USA > Indiana > Wayne County > Richmond > Memoirs of Wayne County and the city of Richmond, Indiana; from the earliest historical times down to the present, including a genealogical and biographical record of representative families in Wayne County, Volume I Pt. 1 > Part 6
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27
The captors used all possible speed to get their prisoners
5I
EARLY HISTORY-CONTINUED
away from so near the forts. They took the harness from the horses and bound the prisoners with the lines. Mounting the horses and leading the prisoners, they hurried towards the Ohio river. They arrived before dark and found three canoes con- cealed on the south bank of the river. The whole party crossed and hurried toward Wapuccanatta (this Indian town stood near the site of the village of Wapakoneta, Auglaize county, Ohio).
It was late that night before they halted and then they were some twenty miles north from the Ohio. Here they encamped without building a fire. For the purpose of eluding pursuit, if any should be attempted, a feint was made by traveling awhile towards the Indian town near Vincennes. The next day was spent in this detour.
Rue had been in several campaigns against the Indians and had obtained some smattering of their language. Girty generally conversed in the Delaware dialect and from the expressions of Rue's countenance suspected that he comprehended what he said. He therefore contrived to separate Rue from the other captives and inquired of them if Rue had not been in some campaigns against the Indians. Admonished by uplifted tomahawks and re- minded if the Indians ever caught them in a lie death was the penalty, they reluctantly confessed that Rue had been in several expeditions. Rue chanced to overhear this conversation and feared that his hour had come. But knowing how highly bravery was esteemed by the Indians, he approached the camp and seated himself on a log by Girty, as though he knew nothing of what had transpired. Presently Girty asked him, "Rne, were you ever in a campaign against the Indians?" "Yes." "How many?" "Four." "Were you with General Clark at the taking of Vin- cennes?" "I was." "Were you with him when he made his dash against Chillicothe and destroyed the Piqua towns and Loramie's Store?" "I was." Girty sprang from his seat in great rage and ex- claimed: "You played h-1 there; didn't you? I have a mind to split your skull with this hatchet!" But he changed the weapon in his hand and struck Rue only with the handle.
The party relaxed their speed on the third day and, changing their course, proceeded through the White and Blue river coun- tries towards the headwaters of the Wabash. On this journey the Indians generally camped without fire. At night they tied the hands of the captives behind them and made them sleep between guards who lay on the ends of the cords which bound them. The food during the journey consisted of game, hastily prepared.
52
MEMOIRS OF WAYNE COUNTY
When within a day's journey of Wapuccanatta a messenger was sent forward to announce their coming. Arriving in sight of the town they saw the inhabitants draw up in two lines prepared for the gauntlet. Girty explained the custom to the prisoners. Ilin- ton and Rue passed through and arrived in the council house after having received such blows as they could not dodge. Holman manifested great reluctance to enter and remonstrated with Girty for desiring one so young and reduced by hard marching to go through so severe an ordeal. After a short parley the plan was changed and women and children took the lines with switches. Holman was now told to go through, which he did, all seeming to enjoy it as a joke.
A council was held at this place, but did not decide upon the fate of the captives on account of the absence of some important personages.
Ilinton, who had assumed the appearance of contentment and cheerfulness, so as to deceive his captors, now contemplated an escape. Ilis companions counseled him to wait a while, as some- thing might turn up in their favor. But he kept his plans entirely secret and, in a few nights afterwards, it was announced that "Red Head" (as the Indians called him) had escaped. A general pur- suit was instituted. In a day or so all had returned, and they tauntingly shook his scalp in the faces of his companions and asked them "if they could smell the fire on the scalp of their old friend. We cooked him and left him for the wolves to make a breakfast upon ! That is the way we serve runaway prisoners." Shortly after this event a general rendezvous of the Indians was called near Detroit, and all the prisoners at Wapuccanatta, Chillicothe and other points were requested to be brought. Girty and his party started to the designated meeting. At the end of the third day's march they arrived at a town near the site of Toledo. It was decided that there the prisoners should run the gauntlet and, as the neighboring chiefs were assembled, the trials of Rue and Holman were determined upon.
As they approached the town the lines were formed for the race. Rue was started down the course, with a stout warrior flourishing an old sword. Rue was well nigh stunned by the blows he received. Ilis pursuer pressed hard upon him and hit him a couple of strokes on the head. Rue leaped over a brush fence, but finding his pursuer had come over also, pretended to stumble and fall. The "big Injun" threatened him with the sword, but he lay still as if unable to rise. The Indian retired several paces and
53
EARLY HISTORY-CONTINUED
motioned him to get up. Rue motioned his pursuer to get over the fence, which he did. Rue then sprang nimbly to his feet and reached the council house, without any further blows, amid the cheers of his tormenters, who could not but admire his stratagem. Holman was compelled to pass this time without the dilution of women and switches.
The programme was continued by a feast and scalp dance. The latter performance seemed to betoken no good to the prisoners. A council was then held and at last a vote was taken. Soon after the council broke up, Girty came to announce to them their antici- pated doom.
Preparations were made for burning them. Their faces were blacked, as was the custom before administering the "most ex- treme punishment known to the law."
Some strange excitement seemed to pervade the camp. Crowds lingered around the council house, conversing in excited and angry tones. After awhile a noble looking warrior ap- proached the prisoners and spoke a few words to the guard in the Mingo language. Ile then cut the cords that bound Holman and led him away, had the black washed from his face, and, putting his hands upon the boy's head, said: "I adopt you as a son, to fill the place of one I have lately buried. You are now a kinsman of Logan-once called the 'friend of the white man,' but lately the terrible avenger of his wrongs."
Presently two Indians came to Rue, unbound him, stripped him, and led him to a stake in the center of a circle of dried brush- wood. The contention seemed to break out afresh. Tomahawks and knives were brandished and a general melee appeared immi- nent. The fire was about to be applied, when a tall young Shaw- nee, son of the victim's captor, sprang into the ring, cut the cords with his tomahawk, and led Rue forth amid the mingled and noisy cheers and curses of the opposing parties. The young Shawnee, regardless of all threats or remonstrances, had Rue washed and clothed, and told his opposers that he took the pris- oner for his brother; they ought to be satisfied with the death of "Red Head"; they needed no more victims, especially the blood of these innocent young men; and besides this was his father's captive and they had not consulted him. A majority favored the release, and after some discussion the Shawnee's action was sus- tained.
This unexpected termination of the affair produced some dis- cord in the bands there assembled, and they separated. Holman
54
MEMOIRS OF WAYNE COUNTY
was taken back to Wapuccanatta, where he remained most of the time during his captivity. Rue was taken first to the Missis- sinewa and afterward to the Wabash. He spent two years of his captivity in the countries watered by the Wabash and Illinois rivers and their tributaries, and on the prairies-his accounts of which when he returned home were disbelieved.
The last months of his captivity Rue spent near Detroit. Ilere his attention was attracted by an Indian fortune teller who was performing with apparent good success. Rue and two other captives concluded to try his skill by interrogating him in regard to their families. So, when a private chance occurred, they held the consultation. The seer spread out a deer skin and covered it with enchanted sand; then, after looking steadily into the sand, he said he saw Rue's folks and gave their number, ages, and ap- pearance with such accuracy as to almost convince Rue that he was a veritable wizard. Presently the seer remarked: "You all intend to make your escape-and you will effect it soon." He gazed again at the sand and concluded: "You will meet with many trials and hardships in passing over so wild a district of country, inhabited by so many hostile nations of Indians. You will almost starve to death ; but about the time you have given up all hope of finding game to sustain you in your famished con- dition, succor will come when you least expect it. I see dimly the carcass of some wild animal taken as game. What it is I can't clearly see. It will be a masculine of some kind. After that you will find plenty of game, and you will all arrive safely at your homes." They denied all intentions or desire to escape, but told him as they had paid him for his professional services they would expect him to divulge only to them the vision he had in regard to their future. He kept his honor.
After awhile they found an opportunity to set out. They traveled as rapidly as possible during the night and remained in the swamps during the day, not daring to make a fire or shoot any game had they seen any. They could not catch even a frog from the stagnant pools around them. At dark they ventured forth and were guided in their journey by the stars or the moss on the north side of the trees, when the stars were not to be seen. The second day they could catch no game. Although Rue was well acquainted with the country, he dare not go to any of the hunting or fishing places for fear of being recaptured. Notwith- standing they were in Indian costumes, they greatly feared dis- covery, for the Indians must by this time be aware of their escape
55
EARLY HISTORY-CONTINUED
and be on the search for them. On the third day, pressed with hunger, they decided that Rue should venture forth in quest of some game. He met with no success. They were now near the Wabash, which abounded with fine fish, but they did not attempt to spear any of them by torchlight, lest the light might betray their whereabouts.
The next day Rue returned from another fruitless expedition. They sat down and felt like giving up in despair. After a little while one of the other men said, "Let me try my luck or lack of luck once more." He took a gun and was soon out of sight. Not much expectation was raised as to his success, as his want of skill was well known to his companions. But in less than three hours he returned bearing a small buck, which he had killed and partly dressed. The prediction, or sight, or guess, of their oracle came to their minds now. "It is a masculine-after killing it you will find plenty of game, and you will arrive safely at your homes." They made a fire and broiled a portion and prepared more to be taken withr them. At night they renewed their march.
Twenty days after they left Detroit they came in sight of the Ohio, about fifty miles above the falls. They made a raft and started for the (then) village of Louisville. Before they had floated half way their raft was dashed to pieces, and with diffi- culty they swam to the Kentucky shore, losing all the guns, blank- cts, etc. They struck out through the woods and soon reached Harrodsburg.
When the party which had taken Holman back to Wapuc- canatta arrived there, much dissatisfaction was manifested in re- gard to his release from the sentence of death, pronounced against him. A new council was held and the party for acquittal pre- vailed by a majority of one. About three years and a half after Ilolman was taken prisoner a cessation of hostilities was had. The Indians were much reduced by the previous war. Holman offered, if they would give him a companion who knew the way, to go to the Falls of the Ohio and solicit the assistance of a rich uncle in securing them supplies. The necessities of the Indians induced them to accept his proposition, and with another prisoner and a young warrior he set out. They struck the Ohio above Louisville, swam the river and went to Louisville. General Clark, who was in command at that place, ransomed the two captives for a quan- tity of powder, lead, salt, etc., and Holman arrived at his home three days after the return of Rue.
The hardships to which Rue had been exposed caused him
56
MEMOIRS OF WAYNE COUNTY
to contract rheumatism, which afflicted him at times during the remainder of his life. For many years after Rue and Holman re- moved to Wayne county their old Indian relatives paid them an- nual visits and were always received with welcome and entertained with the greatest show of hospitality.
The ancestors of the Hoover family were German and had settled in Pennsylvania and Maryland, where they became Quak- ers. Andrew Hoover removed to North Carolina, where he re- mained until he came to the Northwest. All his children were born in North Carolina. On Sept. 19, 1802, Andrew Hoover, hav- ing sold his possessions, left Randolph county, North Carolina, with his family of four sons and six daughters, and started for the Northwest Territory. After five weeks' journeying they crossed the Ohio at the village of Cincinnati and pushed on to Stillwater, twelve miles north of Dayton. Not satisfied there, they removed the next spring to near Lebanon, until they could make further examinations. John Smith was also settled in that locality, with similar intentions. Says David Hoover: "Our object was to find a suitable place for making a settlement, and where but few entries had been made. But a small portion of the land lying west of the Great Miami, or east of the Little Miami, was set- tled at that time." They examined various parts of Ohio, and in company with John Smith and Robert Hill, David Hoover ex- plored the southern part of Indiana, but returned unsatisfied.
David Hoover continues: "Thus time passed on until the spring of 1806, when myself and four others, rather accidentally, took a section line some eight or ten miles north of Dayton and traced it a distance of more than thirty miles through an un- broken forest to north from where Richmond now is. It was the last of February or the first of March when I first saw White Water. On my return to my father's I informed him I had found the country we had been in search of." In about three weeks David and his father, Jeremiah Cox, John Smith, and several others visited and examined the region. In May or June of that year, Andrew Hoover entered several quarter-sections north of Richmond and John Smith entered the section south from where is now Main street. The fall of the same year Jeremiah Cox's family reached here from North Carolina, and he purchased of Joseph Woodkirk the tract now occupied by the northern part of Richmond. This ground had been entered by John Meek, and the previous spring had been sold to Woodkirk.
Jeremiah Cox had entered several tracts of land, selected
57
EARLY HISTORY-CONTINUED
when he first visited this locality. The farm which he purchased from Woodkirk had a small pole cabin on it and four acres cleared, fenced and planted to corn. They came by Eaton, which had been laid out the March previous. Several cabins were built and the streets were so full of logs and brush that it was difficult to pass along them. From here to the State line they followed the trail of some settlers on the headwaters of Elkhorn. Hence they had to cut out their road through the wilderness of trees, logs, brushes, weeds and nettles. Two roads were cut out by the set- tlers this year ( 1806), one along the route upon which they came, running where Main street now is. The other was cut to haul stones from the river to build Cox's chimney. It is said to have run west from one on Cox's south line. The first road extended toward the vicinity of where New Paris now is; it was the begin- ning of the road to Cincinnati and was made in that direction so as to connect with the road being constructed from the latter neighborhood to Cincinnati.
On March 31, 1807, Andrew Hoover and his family came. They halted on the bluff a little north from Griffith Mendenhall's residence (two miles northeast from the depot), in the midst of a snow storm. This snow covered the ground until April to, when clearing was commenced. Several of the Hoover family came out when Jeremiah Cox moved, to build cabins and sow turnip seed. Later, the same season, came William Bulla, John Harvey, William Small, and perhaps some others. At this time there was in this vicinity the Elkhorn or Kentucky Settlement, spoken of on a previous page, and quite a number of families on the east fork of White Water, besides those around the site of Richmond. On the East Fork were the Flemings, Maxwells, Irelands, Hills, Wassons, Perviances, and Adams, along with others. Except Richard Maxwell, those named lived on the other side of the State line.
The family of Jeremiah Cox was the first of the Society of Friends settled in this country; Robert Smith's came soon after. The following autumn came John Smith, Frederick Hoover, and Elijah Wright. The road which had been cut to this place when Jeremiah Cox came out brought many land hunters to his house. Ile took pains to show them vacant lands, especially such as he thought would make good citizens, and charged nothing for his services or for board, taking compensation in the satisfaction of assisting in forming a virtuous community. For two or three years this neighborhood settled very rapidly.
58
MEMOIRS OF WAYNE COUNTY
"Jeremiah Cox, John Smith and my father," says David Hoover, "were then looked upon as leaders in the Society of Friends. Their location here had a tendency of drawing others, and soon caused a rush to White Water, and land that ! thought hardly would ever be settled was rapidly taken up and improved. Hlad I a little more vanity I might almost claim the credit of hay- ing been the pioneer of the great body of Friends, now to be found in this region; as I think it very doubtful whether three yearly meetings would convene in this county had I not traced the line before mentioned."
In March, 1806, Charles Hunt and four sons -- George, John, William, and Smith-left Clermont county, Ohio, for the purpose of settling in the White Water valley. They found an indistinct road as far as where is now Fair Haven, but they had to cut the rest of their way to Elkhorn. Here they arrived on the 10th of the month, and the next day they commenced building their cabin and finished it by evening. They had gone to work to clear five acres and plant it in corn. In the fall they built a more comfort- able cabin and their family and others were brought out.
After clearing the ground and planting corn they commenced the construction of a mill. It was ready for cracking corn in August, but there was little corn to crack until the growing crop ripened. A large portion of the corn was badly frost bitten and people could not think of eating it. However, some were com- pelled to try it and it is said they got along pretty well. Hogs were fattened upon beech nuts.
Hunt's mill was on Elkhorn creek, about a mile from its mouth ; it was covered by planting poles in the ground with forks at the upper ends to receive poles, upon which other poles, called ribs, were placed. On these clapboards were laid for the roof and on top weight poles to hold the boards in place. This sheltered the hopper and mill very well when there was no rain. Until this mill was put in operation the settlers had to pack their corn on horses to the Miami, or Brookville, to get it ground. There was no means of grinding it near home, except by hand mills or pound- ing the corn into hominy in the mortar. Mortars were constructed by burning out the hearts of trees or stumps until the caliber was sufficient to hold a peck or more of grain, according to the size of the family or wants of the neighborhood. One good hominy mortar, like a grindstone, generally served the neighborhood while it lasted.
The next mill was built by Jeremiah Cox in the valley, about
59
EARLY HISTORY-CONTINUED
where the woolen factory (formerly Brightwell's Mill) is, in 1807. It was a "tub-mill." covered like Hunt's. The stones were two and one-half feet in diameter and the runner nine inches thick. It would grind two bushels per hour. William Bulla erected a similar mill on Middle Fork. Robert Comer erected one on East Fork and it was run by a never failing spring. It was the first mill sheltered in a log house.
To the list of mills may be added one built a few months after Comer's, by Jeremiah Cox, Jr., on Middle Fork. This was shel- tered by a house made of poles, cut twenty feet long, and covered in the usual style. In a favorable stage of water it would grind two bushels of frost bitten corn per hour. The total value of Bulla's, Comer's, and this mill would probably not exceed $500.
A saw mill was built by Jeremiah Cox on the west side of the river and south of Newman's creek. Another was built on Elk- horn.
According to the record, the first entry of lands within this county was made by Peter Flemming and Joseph Wasson, in the winter of 1804; Rue and Holman also made entries this year. The next was by Andrew Endsley, in the summer of 1805, and by Peter Smith in the winter of the same year.
The first clearing of the ground now occupied by the city of Richmond was an opening made by Woodkirk, near where Jeremiah Cox built his brick house. It was a small piece. The next year, 1807, John Smith cleared several acres, bounded by a fence on the section line passing along where Main street now is, and on the west by another fence parallel with the direction of Front street. That year, ten acres were cleared north of Main street, on conditions that the laborers should have the proceeds of the land for twelve years. In the spring of 1807 a hurricane blew down much of the timber on the land that is north of the Main street section line. The "fallen timber" became a hiding place for wild cats, foxes, coons, and other small vermin, as well as various kinds of snakes, especially rattlesnakes. They were destroyed in great numbers when they would be gathering in for winter quarters along the river cliffs. Two or three years after this storm Jeremiah Cox hired William Cox and Jacob and Isaac Julian to clear a large piece of this ground.
During the summer of 1807 the settlers opened another road to Eaton, into Wayne's Trace which led to Hamilton. It was a nearer route to Cincinnati. "A county road," says Dr. Plummer in his notes, "was early established along the lands of Jeremiah Meek.
60
MEMOIRS OF WAYNE COUNTY
Alex Grimes, etc., down the hillside to Cox's mill, and thence up the ravine between Boathill and Buhl's brewery ; the land on which Richmond stands then having no roads passing over it."
Among the many settlers who arrived during these carlier years, in addition to those already mentioned, can be named: An- drew Endsley and Benjamin Jarvis, in 1800; Benjamin Small, John Alexander, Peter Flemming, Ephraim Overman, John Haw- kins and Ralph Wright, in 1807; John Burgess, John Morrow, and John Townsend, in 1808; John Charles, Valentine Pegg, Andrew Morrow, and Michael Harvey, in 1809.
John Beard came to this county from North Carolina, in Oc- tober of 1806. Foutz came with him from Germantown, Ohio. They had to come through the woods without any knowledge of the correctness of their course, except their supposition as to the location of the White Water country. They built a cabin and re- turned for their families. Beard's daughter Jane was the first white child that died in this county, in 1807. Dr. Sackett, the first physician, came in 1808. There is said to have been a fatal malig- nant fever prevailing along the East Fork about this time.
The following persons (nearly all Quakers) came some time during these years: Isaac Commons, Beale Butler, James Mor- risson, Jesse Bond, William Harvey, John Hawkins, Jr., Benjamin Harris, David Bowles, James Townsend, Jacob Jessup, Amos Hawkins, Joseph, Robert and Stephen Comer, Benjamin Cox, Joshua Pickett, John Clark, Isaac Barberm, Rice Price, Nathan Pierson, David Baily, Robert Andrew, William Bond, Joseph Thornberry, Benjamin Morgan, Israel Elliott, Benjamin Maudlin, Lewis and William Hosier, William Hastings, David Baily, Sr., Christopher and Thomas Hill, Jasper Koons, Nathan Overman, Cornelius Ratliff, Sr., Samuel Charles, and John Pool, all of whom were here as early as 1810. At that time there were about sixty families and 350 persons in this neighborhood, belonging to the Society of Friends. They held meetings, as early as 1807 or 1808, in a log building belonging to and furnished with seats by Jeremialı Cox; Jesse Bond, John Morrow, and William Williams were early preachers. A few years later a meeting house was erected near where the "Orthodox Brick" now stands.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.