  I  built  is  on  the  left-hand  side  of  a  very 
rocky  creek  at  a  remote  place  in  the  West.  To  find  the  best  ore, 
climb  up  the  cliff  at  the  left-hand  side  of  the  furnace  and  go  a  due 
south  direction  until  you  strike  a  small  branch  nearby.  Go  to 
the  head  of  the  branch  without  crossing,  and  you  there  see  my 
name  on  three  beech  trees.  From  these  trees  go  due  east  to  the 
top  of  the  low  ridge.  Pass  a  small  knob  on  top  of  the  ridge  to 
the  right-hand  when  you  will  see  a  big  rock  which  has  fallen  from 
a  high  ledge.  Behind  this  fallen  rock  we  got  our  best  ore.  This 
vein  runs  northeast  and  southwest,  lying  and  being  in  latitude 

37  degrees  and  56  minutes  N.     And  ore  is  also  found  in  latitude 

38  degrees  and  2  minutes  N.  By  astronomical  observations  and 
calculations  you  will  find  the  location  of  both  these  veins  of  silver 
ore  to  be  on  the  83rd  meridian  of  longitude  or  very  close  to  it. 

Description  of  the  Country. 

The  creek  heads  southwest  and  runs  northeast.  It  abounds 
with  laurel.  It  is  so  cliffy  and  rocky  that  it  is  nearly  impossible 
to  get  horses  to  the  furnace.  So  extremely  rough  is  the  way  that 
we  rarely  took  our  horses  nearer  than  six  or  seven  miles  of  the 
place. 

There  is  a  thicket  of  holly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  the  fur- 
nace and  a  small  lick  a  mile  above.  There  is  a  large  buffalo  lick 
two  miles  from  the  small  lick  on  another  creek  that  we  called  Lick 
Creek.  The  creek  forks  about  three  miles  below  the  furnace  and 
the  left-hand  fork  is  the  furnace  creek.  Below  the  forks  the  creek 
is  a  small  stream  of  water  running  generally  in  a  northeasterly 
direction. 

Between  the  forks  and  holly  thicket  you  will  find  my  name  on 
a  beech  tree,  cut  in  the  year  1767,  and  about  one  mile  below,  you 
will  find  Munday,  Jefferson  and  Swift's  names  in  the  year  1762, 
1765  and  1767. 

Between  the  small  lick  and  the  furnace  is  a  remarkable  rock; 
it  hangs  out  quite  over  the  creek,  and  the  water  runs  under  it. 

The  mountains  and  hills  are  covered  with  laurel  and  water- 


Arciiaeoi,0(;v  .\\n  riii-:  Lost  Mixes  403 

courses  so  much  thai  a  man  can  not  get  along  without  much  dif- 
ticultv  where  jiaths  arc  not  cut.  Most  of  the  mountains  and  hills 
ha\e  but  little  timbei'  and  are  poor  and  barren.  North  of  the 
furnace  about  three  miles  is  a  larger  hill  seven  or  eight  miles  long 
upon  which  there  is  good  timber  of  different  kinds,  but  south  of  it 
there  is  little  timber  worth  notice. 

l''urnace  Creek  forks  about  thiee  miles  aboNc-  i  hr  lick,  and  in 
the  forks  upon  the  foot  of  the  hill  you  will  tind  three  white  oaks 
growing  from  one  stump.  On  each  of  them  is  cut  a  small  notch 
with  a  tomahawk.  We  sometimes  went  to  a  salt  spring  up  the 
right-hand  fork,  and  came  this  wa}-  back  which  was  the  cause  for 
our  marking  the  trees. 

From  the  door  in  the  Cumberland  Mountains,  on  the  top  at 
the  north,  you  will  run  north,  forty  degrees  west,  we  supposed 
forty-one  miles,  and  if  on  the  right  course  }-ou  will  find  trees 
marked  with  curifuis  marks  all  the  way.  In  the  course  we  crossed 
man\'  creeks  and  one  river. 

l^he  first  company  in  search  of  these  mines  was  composed  of 
Stale)',  Ireland,  McClintock,  Blackburn  and  Swift. 

We  concealed  much  silver  in  bars  and  crowns  in  the  Indian 
cave.  Set  Aour  compass  on  the  west  side  of  the  furnace  under 
the  rockhouse,  and  go  due  west  fifty  poles,  when  >'ou  will  find  a 

tree  in  this  form  Set  }'our  compass  at  the  second 

turn  and  go  south  twenty  poles  and  )'ou  will  find  a  large  tree  and 
a  limb  growing  out  of  the  south  side  near  the  ground;  under  this 
limb  we  buried  four  ten-gallon  kegs  full  of  crowns. 

Set  your  compass  on  the  south  side  of  the  furnace  and  steer 
south  two  hundred  poles  and  \()U  will  find  a  tree  that  grows  in  this 

form Set  your  compass  at    the  second   turn   and  gc 

south  twenty  poles.  Inder  the  large  limb  of  a  big  tree  which 
leans  down  the  creek  you  will  find  ore.  ^ Ou  cannot  miss  finding 
the  furnace  if  you  find  the . 

The  journal  ends  abrupt!}-,  and  I  do  not  know  whether  it  is 
because  1  never  had  all  the  journal  in  my  possession  or  not.  A 
part  of  the  paper  ma\-  have  been  niislaid  b\'  Judge  Apperson,  or 
he  may  never  have  completed  the  cop>'  which  he  gave  me. 

This  copy  is  c\'idcntly  an  amplification  of  the  preceding  cop}% 
or  the  original  from  w  hich  that  one  has  deteriorated.  The  arrange- 
ment is  somewhat  difierent.  but  it  seems  clear  to  me  that  the  two 


404  Appendix  III 

papers  are  closely  related.  A  more  logical  arrangement  appears 
in  this  paper;  and  still  it  has  the  unfortunate  tone  of  insincerity 
and  want  of  cohesion  at  more  than  one  place.  I  do  not  value  it 
highly. 


VPUBLISHED   BY   PERMISSION; 

Chenute,  Kansas,  September  20,  1903. 

My  Dear  Mr.  McWhorter. 

Complying  with  your  request,  I  am  sending  you  the  Judge 
Apperson  copy  of  Swiff s  Journal.  I  doubt  if  the  riddle  of  this 
Jotiriial,  and  your  rock  inscriptions,  of  which  you  wrote  me,  will 
ever  be  solved.  The  secret  has  vanished  with  the  mighty  wilder- 
ness, which  knew  and  gave  it  birth.  The  mystery  will  deepen  as 
the  years  go  by. 

Just  this  time  last  year  I  was  going  through  Braxton,  Clay, 
and  Nicholas  Counties,  West  Virginia,  portions  of  the  regions 
referred  to  in  the  Journal.  I  found  much  of  it  covered  with  primal 
forest,  as  when  these  mysterious  adventurers  pierced  its  awe- 
inspiring  solitudes  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  I  was 
entranced  with  the  charm  of  the  "everlasting  hills."  I  stood  on' 
Powell's  Mountain  and  looked  far  over  the  valleys  and  lower  hill- 
ranges.  The  blue  haze  of  Indian  Summer  hung  aloft.  The  woods 
took  on  every  hue  of  known  color.  I  could  see  the  smoke  from 
the  cabins  in  the  valley  of  the  Gauley.  At  my  feet  was  the  little 
gem,  the  valley  of  the  Muddlety.  Cattle  fed  on  a  hundred  hills. 
To  the  north  I  supposed  that  I  discerned  the  outlines  of  the  Elk 
River  Valley.  I  saw  the  saucy  squirrel  as  he  shook  down  brown 
chestnuts  in  my  path.  I  thought  of  the  simple  folk  living  in  happy 
content  in  these  romantic  woods.  I  envied  them.  Man  dis- 
quiets himself  and  runs  to  and  fro  in  the  earth.  He  seeks  pleasure 
—  a  vain  pursuit.  The  West  Virginian  or  the  Kentuckian  who 
is  content  in  his  beautiful  valley  with  its  clear  water,  entrancing 
forests,  mild  and  healthful  climate  is  wise  —  much  wiser  than  I 
have  been  in  striving  to  carve  a  name  on  the  tablets  of  fame.  My 
only  recompense  is  the  thought  that  the  old  blood  of  the  Celts 
has  girdled  the  world  and  been  the  pioneer  stock  in  every  country 
raow  known  to  civilization;  and  that  I  was  urged  on  by  the  energy 


Akchakology  and  the  Lost  Mines  405 

developed  by  my  ancestors  and  yours  when  they  were  dwellers 
on  the  shores  of  the  Baltic  and  Black  Seas.  That  must  be  your 
solace  in  youi-  new  honie  and  western  cnxinmnients. 

1  have  seen  the  vast,  arid  plains  of  the  Columbia;  and  the 
deep  forests  of  Oregon  and  Washington.  1  have  looked  into  the 
green  waters  of  the  great  Sound.  I  have  gone  up  the  most  beauti- 
ful of  Western  valleys,  the  W  illamettc.  I  have  been  tossed  on 
the  bosom  of  the  mighty  Pacific;  but  there  was  ever  with  me  a 
remembrance  of  the  blue  hills  of  old  Kentucky.  Such  memory 
is  put  into  the  soul  of  ever}'  mountaineer. 

Dut\-  calls  us  to  strange  places,  and  while  we  ma\-  be  strangers 
in  a  strange  land,  we  can  do  our  duty  there.  I  have  often  looked 
at  the  full  moon  swung  in  the  heavens  and  imagined  that  mv 
friends  on  the  Southern  hills  might  be  gazing  there,  too.  God's 
providence  hedges  us  about  whether  we  are  on  the  dark  rolling 
Columbia  or  the  romantic  Alonongahela.  Man  is  worth  nothing 
without  an  ideal,  and  one  of  mine  is  the  old  home-land  where  the 
beech  nuts  drop,  the  waters  are  blue  and  the  folk  generous  and 
honest  without  the  destructive  lust  for  wealth  so  characteristic  of 
the  modern  American.  It  is  the  background  of  my  life  and  my 
inspiration. 

But  1  will  tell  you  of  my  journey.  I  left  Clarksburg  on  a 
cloudy  morning  in  October.  At  Weston  it  was  raining;  and  it 
continued  to  rain  all  the  way  to  Sutton,  as  it  only  can  in  the  foot- 
hills of  the  Alleghenies  in  the  autumn.  The  following  day  was 
cloudy,  but  one  of  those  days  when  you  know  that  it  will  not  rain. 
I  worked  at  Little  Otter,  in  Braxton  County,  and  that  night  I 
stayed  at  Frametown,  on  Elk  River.  This  village  consists  of  a 
mill  and  a  small  hotel,  named  in  memor}-  of  old  man  Frame,  once 
a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  who  first  settled  there.  He  became 
famous  for  punishing  a  constable  for  summoning  witnesses  to 
attend  his  court  on  the  day  there  was  a  shooting-match  for  beef. 
He  had  proclaimed  all  shooting-match  days  holidays. 

From  Frametown  1  started  at  daylight  to  the  home  of  Abner 
Ramsey,  near  Enoch,  in  Clay  County,  guided  by  Hughes,  a  great- 
grandson  of  Jesse  Hughes,  the  pioneer  and  Indian  tighter.  Ram- 
sey lived  on  the  top  of  a  crag  seemingly  a  mile  high  and  over- 
hanging Buffalo  Creek;  on  which  stream  the  father  of  my  guide 
had  once  owned  a  mill  and  where  he  died.  It  was  the  pension 
•claims  of  two  surviving  widows,  which  I  was  investigating  for  the 


406  Appendix  III 

Government  Bureau  of  Pensions.  It  appeared  that  he  had  mar- 
ried one  without  getting  a  divorce  from  the  other. 

It  was  five  o'clock  before  I  was  ready  to  descend  from  the 
crag  on  which  Ramsey  dwelt,  and  I  had  to  get  to  Nicholas  Court 
House  or  Summersville,  that  night.  Hughes  left  me  at  Ramsey's, 
and  I  had  for  guide  my  driver,  a  rather  rough  customer  by  name 
of  Thayer,  a  boy  of  nineteen,  who  had  already  killed  his  man. 
When  we  were  leaving  Sutton  he  came  armed  to  the  teeth  and 
with  two  quarts  of  bust-head.  I  prevailed  on  him  to  leave  both 
behind,  telling  him  that  I  would  protect  him.  He  insisted  that 
he  had  enemies  who  would  kill  him  and  demanded  to  know  "what 
kind  uv  weepins  yo'  totin'."  I  told  him  that  I  only  carried  a 
small  pocket-knife  and  had  no  expectation  of  needing  to  use  even 
that.  He  was  skeptical  and  I  had  much  trouble  in  getting  him 
off  without  his  artillery,  but  finally  succeeded  in  having  him  dis- 
card both  weapons  and  whiskey. 

Thayer  was  familiar  with  most  of  the  roads,  but  was  appalled 
when  I  told  him  that  I  should  go  to  Summersville  yet  that  night. 
The  road  is  through  a  ninety-six  thousand  acre  tract  without  a 
stick  amiss.  It  was  darker  than  Egypt,  and  I  had  to  walk  and 
feel  for  the  road  several  miles  over  the  mountains;  but  we  struck 
the  Gauley  at  the  mouth  of  Muddlety  at  midnight.  From  that 
point  to  Summersville  it  is  a  beautiful  country  with  good  roads. 

The  next  day  we  drove  from  Summersville  to  Sutton,  crossing 
Powell's  Mountain  on  the  way.  The  day  was  grand,  and  I  would 
give  much  for  a  photograph  of  the  view  from  the  mountain  look- 
ing west;  a  finer  view  I  have  not  seen.  They  had  recently  erected 
a  monument  on  top  of  the  mountain  in  honor  of  some  Confederate 
officer  who  fell  there  in  the  Civil  War,  but  I  had  not  time  to  get 
the  facts.  Do  you  know  about  the  circumstances.'^  I  should 
like  to  have  the  particulars.  (5) 

I  shall  not  forget  this  trip  to  my  dying  day.  The  smoky 
haze  drifted  idly,  and  the  blending  of  a  thousand  hues  made  the 
day  ideal.  At  Birch  River,  or  Big  Birch,  at  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain, we  had  dinner.  The  hotel  was  kept  by  a  widow.  The 
daughter  cooked  our  meal  and  waited  on  the  table.  In  all  my 
travels  I  have  not  seen  a  fairer  girl  nor  one  of  more  native  intel- 
ligence and  modesty.  She  said  she  often  thought  she  would  like 
to  see  more  of  the  world,  and  knew  that  she  should  like  a  good 
education  and  be  able  to  fit  herself  for  a  higher  sphere;  but  her 

(5)  See  page  509. 


Archakoi.ogv  and  Till-;  L(;st  Minks  407 

mother  needed  her  liclj^  in  the  "tavern"  and  she  must  remain. 
She  was  content  and  happy  in  this  duty  to  her  mother,  though 
she  had  full  confidence  in  her  ability  to  make  her  way  in  the  world 
and  secure  a  good  education;  but  she  was  willing  to  forego  all,  that 
the  burden  might  be  lightened  for  her  parent.  Her  self-sacrifice 
is  but  a  single  one  of  the  tragedies  being  enacted  in  the  far-off 
mountains  we  both  love  so  well. 

\\"c  passed  through  Little  Birch  and  over  nuumtains  and 
reached  Sutton  before  sundown.  That  night  I  walked  a  mile  to 
interview  W  illiani  Carpenter,  of  whom  I  have  written  you.  (7) 
He  wanted  nie  to  remain  over  night  and  go  with  him  to  Scott's 
Mountain  to  shoot  wild  turkeys.  He  also  promised  me  some  rare 
sport  trailing  a  famous  coon  which  had  eluded  all  the  dogs  in  the 
country  for  some  years.  He  assured  me  that  I  should  shoot  a 
bear  if  I  desired,  as  there  were  many  in  the  woods. 

I  saw  a  number  of  deer  on  the  trip  and  heard  wolves  in  the 
forest  between  Buffalo  Creek  and  the  Cjauley.  I  heard  witch 
and  ghost  stories  and  more  folk-lore  than  I  could  gather  in  the 
west  in  a  lifetime. 

Your  friend, 

\\  ILLIAM   E.   CONNELLEY. 


APPENDIX  IV 


Correspondence  favoring  executive  clemency  for  John  Clay- 
pole  and  his  adherents,  in  the  Tory  uprising  in  Hampshire  County, 

Virginia,  1781. 

"Hampshire  County,  April  14th,  1781. 
"Enclosing  "Return"  of  Two  Battalions  in  that  county  —  Instructions  had 
come  from  Genl:  Clarke  not  to  march  the  militia  until  further  Orders  —  He  has 
issued  the  order  for  the  full  number  required  by  the  Draft,  but,  adds,  "I  am  afraid 
they  will  not  be  complyed  with,  by  Reason  of  the  disaffected  people  amongst  us. 
(A  Collector  of  one  of  the  Divisions  for  making  up  the  Cloathes  and  Beef  was  Inter- 
rupted in  the  execution  of  his  office.)  A  certain  John  Claypole  said  if  all  the  men 
were  of  his  mind,  they  would  not  make  up  any  Cloathes,  Beef  or  Men,  and  all  that 
would  join  him  shuld  turn  out.  Upon  which  he  got  all  the  men  present,  to  five  or 
six  and  Got  Liquor  and  Drank  King  George  the  third's  health,  and  Damnation  to 
Congress,  upon  which  Complaint  was  made  to  three  Magistrates.  Upon  which 
there  was  a  warrant  Issued  for  several  of  them,  and  Guard  of  Fifty  men  with  the 
Sheriff.  When  they  came  to  the  place  they  found  sixty  or  seventy  men  embodied, 
with  arms  —  After  some  time  they  capitulated,  the  Sheriff  served  the  precept  on 
the  said  John  Claypole,  but  he  refused  to  come  with  him  or  give  up  his  arms;  but 
agreed  to  come  such  a  time,  which  time  is  Passt  —  Inclosed  you  have  a  Copy  of 
a  Letter  they  sent  me,  and  the  answer  I  sent  them  —  I  was  informed  there  was  one 
hundred  and  fifty  of  them  to  Gether  the  next  day.  I  am  informed  there  are  several 
Deserters  amongst  those  people,  Some  from  the  English  Prisoners.  Some  Eighteen 
Months  men,  and  some  Eight  Months  men  which  they  support  and  conceal." 
Refers  his  Excellency  to  Mr.  Woodson  the  bearer  for  further  particulars." 

The  letter  enclosed,  with  reply— 

"Sir, 

"Having  consulted  the  Majority,  it  is  the  Desire  of  them  that  their  Conduct 
that  has  past  Lately  may  be  forgiven,  as  a  great  part  of  it  was  occasioned  by  Liquor, 
and  as  there  is  things  that  is  Laid  to  the  Charge  of  Sum,  that  is  clear  of  the  Charge, 
but  moreover  we  acknowledge  our  behavior  was  not  Discreet,  if  you  would  Please 
to  pass  it  by,  we  will  submit  to  pay  our  Tax  as  the  Law  directs;  and  are  willing  to 
pay  our  District  tax  or  Beef  and  Clothing  if  they  can  be  purchased,  and  likewise 
to  Complyable  to  the  Laws  of  the  State,  as  far  as  our  ability  will  allow,  the  Request 
of  the  majority  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  — 

From  Sir,  yr:  humble  Servant 
To  Colo.  Van  Meter  —  April  3d  1781.  Josiah  Osburn." 

Reply — 

"April  4th,  1781. 
"Sir, 

"I  rec'd  yours  dated  the  third  Inst:  and  am  very  Glad  to  hear  the  A-Iutineers 
Begin  to  see  their  Folly,     they  may  Depend  I  shall  shew  them  all  the  Lenity  the 


Tory  Uprising  on  iiii;  \\  aim'atomak  \  409 

circumstance  of  the  Case  will  admit  of.  but  those  char^'able  with  breaking;  the  Law  I 
cannot  clear,  as  I  am  but  an  Individual,  unless  they  who  are  in  the  warrant  Comes 
in  and  Clears  themselves  —  from  your  friend,  while  \ou  are  friends  to  yourselves 
and  the  United  States. 

CiARKi  ri  \'.\nMi;ti:r." 
'I'm  josiali  Osliurn — - 

Letter  from  (larrctl  \  an.Mcter  Co.  Com:  to  (lovcrnor  Jeffer- 
son—  From  Calt-ndar  oj  I  iri^inui  State'  Paprrs,   \  ol.    II,   jip.  40-41. 

"RocKi.NGHAM  CoiNTV.  .\ut:ust  2nd.  17sl. 

"Sir. 

"1  have  llie  honour  to  enclose  to  your  l',.\celienc_\'  a  petition  troin  John  Clavpdk- 
and  others,  concerned  in  tlie  late  Insurrection  in  Hampshire  County;  which  I  wish 
from  motives  of  good  policy,  as  well  as  humanity  may  have  the  desired  effect.  .Vs  1 
apprehend  it  would  be  attended  with  pernicious  consequences  to  hold  out  pardon 
to  those  who  denied  to  surrender  tiiemselves  to  Justice,  or  delayed  to  submit  to  the 
Laws  of  their  Country,  uniill  they  were  sure  of  escaping  punishment;  and  at  the 
same  time  to  prosecute  those  who  readily  submitted  the  Investigation  and  punish- 
ment of  their  crimes,  to  the  Laws  of  the  Land:  since  it  would  certainly  operate  as 
an  Encouragement  to  future  offenders  to  stand  out  untill  the\'  were  assured  of 
Indemnit)'. 

"Another  political  reason  I  beg  leave  to  assign,  is  the  many  relations  &  con- 
nexions that  the  Claypole  Family  have  in  that  part  of  the  Country:  as  there  is  the 
leather  &:  5  sons,  with  many  grand  children,  who  b\-  inter-marriages  are  connected 
with  the  most  considerable  Families  on  those  waters,  and  the  strongest  friends  to 
our  present  Constitution,  and  to  prosecute  him  with  \igour,  whilst  the  ringleaders 
have  evaded  Justice  by  flight,  and  those  in  similar  circumstances  of  Guilt  arc  par- 
doned, would  probably  sour  the  minds  of  his  numerous  connexions,  and  perhaps  be 
rcguarded  b\-  them  as  pointed  and  partial. 

"I  must  also  add,  that  he  has  a  letter  from  (jeneral:  Morgan  engaging  to  pro- 
cure his  pardon,  on  his  returning  to  his  Dut\- — Humanity  also  pleads  strongly  in 
their  behalf,  for  on  my  attending  the  intended  Court  of  Oyer  the  10th  ult:  for  the 
Trial  of  those  Miscreants,  as  directed  by  your  Excellencies  Letter,  I  had  the  oppor- 
tunity of  viewing  the  distressing  Scenes  of  aged  mothers,  wives,  &  children  crowding 
to  the  Court  House  to  take  the  last  Leave  of  their  unhappy  Sons,  husbands  &  fathers, 
apprehending  that  Execution  would  be  immediate  on  the  Sentence  of  Death,  which 
in  spite  of  all  my  aversion  to  Tories,  strongly  atTected  my  feelings  —  I  need  not 
mention  to  a  Gentleman  of  your  approved  Goodness  of  Heart,  the  maxim  of  a 
celebrated  Writer  "that  it  is  the  Enormity,  or  dangerous  Tendency  of  a  Crime  that 
alone  can  warrant  any  Earthly  Legislature  in  putting  him  to  Death,  that  commits 
it."  And  tho'  the  crime  of  the  petitioners  was  of  the  most  dangerous  Tendency,  \-et 
they  transgressed  more  thro  Ignorance  than  Design;  and  their  offence  proceeded 
rather  from  Error  &:  prejudice,  than  an)'  deliberate  Intention  of  Injuring  the  State, 
or  disturbing  Government:  from  all  which  considerations  I  would  humbly  presume 
that  the  hoiible  Board  will  extend  the  Act  of  Indemnity,  as  well  to  the  petitioners 


410  Appendix  IV 

herein  referred  to,  as  to  all  those,  who  were  by  the  Examining  Court,  bound  over 
to  be  indicted  at  the  next  grand  Jury  for  the  County"  &c  &c 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  Your  Excelly's 

most  obt  &  very  humble  Servt." 

Letter  from  Peter  Hog  to  Governor  Nelson,  containing  peti- 
tion from  John  Claypole  and  others — From  Calendar  of  Virginia 
State  Papers,  Vol.  II,  pp.  284-285. 

"Hampshire  County,  November  26th,  1781. 

"Having  been  examined  by  a  called  court  "hath  been  set  for  further  trial," 
but  in  as  much  as  "the  same  ignorance  and  unaccountable  infatuation"  seems  to 
extend  to  this  unhappy  man  "that  actuated  those  deluded  people,  and  although  he 
was  the  worst  of  them,  he  hopes,  if  it  be  consistent  with  wisdom  that  he  may  also 
"experience  the  lenity  of  the  Legislature"  —  A  few  of  "the  deluded  wretches"  still 
remain  out,  particularly  a  certain  John  Woolf,  who  had  broken  Jail,  and  has  never 
been  seen  since  —  He  has  taken  every  means  to  have  them  all  apprehended  —  He 
will  at  the  command  of  His  Excellency  call  a  Court  of  Oyer  &  Terminer  for  the  trial 
of  Smith  and  others,  but  hopes  the  Legislature  may  "incline  to  pass  an  act  of 
indemnity  for  the  whole  of  them." 

Is  much  in  need  of  a  copy  of  the  new  Militia  Law  and  the  Articles  of  War,  not 
being  able  to  "try  delinquents"  in  consequence  —  Asks  for  a  number  of  blank  com- 
missions to  supply  the  new  nominations  made  —  His  declining  health  forces  him 
to  resign  his  commission  as  Co.  Lieutenant,  but  as  Mr.  Joseph  Nevill  who  has 
been  recommended  to  succeed  him  cannot  act  until  commissioned,  he  will  endeavour 
to  act  until  A/lr.  Nevill  qualifies,  especially  as  Col:  Cresap,  next  in  command  lives 
in  so  remote  a  part  of  the  Country.  He  sends  this  by  Mr.  Woodrow,  as  an  Express? 
as  neither  of  the  Delegates  are  going  down,  and  hopes  his  expenses  will  be  allowed. 

Letter  from  Colonel  Garrett  VanMeter  to  Governor  Nelson. 
—  Informing  him,  "that  Robert  Smith  one  of  the  Ringleaders 
of  the  late  insurrection  in  this  County  hath  voluntarily  sur- 
rendered himself." — From  the  Calendar  of  Virginia  State  Papers ^ 
Vol.  II,  pp.  624,  625. 

To  His  Excellency  Thos:  Nelson  Esqr.  Governor  &c  and  the  Honorable 
Council  of  Virginia. 
The  petition  of  John  Claypole,  Thos:  Denton,  David  Roberts,  Jr.,  Mathias 
Wilkins,  and  George  Wilkins,  Inhabitants  of  Cacapon  in  the  Count)-  of  Hampshire 

Humbly  Sheweth 
That  your  petitioners  living  in  an  obscure  and  remote  corner  of  the  State,  are  pre- 
cluded from  every  Intelligence  of  the  State  of  affairs,  either  by  Public  Papers  or 
from  Information  of  Men  of  Credit  and  Veracity,  and  at  the  same  time  infested  by 
the  wicked  Emissaries  or  pretended  Emmissaries  of  the  British  who  travel  through 
all  parts  of  the  Frontiers,  and  by  Misrepresentations  and  false  news  poisoned  the 
Minds  of  the  Ignorant  and  credulous  Settlers:  That  your  petitioners  from  narrow 
and  confined  notions,  &  attached  to  strongly  to  their  Interests,  conceived  the  Act 


Tory  L  prising  on  tiu:  W  ai'I'atomaka  411 

of  laying  the  enormous  Tax  of  Eiglitj'  'I'wo  Pounds  paper  Moiie\'  on  evcr\"  hundred 
pounds  of  their  property,  rated  in  Specie,  and  a  Bount\'  for  the  Recruits  of  the  Con- 
tinental Arnn-,  and  the  Law  subjecting  them,  at  the  same  time  to  be  draughted  for 
the  said  Service,  and  the  further  Act  for  Cloathing  the  Arm\,  as  unjust  and  oppres- 
sive after  paying  such  a  iiigh  tax  on  their  Assessed  propert)',  and  those  wicked  and 
designing  men  by  their  artful!  insinuations  &  false  Intelligences  industriously 
propagated  to  delude  &  seduce  your  petitioners,  too  readily  prevailed  on  them  to 
oppose  the  Execution  of  the  said  Acts,  and  take  ii[-i  Arms  in  defence  of  what  those 
wretches  called  their  l.ibertv  and  propert}'.  But  your  Petitioners  Humbly  shew 
that  they  never  concocted  or  conspired  the  destruction  of  Government,  or  the  hurt 
of  any  Individuals,  further  than  to  defend  themselves  when  attacked  or  ccjmpellcd 
to  yield  obedience  to  those  Laws.  .\nd  wlien  your  petitioners  were  made  sensible 
of  their  Error,  b\-  the  Gentlemen  from  the  Adjacent  Counties,  who  marched  a  bod)- 
of  men  sufficient  to  have  put  all  the  disobedient  &  deluded  crew  to  the  Sword,  but 
from  motives  of  humanity  &.  prudence  attempted  the  more  mild  method  of  Argu- 
ment to  dispel  the  delusion,  and  bring  them  back  to  their  dut\',  \-our  Petitioners, 
ready  to  receive  information,  and  open  to  correction  rcadii\'  v'a\e  up  their  Arms  and 
engaged  to  deliver  themselves  to  Justice  and  submit  to  the  Laws  of  their  Country 
when  called  for;  which  they  have  since  done  and  stood  their  Trials  in  the  County 
Court  of  Hampshire,  and  were  by  that  Court  adjudged  to  stand  a  further  Tryai 
before  a  Special  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer,  appointed  to  meet  at  the  Court  House 
on  the  Tenth  Day  of  July  last,  but  the  Gentlemen  nominated  as  Judges  by  the 
Hon'ble  Board  failing  to  attend,  the  prosecution  was  postponed.  .\nd  your  peti- 
tioners were  then  Informed  by  a  Proclamation  under  the  hand  of  the  County  Lieu- 
tenant, that  tiic  Executive,  ever  prone  to  adopt  the  most  lenient  measures  to  peni- 
tent otfendcrs.  offered  pardon  and  Indemnity  to  all  those  concerned  in  the  late  insur- 
rection, if  thc'\'  would  return  to  their  duty,  and  helia\e  as  good  Citizens  in  future. 
And  >our  petitioners  impressed  with  a  deep  Sense  of  the  gracious  Intentions  of 
your  Excellency  and  the  Hon'ble  Board,  towards  the  Ignorant  and  deluded,  were 
encouraged  to  sue  for  pardon;  and  that  the  same  Act  of  grace  might  be  extended 
towards  them,  since  they  humbly  conceive  their  Conduct  has  been  more  Conso- 
nant to  the  Duty  of  good  Citizens,  who  conscious  that  they  have  Transgress'd 
against  the  Laws  of  their  Country,  readily  delivered  themselves  to  Justice  and  to 
Tryal  by  their  Peers,  to  suffer  the  punishment  due  to  their  crimes,  tho'  committed 
thro'  Ignorance  and  misguided  zeal;  Whereas  tliosc  who  ha\c  availed  themselves 
of  the  said  Proclamation,  tho'  equalh'  t:uilt\ .  did  not  conie  in  umil  tiieir  safety 
was  insured  to  them  b\'  the  promise  of  pardon. 

Wherefore,  your  Petitioners  humbly  hope,  from  the  known  Cleuiency  ot  your 
Excellency,  and  that  Equianimity  that  governs  the  Councils  of  the  Hon'ble 
Board,  that  they  will  be  graciously  pleased  to  pardon  their  past  offences,  and  include 
them  in  the  Act  of  Indemnity  so  mercifully  held  out  to  offenders  under  the  like 
circumstances,  and  they  engage,  on  the  Eaith  of  honest  Citizens  to  Act  a  true  and 
faithful  part  to  the  State  in  future,  if  they  are  released  from  further  prosecution, 
and  restored  to  the  privileges  of  other  Citizens:  which  your  petitioner  John  Clay- 
pole  is  more  encouraged  to  expect,  from  a  letter  of  Gcnl:  Morgan's  to  your  said 
Petitioner,  wherein  he  promises  to  procure  his  pardon,  on  his  returning  to  his  Alle- 
giance and  becoming  a  Good  Citizen;  this  he  humbly  conceives  his  behavior  has 


412  Appendix  IV 

done  since  he  was  convince  of  his  Error,  and  freed  from  those  mistaken  prejudices 
that  seduced  him  from  his  duty  — 

Wherefore,  in  deep  contrition  for  their  past  misconduct  and  sincere  promise 
of  conducting  themselves  as  good  citizens  for  the  time  to  come,  they  humbly  pray 
for  Pardon,  and  that  the  Hon'ble  Board  will  save  their  innocent  wives  and  children 
from  ruin  and  misery,  which  they  must  necessarily  be  involved  in,  for  the  crimes 
of  their  deluded  Husbands  and  Parents, 

And  your  Petitioners  shall  ever  pray  &c." 

Papers  relating  to  the  pardon  of  John  Claypole  and  others. — 
From  Calendar  of  Virginia  State  Papers,  Vol.  II,  pp.  682,  683. 

Petition  of  Citizens  to  the  Executive,  for  the  Pardon 
OF  John  Claypole,  on  account  of  his  previous  good  standing 

AS  AN   "honest,  peaceable,  WELL  MEANING  MAN." 

Hampshire  County,  1781. 
Numerously  signed,  the  following  names  appearing  among 
the  signatures  —  Vandeventer,  Ruddell,  Hutton,  Bullett,  Bird, 
Hite,  VanMeter,  Randall,  Vause,  Lynch,  Ashby,  Harris,  Shanklin, 
and  many  others. —  From  Calendar  oj  Virginia  State  Papers, 
Vol.  II,  pp.  683,  684. 

"Hampshire  County,  1781. 

"PETITION  OF  JACOB  BRAKE  (1)  AND  OTHERS,  for  pardon  for  having 
through  ignorance,  and  the  persuasion  of  others,  joined  in  the  late  'Conspiracy  , 
against  the  State  the  object  of  which  was  to  refuse  payment  of  Taxes,  and  to  oppose 
the  Act  of  Oct:  1780  for  raising  Troops  for  the  Service"  — 

"Setting  forth  the  same  reasons  given  in  John  Claypole's  application,  why 
they  should  enjoy  Executive  Clemency,  and  adding,  that  they  'have  been  instru- 
mental in  detecting  and  bringing  in  some  of  the  Principal  Conspirators  to  Justice  Sec. 

"Signed  by —JACOB  BRAKE,  Adam  Rodebaugh,  John  Mace,  Michael 
Algrie,  Isaac  Brake,  John  Mitchell,  Saml:  Lourie,  Leonard  Hier,  Jacob  Hier,  George 
Peck,  John  Casner,  Jacob  Yeazle,  Thos:  Nutler,  Thos:  Stacey,  John  Rodebaugh, 
Henry  Rodebaugh,  Jacob  House,  Jeremiah  Ozburn,  Jacob  Crites,  Anthony  Reager, 
Josiah  Ozburn,  George  Lites,  Charles  Borrer,  Jacob  Pickle.  John  Wease,  Adam 
Wease,  &  Adam  Wease,  Jur:  —  " 

From  Calendar  of  Virginia  State  Papers,  Vol.  II,  p.  686. 


(1)  See  page  509. 


NOTES 


> 


u 


u 


u 


■-, 

o 

r^ 

-;^ 

''^ 

■^. 

■^ 

■^ 

o 

o 

^^ 

^ 

^v. 

a  s 


^ 


5    s 


«  ■ 


•^  ^ 


>^ 


<^  i 


XCn'KS  ox  CIlAPTl-.R 


(1)  \\ai'-i'A-to-ma-ka:  also  spelled,  If'a-po-iom-i-ka:  the  Indian  appellation  for 
the  Soulli  Branch  of  the  Potomac  River.  1  have  adhered  to  this  aboriginal 
coijnomen,  which  was  bestowed  by  some  tribe  of  the  Algonquian  family;  most 
probably  the  Leni-lenapc  (Delaware),  or  the  Shawnee.  On  a  map  of  Virginia, 
1769,  it  is  written  "W'appocomo,  or  South  Branch  of  Potowmac  R."  Other  forms 
of  the  name  are  met  with  in  the  earliest  records.  The  meaning  has  been  inter- 
preted by  some  writers:  "river  of  wild  geese;"  which  I  am  inclined  to  doubt. 
Tlic  name  contains  the  Delaware  and  the  Shawnee  root,  wap,  or  wamp  (white I. 
It  is  very  similar  to  Wah-pi-ko-me  -kah  (white  waters),  the  Delaware  and  the 
Miami  name  for  the  White  River  of  Indiana.  Otiier  names  of  corresponding 
import  might  be  mentioned.     Wakatomika,  Shawnee  town  on  Muskingum  River. 

.\  village  of  the  Munsee  branch  of  tlie  Delaware  nation,  located  on  White 
Ri\cr  where  Muncie,  Indiana,  now  stand.s,  was  called  JFapicomrkokf  (Wah-pi-ko- 
mc-kunk)  "White-river  town." 

Wapeminskink  (Wah-pi-mins-kink),  was  a  Delaware  town  on  the  west  fork  of 
this  stream  at  the  present  site  of  Anderson,   Indiana.     It  has  been  erroneously 

identitied    with    Jf'apicomekoke. Hand  Book    of   .American    Indians:    Bureau    of 

Ethnology,  Washington,  1910,  Part  2,  p.  912. 

Wappatomica  was  the  "upper  Shawnee  village"  on  tiic  upper  waters  of  the 
Great  Miami  River,  Ohio,  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  The  name  has  gone 
into  history  in,  perhaps,  a  dozen  different  forms.  Buttcrhcld's  History  of  ihf 
Cirtys,  Cincinnati,  1896.  p.  74. 

Wapakoneta  (Wa-pa-ko-nc  -ta),  "White-jacket,"  was  a  small  contemporary 
village  of  the  same  tribe  on  the  waters  of  Mad  River;  and  after  the  Treaty  of 
Greenville,  1795,  on  the  Auglaize  River,  Ohio.     JVhite-jacket  was  a  Shawnee  chief. 

The  South  Branch  was  known  to  the  Iroquois  by  the  name  usually  spelled 
Coliongononita.  In  this  is  found  the  Iroquoin  root  for  wild-goose,  "kohank;"  and 
if  the  interpretation:  "river  of  wild  geese"  is  applicable  to  this  historic  stream,  it 
is  through  this  name  and  not  the  JVappatomaka  of  the  Algonquian,  Delaware- 
Shawnee.  Unfortunately  most  of  the  Indian  geographical  names  recorded  by  the 
colonists  arc  greatly  corrupted;  and  often  tlie  rendition,  at  best,  can  only  be  a 
surmise. 

(2)  WiTiiKR.s — Border  Jf'arfarc;  Cincinnati,  1895,  p.  117. 
DeMass — Indian  IVars  of  JVestern  Virginia;  Wheeling,  1851,  p.  75. 
Mo-non-ga-he-la:    by    far   the    most    pleasing,    euphonic    geographic    name 

within  the  Trans-.Mlegheny.  On  some  of  the  old  maps  and  early  records  it  is 
spelled:  Mi-nangiliilli,  Mohengeyela,  Mohongeyela,  Mohongaly.  Monongalia,  and  a 
few  other  forms.  Of  Algonquian  origin,  the  meaning  is  uncertain.  That  which 
is  generally  accepted,  and  as  interpreted,  implies:  "falling-in-banks,"  or  "sliding- 
banks."  The  peninsula  formed  by  the  junction  of  this  stream  and  that  of  the 
Youghiogheny,  was  called  b}'  the  Delawares:  Meh-non-au-au-ge-hel-ak,  "place  of 
caving"  or  "falling  banks,"  from  which,  doubtless,  the  present  name,  Mononga- 
lu'la  was  derived. 


416 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


-^ 

bMf.-' 

K 

■^ 

W' 

3 

-v^^ 

wT  iiM*.      . 

p^^^ 

%i^Y 

/Wsj  J^  \^r 

^p^S 

^^8 

^W  ^^ 

-^^ 

1 

m 

^ 

The  Pringle  Sycamore  of  Today 
Courtesy  of  Mr.  M.  C.  Brake 


For  some  of  the  Indian  names  of  streams  in  West  Virginia,  see  Hale's  Trans- 
Jllegheny  Pioneers;  Cmc\nna.t\,  1886.  Report  of  Archives  and  History  of  the  State 
of  West  Virginia;  Charleston,  1906. 

(3)  Turkey  Run  —  This  beautiful 
little  valley,  made  historic  by  the  Pringle 
Camp,  received  its  name  from  the  vast 
numbers  of  wild  turkeys  found  there  by 
the  first  settlers. 

The  spot  whereon  grew  the  Pringle 
Sycamore,  is  on  the  land  now  owned  by 
Mr.  Webster  Dix;  on  the  west  side  of 
Turkey  Run,  about  twenty-five  feet  from 
the  stream  and  some  forty  to  fifty  feet 
from  the  bank  of  the  Buckhannon  River. 
Withers,  p.  119,  speaks  of  the  stump  of 
this  tree  as  still  standing  in  1831.  The 
late  Hon.  William  C.  Carper,  of  Buck- 
hannon, remembered  seeing  it  about 
1848.  The  cavity  was  not  less  than 
twelve  feet  across. 

This  stump  disappeared  many  years 
ago  and  a  second  sycamore  sprang  up 
from  the  roots  of  the  parent  tree.  This 
tree  grew  quite  tall  and  straight.  About 
the  year  1880,  it  was  blown  down  and  washed  away  by  a  flood.  But  as  if  reluctant 
to  fail  to  mark  the  site  of  the  first  primitive  home  of  the  white  man  in  that  region, 
the  roots  shot  forth  a  second  sprout  and  this  grew  into  a  bushy  tree.  It  has  a  ' 
cavity  in  its  trunk  that  will  shelter  two  or  three  men  from  an  ordinary  storm. 
Mr.  Dix  has  promised  me  that  this  historic  land  mark  shall  be  protected. 

(4)  Prof.  A.  L.  Keith,  of  Carleton  College,  Northfield,  Minn.;  a  great  great 
•grandson  of  John    Pringle    and  Rebecca  Simpson,  is  confident,  after  exhaustive 

research,  that  the  two  John  Pringles  are  identical,  and  that  Simpson  the  trapper 
and  Simpson  the  slave  holder  were  one  and  the  same  person.  This,  however,  has 
not  been  truly  verified.     Several  of  the  Kentucky  Pringles  were  in  the  War  of  1812. 

(5)  See  Chapter  IX,  this  Volume. 

(6)  For  a  further  sketch  of  the  Pringles,  see  Border  Warfare. 
Also,  Chapter  XVIII,  History  of   Upshur  County,  West  Fa.,  1906. 

All  references  herein  to  the  several  County  Histories  of  West  Vigrinia,  have 
been  added  since  this  volume  was  practically  completed. 

(7)  See  Chapter  XXXIV,  this  Volume,  for  notice  of  the  belief  in  witchcraft. 

(8)  Doddridge,  in  his  Notes  on.  the  Settlement  and  Indian  Wars  of  Virginia  and 
Pennsylvania;  Albany,  1876,  pp.  140,  141,  gives  this  description  of  the  hunting 
shirt. 


Border  Settlers  oi  Ncjrtuwestern  \'iRt;iMA  417 

"The  hunting  shirt  was  universally  worn.  This  was  a  kind  of  loose  frock, 
reaching  half  way  down  the  thighs,  with  large  sleeves,  open  before,  and  so  wide 
as  to  lop  over  a  foot  or  more  when  belted.  The  cape  was  large,  and  sometimes 
handsomely  fringed  with  a  raveled  piece  of  cloth  of  a  different  color  from  that  of 
the  hunting  shirt  itself.  Tlic  bosom  of  this  dress  served  as  a  wallet  to  hold  a 
chunk  of  bread,  cakes,  jerk,  tow  fur  wiping  the  barrel  of  the  rifle,  or  any  other 
necessary  for  the  hunter  or  warrior.  Tiie  belt,  which  was  always  tied  behind, 
answered  several  purposes,  beside  that  of  holding  the  dress  together.  In  cold 
weather  the  mittens,  and  sometimes  the  bullet-bag,  occupied  the  front  part  of  it. 
To  the  right  side  was  suspended  the  tomahawk  and  to  the  left  the  scalping  knife 
in  its  leathern  sheath.  The  hunting  shirt  was  generally  made  of  linsey,  sometimes 
of  coarse  linen,  and  a  few  of  dressed  deer  skins.  These  last  were  very  cold  and 
uncomfortable  in  wet  weather." 

See  also  the  History  of  the  J'alley,  by  Kercheval;  an  old  edition,  p.  33S.  Dellass, 
pp.  94,  95.     Jnnals  of  the  ff'est;  Pittsburg,  1857,  p.  339. 

At  a  later  day  the  hunting  shirt  was  of  a  different  pattern,  a  sort  of  long  sack 
coat  or  "wammus,"  minus  the  cape  and  belt.  The  material  was  homespun  linsey, 
usually  colored  red.  The  back  was  cut  in  one  piece,  with  the  front  corners  long 
and  pendulous.  These  corners  were  tied  together  in  front,  drawing  the  tail  in 
a  close-fitting  belt  about  the  waist.  This  formed  the  body  of  the  coat  into  a 
capacious  bag,  extending  entirely  around  the  person  of  the  wearer.  In  this  handy 
repository  the   hunter  carried  his  food  and  small  necessaries. 

Several  years  ago  a  settler  in  Gilmer  County,  West  Virginia,  named  Wilson, 
was  digging  ginseng.  In  the  back  of  his  wammus  he  carried  a  ration  of  corn  bread 
and  jerk.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  two  dogs,  and  in  the  course  of  the  day 
came  upon  a  bear.  One  of  the  dogs  immediately  fled  to  camp.  The  bear  soon 
threw  the  man,  and  was  proceeding  to  "chew  him  up."  Fortunately  the  bear 
got  hold  of  the  corn  pone,  and  while  demolishing  that  savory  morsel,  the  dog 
which  had  remained  faithful  seized  the  bear  about  the  head,  causing  it  to  release 
its  hold  on  both  man  and  pone  to  deal  with  this  canine  adversary.  Wilson,  now 
free,  sprang  to  his  feet  and  dispatched  the  bear  with  his  rifle.  Upon  his  return 
to  camp,  he  promptly  shot  the  recreant  dog,  swearing  that  he  would  not  keep  a 
dog  that  would  desert  him  in  time  of  danger. 

The  origin  of  the  w'ord  "jerk,"  as  applied  to  dried  venison,  was  thus  humorously 
explained  by  Abram  Reger  and  Stephen  Martin,  two  old  hunters  of  the  Buck- 
hannon  region:  "The  hunter  often  takes  a  bite  of  dried  venison  without  cutting 
it  with  his  knife;  and  it  requires  a  strong  quick  jerk  with  both  hands  and  teeth 
to  sever  it — hence  the  name." 

(9)  The  following  is  part  of  a  note  written  by  me  for  the  recent  (1895)  edition 
of  fFither's  Chronicles  of  Border  Warfare. 

"Hughes  was  a  noted  border  scout,  but  a  man  of  tierce  unbridled  passions, 
and  so  confirmed  an  Indian  hater  that  no  tribesman,  however  peaceful  his  record, 
was  safe  in  his  presence.  Some  of  the  most  cruel  acts  on  the  frontier  are,  by  tradi- 
tion, attributed  to  this  man.  While  he  was  a  great  scout  and  Indian  trader  [trailer], 
he  never  headed  an  expedition  of  note.  This,  no  doubt,  was  because  of  his  fierce 
temperament  and  bad  reputation  among  his  countr\nien." 

"Want  of  space  alone,"  says  Mr.  Thwaites,  the  editor,  "prevents  me  from 


418  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

giving  Mr.  McWhorter's  narrative  of  Hughes'  long  and  bloody  career.  In  study- 
ing the  annals  of  the  border,"  continues  the  editor,  "we  must  not  fail  to  note 
that  here  and  there  were  many  savage-hearted  men  among  the  white  settlers 
whose  deeds  were  quite  as  atrocious  as  any  attributed  to  the  red-skins.  Current 
histories  of  Indian  warfare  seldom  recognize  this  fact." 

(10)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  121,  122.     DeHass,  Indian  Wars,  pp.  77,  78. 

(11)  Border  Warfare,  p.  122. 

(12)  See  Chapter  XXV,  this  Volume. 

(13)  History  of  Upshur  County,  West  Fa.,  p.  183. 


NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  II 

(1)  Border  Warfare,  Editor's  Preface,  p.  5. 

(2)  Draper's  Memoir  of  Withers,  Border  Warfare,  p.  11. 

(3)  This  was  William  Hacker,  Jr.,  the  eldest  son  of  John  Hacker,  the  first  settler 
on  Hacker's  Creek.  William  Hacker,  Sr.,  the  scout,  and  John  Hacker  the  settler, 
were  brothers.  There  was  a  sister  named  "Betsy,"  who,  tradition  says,  was 
Mrs.  Merrill,  of  Kentucky  border  fame;  while  another  version  of  this  tradition 
has  it  that  she  married  a  Mr.  Freeman,  although  crediting  her  with  the  terrible 
•achievements  of  Mrs.  Merrill  with  an  axe  and  a  featherbed. 

For  an  account  of  this  occurrence,  see  Border  Warfare,  pp.  405,  406.  DeHass, 
pp.  297,  298.     McKnight,  Our  Western  Border,  Chicago,  1902,  p.  698. 

(4)  This  was  Elias  Hughes.     See  Chapters  XXIV,  XXV,  this  Volume. 

(5)  Since  writing  this  chapter  I  have  come  in  possession  of  several  interesting 
letters  on  this  topic,  which  are  given  in  Appendix  I,  this  Volume. 

(6)  I  cannot  refrain  from  here  giving  a  few  incidents  of  Mrs.  Cunningham's 
captivity  as  told  by  my  step-mother,  a  granddaughter  of  Mrs.  Cunningham;  and 
who  often  heard  her  grandmother  tell  the  story  of  her  adventures. 

While  concealed  in  the  cavern,  the  searching  party  of  whites  came  upon  the 
rock  overhead  so  closely  that  Mrs.  Cunningham  said,  "Not  only  were  their 
voices  plainly  audible,  and  I  recognized  some  of  them,  but  the  slight  rustle  of  their 
shot  pouches  was  borne  to  my  ear.  I  was  in  mortal  terror  lest  my  baby  should 
cry,  knowing  full  well  that  swift  death  would  follow." 

A  pole  which  lay  in  the  cavern  showed  for  many  years  the  cuts  where  the 
Indians  had  hacked  it  with  their  tomahawks  during  their  involuntary  delay. 

When  Simon  Girty  was  negotiating  for  her  release  at  the  Maumee  Rapids 
in  the  autumn  1788,  the  Indians  seemed  reluctant  to  let  her  go  and  haggled  for 
some  time  over  the  amount  which  they  were  receiving  in  exchange.  Finally  one 
of  them  seized  her  roughly  by  the  shoulder  and  shoving  her  towards  Girty,  exclaimed 
fiercely:  "Take  her,  we  have  nothing  for  our  flesh  and  blood."     He  was  referring 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  \'ir(;ini.\  419 

to  the  warrior  who  was  mortally  wouiuicJ  by  Kdward  Ciinninirham  when  she  was 
taken  prisoner. 

Simon  Girty  was  iiistrumcntal  in  restoring  Mrs.  Cunningham  to  her  friends 
after  a  captivity  of  more  than  three  years;  but  McKcc,  the  British  aKcnt.  furnished 
the  goods  that  were  given  In  exchange. 

In  the  Autobiography  of  Rev.  James  L.  Clarke,  it  is  declared  that  .Mrs.  Cun- 
ningham, whose  Christian  name  was  Phoebe,  embraced  religion  while  on  her  way 
to  the  Indian  towns.  She  died  in  1S4\  near  Freed,  Calhoun  Ciuini}-,  West  \'a.. 
and  was  buried  there. 

For  a  general  account  of  the  Cunningham  tragedy,  consult:  Border  ffarfare, 
Dellass,  McKnight  and  Chapter  \'I,  I.owther's  History  of  Ritchie  County,  IVest  I'a. 
Dellass  and  McKnight  both  state  that  the  attack  on  the  Cunninghams  was  in 
June  1785;  but  Lieut.  Duvall  who  was  in  command  of  the  Harrison  County  Militia 
at  that  time,  gives  the  date  "31st  August,"  of  that  year,  when  he  reported  Mrs. 
Cunningham  killed.  See  Note  4,  Chapter  X\'II,  this  \'t)lume.  for  notice  of  Lieut. 
J.  P.  Duvall. 

Mrs.  Cunningham  in  depicting  domestic  pioneer  life,  gave  facts  which  I  do 
not  recall  ever  seeing  in  print.  Horse  collars  were  made  from  the  soft  fiber  obtained 
from  the  linden  tree.  When  the  sap  was  in  full  flow  the  bark  was  stripped  from 
the  trunk  in  long  sheets  and  thrown  into  the  water  and  left  there  until  the  sap- 
fiber  became  loosened;  when  it  could  be  separated  from  the  rough  outer  coating 
in  thin  ribbon-like  layers.  This  was  plaited  into  thick  pads  and  used  as  horse 
collars.     Grape  vines,  or  hickory  bark  twisted  into  ropes,  answered  for  traces. 

There  was  among  the  Cunninghams,  one  Joe,  captured  by  the  Indians  when  a 
small  boy  and  retained  by  them  until  grown.  The  traits  of  his  forest  life  were 
indelibly  fixed.  He  wore  large  rings  in  his  ears  and  in  many  ways  retained  the 
Indian  dress.  .\  heavy  hunting  knife  always  hung  at  his  belt,  and  he  had  an 
unpleasant  way  of  slipping  upon  persons  unawares  and  suddenly  whipping  out 
his  knife,  feign  stabbing  them,  accompanying  the  motion  with  a  gutteral  "/FAom." 
He  was  known  as  '"Indian  Joe." 

(7)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  309,  310. 

(8)  Border  Warfare,  p.  290. 

(9)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  247-258. 
00)  Border  Warfare,  p.  370. 

'11)  The  "Messrs.  Bonnetts"  were  Lewis,  Peter  and  Jacob;  brothers  to  Samuel 
and  John  Bonnett,  referred  to  elsewhere  in  this  Volume.  They  came  from  Hardy 
County,  Virginia.  Lewis  and  Peter  were  granted  pensions  for  services  as  Indian 
spies  from  1779  to  1783.  Their  narratives  are  interesting,  setting  forth  at  length 
their  services  along  the  Ohio  River  and  country  adjacent  to  the  upper  Monongahela 
settlements. 

Lewis  states  that  "In  .\pril  1783  in  a  skirmish  with  a  band  of  Indians,  had  a 
brother  John  killed,  we  put  his  body  in  a  well  known  cave  in  Lewis  Co.  where  his 
bones  are  yet  to  be  seen."     (1833.) 

John  Bonnett  was  killed  in  September  177S. 

Lewis  Bonnett  was  born  in  liardv  Countv,  \'a.,  in  17(i2. 


420  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

The  declaration  of  Peter  Bonnett  is  practicall}-  the  same  as  that  of  his  brother 
LeAvis,  and  both  were  granted  pensions. 

Jacob  Bonnett  was  pensioned  for  services  as  private  in  Col.  Crocket's  Virginia 
Regiment.  He  died  in  Lewis  County,  Va.,  in  December,  1847.  His  wife,  Martha, 
a  daughter  of  Jesse  Hughes,  died  in  December,  1834.  They  left  the  following 
children:  Martha;  Delilah,  married  Abram  Hess;  Eliza,  married  Fleming  Sprouse; 
Lucinda,  married  Jesse  Butcher;  Samuel,  Gracie,  Elizabeth. 

All  but  the  last  three  children  were  still  living  in  Lewis  County,  Va.,  in  April 
1860.     Samuel,  Gracie  and  Elizabeth  had  died  previously,  leaving  descendants. 

Adam  Flesher  secured  a  pension  for  two  years  alleged  service  in  Col.  Duvall's 
Regiment,  but  upon  the  recommendation  and  evidence  secured  by  W.  G.  Singleton, 
both  Flesher  and  the  Bonnetts  were  dropped  from  the  pension  roll  as  being  too 
young  to  have  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 

Flesher's  declaration  is  of  interest,  setting  forth  in  detail  his  experiences  during 
the  War.  He  was  the  son  of  Henry  Flesher,  the  first  settler  at  Weston,  and  he 
states  that  in  October,  1781,  he  went  with  his  father  and  family  to  the  Buckhannon 
Fort  where  he  engaged  in  a  five  days  scout  for  Indians.  The  Flesher  family 
remained  there  until  the  following  spring.  There  were  no  disturbances  during 
the  winter,  but  "in  February  the  Indians  came  within  2  miles  of  the  Fort,  and  killed 
John  Finch,  [Fink]  the  alarm  was  given  the  men  of  the  fort  including  myself;  we 
went  out,  found  the  body  and  buried  it.     I  was  engaged  in  this  matter  two  days." 

Henry  Flesher  was  born  July  29,  1764;  making  him  seventeen  years  of  age 
at  the  time  of  his  service  at  the  Buckhannon  Fort.  Many  served  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  at  that  age  and  even  younger.  On  February  22,  1792,  Flesher  married 
Elizabeth  Staats,  who  was  born  October  12,  1776.     Flesher  died  November  4,  1854. 

Jesse  Carpenter  and  Thomas  Cottral  were  also  granted  pensions  for  military 
services  on  the  border,  but  were  subsequently  stricken  from  the  list  for  the  same^ 
reason  as  were  the  Bonnetts  and  Flesher.  Cottral  claimed  to  have  served  through 
the  seasons  of  1779,  1780,  1781  and  1782.  His  declaration  is  barren  of  incidents. 
He  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  January  22,  1762.  Singleton  v/as  instrumental  in 
having  several  others  of  that  region  eliminated  from  the  pension  roll,  mostly  on 
the  same  grounds  as  the  foregoing  cases.  In  many  instances  his  rulings  appear 
very  arbitrary  and  unjust. 

(12)  For  a  notice  of  Col.  John  McWhorte'r,  see  Chapter  XXVIII,  this  Volume. 

(13)  Now  deceased.     See  Note  17,  Chapter  XXVIII. 

(14)  Border  Warfare,  p.  366. 

(15)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  217,  218. 

(16)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  135,  137. 


NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  III 

(1)  The  reader  will  hardly  fail  to  notice  the  striking  similarity  of  the  two  pre- 
ceding incidents  and  those  related  of  Lewis  Wetzel,  by  the  same  author,  DeHass, 
pp.  349,  353. 


Border  Settlers  of  NOrthw  esterx  \'irc;inia  421 


These  sketches  of  Hughes,  and  JVetzel,  are  also  found  in  McKnight's  Our 
Western  Border,  pp.  330-332,  669-671. 

(2)  Without  doubt  this  incident  occurred  at  West's  Fort.  It  is  hrietl)'  men- 
tioned in  Border  Jf'arfare,  pp.  287,  288.  A  full  account  of  the  transaction  will  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  \'oIumc. 

(3)  Local  tradition  sa\s  that  two  of  the  garrison  at  Tort  JelTerson,  Ohio,  were 
lured  into  the  woods  just  west  of  the  Fort  and  there  killed.  In  this  manner,  in 
the  summer  of  1792,  Capt.  Shaylor,  the  commander  of  that  Fort,  with  his  son, 
"a  lad  of  fine  promise,"  were  decoyed  from  the  fortress  and  the  latter  killed. 
The  Captain  escaped  closely  pursued  and  wounded  in  the  back  by  an  arrow. 
See  Burnet's  Notes  on  the  Northwestern  Territory,  Cincinnati,  1847,  pp.  112,  113, 
where  Shaylor  is  ranked  as  Major.  Also,  Howe's  Historical  Collections  of  Ohio, 
Volume  I,  pp.  529,  530. 

Samuel  Drake,  a  youth  and  a  rifleman  in  Gen.  Harrison's  Army,  War  of  1812, 
used  to  relate  that  while  in  camp  where  Detroit  now  stands,  he  heard  turkeys 
calling  for  two  mornings  back  of  his  tent.  Early  on  the  second  morning  he  stepped 
outside  and  was  examining  his  rifle  for  the  purpose  of  going  to  shoot  the  turkey, 
when  an  old  woodsman  with  a  rifle  on  his  shoulder  called:  "Samm\'  where  are 
you  going  with  that  gun."  Just  then  there  was  another  call  from  the  turkey  and 
Drake  replied:  "I  am  going  to  shoot  that  turkey."  The  old  borderman  heard  it. 
and  then  carefulh"  stationed  Drake  at  the  rear  of  the  tent  and  told  him  to  stay 
there  and  watch  and  he  would  "go  shoot  the  turkey  and  give  it  to  him."  The 
scout  then  went  about  a  half  mile  down  the  river  and  disappeared  in  the  woods. 
While  Drake  was  watching  the  place  from  where  the  cries  issued,  he  heard  the 
report  of  a  rifle  and  saw  an  Indian  throw  up  his  hands  and  fall  across  a  log.  Soon 
the  old  rifleman  came  back  and  told  Drake  to  "go  get  the  turkey  and  cook  it." 

(4)  History  of  Augusta  County,  J'irginia;  Staunton,  1882,  p.  353. 


XOTES  OX  CHAPTER  TV 

(l)  C.  V.  Woodson,  in  his  memoranda  of  the  Hughes  Family,  of  Powhatan 
County  (Virginia),  p.  208,  Volume  \',  Virginia.     Magazine  of  History,  1897,  says: 

"Record  (as  far  as  now  known)  of  the  Hughes  famih',  who  originalh'  owned 
Hughes'  Creek,  in  Powhatan,  Va. 

"Jesse  Hughes  and  his  wife  (French  Huguenot)  came  from  the  mother  country 
in  company  with  a  large  number  of  other  Huguenots,  and  settled  in  this  State 
while  yet  a  colony  of  England.  W'ith  others  who  obtained  grants  of  land  from 
King  Charles  II,  of  England,  Jesse  Hughes  settled  Hughes'  Creek,  on  James 
River,  in  Powhatan,  Va.,  and  on  this  place  he  and  his  family  lived  and  died.  Xo 
record  of  births,  deaths  or  marriages  extant.  Hughes'  Creek  was  entailed,  accord- 
ing to  the  English  law.  Continued  in  the  family  through  four  generations.  Martha 
Hartwell  Hughes,  who  intermarried  with  Francis  Goode  (son  of  Robert  Goode, 
the  third),  of  Whitby,  was  the  last  owner,  when  it  fell  into  other  hands. 

'Jesse  Hughes'  son,  Robert  Hughes  (first)  married  and  left  sons  and  daughters. 
Xo  record  of  births,  marriaees  and  deaths  of  himself  and  familv  now  extant. 


422  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

'  Robert  Hughes  (the  second)  son  of  Robert  Hughes  (the  first),  married  Ann 
Hartwell,  of  New  Kent.  They  had  three  sons,  Jesse  Hughes,  Robert  Hughes 
(the  third)  and  David  Hughes;  also  two  daughters,  Fanny  Hughes  and  Temperance 
Hughes.  She  married  Henry  Watkins,  of  Bush  River,  Prince  Edward  Count}-. 
They  had  five  sons  and  two  daughters.  No  record  of  family  now  extant  as  to 
births  and  deaths. 

"Jesse  Hughes,  son  of  Robert  Hughes  (the  second),  was  a  pioneer  and  explorer 
of  the  mountains  and  the  west  of  Virginia.  He  was  a  man  of  energy  and  bravery. 
He  died  on  one  of  his  expeditions  to  the  mountains.  Died  unmarried,  and  from 
him  his  brother,  Robert  Hughes,  inherited  Hughes'  Creek.  See  DeHass  for  an 
account  of  Jesse  Hughes'  career  in  West  Virginia  as  Indian  fighter,  etc. 

"Robert  Hughes  (the  third)  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War  as  captain  of 
a  volunteer  company;  married  previous  to  the  war,  Mary  Mosby,  a  daughter  of 
Littleberry  Mosby  and  his  wife.  Elizabeth  Netherland  was  a  daughter  of  his 
first  wife. 

"Robert  Hughes  (the  third)  died  soon  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary- 
War,  leaving  three  daughters,  Martha  Hartwell  Hughes,  Elizabeth  Netherland 
Hughes  and  Ann  Hartwell  Hughes.     No  sons." 

It  is  very  probable  that  Mr.  Woodson  errs  in  stating  that  Jesse  Hughes  was 
a  French  Huguenot.  During  the  terrible  persecution  of  the  Huguenots  in  France, 
many  of  them  migrated  to  England,  Germany  and  other  European  countries, 
while  others  settled  in  Africa  and  the  North  American  Colonies.  It  is  not  im- 
probable that  the  wife  of  Jesse  Hughes,  the  founder  of  this  family  in  Powhatan, 
Avas  a  French  Huguenot  and  that  they  were  accompanied  by  others  of  her  country- 
men to  Virginia.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  note  that  Mr.  Woodson  has  confounded 
Jesse  Hughes,  who  died  in  the  mountains,  with  Jesse  Hughes,  the  scout  of  border 
fame. 

(2)  Albache's  Western  Annals,  Pittsburgh,  1857,  p.  174. 

(3)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  89,  118. 

(4)  Following  is  the  version  of  this  tragedy  as  narrated  in  Border  Warfare, 
pp. 240,  241: 

"In  the  last  of  April,  a  party  of  about  twenty  Indians  came  to  the  neighbor- 
hoods of  Hacker's  Creek  and  the  West  Fork.  At  this  time  the  inhabitants  of 
those  neighborhoods  had  removed  to  West's  Fort,  on  the  creek,  and  to  Richard's 
Fort  on  the  river;  and  leaving  the  women  and  children  in  them  during  the  day. 
under  the  protection  of  a  few  men,  the  others  were  in  the  habit  of  performing  the 
usual  labors  of  their  farms  in  companies,  so  as  to  preserve  them  from  attacks  of 
the  Indians.  A  company  of  men,  being  thus  engaged,  the  first  week  of  Alay,  in 
a  field,  now  owned  by  A-Iinter  Bailey,  on  Hacker's  Creek,  and  being  a  good  deal 
dispersed  in  various  occupations,  some  fencing,  others  clearing,  and  a  few  plough- 
ing, they  were  unexpectedly  fired  upon  by  the  Indians,  and  Thomas  Hughes  and 
Jonathan  Lowther  shot  down;  the  others  being  incautiously  without  arms  fled 
for  safety.  Two  of  the  company,  having  the  Indians  rather  between  them  and 
West's  Fort,  ran  directly  to  Richard's,  as  well  for  their  own  security  as  to  give  the 
alarm  there.  But  they  had  already  been  apprized  that  the  enemy  was  at  hand. 
Isaac  Washburn,  who  had  been  to  mill  on  Hacker's  Creek  the  day  before,  on  his 
return  to  Richard's  Fort  and  near  to  where  Clement's  mill  now  stands,  was  shot 


Border  Settlers  oi   Northwestern  \"irc;ini.\  423 

from  his  horse,  tomahawked  and  scalped.  The  tindiii^'  <jf  his  bod}-,  thus  cruelly 
mangled,  had  given  them  the  alarm,  and  they  were  already  on  their  guard,  before 
the  two  men  from  Hacker's  Creek  arrived  with  the  intelli^'cnce  of  what  had  been 
done  there.  The  Indians  then  left  the  neighborhood  without  effecting  more 
havoc;  and  the  whites  were  too  weak  to  go  in  pursuit,  and  molest  them." 

It  was  claimed  by  the  old  settlers,  that  Isaac  Washburn  was  shot  on  the  river 
bank,  and  feeling  his  wound  mortal  and  to  save  his  hair  which  was  long  and  lux- 
uriant, he  leaped  into  the  deep  water  just  above  the  mouth  of  the  run  which  still 
bears  his  name.     The  crossing  was  on  a  ripple  a  little  further  down. 

Mr.  Clark  VV.  Helmick  of  West  Milford,  West  Va.,  writes  me  that  he  often 
Talked  with  Jesse  Lowther,  a  lad  of  about  ten  years  at  the  time  of  the  Washburn 
tragedy,  who  lived  in  the  Richard  Fort,  and  if  Washburn  was  scalped  at  all  it 
was  while  he  was  in  tiic  walcr. 

Several  years  ago  a  party  while  seining  this  same  hole,  brought  to  light  an 
old  rifle  supposed  to  have  been  Washburn's.  The  barrel  is  octagon,  measuring 
forty-three  and  three-fourths  inches  in  length,  and  partly  rusted  in  two.  Most 
of  the  stock  was  gone  but  part  of  the  heavy  wood  and  the  lock  are  in  a  fair  state 
of  preservation.  The  flint  was  missing  from  the  lock.  Mr.  D.  B.  Rider,  one  of 
the  seiners,  carefully  preserved  the  relic.  It  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  W.  M. 
Bird  of  Lost  Creek,  West  Va.,  who  also  has  the  bullet  with  which  the  gun  was 
loaded  at  the  time  of  Washburn's  death.  It  weighs  half-ounce,  and  is  oval  at 
the  point  and  flat  at  the  base.     (See  cut  and  Note  6,  Chapter  XVJ,  this  Volume.) 

Jesse  Lowther  narrated  that  when  Washburn  was  killed  some  of  the  men 
were  out  hunting  and  came  near  being  ambushed.  Thomas  Hughes  fled  for  the 
fort,  hotly  pursued  by  three  Indians.  x\s  the  scout  drew  near  the  stockade  one 
of  the  men  perched  on  the  wall  near  the  gate  kept  halloing:  ''Run  Tom,  run  Tom, 
er  they'll  ketch  ye.''  This  constant  urging  annoyed  Hughes,  who,  as  soon  as  he 
came  up  exclaimed:  "Shut  yer  damned  hollerin';  do  ye  s'pose  a  man  would  run 
booby  with  three  Injuns  after  him?" 

There  were  five  brothers  of  the  Washburns,  and  like  the  Schoolcrafts,  the 
family  was  nearly  exterminated  during  the  border  wars. 

Benjamin  was  the  only  one  to  escape,  and  he  in  company  with  Benjamin 
Shinn  and  William  Grundy,  was  fired  upon  in  1778,  when  returning  from  a  deer 
lick  on  the  head  of  Booth's  Creek,  near  Baxter's  Run,  Grundv  was  killed.  Withers 
p.  247. 

Later  in  the  same  year  while  gathering  pine  knots  from  which  to  manufacture 
shoemakers  wax,  preparatory  to  leaving  the  country  because  of  Indian  hostilities, 
James  and  Stephen  were  fired  upon  and  the  latter  killed  and  scalped.  James  was 
taken  to  the  Indian  towns  and  beaten  to  death  while  running  the  gauntlet  the 
second  time.     Withers  pp.  250,  251. 

It  is  tradition  that  a  few  nights  previous  to  his  death,  Stephen  dreamed  that 
he  was  scalped,  which  filled  his  mind  with  gloomy  forebodings  of  coming  fate. 

In  June  1782,  an  Indian  shot  and  scalped  Charles  Washburn,  while  he  wa& 
cutting  wood  near  his  own  dooryard.     Withers,  p.  345. 

Tradition  says  that  a  sister  was  carried  into  captivity  and  adopted  into  an 
Indian  family.  One  day  two  scouts,  one  of  whom  was  Lewis  Wetzel,  came  upon 
two  squaws  near  the  banks  of  a  river  in  the  Indian  country  and  they  determined 
to  drown  them.     One  of  these  was  the  Washburn   woman,  who  making  herself 


424  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

knowri  was  rescued  and  brought  home  by  the  scouts,  but  her  campanion  was 
drowned. 

This  adventure  is  very  similar  to  that  of  the  scouts,  Robert  McClellan  and 
one  White,  in  1790,  as  told  in  Our  Western  Border,  p.  563. 

The  scouts  had  been  sent  out  from  Fort  Gower,  on  the  Hock-hocking  River, 
in  Ohio,  and  were  spying  on  the  Indians  from  an  eminence  since  known  as  Mount 
Pleasant.  White  went  to  a  spring  for  water  near  the  river  bank  and  was  discovered 
by  two  squaws,  who  came  within  a  few  feet  of  him.  The  surprise  was  mutual; 
but  the  elder  woman  recovering,  gave  the  alarm  halloo.  The  scout  seized  them 
both  and  rushed  into  the  river  and  attempted  to  drown  them.  The  older  squaw 
soon  succumbed,  but  the  younger  one  made  a  stout  resistance  and  spoke  to  him 
in  English.  White  released  her,  when  she  informed  him  that  she  had  been  a 
captive  for  ten  years,  was  taken  with  her  brother  below  Wheeling,  but  the  brother 
had  effected  his  escape  on  the  second  night.  With  the  girl,  White  hurried  back 
where  McClellan  lay  concealed,  and  where  they  immediately  had  a  fight  with 
pursuing  Indians,  in  which  the  girl  took  an  active  part.  Under  cover  of  night, 
the  party  eluded  their  enemies,  and  in  time  reached  the  fort.  The  rescued  girl's 
name  was  Washburn;  her  mother  and  a  sister  were  killed  at  the  time  of  her  capture. 

McClellan  was  a  noted  frontiersman,  and  was  identified  with  many  stirring 
events  on  the  border.  Was  in  the  battle  of  the  Fallen  Timbers,  and  subsequently 
a  trader  among  the  western  tribes,  and  eventually  drifted  to  Astoria,  Oregon,  in 
the  interest  of  the  Astor  Fur  Company.  With  a  few  comrades,  he  started  to  return 
to  the  States,  and  the  entire  party  had  nearly  perished  of  hunger  and  hardships 
encountered  on  the  desert  and  in  the  mountains.  This  was -in  1812.  McClellan 
died  two  years  later. 

(5)  For  a  biographical  sketch  of  Elias  Hughes,  see  Chapters  XXIV,  XXV,  this 
Volume. 

(6)  Henry  Flesher  settled  on  the  present  site  of  Weston,  in  1776,  or  soon  after. 
He  entered  and  secured  certificate  for  400  acres.  It  is  said  that  his  flailing,  or 
thrashing  floor  was  where  the  court  house  is  now  located.  His  cabin  stood  about 
fifty  yards  from  where  the  Bland  Hotel  was  afterwards  erected,  and  at  the  head 
of  Main  Street.  At  the  time  Flesher  was  attacked  by  Indians,  he  was  hauling 
logs  for  a  stable. 

(7)  See  Chapter  XX,  this  Volume,  for  a  sketch  of  Adam  O'Brien. 

(8)  The  report  of  Mr.  Singleton  and  the  ruling  of  the  Pension  Ofiice  in  Hughes' 
case  are  most  singular.  In  many  of  his  conclusions  regarding  the  service  and 
status  of  the  border  militia  scouts,  it  is  difficult  to  believe  that  Singleton  was  not 
swayed  by  a  spirit  of  uncharitable  discrimination.  In  a  few  instances  his  charge 
of  dishonesty  is  based  upon  the  testimony  of  men  whom  he,  in  other  cases,  branded 
as  frauds.  He  decried  others,  whose  good  character  was  vouched  for  by  men  of 
unquestionable  integrity.  This  inconsistency  is  painfully  manifest  in  more  than 
one  case. 

The  Act  of  Congress,  June  4,  1832,  pensioning  soldiers  of  the  Revolutionary 
War,  are  the  clauses  under  which  Hughes  and  most  of  the  militia  or  border  scouts 
applied    for   pensions.     See    Statutes    at    Large,    Twenty-Second    Congress,    First 


Border  Si:tti,krs  ok  Xorthwestern  \'ir(;ini.\  425 

Session,  Chapter  CXXV'l.     The  limitation  contained  in  Section  2  was    removed 
by  Act,  Frebuary  19,  1833,  and  construed  not  to  embrace  invalid  pensioners. 

(9)  In  1757,  the  privates  in  Capt.  Hogg's  Company  of  Augusta  County,  Virginia, 
rangers  were  paid  twenty  pence  (about  fifteen  cents)  a  day,  and  they  found  their 
own  clothing.     Annals  of  Augusta  County,  Richmond,  1886,  p.  100. 

But  if  the  scout's  temporal  wants  were  poorly  provided  for,  his  spiritual 
welfare  was  certainly  not  neglected.  In  October  of  the  same  year.  Governor 
Dinwiddle  wrote  to  Major  Lewis:  "Recommend  morality  and  sobriety  to  all  the 
people,  with  a  due  submission  and  regard  to  Providence.  Let  swearing,  private 
quarrels,  drunkenness  and  gaming  be  strictly  forbid." 

The  \'irginia  General  Assembly  of  October,  1782,  enacted: 

"And  whereas,  the  allowance  to  scouts  employed  for  discovering  the  approach 
of  Indian  or  any  other  enemy  on  the  frontiers  is  inadequate  to  their  fatigue  and 
trouble.  Be  it  enacted,  that  every  scout  who  shall  hereafter  be  employed,  as  b\' 
law  directed,  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  for  every  day  he  shall  be  so  employed, 
the  sum  of  five  shillings  per  day,  to  be  audited  and  paid  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  militia  in  this  .\ct  is  directed  to  be  paid." — Hening,  "Statutes  at  Large  "  Vol.  II, 
p.  ISl. 

In  1791  scouts  employed  at  the  forts  along  the  Ohio  were  paid  b>'  the  govern- 
ment, "five  shillings,  or  eighty-four  cents  a  day." 

(10)  Border  Warfare,  p.  246. 

(11)  Abridged  from  William  Hanford,in  The  JVest  Virginia  Historical  Magazine, 
Volume  4,  pp.  220-223. 

(12)  Border  Warfare,  p.  123. 

03)  SaffclPs  Records  of  the  Rez'olutioiiary  War,  Xew  York,  1858,  p.  242. 

(14)  The  Conspiracy  of  Pontiac,  Boston,  1888.  pp.  40,  41. 

For  advocacy  of  the  use  of  bloodhounds  in  Indian  warfare,  see  Bouquet's 
Expedition  Against  the  Ohio  Indians,  Cincinnati,  1906,  p.  41. 

(15)  It  is  claimed  by  the  immediate  descendants  of  Jesse  Hughes  that  he  atone 
time  owned  all  the  land  on  Jesse's  Run.  If  he  claimed  lands  other  than  the  400 
acres  acquired  by  settlement,  it  must  have  been  under  the  questionable  right  of 
"tomahawk  improvement."  I  have  been  unable  to  find  of  record  that  he  even 
acquired  by  preemption  the  1,000  acres  to  which  his  homestead  entitled  him. 

"There  was  at  an  early  period  of  our  settlements,  an  inferior  kind  of  land 
title,  denominated  a  tomahawk  right,  which  was  made  by  deadening  a  few  trees 
near  the  head  of  a  spring,  and  marking  the  bark  of  some  one,  or  more  of  them  with 
the  initials  of  the  name  of  the  person  who  made  the  improvement." — Doddridge, 
p.  130. 

The  land  laws  of  \  ireinla  were  \cry  crude  and  incfiiclcnt.  Kentuck\-  inherited 
them  and  had  endless  trouble  as  the  result.  One  law  allowed  a  settler  four  hundred 
acres  for  building  a  cabin  and  raising  a  crop,  and  this  gave  him  the  right  to  preempt 
one  thousand  acres  additional.  Another  law  allowed  anyone  who  planted  a  patch 
of  corn,  one  hundred  acres  of  land  for  each  acre  in  his  corn  patch.  This  was  called 
a  Corn  Right.  In  1779,  \'irginia  enacted  a  law  which  provided  for  the  land  entries 
made  by  the  Trans-Allegheny  settlers,  securint:  to  ilicm  a  sound  title.     Those  who 


426  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

had  not  actually  settled,  but  at  their  cost  had  sent  others  to  settle  on  public  land. 
were  entitled  to  four  hundred  acres  for  each  family  settled,  at  a  cost  of  two  dollars 
and  twenty-five  cents  for  each  hundred  acres.  Each  settler  having  the  above  right 
could  preempt  one  thousand  acres  additional  at  forty  cents  an  acre. 

Tomahawk  claims,  while  not  legal,  were  usually  recognized  by  newcomers,  who, 
if  desirous  of  settling  on  one  of  them,  preferred  to  pay  the  claimant  something 
rather  than  enter  into  a  quarrel,  as  friendship  was  essential  for  mutual  protection 
against  a  common  foe.  Occasionally,  however,  some  stalwart  borderman,  endowed 
with  a  pugnacious  disposition,  would  take  forcible  possession  of  a  tomahawk 
claim,  and  if  the  former  claimant  was  too  annoying  in  his  importunity  for  a  com- 
pensation he  was  sometimes  given  a  "laced  jacket,"  that  is,  a  flogging  with  hickory 
switches. 

If  the  virtue  and  efficiency  of  the  "tomahawk  right"  was  vested  solely  in  the 
lighting  qualities  and  the  physical  abilities  of  the  claimant  to  defend  his  holding 
against  violent  invasion,  Jesse  Hughes  had  what  was  the  equal  of  a  warranty  deed 
to  his  wooded  domain. 

Jesse  Hughes'  tomahawk  claims  will  be  referred  to  again  in  the  course  of  this. 
Volume. 

(16)  On  page  285,  Trans-Allegheny  Historical  Magazine  (1902),  Prof.  Hu 
Maxwell,  in  writing  of  the  "Pioneers  in  Alonongalia  County,"  claims  that  there 
were  permanent  settlements  made  in  this  region  as  early  as  1766,  and  that  one 
of  these  was  in  (now)  Braxton  County,  as  follows: 

"In  the  same  year  James  Workman  penetrated  to  the  region  now  forming- 
Gilmer  County  and  built  his  cabin  and  became  a  settler.  His  cabin  stood  on 
the  west  bank  of  the  Little  Kanawha.     He  sold  his  claim  to  William  Stewart." 

Professor  Maxwell  bases  his  conclusions  on  the  following  certificate  of  home- 
stead entry,  granted  in  1781. 

"William  Stewart,  assignee  of  James  Workman,  400  acres  on  the  Little- 
Kanhaway,  on  the  west  side  of  said  Kanhaway,  in  right  of  said  Workman's  residence 
to  include  an  improvement  made  in  the  year  of  1766,  with  a  preemption  to  1,000' 
acres  adjoining  thereto." 

I  have  the  highest  regard  for  Professor  Maxwell  as  a  historian,  but  I  doubt 
seriously  if  there  is  sufficient  ground  for  asserting  that  James  Workman  actually 
settled  in  that  remote  region  as  early  as  1766.  While  Workman  is  credited  with 
a  "residence,"  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  certificate  was  not  issued  until 
1781.  Nor  does  it  imply  that  such  "residence"  was  made  in  1766.  It  is  significant, 
however,  that  the  certificate  was  worded  to  "include  an  improvement  made  in 
1766." 

As  previously  cited,  a  few  trees  girdled  near  a  spring  were,  in  those  days,  a 
recognized  "improvement."  Indeed,  as  I  shall  have  occasion  to  show  elsewhere 
in  this  Volume,  land  claims  were  sometimes  recognized  by  the  establishment  of 
a  hunter's  camp  only.  In  the  case  of  Workman,  the  logical  inference  is  that  his 
"improvement"  of  1766  consisted  of  a  "tomahawk  improvement,"  and  that  his 
residence,  if  otherwise  than  that  of  a  hunter,  was  made  at  a  later  period. 

For  additional  data  regarding  the  early  "claims"  and  homestead  grants  on 
the  western  waters,  see  Chapters  XII,  XVII,  XXVI,  XXIX  and  notes  in  Chapters- 
XXIV  and  XXX,  this  Volume. 


i 


BoRDKR   SkTTI.KRS   OF   N  ORTH  WESTKRN   \'lR(;iNI.\  427 

(17)  Poisonous  reptiles  were  not  the  least  of  the  dangers  which  beset  the  early 
settler.  Doddridge  devotes  an  entire  chapter  to  this  plague.  Their  proneness 
to  crawl  into  the  cabins  made  them  the  more  to  be  dreaded.  .\  small  child  of  a 
pioneer  on  the  Cheat  River  was  playing  on  the  sunny  side  of  the  cabin  one  morning, 
when  she  came  running  to  the  door  and  exclaimed,  "Mamma,  there  is  a  big  yaller 
worm  in  the  side  of  the  house;  come  and  kill  it."  The  mother,  thoughtless  of 
danger,  nplltd,  "\"\\  kill  it."  Tlu-  iliild  soon  returned,  declaring  that  she  could 
not  kill  it.  TiiL-  imitlRr  went  out  ;nKl  was  dismayed  to  find  an  immense  yellow 
rattler  ensconced  between  tlu-  Iol's  of  tlu-  cabin.  So  comfortable  was  the  reptile 
in  the  warm  rays  of  the  sun  that  the  child's  light  blows  with  a  stick  had  not  dis- 
turbed it.  Hut  tile  rattler  \\;is  not  always  so  gentle  mannered.  See  Chapter 
WXll,  tins  \nluine. 


xcrrKs  ox  c"iiap'i'i:r  \ 

(1)  Probably  named  for  John  McKinney,  or  McKcnncy,  who  was  ainoiiL'  the 
earliest,  if  not  the  first  to  claim  land  or  settle  on  this  stream. 

(2)  This  was  Hacker's  homestead,  for  which  he  received  certiticate  "for  400 
acres  on  Hacker's  Creek  adjoining  lands  of  John  Sleath,  Sen.,  [Sleeth]  to  include  his 
settlement  made  in  1773."  IVkhers  says  that  Hacker  settled  on  Hacker's  Creek 
in  1769.  Border  fFarfare,  p.  122.  This  is  correct,  hut  Hacker  was  one  whose 
first  crop  was  destroyed  by  hiitlalo,  and  he  did  not  bring  his  family  permanently 
from  the  South  Branch  until  the  winter  of  1770,  or  later.  .\  few  years  ago  the 
hewed  log  house  built  b\-  Hacker  was  still  standing,  though  in  a  ruined  condition. 
In  the  later  years  <if  Indian  hostilities  this  house  was  used  as  a  fort  or  blockhouse, 
by  the  immediate  settlers.  It  has  now  been  removed,  and  some  of  the  logs  used 
in  building  a  stable  nearby.  The  foundation  of  the  capacious  stone  chimney  has 
been  left  intact  by  Mr.  David  Swisher,  the  present  owner  of  the  farm.  When 
the  chimney  was  torn  down,  the  date,  17M7,  was  found  cut  on  the  surface  of  one  of 
the  stones.  This  stone  is  now  in  the  foundation  of  Mr.  Swisher's  house.  But 
this  was  not  Hacker's  original  cabin.  He  first  settled  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile 
east  of  where  this  more  pnetentious  house  stood. 

John  Hacker  was  granted  certificate  for  "400  acres  on  Huckhannon,  adjoining 
lands  of  George  Jackson,  to  include  his  settlement  made  in  1774."  In  these  early 
land  grants,  the  term  "settlement"  was  synonymous,  and  applied  alike  to  actual 
settlement,  settlement  by  tenant,  and  settlement  by  "improvement."  This 
vhould  be  borne  in  mind,  otherwise  the  reader  is  likely  to  become  confused.  The 
laws  governing  these  land-cedings  were  very  plastic. 

Hacker  was  also  allotted  108  acres  in  the  "Clark  Grant,"  in  Indiana,  for 
service  as  private  in  Colonel  Clark's  Illinois  Campaign,  1778.  See  English's 
Conquest  of  the  Xortlrurst,  \'olunie  II,  p.  845. 

(3)  See  Chapter  A'.V.V/,  this  \olume. 

'4)  This  little  \alle_v,  while  yet  covered  with  an  unbroken  forest,  was  named 
'.:x'm  the  following  incident:  My  grandfather,  Walter  McWhorter,  and  John 
r'-dmonds,   were  there  hunting;  and   the  latter  seeing  at   a  distance  through   the 


428  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

woods  what  he  supposed  to  be  a  wolf,  fired  and  killed  his  favorite  dog,  "Rover." 
The  stream  has  ever  since  been  known  as  Rover^s  Ru7i. 

(5)  After  the  examination  of  this  mysterious  monument,  the  excavation  was 
re-filled  and  the  stones  carefully  placed  in  their  former  position.  This  policy 
was  strictly  adhered  to  in  the  many  investigations  that  were  made  among  the 
remains  of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  the  valley. 

(6)  All  relics  obtained  through  many  years  of  field  collecting,  with  full  data, 
were  placed  permanently  in  the  Museum  of  the  West  Virginia  Historical  and 
Antiquarian  Society,  Charleston;  since  created  the  Departme^it  of  Archives  and 
History. 

(7)  Rooting  Creek  was  named  as  early  as  1781,  but  the  origin  of  the  name  is 
unknown.  The  traditional  account  is,  that  in  the  settlement  of  the  country, 
hogs,  escaping  from  their  owners,  became  wild  and  frequented  this  stream,  and 
hunters  found  the  surface  of  the  rich  bottom  lands  widely  disturbed  by  the  rooting 
propensity  of  these  long-nosed  porkers,  hence  the  name.  This  explanation  is 
perhaps  correct. 

(8)  Many  of  the  old  "Indian  Fields"  have  their  legends  of  hidden  treasure  and 
weird  tales  of  supernatural  visitations.  A  gentleman  who  had  lived  all  his  life 
in  close  proximity  to  the  ash-circle  on  Rooting  Creek,  gave  me  the  following  "well 
authenticated"  story.  It  fully  illustrates  the  tenacious  hold  of  superstition  on 
succeeding  generations  of  the  native  hill  and  mountain  people. 

From  the  time  of  the  earliest  settlement  of  the  little  valley,  said  the  narrator, 
there  was  a  tradition  of  buried  treasure  of  unknown  richness.  This  was  guarded 
by  the  disembodied  spirit  of  the  former  owner,  or,  as  was  more  probable,  that  of 
some  unfortunate  victim  sacrificed  when  the  treasure  was  deposited,  and  whose 
spirit  was  forever  doomed  to  hover  about  the  fatal  spot  until  released  from  its 
vigils  by  the  removal  of  the  trove.  Oft  in  the  evening  twilight,  the  lone  hunter 
by  his  camp  fire,  or  the  belated  passerby  would  be  startled  by  plaintive  and  ghostly 
callings  from  the  gloomy  forest.  Emanating  from  a  certain  point,  the  wild  weird 
sounds — like  a  voice  from  the  sepulchre — would  wail,  "Come  here!  Come  here! 
Come  here!"  Then,  as  the  last  cadence  of  that  mysterious  cry  died  in  the  distance, 
the  darkening  shadows  on  every  side  re-echoed,  "Come  here!  Come  here!  Come 
here!"  until  the  entire  surrounding  forest  would  be  filled  with  an  uncanny  indis- 
tinct murmur  of  ghostly  voices,  ending  in  a  broken  sob  of  despair.  Many  times 
had  the  hardy  hunter  or  straitened  settler,  mastering  superstitious  fear,  sought 
diligently  for  the  treasure,  but  without  success.  Years  passed  into  the  endless 
cycle  of  time.  Settlers  cleared  the  stately  forest  from  the  rich  bottom  and  the 
lower  hillslopes  of  the  valley.  The  calling  of  the  wilderness  spirit  was  still  heard 
at  regular  intervals  from  out  the  gloaming;  but  succeeding  generations  ceased  to 
regard  the  supernatural  disturbance  with  that  same  degree  of  awe  as  did  their 
simple-minded  ancestors.  Indeed,  some  of  the  inhabitants  came  to  observe  the 
"spooky"  visitations  with  resentment.  A  climax  was  reached  one  evening,  when 
a  foolhardy  settler  seized  his  rifle  and  discharged  it  in  the  direction  of  the  wood- 
crowned  hill,  from  whence  the  voice  proceeded.  Instantly  the  cries  ceased,  and 
at  the  same  moment,  from  beneath  the  floor  of  the  offender's  cabin,  there  came  a 
terrible  uproar,  mingled  with  demoniacal  shrieks  and  stifled  groans;  succeeded  by 


Border  Settlers  oe  Northwestern  \  irgi.nia  429 

the  oppressive  stillness  of  death.  The  frightened,  awe-stricken  settler  dared  no 
further  molestation  of  the  woodland  ghost.  Soon  afterwards  the  uncanny  dis- 
turbance ceased.  A  few  days  later,  some  parties  passing  near  where  the  mysterious 
callings  had  emanated,  were  startled  to  find  a  deep  excavation  near  the  roots  of 
a  large  tree.  Peering  into  the  depths  of  the  newly-dug  pit,  they  beheld  the  imprint 
of  a  large  iron  pot  evidently  hut  recently  removed.  Here  had  been  buried  the 
long  sought  treasure.  The  lucky  tinder  was  never  known,  but  the  guardian  spirit, 
now  released  from  its  odious  task,  had  departed  forever. 

A  similar  story  was  told  and  believed  by  the  early  settlers  regarding  a  small 
earthen  mound  situated  near  an  old  Indian  village  site,  on  bottom  land  owned 
by  the  late  William  Bargerhoof,  on  Saul's  Run,  near  Lorentz,  Upshur  County. 
This  mound,  when  e-xamincd  by  me  in  1880,  measured  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet 
across,  and  about  two  feet  six  inches  in  height.  At  that  time  it  showed  a  shallow 
pit  in  the  center,  where,  a  few  years  previous,  some  farmers  one  night  sunk  a  shaft 
to  the  original  surface  of  the  ground.  They  were  searching  for  treasure,  but  met 
with  the  usual  disappointment.  Two  of  the  party  informed  me  that  in  the  excava- 
tion they  found  numerous  flint  chips  and  arrow  points;  while  near  the  bottom  of 
the  mound  were  "several  poles  resembling  hand-spikes."  These  were  in  a  fair 
state  of  preservation,  which  would  induce  the  belief  that  the  mound  could  not  lay 
claim  to  great  age.  Parties  who  lived  near  the  mound  all  their  lives  said  that 
before  it  had  been  degraded  b\-  the  plow,  it  was  very  symmetrical  in  contour,  and 
about  six  feet  in  height. 

The  story  in  question  averred  that  if  a  stick  were  thrust  into  the  mound  and 
left  there  until  nightfall,  unearthly  shrieks  and  screams  would  issue  therefrom, 
until  the  perpetrator  of  the  outrage,  unable  to  endure  the  frightful  disturbance, 
repeated  nightly  so  long  as  the  stick  remained  in  place,  would  remove  the  stick 
and  fill  up  the  hole.  This  done,  the  unaccountable  noises  would  instantly  cease. 
It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  experience  was  seldom  repeated.  This  story,  relig- 
iously believed  in  by  the  first  settlers,  for  more  than  two  generations,  secured  the 
mound  from  the  obliterating  influence  of  the  plow.  It  is  regrettable  that  it  ever 
lost  its  prestige.     See  The  Archaeologist,  Volume  1,  No.  5,  p.  96. 


XOTl'-.S  OX  CHAPTER  \  1 

(1)  This  legend  of  the  sly  hunter  was  told  me  by  Washington  Alkire,  a  ureat 
grandson  of  Jesse  Hughes,  and  well  versed  in  local  traditions. 

When  a  boy,  I  often  heard  the  story  of  John  Bozarth,  the  pioneer,  and  his 
son  George,  "gen-senging"  on  Turkey  Run,  of  the  Pringle  camp.  George,  a  lad 
in  his  teens,  knelt  to  quench  his  thirst  at  a  spring  or  rivulet,  and  noticing  a  peculiar 
looking  stone  protruding  from  the  bank,  chipped  it  with  his  hoe  and  was  surprised 
to  see  revealed  by  the  fracture,  a  dull  metalic  surface.  He  called  to  his  father  who 
was  some  distance  away,  that  he  had  "found  a  mine."  The  old  gentleman,  who 
was  of  a  brusque  nature,  ordered  him  to  his  work,  adding  "you  are  always  finding 
something."  The  boy  obeyed  but  first  detached  two  or  three  small  fragments  of 
the  stone  and  placed  them  in  his  wallet.  That  night  after  returning  home,  the 
specimens  were  examined  and  found  to  be  rich  in  lead.     .\  diligent    search  was 


430  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

instituted  for  the  strange  spring,  but  the  quest  proved  fruitless.  George  could 
never  identify  the  spot,  and  the  "mine"  eventually  became  a  tradition  of  the 
wilderness. 

(2)  Drake's  Indians  of  North  America,  Alden,  New  York,  p.  623. 

(3)  Hatch's  A  Chapter  on  the  War  1812,  Cincinnati,  1872,  p.  89. 

(4)  The  Shawnee  belonged  to  the  Algonquian  linguistic  stock  of  Indians.  They 
have  been  the  greatest  wanderers  among  the  North  American  tribes.  They  were 
fierce  and  always  ready  for  war,  and  were  driven  from  place  to  place  by  those  tribes 
with  which  they  warred.  They  have  lived  in  most  of  the  country  east  of  the 
Mississippi,  first  in  one  locality  and  then  another.  They  were  pushed  westward 
about  1727  to  1730  with  the  Delawares.  In  the  Ohio  Valley  in  historic  times, 
their  chief  seat  was  what  is  now  the  southern  part  of  Ohio.  They  lived  on  the 
Lower  Muskingum  at  the  time  the  Wyandots  had  their  towns  on  the  upper  waters 
of  that  stream.  The  last  of  their  Muskingum  towns  were  destroyed  by  the  cam- 
paign of  Col.  Angus  McDonnald,  in  Dunmore's  War.     They  went  to  the  Scioto. 

The  Shawnees  were  called  younger  brothers  by  the  Delawares,  and  between 
the  two  tribes  there  was  always  a  strong  attachment.  They  moved  westward 
before  the  advancing  whites,  and  began  to  cross  the  Mississippi  at  the  close  of 
Pontiac's  War.  They  lived  in  Missouri,  and  about  1828  were  located  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Kansas  River  from  its  mouth  to  a  point  beyond  Shawnee  County, 
in  a  country  unsurpassed  for  fertility  and  beauty.  They  live  now  among  the 
Cherokees  and  Senecas  in  the  Indian  Territory.  Some  of  the  greatest  Indian 
captains,  orators  and  statesmen  were  Shawnees;  among  whom  were  Cornstalk, 
Paxnous,  Blue  Jacket  and  Tecumseh. 

The  Shawnees  were  plundering  and  murdering  on  the  frontier  settlements 
of  the  colonies.  Western  Virginia  and  Kentucky  suffered  more  from  them  than 
from  all  other  tribes.  There  are  among  them  now  families  founded  by  captive 
men  and  women  from  the  best  families  in  Virginia,  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania. 
The  Shawnees  were  called  by  the  French,  Chaouanons.  They  called  themselves 
the  Shawano. — William  E.  Connelley.  All  subsequent  notes  written  hy  Mr.  Connelley 
will  be  signed  with  his  initials  only. 

(5)  Shawnee  blood  is  found  among  the  various  tribes  from  the  Mexican  Border 
to  the  British  Line.  Both  they  and  the  Delawares  were  known  in  the  Treaty 
between  the  Republic  of  Texas  and  the  Cherokees  and  their  Associate  bands, 
February  23,  1836.  It  may  be  noteworthy  that  in  this  treaty  there  is  mention 
of  the  "Younger  Brothers"  of  the  Cherokees,  a  name  by  which  the  Shawnees  were 
recognized  by  the  Delawares. 

The  only  known  son  of  Chief  Tecumseh  was  a  signer  of  this  treaty;  but  I 
have  been  unable  to  identify  him  among  the  seven  other  signers.  (See  Texas 
Library  and  Historical  Commission,  First  Biennial  Report,  XX,  p.  36.)  His  name 
as  known  in  history  was  Pugeshashenwa — "cat  or  panther  in  act  of  seizing  prey," 
or  "crouching"  or  "watching  his  prey."  He  was  also  known  among  his  tribesmen 
as  Nah-thah-way-nah,  'who  is  it.'"  as  generally  used  in  reference  to  some  person 
approaching  or  standing  near.  Neither  of  these  names  are  connected  with  the 
treaty  in  question.  This,  however,  may  be  accounted  for.  in  the  Indian  pluralit}' 
of  names.     Indians   frequently  changed  names,  ofttimes  commemorative  of  some 


I 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  X'irginia  431 

e\cnt  in  their  lives,  but  not  al\\a\s  from  sucli  caprice  or  fancy.  Siiould  a  warrior 
signalize  himself  by  inflicting  loss  or  humiliation  upon  an  enemy,  it  was  expedient, 
at  times,  to  assume  another  name  in  order  to  better  escape  retaliatory  vengeance. 
Many  of  the  old  tribesmen  have  explained  this  phase  of  tribal  life  to  me. 

PuGESHASHENWA  was  born  about  1796.  Mamate,  his  mother,  was  divorced 
by  Tecumseh,  after  the  Indian  custom,  but  she  cared  for  the  child  until  he  was 
seven  or  eight  years  old.  He  was  then  taken  over  by  Menezvaulakoosee,  or  Tfcuni- 
sapeas,  the  only  sister  of  Tecumseh,  for  wiiom  he  had  great  atTectitjn,  oftlimcs 
making  her  costh'  presents.  It  is  said  that  this  boy  afterwards  became  an  officer 
in  the  British  military.  He  was  presented  with  a  sword  and  was  gi\'en  a  pension 
by  the  British,  in  honor  of  his  father's  service  to  the  Crown. 

PuGESHASiiENWA  had  a  son,  Jf'apameepto:  "giving  light  as  he  walks." 
better  known  as  Big"  Jim,"  corrupted  from  "Dick  Jim;"  born  on  the  Sabine 
Reservation,  Texas,  in  1832.  In  1872  he  became  Chief  of  the  Kispicotha;  known 
as  Big  Jim's  Band  of  Absentee  Shawnees.  He  died  in  .August,  1900,  of  smallpox, 
while  in  Mexico,  on  a  mission  of  procuring  a  place  for  his  people  where  they  would 
be  free  from  the  influence  of  the  white  man.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  only  son, 
To-tom-vio,  or  "Little  Jim,"  born  about  1875.  His  name  is  given  by  some  writers 
as  To-no-mo;  but  Mr.  O.  J.  Green,  Superintendent  of  the  Absentee  Shawnees, 
Oklahoma,  writes  me  that  he  is  known  by  the  name  as  first  given. 

Tuo.MAS  Washington',  whose  mother  was  a  sister  of  Jf'apajneepto,  was  also 
Chief  of  the  Absentee  Shawnees. 

Tecumseh  had  other  wives  tlian  Mamate;  the  last  of  whom  was  JVa-be-U-ga- 
ne-qua:  "white  wing."  He  lived  witii  her  from  1802  to  1807,  but  it  is  not  known 
that  he  had  other  children  than  the  one  son;  but  there  may  have  been  others. 
There  is  living  among  the  fourteen  Confederated  Tribes,  known  as  the  Yakimas 
of  Washington,  a  tali,  spare,  sinewy  man  just  past  the  meridian  of  life,  who  differs 
in  some  respects  from  the  tribesmen  about  him.  This  is  Chief  Tecumseh  Yak-a- 
tozv  -it,  who  gave  me  this  fragment  of  his  family  history. 

"Mine,"  said  he,  "is  an  inherited  name  on  my  father's  side.  I  am  descended 
from  a  long  line  of  warriors.  My  father  was  Yakatowit,  Chief  of  the  Klickitats. 
My  grandfather,  whose  name  I  cannot  recall,  was  a  noted  warrior  who  came  from 
far  to  the  east,  I  know  not  the  locality.  His  father  was  a  great  chief  named  Tecum- 
seh, who  was  a  mighty  warrior.  1  know  but  little  of  his  history,  nor  am  I  certain 
of  his  tribe.  I  only  know  that  my  father  told  mc  that  he  fell  in  battle  fighting 
with  King  George's  soldiers  against  the  Americans.  This  was  a  long  time  ago. 
I  know  not  how  man}-  years.     It  has  been  long  since  that  battle  was  fought." 

While  Tecumseh  enjoys  but  slight  education,  he  is  a  man  of  strong  mentalit}' 
and  high  moral  integrity.  He  has  always  been  a  leading  spirit  in  tribal  affairs, 
and  on  March  IS,  1912,  was  chosen  "Head  Chief  of  all  the  Yakimas."  This, 
however,  was  in  a  factional  fight  and  being  a  man  of  sensitive  honor,  he  has  never 
pressed  his  claim.  I  have  often  met  with  him  in  tribal  councils  and  visited  at  his 
home.  When  I  first  met  him,  he  had  never  read  of  this  most  renowned  Shawnee; 
nor  does  he  know  the  meaning,  or  interpretation  of  his  own  name.  He  explained 
that  "Tecumseh,"  in  Klickitat,  has  no  primal  rendition,  but  is  "onh'  a  name."  He 
is  proud  of  his  traditional  lineage,  and  justly. 

Chief  PtKEESHENo:   "1    light   from   flying."'   the   father  of  'lecumseh,    was 


432  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

killed  in  the  Battle  of  Point  Pleasant,  October  10,  1774.  His  eldest  son,  Cheeseekau, 
fought  with  him. 

Meetheetashe  or  Methoatask:  "a  turtle  laying  eggs  in  the  sand,"  the  mother 
of  Tecumseh,  is  said  to  have  been  a  Creek  woman.  She  died  among  the  Cherokees, 
where  she  went  soon  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  Pukeesheno.  Tecumseh  was 
then  but  six  years  old,  and  Cheeseekau,  a  great  warrior  and  a  man  of  high  integrity, 
took  him  under  his  care  and  gave  him  the  training  which,  perhaps,  largety  moulded 
his  future  meteoric  career.  Cheeseekau  was  killed  in  battle  with  the  whites  on  the 
Tennessee  border  in  1788  or  1789.  A  younger  brother,  Sauwaseekau,  a  brave 
warrior,  was  killed  in  the  Battle  of  Fallen  Timbers,  August  20,  1795,  while  fighting 
at  Tecumseh's  side.     Some  place  this  tragedy  at  Harmer's  defeat,  1790. 

Tecumseh  was  k  illed  in  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  Ontario,  Canada,  October 
5,  1813.  His  son,  Pugeshashenwa,  fought  with  him  in  this  battle,  and  Wasegoboah: 
"stand  firm,"  a  valiant  warrior  and  the  husband  of  Menewaulakoosee,  was  slain. 
The  body  of  Tecumseh  was  not  fully  identified  by  the  American  troops,  but  that 
which  was  supposed  to  be  his  was  flayed,  in  part,  and  the  cuticle  carried  away  as 
mementoes  and  made  into  razor  strops  and  other  objects.  Although  the  body 
was  lying  within  the  light  of  the  camp  fires  of  the  victors,  it  was  recovered  the 
following  night  and  carried  off  by  his  surviving  warriors.  Eggleston's  Tecumseh 
and  the  Shawnee  Prophet.     New  York,  p.  318. 

Drake  gives  the  Indian  and  British  loss  in  this  battle,  100  killed  and  200 
wounded.  American  loss,  18  killed  and  58  wounded.  Drake's  Indians  of  North 
America,  15th  Edition,  p.  622. 

At  the  onset  of  the  battle,  the  British,  under  Gen.  Proctor,  fled,  leaving  their 
brave  Indian  allies  to  stem  the  brunt  of  the  fray.  Tecumseh  fell  in  the  thickest 
of  the  fight,  at  the  head  of  his  warriors  of  whom  120  were  left  on  the  field.  Drake^s 
Indians,  p.  620.  The  great  chieftain  had  a  premonition  that  this  was  to  be  his 
last  battle,  and  just  before  the  engagement  he  discarded  his  British  uniform  of 
Brigadier  General,  and  donned  his  Indian  buckskin  shirt.  He  gave  his  sword  to 
one  of  his  chiefs  and  said:  "When  my  son  becomes  a  noted  warrior  and  able  to 
wield  a  sword,  give  this  to  him."  This  incident  should  not  be  considered  as  evi- 
dence that  Pugheshashenzva  was  not  with  his  father  in  this  battle.  Only  seventeen 
years  old,  he  was  not  regarded  as  a  "noted  warrior,"  nor  entitled  to  wear  the 
sword,  which  in  Tecumseh's  case  was  an  emblem  of  authority.  This  greatest 
of  Shawnees  was  rightly  dominated  by  the  English,  "  Ki7ig  of  the  Woods."  Con- 
sult Hatch's  A  Chapter  of  the  History  of  the  War  of  1812.  Drake's  Life  of  Tecumseh. 
Wood's  Lives  of  Famous  Indiaii  Chiefs,  and  many  other  histories  of  the  western 
border. 

(6)  Buck  Knob,  so  named  from  the  incident  of  an  early  settler  killing  a  buck 
thereon.  It  is  the  highest  elevation  in  the  vicinity  and  a  prominent  land  mark. 
Its  summit  is  pointed  and  stony.  In  one  of  the  graves  opened  in  this  burial  ground, 
I  found  a  small  ornamented  stone  pipe  with  the  characteristic  funnel-shaped 
orifices  of  the  ancient,  or  pre-Columbian  period.  With  it  was  a  rather  irregular 
water-worn  pebble  of  a  few  ounces,  highly  polished  and  of  granitic  texture  and 
pleasing  hue.  It  evidently  came  from  the  glacial  drift  of  the  Northwest,  probably 
Ohio.  It  is  very  similar  to  some  which  I  have  observed  cherished  by  modern 
Indians,  and  supposed  to  possess  talismanic  virtues.  Such  charms  or  fetish, 
are  always  prized  very  highly. 


Border  Sktti.ers  ok  Northw  kstern  \  iRt;iM.\  433 

(7)  Border  War  jure,  p.  122. 

(8)  See  .Ippendi.x  1 1,  this  \'olumc,  for  notice  of  buffalo  in  Western  X'irginia. 


XOTKS  DX  ClIAP'l'I'.R  \'n 


(1)  Bordt-r  U'arjart-,  pp.  136-13S. 

Thzvaites  says  that  Stroud  resided  on  Elk  River. 

Gatlky  River — This  name  is  French,  which  some  writers  contend  signifies 
*"l"he  River  of  the  Gauls."  'i'liis  definilion  is  far  fi-lchcd  and  fanciful.  The 
stream  was  named  for  Gauloisc,  a  I'reiich  trapper  wlio  haunted  its  banks  in  an 
earh'  da\'.     The  present  appellation  is  an  ImiuHsIi  corruptit)n  of  the  oripinal. 

It  is  said  that  this  stream  was  called  by  the  Miamis,  Chin-qou-ta-na,  and  by 
the  Delawares  To-ke-bel-lo-ke,  or  water  of  the  falls.  It  has  the  clearest  water, 
and  is  one  of  the  most  wideh'  picturesque  streams  of  the  Great  Kanawha  system. 

(2)  The  Delawares  were  one  of  the  principal  tribes  of  the  .Mgonquian  family, 
and  were  divided  into  three  sub-tribes:  the  Minsi,  Monseys,  Munsees,  or  Minisinks; 
the  Unami,  or  Wonameys;  and  the  Unalachtigos.  The  Minsi  lived  on  the  head- 
waters of  the  Delaware  River,  their  territory  extending  down  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Lehigh.  The  country  of  the  Unami  was  the  valley  of  the  Delaware  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Lehigh  southward.  The  Unalachtigo  country  was  about  the  mouth 
of  the  Delaware  River,  and  extending  southward.  The  Delawares  did  not  extend 
west  of  the  valley  of  the  Delaware  until  after  contact  with  Europeans.  The 
valley  of  the  Susquehanna  was  occupied  by  the  Susquehanocks,  Iroquoians,  and 
the  Delawares  were  forced  into  it  by  pressure  of  English  settlements.  The  Minsi 
had  no  part  in  the  treaty  with  William  Penn. 

The  upper  valley  of  the  Delaware,  however,  was  pre-eminently  the  liome 
of  the  Minsies  (the  historic  Minisinks),  where  they  built  their  towns,  planted 
their  corn  and  kindled  their  council  fires,  and  whence  they  set  out  on  the  hunt 
or  on  the  war  path.  The  Minsies,  Monsies,  or  Muncys,  were  the  most  warlike 
of  their  people,  and  proverbially  impatient  of  the  white  man's  presence  in  the 
Indian  country.  The  murder  of  one  Wright  at  John  Burt's  house  in  Snaketown, 
in  September  of  1727,  was  the  act  of  Minsies,  and  subjects  are  told  of  Kindassowa, 
who  resided  "at  the  Forks  of  the  Susquehanna  above  Mechayomy."  The  follow- 
ing notice  of  the  physical  peculiarities  and  traits  of  these  mountaineers,  is  copied 
from  a  paper,  in  the  hand  writing  of  Mr.  Heckewelder.  ".According  to  my  obser- 
vation and  judgment  of  Indian  tribes,  the  Minsies  have  a  peculiarity  which  sig- 
nalizes them  from  other  nations  or  tribes;  and  I  have  seldom  failed  in  pointing 
them  out  among  a  crowd,  where  they.  Delawares  and  Mohicans  were  together. 
The  principal  distinguishing  marks  with  me,  arc — robust  or  strong-boned,  broad 
faces,  somewhat  surly  countenances,  greater  head  of  hair  and  this  growing  low 
down  on  the  foreheads,  short,  round-like  nose,  thick  lips  seldom  closed,  or  rather 
having  their  mouths  generally  somewhat  open,  which  I  am  inclined  to  believe, 
may  be  owing  in  some  measure  to  an  awkward  custom  of  this  people,  who,  instead 
'f  pointing  to  a  tiling  or  object  with   their  hands  or  fingers,  as  other  Indians  doj 


434  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

generally  draw  out  their  mouths  or  lips  in  the  desired  direction.  They  are  averse 
to  manners,  prone  to  mischief,  and  friends  of  war.  Their  natural  complexion  is 
dark,  more  so  than  any  Indians  I  have  seen  yet,  but  being  within  these  twenty 
years  much  mixed  by  inter-marriages  with  other  tribes,  their  color  has  become 
lighter  or  fairer." — Transactions  of  the  Moravian  Historical  Society,  1,  pp.  255,  256. 

The  matter  which  the  author  refers  to  in  his  History  of  The  Indian  Nations, 
and  to  which  attention  is  called  in  his  note,  is  that  transaction  in  the  history  of 
the  Delawares  and  the  Six  Nations  whereby  the  latter  induced  the  former  to  become 
women  in  order  to  better  conserve  the  peace  among  the  Indian  tribes.  In  the 
work  above  referred  to  the  author  treats  the  subject  at  great  length,  and  has 
received  the  disparagement  of  critics  who  know  nothing  but  fault-finding.  Both 
the  evidence  and  the  probability  are  in  favor  of  the  account  given  by  Heckewelder. 
And  the  matter  does  not  rest  solely  upon  the  Heckewelder  account.  In  the  edition 
of  his  History  of  the  Indian  Nations,  published  in  1881,  edited  by  the  Rev.  William 
C.  Reichel,  who  was  himself  an  authority  on  the  history  of  the  Delawares  and 
other  tribes,  may  be  found  the  following  note  (pp.  59,  60): 

The  following  is  the  passage  from  Loskiel,  which  that  historian  copied  from 
David  Zeisberger's  "Collection  of  Notes  on  the  Indians,"  compiled  by  the  mis- 
sionary during  his  residence  in  the  valley  of  the  Tuscarawas  about  1778.  "Accord- 
ing to  the  account  of  the  Delawares,  they  were  always  too  powerful  for  the  Iroquois, 
so  that  the  latter  were  at  length  convinced  that  if  they  continued  the  war,  their 
total  extirpation  would  be  inevitable.  They  therefore  sent  the  following  message 
to  the  Delawares:  'It  is  not  profitable  that  all  the  nations  should  be  at  war  with 
each  other,  for  this  will  at  length  be  the  ruin  of  the  whole  Indian  race.  We  have 
therefore  considered  a  remedy  by  which  this  evil  may  be  prevented.  One  nation 
shall  be  the  woman.  We  will  place  her  in  the  midst,  and  the  other  nations  who 
make  war  shall  be  the  man,  and  live  around  the  woman.  No  one  shall  touch  or 
hurt  the  woman,  and  if  anyone  does  it,  we  will  immediately  say  to  him,  'why  do 
you  beat  the  woman.^'  Then  all  the  men  shall  fall  upon  him  who  has  beaten  the 
■woman.  The  woman  shall  not  go  to  war,  but  endeavor  to  keep  with  all.  There- 
fore, if  the  men  that  surround  her  beat  each  other,  and  the  war  be  carried  on  with 
violence,  the  woman  shall  have  the  right  of  addressing  them,  'Ye  men,  what  are 
ye  about.''  Why  do  you  beat  each  other.''  We  are  almost  afraid.  Consider  that 
your  wives  and  children  must  perish,  unless  you  desist.  Do  you  mean  to  destroy 
yourselves  from  the  face  of  the  earth.'"  The  men  shall  hear  and  obey  the  woman.' 
The  Delawares  add,  that,  not  immediately  perceiving  the  intention  of  the  Iroquois, 
they  submitted  to  be  the  woman.  The  Iroquois  then  appointed  a  great  feast, 
and  invited  the  Delaware  nation  to  it;  when,  in  consequence  of  the  authority  given 
them,  they  made  a  solemn  speech  containing  three  capital  points.  The  first  was, 
that  they  declared  the  Delaware  nation  to  be  the  woman  in  the  following  vv^ords: 
'We  dress  you  in  a  woman's  long  habit,  reaching  down  to  your  feet,  and  adorn 
you  with  earrings;'  meaning  that  they  should  no  more  take  up  arms.  The  second 
point  was  thus  expressed:  'We  hang  a  calabash  filled  with  oil  and  medicine  upon 
your  arm.  With  the  oil  you  shall  cleanse  the  ears  of  the  other  nations,  that  they 
may  attend  to  good  and  not  to  bad  words,  and  with  the  medicine  you  shall  heal 
those  who  are  walking  in  foolish  ways,  that  they  may  return  to  their  senses  and 
incline  their  hearts  to  peace.'  The  third  point,  by  which  the  Delawares  were 
exhorted  to  make  agriculture  their   future  employ  and  means  of  subsistence,  was 


Border  Settlers  oi  Xorthwestern  \'irginia  435 

thus  worded:  'We  deliver  into  your  hands  a  plant  of  Indian  corn  and  a  how.' 
Each  of  these  points  was  confirmed  by  delivering  a  belt  of  wampum,  and  these 
belts  have  been  carefully  laid  up,  and  their  meaning  frequently  repeated. 

"The  Iroquois,  on  the  contrary,  assert  that  they  conquered  the  Delaware 
and  that  the  latter  were  forced  to  adopt  the  defenseless  state  and  appellation  of 
a  woman  to  avoid  total  ruin. 

"Whether  these  different  accounts  be  true  or  false,  certain  it  is  that  the  Dela- 
ware nation  has  ever  since  been  looked  to  for  preservation  of  peace,  and  entrusted 
with  the  charge  of  the  great  belt  of  peace  and  chain  of  friendship,  which  they  must 
take  care  to  preserve  inviolate.  According  to  the  figurative  explanation  of  the 
Indians,  the  middle  of  the  chain  of  friendship  is  placed  upon  the  shoulder  of  the 
Delaware,  the  rest  of  the  Indian  nations  holding  one  end  and  the  Europeans  the 
other."— /Fwi.  E.  C. 

(3)  Border  Warfare,  p.  136. 

(4)  On  page  137,  Chronicles  of  Border  Warfare,  is  the  following  statement  by  the 
Editor,  R.  G.  Thwaites,  in  a  note  made  up  from  information  furnished  him  by  me: 

"Mr.  McWhorter  writes  me  that  two  others  were  Jesse  Hughes  and  John 
Cutright  (corruption  of  Cartwright.^),  both  of  them  settlers  on  Hacker's  Creek. 
*  *  *  The  massacre  of  the  Bull  Town  Indians  was  accompanied  by  atrocities  as 
repulsive  as  any  reported  by  captives  in  Indian  camps;  of  these  there  had  long 
been  traditions,  but  details  were  not  full}-  know  n  until  revealed  by  Cutright  upon 
his  deathbed  in  1852,  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  105  years."  *  *  * 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  Mr.  Thwaites  is  mistaken  in  saying  that  Cutright  was 
a  settler  on  Hacker's  Creek.  He  was  a  settler  on  the  Buckhannon.  See  Chapter 
IX,  this  Volume.  Not  only  was  Cutright's  confession  made  on  his  deathbed, 
but  the  details  had  been  narrated  by  him  when  he  was  in  full  possession  of  all  his 
faculties,  on  more  than  one  occasion  and  to  more  than  one  person. 

Col.  Henry  F.  Westfall  says  that  "Wm.  White,  Wm.  Hacker,  Samuel  Pringle 
and  Andrew  Skidmore  were  four  of  the  party,  perhaps  John  Pringle,  Andrew 
Friend  and  David  White  and  Elijah  Runner  were  also  of  the  party."  See  Westfall's 
letter,  Appendix  I,  this  Volume. 

There  was  in  the  settlements  a  man  named  Rceder,  from  the  Wappatomaka, 
a  notorious  renegade,  who  is  believed  by  some  to  have  been  in  the  Bulltown  mas- 
sacre. His  hatred  for  the  red  race  was  insatiate.  He  killed  peaceable  Indians 
secretly  and  by  the  most  inhuman  method.  He  first  plied  his  \'ictims  with  whisky 
until  helplessly  intoxicated,  and  then  thrust  his  ramrod  full  length  up  into  their 
intestines,  causing  death,  but  leaving  no  visible  marks  of  violence.  He  is  known 
to  have  killed  no  less  than  fifteen  in  this  way,  and  four  of  these  at  one  time. 

(5)  Those  who  would  find  excuse  for  the  retaliation  by  the  borderers  in  the 
Stroud  murder,  should  bear  in  mind  that,  viewed  in  the  same  light,  the  Shawnee 
had  just  provocation  for  aggressive  vengeance,  and  the  tragedy  at  Stroud's  was 
of  that  nature. 

"The  last  news  we  have  had  here  is  the  killing  of  nine  Shawancs  Indians  in 
Augusta  County,  Va.,  who  were  passing  this  way  to  the  Cherokee  Nation,  to  war 
against  them,  and  had  obtained  a  pass  from  Col.  Lewis,  of  that  county.  Yet, 
notwithstanding  a  number  of  county  people  met  them  a  few  miles  from  Col. 
Lewis'  and  killed  nine,  there  being  but  ten  in  the  Company." 


436  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Extract  from  a  letter  from  Fort  Loudoun,  1768,  History  of  Augusta  County, 
Virginia,  Staunton,  1882,  p.  143. 

(6)  Border  Warfare,  p.  136. 

(7)  Appendix  I,  this  Volume. 

(8)  A  parallel  to  this  pathetic  incident  is  found  in  the  Kennebec  Indian,  who, 
prompted  by  the  same  motive  that  drove  Captain  Bull  from  his  Kanawha  home, 
exhumed  the  body  of  his  child  and  carried  it  two  hundred  miles  to  his  people 
in  Canada. 


NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  VIII 

(1)  Border  Warfare,  p.  137. 

(2)  For  a  further  notice  of  Indian  Camp,  see  Appendix  III,  this  Volume. 

NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  IX 

(1)  Border  Warfare,  p.  122. 

(2)  Appe7idix  I,  this  Volume. 

(3)  See  letter  of  David  H.  Smith,  Apperidix  I,  this  Volume. 

(4)  Withers,  p.  247,  gives  the  date  of  Booth's  death,  June  16,  1778.  He  was 
killed  on  Tuesday.  Cutrighl  places  the  tragedy  one  year  later,  which  is  erro- 
neous. 

The  Draper  Manuscripts,  100,  79,  contains  the  following  pension  statement 
of  John  Cutright: 

"John  Cutright,  Lewis  Co.  Va.,  Dec'n  Aug.  7,  1832.  In  May,  1778,  volun- 
teered in  Capt.  James  Boothe's  company,  at  West's  Fort  on  Hacker's  Creek,  for 
18  months.  In  June,  1779,  Capt.  Boothe  was  killed  by  the  Indians,  on  Boothe's 
Creek,  in  now  Harrison  Co.  Va.  &c." 

(5)  See  Chapter  A'A'A',  this  Volume. 

(6)  From  1777,  the  bloody  year  of  the  border,  to  1780,  Virginia  was  hard  pressed 
for  troops  and  drafting  became  necessary.  An  act  of  the  State  Legislature,  May, 
1777,  ordered  that  unless  the  number  of  men  required  were  enlisted  by  the  tenth 
of  August,  they  should  be  drafted.  In  the  interval,  the  Virginia  troops  suffered 
considerable  loss,  especially  at  the  Battle  of  Germantown;  and  in  October  of  that 
year  another  act  was  passed  for  recruiting  the  regiments  by  drafting  unless  the 
quota  was  enlisted  by  the  twelfth  of  February,  1778.  Only  unmarried  men  were 
liable  to  this  impressment.     Annals  of  Augusta  County,  p.  163. 

An  act  of  October,  1778,  required  each  county,  except  Illinois,  to  furnish  the 
"one  twenty-fifth  man"  of  its  militia  for  the  Virginia  regiments  by  May  1,  1779, 
to  serve  for  three  years,  or  during  the  war.  The  war  spirit  had  cooled  considerably, 
and  volunteers  not  forthcoming,  it  was  ordered  by  Act  of  the  Legislature,  May, 


I 


Border  Settlers  of  Xortiiwesterx  Virginia  437 

1779,  that  the  "one  t\vcni\'-hfth  man  of  the  militia"  be  drafted  fur  eighteen  months. 
Annals  oj  Augusta  County,  p.  167. 

An  act  of  the  Legislature,  May,  1780,  provided  that  the  several  counties, 
exclusive  of  the  County  of  Illinois  and  the  territory  in  dispute  between  Virginia 
and  Pennsylvania,  should  furnish  one  fifteenth  man  of  the  militia  to  serve  in  the 
Continental  Army  until  December  31,  1781.  Staunton  was  place  of  rendezvous. 
In  October,  1780,  the  Legislature  called  for  3,000  men  drafted  for  eighteen  months 
if  not  furnished  b\-  volunteering.  This  was  the  last  enactment  on  the  subject 
during  the  war.     Annals  of  Augusta  County,  p.  174. 

Destitution  among  the  \'irginia  troops  during  this  period  was  appallinc. 
An  inventory  of  the  "arms,  accoutrements  and  clothing"  of  fifty-three  men  com- 
manded by  Major  Isaac  Beall,  4th  \'irginia  Regiment,  when  returned  June  21, 
1778,  consisted  of:  46  muskets,  39  bayonets,  39  b.  slings,  47  cartouch  boxes, 
14  hats,  46  coats,  28  vests,  11  pairs  breeches,  19  pairs  stockings,  38  shirts,  46  pairs 
shoes,  32  blankets,  20  knapsacks,  30  overalls,  3  camp  kettles  and  3  canteens. 

In  some  instances  a  soldier  could  boast  a  pair  of  stockings  but  no  shoes,  while 
others  possessed  a  blanket  but  neither  hat,  breeches  nor  overalls.  One,  Gallent 
Crosbay,  was  fully  armed,  while  his  wearing  apparel  was  accounted  for  in  a  pair 
of  shoes  and  a  knapsack.  William  Lipscomb's  exclusive  possessions  consisted  of 
a  musket,  bayonet,  b.  sling  and  cartouch  box.  I'irginia  Magazine  of  History 
and  Biography,  Volume  1,  p.  207. 

Under  date,  "Camp  Charlotte,  7  December,  1780,"  Major-General  Nathanial 
Green,  wrote  General  Washington:  "Nothing  can  be  more  wretched  and  dis- 
tressing than  the  condition  of  the  troops,  starving  with  cold  and  hunger,  with- 
out tents  and  camp  equipage.  Those  of  the  Virginia  line  are  literally  naked; 
and  a  great  part  totally  unfit  for  any  kind  of  duty,  and  must  remain  so  until  clotii- 
ing  can  be  had  from  the  northward.  I  have  written  to  Governor  Jefferson  not 
to  send  forward  any  more  until  they  are  well  clothed  and  properly  equipped." 
Sparks  ^'Correspondence  of  the  American  Refolutio7i ."     Volume  III,  p.  166. 

Lender  these  conditions,  coupled  with  the  uncertainty  of  a  moneyed  compen- 
sation it  can  hardly  be  a  wonder  that  the  discouraged  Virginians  refused  to  leave 
their  homes  and  their  woods  to  engage  in  a  cause  which  appeared  well  nigh  hopeless. 

The  territorial  dispute  between  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  at  this  time  waxed 
warm,  and  was  also  a  great  drawback  to  the  state  enlistments  and  the  American 
cause.  The  following  interesting  letter  found  among  the  Draper  manuscripts, 
and  here  published  for  the  first  time,  portrays  the  temper  of  the  \'irginia  border 
colony  relative  to  this  trouble. 

"MoNONGALi.v  April  lUii'  1780 
"Dear  W" 

"I  have  Started  John  of  to  W'ms  Burg  for  the  Surveyors  Com",  which  I  Could 
not  get  for  him  without  his  appearing  there  in  person  (how  ye.  lad  will  make  out 
I  Cannot  tell  for  he  Drives  on  partly  in  ye.  Old  Way)  But  let  that  be  as  it  will  it 
has  taken  all  the  money  I  Could  spare  to  fitt  him  out  for  the  trip  Besides 
Given  Richard  Orders  to  Draw  on  you  for  £300  to  help  out  with  his  expences  which 
Ric^.  is  to  Borrow  from  some  one  and  you  must  by  no  means  refuse  the  Order 
in  Case  he  should  Draw  one  on  you — I  shall  leave  this  place  in  a  Da\'  or  two  for 
the  falls — there  is  Certain  Accounts  Brought  to  pitt  of  the  Indians  taken  2  Boats 
and  that  they  are  ver\'  thick  on  the  River  the  passage  witiiout  irreat  Care  wil! 


438  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

be  Daingerous — the  people  is  in  great  Confusion  heare  on  account  of  the  Dis- 
puted line  and  is  Determined  to  Declare  them  selves  a  Separate  State  which  will 
be  Done  before  the  Last  of  this  Month  George  Rooks  is  at  the  head  of  it. 

I  am  yr.  Afft  Br 

Gael  A/Iadison 
I  shall  rite  to  you 
by  the  first  opv  from 
the  fals  if  I  Gt  the. 
Addressed:   To  M^.  William  Madison  Botetourt 

Endorsed:  Letter  Gab.  Madison  80."         Wis.  Hist.  Soc.  5zz73,  A.  L.  S. 

(7)  Among  those  dropped  from  the  pension  roll  in  Lewis  Co.,  was  Patrick 
McCan,  of  McCan's  Fort.  He  was  awarded  $9S  a  year  for  alleged  two  years' 
service  as  private  and  sergeant  in  Col.  Broadhead's  Regiment,  Revolutionary  War. 
It  afterwards  appeared  that  McCan  was  too  young  for  service  in  the  Revolution, 
and  his  pension  was  stopped.     He  had  a  brother  killed  in  the  Patriot  Army. 

The  McCans  came  from  Ireland,  and  in  1785  were  residing  on  lands  owned  by 
John  Powers.  Patrick  was  noted  for  his  eccentricity  and  self  emulation.  Be  it 
said,  however,  that  his  stories  were  of  a  harmless  nature,  usually  bordering  on  the 
miraculous.  He  was  once  hunting,  and  reaching  the  brow  of  a  hill,  he  beheld 
a  great  commotion  among  the  tall  weeds  growing  on  a  lower  flat.  Supposing  that 
the  disturbance  was  caused  by  a  deer,  he  silently  approached^  in  order  to  get  a 
shot.  On  coming  to  the  place  he  was  amazed  to  behold  a  log  rolling  back  and 
forth,  so  crooked  that  it  could  not  lie  still.  This  gave  rise  to  the  proverb  still 
current  in  that  region,  "Crooked  as  McCan's  log." 

(8)  This  was,  perhaps,  in  1780,  when  Cutright  was  wounded  on  Laurel  Lick,  a 
branch  of  Hacker's  Creek,  and  not  far  from  Berlin,  W.  Va.  See  Border  Warfare, 
p.  290.  On  that  occasion,  Cutright  displayed  most  reckless  courage  and  was 
admonished  by  his  comrades  to  exercise  more  caution,  but  to  no  purpose.  When 
shot,  Cutright  was  in  the  little  valley,  and  the  Indian  fired  from  a  laurel  bed  some 
distance  on  the  hillside.  At  the  report  of  the  rifle,  Cutright  leaped  into  the  air 
and  screamed,  "/'m  shot."     Tradition  says  that  the  ball  took  effect  in  his  arm. 

(9)  The  Virginia  militia  organized  under  the  Convention  ordinance,  July  17, 
1775,  were  constituted  "minute  men"  and  each  was  required  to  "furnish  himself 
with  a  good  rifle,  if  to  be  had,  otherwise  with  a  tomahawk,  common  firelock  bayonet, 
pouch,  or  cartouch  box,  and  three  charges  of  powder  and  ball."  They  were  subject 
to  military  service  from  the  age  of  sixteen  to  fifty,  and  if  shown  by  affidavit  that 
a  militiaman  was  unable  to  furnish  arms  he  was  supplied  at  public  expense.  "The 
officers  were  required  to  equip  themselves,  and  officers  and  men  were  liable  to  a 
fine  for  failure  in  this  respect."     Annals  of  Augusta  County,  p.  157. 

The  militiaman  of  the  Virginia  border  was  a  unique  figure  in  the  Revolution, 
Proud,  arrogant  and  wholly  self-reliant,  these  wild,  deadly  riflemen  chafed  at 
restraint  and  military  discipline.  Like  the  Indian,  whose  warfare  he  emulated, 
he  could  not  at  all  times  be  relied  upon  in  open  battle;  but  when  left  to  his  own 
resources,  and  native  tactics,  he  was  sure  to  win  the  respect,  but  hardly  the  admir- 
ation of  his  more  methodical  adversary.  Clad  in  the  picturesque  hunting  shirt, 
he  was  regarded  with  mingled  scorn  and  dread  by  the  gorgeous  "Red  Coat,"  who 
derisively  dubbed  him  "Shirt  Man." 


Border  Settlers  oi   Nokthwestern  Virginia  439 

A  letter  among  the  Draper  Manuscripts  (45  J.  lUl  A.  L.)  from  Lieut.  Gov. 
Henry  Hamelton,  to  Gen.  Guy  Carleton  (British),  dated  at  Detroit,  Dec.  4th,  1775, 
says:  *  *  *  "The  Virginians  arc  haughty  \'iolent  and  bloody,  the  savages  have  a 
high  opinion  of  them  as  Warriors,  but  are  jealous  of  their  encroachments,  and 
very  suspicious  of  their  faith  in  treaties,  the  \'irginians  having  furnished  them 
with  frequent  cause,  seizing  their  chiefs  &  detaining  them  as  hostages,  during 
which  time  their  treatment  has  not  been  as  mild  as  good  policy  should  have 
dictated.  In  the  inroads  of  the  \'irginians  upon  the  savages,  the  former  have 
plundered,  burnt  and  murdered  uiihuul  mercy."  *  *  *  Revolution  on  the  Upper 
Ohio,  \Ud\son,  1908,  p.  129. 

(10)  Lossing,  Volume  1,  pp.  331,  332. 

(11)  Sec  Westfall's  letter,  .Ippendix  I,  this  \'olumc.  Dunmore's  War, 
Madison,  Wis.,  1905,  p.  422. 

(12)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  288,  289. 

(13)  For  additional  mention  of  Cutright,  see  Col.  Westfall's  letter,  Appendix  I, 
this  \'olumc,  also  Border  Warfare,  and  History  of  Upshur  Co.,  IF.  J'a. 


NOTES  OX  CHAPTER  X 

(1)  Kercheval's  History  of  the  Valley,  pp.  129,  130,  132,  140,  141. 

(2)  It  is  thought  by  some  that  Lieutenant  John  White,  who  was  killed  and 
scalped  in  Tygart's  Valley  In  1778,  was  of  this  family,  but  I  have  not  looked  up 
his  antecedents. 

Lieut.  White  was  a  leading  man  in  his  community,  and  his  death  was  deeply 
deplored.  It  was  generally  supposed  that  he  was  not  slain  by  Indians,  but  was 
ambushed  and  shot  by  two  deserters  from  the  American  Army,  who  were  hiding 
in  the  mountains  and  suspected  White  was  seeking  their  apprehension.  History 
of  Randolph  County,  1898,  p.  184. 

That  many  outrages  on  the  border  then,  as  in  later  years,  were  committed 
by  renegade  whites  and  charged  to  the  Indians,  cannot  be  denied.  Kercheval 
gives  an  instance,  where,  in  1758  two  white  men  disguised  as  Indians  were  mistaken 
for  such  and  were  pursued  and  killed  by  the  settlers  near  the  present  site  of  Martins- 
burg,  Virginia.  Their  Intentions  were  robbery.  Kercheval  adds:  "The  Indians 
were  frequently  charged  with  outrages  they  never  committed."  History  of  the 
Valley,^.  114.' 

(3)  See  Kercheval,  pp.  140,  141.  Dunmore's  War,  p.  422.  Also  Col.  Westfall's 
letter.  Appendix  I,  this  Volume. 

Col.  John  Sevier's  military  career  did  not  end  with  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant. 
He  served  as  a  Commissary  and  Colonel  of  North  Carolina  Troops  during  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  was  one  of  the  Colonels  in  command  at  the  Battle  of 
King's  Mountain,  and  conducted  two  campaigns  against  the  Cherokees.  He  was 
the  first  militia  general  of  the  territorj^  of  Tennessee  and  the  first  Governor  of  that 
State.     He  was  made  a  Brigadier  General  of  the  United  States  Army,  July  19, 


440  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

1798,  and  was  honorably  discharged  June  15,  1800.     He  died  near  Fort  Decatur, 
Alabama,  September  24,  1815. 

His  son  James  served  under  him  during  1780,  1781  and  1782. 

(4)  Border  Warfare,  p.  136. 

(5)  Kercheval,  pp.  140,  141,  142. 

(6)  Border  Warfare,  p.  135. 

(7)  For  notice  of  the  earliest  military  organization  of  the  Buckhannon  settle- 
ment, see  Chapter  XVII,  this  Volume. 

(8)  Withers,  pp.  232,  233,  gives  this  account  of  the  capture  of  White  and  Petro: 
"In   September  of  this  year   (1777)  Leonard  Petro  and  Wm.  White,  being 

engaged  in  watching  the  path  leading  up  the  Little  Kanawha,  killed  an  elk  late 
in  the  evening;  and  taking  part  of  it  with  them,  withdrew  a  short  distance  for  the 
purpose  of  eating  their  suppers  and  spending  the  night.  About  midnight.  White,, 
awaking  from  sleep,  discovered  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  that  there  were  several 
Indians  near,  who  had  been  drawn  in  quest  of  them  by  the  report  of  the  gun  in 
the  evening.  He  saw  at  a  glance  the  impossibility  of  escape  by  flight;  and  pre- 
ferring captivity  to  death,  he  whispered  to  Petro  to  lie  still,  lest  any  movement  of 
his,  might  lead  to  this  result.  In  a  few  minutes  the  Indians  sprang  on  them, 
and  White  raising  himself  as  one  lay  hold  on  him,  aimed  a  furious  blow  with  his 
tomahawk,  hoping  to  wound  the  Indian  by  whom  he  was  beset,  and  then  make 
his  escape.  Missing  his  aim  he  affected  to  have  been  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  he  was 
encountered  by  Indians,  professed  great  joy  at  meeting  with  them,  and  declared 
that  he  was  then  on  his  way  to  their  towns.  They  were  not  deceived  by  the  arti- 
fice; for  although  he  assumed  an  air  of  pleasantness  and  gaity,  calculated  to  win 
upon  their  confidence,  yet  the  woeful  countenance  and  rueful  expression  of  poor 
Petro,  convinced  them  that  White's  conduct  was  feigned,  that  he  might  lull  them 
into  inattention,  and  they  be  enabled  to  effect  an  escape.  They  were  both  tied 
for  the  night;  and  in  the  morning  White  being  painted  red,  and  Petro  black,  they 
were  forced  to  proceed  to  the  Indian  towns.  When  approaching  a  village,  the 
whoop  of  success  brought  several  to  meet  them;  and  on  their  arrival  at  it,  they 
found  that  every  preparation  was  made  for  their  running  the  gauntlet;  in  going 
through  which  ceremony  both  were  much  bruised.  White  did  not  however  remain 
long  in  captivity.  Eluding  their  vigilance,  he  took  one  of  their  guns  and  began 
his  flight  homeward.^ — Before  he  had  traveled  far,  he  met  an  Indian  on  horseback, 
whom  he  succeeded  in  shooting;  and  mounting  the  horse  from  which  he  fell,  his 
return  to  the  Valley  was  much  facilitated.  Petro  was  never  heard  of  afterwards. 
The  painting  of  him  black,  had  indicated  their  intention  of  killing  him;  and  the 
escape  of  White  probably  hastened  his  doom." 

See  Westfall's  letter  and  Note  5,  Appendix  I;  and  Note  2,  Appendix  III; 
for  death  of  Capt.  White,  and  further  notice  of  Petro. 

(9)  Mrs.  White  witnessed  the  shooting  of  her  husband  and  saw  the  Indian  when 
he  attempted  to  secure  the  scalp  of  his  victim.  She  soon  afterwards  became  a 
mother,  and  the  child  developed  unmistakable  Indian  traits  of  character.  Not 
only  his  swarthy  features,  but  his  movements  and  habits  were  those  of  an  Indian. 
He  grew  to  manhood  and  became  a  great  hunter,  remaining  In  the  wilderness  alone 


lioRDKR  Si;'ni,i;Rs  oi   Northwestern  \  irc;inia  441 

for  days  and  weeks  at  a  time.  He  could  scarcely  be  induced  to  perform  physical 
labor,  nor  could  any  influence  that  was  thrown  around  him  ever  constrain  him 
to  adopt  the  higher  ways  of  civilization.  Some  of  the  present  generation  remember 
seeing  him  with  his  rifle  and  hunter  garb,  a  wild  reminder  of  an  era  of  the  past. 
He  was  a  "poet,"  and  ciften  composed  satiric  verse  against  those  who  incurred  his 
displeasure. 

Captain  W  liitc  Icti  bul  diic  otlier  ciiikl,  I'.lizabelh.  w  iiu  in  17VS,  married  Joel 
Wcstfail. 

(10)  Borclt-r  Warfart-,  p.  340.     See  note  5,  .Ippfndix  I,  this  X'ohime. 

(11)  BorJ,-r  lf\irf(irc\  pp.  340,  341. 

(12.)  John  Kink  was  the  son  of  Henry  l-'ink,  who  came  to  the  Buckhannon  settle- 
ment at  an  earb'  day.  In  1781  a  certificate  was  issued  to  "Henry  Phink  lFink|, 
assignee  to  Henry  Rule,  400  acres  on  Buckhannon  River,  adjoining  lands  of  David 
\\  ilson,  to  include  his  settlement  made  in  1770." 

Tradition  says  that  when  Henr}'  fink  tirst  came  to  the  scttKnuni,  lie  with 
his  family  made  their  abode  in  the  cavit\-  of  a  large  s}"camore  near  the  mouth  of 
Fink's  Run,  just  west  of  Buckhannon.  I  remember  seeing  the  stump  of  this  tree, 
but  the  tradition  is  without  foundation.  See  Col.  Westfall's  letter  and  Note  5, 
Jppendix  I,  for  further  account  of  Fink. 

(13)  Under  the  auspices  of  the  Elizabeth  Zane  Chapter  of  the  D.  .\.  R.  of  Buck- 
hannon, on  July  4th,  l'>12,  a  fitting  granite  monument  was  dedicated  to  Capt. 
William  White  aiui  Jnhn  Fink.  The  cost  (55600)  was  raised  by  popular  local 
subscription,  and  a  contribution  from  the  County  of  Upshur,  under  a  late  State 
law  permitting  such  patriotic  use  of  the  public  funds. 

(14)  The  treaty  of  F'ort  Slanwi.x  in  176S  by  wliich  the  Six  Nations  ceded  a.\\  their 
^'rights"  to  the  \ast  region  west  of  tlie  .Micgheii}'  .Mountains  and  south  of  the 
■Ohio  River,  was  not  an  extinguishment  of  the  full  Indian  title.  The  Delawares 
and  Shawnees  refused  to  sign  the  treaty;  and  the  rights  of  the  Ohio  Indians,  the 
true  owners,  were  wholly  ignored.  Their  title  was  "extinguished"  by  Dunmore's 
Conquest  six  years  later,  of  which  the  sequel  was  the  Battle  of  Fallen  Timbers 
in  1794,  after  twenty  years  of  incessant  border  wars. 

Dki.awark  Indians  on  the  Monon(;ahi;la  Ri\i;r 

"Mr.  Walker  being  sworn — says — That  he  was  apptd  a  Comr  &  attended 
at  F":  Stanwix — CJenl:  Lewis,  other  CDini"  was  called  ofl^ — Sir  Wm  Johnston  had 
a  state  of  Virg^  claim — who  said  ilie  Indians  acknowd  Vir^  claim^ — -refused  a 
•copy  of  minutes — promised  autht^  documents — gave  deed  of  cefsion — deferred 
giving  any  other  papers — got  a  copy  of  Treaty  from  Gents  at  bar — Com^s  of 
any  State  only  asked  Questions  abt  respecti\'e  claims — No  Comrs  held  any 
conference  with  Indians — Considered  himself  in  signing  In^  claim — not  as  Comr 
but  as  witnefs — beleivcs  if  he  had  been  called  in  as  Comr,  he  should  have  signed 
it  in  that  character  as  he  was  informed  the  Lands  could  only  be  had  on  those 
terms.  In  F'.  Stanwix  treaty,  Indians  complied  with  \'a  claim — Pamphlet  of 
India*  claim  a  perfect  record  of  the  transaction" —     ***** 

"Nothing  said  of  any  land  lying  west  of  Ohio — On  F",x"''  of  deed,  thinks 
Indians  were  called  to  table  &  acknowledtred    it,    and    belie\es  marked  it — Cus- 


442  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

torn  for  Indians  to  treat  by  cheifs- — one  cheif  generally  signing  for  his  nation 
— Saw  Indians  who  s^  they  lived  at  Squirrel  Hill,  hath  heard  that  Delaware^ 
lived  on  Monongahala — Shawanese  had  towns  opposite  Mouth  Scioto  in  year 
1756 — at  this  purchase,  considered  territory  as  delivered  up  on  Exo"  of  Deed. 
as  far  as  Deed  went — Letters  from  M^  Stewart  claimed  part  of  this  land  for 
Cherokees — Indians  always  bound  lands  sold  by  natural  boundaries- — Remem- 
bers North  Indians  with  Braddock,  supposes  they  were  invited  by  him.  Had 
Converon  with  Sir  W™  on  treaty  of  Lancaster — thought  in  finishing  treaty  at 
fort  Stanwix  that  the  affair  was  concluded." — From  Calendar  of  Virgmia  State- 
Papers;  Volume  I,  pp.  297,  298. 

For  notice  of  Indian  habitations  on  the  Upper  Monongalia,  refer  to  Chapters 
V,  VI,  and  XV,  this  Volume. 


NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XI 

(1)  Cornstalk  and  Logan. 

(2)  Winning  of  the  West,  Sagamore  Edition,  New  York,  1900,  Volume  2,  pp. 
33,  34. 

(3)  History  of  Randolph  County,  West  Va.,  1898,  p.  42. 

(4)  Border  Warfare,  p.  143. 

(5)  Winning  of  the  West,  Volume  1,  p.  184. 

(6)  Winning  of  the  West,  Volume  1,  p.  182. 

(7)  Border  Warfare,  p.  143. 

(8)  Wiyining  of  the  West,  Volume  1,  pp.  236  to  238. 

(9)  The  character  of  these  Kentucky  interlopers  was  strongly  attested  in  1778,, 
when,  on  the  12th  of  November,  Col.  James  Wood  of  the  8th  Virginia  Regiment, 
wrote  Gen.  Washington  from  Williamsburg,  attributing  the  prevalence  of  desertion 
among  the  troops  raised  on  the  border,  to  the:  "pernicious  measure  of  sending  a 
body  of  men  for  the  protection  of  the  settlement  on  Kentucky,  which  does  not 
consist  of  more  than  sixty  men,  most  of  whom  are  land  robbers  and  runaways 
from  different  states,  which  has  formed  a  harbour  for  deserters  and  every  other 
species  of  villains.  Besides,  the  idea  was  ridiculous  to  think  of  extending  our 
territory,  when  we  ought  to  be  making  use  of  every  exertion  to  secure  what  we 
already  occupy."  Sparks  Correspondence  of  the  American  Revolution,  Boston, 
1853,  Volume  II,  pp.  229,  230. 

See  Note  2,  Chapter  XXI,  this  Volume,  for  additional  Information  on  the 
Long  Hunters. 

(10)  Border  Warfare,  p.  136. 

(11)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  135,  136. 

(12)  Indirectly  the  whites  stand  charged  with  the  responsibility  of  this  conflict 
In  an  indictment  by  Benjamin  Franklin,  who,  after  stating  that  the  Indians  "have 
no  intoxicating  liquors  but  what  they  have  received  from  us,"  continues: 


\ 


Border  Settlers  of  Xortiiw  estern  \'irgima  443 

'n'he  dreadful  war  in  1774  between  the  Shawancse,  some  of  the  Mingoes, 
and  the  people  of  Virginia,  in  wliich  so  many  lives  were  lost,  was  brought  on  by 
the  consequences  of  drunkenness.  It  produced  murders  which  were  followed 
by  private  revenge,  and  ended  in  a  most  cruel  and  destructive  war."  Quoted  from 
On  the  Frontier  with  Colonel  .hites,  Camden,  N.  J.,  1900,  p.  127. 

(13)  Border  JVarfare,  pp.  135,  136. 

(14)  Monongahela  of  Old,  Pittsburgh,  1858-1892,  p.  88. 

(15)  Border  If'arfare,  p.  135. 

(16)  At  no  lime  during  the  interval  from  the  closing  of  Pontiac's  War  in  1765  to 
Dunmore's  Conquest  in  1774,  did  the  whites  cease  in  acts  of  aggressive  bloodshed. 
The  annals  of  the  Virginia  border  are  lurid  with  such  crimes.  A  letter  dated 
Winchester  April  30,  1765,  contains  this  passage: 

"The  frontier  inhabitants  of  this  colony  and  Maryland  arc  removing  fast 
over  the  Alleghanies  in  order  to  settle  and  live  there.  The  two  hunters  who  killed 
the  two  Indians  near  Pittsburg,  some  time  ago,  are  so  audacious  as  to  boast  of 
the  fact  and  show  the  scalps  publicly.  What  may  such  proceedings  not  pro- 
duce? One  of  these  hunters,  named  Walker,  lives  in  Augusta  County,  \'a." 
Extract  of  a  Letter  from  Carlisle 

"A  number  of  men  from  this  settlement  went  up  to  Shamokin  (Fort  Augusta) 
to  kill  the  Indians  there,  which  caused  them  all  to  fly  from  that  place." 
From  Lord  Botetourt,  1770 

"I  send  the  body  of  John  Ingman,  he  having  confessed  himself  concerned 
in  the  murder  of  Indian  Stephen.     You  will  find  there  never  was  an  act  of  villainy 
more  unprovoked  and  more  deliberately  undertaken." 
From  Fort  Pitt,  1771 

"1  take  the  liberty  to  enclose  for  your  perusal  the  copy  of  an  affidavit  relative 
to  the  murder  of  the  two  Seneca  Indians.  I  have  had  several  meetings  with  the 
chiefs,  who  seem  well  pleased  with  the  steps  taken  in  the  affair." 

Peyton's  History  of  Augusta  County,  Fa.,  p.  143. 

The  letter  quoted  in  Note  5,  Chapter  \  II,  this  \"olunic,  should  be  included 
in  the  foregoing  list. 

(17)  The  circumstances  attending  the  treachery  by  which  the  Indians  of  Logan's 
camp  were  induced  to  cross  the  Ohio  to  Baker's  house,  where  they  were  murdered, 
are  now  well  known  and  universally  condemned.  Accounts  of  this  tragedy  may 
be  found  in  JVestern  Annals,  p.  219;  Appendix  to  Jefferson's  Notes;  Drake's  Indians 
of  North  America,  pp.  537,  538,  and  many  other  works  on  the  early  history  of  the 
States  in  the  Ohio  \'alley. 

(18)  Hildrcth's  Pioneer  History,  pp.  93,' 94. 

(19)  On  April  18,  and  May  5,  1778,  the  County  Court  of  Rockbridge  County, 
\'irginia,  sat  for  the  examination  of  Captain  Hall  and  Hugh  Galbraith:  "upon 
a  charge  of  suspicion"  of  being  guilty  of  the  killing  of  Cornstalk  and  two  other 
Indians  in  November,  1777,  and  they  denying  their  guilt,  and  no  one  appearing 
against  them,  w-ere  acquitted.  This  farce  of  justice  was  fully  carried  out  on  both 
occasions  by  the  sheriff  making  proclamation  at  the  door  of  the  court  house  for 


444  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

all  persons  who  could  give  evidence  against  the  accused,  to  come  forward  and 
testify.     No  one  volunteered,  and  the  murderers  went  free. 
Annals  of  Augusta  County,  Va.,  Richmond,  1886,  p.  164-. 

(20)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  245,  246. 

This  was  evidently  John  Sleath  (Sleeth)  to  whom  a  certificate  was  issued  in 
1781,  for  "400  acres  on  Hacker's  Creek,  adjoining  lands  of  John  Hacker  to  include 
his  settlement  made  in  1777.'" 

The  same  year  David  Sleath  (Sleeth)  secured  a  grant  for  "200  acres  on  the 
waters  of  Hacker's  Creek,  adjoining  lands  claimed  by  Samuel  Bonnett,  to  include 
his  settlement  made  in  1770." 

David  W.  Sleeth  was  an  enlisted  scout  on  the  western  waters  during  the 
Revolution.  From  his  declaration  for  pension  made  Aug.  7,  1832,  it  would  appear 
that  he  was  born  in  Frederick  County,  Va.,  May  18,  1762. 

He  was  a  member  of  Capt.  James  Booth's  Company  of  rangers  and  spies  in 
1777-78;  place  and  time  of  enlistment.  West's  Fort  on  Hacker's  Creek;  May  1777, 
term  of  service  eighteen  months.  After  the  death  of  Capt.  Booth  in  June,  1778, 
the  company  was  under  the  command  of  Lieut.  Edward  Freeman,  for  the  remainder 
of  his  enlistment,  or  until  November,  1778,  who  went  to  Kentucky  without  giving 
the  men  their  discharges.  Immediately  after  the  expiration  of  his  enlistment 
with  Capt.  Booth,  Sleeth  joined  Capt.  George  Jackson's  Company  of  scouts  at 
the  Buckhannon  Fort,  and  served  until  the  latter  part  of  1780.  The  sub-officers 
of  this  company  were  Jacob  Brake,  Lieut.,  Timothy  Dorman,  Ensign.  Sleeth 
states  that  he  was  in  several  skirmishes  with  the  Indians  during  this  enlistment 
and  often  acted  as  scout  in  subsequent  years.  Sleeth's  declaration  is  followed  by 
sworn  affidavits  from  John  Talbott  and  Henry  AlcWhorter,  testifying  that  Sleeth's 
statements  were  corerct  and  that  he  was  a  reliable  man.  John  Cutright  and 
Jacob  Bush  also  vouched  for  Sleeth's  veracity. 

Sleeth  was  granted  a  pension,  but  on  October  3,  1834,  he  was  re-examined 
by  W.  G.  Singleton,  Special  Pension  Agent,  who,  it  appears  received  from  him  a 
correct  repetition  of  his  former  declaration.  The  result  of  this  examination  was 
forwarded  to  the  Pension  Office  with  the  following  note  by  the  examiner: 

"This  man  Sleeth  is  the  same  who  as  magistrate  certified  such  a  number  of 
declarations  from  Lewis  County,  it  is  currently  stated  (and  no  doubt  of  the  fact) 
that  he  received  from  $\Q  to  320  for  each  and  every  declaration  of  his  certifying 
through  his  corrupt  means,  many  frauds  have  been  committed.  The  narrative 
of  service  here  detailed  by  him,  you  will,  I  presume,  compare  with  his  declaration, 
whether  they  be  the  same  or  not  is  wholly  immaterial.  There  is  no  doubt  of  his 
being  an  imposter." 

(Signed)  W.  G.  Singleton. 

This  report  was,  however,  accompanied  with  statements  from  William  Powers 
and  Christopher  Nutter  saying  that  Sleeth's  declaration  was  in  part  erroneous, 
that  Freeman  never  succeeded  Booth  in  command,  and  that  there  was  no  such 
thing  as  an  eighteen  months'  enlistment. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  Sleeth's  declaration  tallies  with  that  of  John 
Cutright,  that  Capt.  Booth's  Company  was  organized  for  an  eighteen  months' 
tour,  although  one  places  the  date  of  enlistment  May,  1777,  the  other,  one  year 
later,  but  concur  that  Freeman  succeeded  Capt.  Booth  in  command  and  that  he 


Border  Settlers  oi-  Xortiiw  estkrn  \  iRt;iNi.\  445 

subsequently  went  to  Kentucky.  Usually  the  scouts  were  enlisted  for  a  term  of 
nine  months,  but  the  latter  70's  was  the  most  stormy  period  of  the  border,  and  it 
is  probable  that  the  eighteen  months  included  two  continuous  enlistments  of  nine 
months  each. 

Everything  considered  Mr.  Singleton  was  unnecessarily  severe  in  his  denun- 
ciation of  Sleeth,  who  had  previously  been  well  vouched  for.  It  is  noteworthy 
that  the  pension  agent  did  not  produce  any  evidence  in  support  of  his  assertion 
that  the  old  scout  had  openly  certified  to  fraudulent  declarations. 

Subsequently  wc  find  a  sworn  statement  from  one  of  Sleeth's  old  associates 
in  arms,  who  says:  "to  the  best  of  his  recollection  it  was  in  1778  or  before  that 
time  that  David  Sleeth  enlisted  under  Capt.  Booth,  and  says  that  he  was  out 
under  him,  Elias  Hughes,  on  one  excursion  when  he,  said  E.  Hughes,  had  the 
command  of  a  company  of  spies." 

his 
(Signed)  Ei.ias  X  Hughks 
mark 

Dated  Dec.  20,  1838,  Licking  County,  Ohio. 

Sleeth  is  well  spoken  of  in  connection  with  his  testimony  for  Jacob  Bush, 
and  perhaps  others,  and  he  seems  to  have  stood  well  with  the  settlers  in  general. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Butcher,  John  Cutright  and  Mrs.  Phoebe  Cunningham  testi- 
fied in  behalf  of  Sleeth.  Mrs.  Butcher  was  the  widow  of  Paulcer  Butcher,  a  member 
of  the  same  company  of  spies  with  Sleeth. 

David  W.  Sleeth  was  a  resident  on  Leading  Creek  in  Lewis  Countv.  1834. 
There  is  no  mention  of  him  by  Withers. 

(21)  Border  U'arUire,  p.  275. 

(22)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  287,  288. 

(23)  See  Border  Warfare,  p.  287,  for  note  on  Beech  Fort. 

(24)  In  the  stiil  nights  of  the  .Appalachian  forests,  the  notes  of  the  great  horned 
ov.l  can  be  heard  a  long  distance.  No  benighted  traveler  of  that  land  can  ever 
forget  the  cries  of  these  night-birds  heard  while  traversing  the  mountain  roads. 
Sometimes  he  will  be  startled  by  the  uncanny,  goblin-like  laughter  of  a  group  of 
owls  gathered  on  the  dead  branches  of  some  large  tree  deep  in  the  forest  and  far 
from  danger.  These  peculiar  cries  can  be  heard  for  more  than  a  mile.  The  owl 
hoot,  like  the  howl  of  the  wolf,  was  a  favorite  signal  call  of  both  Indian  and  white 
scout. 

(25)  See  Chapter  XXX\',  this  \'olume. 

(26)  There  was  a  block  house  about  three  miles  west  of  Bush's  Fort,  on  Fink's 
Run,  where  Jesse  went  to  loose  the  stock.  It  was  built  by  some  of  the  Jackson's 
on  land  now  owned  by  Mr.  Martin  Reger.  Prof.  Maxwell  refers  to  this  building 
as  "Jackson's  Fort."  History  of  Randolph  County,  West  Va.,  p.  414.  It  could 
hardly  be  termed  a  fort,  in  the  sense  of  that  word.  It  was  only  a  block  house, 
or  a  strongly  built  two-story  log  dwelling  without  a  palisade;  and  never  figured 
as  a  defensive  stronghold. 


446  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XII 

(1)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  310-313. 

(2)  "The  moccasins  in  ordinary  use  cost  but  a  few  hours  labor  to  make  them. 
This  was  done  by  an  instrument  denominated  a  moccasin  awl,  which  was  made 
of  the  back  spring  of  an  old  clasp  knife.  This  awl,  with  its  buckshorn  handle, 
was  an  appendage  of  every  shot  pouch  strap,  together  with  a  roll  of  buckskin 
for  mending  the  moccasins.  This  was  the  labor  of  almost  every  evening.  They 
were  sewed  together  and  patched  with  deer  skin  thongs,  or  whangs  as  they  were 
commonly  called."     Kercheval,  pp.  338,  339.     Doddridge,  p.  141. 

In  1905,  I  saw  an  exact  counterpart  of  the  awl  here  described,  in  the  hands 
of  a  Warm  Springs  Indian  woman,  who,  with  a  piece  of  buckskin  and  thong,  was 
deftly  repairing  a  badly  worn  moccasin. 

(3)  See  Chapters  XXVI  and  XXVII  for  sketch  of  the  Lowthers. 

(4)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  376-380. 

(5)  Dr.  Thwaites,  Editor,  adds  the  following  note: 

"Another  case  of  border  superstition  is  related  to  me  by  McWhorter.  Alex- 
ander West  had  been  doing  sentry  duty  most  of  the  night  before,  and  on  being 
relieved  early  in  the  morning,  sat  with  his  back  to  a  tree  and,  rifle  across  his  lap, 
fell  asleep.  On  awakening  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  cried,  'Boys,  look  out!  Some 
of  us  will  be  killed  today!  I  saw  the  red  doe  in  my  dream;  that  is  the  sign  of 
death;  I  never  knew  it  to  fail!'  When  Bonnett  fell,  it  was  considered  in  camp  to 
be  a  verification  of  the  'red  sign.'  Bonnett  was  carried  by  his  comrades  on  a 
rude  stretcher,  but  in  four  days  died.  His  body  was  placed  in  a  cleft  of  rock  and 
the  entrance  securely  chinked." 

West  claimed  that  often  in  their  scouting  expeditions,  or  in  times  of  imminerrt 
peril,  he  would  have  a  premonition,  or  warning,  of  danger  by  seeing  a  red  doe 
passing  before  him  in  a  dream.  This  startling  vision  was  invariably  followed  by 
the  immediate  death,  or  fatal  wounding  of  some  of  his  associates.  West,  it  is 
claimed  by  those  who  knew  him,  was  of  a  religious  or  devotional  nature. 

(6)  Conditions  on  the  border  have  practically  been  the  same  from  the  Pequot 
War  to  the  massacre  on  the  Wounded  Knee.  A  horrible  story  of  retaliatory^ 
vengeance  on  a  cattle-raiding  band  of  California  Indians,  in  1852-53,  was  told 
me  by  one  of  the  participants,  Mr.  Ned  J.  Jackson,  a  noted  "Forty-niner." 

"We  had,"  said  Jackson,  "a  small  herd  of  cattle  which  we  expected  to  butcher 
for  the  mining  camps.  Our  herd,  we  estimated,  would  dress  about  20,000  pounds 
of  beef,  worth  one  dollar  per  pound.  One  day  Chief  Padocia's  band  of  Indians, 
known  as  the  Cotton  Wood  Creek  Tribe,  numbering  about  eighty-five  persons,  all 
told,  came  upon  the  cattle  in  the  hills,  killed  several  and  feasted  upon  the  meat. 
Going  in  search  of  our  cattle  we  found  the  Indian  encampment  deserted,  and  the 
slaughtered  beef  strewn  around.  Enraged  at  our  loss,  we  gathered  the  meat  and 
burned  it  upon  a  pile  of  logs.  We,  however,  preserved  one  quarter  of  a  beef  and 
thoroughly  saturated  it  with  strychnine,  leaving  it  in  the  camp.  Strychnine  was 
used  by  the  miners  against  wolves  and  other  predatory  animals.  The  Indians 
returned  and  devoured  this,  from  the  effects  of  which  sixty-five  or  seventy-  of  them 
died.      Terror-stricken,  Padocia  complained  to  some  of'the  whites  of  the  myste- 


Border  Settlers  of  Xorthw  estern  X'irginia  447 

rious  power  that  had  swept  away  so  many  of  his  people,  who  from  no  apparent 
cause  fell  dead  upon  the  trail,  women  and  children  not  being  exempt  from  the  ter- 
rible plague.  The  chief  was  upbraided  for  stealing  the  white  man's  cattle,  and  was 
warned  that  the  white  man  would  not  stand  such  conduct,  and  that  he  had  power 
to  kill  an  Indian  at  any  distance,  whether  in  his  presence  or  not.  The  simple 
minded  Padocia  excused  the  theft  by  declaring  that  his  people  were  starving,  and 
that  they  did  not  deem  it  wrong  U>  take  llic  cattle,  as  they  were  found  on  the 
Indian's  own  land." 

(7)  Border  Warfare,  p.  240. 

(8)  Border  Warfare,  p.  246. 

(9)  The  original  certificate  of  this  appointment  is  in  the  possession  of  Miss 
Minnie  McW'horter,  a  daughter  of  Judge  H.  C.  McWhorter  and  a  granddaughter 
of  the  old  postmaster. 

Fields  McWhorter,  M.  D.,  son  of  Walter  and  a  grandson  of  Henrj-  McW  horter, 
was  an  all  round  athlete.  For  several  years,  when  a  young  man,  he  was  "miller" 
at  the  McWhorter  Mill,  and  it  was  his  set  rule  to  "wrastle"  with  every  able-bodied 
man  who  came  for  grinding.  He  never  met  his  match  until  he  measured  strength 
with  Benjamin  Morris,  who  hailed  from  New  Jersey.  Morris  only  weighed  one 
hundred  and  twenty  pounds  at  maturity,  but  he  threw  the  doughty  miller  and 
held  him  supinely  until  he  acknowledged  himself  \anquished.  Morris  afterwards 
married  the  miller's  oldest  sister,  Mary. 

(10)  Spark's  Washington,  Volume  \'II,  p.  343. 

(11,  -g,^  "Fort  Pitt,  May  30th,  1781. 

■'This  will  be  delivered  to  your  E.\cellency  by  Ens.  Tannehill,  Paymaster  to 
the  7th  Virga.  Regt.,  whom  I  have  sent  Express  to  Richmond  in  order  to  procure 
the  4  months  pay  allowed  by  the  Hon:  the  Assembly  of  Virga.  towards  the  Depre- 
ciation of  their  former  pay,  &c — I  hope  when  your  Excellency  is  Assured  that 
they  have  not  received  a  single  shilling  for  these  twent\-  months  past,  you  will 
interest  yourself  in  their  Behalf  &c — *  *  * 

"Inclosed  is  also  my  Acct:  Expenses  in  forwarding  the  Powder  from  Carlisle 
to  this  place  for  Genl:  Clarke  &c.  *  *  * 

"Genl:  Clarke  will  write  your  Excellency  by  this  opportunity,  and  I  make 
no  doubt  give  you  every  information  relative  to  the  intended  Expedition — I  am 
much  afraid  he  will  not  be  able  to  get  many  of  the  militia  from  this  quarter,  as 
I  have  just  heard  that  three  hundred  men  from  the  Counties  of  Monongahela 
and  Ohio,  have  crossed  the  Ohio  at  Wheeling,  and  are  gone  to  cut  of  the  Moravian 
Indian  towns;  if  so  they  will  hardly  turn  out  on  their  return — Indeed  it  appears 
to  me  they  have  done  this,  in  order  to  evade  going  with  Genl:  Clarke — the  Mora- 
vians have  always  given  the  most  convincing  proofs  of  their  attachment  to  the 
Cause  of  America,  by  always  giving  in  Intelligence  of  every  party  that  came  against 
the  frontiers;  and  on  the  late  expedition,  they  furnished  Colo.  Broadhead  and  his 
party  with  a  large  quantitj"  of  provisions  when  they  were  starving — For  the  news 
of  this  post,  permit  me  to  refer  Your  Excellency  to  the  Bearer  Ens.  Tannehill — 
I  have  the  honour  to  be  Your  Excellenc.v's 
most  obedient  Humble  Servt., 

Tno:  Gibson-  Colo.  Comd.  F.  Pitt" 


448  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Letter  from  Colonel  John  Gibson  Comdt.,  at  Fort  Pitt,  to  Governor  Thomas 
Jefferson. 

From  "Calendar  of  Virginia  State  Papers,''  Volume  11,  p.  131.  See  Note  4, 
Chapter  XXX,  and  Appendix  IV,  this  Volume. 

"On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolution,  Gibson  was  the  Western  agent  of 
\  irginia,  at  Fort  Pitt.  After  the  treaty  held  in  October,  1775,  at  that  post,  between 
the  Delawares  and  representatives  of  the  Shawanese  and  Senecas  on  the  one  part, 
and  the  Commissioners  of  the  American  Congress  on  the  other  part,  by  which 
the  neutrality  of  the  former  tribe  was  secured,  he  undertook  a  tour  to  the  Western 
Indians  in  the  interest  of  peace.  Upon  his  return,  he  entered  the  service,  rising, 
finally,  to  the  command  of  the  13th  Mrginia  regiment,  being  sent  back  to  Fort 
Pitt  as  indicated  by  Washington,  in  the  above  letter,  in  the  summer  of  1778. 
He  remained  at  that  post  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
convention  which  framed  the  Constitution  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  in  1790; 
and  subsequentl}-,  was  a  judge  of  Allegheny  county,  that  State;  also,  a  major- 
general  of  militia.  He  was  Secretary  of  the  Territory  of  Indiana  until  it  became 
a  State.     He  died  in  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  10,  1822." 

'''Washington  Crawford  Letters''  p.  69. 

(12)  Border  Warfare,  p.  288. 

(13)  Heads  of  Families,  Mrginia,  pp.  36-90. 


NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XIII 

(1)  Border  Warfare,  p.  290. 

(2)  Border  JVarfare,  p.  246. 

(3)  DeHass,  p.  257. 

(4)  There  were  many  pigeon  roosts  throughout  the  mountain  regions  of  Virginia. 
Men  and  boys  would  go  to  these  roosts  at  night,  and  b}-  the  light  of  torches  slaughter 
the  birds  by  the  thousand.  The  last  great  flight  of  pigeons  occurred  in  1873.  I 
well  remember  this  never  repeated  scene,  as  the}'  passed  over  the  little  valley  where 
my  father  then  lived.  One  autumn  morning  a  deep  roar  was  suddenly  heard, 
and  a  great  cloud  of  pigeons  swept  over  the  woodcrested  hill  on  the  north.  For  an 
liour,  with  brief  intervals,  the  sky  was  darkened  in  every  direction  as  flock  after 
flock,  in  countless  myriads,  poured  southward. 

It  has  been  supposed  that  this  bird  once  so  numerous,  is  now  extinct,  but  I 
see  by  the  local  press  that  in  October,  1907,  a  flock  estimated  at  about  five  hundred 
was  seen  hovering  about  the  tree  tops  near  Addison,  West  Virginia;  and  from 
their  movements  appeared  to  be  foraging. 

(5)  Withers,  p.  310,  DeHass,  pp.  256,  257. 

Col.  Westfall  claimed  that  when  attacked  the  Schoolcraft  boys  were  on  the 
Buckhannon  River,  below  Bush's  Fort. 

(6)  In  the  first  census  of  Virginia,  1782,  the  name  of  John  Schoolcraft  appears  in 
the  enumeration  of  Monongalia  Count}',  but  not  in  connection  with  a  famih'. 
Heads  of  Families,  Virginia,  p.  35. 


Border  Settlers  oe  Xorthwestern  \  irgima  449 

(7)  Border  IFarfare,  pp.  2S2,  2S4,  MO,  377  and  379. 

(8)  Perhaps  it  was  the  "phantom  deer"  that  Mr.  Isaac  Posy,  an  old  nimrod  of 
the  upper  West  Fork,  had  an  experience  with  when  a  boy.  Posy  related  the  story 
to  Mr.  Hail,  as  follows: 

"When  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  I  crossed  over  to  one  of  the  upper  branches 
of  the  Sand  Fork  to  visit  friends  and  hunt  where  game  was  more  abundant  than 
nearer  my  home.  The  next  morning,  with  a  cousin  younger  than  myself,  we 
started  on  tiic  liuni.  \\  hen  leaving,  I  told  my  aunt  that  we  would  come  back 
with  a  deer  and  would  have  venison  for  breakfast.  But  the  old  lady  shook  her 
head  and  replied,  'No,  Isaac,  you  will  see  no  deer  today.'  Notwithstanding  the 
augury,  we  struck  out  with  glowing  anticipations,  though  we  knew  the  old  lady 
was  generally  regarded  as  a  witch.  Strange  to  say  though  sign  was  abundant,  we 
tramped  all  day  through  the  snow  without  seeing  a  single  deer.  Next  morning  I 
determined  to  go  home.  My  aunt  told  me  that  it  would  be  best,  but  added,  'Y'ou 
will  see  a  deer  today.'  'Well,'  I  replied,  *if  I  kill  one  before  I  cross  the  ridge  I 
will  come  back  and  we  will  have  our  venison  yet.'  'Never  mind  coming  back, 
Isaac,  but  you  will  see  a  deer  today,  and  it  will  be  a  big  one,'  was  the  answer.  I  left, 
and  on  approaching  the  gap  in  the  ridge  a  magnificent  buck  stood  before  me,  not 
fifty  yards  distant. 

"Well,  did  you  get  it?"  Hall  asked,  as  Posy  hesitated.  His  reply  was:  "These 
things  make  a  body  feel  mighty  queer.  I  just  shook  all  over.  I  could  hardly 
hold  the  gun  in  my  hands.  For  an  instant  I  turned  my  head  away,  and  when  I 
looked  again,  it  was  gone.     I  never  felt  like  huntin'  in  them  woods  any  more." 

Tiic  solitude  of  the  wilderness  was  productive  of  mystery.  It  engendered 
in  the  untutored  mind  of  the  Indian  and  woodsman  a  belief  in  the  supernatural. 
That  which  could  not  readily  be  accounted  for  by  natural  deduction,  appealed 
to  him  strongly,  and  intuitively  it  was  associated  with  the  occult.  He  was  guided 
by  omens,  signs  and  auguries. 

Walter  McWhorter,  with  others,  was  hunting  on  the  Little  Kanawha.  One 
Jay  their  dog  passed  swiftly  and  silently  near  them,  seemingly  on  the  trail  of 
some  creature.  He  vanished,  and  the  unnatural  actions  of  the  animal  surprised 
the  hunters.  They  waited  long  for  his  return,  and  followed  his  trail  a  great 
distance,  calling  loudly,  but  he  was  never  again  seen  or  heard  of.  Whether  he 
had  been  lost  on  the  trail  of  the  "Phantom  Deer,"  or  had  met  a  tragic  death  in 
conflict  with  some  wild  animal,  was  only  conjecture.  Such  incidents  made  visible 
impressions  on  the  mind  of  the  hunter,  and  was  the  foundation  for  many  stories 
of  the  supernatural. 

An  old  hunter  of  marked  intelligence,  who  in  an  early  day  frequented  the 
wilds  of  the  Buckhannon  and  Middle  Fork  region,  told  me  in  all  sincerity,  the 
following  story: 

"My  pardner  and  1  were  hunting  on  the  Buckhannon,  and  camped  at  Indian 
Camp.  One  evening,  just  after  nightfall,  while  reclining  near  our  fire,  we  were 
startled  by  hearing  from  the  canopy  of  laurel  which  crowned  the  brow  of  the 
overhanging  rock,  the  soft  notes  of  a  melody,  strange,  weird  and  entrancing. 
As  the  music  floated  down  through  the  darkness,  I  was  enthralled.  Never  had  I 
heard  cadence  of  such  mingled  sadness  and  joy.  It  was  the  voice  of  a  woman, 
but  not  of  earth;  the  carol  of  a  bird,  from  Paradise.     It  seemed  everywhere;   it 


450  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

filled  the  recesses  of  the  cavern,  it  stole  through  the  thickets  and  flooded  the  forest 
with  melody  sweet  and  unreal.  I  was  enraptured,  transported,  lost.  I  laughed, 
I  wept.  My  comrade,  unable  to  control  his  feelings,  sprang  upon  the  large  rock 
in  the  entrance  of  the  cavern  and  danced  in  mad  abandonment.  How  long  the 
song  lasted,  I  never  knew.  It  died  away  as  mysteriously  as  it  came,  and  left  us 
wondering  what  it  could  be." 

(9)  At  the  time  of  this  siege,  Simon  Girty,  Indian  name,  Katepacomen — was  still 
loyal  to  the  American  cause  and  was  then  acting  as  interpreter  for  Col.  George 
Morgan,  Indian  Agent  at  Fort  Pitt,  for  the  Middle  Department.  Not  only 
Schoolcraft,  but  Withers,  and  many  other  writers  have  fallen  into  the  error  that 
Simon  Girty  led  the  Indians  against  Fort  Henry.  Girty  did  not  desert  from  Fort 
Pitt  until  March  28,  1778.     See  Hildreth's  Pioneer  History,  pp.  129,  130. 

The  number  of  Indians  engaged  in  this  raid  has  been  variously  estimated 
and  as  high  as  400.  Butterfield,  a  recognized  authority,  makes  it  200.  History 
of  the  Girtys,  p.  43.  The  loss  sustained  by  Adason  and  Ogle,  was  15  killed  and  5 
wounded;  although  the  computation  has  been  placed  at  23  killed.  The  Indian 
casualty  was  one  killed  and  9  wounded.  The  rescue  party  of  which  Schoolcraft 
was  a  member,  numbered  14,  all  of  them  volunteers. 

(10)  "Gane,"  uncertain  and  evidently  intended  iorZane.  For  a  noticeof  Col. 
Silas  Zane,  see  Note  3,  Chapter  XXIX,  this  Volume. 

(11)  Schoolcraft,  like  Doddridge  and  Withers,  errs  in  the  date  of  Col.  Broadhead's 
Coshocton  expedition,  which  took  place  two  years  after  his  campaign  on  the  Alle- 
gheny River,  when  the  Seneca  village  Buckaloons  was  destroyed  in  1779,  referred 
to  in  Note  14,  Chapter  XV,  this  Volume. 

Coschocton:  corrupted  from  the  Indian  name:  Goschachguen,  or  Gos- 
■chochking:  "completed,"  or  "finished,"  was  located  on  the  north  side  of  the  Tust 
carawas  River,  at  its  junction  with  the  Aiuskingum.  It  was  a  village  of  consider- 
able extent;  composed  of  log  huts  and  a  large  council  house.  It  was  the  chief 
town  of  the  Turtle  clan  of  the  Delawares,  and  the  capitol  of  the  tribe. 

The  atrocities  attending  the  reduction  of  Coshocton  is  a  substance  of  history 
and  forms  a  dark  page  in  our  border  annals.  It  also  instances  the  lawlessness 
of  the  borderers,  and  their  supreme  contempt  for  restraint  and  discipline,  if  indeed 
their  commander  was  not  a  party  to  their  acts.  The  village  was  surprised  and 
destroyed,  and  all  the  Indians  captured  "without  firing  a  single  shot."  Chief 
Pekillon,  a  friendly  Delaware  who  accompanied  the  army,  pointed  out  fifteen  or 
sixteen  warriors  among  the  prisoners  who  were  suspected  for  their  activity  and 
cruelty  against  the  settlements.  That  night  a  council  was  held  to  determine  the 
fate  of  these  accused,  and  the  sentence  was  death.  They  were  bound,  taken  a 
short  distance  below  the  town  and  were  tomahawked,  speared  and  scalped. 

The  next  morning  a  splendid  looking  chief  came  from  the  opposite  side  of  the 
flood-swollen  river,  under  a  pledge  of  protection  for  the  purpose  of  making  peace. 
While  he  was  talking  with  Col.  Broadhead,  a  militia  man,  named  Wetzel,  came 
up  behind  him,  and  whipping  a  concealed  tomahawk  from  the  bosom  of  his  hunting 
shirt,  he  dealt  the  unsuspecting  chief  a  fatal  blow  on  the  back  of  his  head.  DeHass, 
p.  181,  alone  of  the  chroniclers,  gives  the  murderer's  first  name,  John.  In  the 
Draper  Manuscripts  (2  E  8),  it  is  stated  that  Lewis  Wetzel  did  the  killing. 

The  same  day  of  this  outrage,  the  army,  about  300  men,  started  on  its  return 


B(;rui:r  Sirrn.KRs  oi  Xortiiwkstkrn  \'ir(;ini.\  451 

to  Fort  Pitt,  and  the  prisoners,  numbering,'  about  twenty,  were  placed  under  tlie 
tender  care  of  the  militia.  After  proceeding  a  short  distance,  these  were  ail  mas- 
sacred with  the  exception  of  a  few  women  and  children,  who  were  taken  to  Fort 
Pitt  and  afterwards  exchanged  for  an  equal  number  of  white  prisoners.  Accounts 
of  Col.  Broadhead'^s  achievements  can  be  found  by  consulting  Ileckewelder,  Dodd- 
ridge, Dellass,  Drake,  Withers,  and  many  other  works  pertaining  to  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  Ohio  Valley. 

(12)  Schoolcraft  was  granted  a  pension.  He  died  March  6,  1850.  Mrs.  Nancy 
Schoolcraft,  whose  maiden  name  was  Brown,  was,  as  her  deceased  husband's 
beneficiary,  vouched  for  by  Washington  Bailey,  Henry  McWhorter  and  Carr  Bailey. 
She  was  not  granted  a  pension,  evidently  abandoning  her  claim  of  her  own  accord. 
She  was  married  to  John  Schoolcraft  July  18,  1805. 

(13)  See  Butterfield's  History  of  the  Girtys.  .MsoThwaite's  Notes,  Bordi-r  War- 
fare, pp.  224,  225. 

(14)  Indian  Wars  of  Xorthzveslfrn  fa.,  pp.  2S0,  2Sl;  Our  Wrslrrn  liordt-r,  pp. 
525  to  527;  Field  Book  of  the  .Imerican  Rrvolut ion,  XfAwmi:  II.  p.  4VS;  Annals  of  the 
Jf'est,  pp.  356  to  358. 

(15)  Border  Jf'arfare,  pp.  356  to  357. 

(16)  In  addition  to  Withers,  see  Delfass,  pp.  269,  270,  280,  281,  where  both  the 
Zanc  and  the  Scott  claims  are  fully  set  forth.     Also  McKnight,  pp.  525  to  527. 

(17)  Washington  Irvine  Correspondence,  p.  312. 

For  notice  of  Capt.  John  Boggs,  and  the  Boggs  family,  see  Frontier  Defense 
on  the  Upper  Ohio,  pp.  65,  67,  68. 

(18)  Washington  Irvine  Correspondence,  pp.  397,  398. 

The  Indian  army  numbering  238,  was  led  by  Capt.  .Andrew  Brandt  (usually 
spelled  Pratt)  with  his  forty  rangers.  James  Girty  (Indian  name  Swatswih)  was 
along  but  had  no  command.  History  of  the  Girtys,  p.  201.  Roosevelt  in  speaking 
of  the  siege  of  1782,  without  any  foundation  whatever,  says:  "Simon  Girty  with 
fife  and  drum,  led  a  large  band  of  Indians  and  Detroit  rangers  against  it,  [Wheeling) 
only  to  be  beaten  off."  Winning  of  the  West,  Volume  2,  p.  274.  In  a  foot  note 
on  the  same  page,  this  writer  avers:  ''we  d(j  not  know  wiiicii  of  ihc  two  brother^ 
Girty  was  in  command,  nor  whether  either  was  present  at  the  first  attack."  (1777) 
Roosevelt  seemed  to  be  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  there  were  three  of  the  Girty 
brothers  who  acquired  fame  by  affiliating  with  the  Indians.  They  were  captured 
with  others  at  the  taking  of  Fort  Granville  on  the  Juniata  in  now  Mifflin  County, 
Pa.,  in  July,  1756.  Simon,  born  1741,  was  adopted  by  theSenecas.  James,  born  1743, 
was  adopted  by  the  Shawnees.  George,  born  1745,  was  adopted  by  the  Delawares. 
They  were  returned  from  captivity  in  1759.  James  and  Simon  deserted  to  the 
British  in  the  Spring  of  1778,  while  CJeorgc  remained  loyal  to  the  .American  cause 
until  the  following  year.  An  older  brotlicr.  Tiiomas,  born  173'>.  was  rescued  when 
the  Delaware  town  Kittaning  on  the  Allegheny  was  destroyed  by  Col.  John 
Armstrong  in  September,  1756.  TIk-  mother  and  a  half-brother  were  retained 
by  the  Delawares  and  delivered  up  with  the  other  brothers  in  1759.  The  step- 
father. John  Turner,  was  burned  at  the  stake  at  Kittaning  soon  after  the  capture 
in  1756. 


452  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

(19)  Gen.  Clark's  Expedition  against  Vincennes  was  in  1778.  His  Campaign 
of  1781  was  an  attempt  against  Detroit. 

Capt.  John  Floyd  was  shot  and  fatally  wounded  by  Indians  in  ambush  near 
Floyd's  Station,  Jefferson  County,  Ky.,  April  12,  1783.  He  was  brave  and  valiant, 
and  his  death  Avas  a  blow  to  the  settlements  of  that  region. 


NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XIV 

(1)  Withers,  p.  287. 

(2)  The  conquest  of  the  primitive  races  by  civilized  man  has  been  practically 
the  same  the  world  over.  The  early  settlers  of  Australia,  acting  upon  the  principle 
of  economy,  "killed  the  native  black  men  because  they  were  cattle  thieves,  the 
women  because  they  gave  birth  to  cattle  thieves,  and  the  children  because  they 
grew  up  to  be  cattle  thieves."  An  old  Austrahan  ranger,  in  conversation  with 
me  said,  "I  went  from  England  to  Australia  in  1850,  and  settled  in  Queensland,  and 
engaged  in  the  cattle  business.  The  native  blacks  were  born  cattle  thieves  and 
were  very  treacherous.  It  was  lawful  to  shoot  them  wherever  found,  as  they  were 
not  susceptible  to  civilization,  and  were  regarded  as  vermin.  The  settlers  often 
banded  together  and  formed  a  'ring  hunt,'  a  general  'round-up'  of  the  natives. 
On  such  occasions,  the  hunters,  well  armed  and  mounted,  would  enclose  an  area 
some  fifty  miles  in  extent,  and  drive  the  blacks  to  a  common  center,  where  they 
were  all  killed- — men,  women  and  children.  Usually  the  men  would  die  game. 
I  saw  one  of  them  armed  only  with  a  wooden  spear,  who  after  receiving  eight 
rifle  balls  in  his  body,  charged  madly  at  the  cordon  of  well-armed  men  who  hemmed 
him  in.  Ofttimes  a  village  or  settlement  would  be  surprised  and  the  entire  pop-  , 
ulation  captured.  On  such  occasion,  the  prisoners  were  forced  to  dig  a 
trench  sufficient  to  hold  the  bodies  of  the  dead.  Then  all  would  be  killed  but 
one  stout  buck,  who  after  being  compelled  to  inter  his  dead  tribesmen,  was  shot 
to  death  by  his  captors." 

(3)  One  such  case  is  set  forth  m  Conspiracy  of  Pontiac,'Vo\vLTne.Yl,-pY>-  39  to  41. 


NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XV 

(1)  A  correspondent  asks  where,  when  and  why  the  Buckhannon  River  gets  its 
name.  The  editor  does  not  know.  The  river  was  named  very  early,  at  least  as 
early  as  1781,  as  is  mentioned  in  records  of  that  date.  The  spelling  has  not  alwaj's 
been  the  same  as  now.  There  were  persons  of  that  name  living  in  the  region  as 
early  as  one  hundred  and  six  years  ago."  Trans-Allegheny  Historical  Magazine, 
Volume  II,  p.  71,  1902. 

Prof.Hu  Maxwell  in  response  to  an  inquiry  on  this  topic  says:    "I  am  reasonably 

sure  that  the  name  Buckhannon  will  never  be  found  in  records  as  early  as  1779. 

That  name  was  first  written  'Buck-Hannon's  Creek'  as  is  shown  by  the  Monon- 

a  records.     I  believe  that  the    name  comes  from  some  mian  whose  surname 

Hannon,  and  whose  given  name  was  Buck." 


BoRuiiR  Skttllrs  of  .\(jrtuui:sti:rn  \  ircima  453 

A  letter  from  John  Jackson  to  the  Governor  dated  Jan.  25th,  1793,  was 
written  at  "Buck-Hanan."     See  biographical  sketch  of  Col.  Lowther,  this  Volume. 

BucKHANNON  RuN  was  evidently  so  named  because  the  trail  from  West's 
Fort  to  the  Buckhannon  settlement  led  directly  up  this  stream,  which  heads 
against  the  ridge  dividing  the  Hacker's  Creek  and  Buckhannon  waters:  hence  the 
name  Buckhannon,  or  "Hacker's  Creek  Mountain." 

Since  writing  this  chapter,  Mr.  Cutright^s  History  of  Upshur  County,  If.  fa., 
has  been  published.  On  pages  274,  275  the  author  endeavors  to  show  that  the 
Buckhannon  River  bears  the  name  of  a  "poor  old  Scotch  clergyman,  named  John 
Buchannon,"  who  resided  in  Richmond,  \'irginia,  in  1785.     Mr.  Cutright  says: 

'  *  *  *  John  Buchannon  was  a  missionary  minister  and  teacher  for  several 
years  after  his  arrival  in  this  country,  *  *  ♦.  On  one  occasion  his  bishop  sent  him  to 
the  headwaters  of  the  Monongahela  on  a  tour  of  inspection  and  a  mission  of  help. 
He  crossed  the  mountains  to  Tygart's  Valley  and  from  thence  was  going  to  a 
mission  which  he  learned  was  on  the  West  Fork  near  the  town  of  Weston.  We 
are  unable  to  find  whether  he  made  more  than  one  trip,  as  we  are  also  unable  to 
possess  facts  of  his  discovery  and  exploration.  Our  personal  opinion  is  that  he 
thought  that  the  river  which  runs  from  south  to  north  through  Upshur  County 
had  not  been  discovered,  named  and  explored  by  any  white  man  thoroughly.  He 
assumed  to  do  both  and  being  desirous  of  perpetuating  the  dead,  called  the  river 
after  his  own  name." 

The  mere  fact  that  a  mission  on  the  West  Fork  was  visited  b\- this  clergyman 
subsequent  to  1785  which  is  apparently  the  earliest  notice  that  Mr.  Cutright  found 
of  him  in  Virginia,  will  hardly  connect  his  name  with  the  Buckhannon  River, 
which  had  been  named  at  least  four  years  previously. 

While  Mr.  Cutright  expresses  his  satisfaction  with  this  "origin  of  the  name  of 
our  county  seat  and  the  principal  stream  in  the  county,"  he  suggests  that  the  name 
may  have  been  derived  from  that  of  the  Earl  Buchan,  who  was  a  friend  of  General 
Washington,  through  whose  instrumentality  he  became  interested  in  Rev.  Byron 
Fairfax,  who  was  heir  to  the  great  Virginia  Fairfax  Estate. 

This  hypothetical  origin  of  the  name  in  question  is  too  chimerical  to  seriously 
engage  the  attention  of  any  student  of  border  annals. 

(2)  Border  Jfarjare,  p.  40. 

(3)  Border  Jfarfare,  p.  75. 

(4)  Border  Jfarfare,  p.  119. 

(5)  Evidence  of  more  remote  occupancy  of  the  Buckhannon  \'alley  by  the 
Aborigines  has  been  met  with.  Traces  of  an  Indian  village  are  found  where  Buck- 
hannon now  stands.  Flint  chips  and  arrow  points  are  still  picked  up  at  a  point 
just  below  the  town,  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  while  a  few  j'ears  ago 
the  fragments  of  a  large  steatite  pot  were  unearthed  at  a  depth  of  about  four  feet 
in  a  brick  yard  not  far  from  the  river  bank.  A  few  pieces  of  a  similar  kind  were 
uncovered  at  Indian  Camp.  Steatite  implements  found  in  that  region  are  of  south- 
ern origin.  Occasional  fragments  of  such  vessels  have  been  found  on  Hacker's 
Creek,  one  by  a  ditcher  just  below  Berlin.  In  the  year  1893,  I  plowed  up  a  small 
fragment  along  with  a  pitted  hammer  stone,  near  the  roots  of  what  had  once  been 
a  large  black  walnut  tree,  on  my  father's  farm  on  Buckhannon  Run.  With  these 
relics  were  the  traces  of  a  camp  fire,  not  extensively  used. 


454  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

In  a  small  mound  opened  at  Sago  on  the  Buckhannon  a  few  years  ago,  was 
found  a  finely  carved  stone  pipe.  From  the  bowl  projected  the  well  shaped  head 
of  some  animal,  ostensibly  that  of  the  wolf  or  fox.  In  general  outline  the  pipe 
resembled  some  of  the  ancient  mound  types  met  with  in  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
A  stone  pipe  of  the  more  modified  Indian  form  was  taken  from  a  grave  on  the 
Buckhannon  River,  near  the  mouth  of  French  Creek,  and  was  placed  by  me  in 
the  Museum  of  the  West  Virginia  State  Historical  a^^d  Antiquarian  Society,  Charleston. 

(6)  BucK-ON-GA-HE-LAS  (breaker-iu-pieces).  The  name  is  spelled  in  various 
ways,  among  others,  Buokongahelas,  Bukongahelas  and  Bokongehelas.  The  first 
form,  however,  has  precedence.     See  Hand  Book  of  American  Indians,  Volume  I. 

This  renowned  chieftain  was  also  known  as  Pachgantschihilas,  and  Fetch- 
nanalas.  According  to  Heckewelder,  his  name  signified:  "a  ful-filler,^^  or  "one 
who  succeeds  in  all  he  undertakes." 

Plurality  of  names  is  common  with  the  Indian,  especially  the  warriors.  I 
have  a  close  friend  in  a  Warm  Springs  warrior,  who  fought  the  Modocs  in  the  Lava 
Beds,  War  1872-73,  and  who  joined  the  Bannock  uprising  in  1878,  who  is  known 
by  eight  distinctive  names.  A  contemporary  warrior  of  the  same  tribe,  boasted 
fifty-two  names. 

(7)  BucKONGAHELAS,  in  a  speech  to  his  tribesmen,  the  friendly  Aioravians  of 
Gnadenhueten,  prior  to  the  massacre  of  those  unfortunates,  gave  just  grounds  for 
his  siding  with  the  British.  The  many  wrongs  suffered  by  his  people  at  the  hands 
of  the  "Long  Knives"  drove  him  to  war.  For  this  speech  and  a  biographical  sketch 
of  its  author,  see  Drake's  Indians  of  North  America. 

(8)  Western  Annals,  pp.  656  to  661. 

(9)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  428  to  430.     For  a  further  account  of  the  Bozarth 
,  tragedy,  see  Chapter  XXIX,  this  Volume. 

(10)  Dawson's  Life  of  Wm.  Henry  Harrison;  quoted  from  English's  Conquest  of 
the  Northwest,  Volume  II,  p.  791. 

(11)  Excerpt  from  letter  of  Mr.  John  Johnston,  former  Indian  Agent  at  Fort 
Wayne,  Indiana,  to  Dr.  L.  C.  Draper,  April  27,  1849.     Draper  Mss.  11YY35. 

(12)  From  letter  of  John  Johnston  to  Dr.  Draper,  Dec.  1,  1850.  Draper  Mss. 
11YY38.     Frontier  Defense  on  the  Upper  Ohio,  pp.  117,  118. 

(13)  Data  obtained  from  Mr.  John  Johnston  by  Dr.  Draper,  in  June  1843. 
Draper  Mss.  nYY9. 

(14)  See  Life  of  Mary  Jemison,  Buffalo,  1877,  p.  186. 

BucKALOON  OR  BucKALOONS,  was  the  name  of  a  Seneca  village  on  the  Alle- 
gheny River,  in  Warren  Co.,  Pa.  It  was  destroyed  by  Col.  Broadhead  in  1779, 
the  Indians  fleeing  upon  his  approach.  It  was  called  Kachuiodagon,  1749.  Wash- 
ington Irvine  Correspondence,  p.  43. 

NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XVI 

(1)  Border  Warfare,  p.  342. 

(2)  Border  Warfare,  p.  342. 


IJoRUKK  Settlers  oi   Northwestern  \  irginia  455 

(3)  Border  Warfare,  p.  428. 

(4)  Indian  Wars,  pp.  389,  390. 

(5)  Such  confessions  and  revelations  of  plots  and  iiucndcd  forays  were  not  un- 
common among  the  Indians.  That  of  Kort  Miami  in  1763  is  a  typical  illustration. 
Conspiracy  oj  Pontiac,  Vol.  1,  p.  198.  Captured  Pottawatomie  and  Shawnee 
warriors  revealed  to  General  Wayne  at  Fort  Greenville  important  facts  relative 
to  the  strength  and  intentions  of  the  enemy  then  marching  against  him.  Western 
.liitials,  pp.  639-(42. 

(6)  I  am  the  owner  of  an  old  flint-lock  riHe,  said  to  have  been  used  in  this 
skirmish,  cither  by  John  Reger  referred  to,  or  his  younger  brother  Abram,  or 
Abraham.  Tlic  ritlc  is  full  stocked  with  hard  maple,  and  has  the  old-fashioned 
brass  talluw  box  in  the  side  of  the  stock.  On  the  lid  of  this  box,  in  large  Spen- 
cerian  capitals  are  the  clear  cut  letters,  "A.  D.  R."  On  the  barrel,  near  the  breech, 
in  Roman  figures  and  small  English  capitals,  is  tliis  inscription: 

105  Va.  REGt.  WASHINGTON. 

Tiic  lettering  is  plain  and  legible,  though  crudely  executed.  The  gun  weighs 
nine  pounds,  fourteen  ounces,  and  measures  full  length  fifty-six  and  one-fourth 
inches.  The  barrel  is  forty  inches.  It  was,  doubtless,  originally  some  two  or 
more  inches  longer  but  was  subsequently  shortened  at  the  breech  on  account  of 
being  "burned  out."  It  takes  a  ball  one-half  inch  in  diameter,  and  carries  about 
twenty  bullets  to  the  pound.  Rifles  of  that  period  that  carried  more  than  forty- 
five  bullets  to  the  pound  were  not  "thought  sufficiently  heavy  for  hunting  or 
war." — Doddridge.  The  rear  sight  is  extremely  fine,  and  formerly  was  eleven 
inches  from  the  breech,  but  has  at  sometime  been  set  back  on  the  barrel  four 
inches.  The  bead  or  front  sight  is  silver.  The  original  lock  is  not  on  the  gun, 
but  it  still  retains  a  typical  flint-lock,  and  is  in  prime  shooting  order.  It  was 
supposedly  the  property  of  an  elder  brother,  Anthony  Reger,  who  was  an  Ensign 
in  the  Thirteenth  Virginia  Regiment,  Revolutionary  War.  The  regimental 
number,  if  such,  on  the  barrel  does  not  correspond  with  that  of  Reger's  regiment, 
but  it  is  not  known  that  he  owned  it  during  the  war;  nor  can  it  at  this  time  be 
determined  that  the  number  is  regimental.     It  may  be  an  enrollment  number. 

There  are  no  printed  rolls  of  the  Revolution  extant,  showing  the  number  of 
regiments  in  the  Continental  Army,  or  the  number  that  served  from  the  State 
of  Virginia,  \irginia  is  supposed  to  lia\e  furnished  26,678  regulars  to  the  Con- 
tinental Army,  and  30,000  militia,  or  state  troops,  which  would  not  suffice  to  make 
one  hundred  and  five  regiments. 

Perhaps  the  most  authentic  estimate  on  this  topic  is  that  of  Gen.  Knox  in 
1790,  when  Secretary  of  War: 

In  1775  he  credits  \'irginia  with  no  continental  troops,  but  estimates  2,000 
men  as  serving  in  the  militia  of  that  State. 

In  1776  he  gives  Virginia  6,1S1  men  in  continental  pay,  and  does  not  con- 
jecture the  number  of  militia. 

In  1777  \irginia  had  5,744  continentals,  1,269  militia,  and  in  addition,  a  con- 
jectured estimate  of  4,000  more  militiamen. 

In  177S  \'irginia  had  5,230  continentals,  with  a  conjectured  estimate  of  2,000 
militiamen. 


The  Reger  Rifle  and  McWhorter  Shot  Pouch 
(See  Note  6,  Chapt.  XVI;  and  Note  IS,  Chapt.  XXVIII.) 

Tied  to  the  trigger  guard  of  the  rifle,  is  the  leathern  cap,  universally  used  by  the 
-■scout  and  hunter  for  the  protection  of  the  lock  from  rain  and  dampness.  These  were 
made  by  stretching  the  green,  or  wet  hide  from  the  hock  of  a  beef,  elk  or  deer,  over  the 
dock  and  breech  of  the  gun  and  letting  them  dry  there  which  gave  permanent  shape. 
Those  from  the  elk  and  deer  always  retained  the  hair;  but  the  beef  skins,  as  in  the  one 
■here  shown,  were  often  tanned  in  the  usual  way,  and  kept  well  greased,  making  thern 
more  impervious  to  dampness.  They  were  always  attached  to  the  guard  with  a  thong 
■of  sufficient  length  to  permit  easy  removal  from  the  lock,  as  here  depicted.  These 
dock  shields  were  often  used  long  after  the  percussion  caps  came  into  use. 

The  original  red-buckskin  "flap,"  or  cover  of  the  McWhorter  shot  pouch,  ivas 
lost  in  the  latter  nineties,  and  has  been  replaced  with  a  similar  one  of  Indian  tan. 


\ 


Border  Setti.f.rs  or  Xorthwesterx  X'irginia  457 

In  1779  there  were  3,973  continentals  and  an  estimate  of  3, OCX)  militia. 

In  17S0  \  irginia  had  2,4S6  continentals  and  an  estimate  of  1,500  militia. 

In  1781  the  state  furnished  1,225  continentals.  2,X94  militia  and  in  addition, 
about  2,000  more  militia. 

In  17cS2  there  were  1.204  continentals  and  about  l.(KK)  militia. 

In  1783  Virginia  had  62*^  continentals. 

See  Amer.  State  Papers.     Military  Affairs,  \'olume  1,  pp.  14-1'>. 

A  very  light  percentage  of  Virginia's  enrolled  militia  was  c\er  in  the  Conti- 
nental service.  They  were,  more  often,  engaged  in  state  and  frontier  guard  duty, 
and  in  dcsultor\'  campaigning  and  foraying  against  the  Indians.  From  the  returns 
of  1780,  1781,  Jefferson  in  his  Notes  on  f'irginia,  Boston,  1829,  pp.  93-95,  estimates 
tiiai  \  irginia  then  had  49,971  militiamen  enrolled.  Of  these  4,458  were  west  of 
the  iMlegiicnlcs.  Greenbrier  County's  enrollment  was  502;  that  of  Monongalia 
County  l.CXX).  The  estimate  for  the  last  named  county  were  from  returns  a 
little  earlier  than  the  dates  given.  All  free  males  between  the  ages  of  sixteen  and 
fifty  were  enrolled  militiamen. 

The  militia  regiments  increased  in  number  as  new  counties  were  formed,  and 
regiments  were  organized  in  these  counties.  Beginning  shortly  after  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  with  less  than  one  hundred  regiments,  there  were  nearly  two  hundred 
regiments  in  the  militia  before  the  Civil  War.  In  1792  the  regiment  of  the  highest 
number  was  the  One  Hundred  and  First  in  Spottsylvania  County. 

In  1799  the  K)5th  Militia  Regiment  was  formed  in  Washington  Count\-, 
Virginia,  to  which  many  of  the  commissioned  officers  of  the  old  70th  were  trans- 
ferred. The  militia  were  generally  armed  with  muskets  but  the  supply  was  inade- 
quate for  the  men  enrolled,  and  had  to  be  passed  from  company  to  company  for 
drill  purposes;  consequently  all  sorts  of  guns  were  pressed  into  service.  It  is  more 
than  probable  that  the  rifle  In  question  was  owned  by  some  militiaman  of  the 
105th,  and  was  carried  by  him  to  the  county  militia  musters.  However,  it  was  in 
service  during  the  Revolution,  and  the  troublous  period  on  the  Virginia  border, 
immediately  following.  It  Is  reputed  to  have  killed  the  last  Indian  slain  in  the 
Buckhannon  settlement,  near  tiie  mcnith  of  Fink's  Run.  This  may  ha\e  been  the 
warrior  killed  by  Jnhn  Reu'er  In  the  fit'lil  referred  to. 

Roosevelt  claims  that  the  frontier  rifle  of  the  Trans-. \llegheny  was  of  small 
bore,  and  generally  carried  "a  ball  of  sevent\%  more  rarely  of  thirty  or  forty,  to 
the  pound;  and  was  usually  of  backwoods  manufacture."  Jf'intiing  of  the  West. 
Volume  1,  pp.  149-196.     Volume  2,  p.  59. 

This  is  in  contradiction  to  Doddridge,  who  on  p.  177  states: 

"Rifles  of  former  times  were  different  from  those  of  modern  date;  few  of 
them  carried  more  than  forty-five  bullets  to  the  pound.  Bullets  of  a  less  size 
were  not  thought  sufficiently  heavy  for  hunting  or  war." 

The  same  author  on  p.  176,  says: 

"A  wellgrown  boy,  at  the  age  of  twelve  or  thirteen  years,  was  furnished 
with  a  small  rifle  and  shot  pouch.  He  then  became  a  fort  soldier,  and  had  his  port 
hole  assigned  him.  Hunting  squirrels,  turkeys  and  raccoons  soon  made  him  expert 
in  the  use  of  his  gun." 

Roosevelt  seemingly  bases  his  theory  on  the  measurement  of  one  of  Daniel 
Boone's  squirrel  rifles;  which,  of  course,  was  of  greater  length  than  the  bo_\'  rifle 
-described   by  Doddridge.     The  frontier  rifle  was  made  to  meet  the  requirements 


458  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Qof  the  day,  and  such  was  the  Reger  rifle  and  the  old  rifle  with 
its  half-ounce  ball  dragged  up  in  a  fishing  net  from  its  ancient 
river  bed  near  Richards'  Fort;  and  described  in  Note  4,  Chap- 
ter IV,  this  Volume.  Bullets  which  I  have  picked  up  near  the 
home  sites  of  the  border  settlers,  seldom  weighed  less  than  a  half- 
ounce. 

It  would  appear  from  Doddridge,  p.  281,  that  it  was  cus- 
round  in  the  tomary  with  the  experienced  frontiersman,  to  cut  off  the  neck 
Breech  oj  the  q£  ^j^g  bullet  very  close  and  when  expecting  an  attack  or  a  bat- 
Isaac  ffash-  ^jg^  ^q  scrape  them  for  the  purpose  of  reducing  their  size  a  little, 
burn  KijLe.  g,^^  ^q  ^gg  "patches"  half  the  ordinary  thickness  so  as  to  avoid 
r  u  1 1   size;       ^j^g  possibility  of  "choking,"  or  "jamming." 


/utline  of 
Bullet 


weight  ^2  oz. 


(7)  For  further  account  of  the  Regers,  see  Chapter  XXIX^ 
this  Volume. 


(8)  See  Chapter  X,  this  Volume. 

(9)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  341,  342. 

(10)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  396-397. 

(11)  Hist,  of  Upshur  County,  W.  Va.,  pp.  202,  203. 

(12)  The  land  records  of  1781  show  that  Gee  Bush  owned  land  near,  or  on  Gee 
Lick,  a  branch  of  Freeman's  Creek,  and  that  George  Bush  owned  lands  on  the 
West  Fork  River.  One  John  Bush  preempted  1,000  acres  on  Decker's  Creek 
(now  A-Ionongalia  Co.),  which  included  his  settlement  made  in  1770. 


NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XVII 

(1)  Border  Warfare,  p.  342, 

(2)  One  of  the  active  scouts  on  the  western  waters  was  Edward  Jackson,  son  of 
John  Jackson,  settler  at  Buckhannon  in  1769.  He  was  a  commissioned  captain 
of  militia  in  Randolph  County,  in  1787,  and  was  also  a  surveyor.  In  the  Calendar 
of  Virginia  State  Papers,  Volume  4,  p.  299,  is  found  this  record: 

Bond  of  Edward  Jackson 

"As  surveyor  of  Randolph  County,  commissioned  such  by  the  Governor  of 
Virginia  in  the  penalty  of  Two  Thousand  Pounds  lawful  money,  June  25th,  1787." 

Another  scout, Roy,  given  name  unknown,  resided  near  West's  Fort.. 

He  was  a  very  resolute  man,  often  making  the  journey  to  Pendleton  County  alone. 
He  discovered  an  Indian  taking  a  hive  of  bees  from  his  yard  one  day,  but  the- 
Indian  fled  and  escaped. 

(3)  The  scouts  in  their  first  visits  to  the  Little  Kanawha  region,  went  by  way  of 
Sand  Fork.  They  soon  learned  that  the  Indian  path  on  Leading  Creek  was  the 
shorter  route,  and  that  it  led  direct  to  the  Little  Kanawha  and  thence  to  the  Ohio; 
therefore  the  name  "Leading  Creek." 

"Polk  Creek"  along  which  this  trail  passed,  derived  its  name  from  a  poke 


Border  Settlers  of  Xortiiw  kstern  \  ircinia  459 

stalk  that  the  scouts  saw  growing  in  a  ca\ity  at  the  top  of  a  large  sycamore  tree 
that  had  been  broken  off.  This  tree  stood  in  the  bend  of  the  creek  near  the  present 
railroad  depot  at  Weston.  'I'hc  stream  bore  tliis  appellation  in  17K1,  and  is  a 
corruption  of  Poke  Creek. 

(4)  The  conligudusncss  of  the  navigable  waters  of  tiie  Monongaliela  and  the 
Little  Kanawha,  was  brought  to  the  notice  of  Gen.  Washington  in  17S4;  whose 
information  was:  "that  the  Portage  does  not  exceed  Nine  Miles — and  that  a  very 
good  Waggon  Road  may  be  had  between — That  from  the  Mouth  of  the  River 
Cheat  to  that  of  the  West  Fork,  is  computed  to  be  about  30  Miles,  &  the  Navigation 
good — as  it  also  is  up  the  West  fork."  Hulbert's  JVashington  and  the  West,  New 
York,  1905,  p.  >7 .     A  railway  now  pasess  over  this  "Portage,"  or  low  ^'ap. 

This  "liulian  Carrying  Place"  was  evidently  where  John  P.  Du\all  was 
granted  a  certificate  for  "400  acres  at  the  Indian  House  on  the  waters  of  the  West 
Fork,  to  include  his  settlement  made  in  1776."  The  mention  here  in  this  early 
record  of  the  "Indian  House"  is  significant,  and  the  inference  is  that  there  was 
some  structure  erected  there  and  used  by  the  Indians  when  the  country  was  first 
settled  b\'  tiie  \\hites.  h  strengthens  tiie  claim  that  this  was  a  thoroughfare  of 
importance,  and  that  the  "Plouse,"  built  of  poles,  bark  or  other  light  material, 
was  a  regular  stopping  place  for  any  band  of  Indians  passing  through  that  region. 
The  plow  still  unearths  evidences  of  an  extensive  village  or  camping  site,  and  in 
the  ravine  leading  down  to  the  Kanawha  side,  the  base  of  a  low  cliff  shows  the 
charred  discoloration  of  continued  camp  fires.  A  mound  of  considerable  magnitude, 
for  that  locality,  is  still  to  be  seen;  as  is  also  one  on  Canoe  Run,  referred  to  later 
in  the  text. 

John  P.  Du\all  who  home-steaded  at  the  "Indian  House"  was  prominent 
on  the  border;  in  both  civil  and  military  affairs.  He  was  one  of  the  Commissioners 
appointed  to  adjust  land  claims  on  the  western  waters,  at  Clarksburg  in  1781; 
and  was  subsequently  County  Lieutenant  of  Harrison  County,  Va.  He  was  in 
command  of  the  County  Militia  when  the  Indians  raided  the  Flesher,  and  the 
Cunningham  families  in  1784-85;  mentioned  in  Chapter  II,  this  \'olume.  In 
reporting  the  Cunningham  tragedy  to  the  Governor,  Duvall  stated  that  the  militia 
was  not  organized,  and  ammunition  very  scarce;  that  he  had  sent  out  fifty  men 
and  six  spies.  The  effective  force  in  the  entire  County  was  about  "two  hundred 
and  fifteen  men,  and  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  guns."  In  addition  to  ammuni- 
tion, which  he  was  sending  for.  Lieut.  Duvall  requested  of  the  Governor,  that  if 
"there  is  any  Rifles  Belonging  to  the  State  in  any  of  the  Back  magazines,  to  wit, 
Alexandria,  Winchester  or  Fredericksburg,  should  acknowledge  it  as  a  singular 
favor  to  send  an  order  for  about  Two  Hundred  of  tlu-ni."  Calendar  of  J'irginia 
State  Papers,  \'oIume  IV,  p.  53. 

(5)  History  of  the  Girtys,  Cincinnati,  1890,  p.  54. 

Tradition  says  that  a  stranger  came  to  the  home  of  a  Mr.  Morris,  a  settler 
on  Peters  Creek  in  (now)  Nicholas  County,  and  stayed  there  a  part  of  one  winter. 
Morris  visited  the  Kanawha  settlement,  and  described  his  visitor,  who  had  a 
peculiar  scar  on  his  face.  He  was  told  that  he  was  harboring  none  other  than 
Simon  Girty,  the  notorious  renegade.  Morris  returned  home  and  drove  his  guest 
away.  Shortly  after  this  the  Indians  attacked  Morris'  home  and  killed  two  of 
his  children.     .\  tree  growing  where  the  \ictims  were  buried  is  still  pf)inted  out 


460  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

by  the  inhabitants  of  that  neighborhood.     Peters  Creek  was    named  for  a  slave 
owned  by  Morris. 

(6)  This  was  in  the  region  where  Frenchton  now  stands  in  Upshur  County.  This 
village  was  originally  called  Beech  Town,  which  name  dates  to  the  great  hunt 
described.  Jesse  Hughes,  when  he  saw  the  disturbed  condition  of  the  leaves  by 
the  bears  in  search  of  beech  nuts,  exclaimed,  "All  the  bears  in  the  country  must 
have  come  to  Beech  Town." 

The  legendary  version  of  this  name  as  given  by  Cutright  {Hist,  of  Upshur 
County,  W.  Va.,  p.  323),  is  that  the  Indians  when  making  forays  into  this  section 
of  Virginia,  had,  for  self  protection,  erected  of  beech  logs  and  poles  at  this  point 
a  number  of  huts,  is  purely  mythical.  These  predatory  war  parties  did  not  build 
villages,  and  the  environments  of  Beech  Town,  so  far  from  any  prominent  water 
course  precludes  the  idea  of  an  Indian  village  being  located  there. 

(7)  It  was  not  unusual  for  the  foraying  warriors  to  carry  the  bow  for  use  on  such 
occasions  as  depicted  in  the  text.  With  this  silent  though  effective  weapon, 
game  could  be  killed  in  close  proximity  to  the  settlements  without  betrayal  of 
their  presence. 

(8)  George  Jackson  Arnold  was  a  successful  farmer,  a  noted  hunter,  a  surgeon 
and  an  able  lawyer.  He  succeeded  Col.  John  McWhorter  as  Prosecuting  Attorney 
of  Lewis  County.  Mr.  Arnold  was  born  in  Fauquier  County,  Virginia,  in  1815, 
and  died  at  his  home  on  "Indian  Farm,"  previously  referred  to,  in  1899. 

An  Incident  of  the  Seneca  Trail 

(9)  Mrs.  Heavner,  a  widow,  with  her  two  sons  and  four  daughters,  crossed  the 
mountains  over  the  Seneca  Trail  and  settled  on  the  head  of  Abram's  Run,  on 
the  upper  West  Fork;  named  for  Abram  Bennett  the  first  settler  on  the  stream. 
In  recounting  some  of  the  incidents  on  the  trail,  she  said,  "I  walked  the  entire  " 
heavenly  road  with  Mamie,  then  one  year  old,  on  my  hip." 

(10)  There  was  a  Joseph  Hall  residing  in  Harrison  County  in  1818-1820,  who  in 
the  spring  of  1776,  enlisted  as  private  in  Capt.  David  Stephenson's  Company, 
8th  Va.  Regt.,  commanded  by  Gen.  Mulhenberg,  and  served  two  years.  Part 
of  this  time,  however,  he  was  attached  to  the  12th  Va.  Regt.,  under  Col.  Bowman. 
His  declaration  for  pension  in  1820  shows  that  he  was  in  indigent  circumstances 
and  had  one  child,  Sarah,  aged  28. 

(11)  History  of  Kanawha  Cou?iiy,  West  Fa.,  pp.  119,  120,  121.     See  also  Hale's 

Trans-Allegheny  Pioneers,  pp.  276,  277. 

(12)  Lewis  History  of  West  Va.,  p.  523. 


NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XVIII 

(1)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  399,  400. 

(2)  "Soon  after  the  establishment  of  Marietta,  a  rude  wagon  road  was  opened 
through  the  forest  between  that  colony  and  Redstone  (Brownsville  Pa.).  This  was 
the  road  Carpenter  was  following."     Note,  Withers,  p.  399. 


Border  Settlers  oi   Northwestern  \  iroima  461 

(3)  History  of  the  Ohio  Valley,  pp.  300,  304. 

(4)  This  is  the  first  account  we  have  of  Tecumseh  leading  a  war  party  against  the 
white  settlers.  Drake,  in  his  .-Iboriginal  Races  of  North  .tmerica,  p.  616,  cites  the 
Waggoner  massacre,  in  the  Spring  of  1792,  as  Tccumseh's  initiatory  exploit  as  a 
young  warrior.  Tecumseh  is  said  to  have  received  his  first  baptism  of  fire  in  1786, 
when  Col.  Benjamin  Logan  led  a  band  of  four  hundred  or  five  hundred  mounted 
Kentucky  rifiemen  against  the  Shawnee  towns  on  Mad  River.  The  fight  took 
place  near  where  Dayton,  Ohio,  now  stands.  Some  writers  place  Tecumsch's 
first  fight  at  Gen.  Harmer's  defeat,  in  1790;  which  is  evidently  a  mistake. 

(5)  This  instance  of  abstinence  from  food  while  on  a  forced  march  in  the\'irf.'inia 
wilderness,  was  repeated  by  Tecumseh  the  following  spring  when  retreating  from 
his  successful  raid  on  the  Waggoner  family  on  Jesse's  Run,  near  West's  Fort. 
The  children  who  were  taken  captive  related,  after  their  return,  that  during  the 
rapid  retreat  from  the  scene  of  blood,  both  Indians  and  prisoners  had  no  food  of 
any  sort  until  after  they  had  gained  the  fastness  of  the  wilderness  beyond  the 
Ohio  River.  Here  the  Indians  killed  deer  and  roasted  venison.  Peter  declared 
that  even  in  his  famished  condition,  the  meat  "tasted  like  nitten  wood,"  because 
of  the  absence  of  salt. 

For  the  vienu  of  the  Indian  warrior  when  on  the  warpatii,  see  the  Heckezvelder 
Narrative,  pp.  163,  164. 

(6)  The  Indian  garb  was  peculiarly  adapted  to  a  life  in  tlie  woods;  and  the  hunter 
and  scout  assumed  it  with  but  slight  modification.  For  comfort  and  sanitation 
the  Indian  dress  cannot  be  excelled.  It  is  well  described  by  Dr.  Doddridge  in 
his  Notes  on  the  Settlement  and  Indian  IVars  of  the  Western  Parts  of  Virginia  and 
Pennsylvania,  Albany,  1876,  p.  142.     Also  Kercheval's  History  of  the  Valley,  p.  339. 

"In  the  later  years  of  the  Indian  war  our  young  men  became  more  enamored 
of  the  Indian  dress  throughout,  with  the  exception  of  the  match  coat.  The  drawers 
were  laid  aside  and  the  leggins  made  longer,  so  as  to  reach  the  upper  part  of  the 
thigh.  The  Indian  breech  clout  was  adopted.  This  was  a  piece  f)f  linen  or  cloth, 
nearly  a  yard  long,  and  eight  or  nine  inches  broad.  This  passed  under  the  belt 
before  and  behind  leaving  the  ends  for  flaps  hanging  before  and  behind  over  the 
belt.  These  flaps  were  sometimes  ornamented  with  some  coarse  kind  of  embroidery 
work.  To  the  same  belts  which  secured  the  breech  clout,  strings  which  supported 
the  long  leggins  were  attached.  When  this  belt,  as  was  often  the  case,  passed  over 
the  hunting  shirt  the  upper  part  of  the  thighs  and  part  of  the  hips  were  naked." 

(7)  Hildrcth's  Lives  of  the  Early  Settlers  of  Ohio,  Cincinnati,  1852,  p.  14">. 

(8)  For  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  Isaac  Williams,  see  Hiidreth's  Early  Settlers  of 
Ohio;  also  his  Pioneer  History  of  the  Ohio  J'alley. 

(9)  Lewis,  History  of  West  Virginia,  pp.  657,  658. 


xoTi'.s  OX  c"ii.\P'ri:R  xix 

(1)  It  is  not  known  at  what  date  John  Waggoner  came  to  the  Hacker's  Creek 
settlement;  nor  is  it  certain  where  he  hailed  from.  The  records  of  Monongalia 
County,  1779,  show  that  one  John  Waggoner  assigned  his  claim  to  4,000  acres  of 


462  Border  S  ettlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

land  on  BuflPalo  Run,  a  branch  of  Cheat  River,  which  included  his  "settlement 
made  in  1774." 

The  Census  of  Virginia,  1782,  shows  only  one  John  Waggoner  in  the  state, 
residence  Hampshire  County,  with  four  in  family.  There  is  but  one  John  Waggoner 
listed  in  the  Census  of  1785,  residence  Harrison  County,  five  in  family.  In  all 
probability  this  was  one  and  the  same  party. 

(2)  For  an  instance  of  this  kind,  see  Life  of  Grey  Hawk. 

(3)  See  Bouquet's  Expedition  Agaiyist  the  Ohio  Indians,  Cincinnati,  1907,  pp.  62, 
67,  for  a  graphic  description  of  such  scenes  as  depicted  in  the  text. 

(4)  Drake's  Indian  Captivities,  Buffalo,  1853,  p.  183. 

(5)  Drake's  Indian  Captivities,  pp.  185,  186. 

(6)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  408,  411. 

(7)  In  an  editor's  note,  p.  410,  Border  Warfare,  Booher's  name  is  given  as 
"Baker";  a  typographical  error. 

Paint  Creek:  a  tributarj^  of  the  Scioto,  in  Ross  County,  Ohio.  It  was  the 
former  home  of  the  Chillicothe  branch  of  the  Shawnees.  Their  village,  "Old 
Town,"  stood  on  the  banks  of  this  stream,  near  the  present  Chillicothe,  in  1774. 
It  was  laid  waste  by  the  Kentuckians  in  1787;  but  the  Indians  were  in  possession 
of  the  country  until  after  the  War  of  1812. 

One  tradition  says  that  the  Delawares  were  the  despoilers  of  the  Waggoner 
family.  There  may  have  been  some  member  of  that  tribe  with  the  marauders, 
but  the  Shawnees  were  the  authors  of  the  tragedy. 

(8)  Drake's  Indian  Captivities,  p.  190. 

NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XX 

(1)  Border  Warfare,  p.  414. 

(2)  Adam  O'Brien,  to  whose  carelessness  must  be  attributed  the  Carpenter 
tragedy,  was  an  eccentric  man,  who  seemingly  had  been  driven  to  the  wilderness 
because  of  some  trouble  in  the  settlements.  He  came  early  into  the  Trans-Alle- 
gheny, and  revelled  in  a  life  of  freedom,  "untrammeled  by  laws"  and  the  restraining 
influences  of  society. 

The  following  is  taken  from  The  West  Firgi?iia  Historical  Magazine,  Volume 
III,  pp.  307,  308. 

"One  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  Trans-Allegheny  country  was  Adam  O'Brien, 
if  his  roving  disposition  and  movements  would  entitle  him  to  the  name  of  settler. 
He  had  a  cabin  on  Elk  River  at  the  mouth  of  Holly  River;  a  long  time  he  owned 
two  tracts  of  land,  held  by  patents,  in  Randolph  county;  he  lived  on  the  Little 
Kanawha  and  he  lived  and  died  on  the  Big  Sandy  of  Elk  in  Kanawha  county. 
He  seems  to  have  been  engaged  in  making  settlements  on  good  lands  for  others 
and  that  he  had  made  many.  He  said  that  all  he  had  to  do  was  to  cut  his  initials 
"A.  O.  B."  on  some  trees,  cut  down  a  few  saplings  and  plant  a  hand  full  of  corn 
and  he  secured  a  right  to  four  hundred  acres  of  land,  though  it  afterwards  cost  a 
good  deal  of  hard  swearing. 


Border  Settlers  oe  Northwestern  \'irgini.\  463 

"When  asked  how  he  came  to  seek  llie  wilderness  and  encounter  the  perils 
and  sufferings  of  frontier  Hfe,  he  answered  that  he  liked  it  and  did  not  mind  it 
a  bit  and  in  further  explanation  said,  that  he  was  a  poor  man  and  had  got  behind 
hand  and  when  that's  the  case,  there  is  no  staying  in  the  settlements  for  those 
varments,  the  sheriffs  and  constables,  who  were  worse  than  Indians,  because  you 
could  kill  Indians,  and  you  dare  not  kill  the  sheriffs.  That  after  the  king's  proc- 
lamation for  all  settlers  and  surveyors  to  remove  east  of  the  big  ridge,  from  off 
the  western  waters,  there  was  no  people  on  the  west  side  except  those  who  had 
run  away  from  justice  and  here  they  were  as  free  as  the  biggest  buck  agoing,  and 
after  the  peace  of  sixty-three,  it  was  all  quiet  in  the  back  woods.  That  there  was 
a  settlement  at  Dunkard's  bottom,  and  a  small  one  where  Clarksburg  now  is,  and 
some  squatters  here  and  there,  that  had  their  cabins,  their  corn  and  potatoes  and 
their  guns  with  which  they  kept  themselves  in  bear  meat  and  venison,  and  while 
they  had  no  monej',  they  had  skins  with  which  they  could  secure  powder  and 
lead  and  such  things  as  they  had  to  buy.  He  said  that  they  lived  quite  happy 
before  the  Revolution,  for  then  there  was  no  law,  no  courts  and  no  sheriffs  and 
they  all  agreed  pretty  well,  but  after  a  while  the  people  began  to  come  and  make 
settlements  and  then  there  was  need  for  law;  and  then  came  the  lawyers  and  next 
the  preachers  and  from  tiial  time  they  never  had  any  peace  any  more,  that  the 
laywers  persuaded  them  to  sue  when  they  were  not  paid,  and  the  preachers  con- 
verted one  half  and  they  began  to  quarrel  with  the  other  half  because  they  would 
not  take  care  of  their  own  souls,  and  from  that  time,  they  never  had  an\' 
peace  for  body  or  soul,  and  that  the  sheriffs  were  worse  than  the  wild  cats 
and  painters,  and  would  take  the  last  coverlit  from  your  wife's  straw  bed  or  turn 
you  out  in  a  storm,  and  I  tell  you,  mister,  I  would  rather  take  my  chances  and  live 
among  savages  than  live  among  justices  and  lawyers  and  sheriffs,  who  with  all 
their  civilit)",  have  no  natural  feeling  in  them.  The  settlers  had  to  20  to  the  field 
with  their  gun  and  ofttiines  their  wi\'es  had  to  keep  watch  with  ritle  while  they 
were  at  the  plough." 

In  1781,  Adam  O'Brien  was  granted  a  ccrtiticate  for  "400  acres  on  the  VV^est 
Fork,  to  include  his  settlement  made  in  1775;"  also  for  "400  acres  on  Lost  Creek, 
to  include  his  settlement  made  in  1781." 

O'Brien  and  a  man  named  Fink  were  tired  upon  by  Indians  while  watching  a  deer 
lick  on  Fink's  Creek,  a  branch  of  Beech  Fork  of  the  Little  Kanawha,  wounding 
Fink  in  the  heel.  The  hunters  fled  up  the  creek,  and  when  reaching  the  low  gap 
between  this  stream  and  Hardway's  Run,  Fink  could  go  no  further,  and  finding; 
that  the  Indians  were  pressing  them  close  he  advised  O'Brien  to  abandon  him  to 
his  fate  and  seek  his  own  safety.  This,  O'Brien  was  constrained  to  do,  and  Fink 
concealing  himself  shot  and  killed  one  of  his  pursuers  as  they  came  up.  He  in 
turn  was  killed.  The  Indians,  e\idently  fearing  an  ambuscade,  fled  leaving  their 
dead  comrade  where  he  fell.  When  O'Brien  with  others  returned  a  few  da\-s  later 
they  buried  the  two  bodies  on  the  low  ridge,  where  their  graves  can  yet  be 
seen.  .\n  account  of  this  tragedy  is  given  in  Col.  D.  S.  Dewee's  '"Recollections," 
1904,  p.  68. 

(3)  In  the  latter  part  of  September,  1902, 1  was  sent  b>-  the  Bureau  of  Pensions 
to  investigate  some  claims  in  central  West  Virginia.  I  was  a  Special  ICxaminer, 
and  I  arrived  at  Sutton,  the  count\-  seat  of  Braxton  Count\-.  the  .H)th  of  September. 


464  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

From  that  town  I  journeyed  to  make  my  investigations.  The  country  is  a  lean 
one  so  far  as  soil  goes,  or  it  looked  so  to  me,  after  seeing  the  rich,  black  prairies 
of  the  West.  But  the  country  fascinated  me,  for  I  was  born  and  brought  up  in 
a  country  very  similar  to  it  in  eastern  Kentucky.  I  had  been  in  Clarksburg  over 
night;  Monday  morning  (as  I  now  remember,  though  I  am  not  sure  it  was  Monday) 
I  took  the  train  for  Sutton.  The  morning  was  dark  and  lowering,  and  the  train 
had  not  been  long  on  the  road  until  it  began  to  rain;  it  rained  more  and  harder  as 
the  day  advanced.  The  country  had  the  peculiar  drowned  appearance  common 
to  that  land  during  heavy  rains  in  the  fall;  the  ravines  in  the  hillsides  ran  bank 
full,  carrying  down  the  soil,  often  eating  down  the  rock.  The  trees  were  dripping 
in  their  straggling  foliage,  now  browned  by  the  frosts,  and  much  of  it  on  the  ground 
— dead  leaves  drifted  by  the  overflowing  brooks,  "branches,"  as  they  say  there. 

While  the  landscape  was  dreary,  I  had  a  ride  of  enjoyment.  The  large  timber 
on  the  rocky  hillsides  and  the  huge  fragments  of  sandstone  lying  about  the  bases 
of  cliffs  reminded  me  of  my  native  country. 

Of  my  travels  while  in  the  discharge  of  my  duties  I  shall  not  speak  at  this 
time.  But  while  at  Sutton  I  heard  of  an  old  hunter  who  lived  in  the  village.  I 
went  to  see  him  one  dark  night  while  I  was  there.  My  work  was  not  done  until 
late,  and  I  found  him  in  bed.  His  name  was  William  Carpenter.  He  told  me 
the  following  concerning  his  family: 

William  Carpenter  was  born  at  Centralia,  fourteen  miles  from  Sutton,  Braxton 
County,  West  Virginia,  April  17,  1827.  His  great  grandfather  came  from  England 
and  settled  in  the  Big  Bend  of  Jackson's  River,  given  name  of  ancestor  and  date 
of  coming  to  America  not  now  known  with  certainty.  His  grandfather,  Jeremiah 
Carpenter,  was  born  at  the  Big  Bend  of  Jackson's  River.  Withers  would  seem  to 
incline  to  the  opinion  that  the  Carpenters  came  from  Bath  County,  Va.  {Border 
Warfare,  414.)  When  nine  years  old  Jeremiah  was  captured  by  the  Shawnees, 
who  made  a  raid  into  the  Big  Bend  country,  and  by  them  carried  to  their  country 
where  he  was  adopted  by  the  tribe;  he  lived  with  them  until  he  was  eighteen. 
Once  during  his  captivity  the  Chief's  squaw  became  enraged  at  him  and  tried  to 
kill  him;  she  struck  him  on  the  head  with  a  hoe.  Her  daughter  rescued  him  and 
took  him  to  the  Ohio  River  where  she  washed  his  head  and  dressed  his  wounds, 
all  the  time  weeping  over  the  unfortunate  boy,  who  never  forgot  her;  it  was  even 
supposed  that  he  was  to  have  married  her  had  he  remained  with  the  Shawnees. 
He  remembered  her  as  a  gentle  young  woman  of  many  personal  charms  and  much 
modesty,  who  spent  most  of  her  time  trying  to  make  people  as  happy  as  their 
condition  would  warrant,  a  work  which  she  received  little  enough  encouragement  in 
the  Indian  village.  The  place  of  the  captivity  was  Oldtown,  opposite  the  mouth 
of  the  Kanawha. 

When  young  Carpenter  was  exchanged,  an  action  which  he  regretted,  so 
complete  an  Indian  had  he  become  by  habit,  he  returned  to  the  Big  Bend,  where 
he  married.  After  he  married  he  moved  to  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Centralia, 
Braxton  County,  building  his  house  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile  above  Dry  Run. 
This  settlement  must  have  been  prior  to  the  year  1792  {Withers,  414),  though 
Mr.  Carpenter  could  not  give  me  the  exact  date.  He  was  the  first  settler  in  what 
is  now  Braxton  County.  Adam  O'Brien  was  the  second  settler,  and  he  came 
in  the  spring  of  1792.  {Withers,  414.)  O'Brien  settled  on  the  town  site  of  Sutton, 
or  rather  on  the  bank  of  Elk  River  opposite  the  present  town  site,  where  he  lived 


Border  Settlers  ok  Northwestern  \'ir(;ima  4^5 

in  the  liollow  of  a  great  sycamore  tree.  He  blazed  a  trail  from  his  house  to  Sali- 
viile  or  Bulltown  on  the  Little  Kanawha,  where  he  went  to  make  salt.  Bulltown 
was  named  for  Captain  Bull,  an  old  Indian,  tribe  Carpenter  did  not  know;  it 
was  so  named  by  the  Indians,  and  was  their  gathering  place  in  that  part  of  the 
country,  and  was  a  ford  on  the  Little  Kanawha.  O'Brien  made  other  trails  through 
the  country,  and  they  endangered  the  lives  of  the  settlers.  The  Indians  came  up 
the  Elk  River  every  spring  on  their  raids  into  the  settlements.  They  came  also 
up  the  Little  Kanawha,  the  various  bands  met  at  Bulltown  for  the  last  consultation 
before  the  descent  upon  the  settlers  then  beginning  to  come  into  that  country. 
One  spring  (Carpenter  could  not  give  me  the  date,  but  IFiiliers  says  it  was  in  1793) 
the  Indians  discovered  the  trail  blazed  by  O'Brien;  perhaps  it  had  been  made 
tlic  preceding  winter.  They  followed  it  to  the  Elk  River,  to  Sutton,  the  house 
of  O'Brien,  though  they  did  not  find  him  or  his  family.  He  had  gone  back  to 
the  settlements,  because  he  could  not  raise  grain  for  his  family  until  he  had  made 
a  clearing.  iJVithers.)  Carpenter  had  built  a  house  on  the  river  bank,  and  some 
of  the  chips  from  his  axe  had  floated  down  and  were  found  in  the  Elk  River  by 
the  Indians  when  they  arrived  tiierc.  Tiicy  immediately  surmised  that  someone 
was  living  further  up  the  stream,  tiic  banks  of  which  they  followed  up  with  great 
caution.  Jeremiah  Carpenter  was  accompanied  by  his  brother  Benjamin  when 
he  came  into  that  wilderness.  Benjamin  had  gone  back  to  the  settlements  and 
married  during  the  previous  winter — some  four  months  before  this  raid.  He  had 
built  his  cabin  on  the  bank  of  the  Elk  River,  at  the  mouth  of  Holly  Creek,  about 
twelve  miles  above  Sutton.  The  father,  mother,  and  sisters  of  the  Carpenters 
had  now  moved  to  the  Elk  River  settlement. 

In  March  Ben  Carpenter  had  killed  a  large  red  buck  (male  deer).  It  was 
very  unusual  to  see  a  buck  with  his  coat  red  at  that  season  of  the  year.  They  do 
not  get  red  until  June  or  Julv.  Jeremiah  told  Ben  that  something  awful  was 
to  befall  them,  something  terrible;  the  killing  of  the  red  buck  foretold  it.  Ben 
said  he  would  wear  moccasins  made  from  that  deer's  hide,  and  he  put  it  in  the  river 
to  soak  to  take  the  grain  off,  as  they  do  in  dressing  deer  skins. 

There  were  two  of  these  Indians.  On  the  day  they  discovered  the  chips 
floating  on  Elk  River,  Ben's  mother  and  little  sister  came  to  visit  him.  They 
went  across  the  river  to  assist  Ben  in  firing  some  log  heaps  in  his  clearing.  Mrs. 
Carpenter  (Ben's  wife)  was  sick  and  was  left  in  bed.  When  Ben  had  worked 
awhile  he  told  his  mother  and  sister  he  would  go  back  to  the  house  and  help  his 
wife  prepare  dinner,  and  left  them  in  the  field  still  at  work  burning  the  great  log 
heaps.  Ben  crossed  the  river,  but  before  going  into  the  house  took  the  hide  of 
the  red  buck  from  the  stream  and  began  to  take  off  the  grain.  He  had  just  put 
it  on  the  graining  block  and  commenced  work  when  one  of  the  Indians  who  was 
concealed  behind  a  log  fired  on  him  but  missed  him.  There  was  one  large  Indian 
and  one  small  one.  The  small  Indian  had  shot  at  Ben.  When  the  Indian  fired 
Ben  ran  into  the  house  to  get  his  gun.  Now,  the  big  Indian  had  gone  into  the 
house  and  tomahawked  Mrs.  Carpenter  while  she  was  in  bed,  perhaps  sometime 
before  Ben  had  returned  from  his  clearing.  After  killing  the  wife  he  concealed 
himself  in  the  house  to  wait  for  Ben,  should  the  little  Indian  fail  to  kill  him.  Ben's 
gun  was  in  the  rack  over  the  cabin  door.  When  he  ran  in  he  reached  up  to  get 
it  and  as  his  arm  was  up  the  big  Indian  shot  him  and  killed  him.  His  mother 
alarmed  by  the  shot  of  the  little   Indian,  was    lookint;  towards  the  house  at  the 


466  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

moment,  and  saw  the  flash  of  the  Indian's  gun  go  under  Ben's  arm  and  saw  him 
fall  back  dead.  She  immediately  concealed  her  little  daughter  in  the  hollow  of 
a  large  stump,  covering  it  with  a  large  flat  stone,  and  ran  for  her  husband,  first 
telling  the  child  to  make  no  noise  under  any  circumstances.  Ben's  father  came 
from  his  cabin  and  went  to  Ben's  cabin,  and  found  the  Indians  gone,  having  carried 
off  Ben's  gun  and  shot  pouch  and  powder  horn. 

Jesse  Hughes  was  the  famous  Indian  fighter  of  that  part  of  Western  Virginia. 
He  roamed  the  whole  of  the  country,  and  he  had  many  places  of  temporary  abode 
in  the  wilderness — hunting  camps,  where  he  spent  much  time  or  little  as  the  mood 
might  incline  him.  His  home,  so  Carpenter  said,  was  on  Spring  Creek,  somewhere  on 
the  Ohio.  He  told  me,  also,  that  Hughes  died  on  Mill  Creek,  on  the  Ohio,  but  he 
did  not  know  where  that  was  nor  when  he  died.  One  of  the  favorite  places  of 
Hughes  was  in  Braxton  County,  and  he  had  many  points  of  "lookout"  from  which 
he  could  observe  the  coming  of  Indians.  He  had  also  many  places  of  safety  to 
which  he  fled  when  there  was  danger  from  Indians.  The  case  I  had  for  investi- 
gation was  one  of  contesting  widows  of  one  of  his  descendants.  The  fall  following 
the  raid  on  Ben  Carpenter's  house,  Hughes  killed  a  big  Indian  and  a  little  one. 
The  big  one  had  Ben's  gun,  powder  horn,  and  shot  pouch,  and  it  was  supposed  he 
slew  Carpenter's  murderers.     The  circumstance  of  the  killing  is  of  interest. 

It  was  after  the  settlers  had  gathered  into  their  forts  in  the  fall  on  account 
of  some  Indian  invasion.  The  fort  was  on  the  West  Fork  of  the  Monongahela 
River.  Hughes  lived  in  the  vicinity.  He  had  a  fine  cow  on  which  he  put  a  large 
bell  and  allowed  to  range  the  woods  about  the  fort.  The  bell  had  not  been  heard 
for  some  days,  and  Hughes  knew  that  the  Indians  had  killed  his  cow.  One  day, 
towards  sundown,  the  bell  was  heard  in  the  woods  approaching  the  fort  in  the 
■way  a  cow  would  come — in  a  roundabout  way  as  though  the  cow  was  returning, 
stopping  to  browse,  then  coming  on,  etc.  Hughes  was  accosted  with,  "Hughes,, 
there  goes  your  cow,"  and  replied,  "Yes,  my  cow  is  dead,  but  I  will  make  that 
bell  ring  in  the  morning." 

During  the  night  he  painted  and  dressed  himself  like  an  Indian  and  went 
out  into  the  woods  to  the  head  of  a  "hollow"  down  in  the  depths  of  which  the 
bell  was  heard  in  the  dusk  of  the  preceding  day.  Here  he  concealed  himself. 
As  soon  as  it  was  light  he  heard  the  bell  begin  to  ring.  After  some  time  in  creep- 
ing softly  about  he  saw  a  big  Indian  with  his  gun  in  position  to  shoot  and  the 
little  Indian  with  the  bell  on  his  neck  walking  about  on  hands  and  knees  like  a 
cow  feeding.  Hughes  shot  the  big  Indian,  then  ran  and  got  the  gun  of  the  dead 
warrior  and  pursued  the  little  Indian  and  finally  came  up  with  him  and  shot  him 
with  his  companion's  gun,  which  was  the  gun  of  Ben  Carpenter.  Hughes  was 
so  furious  when  he  recognized  the  gun  of  his  friend  that  he  cut  strips  of  hide  from 
the  backs  of  the  Indian  and  after  tanning  them  used  them  for  belts. 

Carpenter's  grandfather  once  discovered  the  presence  of  Indians  in  his  neigh- 
borhood. He  knew  he  would  be  killed  if  he  remained  at  home.  He  took  his  family 
up  Elk  River  to  Laurel  Creek  and  up  this  creek  to  Camp  Run — waded  all  the 
way.  They  went  into  a  cave  very  difficult  to  find  and  lived  there  until  the  Indians 
left  the  country.  Carpenter's  father  was  born  in  this  cave  while  the  family  were 
hiding  there  from  the  Indians.  Once  the  Indians  came  into  the  cave  and  remained 
a  considerable  time  while  Carpenter  and  his  family  were  also  in  there,  but  they 
did  not  discover  the  whites. 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  \'irginia  467 

(4)  A  similar  case  is  reported  as  tradition  by  Kerclirvalp.  143,  which  occurred 
near  Furman's  Fort,  east  of  the  mountains,  at  an  early  date.  A  Mr.  Hogeland 
went  out  from  the  fort  one  evening  in  pursuit  of  the  milch  cows.  He  heard  the 
bell  rattle  continuously  in  the  glen  and  suspecting  the  cause,  ascended  a  ridge 
overlooking  the  ravine,  and  saw  an  Indian  with  the  bell  attached  to  a  small  saplini;, 
which  he  was  gently  shaking,  causing  the  bell  to  rattle,  hoping  to  decoy  the  owner 
of  the  cattle  to  death.  Hogeland  shot  the  Indian  through  the  body.  Another 
Indian  started  up,  fled,  and  escaped.  Another  version  of  this  tradition,  narrated 
by  the  same  author,  states  that  a  young  man  with  Hogeland  shot  the  second  Indian. 
This,  like  the  turkey  call,  was  a  favorite  mode  of  decoy  with  the  red  warrior. 
By  it,  fourteen  men  fell  into  ambuscade  and  were  killed  at  Fort  Laurens,  in    17'>.i. 

In  1790,  "the  Indians  killed  some  cows  on  a  creek  in  the  upper  end  of  Kanawha 
County,  and  hung  the  bells  on  swinging  limbs,  so  they  would  ring  as  the  wind 
blew.  When  the  citizens  went  out  to  bring  their  cows  home  they  were  shot  down. 
The  creek  was  named,  from  this  circumstance,  'Bell  Creek.'"  Hale's  Trans- 
Allegheny  Pioneers,  pp.  275,  276. 

(5)  Pioneer  History,  p.  300. 

(6)  This  was  in  July,  1791,  wlicn  a  body  of  Indians  lay  in  ambush  one  morning 
in  a  cornfield  at  Marietta  for  the  purpose  of  attacking  the  laborers  in  a  flax  and 
oat  field  adjoining.  The  workers  were  delaj^ed  in  going  to  the  field,  and  the  enemy 
despairing  of  success,  left  their  place  of  concealment,  where  their  tracks  were 
afterward  found. 

(7)  Joshua  Fleethart  was  born  on  the  frontier  of  Pennsylvania,  and  grew  up 
immured  to  the  dangers  of  the  forest.  Standing  over  six  feet  in  height,  and  pos- 
sessed of  remarkable  strength  and  dare-devil  courage,  he  was  one  of  the  most 
noted  scouts  on  the  Ohio  border.  For  a  time  he  lived  on  Blennerhassett's  Island, 
but  subsequently  removed  to  Farmers  Castle  (Belpry),  where  he  was  employed 
as  a  hunter  and  scout.     See  Hildreth's  Pioneer  History,  pp.  391,  401  to  405. 

(8)  Annals  of  Augusta  County,  Virginia,  p.  174. 

(9)  Dunmore's  War,  pp.  407,  408,  409,  41'). 


NOl'l'.S  ON  CIIAI^'I'I-'.R  NXI 

(1)  This  was  the  farm  owned  by  ilic  late  Bcnoni  Milchcil,  whose  father  purchased 
it  from  Tanner.  The  large  two-story  hewn  log  house  still  standing  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation,  was  erected  but  not  completed  by  Tanner.  It  is  a  fine 
specimen  of  the  fort-like  residence  of  Virginia  border  days.  The  crevices  between 
the  heav}'  oak  logs  are  still  firmly  chinked  with  stone  and  mud.  The  massive 
stone  chimney  built  inside  the  west  end  of  the  house  is  the  most  remarkable  fea- 
ture of  this  interesting  relic  of  an  era  forever  past.  It  is  made  of  irregular  cobble- 
stone laid  in  cla\'  mortar,  and  measures  sixteen  feet  wide  at  the  back.  On  the 
ground  floor,  it  is  built  in  the  shape  of  a  half-diamond,  each  angle  measuring  ten 
feet  across.  In  cacli  of  these  is  a  huge  open  fireplace,  each  facing  a  separate 
room.     Tlic  lartrcsl  of  Uicse  fireplaces  is  four  feet  higli  by  fi\e  feet  wide;  the  other 


o 


Border  Si:tti,p:rs  of  Xortiiwkstkrx  \'ir(;inia  469 

is  four  by  four  feet.  Tliev-  are  about  two  feel  and  six  inches  in  deptli,  but  evidently 
were  much  deeper  when  first  built,  false  backs  having  been  built  in.  The  spans, 
or  arches,  are  composed  of  stone.  On  the  upper  floor  the  shape  of  the  chimney 
was  modified  to  that  of  a  half  hexagon.  The  two  side  walls  measure  each  five 
feet  across,  while  the  center  face  is  six  feet,  in  which  is  a  good  sized  fireplace. 
The  chimney  is  twenl>-cighi  feet  high  and  carries  its  width  of  sixteen  feet  to  the 
garret,  where  it  narrows  to  eight  feet.  .At  the  top  it  measures  six  feet  by  two  and 
one-half  feet. 

The  original  front  door  was  removed  only  a  few  years  ago.  It  was  a  massive 
affair,  made  of  black  walnut  boards  crossed  diagonally  and  fastened  together  with 
hammered  nails.  The  boards  had  been  cut  with  a  whipsaw,  or,  as  some  declared, 
hewed  with  an  axe  onl\ .  The  door  was  three  inches  thick,  and  was  hung-  on 
ponderous  iron  hinges  that  reached  nearly  across  its  entire  width,  and  were  secured 
in  place  with  heavy  hand-forged  iron  clinch-nails.  The  house,  as  it  stood  for 
many  years,  has  three  rooms  on  the  ground  floor  and  two  on  the  second  floor. 
It  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  John  .\.  Mitchell,  a  son  of  Benoni,  and  who  gavx  me 
the  above  measurements.  The  house  has  not  been  occupied  for  the  last  few 
years.  It  is  in  a  splendid  state  of  preservation;  if  steps  are  not  taken  to  con- 
tinue this,  it  will  soon  go  the  way  of  all  such  landmarks.  Hacker's  Creek  would 
do  well  to  organize  a  society  looking  to  the  perpetuation  of  not  only  this,  but  many 
other  objects  of  historic  interest  in  the  valley.  Places  where  known  tragedies 
in  Indian  warfare  occurred  should  be  marked  with  appropriately  inscribed  stones. 
Indian  village  sites  and  burial  grounds  should  also  be  located  and  marked.  The 
graves  of  old  pioneers,  not  now  properly  designated,  should  have  attention.  Unless 
this  is  done,  every  trace  of  primitive  life,  romance  and  tragedy  in  this  beautiful 
valley  will  soon  pass  into  oblivion. 

Lament — Since  this  note  was  written,  the  Tanner  house  has  been  dismantled. 

(2)  There  was  a  Hughes  among  the  "Long  Hunters,"  but  his  given  name  is  not 
known.  This  hunter  could  not  have  been  Jesse  Hughes;  but  there  is  reason  to 
believe  that  it  was  a  member  of  his  family,  perhaps  his  father. 

In  1761,  a  number  of  hunters  came  into  what  is  now  Carter's  Valley,  in  east 
Tennessee,  to  hunt.  There  were  nineteen  men,  the  company  being  composed  of 
parties  of  men  from  different  localities:  some  from  several  adjoining  counties  of 
\"irginia,  some  from  Pennsylvania,  and  one  party  from  the  Yadkin,  in  North 
Carolina,  seemingly,  for  Daniel  Boone  was  at  the  head  of  it.  He,  however,  left 
when  the  company  of  hunters  reached  the  place  now  occupied  by  the  town  of 
Abington,  \  irginia.  These  hunters  remained  several  months  in  that  region,  and 
gave  their  present  names  to  Powell's  Valley,  Powell's  Mountain,  Clinch  Mountain, 
Clinch  River,  Copper  Ridge,  Newman's  Ridge,  Wallen's  Ridge,  and  Scagg's 
Ridge.  It  is  said  they  ciUered  Kcnluck\-  through  the  Cumberland  Gap,  and 
terminated  their  western  journey  fourteen  miles  beyond,  at  Laurel  Mountain. 

They  returned  year  after  year  in  larger  and  larger  companies,  and  penetrated 
further  each  year  into  the  interior  of  the  continent.  In  1762.  they  came  in  b\- 
the  way  of  Flower  Gap,  in  the  Blue  Ridge,  Jones  Ford  on  the  New  River,  and 
Blue  Springs  Gap,  in  Iron  Mountain.  They  spent  most  of  that  year  in  what  is 
now  Hawkins  County.  Tennessee.  In  the  fall  of  1763.  they  went  through  the 
Cumberland  Gap  and  hunted  on  the  Cumberland   River.      In   17()+.  tliev  hunted 


470  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

on  the  Rock  Castle  River  and  about  the  Crab  Orchard,  In  Kentucky.  Daniel 
Boone  came  among  them  to  learn  the  geography  of  the  western  country.  One 
of  these  hunters,  Scaggs,  was  employed  by  Boone  to  explore  the  Cumberland 
River  country,  which  he  did.  This  visit  of  Boone  must  have  been  in  some  sub- 
sequent year,  though  it  is  set  down  by  Judge  Heywood  as  having  been  in  1764. 
This  party  continued  to  hunt  in  the  western  wilderness  every  year,  sometimes 
numbering  forty  hunters,  with  pack  horses.  In  1771,  they  numbered  twenty-two, 
among  them — 

''James  Knox,  Henry  Knox,  Richard  Skaggs,  Henry  Skaggs,  Isaac  Bledsoe, 

Abraham   Bledsoe,   James   Graham,    Joseph  Drake,  John   Montgomery,   

Russell,   Hughes,    Wm.   Allen,   Wm.    Lynch,    David    Lynch,    Christopher 

Stoph,  and  others — twenty-two  in  all,  with  several  horses.  They  were  so  suc- 
cessful in  getting  skins  they  could  not  pack  them  all  back;  and  as  their  hunt  was 
prolonged,  they  built  what  they  called  a  skin  house,  at  a  common  center  in  what 
is  now  Green  County,  upon  the  Caney  Fork  of  Russell's  Creek,  almost  upon  the 
very  spot  now  occupied  by  the  Baptist  meeting  house  called  Mt.  Gilead.  Their 
hunt  extended  into  the  barrens  of  Green  River.  One  of  the  hunters  named  Bledsoe 
wrote  on  a  fallen  poplar  which  had  lost  its  bark,  near  where  Creed  Haskins  lived 
until  his  death  in  1851:  '2,300  Deer  Skins  lost;  Ruination  by  God.'  Part  of  the 
company  returned  to  the   settlements   in   February,   1772,  but  others  remained 

The  party  returned  late   in    1772,   some  of  them  having  been  out 

from  home  for  between  two  and  three  years;  they  have  been  known  ever  since 
as  the  'Long  Hunters.'  "     Collins'  History  of  Kentucky,  p.  418. 

Among  these  hunters  were  Henry  Scaggs,  Richards  Scaggs,  Matthias  Harman^ 
several  named  Belvins- — all  of  whom  lived  afterwards  in  eastern  Kentucky,  on 
the  Big  Sandy  River.  Tradition  in  that  country  says  that  Jesse  Hughes  came 
there  to  hunt  with  these  bordermen.  They  were  all  famous  Indian  fighters  and 
explorers.  In  some  way  Jesse  Hughes  must  have  become  acquainted  with  them 
before  they  settled  in  eastern  Kentucky.  There  were  long  periods  when  we  have 
no  account  of  Jesse  Hughes. 

Such  scouts  as  Jesse  Hughes  were  not  developed  in  one  generation  on  the 
wilderness.  It  required  two  or  three  generations  on  the  border  to  develop  a  man 
with  the  qualities  of  Hughes.  As  we  find  this  Hughes  family  scattered  from 
eastern  Virginia  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  we  must  conclude  that  they  were 
ever  in  the  van  of  civilization  from  their  first  arrival  in  America,  and  that  the 
hatred  of  the  Indian  which  reached  its  supreme  development  in  Jesse  Hughes  was- 
the  result  of  warfare  against  the  race  for  several  generations.  As  we  find  no  other 
family  of  this  name  in  all  the  annals  of  the  border,  of  enough  prominence  or  ex- 
perience to  be  a  member  of  the  company  of  Long  Hunters,  it  is  but  reasonable  to- 
believe  it  was  some  member  of  this  family.  The  evidence  is  all  in  favor  of  it. 
Refer   to   Chapter  XI,    this   Volume,    for   notice   of   the   Long   Hunters. 

—fFm.  E.  C. 

(3)  Ohio  Valley  in  Colonial  Days,  Albany,  1890,  p.  190. 

(4)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  276,  277;  DeHass,  247,  251. 

The  story  of  the  flaying  of  the  two  warriors  disabled  by  David  Alorgan  near 
Pricket's  Fort  in  1779,  and  the  manufacture  of  their  skins  into  belts,  shot  pouches, 
razor  strops  and  saddle  coverings,  is  well  known  to  students  of  border   history. 


Border  Settlers  of  Xortiiavestern  \'ir(,inia  471 

A  very  concise  account  of  tliis  occurrence  is  found  in  the  authorities  referred  to, 
also  Our  Western  Border,  but  not  so  replete.  Mr.  W.  A.  Morgan,  of  Petroleum, 
W.  Va.,  writes  me  that  he  remembers  seeing  a  piece  of  this  Indian  cuticle  in  the 
possession  of  his  father,  Charles  A.  Morgan,  a  son  of  Morgan  Morgan,  of  Morgan- 
town,  W.  Va. 

A  striking  example  of  hereditary  depravity  is  instanced  in  the  following 
which  is  taken  from  Wiley's  History  of  Monongalia  County,  JVest  Virginia,  pp. 
496,  497. 

"The  Oregon  War,  called  in  ofHcial  records  the  Yakima  and  other  wars, 
began  in  1854-5  and  continued  nearly  three  years.  It  was  the  result  of  a  general 
outbreak  of  the  Indians  along  the  Oregon  and  Washington  frontiers.  They  had 
over  3,500  warriors  engaged  in  the  contest.  Colonel  Frank  W.  Thompson  of 
Monongalia,  commanded  Company  A,  1st  regiment  Oregon  mounted  volunteers, 
which  was  afterwards  re-organized  as  Company  C,  Battalion  Oregon  and  Washing- 
ton mounted  rangers.  Dallas  Price  and  Oliver  Price,  two  brothers  who  were 
descendants  of  the  old  Indian-tighting  Morgans,  and  who  were  born  and  reared 
in  Monongalia  County,  were  in  Thompson's  company. 

"Among  the  hottest  contests  of  this  war  was  a  four-days'  fight  on  the  Walla- 
Walla  River,  at  the  point  where  Fort  Bennett  now  stands — which  fort,  it  is  said, 
was  named  in  honor  of  Captain  Bennett,  of  Marion  County,  who  was  killed  in 
that  battle.  The  Indians  were  commanded  by  Peopeomoxmox,  or  Yellow  Serpent, 
one  of  the  most  famous  Indians  ever  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  During  the  fight. 
Colonel  Thompson  saw  this  chief  killed  by  a  Missouri  soldier  named  Sam  War- 
field,  who  knocked  him  in  the  head  with  his  gun  and  afterwards  scalped  him,  in 
retaliation  for  outrages  committed  by  his  warriors.  After  the  chief  had  been 
scalped,  Oliver  Price  cut  a  piece  of  skin  from  his  back,  had  it  tanned,  and  made  a 
razor  strop  of  it — another  illustration  of  the  savage  hostility  existing  between 
the  Morgan  blood  and  the  Indian  race." 

While  the  battle  of  Walla  Walla  fought  November  7,  1855,  has  no  connection 
with  the  Virginia  border  narrative,  it  is  only  proper  to  state  that  Peo-peo-mox-mox 
was  not  in  command  of  the  Indian  forces  on  that  occasion.  Two  days  previou  s 
this  noted  Chief  of  the  Cayuse  and  Walla  Wallas,  with  a  few  of  his  followers, 
came  under  a  flag  of  truce  to  Colonel  Kelly  who  was  then  marching  against  their 
village,  and  stated  that  he  and  his  people  did  not  want  to  fight  and  that  they 
would  come  the  next  day  and  have  a  talk  and  make  a  treaty  of  peace.  The  Chief's 
sincerity  was  doubted  and  the  peace  delegates  were  informed  that  they  could 
remain  as  hostages,  or  return  to  their  people,  in  which  latter  case  their  village 
would  be  immediately  attacked.  With  this  alternative  they  showed  good  faith 
by  accepting  imprisonment,  but  one  of  the  party  was  permitted  to  return  to  the 
village  with  a  message  of  the  agreement. 

Colonel  Kelly  stated  that  when  he  moved  against  the  Indians,  that  the  latter 
began  the  fight,  but  Mr.  A.  P.  Woodward,  an  eye  witness  declared  that  to  his 
knowledge,  one  Jont,  of  Company  B,  committed  the  first  hostile  act.  During 
the  battle  the  peace  delegates  were  all  massacred  by  their  guards  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one,  a  Nez  Perce  boy,  who  had  accompanied  them.  It  was  claimed  by 
some  that  the  Indians  were  killed  while  endeavoring  to  escape  but  others  stated 
that  the  guard  attempted  to  tie  them  and  met  with  resistance,  which  provoked 
the  massacre. 


472  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Creditable  eye  witnesses  declared  that  there  was  no  effort  on  the  part  of  the 
prisoners  to  escape,  and  only  one,  IVolj  Skin,  an  athletic  Williamette,  made  any 
resistance.  When  attacked,  he  drew  a  concealed  knife  and  slashed  desperately 
at  his  slayers.  Whatever  the  deduction,  the  damning  fact  remains  that  these 
Indians  entered  the  hostile  camp  under  the  sacred  pledge  of  a  flag  of  truce,  and 
in  the  end  were  forcibly  detained  and  murdered.  In  point  of  atrocity,  this  crime 
is  a  parallel  to  the  massacre  of  the  Shawnee  hostages,  Chief  Cornstalk  and  others, 
at  Point  Pleasant,  1777,  alluded  to  in  a  previous  chapter.  For  a  similar  outrage 
in  1873,  Kintpuash,  or  Keintpoos  (Captain  Jack),  the  Modoc  leader  of  Lava  Beds 
fame,  and  three  of  his  followers  were  hanged.  There  was  no  hanging  at  Point 
Pleasant,  or  Walla  Walla. 

One  gentleman,  who  was  an  early  frontiersman  and  Indian  fighter  on  the 
Columbia  River,  stated  to  me  in  connection  with  the  Walla  Walla  incident:  "I 
knew  Warfield,  the  soldier  who  killed  Yellow  Serpent.  He  was  a  'cultas'  [worthless] 
cuss,  and  capable  of  such  deeds.  Personally  I  know  just  how  those  soldiers  felt. 
We  all  believed  that  no  Indian  should  live  and  we  worked  to  that  end." 

When  questioned  about  the  flaying  of  Yellow  Serpent,  he  replied:  "I  have 
heard  that  story;  it  was  talked  of,  but  I  never  knew  the  trooper  who  did  it." 

Yellow  Serpent  had  on  previous  occasions  proven  his  friendship  to  the  whites 
in  various  substantial  ways.  He  was  a  warrior  possessed  of  many  noble  traits 
of  character. 

(5)  Civilization  is  a  growth,  an  evolution,  and  no  people  in  their  primitive  purity 
and  simplicity  of  nature  has  ever  survived  a  sudden  and  continuous  contact  with 
the  higher  order  of  life. 

The  moral  debauchery  by  the  whites  of  the  Northwestern  Indians  was  assured 
in  their  defeat  by  General  Wayne,  in  1794.  Before  that  time,  the  constant  wars 
so  long  waged  on  the  border  prevented  a  social  mingling  of  the  two  races;  but  with 
the  signing  of  the  Treaty  of  Greenville,  this  barrier  was  removed,  and  the  rum- 
steeped  civilization  of  the  Pale  Face  soon  got  in  its  deadly  work. 

The  latent  cause  of  the  rapid  degradation  of  those  splendid  tribes  is  graphically 
set  forth  in  the  twenty-first  chapter  of  that  most  rare  work,  Burnet's  Notes  on  the 
Northwestern  Territory,  Cincinnati,  1847.  See  also  Hatche's  War  of  1812  in  the 
Northwest,  Cincinnati,  1882,  pp.  99,  110. 

(6)  This  cavern  was  named  for  Johnl.Haynes.  It  is  on  the  propert)'  now  owned 
by  his  daughter,  Mrs.  C.  B.  Howes,  and  is  located  at  a  narrows,  or  defile  on  Sand 
Creek,  one-half  mile  from  Crow  Summit.  At  this  point,  the  valley  is  not  more 
than  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  wide;  is  flanked  by  high  and  abrupt  cliffs,  and  was 
an  admirable  place  to  watch  for  game.  A  few  years  ago,  a  branch  of  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  Railroad  was  built  through  this  defile,  and  the  cave  completely  obliterated, 
the  stone  being  removed  for  bridge  building. 

Mr.  C.  S.  Wilcox,  of  Crow  Summit,  who  has  resided  within  one  mile  of  the 
cave  for  the  past  thirty  years,  gives  me  the  following  sketch  of  this  local  landmark: 

"This  cave  was  a  great  watering  place  for  teams  from  the  interior  counties 
■of  Roane,  Calhoun,  Gilmer  and  Braxton.  The  cave  proper  extended  back  for 
about  thirty  feet  from  the  entrance,  then  forked,  one  fork  running  north  fifty 
or  sixty  feet,  the  other  nearly  due  west  for  one  hundred  feet  or  more.  In  each 
fork  there  was  a  stream  of  clear  cool  water,  both  of  which  are  still  running.     Just 


BCJRULR   Sli'ITLKRS  Ol    XoKTHW  i:S  IKKN   \  IRCINIA  473 

above  the  mouth  of  the  cave  was  a  fine  old  elm  tree  with  three  lar>.'e  roots,  one  of 
which  ran  up  the  bare  face  of  the  rock  to  the  soil;  another  to  the  rijiht  over  the 
barren  rock  to  its  edge  and  then  down  to  the  soil;  the  third  ran  nearly  perpen- 
dicular down  the  naked  rock,  tapping  the  ground  at  its  base.  The  cave  showed 
evidence  of  having  been  used  for  camping  purposes.  Under  the  overhanging  rock, 
and  to  one  side  of  the  entrance,  was  a  fire  hearth,  and  still  further  back  in  the 
cave  were  several  boulders,  the  size  of  a  water  i^aii,  which  showed  traces  of  havinf 
been  in  contact  with  fire. 

W  liile  this  cave  was  never  scientifically  c.xaniincd  for  the  purpose  of  determin- 
ing the  nature  of  its  occupancy-,  it  cannot  be  questioned  that  it  was  an  Indian 
resort,  or  camping  place." 

It  is  lamentable  that  one  by  one  those  historic  landmarks,  the  silent  reminders 
of  primitive  life.  oT  stealthy  hunter  and  warrior  fierce,  of  a  wild  people's  heroic 
struggle  for  existence  in  their  own  land,  of  the  pathetic  disappearance  of  an  out- 
raged race  into  the  shadowy  twilight  of  oblivion,  arc  being  swept  away  by  the 
remorseless  hand  of  greed-crazed  commercialism. 

(7)  The  keen  perception  which  enabled  Hughes  to  recognize  this  Indian  from  the 
imprint  left  by  the  deformed  foot  is  remarkable,  but  in  this  accomplishment  of 
the  trailer  the  white  man  never  surpassed  ihc  Indian,  and  perhaps  never  became 
his  equal.  Many  remarkable  instances  are  mentioned  in  history,  one  in  the 
Conspiracy  of  Po>itiac,  \'olume  I,  p.  160. 


xoTi-.s  OX  cH.\ini:R  xxii 

(1)  As  shown  clscwiicre  in  this  volume,  the  father  of  Jesse  Hughes  settled  on  Elk 
Creek,  near  Clarksburg,  and  was  killed  by  the  Indians  on  Hacker's  Creek,  in  1778. 

(2)  This  is  a  mistake.  Hughes'  River  is  not  a  navigable  stream.  But  it  was 
named  for  either  Elias  or  Jesse  Hughes,  probably  for  Jesse. 

(3)  This  would  imply  that  Jesse  moved  to  the  Wabash  before  General  Wayne 
defeated  the  Indians  in  1794,  which  is  error.  As  previously  shown  in  this  volume, 
he  did  not  leave  Hacker's  Creek  until  the  autumn  of  1797  or  1798.  Jesse  Hughes 
never  settled  on  the  Muskingum,  nor  did  he  ever  "make  peace"  with  the  Indian. 

(4)  Sand  Creek. 

(5)  There  is  a  striking  similarity  in  the  financial  reverses  which  overtook  these 
three  great  scouts,  Boone,  Hughes  and  Kenton,  in  their  old  age.  Boone  and 
Kenton,  however,  had  some  of  their  lands  restored,  while  Congress  granted  Kenton 
a  small  pension. 

It  is  quite  probable  that  these  three  men  were  close  associates  during  part  of 
the  border  wars.  Boone  settled  in  the  Great  Kanawha  Valley  about  1786,  and 
lived  there  some  ten  years.  Kenton,  with  two  companions,  Strader  and  Yager, 
entered  this  valley  in  1771,  where  they  trapped  and  hunted  until  the  spring  of 
1773;  at  which  time  their  camp  was  attacked  by  Indians  and  Strader  killed. 
Kenton  and  Yager  narrowly  escaped  without  guns  or  blankets.  It  is  said  that  the 
hunters  confined  their  operations  to  tlic  KIk  River  retrion  with  headquarters  at  the 


474  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

mouth  of  Two  A4ile  Creek,  the  scene  of  the  tragedy.  They  disposed  of  their  furs 
to  a  French  trader,  who  was  located  at  the  confluence  of  the  Elk  with  the  Great 
Kanawha.  Kenton  afterwards  returned  to  his  old  haunts  where  he  remained 
until  the  breaking  out  of  Dunmore's  War  in  1774.  For  a  sketch  of  Boone  and 
Kenton,  see  Our  Western  Border. 

About  twenty  years  ago  (this,  1909)  Joseph  Druillard  or  Drouillard,  died  at 
Gallipolis,  Ohio,  when  nearly  one  hundred  years  old.  He  was  a  man  of  marked 
intelligence,  with  an  extraordinarily  strong  memory.  He  said  that  his  father  was 
a  French  trader  in  the  Northwest  Territory,  and  that  he  had  often  heard  him 
speak  of  saving  Kenton,  when  the  Indians  had  him  bound  to  the  stake.  Capt. 
Drouillard  of  the  U.  S.  A.  is  a  son  of  Joseph  Drouillard,  Sr. 

Pierre  Drouillard  was  a  French  trader  among  the  Northwestern  tribes,  and 
interpreter  for  the  British.  Simon  Girty  prevailed  on  him  to  furnish  the  goods,, 
worth  3100,  with  which  to  redeem  Kenton  at  Sandusky,  in  1778.  After  the  war 
Kenton  took  his  benefactor  into  his  Kentucky  home  and  presented  him  with  a 
piece  of  land.  Drouillard  subsequently  entered  the  service  of  the  United  States 
in  negotiating  with  the  Northwestern  Indians.  In  1776  he  married  Angeline 
Labadie.  He  died  in  April,  1803,  leaving  several  children;  among  them  George,, 
who  was  with  Lewis  and  Clark  in  their  Expedition  to  the  Pacific  in  1803-06.  Revo- 
lution on  the  Upper  Ohio,  Madison,  Wis.,  1908,  p.  128. 

Some  writers  give  the  name  of  Kenton's  rescuer:  Druyr,  a  captain  in  the 
British  Northwest  service. 

A  Joseph  Drouillard  was  an  interpreter  in  a  council  of  the  British  and  Indians,, 
at  Detroit,  June  14,  1778.     History  of  the  Girtys,  p.  63. 

(6)  Turkey  Run. 

(7)  Hughes'  Eddy  is  said  to  have  been  named  for  Thomas  Hughes,  a  reputed 
cousin  of  Jesse  Hughes.     I  believe  that  it  was  named  for  Jesse's  brother  Thomas. 


NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XXIII 


(1)  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  Thomas  Hughes,  Sr.,  was  an  experienced 
woodsman  and  hunter,  and  that  he  came  of  a  family  that  had  been  in  the  van  of  the 
advancing  settlements  a  generation  or  more  before  his  birth.  American  history 
teaches  that  the  most  successful  hunters  and  border  settlers,  scouts,  rangers  and 
Indian  fighters  come  of  families  that  had  been  in  contact  with  the  Indians  far  in 
advance  of  the  settlements  some  generations.  The  qualities  which  produced 
their  success  were  necessarily  hereditary  to  some  degree. — IFm.  E.  C. 

(2)  Names  often  went  through  a  process  of  transformation  on  the  border.  In, 
one  family  graveyard  in  Pennsylvania,  the  tombstone  of  the  first  comer  from 
Ireland  bears  the  name  of  O'Flannigan;  the  monuments  of  his  children  bear  the 
name  of  Flanigan;  while  those  of  a  later  generation  bear  the  names  of  Flanikan 
and  Fleniken. —  Wm.  E.  C. 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  \  ir(.inia  475 

(3)  Lewis  in  his  History  of  If'fst  I'irginia,  gives  the  name  of  this  daughter  as 
Lucinda. 

(4)  History  of  Licking  County,  Ohio,  pp.  6'^6,  697. 

XOTKS  OX  CIIAPri.K  XX I\' 

(1)  Lewis,  History  of  West  J'ir<^inia,  p.  Lvv 

(2)  A  tradition  handed  down  in  tlie  Hughes  faniiiy  in  Ohio,  declared  that  the 
Indians  made  prisoner  the  young  lady  here  mentioned,  and  in  their  flight  were  so 
closely  pursued  by  Elias  Hughes  and  others,  that  they  not  only  killed  their  captive, 
but  severed  the  lifeless  body  and  hung  the  fragments  to  the  boughs  of  trees. 
This  outrage  was  the  prime  factor  for  Hughes'  hatred  of  the  race.  The  same 
tradition  avers  that  in  later  years  the  Indians  killed  two  of  his  brothers-in-law. 

(3)  Hale's  ^'Trans-.lllegheny  Pioneers, ^^  p.  223. 

(4)  West  Virginia  Historical  Magazine,  Volume  H,  p.  35. 

(5)  Prof.  Hu  Maxwell  in  the  Trans-Allegheny  Historical  Magazine,  Volume  I, 
pp.  234,  235. 

Gen.  Lewis'  army  camped  at  the  mouth  of  Five  Mile  Fork  of  Kelly's  Creek, 
a  tributary  of  the  Great  Kanawha,  in  Kanawha  County,  VV.  Va.  In  1874  a  party 
of  surveyors,  among  them  Mr.  Wesley  Mollohan,  a  great  grandson  of  George 
Mollohan,  whose  tragic  death  is  given  in  Chapter  XVII,  this  Volume,  while  endeav- 
oring to  locate  an  early  surv"ey,  blocked  one  or  more  beech  trees  at  this  old  camp, 
and  discovered  on  one  of  them,  axe  marks  cov'ered  with  just  one  hundred  annular 
growths. 

The  advance  of  the  army  camped  in  the  midst  of  a  tine  beech  grove  at  Ruff- 
ner^s  Hollow,  near  where  Charleston  now  stands.  On  the  bark  of  one  of  these 
trees  was  engraved  the  names  of  several  of  the  officers  in  command,  with  dates. 
This  tree  was  cut  down  about  sixty  years  ago  by  a  party  ignorant  of  its  historic 
value.  It  is  claimed  that  when  the  main  column  came  up,  it  encamped  about  a 
half  mile  lower  down,  on  the  banks  of  the  Elk  River. 

(6)  Heads  of  Families,  \'irginia,  pp.  35-90. 

(7)  Elias  Hughes  was  born  in  now  Hardy  County,  West  Virginia,  about  1757, 
and  was  approximately  thirteen  years  old  when  he  made  his  tirst  "improvement" 
on  the  West  Fork  River  in  1770.  For  a  confirmation  of  this,  see  his  second  declara- 
tion for  pension  and  the  testimony  of  his  vouchers,  this  sketch. 

(8)  See  Chapter  XII,  this  \'olume. 

XOTKS  OX  CHAPTER  XX\' 

(1)  Licking  County,  Ohio  Pioneer  Pamphlets,  Newark,  ()..  1872. 

(2)  The  following  statement  was  made  by  Elias  Hughes'  son,  Jonathan,  who 
resided  south  of  L'tica  until  1890: 

"M}'  father  came  to  Muskingum  County  in  1797  in  a  vessel  made  of  a  large 


476  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

poplar  tree.  He  started  for  Licking  County  in  1798,  coming  on  foot  and  horse 
back,  travelling  as  fast  as  their  geese  could  walk.  He  was  97  when  he  died,  was 
soldier  in  1774  and  was  not  married  until  he  was  25.  My  father  was  a  remarkably 
smart  man  in  old  age.  When  he  was  80  he  started  from  Utica  after  sunrise,  and 
arrived  at  his  daughter's  in  Muskingum  County  before  sunset  the  same  day,  a 
distance  of  forty  miles,  he  resided  with  me  from  1828  until  1844  when  he  died. 
He  had  been  blind  in  one  eye  before  he  made  the  walk  spoken  of,  but  found  he 
was  totally  blind  when  he  reached  his  daughter's.  Outside  of  this  he  was  in  per- 
fect health  until  he  died." 

(3)  It  is  shown  by  the  records  in  the  War  Department,  Washington,  that  Elias 
Hughes,  St.,  served  as  Second  Lieutenant  in  Capt.  John  Spencer's  Company,  Col. 
Renick's  Mounted  Regiment  of  Ohio  Volunteers  and  Alilitia  from  May  5  to  May 
25,  1813.  This  included  six  days  allowed  for  travelling  home  at  twenty  miles  per 
day,  from  Lower  Sandusky.  One  Elias  Hughes,  Jr.,  served  as  a  private  in  the 
same  company  from  May  5  to  May  27,  1813,  including  eight  days  to  return  home 
from  the  Lower  Sandusky,  allowing  fifteen  miles  per  day.  This  private  Hughes 
was  evidently  a  son  of  Lieutenant  Hughes,  although  the  earlier  records  of  the 
war  show  that  one  Elias  Hughes  served  as  a  Corporal  in  Capt.  John  Spencer's 
Company,  3rd  (Cass')  Regiment  of  Ohio  Volunteers  and  Militia,  from  June  1, 
1812,  to  June  1,  1813.  We  could  readily  believe  that  these  were  one  and  the  same 
person,  did  not  their  terms  of  enlistment  overlap.  A  granddaughter  of  Capt. 
Elias  Hughes,  who  was  still  living  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  in  1905,  says  that  two 
sons  contracted  "camp  fever"  while  in  the  service  and  both  died  after  returning 
home.     An  inquiry  to  the  War  Department  elicited  the  following  reply: 

"The  records  in  this  office  show  that  one  Thomas  Hughes  (name  also  spelled 
Hughs)  served  as  a  private  and  a  corporal  of  Captain  John  Spencer's  Company  of 
Infantr}^,  3d  Regiment  (Cass')  Ohio  Volunteers  and  Militia,  War  of  1812.  His 
service  commenced  June  1,  1812,  and  he  is  reported  on  a  roll  from  June  1,  1812, 
to  January  1,  1813,  died  October  24,  1812;  and  on  a  roll  from  June  1,  1812,  to  May 
31,  1813,  died  on  —  of  November,  1812.  No  more  definite  information  as  to  his 
death  has  been  found. 

"The  name  David  Hughes  has  not  been  found  on  the  rolls,  on  file  in  this 
office,  of  any  organization,  of  Ohio  or  regular  army  troops  in  service  during  the 
War  of  1812." 

It  is  impossible  to  harmonize  the  term  of  service  of  this  soldier,  as  evidenced 
by  the  foregoing  record  with  the  date  of  his  death.  Even  if  there  were  two  volun- 
teers of  the  same  name,  there  is  still  a  discrepancy  in  the  dates.  Elias  Hughes,  Jr., 
was  still  living  in  1844,  and  was  one  of  the  beneficiaries  in  the  last  payment  of 
his  father's  pension. 

The  memorable  siege  of  Fort  Meigs,  Ross  County,  Ohio,  by  the  combined 
forces  of  Chief  Tecumseh  and  Gen.  Proctor,  endured  from  the  fifth  to  the  ninth 
of  May,  1813,  consequently  Lieut.  Elias  Hughes  must  have  participated  in  the 
defense  of  that  fortress. 

(4)  Miss  Jane  Sleath  married  Capt.  Elias  Hughes  about  the  year  of  1780  or 
1781.     Her  remains  lie  in  an  unmarked  grave  at  Johnstown,  Licking  County,  Ohio. 

(5)  History  of  Licking  County,  Ohio,  Newark,  1881. 


Border  Settlers  oi  Xortiiwlstkrn  X'irginia  477 

(6)  Historical  Collections  of  Ohio,  Cincinnati,  1902,  \olunic  II,  p.  65,  66. 

(7)  History  of  Knox  County,  Ohio,  Newark,  1862,  pp.  IS,  19. 

(8)  Draper  MSS.     Catalogue  nunilx-r  SX\.i7. 

(9)  Extract)     Draper  MSS.,  S.\.\3S. 

(10)  It  would  appear  that  Col.  Da\idson  received  no  reply  from  Mr.  Jonathan 
Hughes.  Owing  to  the  many  conflicting  stories  circulated  concerning  his  father's 
life,  Jonathan  Hughes  eventually  refused  to  give  any  information  on  the  subject. 

I  am  reliably  informed  that  Elias  Hughes  was  not  identified  with  any  church, 
but  he  had  strict  religious  principles;  was  a  total  abstainer,  refusing  wine  or  other 
intoxicating  stimulants  even  when  very  old. 

(11)  Evidently  Capt.  Samuel  Brady,  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and  renowned 
scout  of  the  Upper  Ohio  River.  He  was  the  son  of  Capt.  John  Brady,  of  the 
Twelfth  Pa.  Regt.  Revolutionary  War,  who  was  killed  by  three  Iroquois  warriors 
in  ambush  on  the  West  Branch  of  the  Susquehanna  River,  April  11th,  1779. 

Samuel  was  one  of  six  stalwart  brothers,  of  whom  James,  a  magnificent 
looking  young  man,  was  shot,  speared,  tomahawked  and  scalped  by  Indians  on 
the  same  stream,  August  8th,  1779,  and  died  five  days  later.  These  two  tragedies 
imbittered  Samuel  against  the  Indians,  and  like  his  contemporaries,  the  Hughes, 
he  swore  eternal  enmity  against  the  entire  race. 

According  to  DeHass,  p.  381,  Capt.  Samuel  Brady  was  born  at  Shippens- 
burgh,  Pa.,  in  1756.  Heitman's  Historical  Register,  p.  96,  states  that  he  died  Dec. 
25th,  1795;  while  Our  JVestern  Border,  p.  442,  gives  as  the  date  of  his  death,  about 
the  year  1800,  at  West  Liberty,  West  Va. 

(12)  From  the  Newark  (Ohio)  Gazette,  January  30,  1845;  in  the  Draper  MSS. 
8XX30. 

(13)  "Buckskin  moccasins  kept  on  at  night  have  a  tendency  to  rot."^L.  C.  D. 

(14)  The  sequel  of  the  Leading  Creek  massacre  in  1781. 

(15)  It  was  Jesse  Hughes  who  sliot  lliis  Indian.     Sec  Chapter  XI,  this  \'oiumc. 

(16)  .Vs  previously  shown  in  this  volume,  the  unsuccessful  pursuing  party  was 
organized  in  the  Tj-gart's  \'alley  settlements  under  Colonel  Wilson. 

(17)  Bonnett,  John. 

(18)  Jfithers,  p.  345. 

(19)  Since  the  foregoing  was  written,  .Mrs.  I'ant  informs  me  that  through  the 
auspices  of  the  Daughters  of  the  .\merican  Revolution,  Hughes'  grave  has  been 
marked  with  a  marble  slab,  and  two  bronze  tablets  commemorative  of  his  services 
in  the  Revolution,  and  the  War  of  1812. 

For  a  brief  of  Elias  Hughes,  see  Tenth  Ohio  .Innual  Conference  Daughters  of 
the  American  Revolution,  190S,  p.  68. 


478  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XXVI 

(1)  It  is  claimed  in  a  family  tradition  that  Colonel  Lowther  owned  slaves,  by 
which  means  he  was  enabled  to  produce  larger  crops  than  the  other  settlers,  and 
was  thus  prepared  to  mitigate  the  sufferings  of  the  colonists  during  the  "starving 
year,"  1773.  This  doubtless  is  true  notwithstanding  nine  years  later,  1782,  the 
census  showed  eighty-one  blacks  in  Monongalia  County,  but  none  of  them  owned 
by  Colonel  Lowther. 

Mr.  Granville  S.  Lowther  writes  me  that  he  often  heard  his  grandfather  (Col. 
Lowther's  son  Jesse)  speak  of  these  slaves,  whose  names  were  Dick  and  Job. 
They  were  kept  at  work  in  the  fields  while  some  of  the  settlers  stood  guard  on  the 
lookout  for  Indians. 

Col.  Lowther  was  not  a  hard  taskmaster  and  the  attachment  between  master 
and  slave  was  mutual. 

The  time-honored  custom  of  burning  the  yew  log  during  Christmas  festivities 
was  sacredly  observed.  In  the  spring  when  the  sap  in  the  timber  was  heavy,  the 
blacks  would  cut  a  large  gum  "back  log"  and  bury  it  in  a  swamp  until  Christmas 
Eve,  when  it  was  resurrected,  hauled  to  the  cabin  door  and  rolled  into  the  capacious 
fireplace.  Until  this  soggy  "back  log"  burned  in  two,  the  slaves  were  free  to 
come  and  go  without  restraint.  This  holiday  invariably  lasted  until  after  New 
Year  and  was  looked  forward  to  with  anticipated  joy  by  the  poor  blacks. 

Dick  and  Job  would  never  permit  sassafras  to  be  burned  in  the  house.  If 
any  of  the  Colonel's  family  had  the  temerity  to  place  a  stick  of  this  timber  on  the 
fire,  they  would  immediately  throw  it  outdoors,  exclaiming,  "Yo'  b'un  dat  wood 
an'  dar'U  be  a  fuss  in  de  fambly  afo'  night." 

On  one  occasion  the  Colonel  sent  Job  to  a  distant  part  of  the  farm  to  make 
rails.  To  reach  the  timber  it  was  necessary  to  cross  a  field  in  which  was  a  pugna- 
cious ram.  This  "lord  of  the  flock"  resented  all  intrusion  on  his  grassy  domain, 
but  the  peace-loving  Job  had  hoped  to  pass  unobserved.  He  reached  the  middle 
of  the  field  when  he  was  discovered  by  the  enemy.  The  wily  black  knew  from, 
experience  the  utter  futility  of  attempting  to  stand  before  that  maddened  avalanch 
of  horn  and  wool,  and  had  recourse  to  stratagem.  He  hastily  drove  his  iron  wedge 
into  the  side  of  a  stump  letting  it  project  a  few  inches,  on  which  he  hung  his  hat. 
Then  springing  to  the  opposite  side  he  bantered  the  enraged  animal  until  it  rammed 
the  decoy  with  a  force  that  proved  self  destructive.  With  some  misgivings  Job 
returned  home  and  informed  the  Colonel  of  what  he  had  done.  "Well,"  said  the 
Colonel,  "go  take  his  hide  and  then  make  some  rails,  I  guess  he  will  bunt  you  no 
more."  The  appreciative  Job  always  averred  that  this  was  far  better  than  a 
whipping.  Such  considerate  acts  endeared  the  Colonel  to  the  blacks  who  on  more 
than  one  occasion  during  Indian  incursions,  risked  their  lives  for  him. 

Mr.  Lowther  writes  further:  "These  slaves  are  buried  in  the  Lowther  ceme- 
tery two  miles  below  West  Milford,  where  all  the  old  set  of  Lowthers  are  buried. 
Uncle  Robert  J.  Lowther  fell  heir  to  this  part  of  the  estate  and  always  cared  for 
the  graves  of  Dick  and  Job  as  he  did  those  of  his  ancestors.  He  has  often  pointed 
their  graves  out  to  me." 

(2)  Withers'  Border  Warfare,  pp.  127,  128. 

(3)  Lewis'  History  of  West  Virginia,  pp.  548,  549. 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  \  irginia  479 

(4)  Draper  Manuscripts,  36  J.,  151-157. 

(5)  It  is  apparent  that  Col.  Lowther  was  well  educated  for  his  day;  but  none  of 
his  posterity,  however,  to  the  second  generation,  had  the  same  facilities  for  learning 
as  he.  If  the  early  Trans-Allegheny  pioneer  was  kept  busy  fighting  Indians, 
he  also  reveled  in  a  forest  teeming  with  game,  where  his  wants  were  easily  supplied 
and  for  the  first  few  years  was  practically  exempt  from  any  arduous  agricultural 
pursuits.  These  were  the  conditions  which  in  most  cases  lured  the  hunter  settler 
across  the  mountains;  but  they  soon  passed,  entailing  on  the  two  succeeding  gen- 
erations a  life  of  unmitigated  toil  with  but  few  and  inferior  educational  advantages. 
"Book  larnen"  was  considered  of  secondary  importance.  V^ast  forests  were  to  be 
cleared,  hemp  and  wool  manufactured  into  wearing  apparel,  and  the  able-bodied 
boy  or  girl  could,  at  most,  be  spared  for  onlj'  a  few  weeks  of  schooling  during  the 
mid-winter,  .\ttainment  to  poor  spelling,  reading  and  writing,  with  a  slight 
degree  in  mathematics,  were  deemed  sufficient. 

The  log  cabin  school  house  with  its  split  rail  benches,  oiled  paper  windows  and 
great  open  fireplace  has  been  too  often  described  for  repetition  here.  Indeed  so 
tenaciously  did  this  isolated  region  cling  to  its  pristine  life,  that  my  first  school 
days,  one  hundred  years  after  its  first  settling,  were  spent  in  just  such  a  building 
with  the  sole  improvement  of  a  single  glass  window.  With  the  rapid  opening  of 
the  richer  country  beyond  the  Ohio,  the  mighty  wave  of  emigration  swept  onward 
leaving  the  upper  Monongahela  isolated,  wild  and  primitive,  which  romantic  life 
was  destined  to  be  broken  only  by  the  commercial  development  of  the  great  mineral 
resources,  a  century  afterwards. 

(6)  Miss  Minnie  Kendall  Lowther,  of  Fonze,  West  Virginia,  a  lineal  descendant 
of  Colonel  Lowther,  has  a  deed  executed  to  the  colonel,  in  17S6,  for  land  in  Harrison 
County,  Virginia.  It  is  written  on  parchment,  and  is  almost  illegible.  The  deed 
calls  for  220  acres,  located  on  the  west  side  of  the  West  Fork  River,  given  by  the 
Commonwealth,  "In  Consideration  of  the  ancient  Composition  of  one  pound  five 
shillings  Sterling,  paid  by  Wm.  Lowther  *  *  *  Asse.  of  Robert  Parks,"  and  is 
signed  by  "P.  Henry,"  then  Governor  of  Virginia. 

(7)  Doddridge's  Settlement  and  Indian  liars  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania, 
p.  12. 

(,8j  See  Note  4,  Chapter  I\   this  Volume,  for  full  citation  from    H'ilhers. 

This  is  the  only  instance  wiicrc  Richards'  Fort  is  mentioned  by  JVithers, 
p.  24L  DeHass  speaks  of  it  once,  p.  240.  It  is  occasionally  referred  to  by  the 
scouts  in  their  declarations  for  pension. 

Brown's  Fort,  McCan's  Fort,  Jackson's  Fort,  Arnold's  Fort,  sometimes 
called  Lowther's  Fort  and  Powers'  Fort,  were  probably  only  strategic  and  strongly 
built  dwellings  or  block  houses,  where  the  immediate  inhabitants  fled  on  occasion 
of  sudden  alarms,  and  where  scouts  had  regular  places  of  meeting.  It  is  known 
that  some  of  these  were  of  this  character. 

Bush's  Fort,  West's  Fort,  Nutter's  Fort  and  Richards"  Fort  were  the  only 
stockade  strongholds  on  the  Buckhannon  and  West  Fork  Rivers. 

The  location  of  Richards'  Fort  has  been  a  matter  of  dispute.  By  some  it  is 
thought  to  have  stood  on  the  west  side  of  the  West  Fork  River,  near  th;:  mouth 
of  Sycamore  Creek,  some  six  miles  from  Clarksburg.     It  was  at  this   point   that 


480  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Jacob  Richards  was  granted  a  certificate  for  "400  acres  on  Sycamore  Creek  to 
include  his  settlement  made  in  1771."  Mr.  Henry  Raymond,  author  of  The 
History  of  Harrison  County,  West  Virginia,  writes  me : 

"Richards'  Fort  was  undoubtedly  located  near  the  mouth  of  Sycamore, 
although  it  is  claimed  that  it  was  two  miles  further  up  the  river." 

In  1781  Charles  Stewart  received  a  certificate  for  "four  hundred  acres  on 
that  branch  of  West  Fork  called  Buffalo  about  three  miles  from  Richards'  Fort, 
to  include  his  settlement  made  in  1771."  Buffalo  Creek  is  some  three  or  four 
miles  above  Sycamore  Creek. 

Mr.  C.  W.  Helmick  of  West  Milford,  who  has  resided  all  his  life  in  that  region 
writes  me  In  response  to  an  inquiry: 

"Richards'  Fort  stood  about  two  and  a  fourth  miles,  or  two  and  a  half  miles 
above  the  mouth  of  Sycamore  Creek.  I  have  walked  over  the  route  many  times. 
The  mouth  of  Buffalo  Creek  is  about  one  and  a  half  miles  above  the  Fort  site, 
but  the  land  on  this  Creek  is  rough  for  the  first  one  and  a  half  miles,  and  then 
opens  out  very  fine.  The  homestead  of  Charles  Stewart  was  certainly  on  this 
good  land,  which  is  two  and  a  half  or  three  miles  above  where  the  fort  stood. 
From  the  center  of  West  Milford  (a  short  half  mile  above  the  fort  site)  it  is  three 
and  a  quarter  miles  to  the  mouth  of  Sycamore  bj'  the  pike,  and  fully  as  far  by  the 
county  road  down  the  river,  as  there  are  two  large  hills  between  the  fort  site  and 
the  mouth  of  the  last  named  creek,  where  the  Richards'  homestead  is  located  and 
the  road  makes  considerable  detour  for  grade.  The  fort  stood  on  the  old  Clarks- 
burg Pike,  nearly  nine  miles  southwest  of  that  town,  and  about  a  third  of  a  mile 
north  of  the  river. 

"The  site  of  Richards'  Fort  is  marked  by  the  spring  which  was  inside  of  the 
palisade  and  now  known  as  the  Fort  Spritig.  It  would  furnish  water  for  all  domes- 
tic purposes,  including  stock.  Furthermore  a  slight  ridge  embracing  perhaps 
half  an  acre  still  shows  the  contour  of  the  stockade.  I  have  often  traced  its  bound- 
aries, and  in  former  years  it  was  plainly  visible,  but  now  it  is  nearly  obliterated  by 
the  plow.     The  enclosure  was  an  oblong  square,  extending  east  and  west. 

"A  point  three  or  four  hundred  yards  further  south  would  have  been  more 
strategic,  had  there  been  water.  As  it  was,  the  fort  was  overlooked  by  a  hill 
some  two  hundred  and  fifty  or  three  hundred  j'ards  north.  This  distance,  however, 
was  beyond  the  effective  range  of  the  guns  used  in  those  days,  especially  against 
a  stockade,  and  if  the  undergrowth  was  cut  from  the  hill  side,  it  would  have  been 
difiicult  for  an  enemy  to  approach  without  being  seen.  The  valley  here  is  about 
a  half  mile  wide. 

"Clemen's  Mill  referred  to  by  Withers,  was  not  built  until  after  1800,  on  the 
West  Fork  River,  and  was  the  beginning  of  West  Milford.  It  continued  in  good 
running  order  until  destroyed  by  a  flood  in  1888.  It  has  since  been  rebuilt  on 
the  same  site." 

This  statement  from  Mr.  Helmick,  who,  when  a  boy,  had  the  ruins  of  the  old 
fort  pointed  out  to  him  by  Jesse  Lowther  (who  was  residing  there  as  a  boy  at  the 
time  of  the  Washburn  tragedy),  should  settle  for  all  time  the  location  of  Richards' 
Fort. 

There  were  other  Richards  than  Jacob  on  the  border,  mostly  in  the  immediate 
vicinity.  Arnold  Richards  owned  300  acres  on  the  West  Fork  adjoining  lands  of 
William   Lowther    (1773).     Paul    Richards   400  acres  adjoining  Arnold  Richards 


Border  Settlers  oe  Xorthwestern  \'irginia  4S1 

(1774).  Conrad  Richards,  400  acres  at  the  mouth  of  Lost  Creek  (1774;,  witli 
preemption  of  1,000  acres  adjoining.  Henry  Runyon,  assignee  of  William  Richards, 
400  acres  on  Lost  Creek  (1775).  Adam  O'Brien,  assignee  to  John  Richards,  400 
acres  on  Lost  Creek  (1781).  Isaac  Richards,  400  acres  on  the  waters  of  Elk  Creek 
(no  date).  Henry  Richards  400  acres  on  Cheat  River  (1776)  with  preemption  of 
1,000  acres  adjoining. 

Of  these  men,  Conrad's  house  was  attacked  by  two  Indians  in  October  1778, 
who  scalped,  but  did  not  kill  a  little  girl  playing  in  the  yard.  Richards  barred 
the  door  and  shot  and  wounded  one  of  the  warriors,  when  thev  fled,  jrithers, 
pp.  251,  252. 

In  August  1782,  Arnold  and  Paul  Richards  were  both  killed  wiiiiin  sight  of 
Richards'  Fort.     An  account  of  this  incident  is  given  in  Chapter  XXV,  this  Volume. 

(9)  Mr.  J.  M.  Lowther,  of  Auburn,  West  Va.,  owns  an  old  cross-cut  saw, 
which  his  great-grandfather.  Col.  Lowther,  purchased  in  Winchester, Va.,  and  carried 
to  the  Clarksburg  settlement  on  a  pack  horse.  With  this  saw  was  cut  the  timbers 
for  Nutter's  Fort,  which  was  built  in  1774. 

(10)  Miss  Lowther,  previously  referred  to  and  who  lias  spent  many  years  collect- 
ing pioneer  lore  of  that  region,  writes  me  in  regard  to  the  Hughes-Lowther  exploring 
party:  "I  am  satisfied  that  there  is  truth  in  this  tradition.  I  have  it  verified 
from  various  sources.  Hardesty,  in  his  history  of  this  section,  speaks  of  it,  but  in 
many  respects  his  statements  are  incorrect." 

(11)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  311,  .312,  313. 

Indian  Creek,  a  tributary  of  Elk  River,  in  Kanawha  County,  derived  its 
name  from  a  similar  occurrence.  A  small  party  of  Indian  warriors  captured  a 
boy  in  the  Greenbrier  County,  and  were  pursued  by  the  settlers.  They  were 
surprised  in  camp  on  this  stream,  one  of  their  number  killed,  and  the  boy  rescued. 

(12)  Bread  was  not  always  found  on  the  domestic  board  of  the  pioneer.  The 
inroads  of  wild  animals  on  the  meagre  "corn  patch,"  or  other  causes  often  left  the 
lonely  cabin  with  no  sustenance  save  the  products  of  the  wilderness.  But  the 
resourceful  settler  found  a  substitute  for  the  "Staff  of  Life,"  in  jerked  v'enison,  the 
rabbit  and  the  breast  of  the  wild  turkey;  while  the  flesh  of  the  bear  often  smoked  and 
baconed,  supplied  the  genuine  meat.  Pure  bear  oil  was  freely  drunk  by  the 
early  settler,  who  contended  that  it  made  his  "jints  supple,  kept  out  the  rheumatiz 
and  made  him  longwinded."  One  old  hunter  boasted  that  he  could  "drink  a  pint 
of  bar  ile  and  it  would  stay  down  like  warm  coffee,"  and  that  he  drank  it  till  his 
"skin  wuz  as  'ily  as  a  bacon  rine,"  and  his  "close  smellcd  jis  like  a  bar."  Maple 
syrup  and  sugar  were  sometimes  eaten  with  the  lean  and  dr\'  meats.  Many  of 
the  pioneer  dishes  were  a  counterpart  of  the  Indian  menu. 

In  1832,  George  Catlin  was  feasted  by  Mah-to-toh-pa  (the  four  bears).  Second 
Chief  of  the  Mandans,  upper  Missouri  River.  The  principal  dish  consisted  of 
pemmican  and  marrow  fat.  Pemmican  was  made  by  drying  buffalo  meat  very 
hard  and  pulverizing  it  in  a  large  mortar  until  nearly  as  fine  as  sawdust.  It  was 
then  packed  in  bladders,  or  sacks  of  skin  for  future  use.  Marrow  fat  was  collected 
by  breaking  buffalo  bones  and  boiling  out  the  fat  and  pouring  it  into  distended 
buffalo  bladders.  After  cooling,  it  became  quite  hard  like  tallow,  and  had  the 
appearance  and  very  nearly  the  flavor  of  the  richest  yellow  butter.     This  pemmi- 


482  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

can  and  marrow  fat  were  eaten  as  bread  and  butter,  and  were  highly  relished  by 
Mr.  Catlin.  Catlin's  North  Americayi  Indians,  Philadelphia,  1891,  pp.  189-191. 
The  Caughnawaga  Indians  mixed  rendered  bear's  fat  and  maple  sugar  until 
the  fat  was  almost  as  sweet  as  sugar,  in  which  they  dipped  their  roasted  venison. 
Drake's  Indian  Captivities,  Buffalo,  1853,  p.  198. 

(13)  Border  Warfare,  p.  127. 

NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XXVII 

(1)  Virginia  State  Papers,  Volume  V. 

(2)  Firgifiia  State  Papers,  Volume  VI. 

■  (3)  The  four  following  letters  are  from  Virginia  State  Papers,  Volume  VI. 

(4)  Lieut.  Biggs  brought  counter  charges  against  Capt.  McColloch  and  a 
general  court  martial  was  ordered  by  Brigadier  General  Benjamin  Biggs,  but  the 
Virginia  State  Papers  contain  no  record  of  the  results  of  such  order. 

The  findings  would  have  to  be  approved  by  the  Council  of  State  and  it  is 
possible  that  a  record  of  the  proceedings  is  to  be  found  in  the  Council  Journals. 

(5)  Virginia  State  Papers,  Vol.  VII,  p.  28. 

(6)  Virginia  State  Papers,  Volume  VII,  p.  179. 

(7)  Virginia  State  Papers,  Volume  VII,  p.  260. 

(8)  Virginia  State  Papers,  Volume  VII,  p.  298. 

(9)  Virginia  State  Papers,  Volume  VII. 

(10)  From  his  widow's  claim  for  pension,  admitted  December  15,  1879,  it  is 
:shown  that  "Alexander  Lowther,  when  twenty  or  twenty-one  years  old,  was  drafted 
from  Harrison  County,  Virginia,  in  Captain  John  Bozarth's  Company,  Virginia 
Militia,  War  1812,  and  served  from  August  30  to  December  10,  1814.  Was  on 
duty  at  Norfolk,  Virginia,  occupation  farmer,  born  in  Harrison  County,  Virginia. 
Personal  appearance:  height,  five  feet,  nine  inches,  hair  light,  eyes  blue,  fair  com- 
plexion. Died  April  30,  1864.  Widow's  maiden  name,  Rachel  M.  Neel;  married 
Alexander  Lowther  June  6,  1842."  Widow  was  granted  eight  dollars  a  month 
from  March  9,  1818,  the  date  of  the  approval  of  the  act. 

This  is  the  only  military  record  of  any  of  Col.  Lowther's  family  that  my 
copyist  has  been  able  to  find  in  the  Government  Pension  Office. 

(11)  Jesse  Lowther  died  at  his  residence  in  Chrisman,  Illinois,  Oct.  21,  1909, 
two  years  after  Dr.  Lowther's  letter  had  been  written. 

NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XXVIII 

(1)  Border  Warfare,  p.  288. 

(2)  The  changed  mode  in  spelling  the  name  by  Alexander  Cumming  McWhor- 
ter,  born  in  1771,  evidently  applies  to  the  first  syllable  only,  when,  perhaps,  "Alac" 
may  have  been  abbreviated  to  "Mc."     In   all  records  which  have  come  to  my 


BoRDi-.R  Sktti.kks  ok  Xortm wkstern  \'ir(;ini a  4S3 

notice,  including  a  few  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  period,  the  name  is  spelled 
with  "o"  and  in  identically  its  present  fnrm:"Mc\Vhorter."  Usually  in  most  records 
"Mac"  in  any  name  appears  as  "Mc."  In  Scotland,  as  in  this  country,  it  is  not 
only  spelled  McW'hortcr  and  McWhirtcr,  but  also  McWhertcr.  Hugh  McVVhorter 
of  Armagh  who  died  in  1748,  left  but  four  known  children  from  a  family  of  eleven, 
whose  descent  is  followed  in  the  text  quotation  from  George  C.  McWhortcr.  Others 
of  his  family  may  have  left  descendants,  but  I  have  been  unable  to  trace  them  with 
certainty. 

(3)  Proceedings  of  the  New  Jersey  Historical  Society,  1S65,  N'olunic  X,  p.  66. 

(4)  American  Ancestry,  Volume  III. 

See  Heitman's  Historical  Register  for  notice  of  .Mcxandcr  McW'horter.  Chap- 
lain of  Knox's  .Artillery  Brigade,  Revolutionary  War. 

That  the  McWhortcr  was  a  "Lowland  Clan"  is  obviously  a  mistake.  "Mac," 
or  "Mc,"  meaning  "son,"  is  purch-  Gaelic  and  is  foreign  to  the  Sassenach  or  Low- 
land Saxon. 

(5)  In  1790,  Gilbert,  John  and  Thomas  .McWhortcr,  resided  in  Warwick  Town- 
ship, Orange  County,  N.  Y.;  two  in  each  family.  The  only  other  of  the  name  listed 
in  that  State  at  that  time  was  Matthew,  with  eight  in  family,  who  lived  in  Wash- 
ington County.     Heads  of  Faviilies,  N.  Y.,  pp.  147-193. 

It  is  claimed  that  Matthew  McWhortcr  came  from  Balibay,  Armagh,  Ulster, 
Ireland,  with  Rev.  Thomas  Clark  and  his  congregation,  and  landed  at  New  York, 
July  28th,  1764.  This  colony  settled  in  then  Charlotte  County,  N.  Y.,  and  erected 
a  town,  naming  it  New  Perth,  now  Salem.  A  Presbyterian  Church  was  founded, 
of  which  .Alexander  was  an  Elder  and  a  staunch  contributor.  He  was  active  in 
the  Revolutionary  War,  and  received  a  soldier's  land  grant.  He  was  also  a  member 
of  the  State  Legislature  at  .Alban\',  Kingston  and  Poughkeepsie,  1780-81-82. 
He  had  several  children,  those  known  being  Matthew,  John,  James,  Jane  and 
Rebecca.  Matthew,  Jr.,  born  1767,  it  is  claimed  served  in  the  Washington  County 
Troops,  Revolution,  and  was  given  a  land  grant;  but  I  have  found  no  record  of 
his  service.     He  died  in  Salcni,  X.  A'.,  I'cb.  15ih,  1S12. 

The  \'irginia  branch  of  the  family  has  it  tlial  Hcnr_\'  had  other  brothers, 
among  them  John  and  Robert. 

It  is  found  from  regimental  muster  and  payrolls,  that  James  and  Matthew 
McWhortcr  were  enlisted  in  the  Charlotte  County,  N.  A".  Militia,  Revolutionary 
\\  ar.  and  were  granted  500  acres  each  Land  Bounty  Rights. 

James  McW[h]orter  and  John  and  Thomas  McWhortcr  served  in  the  Orange 
County,  N.  A'.  Militia,  4th  Regiment,  Col.  John  Hathorn.  This  Regiment  was 
called  out  "on  an  alarm  of  Minisink,"  July  1777. 

John  McWhortcr  served  in  Capt.  William  Jackson's  Company,  Col.  Henrj' 
B.  Livingston's  4th  Regiment  Xew  York  Line,  fnnii  Mav  5th,  1778,  to  February 
5th,  1779. 

Thomas  McWhortcr  enlisted  in  the  New  A'ork,  "The  Levies,"  Col.  Lewis 
Duboise. 

.\s  "The  Levies"  were  drafts  from  the  different  militia  regiments  and  the 
people  direct,  the  two  several  enlistments  of  John  and  Thomas  McWhortcr,  may, 
perhaps,  have  been  by  the  same  men. 


484  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

William  McQuarter  was  enlisted  in  the  First  Regiment  New  York  Line;  Col. 
Goose  VanSchaick,  Revolutionary  War.  Evidently  this  soldier's  name  was 
McWhorter,  and  the  difference  in  spelling  was  due  to  the  peculiar  pronunciation. 
By  act  of  May  10th,  1779,  Congress  voted  the  officers  and  men  of  this  regiment 
its  thanks  "for  their  activity  and  good  conduct  in  the  late  expedition  against 
the  Onondagas." 

A  private  of  the  New  York  State  Troops  was  paid  ?6.66  2-3  a  month. 

(5H)  This  was  evidently  Lieut.  Col.  Richard  Livingston's  First  Canadian 
Regiment,  of  which  Isaac  Nichols  was  First  Lieutenant. 

(6)  The  "chevaux-de-fris"  was  placed  across  the  Hudson,  or  North  River,  at 
Plum  Point,  at  a  cost  of  over  a  quarter  million  dollars,  continental  money.  It 
was  an  iron  chain  eight  hundred  feet  in  length,  buoyed  up  with  heavy  spars  and 
rafts  of  timber.  The  work  was  surveyed  in  the  autumn  of  1776,  but  It  was  com- 
pleted only  a  short  time  when  the  British  destroyed  it,  October  7th,  1777. 

Lossing's  Field  Book  of  the  Revolution,  Volume  II,  pp.  114,  164,  168. 

(7)  Henry  McWhorter's  old  Bible  is  preserved  by  Judge  J.  C.  McWhorter,  of 
Buckhannon,  West  Va.,  in  a  fine  mahogany  case  made  especially  for  that  purpose. 

(8)  The  census  of  1790  shows  that  Robert  McWhorter,  with  seven  in  family; 
and  Wm.  McWhorter,  eight  in  family,  were  then  residents  in  Cumberland  County, 
Pa.;  and  that  Hugh  McWhorter,  nine  in  family,  was  a  resident  of  Northumberland 
County,  same  state.     Heads  of  Families,  Pennsylvania. 

One  Robert  McWhorter  and  Sarah  Johnston  were  married  in  Philadelphia, 
Pa.,  December  15th,  1743.  There  is  but  little  or  no  doubt  that  this  Pennsylvania 
family  were  descendants  of  Hugh  McWhorter  who  came  from  Armagh,  in  1730. 
However,  this  has  not  been  verified. 

One  Robert  AlcWhorter  served  in  the  Revolution.  It  would  appear  from 
his  declaration  for  pension,  that  In  1777  he  was  drafted  at  Middleton,  Pa.,  for  two 
months  In  Capt.  Crouche's  Company,  Col.  Elder's  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Militia; 
and  was  engaged  In  scouting  throughout  the  country  about  Wilmington  and  New- 
port; and  assisted  to  pull  up  and  destroy  a  bridge  over  Whitley  Creek,  at  the  time 
Gen.  Washington  was  encamped  on  the  hill  near  by.  This  was  done  for  the  pur- 
pose of  retarding  Gen.  Howe,  then  In  pursuit  of  Washington. 

McWhorter  was  discharged  after  serving  only  fourteen  days  but  was  imme- 
diately drafted  for  two  months  in  Capt.  John  Ruthaford's  Company,  Tenth 
Battalion,  Col.  Alexander  Lourey's  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Militia.  He  served 
his  full  term  and  was  released;  but  In  two  months  after,  was  again  drafted  for  the 
same  length  of  time.  In  the  same  company  and  regiment  and  with  no  change  of 
officers.  During  this  term  he  was  in  the  fiercely  contested  battles  of  Brandywine 
and  Germantown.  It  will  be  remembered  that  In  the  first  of  these,  the  raw  militia 
distinguished  Itself  In  repelling  the  onslaughts  of  the  British  regulars.  After 
serving  this  tour  and  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  McWhorter  joined  Capt.  James 
Colier's  Company,  Col.  Robert  Elder's  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Militia,  as  a 
substitute  for  his  brother  William,  who  had  been  drafted  for  two  months.  During 
this  enlistment  he  was  In  several  skirmishes  but  was  subsequently  marched  to 
Redding,  and  encamped  at  Perkj^omlng  Creek  for  some  time. 

Afterwards,  and  near  the  close  of  the  war,  he  was  employed  for  six  months 


Border  Settlers  of  Xorthw  esikkn  \'irginia  485 

to  take  provision  boats   up  the  Susquehanna   Ri\er,   for  Gen.  Sullivan's  army. 

The  boats,  in   number,  went  from   Middleton  to  Sunbury,  where  he  was 

discharged,  having  served  three  and  a  half  months. 

Robert  McVVhorter  was  born  near  Philadelphia,  Bucks  County,  Pa.,  Feb.  1'j, 
1747.  He  resided  in  Bucks  and  Lancaster  Counties  until  about  1809,  and  then 
moved  to  near  Brownsville  on  the  Cumberland  River,  Kentuck)-.  He  lived  there 
until  about  1827,  when  he  moved  to  Washington  Count)',  Indiana;  and  was  still 
residing  therein  November  1832,  at  which  time  his  application  for  pension  was 
made.     He  was  granted  a  certificate  for  iwcntj-  dollars  and  fifty  cents  a  year. 

(9)  In  a  former  magazine  article,  I  state  that  the  McVVhorter  mill  was  the  first 
in  (now)  Lewis  and  L'pshur  Counties,  which  is  a  mistake.  In  this  same  article 
and  a  subsequent  brief  of  "Henry  McfFliorUr  and  Descendants,'"  there  appear 
several  errors,  mostly  typographical,  which  are  here  corrected.  See  fVest  J'irginia 
Historical  Magazine,  Volume  I,  No.  3,  \'olume  II,  No.  1. 

(10)  Border  Warfare,  p.  241. 

See  Note  4,  Chapter  I\",  this  Volume,  for  a  full  account  of  the  Washburn 
tragedy. 

(11)  The  Harrison  County  records  of  1784  refer  to  "Edmund  West's  Mill," 
which  evidently  was  onl\-  a  water  power  hand-mill.  It  is  tradition  that  John 
Hacker's  hand-mill  was  rigged  to  run  by  water  power.  Many  of  the  settlers  pos- 
sessed only  the  mortar  and  pestle  for  crushing  grain,  and  had  often  to  go  consider- 
able distance  for  the  luxury  of  a  hand-mill. 

(12)  Hildreth's  Lives  of  the  Early  Settlers  of  Ohio;  pp.  486-488.  Also,  Pioneer 
History  of  the  Ohio  Valley. 

(13)  In  1906,  through  the  instrumentality  of  Dr.  J.  M.  McWhorter,  the  graves 
of  Henry  McWhorter  and  wife  were  marked  with  a  modest,  though  substantial 
granite  monument. 

(14)  This  company  was  mustered  on  the  Alkire  farm  on  Hacker's  Creek,  below 
the  mouth  of  Life's  Run.     Nicholas  .-Vlkire,  Sr.,  was  a  member  of  this  company. 

(15)  Walter  McWhorter  was  Major  137th  Regiment,  20th  Brigade,  3rd  Divi- 
sion, Virginia  Militia.  His  commission  on  sheep  skin,  bearing  date  May  9,  1831, 
is  signed  by  John  Floyd,  Governor,  and  is  in  my  possession.  The  pocket  of  the 
Major's  old  shot  pouch  with  knife  scabbard,  powder  horn  and  gun  charger  is 
owned  by  his  grandson,  L.  D.  McWhorter  of  Buckhannon,  West  Va.  The  charger, 
neatly  carved  from  buck-horn,  measures  a  "squirrel  load"  only. 

(16)  Margaret  Kester  was  the  daughter  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  F'rom  his 
two  declarations  for  pension  made  at  Clarksburg  (West)  Va.,  August  21,  1832, 
and  May  18,  1835,  it  would  appear  that  Joseph  Kester  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
1753,  and  when  nine  years  old  removed  with  his  parents  to  Brock's  Gap,  Virginia. 

In  1780  he  entered  the  militia  as  a  substitute  for  Conrad  Kester,  on  a  three 
months  tour  under  Capt.  Biddell,  Major  Hamilton  and  Col.  Nails.  The  command 
was  marched  from  Augusta  County  to  Richmond,  Edmunds  Mill  and  a  creek 
called  Hot  Water,  where  they  were  engaged  watching  the  movements  of  the  British. 

Shortly  after  his  discharge  and  return  home  from  this  service,  he  was  called 
out  for  a  second  term  of  three  months  in  Capt.  George  Huston's  Company,  Col. 


486  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

Benjamin  Harris,  Virginia  Militia.  They  went  from  Brock's  Gap  to  Richmond, 
thence  to  Hot  Water  near  WilHamsburg,  where  his  regiment  was  sent  in  pursuit 
of  the  British,  who  had  taken  some  cattle  belonging  to  Americans.  The  command 
came  up  with  the  enemy  about  four  hundred  strong,  and  an  engagement  of  two 
hours  ensued  in  which  some  seventy  or  eighty  of  the  British  were  killed.  The 
American  loss  was  light. 

Soon  after  this  occurrence,  Kester  was  included  in  a  detail  of  about  four  hun- 
dred men  who  were  placed  on  the  road  near  "Old  Jamestown"  to  cover  the  retreat 
oi  the  Americans  who  were  defeated  there  under  "Generals  Wane  and  Millenburgh." 
(This  was  evidently  the  battle  fought  near  Jamestown  Island  on  the  evening  of 
July  6,  1781,  where  the  American  forces  under  Generals  LaFayette  and  Wayne 
were  led  into  an  ambuscade  and  defeated  by  Cornwallis.  Field  Book  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, Vol.  II,  p.  466-468.) 

The  Americans  fell  back  to  the  main  army  and  Kester  was  afterwards  marched 
down  the  river  to  Portsmouth,  thence  back  to  Petersburg,  where  he  was  discharged 
two  weeks  prior  to  the  surrender  of  Gen.  Cornwallis,  Oct.  19,  1781,  and  twenty 
days  in  excess  of  his  enlisted  time.  Kester  stated  that  he  was  not  given  a  written 
dnscharge,  nor  was  it  usual  for  the  militia  to  receive  such.  He  was  vouched  for 
by  Hamilton  Gass,  D.  Morris,  John  Hoff  and  John  C.  Lowther,  and  was  granted  a 
pension  of  330.00  a  year,  which  was  afterwards  reduced  to  ?22.22  a  year.  Singleton, 
special  pension  agent,  who  re-examined  Kester,  gave  him  a  favorable  report. 

Joseph  Kester  came  from  Brock's  Gap,  Rockingham  County,  Virginia,  to 
(now)  Harrison  County,  (West)  Virginia,  about  1787,  where  he  was  still  living  in 
1835.  He  died  a  few  years  later  in  Marion  County,  Ohio.  He  married  Miss 
Morrison,  whose  family  resided  on  Hacker's  Creek.  Among  their  children  were 
Alexander,  Joseph,  Conrad,  Archibald,  Mary,  Susan  who  married  a  Jenkins; 
Margaret,  and  another  daughter  who  married  Cupp. 

Joseph  Kester  was  the  brother  and  half-brother  of  twenty-seven  children, 
twenty-four  boys  and  three  girls. 

He  was  a  great  wrestler,  athletic  and  quick  in  movement.  Once  while  at  a 
house  raising  and  when  the  building  was  nearing  completion,  he  was  pitched  head 
first  from  the  top  of  the  wall,  but  caught  with  the  instep  of  one  foot  over  the 
projecting  eave-pole.  He  hung  for  a  moment,  and  then  purposely  loosing  his  hold, 
whirled  in  mid-air  and  landed  on  his  feet. 

(17)  Since  writing  this  chapter,  Dr.  J.  M.  McWhorter  died  at  the  residence  of 
his  daughter,  Mrs.  Leni  L.  (McW.)  Jenkins,  in  Buckhannon,  West  Va.,  November  9, 
1909.  For  a  brief  sketch  of  his  life  see  History  of  Upshur  County,  West  Va., 
pp.  512  to  515. 

Rev.  ISIansfield  McWhorter  died  at  the  home  of  his  only  child,  Mrs.  E.  R. 
Dyer,  near  Philippi,  W.  Va.,  January  5,  1915. 

(18)  Judge  Joseph  M.  McWhorter,  and  his  brother.  Judge  Henry  C,  have  both 
died  smce  this  writing. 

NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XXIX 

(1)  Heads  of  Families,  Virginia,  p.  25. 

(2)  Heads  of  Families,  Virginia,  p.  25. 


Border  SiiXTLERs  i)i-  Northwestern  \'irgi.nia  487 

(3)  Colonel  Russell  was  an  able  officer  in  the  Revolution,  and  was  actively- 
engaged  on  the  border  during  the  long  Indian  wars  immediately  following.  He  is 
often  mentioned  in  the  border  annals.  He  volunteered  as  a  private  in  Colonel  James 
Wilkinson's  Company  of  mounted  Kentuckians  in  an  expedition  against  the 
Wabash  Indians  in  1791.  He  distinguished  himself  by  leading  the  charge  as  a 
non-commissioned  volunteer  in  the  only  fight  during  that  expedition.  Burnetts 
Notes,  p.  121. 

Captain  Silas  Zanc  was  an  active  partisan  during  the  Revolution  and  the 
border  wars.  He  was  commissioned  First  Lieutenant,  13th  Virginia  Regiment, 
December  28,  1776;  and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Captain,  February  9,  1777, 
and  served  until  February  12,  1778.  Captain  Zane  participated  in  the  defense  of 
Fort  Henry  when  it  was  besieged  by  the  Indians  and  British  in  September,  1782. 
Beach's  Indian  Miscellany,  p.  59;  Border  Warfare,  p.  357.  tossing  says  that 
Captain  Silas  Zanc  was  in  the  defense  of  Fort  Henry  when  inv'csted  by  Indians, 
August  31  and  September  1,  1777.     Field  Book  o}  the  Revolution,  \'ol.  II,  p.  498. 

Refer  to  Chapter  XIII,  this  \'oIunie,  for  notice  of  the  sieges  of  Fort  Henry. 

(4)  Heads  of  Families,  Virginia,  p.  25. 

(5)  Heads  of  Families,  Virginia,  p.  69. 

(6)  Withers,  pp.  428-30,  says  that  the  Indians  "took  Mrs.  Bozarth  and  two  boys 
prisoners."     The  names  of  these  boys  were  Lot  and  Zed. 

Zed  was  a  "jolly  fool"  and  seemingly  did  not  fully  comprehend  the  fearful 
work  done  by  the  Indians.  While  the  warriors  were  engaged  in  killing  the  children. 
Zed  came  up  to  them  and  demanded  to  know  what  they  were  doing.  He  cursed 
them  roundly,  called  them  "Damned  black  rascals."  This  strange  conduct  led 
the  superstitious  Indians  to  believe  that  the  child  was  demented  and  was  an  object 
of  Divine  commiseration  and  protection.  Gently  stroking  his  head,  they  ejaculated, 
"Brave  boy,  brave  boy."  After  reaching  the  Ohio  country,  the  marauders  were 
safe  from  pursuit  and  they  proceeded  with  leisure  often  camping  and  hunting. 
They  killed  game  and  dressed  some  of  the  choice  pieces  to  carry  home  to  their 
families.  These  epicurean  morsels  Zed  would  steal  and  devour.  His  captors,  in 
real  or  feigned  anger,  brandished  their  tomahawks  over  his  head,  threatening  him 
with  instant  death;  but  the  half-witted  lad  cursed  them  loudly,  answering  deadly 
threats  with  vituperative  abuse.  His  mother,  stricken  with  grief,  fearing  the 
exasperated  Indians  would  slay  the  child,  urged  them  to  "whip  him  soundly  and 
make  him  behave."  Tenderly  patting  the  boy's  head,  they  would  answer,  "Him 
too  brave;  him  too  brave.  No  hurt.  Great  Spirit."  Zed  once  escaped  from 
his  captors  and  took  refuge  in  a  hollow  log.  The  Indians  in  their  search  for  him 
came  so  near  that  the  boy  heard  them,  and  betrayed  his  place  of  concealment 
by  hurling  at  his  pursuers  a  volley  of  calumnious  epithets. 

Tradition  says  that  two  of  Bozarth's  daughters  were  also  carried  off  in  this 
raid,  and  that  they  returned  from  captivity  with  their  mother  and  the  two  boys. 
Philip  Reger's  second  wife  was  the  younger  of  these  daughters.  Elizabeth,  the 
older,  became  the  second  wife  of  Uriah  Forenash  and  after  his  death,  she  is  said 
to  have  married  James  Morrison.  She  died  1862.  Both  Forenash  and  Morrison 
were  in  Lord  Dunmore's  expedition  against  the  Indians  in  1774.  Morrison  was 
an  apprenticed  cooper  in  England,  but  ran  away  before  he  had  worked  his  allotted 
time.     His  ocean  voyage  was  paid,  for  which  he  worked  after  landing  in  America. 


488  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

The  "Forenash  plantation"  referred  to  by  Withers,  p.  121,  was  the  farm  of 
Jacob  Forenash.  Jacob  was  an  eas}^  going,  honest  man,  content  with  his  lot 
and  not  over  zealous  in  procuring  either  riches  or  renown  among  men.  His 
"plantation"  consisted  of  fifty  acres,  mostly  hilly  land,  and  was  a  part  of  a  tract 
which  had  been  abandoned  by  a  former  settler.  Jacob  bought  the  land  of  his 
friend,  Mr.  Joseph  Hall,  and  paid  for  it  in  work.  He  fixed  up  the  abandoned 
cabin,  cleared  a  "corn  patch"  and  lived  in  contented  poverty.  His  improvement 
was  such  a  marked  contrast  to  the  large  farms  around  him,  that  in  time  it  was 
dubbed  the  "Forenash  Plantation"  and  as  such  went  down  in  history. 

The  Bozarth  homestead,  the  scene  of  the  Indian  massacre — the  last  committed 
by  the  Indians  on  the  Virginia  frontier — stood  east  of  the  present  railroad  station 
of  Lorentz,  south  of  the  pike  and  opposite  the  residence  of  the  late  Valentine 
Lorentz,  the  old  homestead  of  Jacob  Lorentz.  Maxwell  places  the  scene  of  this 
tragedy  on  the  Buckhannon  River,  and  within  the  present  bounds  of  Barbour 
County,  which  is  clearly  a  mistake.     See  History  of  Barbour  Cou?ity,  W.  Va. 

(7)  As  daring  as  was  Reger's  feat,  it  was  eclipsed  in  a  later  day  by  Robert  Som- 
erville,  in  (now)  Gilmer  County,  W.  Va.  A  party  of  settlers,  among  them  Som- 
erville,  were  seeking  new  homes  on  the  waters  of  the  Little  Kanawha,  and  while 
passing  over  the  bridle  path  leading  along  Bloody  Run  and  Horn  Creek,  they 
saw,  after  reaching  the  latter  stream,  the  tracks  of  two  large  panthers  in  the  snow. 
The  men  followed  the  trail  to  a  crevice  in  a  ledge  of  rock,  where  the  beasts  had 
entered.  A  fire  was  kindled  in  the  mouth  of  the  lair,  with  the  purpose  of  "smoking 
out"  the  game,  but  this  was  not  accomplished.  For  some  cause  the  smoke  did  not 
enter  the  den.  It  was  then  suggested  that  some  one  go  in  and  dispatch  the  fierce 
cats;  but  one  after  another  of  the  party  found  from  actual  trial  that  the  entrance 
was  so  small  that  it  would  not  admit  the  passage  of  his  body.  Finally  Air.  Somer- 
ville,  the  last  man  of  the  party,  who  was  also  the  largest,  weighing  over  two  hundred 
pounds,  entered  the  cavern  and  shot  the  panthers.  In  point  of  daring,  either  this 
or  Reger's  feat  surpass  that  of  General  Israel  Putman's  celebrated  achievement 
of  entering  the  wolf's  den. 

Bloody  Rxjn  derived  its  name  from  the  following  incident:  Some  hunters 
in  an  early  day  had  their  rendezvous  on  this  stream.  Two  of  their  number 
quarrelled  and  so  serious  was  the  disagreement  that  they  had  recourse  to  arms. 
Each  with  drawn  knife  sprang  behind  a  tree,  and  from  these  sheltered  positions 
fought  a  bloodless  duel.  In  derision  of  this  farcical  battle  the  stream  was  called 
Bloody  Run. 

(8)  Kercheval's  History  of  the  Valley,  p.  344. 

(9)  A  similar,  though  more  ludicrous  incident  occurred  in  the  same  region  at  a 
later  day.  Lewis  Collins  was  widely  known  for  his  unsurpassed  physical  strength; 
and  one  evening  a  tall  muscular  stranger  mounted  on  a  very  diminutive  mule 
rode  up  to  his  gate  and  calling  Collins  from  where  he  was  lounging  on  the  grass 
near  his  cabin  door,  announced  tha  the  was  a  "Kain-tuck-ian;"  and  while  passing 
through  the  country  had  heard  of  him  as  the  strongest  man  in  "these  shur  parts;" 
and  that  he  had  ridden  several  miles  out  of  his  way  to  fight  him.  Collins,  who 
was  noted  for  his  peaceable  disposition,  demurred;  but  the  Kentucky  "colonel"" 
Explained: 


Border  Settlers  of  Xorthwestern  \  irc;i.\ia  489 

■'I  hev  nev'r  met  my  match  in  a  hght  and  if  tliar's  a  belter  man  on  Gwads 
green  airtli  than  me,  I  want  ter  know  hit;  an'  yo'  must  fight." 

During  tliis  colloquy,  Collins  had  passed  into  the  road  and  was  now  standinij 
near  his  strange  caller;  and  noting  the  striking  disparity  of  the  rider  and  his  mount, 
a  humorous  thought  came  to  him  and  he  said: 

"Stranger  that's  mightj'  purt\'  mcul  yo'r  a  ridin'." 

""\"-as:"  was  the  whimsical  repl\%  "an'  he  thinks  a  lot  uv  me;  and  I'm  jes' 
sot  on  him.     Kact  is  we'r  mos'  like  brothers  an'  when  one's  'nsulted  tother'n  kicks." 

"I  see  that's  quite  a  'semblance;"  rejoined  Collins,  "but  I  didn't  s'pose  yo' 
wus  so  close  kin." 

"Looker  hyre  stranger:"  flashed  the  giant  as  a  scowl  of  anger  darkened  hii 
brow,  "don't  cast  no  inflections  on  this  shur  brigade;  or  'III  git  down  an'  do  wot 
I  come  fer." 

"I  meant  nuthin':"  placated  Collins,  "I  wus  a  complimentin'  yo'  both  an'  if 
the  nieul  kin  stan'  hit,  I  cain't  see  whar  yo'  hev  any  right  ter  flar'  up." 

"VVal'  be  kerful:"  was  the  half  doubting  yet  ominous  warning. 

"He  has  the  trimest  laigs  thct  I  ever  seed  on  a  meul,"  said  Collins  stooping  as 
if  to  make  a  closer  inspection.     "Will  he  kick?" 

The  Kentuckian  lounged  lazily  in  his  saddle  as  he  drolled. — 

"He  don'  kick  nuthin";  gentler'n  a  dawg." 

Collins  bent  lower  and  getting  his  ponderous  shoulder  under  the  mule,  he 
gave  a  mighty  upward  heave,  when  both  mount  and  rider  was  lifted  clear  of  the 
ground  and  sent  sprawling  over  the  low  rail  fence  into  the  yard. 

"Why  I  thought  yo'  said  thet  he  wus  gentle,"  exclaimed  Collins  in  feigned 
surprise  as  the  discomforted  pugilist  extricated  himself  from  the  struggling  mule; 
"I  hope  yo'  haint  hurt  none." 

The  giant  got  on  his  feet  and  was,  at  first.  inclini.-i.l  to  anger;  but  as  the  lud- 
icrousness  of  the  situation  dawned  upon  him,  he  burst  into  a  loud  laugh  and 
e-xclaimed: 

"An'  I  hope  yo'  haint  hurt  stranger:  That's  an  ol'  trick  uv  hisn  an'  I  only 
wanted  ter  s'prise  yo'.  I  reckon  we  wont  fight  none  this  time,  an'  if  yo'  air  willin' 
we'll  shake  ban's  an'  call  hit  squar'." 

"Sartin:"  exclaimed  Collins  as  two  brawny  hands  met  in  a  hearty  clasp  across 
the  fence;  "but  yo'r  not  goin'  yit.  We'll  put  yo'r  brother  in  the  shed  an'  give 
him  some  co'n  an'  yo'll  go  in  an'  sta}-  all  nii.'ht." 

(10)  The  attachment  of  the  early  settler  for  his  faithful  dog  was  aflfectionate. 
and  often  as  strong  as  life  itself. 

The  Hurst  family  (see  Chapter  XXXI,  this  \'olume),  while  residing  on  the 
Cheat  River,  owned  a  magnificent  dog,  which  had  often  protected  the  children 
from  the  attacks  of  wild  animals,  and  was  no  small  factor  in  keeping  the  table 
supplied  with  meat. 

One  day  this  dog  chased  a  deer  near  the  cabin,  and  the  animal  hard  pressed, 
clashed  for  the  river,  which  was  frozen  over  to  near  the  center,  where  the  water 
ran  swift  and  cold.  \\  Ikii  the  deer  struck  the  ice,  it  fell  and  slid  into  this  open 
channel  and  instantly  disappeared.  The  dog  following,  went  also  into  the  water, 
but  reappearing  caught  with  its  front  feet  on  the  edge  of  the  ice,  but  could  not 
climb  upon   it.     The   family  soon   gathered  on   the   bank   but  owing  to  the   frail 


490  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

nature  of  the  ice,  which  also  sloped  materially  to  the  center,  none  could  venture 
on  it.  The  dog  whined  piteously,  and  Hurst  wanted  to  attempt  to  go  to  him,  but 
his  wife,  knowing  that  he  would  meet  with  certain  death,  prevailed  on  him  not 
to  do  so.  Finally  the  poor  dog  became  exhausted,  and  losing  its  hold,  was  swept 
from  sight  by  the  icy  current,  while  the  entire  family  stood  weeping  on  the  shore. 

(11)  Border  Warfare,  p.  429, 


NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XXX 

(1)  Kercheval,  p.  121. 

(2)  A  small  branch  of  the  Muskingum  River,  so  named  from  a  white  woman 
prisoner,  Mary  Harris,  captured  by  the  French  and  Indians  when  about  ten  years 
old.  She  was,  when  Gist  saw  her  there  in  1750,  upwards  of  fifty  years  old,  and  had 
an  Indian  husband  and  several  children.  There  was  a  small  Indian  town  on  White 
Woman's  Creek  when  visited  by  Gist.     Gist's  Journal,  p.  41. 

(3)  It  is  shown  by  the  Census  of  1782  and  1784,  that  both  a  senior  and  junior 
Jacob  Brake  were  at  that  time  residents  of  Hampshire  County,  Virginia.  In  1784, 
Jacob,  Sr.,  represented  a  family  of  nine,  an  increase  of  one  over  1782.  The  family 
of  Jacob,  Jr.,  numbered  four  each  enumeration. 

In  1782-84,  John  Brake  was  a  resident  of  Hampshire  County,  Virginia,  with 
three  in  family.  This  is  supposed  to  have  been  John  Brake,  Jr.,  a  son  of  the  baron. 
It  is  claimed  by  the  descendants  of  the  baron  that  he  was  the  founder  of  the 
Brake  family  in  America.  I  have  not  looked  up  his  antecedents,  but  it  would 
appear  that  another  member,  or  branch  of  the  family,  was  represented  in  Jacob 
Brake,  Sr.,  perhaps  a  brother  to  the  baron.  These  are  the  only  parties  of  the  name 
appearing  in  the  Census  of  Virginia  from  1783  to  1785.  There  was,  however,  one 
Isaac  Brake  living  in  Hampshire  County  in  1781. 

The  first  government  census  of  the  United  States  was  made  in  1790,  but  unfor- 
tunately the  schedules  for  Virginia  are  missing,  having  been  destroyed  when  the 
British  burned  the  Federal  Capitol,  August  25,  1814.  This  loss  is  irreparable. 
The  Heads  oj  Families  of  Virginia  as  published  by  the  United  States  Government, 
1907,  is  compiled  from  some  manuscript  state  enumerations  of  1782,  1783,  1784 
and  1785,  and  the  tax  lists  of  Greenbrier  County  from  1783  to  1786.  Only  thirty- 
nine  of  the  seventy-eight  counties  are  represented  in  these  schedules,  which  are, 
as  there  is  reason  to  believe,  incomplete. 

The  early  Census  Enumerator  met  with  difficulties  now  unheard  of.  It  was  a 
new  phase  in  the  life  of  the  settlers;  many  imagined  that  its  design  was  an  increase 
of  taxation,  while  not  a  few  opposed  it  from  a  superstitious  belief  that  it  would 
incur  Divine  displeasure.     See  Heads  of  Families,  p.  5. 

Jacob  Brake,  Jr.,  who  is  listed  in  the  enumeration  of  Hampshire  County,  may 
have  been  the  returned  Indian  captive.  The  fact  that  the  land  records  of  Monon- 
galia County  show  that  he  made  a  "settlement"  on  the  Buckhannon  in  1776,  is 
not  proof  that  he  resided  there  at  that  time.     There  is  evidence  that  many  more  of 


Border  Settlkrs  or  Northwestern  \  ircjima  4'M 

those,  who  early  secured  homesteads  in  the  Trans-Alle^'heny  under  the  lax  land 
laws  of  \'irginia,  were  not  actual  residents  of  that  region  until  after  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  War.  The  case  of  Jacob  Regcr,  Sr.,  noted  in  the  preceding  chapter, 
can  hardly  be  regarded  as  a  solitary  instance  of  its  kind.  \or  should  Brake's  mil- 
itary service  at  Buckhannon  in  1779  be  accepted  as  positive  proof  of  a  local  resi- 
dence. It  was  in  that  year  that  Augusta  County  militiamen  were  on  duty  in  the 
settlements,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  soldiers  from  Hampshire  County  were 
also  in  such  service. 

(4)  '-Hampshire  County,  May  22,  1781. 
"Dear  Sir, 

"We  are  under  the  disagreeable  necessity  of  troubling  you  for  your  assistance 
immediately.  I  received  an  Express  just  now  from  the  Commanding  Officer  of 
this  County,  for  as  many  men  as  can  be  had,  not  at  any  Rate,  less  than  three  hun- 
dred from  Frederick  County.  Col:  Vanmeter  recommends  that  they  who  can,  be 
mounted,  may  immediately  mount  &  come  &  the  Foot  to  follow  as  quick  as  Possi- 
ble. We  look  upon  it,  that  our  lives  &  Fortunes  are  in  danger  of  being  taken,  we 
don't  know  how  soon  —  Yesterday  the  militia  of  this  county  march'd  to  Capt. 
Stumps;  there  made  a  halt,  and  sent  a  party  of  light  Horse  to  see  what  Discoveries 
they  could  make  about  Jacob  Brake's  Mill  on  the  South  Fork,  they  were  repuls'd 
by  a  fire  &  got  off  without  any  Loss,  &  brought  with  them  two  prisoners  —  they 
can't  make  any  Discovery  of  the  number  of  the  Enemy.  I  understood  by  one 
Powel  who  came  from  Claypoles,  on  the  Lost  River  (the  Commander  of  the  Tories), 
that  he  expected  by  last  night  to  command  one  thousand  men  —  Col:  V'anmeter, 
in  his  Express,  has  left  the  proceedings  in  a  great  measure  to  my  judgment,  &  I 
think  the  only  sure  Remmedy  to  apply,  would  be  to  prevail  upon  GenI:  Morgan  to 
take  a  Tower  amongst  them,  which  seems  to  be  their  chief  Resin  —  they  are  daily 
dareing  him.  The  People  of  the  County,  who  are  our  Friends,  are  so  much  con- 
nected, as  well  as  related,  that  they  are,  on  these  accts  very  bacward  to  turn  out, 
so  that  the  welfare  of  our  wives  &  children  seems  greatly  to  depend  upon  your 
Immediate  Assistance,  they  threaten,  if  successful,  to  kill  Men,  Women  &  Chil- 
dren. I  shall  leave  you  to  consider  the  deplorable  situation  of  your  Suffering 
Friends  &  Neighbors  —  " 

"N.  B.     Let  the  men  be  officer'd  &;  well  arm'd"' 

"Capt:  Beall,  the  Bearer,  has  seen  the  Express  &  can  inform  you  more  particu- 
larly the  contents  thereof.  —  " 

Letter  from  Col:  Elias  Paston  to  the  County  Lieutenant  of  Freder- 
ick—  "Pr:  Express." 

From  Calendar  of  Virginia  State  Papers,  \'o\.  II,  pp.  113,  114.  See  note  1, 
Appendix  IV,  this  Volume. 

(5)  Kercheval,  pp.  121,  195  to  199.     Lewis  Hist,  of  IV.  Va.,  pp.  139-144. 

(6)  See  Appendix  IV,  this  Volume. 

(7)  Cutright  says  that  the  name  of  the  eldest  son  of  John  Jackson  was  Joseph. 
This  is  a  mistake.     History  of  Upshur  County,  IVest  Virginia,  p.  ISl. 


492  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XXXI 

(1)  Jacob  Cozad  was  a  resident  in  Monongalia  County,  Virginia,  in  1782,  six  in 
family.     Heads  of  Families;  Virginia,  p.  35. 

(2)  History  of  the  Rise  atid  Progress  of  the  Baptists  in  Virgijiia,  by  Robert  E. 
Semple,  Richmond,  1810,  p.  336. 

(3)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  419,  421. 

(4)  This  stream  is  also  locally  known  as  "Lawson"  Run,  but  in  a  note  on  page 
421,  Border  Warfare,  it  is  called  "Lanson"  Run,  a  typographical  error. 

(5)  It  is  not  at  all  improbable  that  women  sometimes  accompanied  the  warriors 
in  their  incursions  into  Virginia.  I  have  been  told  by  the  Yakimas,  Warm  Springs 
Indians  and  other  tribes  that  very  often  their  women,  usually  two  or  three  in  num- 
ber, would  voluntarily  go  with  war  parties  even  to  distant  parts.  They  performed 
the  ordinary  duties  of  the  camp;  the  preparation  and  cooking  of  food,  keeping 
moccasins  and  other  wearing  apparel  in  repair  and  looking  to  the  general  comfort 
of  the  men.  None  but  the  bravest  of  women  would  venture  on  such  expeditions, 
and  when  fortunate  enough  to  return  they  were  ever  afterwards  entitled  to  sit  in 
all  councils  and  participate  in  the  war  dance  with  the  most  valiant  warriors  of 
the  tribe. 

The  Indian  Amazon  will  compare  favorably  with  her  sister  of  any  race.  His- 
tory is  not  lacking  in  instances  of  her  prowess.  De  Smet  gives  a  vivid  account  of 
Flathead  women  assisting  in  the  repulse  of  a  superior  band  of  Crow  warriors  on 
their  camp  in  1846.     Early  Western  Travels,  Cleveland,  1906,  Volume  29,  p.  333. 

Two  Moon,  a  Nez  Perce  warrior  of  note,  told  me  that  at  the  Battle  of  the 
White  Bird,  Idaho,  which  was  the  opening  fight  of  Chief  Joseph's  War,  1877,  he 
shot  down  a  soldier  and  his  wife  ran  to  the  wounded  man  and  while  he  was  raising 
to  his  knees  she  unbuckled  his  cartridge  belt  and  then  went  to  another  fallen 
trooper  and  secured  his  belt  and  also  a  box  of  cartridges,  and  ran  back  with  them 
to  her  husband,  who  was  still  exchanging  shots  with  the  enemy.  Later,  at  the 
Battle  of  Big  Hole,  Montana,  when  the  camp  was  broken  and  the  Indians  were 
retreating,  this  same  woman  stopped  and  took  from  a  wounded  soldier  not  only 
his  cartridge  belt  but  a  box  of  ammunition  which  he  had  been  carrying  and  was 
holding  close  in  his  arms.  With  some  of  the  other  women  she  stood  guard  over 
this  coveted  prize  until  Two  Moon  came  and  took  charge  of  it.  The  former  of 
these  feats,  especially,  will  compare  with  that  of  Elizabeth  Zane,  or  Mollie  Scott, 
at  the  Siege  of  Fort  Henry,  one  hundred  years  before. 

(6)  Border  Warfare,  p.  420. 

(7)  An  interesting  illustrated  description  of  Prof.  Holmes'  observation  on  this 
cave  can  be  seen  in  the  American  Anthropologist  for  July  1890,  also  Te^ith  Annual 
Report  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  Washington,  pp.  475-478. 

(8)  Art  in  Shell  of  the  Ancient  Americans,  Holmes,  Second  Annual  Report  of  the 
Bureau  of  Ethnology,  Washington,  pp.  289  to  293. 

(9)  Travels  and  Adventures  in  Canada,  1760-1776;  by  Alexander  Henry,  New 
York,  1809;  pp.  175,  179.     Drake's  Indian  Captivities,  Buffalo,  1853;  pp.  330,  331. 


Border  Settlers  or  Northwestern  X'iroinia  493 

(10)  Memories,  Official  and  Personal;  Thomas  L.  McKcnncy:  New  \'(jrk,  1S46. 
\'olumc  1,  pp.  100,  102,  107,  114. 

(11)  1  have  found  uniiiislakablc  evidence  of  reverence  for  the  rattlesnake  among 
the  Yakimas  of  Washington.  Shut-to-mon-cn,  "shea red-head"  so  called  from  the 
peculiar  mode  of  cutting  the  hair  as  practiced  by  his  father  and  grandfather,  who 
were  noted  warriors  and  whose  name  he  inherited:  as  one  of  the  head  men  of  the 
tribe  gave  me  this  bit  of  lore  on  the  subject. 

"Long  time  ago  Injun  no  kill  Wahk-puch  [rattlesnake]  only  when  some  man 
die  from  bite  of  iiim  snake.  Then  Injun  kill  some  [rattlesnakes]  for  dead  man. 
Wahk-puch  once  talk  same  as  people:  but  all  Injun  no  understand  him.  You  see 
ke-nute  over  there?"  pointing  to  an  ancient  land  slide  in  the  barren  and  rocky  hill- 
side nearToppenish  Creek:  "Lots  Wahk-puch  live  there.  Long  time  ago  woman 
see  big  Wahk-puch  there  near  creek.  Maybe  fifteen  feet  long.  Him  had  horns. 
Wan  -tah,  big  medicine  man,  tell  me  he  once  see  this  snake.  Him  horns  tipped 
with  black;  and  red  band  across  forehead.  Him  Head  Chief  all  Wahk-puchs. 
Some  his  people  live  at  Selah  Gap  [twenty-eight  miles  away]  some  live  over  in 
Rattlesnake  Mountain.  Chief  have  to  run  too  much,  him  get  headache.  So  him 
send  one  his  boys  to  be  chief  at  Selah  Gap;  and  one  to  be  chief  at  Rattlesnake 
Mountain.  Him  then  leave  one  other  boy  to  be  chief  at  ke-nute  :  while  him  go 
live  at  Dr\-  Creek,  over  towards  Bicklcton  Mountain:  where,  maybe,  him  now 
stay." 

"Do  the  boy-chiefs  still  live  at  the  places  where  thev  were  sent  bv  tlie  Head 
Chief.:-" 

"I  don't  know:  maybe  so.  Ma\be  liiin  go  'way.  Train  make  too  mucli 
noise  at  Selah  Gap.  Make  um  iicad  ache.  Maybe  all  go  "way  from  there.  I 
don't  know." 

Many  of  the  older  Yakimas  have  declared  to  me  that  they  would  not  kill  a 
rattlesnake.  If  tliey  did,  the  Wahk-puch  Chiefs  would  know  of  the  crime  and 
immediately  determine  in  council  what  should  be  done  with  the  offender.  If  he 
was  to  be  punished,  one  of  their  men  [snakes]  would  be  delegated  to  bite  him. 
There  could  be  no  escape;  for  the  Wahk-puch  is  possessed  with  power  to  find  an 
enemy  under  any  and  all  conditions.  I  have  been  told  wonderful  stories  of  such 
occurrences.  Only  certain  medicine  men  who  have  received  occult  power  from 
the  Chief  \\'ahk-puch,  can  anticipate  the  intentions  and  movements  of  these  terri- 
ble emissaries  and  forestall  them.     This  sometimes  has  been  done. 

Formerly  the  Wahk-puch  were  very  numerous;  but  with  the  advent  of  the 
white  man  they  greatly  disappeared.  The  teamsters  and  cattle  men  waged  inces- 
sant warfare  against  them,  using  their  long-lashed  whips;  and  the  Chiefs  held 
council  and  said:  "No  use:  can't  light  him.  We  quit."  Since  that  time  the 
Chiefs  have  lived  deep  in  the  caverns  of  the  earth  and  are  seldom,  if  ever,  seen. 
Death  speedily  overtakes  any  person,  other  than  the  medicine  men  referred  to, 
who  chances  to  look  upon  a  Wahk-puch  Chief.  There  is  only  one  such  medicine 
:nan  now  living  who  has  seen  one  of  these  Chiefs.  This  man  understands  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Wahk-puch,  and  often  hears  them  talking  and  laughing;  and  calling 
to  him  from  out  the  desert,  while  his  companions  can  detect  no  noises  breaking  on 
the  stillness.  With  the  "power"  conferred  upon  him  by  the  Chief  Wahk-puch,  he 
can  overcome  the  deadly  poison  of  the  rattlesnake's  fangs,  which  lie  has  twice  done 


494 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 


upon  his  own  person.  His  skill  as  a  healer,  however,  covers  the  scope  of  human 
ills.  He  cannot  be  induced  to  speak  of  the  source  of  his  "power,"  only  when  prac- 
ticing the  occult.  To  do  so  idly  would  be  to  destroy  the  potency  of  his  magic. 
This  gift  from  Wahk-puch  is  sacred,  semi-divine,  and  must  be  referred  to  solely 
when  invoking  its  aid. 

A  Japanese  gentleman  recently  told  me  that  some  of  the  old  men  in  his  country 
declare  that  there  is  a  monster  serpent  in  the  mountains  where  they  go  for  nuts, 
which,  if  seen,  is  swiftly  followed  by  the  death  of  the  unfortunate  one. 


NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XXXII 


(1)  Before  the  country  was  settled,  the  rattler  grew  to  a  fabulous  size. 
A  hunter  on  Cheat  River  saw  what  appeared  to  be  the  trail  of  some  object 
dragged  through  the  weeds.     He  followed  it  to  the  river,  where  he  found  near  the 
water  an  immense  rattlesnake  with  the  body  of  a  small  fawn  between  its  distended 

jaws.  The  reptile  had  un- 
dertaken more  than  it  could 
manage,  and  not  being  able 
to  disgorge,  had  made  for 
the  water  but  died  before 
reaching  it. 

As  late  as  1841,  two 
small  boys  named  Waldeck, 
were  setting  "dead-falls"  for 
squirrels  about  a  corn-field 
on  the  Butcher  farm  on 
Leading  Creek,  in  Lewis 
County.  While,  one  of  them 
was  on  his  knees  fixing  a 
trap,  he  was  struck  in  the 
side  between  the  hip  and 
first  rib  by  a  large  rattler. 
Its  fangs  entered  his  body 
through  homespun  tow  pan- 
taloons, and  shirt  of  the 
same  material.  Before  the 
child  could  be  carried  home, 
his  body  was  entirely  swol- 
len. In  the  greatest  of  ag- 
ony, he  survived  only  a  few 
hours.     A   measurement  of 

the  wounds  left  by  the  fangs  of  the  reptile,  showed  a  jaw  expanse  of  six  inches. 

The  following  year,  near  this  spot,  a  rattler  was  killed  that  measured  a  little  over 

eight  feet  in  length. 

The  white  man  —  many  of  the  Indian  tribes  would  not  molest  the  rattlesnake 

—  was  not  the  only  enemy  of  these  terrible  creatures.     The  blacksnake   pursued 


The  Deadly  Rattlesnake 
Photograph  from  Life. 


BORDKR   Sf.TTI.KRS  f)l     XoRTIIWESTHRN  X'iRCINIA  495 

both  the  rattler  and  the  coppcrlicad  to  ilic  death.  Kaj^les  and  hawks  preyed  upon 
them  in  common  with  other  \arictics  of  reptiles:  the  wild  hogs  devoured  them 
wherever  found,  and  even  the  timid  deer  was  their  most  deadly  foe. 

Henry  McWhorter,  Jr.,  was  hunting  on  Cove  Creek,  in  Gilmer  Count}',  West 
Virginia,  and  from  the  brow  of  a  hill  he  saw  on  a  neighboring  ridge  three  deer  stand- 
ing in  an  attitude  of  alertness,  gazing  intently  at  some  object  near  them.  Sud- 
denly, one  after  another  they  sprang  upon  the  object  and  off  again  with  such  agility 
that  no  perceptible  pause  could  be  noticed  between  leaps.  This  they  repeated  two 
or  three  times,  and  then  went  away.  McWhorter  went  to  the  place  and  found  a 
large  rattler  cut  in  pieces  by  the  sharp  hoofs  of  the  deer. 

The  copperhead,  in  one  respect  was  more  to  be  dreaded  than  the  rattler.  The 
latter  seldom,  if  ever,  makes  an  attack  without  first  giving  notice  of  its  presence  by 
a  warning  whir-r-r  of  its  tail;  while  the  former  is  as  silent  as  it  is  vicious,  and  strikes 
with  deadly  precision  at  every  moving  object  within  reach.  As  "Ill-natured  as 
a  copperhead"  is  a  mountain  proverb  still  in  vogue  in  the  Trans -Allegheny.  The 
pain  attending  the  bite  of  this  reptile  is  indescribable,  as  I  can  attest  from  personal 
experience  when  a  boy.  A  person  accustomed  to  them  can  detect  their  presence 
by  the  odor,  which  is  not  unlike  that  of  green  cucumbers. 

Owing  to  their  ease  of  detection,  the  rattler  has  been  wholly  exterminated 
within  the  thickly-settled  regions,  while  the  copperhead  is  still  more  or  less  preva- 
lent throughout  the  hill  districts.  In  the  earlier  days,  forest  fires  destroyed  vast 
numbers  of  these  poisonous  reptiles.  They  will  not  flee  from  this  danger,  but  will 
coil  and  strike  until  killed  by  the  heat. 

(2)  Dl"ck  Creek  —  The  first  settler  on  this  stream  shot  a  wild  duck  which  was 
so  tough  that  it  could  not  be  eaten,  hence  the  name. 


NOTES  OX  CHAPTER  XXX\' 

(Ij  See  Conrielley's  Letter,  Appendix  III,  this  \''olunic. 

(2)  Settlements  and  Indian  Wars,  p.  104-. 

(3)  W  hilc  riding  across  a  sage-brush  plain  with  a  Yakima  Indian  hunter,  his  dog 
"jumped"  a  jack-rabbit,  which  headed  for  a  low  place  in  a  small  ridge  in  front  of 
us  and  slightly  to  our  right.  The  Indian  remarked  that  if  a  coyote  was  after  the 
"jack,"  it  would  not  follow  as  the  dog  was  doing,  but  would  go  over  the  high  ground 
to  our  left  and  pick  up  its  prey  on  the  other  side  of  the  raise.  I  asked  him  how  he 
knew  that  the  rabbit  would  turn  that  way.  He  answered:  "Him  always  go  that 
way.  But  he  no  fool  coyote."  The  dog  was  baffled  at  the  point  where  the  Indian 
had  predicted  the  change  in  the  course  of  the  "jack,"  and  wiien  tiie  trail  was  aijain 
found  the  truth  of  his  assertion  was   verified. 

At  another  time  when  sitting  with  this  same  hunter  close  to  a  camp  fire  in  a 
wild  canyon  on  a  cold  night,  suddenly  the  frosty  stillness  was  broken  by  the  long 
quavering  howl  of  a  distant  timber  wolf;  mingled  with  the  treble  notes  of  a  coyote 
or  prairie  wolf.  The  Indian  listened  attentively  and  said:  "Wolf,  him  lickin' 
poor  coyote.  Coyote  have  two  children  [cubs]  and  she  put  urn  over  hill  away  from 
wolf:     then  fight  um  wolf  so  he  no  ketcii  um   little  covote  children."     He   had. 


496  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

during  the  day,  pointed  out  to  me  the  tracks  of  a  large  timber  wolf  along  with 
those  of  a  coyote.  He  then  told  me  this  story  of  the  savage  sagacity  of  the  timber 
wolf. 

Years  ago  when  some  of  his  people  were  crossing  the  Cascades  and  when  near 
one  of  the  big  lakes  far  up  in  the  mountains,  they  saw  a  large  herd  of  deer,  no  less 
than  forty,  surrounded  by  a  cordon  of  wolves  and  being  singled  out  and  devoured 
at  leisure  and  as  hunger  impelled.  From  all  appearances  the  slaughter  had  been 
going  on  for  some  time,  perhaps  days,  they  could  not  tell.  They  saw  some  of  the 
corraled  deer  attempt  to  escape,  but  they  were  always  throttled  by  the  alert  and 
nimble  sentinels.  In  those  days  the  Indians  did  not  dare  attempt  to  cross  that 
part  of  the  mountain,  only  in  large  bodies.  Often  small  parties  would  disappear, 
being  destroyed  by  these  dreaded  animals.  From  some  cause  the  wolves  after- 
wards became  decimated  in  numbers. 

(4)  Jamais  of  Augusta  County,  pp.  7,  20,  22,  42. 


NOTES  ON  APPENDIX 


NOTES  ON  APPENDIX  I 

(1)  The  claim  that  David  White  "was  present  at  the  taking  of  the  Stroud  fam- 
ily" can  hardly  be  accepted  as  reliable.  He  may  have  had  connection  with  the  Bull 
Town  massacre,  but  evidently  his  captivity  was  during  Pontiac's  War,  and  long 
prior  to  the  Stroud  tragedy.  It  must  be  conceded  that  Colonel  Westfall  was  a 
partisan,  who  sought  excuse  for  the  sanguinary  deeds  of  his  ancestor.  But  no 
amount  of  pen  veneering  can  ameliorate  this  crime  of  crimes.  The  massacre  was 
premeditated,  and  wholly  unjustifiable.  The  friendly  Delawares  had  nothing  to 
do  with  the  Stroud  murder. 

(2)  This  was  the  time  when  Captain  White  and  Leonard  Petro  were  captured 
while  scouting  on  the  Little  Kanawha,  Sept.  1777. 

See  Note  8,  Chapter  X,  this  Volume. 
Border  Warfare,  pp.  232,  233. 
DeHass,  pp.  234,  235. 

(3)  This  is  the  first  account  of  George  Collet  that  I  have  ever  found.  On  page 
422,  Dunmore's  War,  his  name  appears  along  with  those  of  Tovenor  Ross  and  John 
Ward,  as  whites  who  fought  with  the  Indians  in  the  Battle  of  Point  Pleasant;  but 
it  is  taken  from  Col.  Westfall's  letter. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  battle  (Oct.  10,  1774)  Joseph  Huey  and  James 
Mooney  were  hunting  about  one  mile  from  the  camp,  when  they  were  discovered 
and  fired  upon  by  the  Indians.  Huey  fell,  but  Mooney  escaped  and  gave  the  alarm, 
and  within  a  few  moments  the  general  engagement  was  on.  Ross  may  be  accred- 
ited with  firing  the  first  fatal  shot  of  this  memorable  battle.  It  was  his  shot  that 
killed  Huey.     Mooney  went  down  later  in  the  fight.     Dunmore^s  War,  pp.  271,  272. 

Captain  or  Lieutenant  John  Frogg,  also  spelled  Frogge,  was  a   handsome, 


BORDKR   SkTTI.ERS  Ol     XoRTll WKSTKRN   \  IRtilMA  497 

dashing  young  man  of  Staunton,  N'irginia,  who,  it  is  said,  accompanied  Gcnvral 
Lewis'  army  as  a  sutler.  Courageous,  generous  and  gay,  he  seemed  a  great  favor- 
ite with  the  entire  command.  His  fondness  for  display  was,  doubtless,  his  undoing. 
Before  going  into  the  battle,  he  arrajcd  in  gaudy  attire,  donning  a  brilliant  red 
coat  or  jacket,  and  his  hat  decorated  with  feathers  and  ribbons.  Such  garb  was 
sure  to  attract  the  fire  of  the  Indians,  who  evidently  regarded  him  as  a  great  leader. 
This  accounts  for  the  desperate  courage  displayed  in  the  attempt  to  secure  his 
scalp. 

"  *  *  *  Amongst  the  slain  were  many  brave  men,  both  officers  and  pri- 
vates; and  a  Magistrate  of  this  place,  Mr.  Frog,  a  very  worthy  Gentleman,  was  also 
killed,  so  eager  were  the  Indians  for  his  scalp,  that  one  man  shot  three  of  them  over 
him,  endeavoring  by  turns  to  scalp  him."  Extract  from  a  letter  written  at  Staun- 
ton, Virginia,  November  4,  1774.  Draper  MSS.  1 4J57.  Dunmore's  ff^ar.  p.  296. 
It  is  narrated  that  about  noon  in  Staunton  on  the  day  of  the  battle,  Frogg's 
little  girl  awoke  from  sleep,  screaming  that  the  Indians  were  killing  her  father. 
Her  mother  quieted  her,  and  she  again  fell  asleep,  only  to  be  aroused,  crying,  by 
the  same  terrifying  vision.  This  was  repeated  the  third  time,  which  so  overcame 
the  mother,  that  she,  too,  cried  out  in  anguish.  Her  neighbors  were  attracted  by 
the  distress,  and  upon  learning  the  cause,  joined  in  the  lamentations,  "until  all 
Staunton  was  in  a  state  of  commotion."  —  Jnnals  of  Augusta  County,  pp.  136,  137. 

(4)  Old  edition:     new  edition,  290. 

(5)  This  version  of  the  killing  of  Capt.  White,  varies  somewhat  from  that  given 
in  Chapter  X  of  this  Volume.  The  only  material  difference,  however,  is  the  num- 
ber of  Indians  engaged.  White  was  doubtless  betrayed  by  Dorman,  but  he  was 
killed  by  one  Indian  only,  nor  was  he  scalped.  JVithers:  pp.  340,  to  343,  gives  the 
following  account  of  the  death  of  White,  and  Dorman's  part  in  the  tragedy. 

"On  the  8th  of  March  [1782],  as  William  White,  Timothy  Dorman  and  his 
wife,  were  going  to,  and  in  sight  of  Buchannon  fort,  some  guns  were  discharged  at 
them,  and  White  being  shot  through  the  hip  soon  fell  from  his  horse,  and  was  tom- 
ahawked, scalped  and  lacerated  in  the  most  frightful  manner. — Dorman  and  his 
wife  were  taken  prisoners.  The  people  in  the  fort  heard  tiie  tiring  and  flew  to  arms; 
but  the  river  being  between,  the  savages  cleared  theinscivcs,  while  the  whites  were 
crossing  over. 

"After  tlic  killing'  of  Wiiitc  (one  of  their  most  active  and  vigilant  warriors  and 
spies)  and  the  capture  of  Dorman,  it  was  resolved  to  abandon  the  fort,  and  seek 
elsewhere,  security  from  the  greater  ills  which  it  was  found  would  befall  them  if 
they  remained.  This  apprehension  arose  from  the  fact,  that  Dorman  was  tlk^n 
with  the  savages,  and  that  to  gratify  his  enmity  to  particular  individuals  in  the 
settlement,  he  would  unite  with  the  Indians,  and /row  his  knowledge  of  the  country, 
be  enabled  to  conduct  them  more  securely  to  blood  and  plunder.  He  was  a  man  of 
sanguinary  and  revengeful  disposition,  prone  to  quarrelling,  and  had  been  known 
to  say,  that  if  he  caught  particular  individuals  with  whom  he  was  at  variance,  in 
the  woods  alone,  he  would  murder  them  and  attribute  it  to  the  savages.  He  had 
led,  when  in  England,  a  most  abandoned  life,  and  after  he  was  transported  to  this 
country,  was  so  reckless  of  reputation  and  devoid  of  shame  for  his  villainies,  that 
he  Avould  often  recount  talcs  of  theft  and  robbery  in  which  he  had  been  a  conspicu- 
ous actor.     The  fearful  apprehensions  of  increased  and  aggravated  injuries  after 


498  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

the  taking  of  him  prisoner,  were  well  founded;  and  subsequent  events  fully  proved, 
that,  but  for  the  evacuation  of  the  fort,  and  the  removal  of  the  inhabitants,  all 
would  have  fallen  before  the  fury  of  savage  warriors,  with  this  abandoned  mis- 
creant at  their  head. 

"While  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  settlement  were  engaged  in  moving 
their  property  to  a  fort  in  Tygart's  Valley  (the  others  removing  to  Nutter's  Fort 
and  Clarksburg)  they  were  fired  upon  by  a  party  of  savages,  and  two  of  them, 
Michael  Hagle  and  Elias  Paynter,  fell.  The  horse  on  which  John  Bush  was  riding, 
was  shot  through;  yet  Bush  succeeded  in  extricating  himself  from  the  falling  animal, 
and  escaping  though  closely  pursued  by  one  of  the  savages.  Several  times  the  Indian 
following  him,  would  cry  out  to  him,  'Stop,  and  you  shall  not  be  hurt  —  If  you  do  not, 
I  will  shoot  you,'  and  once  Bush,  nearly  exhausted,  and  in  despair  of  getting  off, 
actually  relaxed  his  pace  for  the  purpose  of  yielding  himself  a  prisoner,  when  turn- 
ing around  he  saw  the  savage  stop  also,  and  commence  loading  his  gun.  This 
inspired  Bush  with  fear  for  the  consequences,  and  renewing  his  flight  he  made  his 
escape.  Edward  Tanner,  a  mere  youth,  was  soon  taken  prisoner,  and  as  he  was 
being  carried  to  their  towns,  met  between  twenty  and  thirt)^  savages,  headed  by 
Timothy  Dorman,  proceeding  to  attack  Buchannon  Fort.  Learning  from  him 
that  the  inhabitants  were  moving  from  it,  and  that  it  would  be  abandoned  in  a  few 
days,  the  Indians  pursued  their  journey  with  so  much  haste,  that  Dorman  had 
well-nigh  failed  from  fatigue.  They  arrived  however,  too  late,  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  their  bloody  purpose;  the  settlement  was  deserted,  and  the  inhabitants 
safe  within  the  walls  of  other  fortresses. 

"A  few  days  after  the  evacuation  of  the  fort,  some  of  its  former  inmates  went 
from  Clarksburg  to  Buchannon  for  grain  which  had  been  left  there.  When  they 
came  in  sight,  they  beheld  a  heap  of  ashes  where  the  fort  had  been;  and  pro- 
ceeding on,  became  convinced  that  the  savages  were  yet  lurking  about.  They 
however,  continued  to  go  from  farm  to  farm  collecting  the  grain,  but  with  the 
utmost  vigilance  and  caution,  and  at  night  went  to  an  outhouse,  near  where  the 
fort  had  stood.  Here  they  found  a  paper,  with  the  name  of  Timothy  Dorman 
attached  to  it,  dated  at  the  Indian  towns,  and  containing  information  of  those 
who  had  been  taken  captive  in  that  district  of  countrj^. 

"In  the  morning  early,  as  some  of  the  men  went  from  the  house  to  the  mill, 
they  saw  the  savages  crossing  the  river,  Dorman  being  with  them.  Thinking  it 
best  to  impress  them  with  a  belief  that  they  were  able  to  encounter  them  in  open 
conflict,  the  men  advanced  towards  them,  —  calling  to  their  companions  in  the 
house,  to  come  on.  The  Indians  fled  hastily  to  the  woods,  and  the  whites,  not  so 
rash  as  to  pursue  them,  returned  to  the  house,  and  secured  themselves  in  it  as  well 
as  they  could.  At  night.  Captain  George  Jackson  went  privately  forth  from  the 
house,  and  at  great  hazard  of  being  discovered  by  the  waylaying  savages,  pro- 
ceeded to  Clarksburg,  where  he  obtained  such  a  reinforcement  as  enabled  him  to 
return  openly  and  escort  his  former  companions  in  danger,  from  the  place  of  its 
existence. 

"Disappointed  in  their  hopes  of  involving  the  inhabitants  of  the  Buchannon 
settlements  in  destruction,  the  savages  went  on  to  the  Valley.  Here,  between 
Westfall's  and  Wilson's  forts,  they  came  upon  John  Bush  and  his  wife,  Jacob 
Stalnaker  and  his  son  Adam.  The  two  latter  being  on  horseback  and  riding  behind 
Bush  and  his  wife,  were  fired  at,  and  Adam  fell.     The  old  gentleman  rode  briskly 


BoRUKR   SlCTTLliRS  ()l-    N OrTIIW  KSIKRN   \  IR(,IN1.\  499 

on,  but  some  of  the  savages  were  before  him  and  endeavored  to  catch  the  reins  of 
his  bridle,  and  thus  stop  his  flight.  He  however,  escaped  them  all.  The  horse 
from  which  Adam  Stalnakcr  had  fallen,  was  caupht  b\'  Bush,  and  both  he  and  Mrs. 
Bush  got  safely  away  on  him. 

"The  Indians  then  crossed  the  .Mlegheny  Mountains,  and  coming  to  the  house 
of  Mrs.  Gregg  (Dorman's  former  master)  made  an  attack  on  it.  A  daughter  of 
that  gentleman,  alone  fell  a  victim  tn  tiiiir  thirst  for  blood.  When  taken  prisoner, 
she  refused  to  go  with  them,  and  Dorman  sunk  his  tomahawk  into  her  head  and 
then  scalped  her.  She  however,  lived  several  days  and  related  the  circumstances 
above  detailed." 

In  Morton's  History  of  Pendlelon  County,  If 'est  J'ci.,  1910,  p.  64,  is  this  item 
touching  the  career  of  Timothy  Dorman: 

"In  1781  took  place  what  seems  the  last  Indian  raid  into  this  county.  A  party 
of  redskins,  led  by  Tim  Dahmer.  a  white  renegade,  came  by  the  Seneca  trail  to  the 
house  of  William  Gragg,  who  lived  on  the  highland  a  mile  east  of  Onego.  Dahmer 
had  lived  with  the  Graggs,  and  held  a  grudge  against  a  daughter  of  the  family. 
Gragg  was  away  from  the  house  getting  a  supply  of  firewood,  and  seeing  Indians 
at  the  house  he  kept  out  of  danger.  His  mother,  a  feeble  old  lady,  and  with  whom 
Dahmer  had  been  on  good  terms,  was  taken  out  into  the  yard  in  her  chair.  The 
wife  was  also  unharmed,  but  the  daughter  was  scalped  and  the  house  set  on  fire, 
after  which  the  renegade  and  his  helpers  made  a  prudent  retreat.  The  girl  was 
taken  up  the  river,  probably  to  the  house  of  Philip  Harper,  but  died  of  her  injuries." 

To  Jf'ithers'  account  of  the  killing  of  Capt.  White,  Thzvaites  aMs,  the  following 
note: 

"L.  \'.  McWhorter  informs  me  that  White,  who  was  a  prominent  settler,  was 
once  with  others  on  a  hunting  expedition,  when  tliey  surprised  a  small  party  of 
Indians.  They  killed  several,  but  one  active  j'oung  brave  ran  oiT,  with  White  close 
at  his  heels.  The  Indian  leaped  from  a  precipice,  alighting  in  a  quagmire  in  which 
he  sank  to  his  waist.  White,  with  tomahawk  in  hand,  jumped  after  him.  In 
the  struggle  which  ensued,  White  buried  his  weapon  in  the  red  man's  skull.  The 
victim's  father  was  among  those  who  escaped,  and  for  a  long  time  —  McWhorter 
says  'several  years'  —  he  lurked  about  the  settlements  trailing  White.  Finally 
he  succeeded  in  shooting  his  man,  within  sight  of  the  fort.  Mrs.  White  was  an 
eye-witness  of  the  tragedy.  McWhorter  claims  that  Withers  is  mistaken  in  saying 
that  White  was  'tomahawked,  scalped  and  lacerated  in  the  most  frightful  manner.' 
The  avenging  Indian  tried  to  get  his  scalp,  but  an  attacking  party  from  the  fort 
were  so  close  upon  him  that  he  fled  before  accomplishing  his  object.  McWhorter 
reports  another  case,  not  mentioned  by  Withers.  One  Fink  was  'killed  by  Indians 
in  ambush,  while  letting  down  a  pair  of  bars  one  evening,  just  in  front  of  where 
the  Buckhannon  court-house  now  stands.'  " 

Fink,  here  mentioned,  is  undoubtedly  the  John  Fink  who  was  killed  just  one 
month  prior  to  the  death  of  White,  and  as  depicted  by  Col.  Westfall.  Withers, 
p.  318,  says  of  this  tragedy: 

"On  the  8th  of  February,  1782,  while  Henry  Fink  and  his  son  John,  were 
engaged  in  sledding  rails,  on  their  farm  in  the  Buchannon  settlement,  several  guns 
were  simultaneously  discharged  at  them;  and  before  John  had  time  to  reply  to  his 
father's  enquiry,  whether  he  was  hurt,  another  gun  was  fired  and  he  fell  lifeless. 
Having  unlinked  the  chain  which  fastened  the  horse  to  the  sled,  the  old  man  L'al- 


500  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

loped  briskly  away.     He  reached  his  home  in  safety,  and  immediately  moved  his 
family  to  the  fort.     On  the  next  day  the  lifeless  body  of  John  was  brought  into 
the  fort  —  The  first  shot  had  wounded  his  arm;  the  ball  from  the  second  passed 
through  his  heart,  &  he  was  afterwards  scalped." 
See  Chapter  X,  this  Volume. 

(6)  Old  edition  —  new  edition  pp.  340,  341,  342. 

(7)  Old  edition  —  new  edition,  pp.  313  —  See  Chapter  X,  this  Volume. 

(8)  Colonel  Westfall  evidently  wrote  the  date  of  young  Fink's  death  from 
Withers''  work.  Refer  to  Chapter  X,  this  Volume,  for  inscription  on  Fink's 
gravestone. 

(9)  Withers  —  new  edition,  p.  313. 

(10)  Withers  —  old  edition;  new  edition,  pp.  135,  136.  There  is  considerable 
reference  to  the  Bald  Eagle  tragedy  throughout  this  correspondence.  For  the  date 
of  the  death  of  this  historic  chief,  see  Chapter  XI,  this  Volume. 

(11)  Jacob  Scott  came  to  the  western  settlements  early.  In  1781,  he  was 
granted  a  title  to  "400  acres  on  Scott's  Run  adjoining  land  claimed  by  David 
Scott,  to  include  his  settlement  made  in  1771."  Scott's  Run  flows  into  the 
Monongahela  in  Monongalia  County. 

(12)  The  incident  here  referred  to,  occurred,  according  to  Withers,  in  1794,  in 
Tygart's  Valley,  where  a  few  families  were  gathered  for  mutual  protection.  Mr. 
Canaan  and  three  of  the  children  were  killed  and  Mrs.  Canaan  made  prisoner. 
The  Indian,  who  shot  Canaan,  was  struck  on  the  head  with  a  drawing-knife  and 
brought  to  the  ground  by  a  young  man  named  Ralston,  who,  with  the  other  inmates, 
fled  into  the  darkness  and  escaped.  Mrs.  Canaan  was  afterwards  redeemed  from 
captivity  by  her  brother.  —  Border  Warfare,  p.  422. 

Maxwell  shows  clearly  that  it  was  Joseph  Kinnan  and  not  Canaan,  who  was 
killed,  and  the  time  of  the  tragedy  was  May  11,  1791.  The  warrior's  nose  was 
severed  by  the  blow  from  the  drawing-knife  in  the  hands  of  young  Ralston,  or 
David  Conley.  The  Indians  retreated  to  the  middle  fork  of  the  Buckhannon, 
where  they  lay  concealed  several  weeks,  until  the  wounded  warrior  had  recovered, 
when  they  proceeded  on  uninterruptedly.  History  of  Randolph  County,  West 
Virginia,  pp.  186,  187. 

(13)  Border  Warfare,  pp.  232,  233.  Refer  to  Note  8,  Chapter  X;  and  Note  2, 
Appendix  III;  this  Volume,  for  further  notice  of  Petro,  or  Pedro. 

(14)  Draper  Manuscripts  8XX,  70,  71. 

This  letter,  perhaps  the  only  one  extant  of  its  class  from  Colonel  Westfall, 
conveys  a  fair  idea  of  the  nature  and  value  of  his  original  manuscripts  destroyed 
by  fire  several  years  ago. 

(15)  Harmony  Church,  the  first  built  on  Hacker's  Creek.  It  was  con- 
structed of  hewed  logs,  with  a  gallery,  and  stood  on  a  slight  eminence  a  short  dis- 
tance above  the  mouth  of  Jesse's  Run.     Since  this  writing  it  has  been  dismantled. 

(16)  Draper  Manuscript,  %7Z\S. 

David  H.  was  a  son  of  David  Smith,  referred  to  elsewhere  in  this  Volume. 


Border  Settlers  oi  Northwestern  \  irgima  5Ul 

David  Smith  married  a  daughter  of  John  Hacker,  tlie  pioneer;  was  a  Captain  of 
Militia  and  officiated  at  the  mihtary  funeral  of  William  Powers,  the  soldier  and 
scout.     He  was  tall  and  very  erect  at  eighty. 

(17)  Mr.  Hacker  is  evidently  in  error  as  to  his  great-grandfather's  arrival  in 
America.  John  Hacker  was  born  during  the  ocean  voyage,  or  within  a  few  weeks 
after  the  landing  of  the  parents. 

(18)  A  careful  search  of  the  cemetery  in  question  failed  to  disclose  the  grave 
of  any  William  Hacker. 

(19)  John  Hacker  died  April  20,  1824,  and  such  is  the  date  given  on  his  grave- 
stone. The  error  made  by  Mr.  H.  M.  Hacker  in  copying,  is  doubtless  responsible 
for  Dr.  Draper  giving  the  year  1821  as  that  of  John  Hacker's  death.  Border  If'ar- 
Jare,  p.  121. 

The  stone,  which  formerly  marked  Hacker's  grave,  bears  this  inscription: 

"18  24 

J.  H. 

A  G  E  D  81  Y  . 

3  M.  9  D. 

JOHN     HACKER 

BORN 

JANUARY  1st 

1 743 . O. S . 

DIED    APRIL  20th 

18  2  4" 

This  monument  was  in  later  years  supplanted  by  the  present,  more  preten- 
tious one,  though  both  are  slabs  of  native  sandstone.  The  old  one  is  now  placed 
at  the  head  of  a  grave  in  the  same  row  with  Hacker  and  his  wife,  with  three  or  four 
graves  intervening.  These  are  doubtless  some  of  their  children,  but  they  are 
unmarked. 

Some  of  John  Hacker's  descendants  maintain  that  he  was  born  on  sea,  during 
the  ocean  voyage  of  his  parents:  and  that  the  letters  "O.  S."  appearing  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  date  of  his  birth,  denote  "on  sea."  This  may  be  true,  but  it  is  also 
probable  that  they  stand  for  Old  Style,  or  the  Julian  method  of  recognizing  the 
time  prior  to  September  3,  1752,  at  which  time  the  English  statute  went  into  effect, 
adopting  the  Gregorian,  New  Style  Calendar. 

(20)  The  foregoing  letters  from  Mr.  Hacker,  and  all  subsequent  correspond- 
ence in  this  Appendix  are  from  the  Draper  Manuscripts  3U. 

Rev.  John  T.  Hacker  was  born  on  Hacker's  Creek,  (West)  Virginia,  March  6, 
1812.  He  lived  there  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  and  for  many  years  was  a  minis- 
ter of  the  M.  P.  Church.  In  later  years  he  moved  to  the  middle  west,  and  died  at 
Green,  Kansas,  December  13,  1896. 

(21)  This  occurred  at  the  time  of  the  West  tragedy  on  Hacker's  Creek,  noted 
elsewhere  in  this  V^olume. 

(22)  This  was  1769  instead  of  1760. 

(23)  A  mistake  —  the  Hacker's  came  witli  the  Pringles. 


502  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

(24)  Old  edition  —  See  pp.  122,  135,  136,  137,  378,  379,  390,  new  edition. 

(25)  John  Hacker  settled  on  Hacker's  Creek,  some  five  miles  above  West's  Fort, 
now  Jane  Lew,  and  in  an  opposite  direction  from  "Jackson's  Mill  on  the  West 
Fork."  This  is  not  the  only  mistake  current  with  the  residence  of  this  early 
pioneer.  Cutright  states  as  tradition,  that  after  John  Hacker  settled  on  Hacker's 
Creek,  "he  began  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith.  *****  go  great  became 
the  demand  for  his  services,  both  in  the  Buckhannon  river  settlement  and  Hacker's 
creek  settlement,  that  business  judgment  advised  him  to  open  up  a  shop  at  Lor- 
entz,  a  small  place  four  miles  west  of  Buckhannon  town  on  the  summit  of  the 
divide  between  the  waters  of  Hacker's  creek  and  the  Buckhannon  river."  His- 
tory of  Upshur  Co.,  West  Virginia,  pp.  181-82. 

No  evidence  has  been  found  in  support  of  this  statement.  The  distance 
between  Jane  Lew  and  Buckhannon  is  about  sixteen  miles  and  there  could  be  no 
business  motive  in  Hacker  removing  his  shop  to  the  Buckhannon  settlement. 
Lorentz  is  situated  about  two  miles  east  of  the  divide  between  the  Buckhannon 
River  and  Hacker's  Creek,  as  the  trail  ran,  and  in  the  early  settling  of  the  country 
it  was  unknown  as  a  village.  John  Hacker,  however,  was  not  a  blacksmith.  He 
"tinkered"  at  gun  repairing  only.     One  of  his  sons  was  a  blacksmith  in  later  years. 

J.  K.  P.  Maxson,  of  Berlin,  West  Virginia,  owns  an  old  grindstone,  said  to 
have  belonged  to  John  Hacker  and  Jacob  Cozad,  Sr.  I  remember  seeing  the 
date,  1770,  that  had  been  cut  on  the  side  of  the  stone.  Long  use  in  Maxson's 
blacksmith  shop  has  worn  away  that  part  of  the  stone  on  which  this  date  was  cut. 
Beyond  question,  this  was  the  first  grindstone  brought  to  Hacker's  Creek  Valley. 
It  should  be  placed  in  the  Museum  of  that  State. 

(26)  The  obvious  mistake  in  Mr.  Hacker's  preceding  letter,  that  Alexander 
Hacker  was  the  author  of  Border  Warfare,  was  due  to  a  misunderstanding  of  his 
daughter,  who  was  receiving  the  dictation  while  "very  much  embarrassed."  John 
Hacker,  the  pioneer,  supplied  no  small  amount  of  the  manuscript  material  for 
Border  Warfare. 

(27)  John  T.  Hacker  did  not  serve  in  the  Confederate  Army,  Civil  War.  He 
was  refused  enlistment  on  account  of  age. 

(28)  This  was  Hezekiah  Hess,  who,  with  others  from  Lewis  County,  was- 
dropped  from  the  Revolutionary  pension  roll.  From  his  declaration  for  pension, 
made  September  19,  1833,  it  would  appear  that  Hezekiah  Hess  was  born  October  9,. 
1756,  in  Dutchess  County,  New  York,  and  was  brought  to  Hampshire  County, 
Virginia,  when  but  seven  months  old,  where  he  continued  to  reside,  exclusive  of 
his  military  service,  until  1822.     He  then  moved  to  Lewis  County,  Virginia. 

In  June,  1776,  Hezekiah  Hess  with  eleven  other  men  volunteered  from  Hamp- 
shire County  (now  Hardy  County,  Virginia),  as  a  private  Indian  spy  under  Cap- 
tain Pogue,  of  the  Twentieth  Battalion  of  Augusta  A4ilitia,  who  was  then  recruiting 
men  to  act  as  border  spies.  The  Twentieth  Battalion  was  commanded  by  Colonel 
Hugart,  but  Colonel  Sampson  Mathews  had  general  command  of  the  Augusta 
Militia.  With  his  men,  Captain  Pogue  immediately  marched  to  the  fort  in  the 
Little  Levels  on  the  Greenbrier  River,  in  now  Greenbrier  County,  West  Virginia, 
and  entered  on  the  duties  of  spying  throughout  the  wilderness  on  the  headwaters 
of  Jackson  River,  Back  Creek,  Greenbrier  River,  New  River,  Kanawha,  Gaulej^ 


Border  Settlers  oi  Northwestern  Vir(;inia  503 

and  Elk  Rivers;  Stoney  Creek,  Locust  Creek,  Mill  Creek  and  other  contiguous 
streams.  The  scouts  reported  from  time  to  time  at  the  fort  in  the  Little  Levels 
until  November  (1776).  Cold  weather  setting  in,  they  were  disbanded  and  retired 
to  the  fort  at  Warm  Springs  for  the  Winter.  During  this  term  of  service,  the 
Indians  committed  no  other  mischief  in  the  settlements,  than  merely  to  steal  a  few 
horses,  which  occurred  in  September.  The  scouts  immediately  gave  pursuit  and 
came  up  with  the  marauders,  descending  Ten  Mile  Creek.  A  few  shots  were 
exchanged,  but  no  lives  lost  on  either  side.  The  Indians  fled,  abandoning  the 
horses,  which  were  recaptured  and  restored  to  their  owners. 

In  March,  1777,  at  the  Warm  Springs  Fort,  Hess  again  volunteered  for  the 
season  as  Spy  and  Ranger  under  Captain  Pogue  and  Lieutenant  Kennison,  for  ser- 
vice principally  in  the  same  territory  as  the  preceding  year,  with  headquarters  at 
Pogue's  Fort,  in  the  Little  Levels.  During  this  Summer,  the  scouts  made  one 
excursion  down  the  Gauley  River  to  the  mouth  of  Birch  Riv-er,  from  thence  back 
to  the  mouth  of  Meadow  River,  ascending  this  stream  to  Donnelley's  Fort  in  the 
Big  Levels  of  Greenbrier.  Here  tiiey  met  Captain  Stewart  and  Donnelley  with 
some  of  their  Rangers  of  Donnelley's  Fort.  Captain  Pogue  with  his  spies  con- 
tinued up  Meadow  River  to  Pogue's  Fort. 

In  August  of  this  year,  "a  large  body  of  Indians,  supposed  to  number  upwards 
of  one  hundred  warriors,  appeared  on  Locust  Creek,  near  the  lower  end  of  the 
Droup."  (Locust  Creek  is  in  Pocahontas  County  and  flows  into  the  Greenbrier, 
north  of  Droup  Mountain.)  Captains  Pogue  and  Chain  formed  a  junction  of  their 
men  and  marched  to  attack  the  enemy,  who  were  found  concealed  among  rocks 
and  fallen  timber.  The  Indians  were  routed  with  the  loss  of  eleven  warriors  killed, 
and  were  pursued  to  the  Gauley  Mountains.  The  whites  suffered  no  fatalities, 
but  five  of  their  number  were  wounded.  This  was  the  only  occurrence  worthy  of 
note  during  the  season.  The  spies  continued  in  the  field  until  December,  when 
they  retired  to  the  fort  and  spent  two  months  in  repairing  and  fortifying  their 
stronghold. 

In  February,  the  company  under  the  same  officers  were  again  placed  in  the 
field,  and  continued  spying  until  the  following  December.  During  this  time  of 
ser\ice,  in  spite  of  the  vigilance  of  the  spies,  the  Indians  would  enter  the  fron- 
tier settlements  and  steal  horses,  but  generally  the  thefts  were  detected  and  the 
property  retaken  before  the  warriors  could  get  out  of  the  countrj\ 

In  the  month  of  July  of  this  year,  a  family  on  the  head  of  Tygart's  Valley  were 
massacred  by  a  band  of  straggling  Indians,  and  Captain  Pogue  hastened  to  the 
scene  with  his  Rangers,  but  the  Indians  had  fled  beyond  pursuit.  Some  men  from 
Warwick's  Fort  had  buried  the  dead  and  then  given  chase  to  the  foe. 

In  March,  1779,  at  the  Little  Levels,  Hess  again  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Cap- 
tain Pogue's  Company  of  Spies,  and  served  principally  under  Lieutenant  Kennison 
until  the  last  of  the  following  November.  In  May  of  this  year,  a  small  party  of 
Indians  made  their  appearance  on  Anthonius  Creek  (evidently  Anthony  Creek), 
a  tributary  of  the  Greenbrier  River,  and  killed  a  part  of  two  families,  burned  their 
dwellings  and  outbuildings  and  destroyed  their  cattle.  The  perpetrators  of  this 
tragedy  then  bent  their  way  across  the  Greenbrier  River,  over  the  mountains  to 
Gauley  (River),  thence  to  Peter's  Creek  (in  now  Nicholas  County),  where  they 
were  overtaken  and  surprised  by  Lieutenant  Kennison  and  eight  men,  including 
Hess.     -A  vollc}'  from  the  scouts  brought  down  three  of  the  warriors,  when  the 


504  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

others,  twelve  or  fifteen  in  number,  precipitately  fled,  leaving  three  captive  chil- 
dren and  some  stolen  horses,  which  were  returned  to  the  proper  persons. 

In  July  of  the  same  year,  Hess  in  company  with  five  others,  under  Lieutenant 
Kennison,  was  scouting  on  Big  Elk  River  near  the  Fork  Lick,  and  while  making 
preparations  to  camp  for  the  night  they  were  surprised  and  fired  upon  by  a  party 
of  Indians,  slightly  wounding  one  man  in  the  shoulder.  The  scouts  were  vastly 
outnumbered,  and  immediately  took  flight  and  were  closely  pursued  until  nightfall 
closed  the  chase.  The  fugitives  eventually  reached  the  fort  in  safety.  These 
were  the  only  occurrences  of  note  during  the  season.  Alarms  were  frequent,  and 
neighborhood  horses  stolen,  but  were  usually  recaptured. 

Hess,  in  his  first  declaration,  claimed  never  to  have  received  any  discharge 
paper,  but  was  merely  dismissed  by  his  captain;  and  that  he  was  not  under  any 
regular  field  officer,  but  his  captain  was  subject  to  orders  from  Col.  Hugart,  Com- 
mander of  the  20th  Battalion  Augusta  Militia;  and  of  Col.  Sampson  Mathews, 
Commandant  of  the  whole  County  of  Augusta.  For  sketches  of  Sampson  Mathews, 
see  Annals  of  Augusta  County,  pp.  109,  148,  161,  166,  also  Peyton  History  of  Augusta 
County,  p.  173. 

Hess,  it  would  appear,  saw  no  further  service  as  an  enlisted  scout.  His  decla- 
ration was  drawn  by  James  Bennett,  and  he  was  vouched  for  by  Abram  Whetsel 
and  Jacob  Wymer.  In  November  1833,  Hess  was  allowed  eighty  dollars  per 
annum  to  begin  March  1831.  Subsequent  statements  from  John  Mitchel,  Samuel 
Bonnett  and  William  Powers,  to  the  effect  that  they  being  acquainted  with  Heze- 
kiah  Hess,  knew  that  he  was  too  young  to  have  been  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  the 
Revolution,  with  the  sequence  that  the  soldier's  name  was  stricken  from  the  pen- 
sion roll. 

Under  date  July  14,  1834  or  1836  (date  very  indistinct)  W.  G.  Singleton 
•examined  Hess  and  sent  the  following  report  of  his  age  and  Revolutionary  service 
to  the  United  States  Pension  Office: 

"  *  *  *  ,72  years  old  July  18th  but  has  no  record  of  his  age,  —  sometime 
during  the  Revolutionary  War  (as  he  thinks,  cant  say  in  what  years)  Capt.  William 
Pogue  inlisted  10  men  including  himself  at  Morefield,  Hardy  Co.  Va  for  18  months, 
and  marched  them  to  the  Warm  Springs,  Bath  Co.  Va.  marched  from  Hardy  Co. 
about  Mar.  1st  got  to  Bath  the  last  of  A'larch  remained  there  until  the  next  spring 

then  went  to  Cloverlick  in  latter (very  illegible  and  maybe  a  county 

name)  county  remained  there  until  Dec.  following.  There  were  upwards  of  a  hun- 
dred men  at  Warm  Springs,  this  was  all  the  service  he  done  and  all  he  gave  unto 
James  Bennett  who  wrote  his  declaration  before  Thomas  Heneman.  Bennett  said 
he  must  have  the  first  draw,  he  replied  it  was  too  much.  Bennett  got  all  but  $S. 
Since  his  pension  was  granted  has  been  to  Weston  the  county  seat  of  Lewis  several 
times,  distant  11  miles  to  see  after  his  money, — always  walked. 

Benjamin  Copelan  aged  82,  Christopher  Nutter  aged  74  both  gave  Hess  a 
very  bad  name  stating  that  he  Is  the  greatest  liar  in  the  vicinity  and  are  of  the 
opinion  that  his  statement  Is  a  fabrication." 

(Signed)     W.  G.  Singleton. 

Evidently  there  were  then,  as  now,  scores  of  patriots  (.')  who  felt  no  compunc- 
tion in  defrauding  their  beloved  country,  for  which  they  had  so  valiantly  offered 
their  lives;  but  in  justice  let  It  be  remembered  that  the  majority  of  these  old  fron- 
tiersmen, Hess  included,  as  evidenced  by  the  familiar  "X"  in  his  signature,  were 


BoKDKR   SkTTI.KRS  Ol    NoKTlIW  l-.STl.RN  \'lR(;iNIA  505 

very  illiterate  and  were  victims  of  conniving  mercenaries,  who  drew  up  and  had 
ihem  sign  mendacious  "declarations,"  of  which  they  were  wholly  ignorant.  Admit- 
tedly a  boaster,  it  is  hard  to  conceive  that  Hess  would,  in  so  short  a  time,  make  two 
declarations  of  such  varying  import.  Charity  would  suggest  that  like  John  Cut- 
right,  his  illiteracy  and  credulity  were  imposed  upon,  his  honor  ruthlessly  sacrificed 
for  a  selfish  motive.  This  undoubtedly  is  true.  J.  Wamsley  was  actively  engaged 
in  writing  fraudulent  declarations  on  contract,  and  usually  received  as  compensa- 
tion all  the  first  money  drawn.  Some  were  signed  knowingly,  others  were  not. 
He  wrote  those  of  the  "Messrs.  Bonnctts,"  who  could  neither  read  nor  write.  He 
offered  to  write  declarations  for  Abram  Reger,  a  son  of  Jacob  Rcgcr,  Sr.,  and  Samuel 
Bonnett,  who  were  too  young  for  service  in  the  Revolutionary  War;  but  the  offer 
was  spurned.  Many  of  the  old  soldiers  fled  to  distant  parts  to  avoid  prosecution, 
while  others  were  financially  ruined  in  their  efforts  at  restitution.  James  Bennett, 
a  young  man  of  ability,  who  wrote  Hess'  declaration,  was  inveigled  into  this  busi- 
ness by  Wamsley,  and  became  a  fugitive  in  Texas.  He  was  afterwards  pardoned 
and  permitted  to  return  home. 

With  no  means  of  proving  his  military  service,  Hess'  name  was  never  restored 
to  the  pension  roll;  and  his  last  years  were  marked  with  penury  and  suffering.  He 
survived  his  wife,  and  lived  with  his  daughter,  Charity,  on  Hacker's  Creek,  where 
he  died  October  4,  1848.  The  descendants  of  Hess  claim  that  he  served  in  the  War 
of  1812,  but  I  have  found  no  record  of  such  service.  No  claim  for  pension  was 
ever  filed. 

Hezekiah  Hess  left  the  following  children:  Charity  (married  Thomas  Hacker), 

Mary  (married  Thomas  Parsons),  Matilda  (married  Stanley);  Melissa, 

and  Abraham.  He  is  known  to  have  had  another  daughter,  Nancy,  who  married 
Isaac  Williams  and  went  west  about  1S40,  and  nf  whom  nothing  more  was  ever 
heard. 

Hess'  declaration  was  sworn  to  before  Thomas  C.  Hinzman,  born  in  Harrison 
County,  Virginia,  March  2,  1797.  Xear  the  close  of  the  War  of  1812,  he  enlisted 
with  some  Virginia  troops,  and  was  sent  to  Norfolk,  Virginia,  but  saw  no  active 
service.  He  lived  on  Buckhannon  Run,  Lewis  County,  the  greater  part  of  his  life, 
and  was  Justice  for  more  than  thirty  years.  He  is  reputed  to  have  killed  the  last 
wolf  slain  in  that  country. 

His  father,  Henry  Hinseman  (as  then  spelled),  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier, 
who  settled  on  Simpson's  Creek,  Harrison  County,  sometime  after  the  close  of 
the  war,  but  removed  to  Hacker's  Creek,  about  1799,  where  he  died  December  24, 
1827.  It  would  appear  from  the  evidence  on  the  claim  for  pension  made  April  4, 
1859,  by  his  widow,  Charity  Hinseman,  nee  Coon,  that  he  enlisted  or  volunteered, 
at  Philadelphia  in  the  Summer  of  1779  or  1780,  for  six  or  nine  months  and  was 
attached  to  the  artillery.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term,  he  re-enlisted  for  three 
years  in  a  Pennsylvania  Regiment  and  served  till  close  of  the  war.  His  regiment 
was  commanded  a  part  of  the  time  by  Col.  Butler  and  one  of  his  Captains  was  Gray 
or  Kenneda.  This  second  enlistment  was  "about  the  time  of  the  Revolt  of  the 
Penna.  Line  at  which  time  several  of  the  Regts.  were  consolidated."  This  was 
the  famous  revolt  of  thirteen  hundred  troops  under  Gen.  Wayne.  January  1781,  at 
Morristown,  Penn.  The  widow  stated  that  she  married  Henry  Hinseman  in 
Harrison  County,  \'a.,  Sept.  16,  1794,  by  John  Lovcbcrr.\-.  a  Baptist  preacher;  and 


506  Border  Settlers  OF  Northwestern  Virginia 

that  she  received  Bounty  Land  from  the  U.  S.  under  Act  March  3,  1855.  Henrv 
Hinseman's  name  appears  on  the  December  1780  Muster  Rolls,  Capt.  Grey's  Com- 
pany, late  Line  of  Pennsylvania. 

Records  in  the  Comptroller  General's  office  May  31,  1791,  show  that  the 
"State  of  Pennsylvania  is  indebted  to  Henry  Hihseman,  late  of  the  New  Levies  in 
the  sum  of  seventeen  pounds,  ten  shillings  with  the  lawful  interest  from  the  first 
day  of  July,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty-three.  The  same  being  due  up 
account  settled  in  the  office.  Pursuant  to  Act  of  Assembly  passed  the  first  day  of 
April,  1784. 

(Signed)     John  Donnaldson. 
Reg.  Gen.  Office. 

In  October  1859,  a  certificate  was  granted  to  Charity  Hinseman  for  323.33  per 
annum  with  back  pay  from  March  4, 1848.  On  Sept.  4, 1860,  her  name  was  dropped 
from  the  pension  roll,  but  was  re-instated  June  16,  1866.  In  her  petition  made 
May  26,  1865,  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  five  years,  in  the  County  of  Roane, 
State  of  West  Virginia,  Charity  Hinseman  testified  that  she  was  unable  to  labor 
on  account  of  her  advanced  age  and  that  she  had  not  "in  any  manner  encouraged 
the  rebels  or  manifested  a  sympathy  with  the  cause  of  the  rebellion."  She  died 
March  13,  1872,  at  the  home  of  her  son-in-law,  Stephen  Starcher,  near  Spencer, 
Roane  County,  West  Va.,  when  one  hundred  and  twelve  years  old.  Records  in 
the  Treasury  Department  show  that  at  the  time  of  her  death  Mrs.  Hinseman  was 
receiving  310.27  per  month  and  the  last  payment  was  made  to  Stephen  Starcher, 
Administrator,  and  pension  left  children  were  Thomas  C.  and  John  Hinseman, 
Mary  Rains,  Elizabeth  Hughes  and  Rebecca  Whitzel. 

The  following  genealogy  is  copied  from  four  leaves  torn  from  the  old  family 
Bible  as  testified  to  by  J.  M.  McWhorter,  Clerk  of  Roane  County,  and  submitted 
as  evidence  in  Mrs.  Hinseman's  claim  for  pension.  The  name  Charity,  however, 
appears  on  the  margin,  near  the  center  of  the  list,  but  it  is  here  placed  in  its  proper 
order: 

"Henry  Hinseman  and  Charity  Coon  was  married  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
1794,  Sept.  16th. 

Abraham  Hinseman  was  born  the  29  day  of  June  1795. 

Thomas  Hinseman  was  born  the  2nd  day  of  March  1797. 

Sarah  Hinseman  was  born  the  6  day  of  february  1799. 

Massey  and  a 

Elizabeth  Hinseman  was  born  the  19  day  of  March  1801. 

Henry  Hinseman  was  born  the  20  day  of  March  1803. 

William  Hinseman  was  born  March  the  19,  1805. 

David  Hinseman  was  born  May  the  10,  1807. 

Mary  Hynman  was  born  the  29  Jan.  1811. 

John  Hynman  was  born  11  July  1813. 

Rebecka  Hinseman  was  born  the  July  19,  1816. 

Charity  Hineman  was  born  the  25  of  february  1819." 

It  has  been  claimed  that  Henry  Hinseman  was  a  deserter  from  the  Hessian 
troops;  but  his  grandson,  Mr.  David  B.  Hinzman,  line  of  his  son  Thomas  C,  writes 
me  that  such  tradition  is  without  foundation,  and  that  his  grandfather  served  six 
years  in  the  Revolution,  part  of  this  time  under  Gen.  Morgan,  and  was  wounded 
three  times. 


Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia  507 

(29)  The  McW'liorter  Mill  at  West's  Fort,  was  afterwards  owned  by  the 
Jacksons.  In  later  years,  there  was  a  mill  further  up  the  creek,  on  the  David  Smith 
farm,  and  in  my  earliest  recollections  was  known  as  the  "Boram  Mill."  It  was 
in  the  creek  above  where  the  dam  for  this  mill  was  afterwards  built,  that  the  body 
of  the  murdered  Indian  was  said  to  have  been  sunk. 

The  killing  of  the  Indian  and  sinking  him  in  Hacker's  Creek,  must  have  been 
perpetrated  bj-  another  than  Hess,  who  did  not  settle  on  the  western  waters  until 
1822.  Tradition  sa\'s  that  this  Indian  was  killed  on  the  David  Smith  farm,  some 
distance  above  the  West  Homestead,  and  was  one  of  the  party  engaged  in  the  West 
tragedy  in  1787  and  who,  on  that  occasion  stabbed  and  scalped  the  little  daughter 
of  John  Hacker.  It  is  probable  that  the  warrior  met  death  at  the  hands  of  some 
of  the  Hackers,  wiien  \isiting  the  settlements  during  peace  in  after  years. 

(30)  Mr.  Hacker  writes  me,  "When  a  lad,  I  was  often  at  the  house  of  .\unt 
Martha  Bonnett,  widow  of  John  Bonnctt,  who  was  killed  by  Indians  in  1787.  She 
was  quite  aged,  and  I  sometimes  did  chores  for  her.  I  frequently  heard  her  speak  of 
border  times  and  Indian  forays.  She  resided  three  or  four  miles  south  of  Jane  Lew. 
There  was  a  ledge  of  rocks,  where  the  Indians  once  sat  and  repaired  their  mocca- 
sins.    Vou  certainly  remember  the  old  'Bug-a-boo  Hollow.'  " 

(31)  Bald  Eagle  was  murdered  about  1772,  just  prior  to  theBullTown  massacre. 
If  William  Hacker's  wife  was  killed  by  the  Indians,  it  must  have  been  after  these 
events.  The  Mrs.  Hacker,  who  was  attacked  by  the  Indians  near  West's  Fort  in 
June  1778  {Border  Warfare,  p.  245),  is  claimed  to  have  been  the  wife  of  William 
Hacker.  {History  of  Upshur  County,  West  Virginia,  p.  182.)  I  have  been  unable 
to  find  any  other  data  touching  the  case. 

(32)  This  could  not  have  been  Elijah  Runner,  of  notorious  border  fame.  See 
note  40,  this  correspondence. 

(33)  Rev.  William  Granville  Hacker  was  born  on  Hacker's  Creek,  West  Vir- 
ginia, 1841,  and  like  his  kinsman.  Rev.  John  T.  Hacker,  grew  to  manhood  without 
the  facilities  of  obtaining  an  education.  In  September  1862  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  the  Fifteenth  West  Virginia  Regiment  and  served  to  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
participated  in  nineteen  regular  battles  and  twenty-seven  skirmishes;  and  was 
wounded  three  times,  the  most  serious  being  in  the  right  thigh,  received  during  an 
engagement  near  Richmond,  Virginia. 

Mr.  Hacker  was  a  clergyman  for  years,  living  in  Wicliita,  Kansas.  Since  tlie 
writing  of  this  note,  he  died  April  13,  1911. 

(34)  Powers  was  ensign  of  a  company  of  scouts  under  Colonel  Lowthcr  in  1783, 
hut  he  never  held  the  commission  of  captain. 

(35)  A  mistake:  This  stream  was  named  for  John  Hacker,  the  father  of 
the  William  Hacker  referred  to. 

(36)  William  Powers  was  born  in  Frederick  County,  \'irginia,  November  9, 1765. 

(37)  Old  edition  —  new  edition,  pp.  135,  136. 

(38)  Old  edition  —  new  edition,  pp.  136,  137,  138. 

(39)  Bridgeport  is  on  Simpson's  Creek,  about  six  miles  from  Clarksburg.  Here 
was  located  Power's  Fort  alluded  to  in  liorcirr  Warfarr,  p.  247. 


508  Border  Settlers  of  Northwestern  Virginia 

(40)  This  inquiry  of  Dr.  Draper  was  in  regard  to  Elijah  Runner,  who  was  con- 
nected with  the  murder  of  the  Delaware  Chief,  Bald  Eagle.  {Border  Warfare,  pp. 
135, 136.)  There  was  a  family  of  Runyons  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Jane  Lew  at  this 
time,  who  were  confused  by  Dr.  Draper's  correspondents  with  the  Elijah  Runner 
of  historic  renown. 

(41)  James  W.Jackson  was  a  grandson  of  Stephen  Jackson,  a  son  of  Captain 
Edward  Jackson,  who  settled  on  the  Buckhannon  with  his  father,  John  Jackson 
in  1769.  Stephen  Jackson  was  a  scout  during  the  later  years  of  Indian  hostilities 
on  the  border. 

(42)  Christopher  T.  Cutright,  who  died  July  15,  1897,  aged  93. 


NOTES  ON  APPENDIX  II 

(1)  "Warden's  Statistics  &c.,  I,  250." 

(2)  "Trans.  Am.  Ethnol.  Soc,  II,  I." 

(3)  "Journal  of  Two  Visits,  17." 

(4)  "Jones'  Jour,  of  Two  Visits,  30,  84." 

(5)  "Trans.  Am.  Antiq.  Soc,  II,  foot  note  139,  140." 

(6)  "Hutchins'  Top.  1  Description,  4." 

(7)  "Trans.  Am.  Ethnol.  Soc,  II,  p.  1." 

(8)  "Am.  Naturalist,  V.  720." 

(9)  This  was  at  the  Burning  Springs.  Two  buffaloes  were  killed  and  their 
hides  suspended  on  the  limbs  of  a  beech  tree.  When  retreating  over  this  route  a  short 
time  later,  the  starving  soldiers,  who  were  not  permitted  to  kindle  a  fire  at  night 
although  it  was  dead  winter,  cut  these  hides  into  long  strips,  or  tugs,  and  roasting 
them  in  the  flames  of  the  burning  spring,  ate  them.  From  this  incident  Tug  River 
derived  its  name.  Withers,  p.  83.  —  For  another  version  of  the  origin  of  this 
name,  consult  the  First  Biennial  Report  of  West  Virginia  State  Archives  and  His- 
tory, pp.  262,  263.  — Z.  V.  McW. 

(10)  Alluding  to  the  buffalo  killed  by  Samuel  Pringle  while  camped  in  the  syca- 
more tree  in  (now)  Upshur  County;  and  the  destruction  of  the  corn  crop  of  the 
settlers  in  1769.  —  L.  V.  McW. 

(11)  Both  Withers  and  DeHass  give  the  date  1736,  when  Benjamin  Burden 
presented  to  Gov.  Gooch  of  Virginia,  a  buffalo  calf  which  had  been  caught  on 
the  waters  of  the  Shenandoah  River,  and  tamed.  —  L.  V.  McW. 

(12)  Consult  also  Hand  Book  of  American  hidians.  Part  I.  p.  169.  — L.  V.  McW. 


NOTES  ON  APPENDIX  III 

(1)  The  spear-heads  secured,  were,  at  a  later  day,  along  with  other  relics,  placed 
by  me  in  the  Museum  of  the  West  Virginia  Historical  and  Antiquarian  Society, 
Charleston:  since  converted  into  State  Archives  and  History. 


Border  Settlers  of  Xortiiwestern  \'ir{;ini.\  509 

(2)  Prof.  Maxwell  says:  "The  Pctro  family  (sometimes  spelled  Pedro)  were 
said  to  be  Spanish.  They  were  dark  of  complexion,  and  of  spare  build.  When  and 
how  they  came  to  Randolph  has  never  been  certainly  ascertained.  They  arc  fre- 
quently mentioned  in  the  earliest  county  records,  and  their  descendants  arc  now 
numerous  in  Randolph  and  adjoining  counties."  History  of  Randolph  County, 
West  Va.,  p.  183. 

Refer  to  Note  S,  Chapter  X.,  and  Wcsifall's  Letter,  .Ippendix  I,  this  \'olume, 
for  mention  of  Petro. 

(3)  History  of  Upshur  County,  If'est  I'a.,  pp.  331,  332. 

(4)  History  of  Upshur  County,  IFest  Va.,  pp.  332  to  335. 

(5)  PowcITs  MiHiiUain  is  in  liic  Xiuthcrn  part  of  Xichoias  County.  The  monu- 
ment noted  by  Mr.  Conneiley,  who  got  his  information  from  his  j.'uide  who  was 
ignorant  of  the  facts,  is  one  erected  to  Henry  Young,  a  civilian  killed  by  the  van 
guard  of  Gen.  Rosencrans'  troops  sent  from  Clarksburg  to  dislodge  Brigadier  Gen. 
John  B.  Floyd,  Confederate,  who  was  encamped  in  the  southern  part  of  the  County. 
The  Federals  came  upon  Young  near  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  then  a  wilder- 
ness, and  disregarding  the  order  to  halt,  was  killed.  A  Federal  officer  appeared  at 
the  Young  homestead  and  reported  the  particulars  of  the  death  of  the  husband  and 
father.  Young  was  buried  there  and  the  monument  afterwards  placed  with  funds 
secured  by  partisan  subscription. 

After  the  killing  of  Young,  Rosencrans  continued  his  march  and  on  the  10th 
of  September,  1861,  came  upon  Boyd's  forces  at  Carnefix  Ferry,  where  a  severe 
engagement  ensued.  The  Confederates  were  defeated,  and  made  a  hurried  retreat 
into  Virginia. 

Judge  Wm.  S.  O'Brien  of  West  \'irginia,  who  is  well  versed  in  local  history, 
writes  me  that  partisan  feeling  ran  high  in  that  sparsely  settled  region  because  of 
the  killing  of  Young,  which  was  done  by  Ohio  troops.  His  friends  claimed  that 
he  was  a  harmless  man,  and  the  victim  of  "bush-whacking"  methods,  so  prevalent 
throughout  the  mountains  during  the  entire  Civil  War.  On  the  other  hand  Union 
sympathizers  averred  that  Young  was  a  "bush-whacker."  The  Judge  is  of  opinion 
that  neither  report  is  correct;  and  that  Young,  startled  by  the  sudden  appearance 
of  the  Federals,  fled,  as  he  supposed,  from  certain  capture  or  death;  which  hastened 
his  undoing.  A  negro  who  claimed  to  have  been  with  the  troops  and  witnessed 
the  shooting,  gave  Mr.  Frank  Scott,  of  West  \'irginia,  practically  the  same  version 
of  the  tragedy  as  obtained  by  the  family  from  the  reporting  officer. 


NOTES  ON  APPENDIX  IV 

(1)  It  is  noteworthy  that  Kercheval  and  subsequent  writers  speak  of  the  mill 
owned  by  John  Brake,  a  "German  of  considerable  wealth,"  whose  residence  was 
the  rendezvous  of  the  Tory  element.  It  is  very  probable  that  Jacob  Brake  was 
a  brother  to  John,  and  the  mill  in  question  was  joint  property.  It  is  significant 
that  the  name  of  John  Brake  does  not  appear  in  any  of  the  petitions  for  executive 
clemency  with  that  of  Claypole,  Jacob  Brake  and  others.  Perhaps  he  was  among 
those  who  had  already  fled  the  country.— Refer  to  Note  4,  Chapt.  XXX.  this 
Volume,  for  notice  of  Brake's  mill. 


The  Crime  Against 
the  Yakimas 

By 
LUCULLUS  VIRGIL  McWHORTER 

56  pp.,  34  Original  Halftones;  Color  Engraved  Paper  Covers 
PRICE  40  CENTS 

A  startling  exposure  of  the  sordid  plot  to  loot  a 
helpless  people  of  their  homes,  wherein  a  second  Yak- 
ima War  was  narrowly  averted.  A  story  of  outrage 
and  graft,  implicating  Indian  officials,  politicians  and 
local  citizens. 


A  FEW  UNSOLICITED  TESTIMONIALS 

"Mr.  McWhorter  does  not  practice  circumlocution." 

Yakima  Daily  Republic. 

"Truly  you  were  well  qualified  to  tell  the  'sordid  story.'  " 

Legal  Aid  Committee,  Society  of  American  Indians. 

"I  am  glad  that  you  wrote  this  story  of  loot  and  graft.     Find 
money  order  for  ten  copies,  which  send  as  follows: — " 

Prof.  W.  K.  Moorehead, 
Member  of  Board  of  Indian  Commissioners. 


"Of  rare  interest, 
interesting  one." 


The  story,  so  well  told  that  makes  it  an 

W.  P.  Campbell, 
Custodian,  Oklahoma  Historical  Society. 

"An  'eye  opener.'  You  have  made  a  splendid  fight  for  your 
people.  I  congratulate  you  for  your  fearless  exposure  of  the 
'Crime.'"  W.  D.  Lyman, 

Prof,  of  American  History,  Whitman  College, 
Walla  Walla,  Wash. 

"McWhorter  is  a  'post,'  a  'wall,'  standing  between  us  and  the 
white  men,  who,  like  wolves,  are  ready  to  eat  us  up." 

Louis  Mann,  Corresponding  Secretary, 

Yakima  Indian  Council. 

"I  am  sure  the  information  it  contains  and  the  views  presented 
will  be  of  great  assistance  in  dealing  with  the  question  in  Congress." 
Hon.  Miles  Poindexter,  U.  S.  Senate, 

Washington,  D.  C. 


The  Crime  Against 
the  Yakimas 

By 
LUCULLUS  VIRGIL  McWHORTER 

56  pp.,  34  Original  Halftones;  Color  Engraved  Paper  Covers 

PRICE  40  CENTS 


A  startling  exposure  of  the  sordid  plot  to  loot  a 
helpless  people  of  their  homes,  wherein  a  second  Yak- 
ima War  was  narrowly  averted.  A  story  of  outrage 
and  graft,  implicating  Indian  officials,  politicians  and 
local  citizens. 


A  FEW  UNSOLICITED  TESTIMONIALS 

"Mr.  McWhorter  does  not  practice  circumlocution." 

Yakima  Daily  Republic. 

"Truly  you  were  well  qualified  to  tell  the  'sordid  story.' " 

Legal  Aid  Committee,  Society  of  American  Indians. 

"I  am  glad  that  you  wrote  this  story  of  loot  and  graft.  Find 
money  order  for  ten  copies,  which  send  as  follows: — " 

Prof.  W.  K.  Moorehead, 
Member  of  Board  of  Indian  Commissioners. 

"Of  rare  interest.  The  story,  so  well  told  that  makes  it  an 
interesting  one."  ^_  p_  Campbell, 

Custodian,  Oklahoma  Historical  Society. 

"An  'eye  opener.'  You  have  made  a  splendid  fight  for  your 
people.  I  congratulate  you  for  your  fearless  exposure  of  the 
'Crime.'"  W.  D.  Lyman, 

Prof,  of  American  History,  Whitman  College, 
Walla  Walla,  Wash. 

"McWhorter  is  a  'post,'  a  'wall,'  standing  between  us  and  the 
white  men,  who,  like  wolves,  are  ready  to  eat  us  up." 

Louis  Mann,  Corresponding  Secretary, 

Yakima  Indian  Council. 

"I  am  sure  the  information  it  contains  and  the  views  presented 
will  be  of  great  assistance  in  dealing  with  the  question  in  Congress." 
Hon.  Miles  Poindexter,  U.  S.  Senate, 

Washington,  D.  C. 


ADVANCE  SritS(  HIItKHS  TO  -ItOltDICIt   SiyiTLKRS 

OF  >oitTHwi:sn:it.N  vih<;ima." 


Alderman,  William  A Rock  Cave,  West  Va. 

Allender,  Mrs.  Sarah  L Oxford,  West  Va. 

Alkirc,  Nicholas Jane  Lew,  West  Va. 

Allmaii,  J.I Jane  I.cw,  West  Va. 

Alfred,  .Mrs.  W.  I Tacoma,  Wash. 

Batten,  Sarah Jane  Lew,  West  Va. 

Bennett,  I..  M Weston,  West  Va. 

Brake,  .A.  R Auburn,  West  Va. 

Brannon,  W.  W.,  .Attorney.  .  .Weston,  West  Va. 

Bartlett,  X.  J.,  Co.,  Booksellers  (2  copies) 

Corn  Hill  Boston,  Mass. 

Berlin,  A.  K Allciitown,  Pa. 

Birkes,  Mrs.  Mamie North  Yakima,  Wash. 

Bond,  Fred Toppcnish,  Wash. 

Campbell,  Miss  Beryl Walla  Walla.  Wash. 

Clark,  The  John  Co.,  B<x.ksellers  (10  copies)  . .  . 
5511  Kuclid  .\ve.,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Cobb,  W.  H KIkins,  West  \a. 

Cookman,  Dr.  C.  L Jane  Lew,  West  Va. 

Cowcn,  Jesse  F. Jane  Lew,  West  \'a. 

Curry,  VV  .  H Buckhannon,  West  Va. 

Cutright,  Hon.  W.  B.,  Atty.  Buckhannon,  W.  Va. 

Davis,  Hon.  J.  T Elkinr,,  West  Va. 

Dyre,  Mrs.  Philena  McW. .  .  .  Philippi,  West  \'a. 

Dowling,  Mrs.  Colista  M.,  .Xrtist 

742  Belmont  St.,  Portland,  Oregon. 

Ferrell,  Lloyd  B Wichita,  Kansas. 

Foreman,  Mrs.  Rose Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

Friedline,  Mrs.  Mamie.  .  .North  Yakima,  Wash. 

Gandee,  James  S Peninsula,  Ohio. 

Gainer,  Mrs.  Olive Weston,  West  Va. 

Gould,  A.J Weston,  West  Va. 

Gordon,  D.  J Jane  Lew,  West  \'a. 

Hacker,  R.  A St.  John,  Kansas. 

Hacker,  W.  D Wichita,  Kansas. 

Hayden,  Rev.  Horace  Edwin    W'ilkes-Barre,  Pa. 

Hall,  A.  S Auburn,  West  Va. 

Haymond,  Hon.  Henry,  .Attorney 

Clarksburg,  West  \"a. 
Heavner,  Mrs.  Clara  DuMont 

Buckhannon,  West  Va. 

Helmick,  Clark  W West  Milford,  West  Va. 

Hession,  John Fairmont,  West  Va. 

Hefner,  T.  J Buckhannon,  West  Va. 

Hinzman,  David  F Buckhannon,  West  Va. 

Hinzman,  Knoch Buckhannon,  West  \'a. 

Hughes,  Draper Buckhannon,  West  Va. 

Hughes,  W.  W.,  Atty.  (2  copies)  .Welch,  W.  Va. 

Hughes,  W.  I Jane  Lew,  VVest  Va. 

Hughes,  Thomas,  Attorney 

223  St.  Paul  St.,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Hurst,  M.  Dc,  Attorney  (2  copies) 

Woodland.  Cal. 

Inpalsbc,  Mrs.  Iris  McW.,  North  Yakima,  Wash. 

liigalsbe.  Walter  Edwin.  .North  Yakima.  Wash. 

James,  Prof.  Edmund  J.,  University  of  Illinois.  . 

Urbana,  111. 

James,  Prof.  John  N.,  State  Normal  School 

Indiana,  Pa. 

Jayne,  Prof.  J.  M Swatella,  Cal. 

Johnson,  \Vm.  E.,  Editor  Now  Republic 

Westerville,  Ohio. 
Jenkins,  Mrs.  Leni  McW.,  Teacher  Elocution... 

Buckhannon,  West  \'a. 

Jett,  T.  J Weston,  West  Va. 

Kittle,  Judge  Warren  B.(2  copies)  Philippi,W.Va. 

Keedick,  Mrs.  Mabel  Ferris 

7m  West  169th  St.,  New  York  City. 

Kelsey,  Samuel , .  .North  Yakima,  Wash. 

Langdon.  J.  W Walla  Walla,  Wash. 

Lawson,  Percy  F. Jeffer.son.  Ohio. 

Lawson,  .Mrs.  Flora  McW.,  Meadow  Bluff s,W.\"a. 

Law,  T.  A Buckhannon,  West  \'a. 

Law.  M.  J Jane  Lew.  West  Va. 

Lowther,  Granville,  D.  D.,  North  Yakima,  Wash. 

Lowther,  Rev.  C.  I Ellensburg,  Wash. 

Lowther,  MissMinnie  K.,  Editor, Glenville,W.Va. 

Lowther,  Granville  S Ireland,  West  Va. 

Luce,  Mrs.  Sarah  A Conrad,  Montana. 

MacLean,    J.    P.,    Ph.  D..    (Second     subscriber, 

5  copies) Hamilton,  Ohio. 

McCroskey,  Miss  Birdie .Astoria,  Oregon. 


.McKinly,  Aldo Jane  Lew,  West  Va- 

McWhortcr,    Rev.    MansAeld     (Bequeathed    to 
eldest  grandson) Philippi,  West  \'a. 

McWhorter,     Cyrus    S.,     (First     subscriber,     2 
copies) Rcdiands,  Cal. 

McWhorter,  T.  I 

516    S.    Spring    St.,    Los    Angeles,    Cal. 

McWhorter,  .Alden  B Fresno,  Cal. 

McWhorter,  K.  H.  (4  copies) 

1  West  .^4th  St.,  New  York  City. 

McWhortcr.  .A.  W.,  Prof,  of  English. .......... 

Hampden-Sidney  College,  Virgini-i. 

McWhorter,  Ovid  T.,   Dept.  Agriculture,   High 
School  (2  copies) Snohomish,  Wash. 

McWhorter,  Virgil  O.,  Bureau  Animal    Industry 
(2  copies) Washington,  D.  C. 

McWhorter,  Cicero  C.  F.,  North  Yakima.  Wash. 

.McWhorter,  James,  Printer Seattle,  Wash. 

McWhorter,  Miss  Minnie  S.,  Teacher 

Charleston,  West  \a. 

McWhorter,  L.  E.,  Atty.  .  .  .  Charleston,  W.  \a. 

McWhorter,  J.  Scott,  Atty.  .  .Lewisburg,  W.  \'a. 

McWhorter,  PMavius  J..    Buckhannon,  West  \'a. 

McWhortcr.  Lycurgus  D.  .  Buckhannon.  W.  \'a. 

McWhorter,  Carlton  B Weston,  West  \'a. 

McWhorter,  Dr.  Ralph Weston,  West  \'a. 

McWhortcr.  Daniel  G...  .McWhortcr.  West  \'a. 

McWhorter.  F.lias  S McWhorter.  West  Va. 

McWhorter.  W.  G.,  Justice.  .  .Horner,  West  Va. 

McWhorter,  J.  M Lost  Creek,  West  \'a. 

McWhorter,  N.  A Jane  Lew,  West  Va. 

Maxwell.  Pro.  Hu F^ingston.  III. 

Maxwell,  Claud,  Attorney Elkins,  VVest  \'a^ 

Maxson,  J.  K.  P Morgantown,  West  NaT 

Marple,  Rev.  O.  U Huntington,  VVest  V'a. 

Morris,  Walter  M Mount  Clair,  West  V"a. 

Morrison,  M.  D Buckhannon.  We  t  V  a. 

Morrison.  T.  H Weston.  West  \  a. 

Moore.  Oscar  L Topeka.  Kansas. 

Moorehead.  Pro.  Warren   King.   Dept.  .Archae- 
ology, Phillips  Academy .Andover,  Mass. 

Morning  Dove  (Mrs.  Christal  McLeod)  ....... 

Napoleon,  Wash. 

Nutter,  W.  D Lost  Creek,  VVest  V'a. 

O'Brien.  Judge  Wm.  S  .  .Buckhannon.  West  Va. 

Price,  Rev.  Wm.  T Marlinton.  West  Va. 

Prinelc.  M.  .\ Weston.  VVest  Va. 

Public  Library North  Yakima.  VVash. 

Reger,  Carl,  .Arch.  Eng.  .  .  Morgantown.  W.  Va. 

Reger,  Roy,  Attorney.  .  .  .  Charleston,  VVest  Va. 

Reger,  Kent Lorent/.  VVest  Va. 

Reger,  M.  M Weston.  VVest  Va. 

RifTee.  C.  A Buckhannon.  VVest  Va. 

Rogers  D.  M Weston,  VVest  Va. 

Ruebush-Elkins  Co.,  Book  Publisher*    (8  copies) 
Dayton,  Va. 

Rhodes,  C.  A North  Yakima,  VVash. 

Springston,  Mrs.  Rev.  J.  D 

615  E.  Pine  St.,  Portland,  Oregon. 

Sterling,  Mrs.  E.  C.  (3  copies)...  Redlands.  Cal. 

Sw  isher,  .Albert  VV Barnardino,  Cal. 

Swisher,  John  B Weston,  West  V^a. 

Starcher,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Lawson,  Weston.  VV.  Va. 

Starcher,  G.  VV Cox's  Mill,  West  Va. 

Stonestreet,  Miss   R.   Elizabeth    .■••.•• 

Buckhannon.  VV  .  Va. 

Stuttler.  Boyd  B.,  Editor,  Grantsville,  VVest  Va. 

Tavlor,  E.  O Weston.  VVest  Va. 

Ta'ylor,  R.  C Horner.  West  Va. 

Taylor,  Luther Buckhannon.  West  \  a. 

Vanhorn.  Ruby Big  Bend.  West  V'a. 

Virginia  State  Library Richmond.  Va. 

Waggoner,  .Alda Buckhannon,  VVest  V'a. 

Waggoner,  George  B Jane  Lew  West  Va. 

Wilcox,  C.  S Crow  Summit,  West  V'a. 

Wilmoth,  L.  D Montrose,  West  V'a. 

Wick.  Henr}' Youngstown.  Ohio. 

Washington  State  University  Historical  Society. 
Seattle,  VV  ash. 

Western  Reserve  Hist.  Society.  .  .    Cleveland,  O. 

Wisconsin  State  Hist.  Society.  .  .    Madison.  Wis. 

Yakatowit,  Chief  Tecumseh.  .Toppenish.  Wash. 


"A  hot  tamale — Look  out  that  you  are  not  waylaid  on  the 
night-trail  by  some  of  those  whom  you  have  so  mercilessly 
flayed."  Wm.  E.  Johnson, 

Former  Chief  Special  Officer  U.  S.  Indian  Service. 

"I  read  the  book  with  great  interest.     You  ought  to  win  out 

for  your  people.     They  have  been  robbed  and  mistreated  long 

enough.     I  would  like  to  see  the  thieves  sent  to  the  penitentiary." 

Wm.  E.  Connelley,  Topeka,  Kansas. 

"This  story  tells  of  the  grievous  wrongs  that  have  been  heaped 
upon  the  Yakima  Indians,  and  is  told  by  one  abundantly  qualified 
to  recite  the  outrageous  narrative." — The  New  Republic. 

"You  have  handled  the  subject  in  a  masterly  manner.  I  do 
not  think  that  you  could  improve  upon  it.  You  certainly  are 
deserving  of  praise  from  every  one  possessed  of  the  sense  of  right. 
You  have  obeyed  the  Golden  Rule  in  its  highest  attribute.  The 
cause  is  a  noble  one.  If  you  have  not  proved  yourself  to  be  a 
benefactor  of  mankind,  then  no  such  thing  exists.  You  surely 
baffled  as  rascally  a  set  of  scoundrels  as  ever  lived;  and  that 
without  hope  of  reward." 

J.  P.  MacLean,  Ph.  D.,  Franklin,  Ohio. 


PRESS  COMMENTS  PUBLISHED  ON  THE 
YAKIMA  INDIAN  RESERVATION 

"McWhorter  is  a  member  of  the  tribe  by  adoption  and  has 
been  a  prominent  figure  at  the  public  meetings  and  the  councils 
of  the  Indians  during  the  past  few  years.  Throughout  the  entire 
pamphlet  the  writer  sticks  close  to  his  text,  bringing  all  manner 
of  documentary  and  other  evidence  forward  to  prove  his  points. 
In  its  entirety,  the  pamphlet  is  probably  the  most  comprehensive 
review  ever  published,  of  the  reservation  situation  and  from  the 
Indian's  standpoint.  McWhorter  makes  out  an  exceptionally 
strong  case." — The  Toppenish  Review. 

"Aside  from  the  beauty  of  the  publication  it  can  truthfully  be 
said  that  there  is  a  fountain  of  knowledge  contained  within  its 
covers.  No  man  is  more  capable  of  placing  the  needs  and  require- 
ments of  the  Indian  before  the  public  than  the  author.  No  man 
is  closer  in  touch  with  the  Indian  in  his  home  life.  Mr.  McWhorter 
is  a  member  of  the  Yakima  tribe  of  Indians  by  adoption.  Dur- 
ing the  many  years  of  his  membership  he  has  labored  for  the 
uplift  of  his  friend — the  Indian.  He  has  been  foremost  in  urging 
upon  the  government  such  legislation  as  would  protect  the  Indian 
in  his  vested  rights.  With  the  knowledge  obtained  through  a 
close  observance  of  all  that  pertains  to  the  welfare  of  the  Indian, 
the  author  seeks  to  show  that  the  members  of  his  tribe  have  been 
more  sinned  against  than  sinning,  and  that  he  has  succeeded 
no  reader  will  deny." — Wapato  Independent. 

Address  all  Orders  to 

L.  V.  McWhorter,  North  Yakima,  Wash.