USA > Massachusetts > Our western border : its life, combats, adventures, forays, massacres, captivities, scouts, red chiefs, pioneer women, one hundred years ago, containing the cream of all the rare old border chronicles > Part 41
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A few years later the savages attacked the little fort on Tick Creek, where his father resided. Ballard, Sr., had moved outside the fort to be near a sugar camp. When a younger brother had gone out to chop some wood for the fire, he was shot by prowling Indians, who then as- sailed the cabin. The inmates barred the door and prepared for de- fence. His father was the only man in the house, and the only men in the fort were one old man and Bland Ballard, the latter of whom, as
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soon as he heard firing, proceeded as near as was safe to his father's cabin and commenced using his unerring rifle with the best effect. The savages had burst into the cabin and killed old Ballard, but not before he had first killed two of them. They also murdered young Ballard's full sister, a half sister, his step-mother, and tomahawked his younger sister, who, however, afterwards recovered. The step-mother was pur- sued out of the back door by an eager savage, and just as his tomahawk descended, a bullet from young Ballard's rifle laid him low. The savage and the step-mother expired together. The Indians numbered fifteen, but before they got fairly off with their booty, had lost six or seven.
At one time Ballard was taken captive by five Indians, a little above Louisville, and taken to their camp, where he was treated well, but they neglected to tie him. The next day, while they were engaged in horse- racing, his guards left him to enjoy the sport. Near him stood a fine black horse, recently stolen from Beargrass. Springing to his back, Ballard made off, when the character of the race changed, it being now one for life and death. He was pursued for over twenty miles to the river, but succeeded in making good his escape, the gallant horse who had saved him dying, however, shortly after, from his extraordinary exertions.
At another time the Indians stole his horse at night. He distinctly heard them while they took the beast from the door to which he was tied. Ballard's energy and sagacity, however, were such that, by taking a short cut, "across country," he was enabled to get in advance of the exultant thieves before they reached the Ohio. Putting himself in am- bush by the trail they would most likely pass, a party of three soon hove in sight. Drawing a careful bead on the Indian mounted on his own horse, he dropped him, and Ballard not only succeeded in catch- ing the frightened animal in its flight, but in escaping without any injury.
In after life Major Ballard repeatedly represented the people of Shelby county in the Legislature ; commanded a company under Harrison in "1812-13, and was wounded and taken prisoner at the battle of the Raisin. In 1847 Ballard was living yet, a fine specimen of the old- style Kentucky Pioneer.
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EXCITING ADVENTURE OF BIG JOE LOGSTON.
EXCITING ADVENTURE OF "BIG JOE LOGSTON."
The subject of our sketch had somewhat notable parents. Old Joe Logston was a very large, athletic man, with uncommon muscular strength. His wife was not remarkable in height, but, like the Dutch- man's horse, was built right up from the ground and had the strength of three ordinary women. The son was no discredit to them, but soon outstripped his father in strength, size and activity. It was often said to growing, stout-looking youth, " You'll soon be as great as Big Joe Logston." The family lived at first in one of the most rugged and in- hospitable regions of the Allegheny Mountains, from which Joe some- times descended in order to exchange his pelts for lead, powder and other articles. While in society he entered with great zest into all the various athletic sports of the day. No Kentuckian could ever, with greater propriety than he, have said, "I can out-run, out-leap, out- jump, throw down, drag out and whip any man in the country." As to the use of the rifle he was reputed one of the quickest and surest centre-shots to be found. With all this, as is usual with men of true grit, Joe was good natured and never sought a quarrel. For many years he waged a stubborn and unintermittent war with the bears, pan- thers, wolves and rattlesnakes with which his wild haunts abounded, but he persistently maintained his ground until, like Daniel Boone before him, he learnedto tire of encroachments on hunting grounds he began to deem his own. One man pitched his cabin six miles east of him, another a few miles west, and finally one, with a numerous family, had the impudence to locate within two miles of him, which was too much, so, in great disgust, he gathered up his traps and migrated to Barren river, Ky., where he was in no danger of hearing the crack of any man's rifle but his own. No one, it may easily be believed, was better qualified to live on a perilous and exposed frontier than Joe. His part of the country was subject to frequent visitations from the Cherokees, and they bore him about as much love as he did them. There was not a particle of fear in Joe's composition. Among a race of men unusually daring and reckless, Joe was considered uncommonly so. Hitherto he had only encountered and overcome wild beasts, but now he had a different foe to deal with, and as " it stirs the more to rouse a lion than to start a hare," Joe was kept somewhat excited. The savages soon made a sud- den hostile attack, and all that escaped slaughter were driven into one of the rude stockades of the border. Joe did not relish this. He soon
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became restless at his confinement and would insist on some of his more unrecking companions going outside to hunt up the abandoned cat- tle. Finding none to join him, he, mounted on his good nag, sallied out alone.
He ransacked the woods all day, but finding no cattle, which, indeed, had been driven off by the wily savages, he was returning along the path to the fort and came under a fruitful grapevine, whose rich and tempting clusters hung within reach. Laying his rifle across the pommel of his saddle, he plucked his hat full of the fragrant fruit and then rode carelessly along, eating his grapes, until the cracks of two rifles, one . from either side of his woodland path, gave him a rude awakening from his repast. One of the balls passed directly through the paps of his breast, which, for a male, were remarkably prominent. The other ball struck his poor beast just behind the saddle and he sank in his tracks.
Joe was greatly surprised but not discomfited. He might now have taken to his heels, and so fleet was he that none could have caught him. But our Kentuckian was not of that kind. The wound in his breast and his rude fall aroused his ire, so that when one athletic Indian leaped towards him, Joe drew a rapid bead on him, which his quick and wary antagonist seeing, sprang behind two pretty large saplings, some small distance apart, but neither of them large enough to cover his body. He now commenced dancing from one to the other in order to disturb the white man's aim until his companion could shoot him down. Joe followed the motions of the big savage with his gun, but kept one wary eye peering about for the other redskin, whom at last he discovered loading a gun behind a tree not quite large enough to cover him. When in the act of pushing down his bullet, he exposed one of his hips. This was Joe's opportunity, so, wheeling suddenly about, he let fly and brought the fellow quickly to earth.
The big savage then, with a horrid yell, rushed upon him with his uplifted tomahawk. Here were two stout warriors met, each determined to do or die. The reddy had rather the advantage in size and activity, but Joe in weight and muscular strength. The savage made a halt at the distance of fifteen feet, and cast his hatchet. Joe quickly, however, had his eye on it and dodged, and the keen weapon whizzed past harm- less and beyond the reach of either. Quick as thought Kantuck clubbed his rifle and sprang forward in his turn, but his opponent leaped into some brush and dodged behind the saplings to avoid the blows. At length Joe, thinking his chance had come at last, made a side blow with such force that, missing the dodging Indian, it struck a tree, was broken close to the barrel, and, what was worse, flew out of his stunned hands quite beyond reach.
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Here was a pretty fix for a modest man to be in ! The infuriated savage now gave another exulting and blood-curdling yell, and sprang at him like a wild beast. Neither of them had any weapon, and the Indian, seeing Logston bleeding freely, thought he could easily throw and master his burly antagonist. He argued without his host. The two grappled at once, and a most desperate struggle ensued. Joe could throw the slippery savage down but could not hold him there, for, being naked from the waist up, and with his hide oiled, he would still elude his foe's grasp, and spring to his feet again. After throwing the reddy thus several times, and finding the desperate exertion was fast pumping all his wind out of him, Joe was rapidly forced to the conclusion that he must at once change his tactics or lose his scalp. He now threw the Indian once again, but this time without attempting to hold him; he jumped back from him, and as his panting foe was staggering to his pins, somewhat weak and "groggy," let fly a terrible fist blow, about as per- suasive as the playful kick of a mule, which caused the other to fall back, and as he would rise again, Logston would give him blow after blow, the Indian rising slower and sadder each time. Old Kantuck now had it his own way, and at last succeeded in delivering a terrible blow in the burr of the ear, which felled the big savage, and left him without either breath or motion.
Joe now jumped upon him, and, thinking he could dispatch him by choking, grasped his neck with his left hand, while keeping his right ready for emergencies. But the big Indian was no such a man, and Logston found his right arm in motion, and, on casting his eye down, discovered him making an effort to unsheath a knife that was hanging at his belt. The blade was short and so sunk in its sheath that it was necessary to force it up gradually by pressing against the point. This, indeed, was what the game savage was doing, and with good success. His watchful antagonist, however, kept a wary eye upon it, but he allowed the savage to work away until the handle was out, when Joe suddenly grasped it, jerked it out of the sheath and sunk it up to the handle into the Indian's breast, who gave a death groan and expired.
The other Indian was now to be thought of. It was not certain yet how far he had been crippled. It was found he had been severely wounded, but that, with the well-known desperation and thirst for revenge which characterizes the American savage, he had crawled some distance towards them, had propped his broken back against a log, and was trying to raise his gun to shoot, but in attempting to do this he would fall forward, and had to push against his gun to raise himself again. Logston, seeing that he was safe from him, made as soon as pos- sible for the fort, which he reached about nightfall. and a nitiable nlight
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he was in-blood and dirt from the crown of his head to the sole of his moccasin; no horse, no hat and no gun. They would scarce believe his bloody story, but next morning a company was made up to go to the battle ground. When they approached there was no appearance of dead Indians, and nothing of all Joe had talked of but the dead horse.
A trail, however, was soon found, and an appearance as if something had been dragged along it. On pursuing it they found the big Indian, dead as Julius Cæsar, lying behind a log and covered up with leaves. Still following the trail some hundred yards further, they found the bro- ken-backed Indian, lying on his back, with his own knife sticking up to the hilt in his body, just below the breast bone, evidently showing that he had killed himself. After a long search they at last found the knife by which the big savage had been killed, forced down into the ground, apparently by the weight of a heel. This had been done by the crip- pled Indian, and the great efforts he must have made in his crippled and desperate condition to effect his purpose, furnishes one more instance of what Indians are capable under the greatest extremities. Some years after peace had been declared with the Indians, that frontier, like many others, became infested with a gang of outlaws, and it was in a contest between them and a band of "regulators" that Big Joe Logston lost his life.
JACK WELLS' DREAM AND WHAT CAME OF IT.
About the year 1777 a singular circumstance took place in Bedford county, Pa. A rather wealthy man named Jack Wells had gone with his family to the nearest fort for protection. In the Fall he took six or seven men, and an Irish girl to cook, and returned to his clearing to se- cure his potato crop. The night before starting back, Wells dreamed he had been attacked and gôred by a bull. So strong an impression did this dream make, that he was sure some great danger impended, and so told his people. He slept again, and dreamed he was about to shoot a deer, and that when cocking his gun the main-spring broke. He again awoke, went to his gun to examine if all were right, and in cocking it, the main-spring broke. He was now alarmed, and they made haste to depart. To prevent delay, the girl was put on the only horse and started off first.
Before they had gone far, Wells' dog ran back as if scenting danger. Wells called him again and again, but he invariably kept running back
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to the house. Not wishing to abandon him, Wells started back, when five Indians sprang up from behind a fallen tree and came forward with extended hands. The men fled at once, and so would Wells, but he thought it useless. As the savages approached, however, he fancied the looks of one very powerful fellow boded no good, and he deter- mined to risk flight. As the Indian approached, Wells flung at him his broken rifle and dashed off for the woods. Instead of firing, the savages joined in pursuit, seeming desirous of taking him prisoner. When, however, they found the fugitive was gaining on them, at a sig- nal, they all stopped still in their tracks and fired at him together. Every bullet struck him, but without dropping him or retarding his flight.
Soon after he passed the place where his companions were concealed, and begged them, for God's sake, to fire and save him and themselves. They were afraid, and kept quiet. Wells continued his flight at heart- burst speed, and soon overtook. the girl on the horse. She, brave woman, quickly understood his danger, instantly dismounted, and urged him to take her place while she should hide herself. He mounted, but without whip, and could not get the old Bucephalus out of a trot. This delay soon brought the Indians within sight, and soon as they were near enough they fired, one of the balls striking him in the hip and lodging in his groin. But this saved his life, for the noise frightened the old horse into a gallop, and he escaped, but suffered severely for some time afterwards.
The Indians were afterwards pursued in their turn, and being sur- prised at their morning meal, four of them were killed and one escaped. A prisoner with this tribe afterwards related, however, that this fifth sav- age came home with leaves stuffed in bullet holes in his chest. A scout by the name of John Lane was out shortly after, under Captain Phillips, but became separated from the rest. On returning to the fort, he found them still absent and led another party in search of them. Within only a mile or two of the fort they found Captain Phillips and the whole of his men, fifteen in number, killed and scalped. When found they were all tied to saplings, and their bodies completely rid- dled. Another party, under Captain Dorsey, were cut off near the same time. The small predatory excursions of the Indians were some- times quite as destructive as their regular encounters.
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MAJOR ROBERT BENHAM AND HIS STRANGE ADVENTURE.
In the Autumn of 1779, a number of keel boats were ascending the Ohio, under the command of Major Rodgers, and had advanced as far as the mouth of Licking without accident. Here, however, they ob- served a few Indians standing upon the southern extremity of a sand . bar, while a canoe, rowed by three others, was in the act of putting off from the Kentucky shore, as if for the purpose of taking them aboard. Rodgers instantly ordered the boats to be made fast on the Kentucky shore, while the crew, to the number of seventy men, well armed, cau- tiously advanced in such a manner as to encircle the spot where the en- emy had been seen to land. Only five or six Indians had been seen, and no one dreamed of encountering more than fifteen or twenty ene- mies.
When Rodgers, however, had, as he supposed, completely surrounded the enemy, and was preparing to rush upon them from several quarters at once, he was thunderstruck at beholding several hundred savages sud- denly spring up in front, rear and upon both flanks! They instantly poured in a close discharge of rifles, and then, throwing down their guns, fell upon the survivors with the tomahawk. The panic was complete and the slaughter prodigious. Major Rodgers, together with forty-five of his men, were almost instantly destroyed. The survivors made an effort to regain their boats, but the five men who had been left in charge of them had immediately put off from shore in the hindmost boat, and the enemy had already gained possession of the others. Disappointed in the attempt, they turned furiously upon the enemy, and, aided by the approach of darkness, forced their way through their lines, and, with the loss of several severely wounded, at length effected their escape to Harrodsburg.
Among the wounded was Captain Robert Benham. Shortly after breaking through the enemy's line, he was shot through both hips, and, the bones being shattered, he instantly fell to the ground. Fortunately a large tree had lately fallen near the spot where he lay, and, with great pain, he dragged himself into the top, and lay concealed among the branches. The Indians, eager in pursuit of the others, passed him without notice, and by midnight all was quiet. On the following day, the Indians returned to. the battle ground, in order to strip the dead and take care of the boats. Benham, although in danger of famishing, per-
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MAJOR ROBERT BENHAM AND HIS STRANGE ADVENTURE.
mitted them to pass without making known his condition, very correctly supposing that his crippled legs would only induce them to tomahawk him upon the spot, in order to avoid the trouble of carrying him to their town.
He lay close, therefore, until the evening of the second day, when, perceiving a raccoon descending a tree near him, he shot it, hoping to devise some means of reaching it, when he could kindle a fire and make a meal. Scarcely had his gun cracked, however, when he heard a' human cry, apparently not more than fifty yards off. Supposing it to be an Indian, he hastily reloaded his gun, and remained silent, expect- ing the approach of an enemy. Presently the same voice was heard again, but much nearer. Still Benham made no reply, but cocked his gun, and sat ready to fire as soon as an object appeared. A third halloo was quickly heard, followed by an exclamation of impatience and dis- tress, which convinced Benham that the unknown must be a Kentuckian. As soon, therefore, as he heard the expression, " Whoever you are, for God's sake, answer me !" he replied with readiness, and the parties were soon together.
Benham, as we have already observed, was shot through both legs. The man who now appeared had escaped from the same battle, with both arms broken! Thus each was enabled to supply what the other wanted. Benham, having the perfect use of his arms, could load his gun and kill game with great readiness, while his friend, having the use of his legs, could kick the game to the spot where Benham sat, who was thus enabled to cook it. When no wood was near them, his companion would rake up brush with his feet, and gradually roll it within reach of Benham's hands, who constantly fed his companion and dressed his wounds as well as his own-tearing up both of their shirts for that pur- pose. They found some difficulty in procuring water at first; but Ben- ham, at length, took his own hat, and placing the rim between the teeth of his companion, directed him to wade into the Licking up to his neck and dip the hat into the water by sinking his own head. The man who could walk was thus enabled to bring water, by means of his teeth, which Benham could afterward dispose of as was necessary.
In a few days they had killed all the squirrels and birds within reach, and the man with the broken arms was sent out to drive game within gunshot of the spot to which Benham was confined. Fortunately, wild turkeys were abundant in those woods, and his companion would walk around and drive them toward Benham, who seldom failed to kill two or three of each flock. In this manner they supported themselves for several weeks, until their wounds had healed so, as to enable them to travel. They then shifted their quarters, and put up a small shed at the
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mouth of the Licking, where they encamped until late in November, anxiously expecting the arrival of some boat which should convey them to the Falls of Ohio.
On the 27th of November they observed a flat boat moving leisurely down the river. Benham instantly hoisted his hat upon a stick and hal- looed loudly for help. The crew, however, supposing them to be In- dians-at least suspecting them of an attempt to decoy them ashore- paid no attention to their signals of distress, but instantly put over to the opposite side of the river, and, manning every oar, endeavored to pass them as rapidly as possible. Benham beheld them pass him with a sensation bordering on despair; for the place was much frequented by Indians, and the approach of Winter threatened them with destruction unless speedily relieved. At length, after the boat had passed him nearly half a mile, he saw a canoe put off from its stern, and cautiously approach the Kentucky shore, evidently reconnoitering them with great suspicion.
He called loudly upon them for assistance, mentioned his name, and made known his condition. After a long parley, and many evidences of reluctance on the part of the crew, the canoe at length touched the shore, and Benham and his friend were taken on board. Their appearance excited much suspicion. They were almost entirely naked, and their faces were garnished with six weeks' growth of beard. The one was barely able to hobble on crutches, and the other could manage to feed himself with one of his hands. They were instantly taken to Louis- ville, where their clothes (which had been carried off in the boat which deserted them) were restored to them, and after a few weeks' confine- ment, both were perfectly restored.
Benham afterward served in the northwest throughout the whole of the Indian war, accompanied the expeditions of Harmar and Wilkin- son, shared in the disaster of St. Clair, and afterward in the triumph of Wayne. Upon the return of peace, he bought the land upon which Rodgers had been defeated, and ended his days in tranquillity, amid the scenes which had witnessed his sufferings.
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MCCONNEL'S CAPTURE AND SIGNAL REVENGE.
McCONNEL'S CAPTURE AND SIGNAL REVENGE.
Early in the Spring of 1780, according to Rev. McClung, Mr. Alexander McConnel, of Lexington, Ky., went into the woods on foot, to hunt deer. He soon killed a large buck, and returned home for a horse, in order to bring it in. During his absence, a party of five Indians, on one of their usual skulking expeditions, accidentally stumbled on the body of the deer, and perceiving that it had been re- cently killed, they naturally supposed that the hunter would speedily return to secure the flesh. Three of them, therefore, took their sta- tions within close rifle shot of the deer, while the other two followed the trail of the hunter, and waylaid the path by which he was expected to return. McConnel, expecting no danger, rode carelessly along the path which the two scouts were watching, until he had come within view of the deer, when he was fired upon by the whole party, and his horse killed. While laboring to extricate himself from the dying animal, he was seized by his enemies, instantly overpowered and borne off as a prisoner.
His captors, however, seemed to be a merry, good-natured set of fellows, and permitted him to accompany them unbound; and, what was rather extraordinary, allowed him to retain his gun and hunting accoutrements. He accompanied them with great apparent cheerful- ness through the day, and displayed his dexterity in shooting deer for the use of the company, until they began to regard him with great par- tiality. Having traveled with them in this manner for several days, they at length reached the banks of the Ohio river. Heretofore, the Indians had taken the precaution to bind him at night, although not very securely ; but on that evening he remonstrated with them on the subject, and complained so strongly of the pain which the cords gave him, that they merely wrapped the buffalo tug loosely around his wrists, and having tied it in an easy knot, and attached the extremities of the rope to their own bodies, in order to prevent his moving without awakening them, they very composedly went to sleep, leaving the pris- oner to follow their example or not, as he pleased.
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