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 75
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697
DESPERATE ATTACK ON WIDOW SCRAGGS' CABINS.
fence unhurt, but, in the act of crossing, were vigorously assailed by several Indians, who, throwing down their guns, rushed upon them with their tomahawks. The young man defended his sister gallantly, firing upon the enemy as they approached, and then wielding the butt of his rifle with a fury that drew their whole attention upon himself, and gave his sister an opportunity of effecting her escape. He quickly fell, however, under the tomahawk of his enemies, and was found, at day- light, scalped and mangled in a shocking manner. Of the whole family, consisting of eight persons when the attack commenced, only three escaped. Four were killed upon the spot, and one (the second daugh- ter) carried off as a prisoner.
The neighborhood was quickly alarmed, and by daylight about thirty men were assembled, under the command of Colonel Edwards. A light snow had fallen during the latter part of the night, and the Indian trail could be pursued at a gallop. It led directly into the mountainous country bordering on Licking, and afforded evi lences of great hurry and precipitation on the part of the fugitives. Unfortunately, a hound had been permitted to accompany the whites, and as the trail became fresh and the scent warm, she followed it with eagerness, baying loudly and giving the alarm to the Indians. The consequences of this impru- dence were soon displayed. The enemy, finding the pursuit keen and perceiving that the strength of the prisoner began to fail, sunk their tomahawks in her head and left her, still warm and bleeding, upon the snow. As the whites came up, she retained strength enough to wave her hand in token of recognition, and appeared desirous of giving them some information with regard to the enemy, but her strength was too far gone. Her brother sprang from his horse and knelt by her side, endeavoring to stop the effusion of blood, but in vain. She gave him her hand, muttered some inarticulate words, and expired within two minutes after the arrival of the party.
The pursuit was renewed with additional ardor, and in twenty min- utes the enemy were within view. They had taken possession of a steep, narrow ridge, and seemed desirous of magnifying their numbers in the eyes of the whites, as they ran rapidly from tree to tree, and maintained a steady yell in their most appalling tones. The pursuers, however, were too experienced to be deceived by so common an artifice, and be- ing satisfied that the number of the enemy must be inferior to their own, they dismounted, tied their horses, and flanking out in such a manner as to enclose the enemy, ascended the ridge as rapidly as was consistent with a due regard to the shelter of their persons. The firing quickly commenced, and now, for the first time, they discovered that only two Indians were opposed to them. They had voluntarily sacrificed
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OUR WESTERN BORDER.
themselves for the safety of the main body, and had succeeded in delay ing pursuit until their friends could reach the mountains. One of them was shot dead, and the other was badly wounded, as was evident from the blood upon his blanket, as well as that which filled his tracks in the snow for a considerable distance. The pursuit was recommenced, and urged keenly until night, when the trail entered a running stream and was lost. On the following morning the snow had melted, and every trace of the enemy was obliterated. This affair must be regarded as highly honorable to the skill, address and activity of the Indians, and the self-devotion of the rear guard is a lively instance of that magna- nimity of which they are at times capable, and which is more remark- able in them from the extreme caution and tender regard for their own lives, which usually distinguishes their warriors.
MRS. MERRILL, THE TERRIBLE "LONG KNIFE SQUAW."
During the Summer the house of Mr. John Merrill, of Nelson county, Kentucky, was attacked by the Indians, and defended with singular address and good fortune. Merrill was alarmed by the barking of a dog about midnight, and upon opening the door, in order to ascertain the cause of the disturbance, he received the fire of six or seven Indians, by which his arm and thigh were both broken. He sank upon the floor and called upon his wife to shut the door. This had scarcely been done when it was violently assailed by the tomahawks of the enemy, and a large breach soon effected. Mrs. Merrill, however, being a perfect Am- azon, both in strength and courage, guarded it with an axe, and suc- cessively killed or badly wounded four of the enemy as they attempted to force their way into the cabin. The Indians then ascended the roof and attempted to enter by way of the chimney, but here, again, they were met by the same determined enemy. Mrs. Merrill seized the only feather bed which the cabin afforded, and hastily ripping it open, poured its contents upon the fire. A furious blaze and stifling smoke ascended the chimney, and quickly brought down two of the enemy, who lay for a few moments at the mercy of the lady. Seizing the axe, she dis- patched them, and was instantly afterwards summoned to the door, where the only remaining savage now appeared, endeavoring to effect an entrance while Mrs. Merrill was engaged at the chimney. He soon received a gash in the cheek which compelled him, with a loud yell, to relinquish his purpose and return hastily to Chillicothe, where, from the report of a prisoner, he gave an exaggerated account of the fierceness, strength and courage of the "long knife squaw!"
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A PIONEER WOMAN MAKES DESPERATE WORK.
-See page 698.
699
MRS. WOODS AND THE LAME NEGRO.
MRS. WOODS AND THE LAME NEGRO.
In the Summer of 1792 a gentleman named Woods, imprudently re- moved from the neighborhood of a station, and, for the benefit of his stock, settled on a lonely heath near Beargrass, Ky. One morning he left his family, consisting of a wife, a daughter not yet grown and a lame negro man, and rode off to the nearest station, not expecting to return until night. Mrs. Woods, while engaged in her dairy, was alarmed at seeing several Indians rapidly approaching the house. She instantly screamed loudly in order to give the alarm, and ran with her utmost speed, in order to reach the house before them. In this she succeeded, but had not time to close the door until the foremost Indian had forced his way into the house. As soon as he entered, the lame negro grappled him and attempted to throw him upon the floor, but was himself hurled to the ground with violence, the Indian falling upon him.
Mrs. Woods was too busily engaged in keeping the door closed against the party without, to attend to the combatants, but the lame negro, holding the Indian in his arms, called to the young girl to cut his head off with a very sharp axe which lay under the bed. She at- tempted to obey, but struck with so trembling a hand that the blow was ineffectual. Repeating her efforts, under the direction of the negro, however, she at length wounded the Indian so badly, that the negro was enabled to arise and complete the execution. Elated with success, he then called to his mistress and told her to suffer another Indian to enter and they would kill them all one by one. While deliberating upon this proposal, however, a sharp firing was heard without, and the Indians quickly disappeared. A party of white men had seen them at a dis- tance, and, having followed them cautiously, had now interposed, at a very critical moment, and rescued a helpless family from almost certain destruction.
FAMILY OF MRS. DAVIESS CAPTURED_A RESCUE.
Early one morning, in August of 1782, Samuel Daviess, a settler at Gilmer's Lick, Kentucky, having stepped a few paces from his cabin, was suddenly surprised by an Indian appearing between him and the [ door with an uplifted tomahawk, almost within striking distance; and, in a moment after, he perceived that four other Indians had just entered his dwelling. Being entirely unarmed, he made for an adjacent corn-
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field, closely pursued by the first Indian. He, however, eluded the savage, and ran with the utmost speed to the nearest station, five miles distant, and raised a party to pursue the enemy, whom it was ascer- tained, on visiting the cabin, had taken off the whole family captive. After going a few miles they heard the barking of a dog, which they knew was the family house dog, and which the Indians, for precaution's sake, were undertaking to kill. They now rushed impetuously forward, but were discovered by the two spies in the rear, who ran forward, knocked down the oldest boy, and, while scalping him, were fired at, but without effect. Mrs. Daviess, seeing the alarm and confusion, saved herself and babe by jumping into a sink hole. The Indians fled and the whole family were rescued. So soon as the boy had risen to his feet, the first words he spoke were, "Curse that Indian, he has got my scalp."
Mrs. Daviess related the following account of the manner in which the Indians had acted: A few minutes after her husband had opened the door and stepped out of the house, four Indians rushed in, while the fifth, as she afterwards found out, was in pursuit of her husband. Herself and children were in bed when the Indians entered the house. One of the Indians immediately made signs, by which she understood him to inquire how far it was to the next house. With an unusual presence of mind, knowing how important it would be to make the distance as far as possible, she raised both her hands, first counting the fingers of one, then of the other-making a distance of eight miles. The Indian then signed to her that she must rise: she immediately got up, and as soon as she could dress herself, commenced showing the Indians one article of clothing after another, which pleased them very much; and in that way delayed them at the house nearly two hours. In the meantime, the Indian who had been in pursuit of her husband returned, with his hands stained with pokeberries, which he held up, and with some violent gestures and waving of his tomahawk, attempted to induce the belief that the stain on his hands was the blood of her husband, and that he had killed him. She was enabled at once to dis- cover the deception, and instead of producing any alarm on her part, she was satisfied that her husband had escaped uninjured. After the savages had plundered the house of everything that they could conve- niently carry off with them, they started, taking Mrs. Daviess and her children, seven in number, as prisoners along with them. Some of the children were too young to travel as fast as the Indians wished, and discovering, as she believed, their intention to kill such of them as could not conveniently travel, she made the two oldest boys carry them on their back.
701
FAMILY OF MRS. DAVIESS CAPTURED.
Mrs. Daviess was a woman of cool, deliberate courage, and accus- tomed to handle the gun so that she could shoot well, as many of the women were in the habit of doing in those days. She had contem- plated, as a last resort, that if not rescued in the course of the day, when night came and the Indians had fallen asleep, she would rescue herself and children by killing as many of the Indians as she could-thinking that, in a night attack, as many of them as remained would most prob- ably run off. Such an attempt would now seem a species of madness ; but to those who were acquainted with Mrs. Daviess, little doubt was entertained that, if the attempt had been made, it would have proved successful.
Kentucky, in its early days, like most new countries, was occasionally troubled with men of abandoned character, who lived by stealing the property of others, and, after committing their depredations, retired to their hiding places, thereby eluding the operation of the law. One of these marauders, a man of desperate character, who had committed ex- tensive thefts from Mr. Daviess, as well as from his neighbors, was pur- sued by Daviess and a party whose property he had taken, in order to bring him to justice. While the party were in pursuit, the suspected individual, not knowing any one was pursuing him, came to the house of Daviess, armed with his gun and tomahawk-no person being at home but Mrs. Daviess and her children. After he had stepped into the house, Mrs. Daviess asked him if he would drink something, and, having set a bottle of whiskey on the table, requested him to help him- self. The fellow, not suspecting any danger, set his gun up by the door, and, while drinking, Mrs. Daviess picked up his gun, and placing herself in the door, had the gun cocked and leveled upon him by the time he turned round, and in a peremptory manner ordered him to take a seat or she would shoot him. Struck with terror and alarm, he asked what he had done. She told him he had stolen her husband's property, and that she intended to take care of him herself. In that condition she held him a prisoner until the party of men returned and took him into their possession.
In the year 1786, about twenty young persons of both sexes were in a field pulling flax, in the vicinity of a fort on Green river, Kentucky, when they were fired on by a party of Indians in ambush. They in- stantly retreated towards the fort, hotly pursued by the savages. Among them were two married women, who had gone out to make them a visit, one of whom had taken with her a young child about eighteen months old. The older of the two mothers, recollecting in her flight that the younger, a small and feeble woman, was burdened with her child, turned back in the face of the enemy, they firing and yelling hideously,
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OUR WESTERN BORDER.
took the child from its mother, and ran with it to the fort, nearly a quarter of a mile distant. During the chase she was twice shot at with rifles, when the enemy was so near that the powder burned her, and one" arrow passed through her sleeve, but she escaped uninjured.
MURDER OF THE TWO MISSES CROW.
Next to the Tush murder, perhaps the most melancholy occurrence on Wheeling Creek was that of two sisters-the Misses Crow, which oc- curred in 1785. The parents of these girls lived about one mile above the mouth of Dunkard, or lower fork of the creek. According to the statement of a third sister, who was an eye witness to the horrid trag- edy and herself almost a victim, the three left their parents' house for an evening walk along the deeply-shaded banks of that beautiful stream. Their walk extended over a mile and they were just turning back, when suddenly several Indians sprang from behind a ledge of rocks and seized all three of the sisters. With scarcely a moment's interruption, the savages led the captives a short distance up a small bank when a halt was called and a parley took place. It seems that some of the In- dians were in favor of immediate slaughter, while others were disposed to carry them into permanent captivity.
Unfortunately, the arm of mercy was powerless. Without a moment's warning, a fierce-looking savage stepped from the group, with elevated tomahawk, and commenced the work of death. This Indian, in the language of the surviving sister, "Began to tomahawk one of my sis- ters-Susan by name. Susan dodged her head to one side, the toma- hawk taking effect in her neck, cutting the jugular vein, the blood gush- ing out a yard's length. The Indian who held her hand jumped back to avoid the blood. The other Indian then began the work of death on my sister Mary.
" I gave a sudden jerk and got loose from the one that held me and ran with all speed, taking up a steep bank, but just as I caught hold of a bush to help myself up, the Indian fired and the ball passed through the clump of hair on my head, slightly breaking the skin. I gained the top in safety, the Indian taking round in order to meet me as I would strike the path that led homeward. But I ran right from home and hid myself in the bushes near the top of the hill. Presently I saw an In- dian passing along the hill below me; I lay still until he was out of sight; I then made for home."
703
MRS. BOZARTH SLAYS THREE SAVAGE INTRUDERS.
MRS. BOZARTH SLAYS THREE SAVAGE INTRUDERS.
On Dunkard Creek, now within the limits of Monongalia county, W. Va., lived a Mr. Bozarth, his wife and three children. The alarm which had caused the settlers to resort to Prickett's Fort, induced two or three families living convenient to Mr. Bozarth, to collect at his house. About the Ist of April, 1789, when but two men were in the house with Mrs. Bozarth, the children, who had been out playing, ran suddenly in, crying that " Indians were coming !"
In order to ascertain the true cause of this alarm, one of the men stepped to the door and was struck upon the breast with a rifle ball, which knocked him back into the house. A savage sprang in after him and attacked the other white man with all the fury of his nature. The man being unarmed called for a knife, but Mrs. Bozarth, not seeing one at the instant, picked up an axe and killed the savage on the spot.
While the courageous woman was thus engaged, a second Indian pre- sented himself at the door, and, firing, killed the man who had been struggling with his companion. Quick as thought, the intrepid matron turned upon this new comer, and, at one blow, ripped open his abdomen, causing the savage to yell most lustily for help. Immediately, several of his companions rushed to the rescue, but the invincible woman was ready for them. The first who attempted to enter was struck upon the head and his skull cleft, making the third victim to the axe of this Vir- ginia Amazon. The others, having drawn out the wounded savage and learning the strength of the house, attempted to force the door, but Mrs. Bozarth had so securely fastened it as to defy all their efforts. The savages then killed the children still in the yard and made off. -
A DESPERATE ATTACK ON THE CUNNINGHAMS.
In the latter part of June, 1785, a small party of Indians visited the house of Edward Cunningham, an enterprising settler on Bingamon Creek, a branch of West Fork. Thomas Cunningham, the brother of Edward, lived in a house almost adjoining; the two families affording protection thus one to another. At the time spoken of, Edward and his family were in one cabin, and the wife of Thomas, with her four children, (her husband having gone East on a trading expedition,) were -
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OUR WESTERN BORDER.
in the other. Both families were eating their dinners, when in stepped, before the astonished mother and children, a huge savage, with drawn knife and uplifted tomahawk. Conscious of his security with the mother and children, but fearing danger from Edward Cunningham, who had seen him enter, the savage quickly glanced around for some means of escape in an opposite direction. Edward watched the move- ments of the savage through an opening in the wall.
In the other house was a similar hole, (made to introduce light,) and through it the Indian fired, shouting the yell of victory. It was answered by Edward, who had seen the aim of the savage just in time to escape-the bark from the log close to his head was knocked off by the Indian's ball, and flew in his face. The Indian, seeing that he had missed his object, and observing an adze in the room, deliberately com- menced cutting an aperture in the back wall, through which he might pass out without being exposed to a shot from the other building.
Another of the Indians came into the yard just after the firing of his companion, but observing Edward's gun pointing through the port hole, endeavored to retreat out of its range. Just as he was about to spring the fence, a ball struck him and he fell forward. It had, how- ever, only fractured his thigh bone, and he was yet able to get over the fence and take shelter behind a quilt suspended on it, before Edward could again load his gun. Meantime the Indian in the house was en- gaged in cutting a hole through the wall, during which Mrs. Cunning- ham made no attempt to get out, well aware that it would only draw upon her head the fury of the savage ; and that if she escaped this one, she would probably be killed by some of those who were watching out- side. She knew, too, it would be impossible to take the children with her. She trusted in the hope that the one inside would withdraw with- out molesting any of them.
A few minutes served to convince her of the hopeless folly of trusting to an Indian's mercy. When the opening had been made sufficiently large, the savage raised his tomahawk, sunk it deep into the brain of one of the children, and, throwing the scarcely lifeless body into the back yard, ordered the mother to follow him. There was no alterna- tive but death, and she obeyed his order, stepping over the dead body of one of her children, with an infant in her arms and two others screaming by her side.
When all were out, he scalped the murdered boy, and, setting fire to the house, retired to an eminence, where two of the savages were with their wounded companion-leaving the other two to watch the opening of Edward Cunningham's door, when the burning of the house should force the family from their shelter. They were disappointed in their
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A DESPERATE ATTACK ON THE CUNNINGHAMS.
expectation of that event by the exertions of Cunningham and his son. When the flame from the one house communicated to the roof of the other, they ascended to the loft, threw off the loose boards which covered it and extinguished the fire; the savages shooting at them all the while ; their balls frequently striking close by.
Unable to force out the family of Edward Cunningham, and despair- ing of doing further injury, they beat a speedy retreat. Before leav- ing, however, the eldest son of Mrs. Thomas Cunningham was toma- hawked and scalped in the presence of the shuddering mother. Her little daughter was served the same way; but to make the scene still more tragical, her head was dashed against a tree and her brains scat- tered about. The mother, during the whole of these bloody acts, stood motionless in grief, and in momentary awe of meeting a similar fate. But, alas ! she was reserved for a different, and, to a sensitive woman, a far more dreadful fate. With her helpless babe, she was led from this scene of carnage. The savages carried their wounded companion upon a litter. Crossing the ridge they found a cave near Bingamon Creek, in which they secreted themselves until after night, when some of the party returned to Edward Cunningham's, but not finding any one at home, fired the house and made a hasty retreat towards their own country.
Mrs. Cunningham suffered untold mental and physical agonies during her march to the Indian towns. For ten days her only nourishment was the head of a wild turkey and a few paw-paws. After a long ab- sence, she was returned to her husband through the intercession of Simon Girty, who first said she would be better there than at home ; then that his saddle bags were too small to conceal her, but who finally ransomed her and sent her home. This one single act should redeem his memory from a multitude of sins.
After the savages had withdrawn, Cunningham went with his family into the woods, where they remained all night, there being no settlement. nearer than ten miles. In the morning the alarm was given, and a. company of men soon collected to go in pursuit of the Indians. When they came to Cunningham's they found both houses heaps of ashes: They buried the bones of the boy who was murdered in the house, with the bodies of his brother and little sister, who were killed in the field ; but so cautiously had the savages conducted their retreat, that no traces of them could be discovered and the men returned to their homes.
Subsequently, a second party started in pursuit and traced them to the cave, but it was found the enemy had left the night previous, and all hope of effecting a successful pursuit was given over. After her re- turn from captivity, Mrs. Cunningham stated that at the time of the 45
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OUR WESTERN BORDER.
search on the first day the Indians were in the cave, and that several times the whites approached so near that she could distinctly hear their voices ; the savages standing with their guns ready to fire in the event of being discovered, and forcing her to keep the infant to her breast, lest its cry might indicate their place of concealment.
CAPTIVITY AND WANDERINGS OF MRS. FRANCES SCOTT.
Mr. Scott, a citizen of Washington county, Virginia, had his house attacked on Wednesday night, June 29th, 1785, and himself, with four children, butchered upon the spot.
Early in the evening a considerable body of Indians passed his house and encamped within a couple of miles. Himself and family had re- tired, with the exception of Mrs. Scott, who was in the act of undress- ing when the painted savages rushed in and commenced the work of death.
Mr. Scott being awake, jumped up, but was immediately fired at ; he forced his way through the midst of the enemy and got out of the door, but fell. An Indian seized Mrs. Scott and ordered her to a particular spot and not to move. Others stabbed and cut the throats of the three younger children in their bed, and afterwards lifting them up, dashed them on the floor near the mother ; the oldest, a beautiful girl of eight years, awoke, escaped out of bed, ran to her parent, and, with the most plaintive accents, cried, " O mama ! mama ! save me !" The mother, in the deepest anguish of spirit and with a flood of tears, entreated the savages to spare her child ; but with a brutal fierceness they tomahawked and scalped her in the mother's arms.
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