USA > Ohio > Ashland County > A History of the Pioneer and Modern Times of Ashland County > Part 20
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A Hair-breadth ' Scape.
In September, 1821, Mr. Castor was returning home, toward the close of day, from an examina- tion of some lands in the neighborhood, and, when within about forty rods of a clearing, his atten- tion was called to a crackling sound in advance of him, and following on some distance, discovered it to be a bear and two cubs. When within about twenty steps of the "family," the cubs ascended a tree, and the old bear commenced a rapid advance upon Mr. Castor. Being without a gun, or even a knife of any description, he lost no time in seeking safety by climb- ing a small tree. He barely made good his escape. The enraged brute would stand erect against the trunk of the tree and gnash her teeth at Mr. Castor,
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and then lie down, fixing upon him her glaring eyes, and beating the ground heavily with her huge paws. As night was rapidly approaching, he began to feel anxious about his release, and raised his voice for help. His dog was the first to come to his aid; and the moment the bear saw the dog, she immediately stationed herself at the base of the tree upon which rested her cubs. Mr. Castor instantly availed him- self of the opportunity, and sprang from the tree, and was soon at the nearest clearing, belonging to Na- than Wyatt. Here, within a few minutes, a party of four were assembled, properly armed, and, aided by three dogs, set out to capture the bear. The dogs were soon engaged with her, but she made short work with them, striking them with her paw, and causing the strongest among them to reel under her powerful blows, and seek protection, by piteous howls, of their masters. The timber and dense underbrush afforded such concealment of the bear that the efforts of the hunters were baffled, and they returned to their homes, leaving her the victor.
JONATHAN COULTER.
Jonathan Coulter emigrated from Beaver County, Pennsylvania, to Green Township, in February, 1816. He died in August, 1841, at the age of seventy-three years. Thomas W. Coulter, Esq., now of Perrysville, is the only surviving member of the family now re- siding in Ashland County.
A Colony of Land Pirates.
In the year 1825, a band of outlaws, under the leadership of John Driskel, made their principal abode in Green Township, upon the farm now owned
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by John Taylor, Esq. They were the terror of the good people of Green and neighborhood, as they had previously been of the inhabitants of Columbiana and Wayne Counties, where they had formerly resided, and where they had committed extensive depreda- tions. While in the first-named county, the elder Driskel had an encounter with one of the Poe family, resulting in the loss of the tip of his nose, which, added to his naturally repulsive features, gave him a marked and hideous countenance. During his resi- dence in Wayne County, but while the other families connected with the gang, hereafter mentioned, were living in Green Township, he had been sentenced to the penitentiary, and effected his escape. A reward was offered for his recapture and return. His con- federates were numerous, and scattered over a large district of territory; but John Driskel, his son Pear- son, and his son-in-law Reeson Brawdy, and Aaron Brawdy, were among the most desperate; and they (when not professionally engaged) and their families made their headquarters on the place above men- tioned.
Their principal crimes were horse-stealing, incen- diarism, and burglaries. They were men of great physical strength and brutal courage, and never omit- ted an opportunity to exercise these qualities. The boldness and frequency of their depredations had aroused intense indignation among the people of the neighborhood, and organized efforts were made to de- tect the haunts and effect a capture of the leaders. Among those most active and vigilant in securing this object, were Jonathan Coulter and William Irvin-the former being generally engaged, when one of the gang would be arrested, in prosecuting for the
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State, and the latter being constable of the town- ship. The outlaws had offered, alternately, violent threats and large bribes in money to these and other like adversaries to secure their neutrality; but their firm resistance of all corrupt offers to compound felony, and their inflexible determination to either bring the culprits to justice or rid the country of their presence, brought upon them the concentrated malice of the entire gang, and a war of extermination became necessary to the security of life and property in the settlement.
The barns of Coulter and Irvin were fired during the fall of the year 1829-consuming several horses and large stocks of grain, hay, etc., and requiring all the energies of Mr. Coulter and family to prevent the flames from communicating with their house. Sus- picions led to the arrest of Pearson Driskel, who was tried and sentenced to the penitentiary for the crime; although in the progress of his trial it appeared that he was only a particeps criminis-having employed a fellow known as "Crop-eared Brawdy" to accomplish the incendiary work.
Efforts were, some years later, made to arrest the : elder Driskel, who, having effected his escape from the penitentiary, had been discovered, one December evening, near dark, by John Kidwell, in Mohican Township, making his way, stealthily, on horseback, through the woods, in the direction of the dwellings of his son and son-in-law. The younger Driskel in the mean time had served his term in the penitentiary, and was at home. Kidwell, anticipating the destina- tion of the old man, immediately set out on foot through the woods to communicate his discovery to the immediate neighbors of the outlaws. A force of
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five resolute men were assembled, and proceeded to the suspected houses, which they reached at a late hour in the night; and a careful reconnoissance of the premises discovered hanging under the portico of young Driskel's cabin a new saddle, which had been described by Kidwell as the one upon the horse which the old man was riding. Being thus persuaded that the fugitive was in the house before them, three of the party, consisting of William Irvin, David Ayres, and Thomas W. Coulter, opened the door and entered. The latter approached the fire-place to stir the live coals, and produce a light in the room. The inmates of the house had, until this, been in a profound slum- ber; but the movement of Coulter awoke the women, who immediately gave utterance to piercing screams. Their cries at once aroused the old man; and, spring- ing from bed with a bowie-knife in hand, stooped down and also seized his rifle, threatening with death every intruder who did not instantly leave the house. His order was promptly obeyed-the three men re- treating and closing the door after them. The old man stormed terribly, and swore that he would not be taken alive-that he would rather be shot down in his tracks than returned to the penitentiary-and that he would sell his life as dearly as possible.
It was a bitter cold night; and the party on the outside, suffering from the inclemency of the weather, determined to bring the scene to a close, and they accordingly announced to the old man that he had five minutes in which to make his election of death or surrender. During this interval, he at several times sought to escape through the door and confront his enemies; but his son, aided by the women, would as often force him back from the door. In one of
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these efforts, he had thrust his gun and arm through an opening in the doorway, when William Irvin seized the opportunity to deal a heavy blow with a club upon his exposed arm, which for the time para- lyzed it. Four of the five men were armed with flint-lock muskets-these being the best fire-arm in common use in those days-and the other had a pistol. Old Driskel was a little ahead of the times. He owned a pick-lock gun-percussion caps were not known in this country then-but old Driskel's nice gun had what were called "percussion grains." These grains were about the size of a pin's head, and the pick striking down on one was what exploded the pow- der. The old man had his gun raised to fire at Mr. Rice, who was standing in front of the partly open door, when his son Pearson slipped his hand between his gun and the pick, thereby preventing the discharge of the gun, but receiving a wound upon his own hand. He once snapped his gun within four feet of the breast of David Ayres, and the latter aimed a pistol at the body of the culprit, but his weapon also missed fire. The five minutes having expired, the order to fire was given, and the result was four "snaps" and one "flash." Ayres's pistol was a crack one, and in a few minutes its load was accidentally discharged. To obtain a better sight on the old man, the party began to push out the "chinking" between the logs for the purpose of securing port-holes for the muzzles of their guns; when the criminal yielded to the entreaties of his family, and announced his willingness to surrender. The men then entered the house and secured the limbs of the prisoner with a rope-committed him to the charge of two strong men, brothers, named Peter- son, who, on the same morning, left with their charge
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for Columbus. Arriving at Sunbury, Delaware County, on the first night, the old villain managed to effect his escape-and thus terminated the career, in Ohio, of one of the vilest desperadoes that ever cursed a civil- ized community. His family and confederates soon joined him in the West, where they pursued their vocation of crime for some years; when old John, his son William, and another of the gang, fell into the hands of a band of "Regulators," in Northern Illinois, and were shot immediately upon their seizure. The body of his youngest son, David, was soon after found hanging upon a tree.
A communication by John Coulter, Esq., published several years since in the Mansfield Herald, contains the following reference to this band and their depre- dations, and the names of those who had organized to bring them to justice :-
"This gang was also composed of some of the actual settlers as well as others at a distance. The following are some of the depredations which were committed previous to their being detected and routed.
"They commenced first by stealing the horse of William Taylor, Esq., then living on Honey Creek, about three miles east of Perrysville. Next was the stealing of Alexander Rice's Rockingham colt, a very valuable animal; then the breaking open and robbing Mr. Hart's store, on Honey Creek, about three miles south of Hayesville.
"These depredations, committed in succession, alarmed the different neighborhoods, calling into action the services of the 'Black Cane Company.'
* This company was composed of the most prominent settlers of the different neighborhoods molested by these ruffans. Each member of the company carried with him a black cane made of
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"Marshaling their numbers into the field, they start- ed out upon a searching expedition. Information had reached them that the goods stolen from Mr. Hart's store were secreted in a certain elder swamp, about one and a half miles above the village of Perrysville, which swamp was situated near the banks of the Black Fork.
"On receiving the information, the company imme- diately repaired to the swamp, and after searching it, they returned without meeting with any success.
"In a few days after this, the saddle of John Coulter was stolen, and, as he supposed, in retaliation for as- sisting in the search of the goods stolen from Mr. Hart.
"A few days afterward, information reached Messrs. Coulter and Hart that the saddle and other stolen goods were en route for the West.
"On hearing this, Mr. Coulter and Mr. Smith (after being duly authorized) went in pursuit of said goods, overtaking the wagons at Monroeville, and searched them, but without success; and they came to the conclusion that the goods were not there, and returned home .*
the wood of crab-apple or black haw, as follows: the bark was peeled off, (the knots being left on,) after which the canes were burned black, and then greased for the purpose of giving them a shining appearance.
The names of the persons composing this company, as far as re- collected, are, Captain Thomas Coulter, William Irvin, A. Rice, Isaac Martin, Thomas Martin, David Coulter, C. H. Rice, David Ayres, Charles Tannehill, Lewis Oliver, T. W. Coulter, John Capel, Solomon Gladden, Melzer Tannehill, Jonathan Coulter, James Irvin, Nathan Stearns, Harry Hill, David Hill, Reuben Hill, John Latty, Levi Taylor, John Coulter, Esq., and some others whose names are not now recollected.
* It was, nevertheless, afterward ascertained that the goods
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"After his return home, Mr. Coulter commenced the collection of several judgments then due on his docket, one of which, amounting to about forty-five dollars, was on one of this notorious clan, who, having considerable business before Mr. Coulter in his official capacity, knew where he (Mr. Coulter) kept the money he thus collected.
"After collecting the money, one evening after his return, a thought occurred to him that his desk might become an object of consideration to this villain and his gang, and that the removal of said deposits to another place might not be unimportant. This was done; the money, excepting about five dollars, was removed. That night his desk was removed from the house into the meadow, about one-fourth of a mile distant, then owned by Dr. Ayres, and rifled of its contents, amounting to five dollars in money, a set of shaving tools, and a penknife, all of which the vil- lians took. By removing the money, Mr. Coulter saved about one hundred dollars.
"About the time that the barns of Jonathan Coulter and William Irvin were fired and burned, a large flat- boat, built by Lucius Doolittle, and loaded with three or four hundred barrels of flour, pork, and whisky, was cut loose from its moorings by the same clan of villians, and left to drift at random down the Black Fork of Mohican. Luckily it drifted but a short dis- tance, when it was discovered and made safe.
"All these depredations were committed in the space of about one year, during which almost every
were then actually in the wagon, but confined under a false floor of the bed, and, on entering the wagon, the deception was not dis- covered.
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house in the neighborhood was plundered of some thing or other.
From the Mansfield Herald, March 24, 1858.
COULTER FAMILY.
"The Coulter family are known as among the earliest settlers at Perrysville, on the Black Fork. Thomas Coulter (the father of John) was born in the State of New York, and moved from thence with his father to the Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania, and was living there at the time of the Wyoming mas- sacre.
"Many years before the Revolution, a colony from Connecticut had commenced a settlement in the val- ley of Wyoming. About one thousand families had settled in this valley up to the time of the Revolution, which event called out a thousand brave youths of noble sires to fight for freedom. In the absence of these, the tories collected several hundred Indians to- gether, who, with horrid yells and fearful impreca- tions, commenced the work of death and carnage upon the defenseless inhabitants. The old men were murdered, and women and children and babes were all locked up in forts and houses, and destroyed in one awful conflagration. Wyoming was never more called the happy valley. The few who survived the massacre had a bitter lot, and the grave received crushed and broken hearts.
"The father of Tom Jelloway (one of the Green- town Indians) lived at this period in the valley of Wyoming; he was a friendly Indian, and on hearing of the intentions of the savages, he immediately com- menced warning the whites of their danger, and among the number saved by his timely warning was
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the Coulter family. On hearing this news, Mr. Coulter took his family into a canoe, and, under cover of the darkness of the night, made his escape down the creek into a fort.
"After the massacre, Mr. Coulter moved his family to Washington County, Pennsylvania, where Thomas volunteered, under General Morgan, to fight the In- dians on White River. In this expedition a severe battle was fought and gained, and many Indians taken prisoners.
"After returning from this expedition, Mr. Coulter and his father took a trading excursion down the Ohio. In this expedition, Thomas and his father were attacked with the small-pox. The father died, and was buried in Maysville. The son recovered, settled up his business, and returned home.
"On his return, he fell in company with the noto- rious Simon Girty,* and having often heard of this bloody white savage, and finding himself in his com- pany, determined to guard himself against surprise.
* This notorious renegade was the son of & notorious drunk- ard, who had emigrated from Ireland. The old man was beastly intemperate, and nothing ranked higher in his estimation than a jug of whisky. His sottishness turned his wife's affections, and she yielded her heart to another, who knocked Girty on the head, and bore off the trophy of his prowess. Four sons remained be- hind, Thomas, Simon, George and James. The three latter were taken prisoners in Braddock's war, by the Indians. George was adopted by the Delawares, and died in a drunken fit. James was adopted by the Shawnees, and became a bloody villain. Simon was adopted by the Senecas, and became an expert hunter. In Kentucky and Ohio, he distinguished himself as an unrelenting barbarian. It was his constant wish that he might die in battle. This wish was gratified. He was cut to pieces, by Colonel John- son's mounted men, at Proctor's defeat.
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"Girty and Mr. Coulter had met upon the borders of a dark, long forest, through which they both had to pass, being on their way to the same station.
"On entering the forest, Mr. Coulter sprang behind Girty with his rifle in hand, ready cocked, and com- manded him, under the penalty of being shot, to lead the way, and neither move to the right nor left.
"The two strangers were well armed, but Mr. Coulter had gained the advantage of Simon on enter- ing the woods, and thus compelled him to lead the way to the station, where they parted company and never met again.
"Some short time after his arrival at home, (Wash- ington County, Pennsylvania,) Mr. Coulter married Miss Nancy Tannehill, sister of General Tannehill, of Pittsburg, who, during the revolutionary war, served as a captain, and had been engaged in fighting several bloody battles.
"A few years after his marriage, or about the year 1794, the 'Whisky Insurrection,' as it was called, broke out in Pennsylvania.
"Among the number implicated in this affair was Thomas Coulter, who was taken prisoner by the authorities, and acquitted only on condition of his signing an instrument of writing, in which he, with all others, promised loyalty to the United States laws.
"Shortly after this event, Mr. Coulter immigrated to Washington County, Pennsylvania, when, after remaining a few years there, he made his way into Ohio, about the year 1806, and settled down in Jef- ferson County, which, although created by proclama- tion by Governor St. Clair, in 1797, was, nevertheless, as yet a dense wilderness.
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"After remaining here a few years, he finally immi- grated to and settled down on the Black Fork of Mohican, Richland County, Ohio, (near the present site of Perrysville, Ashland County,) in 1811.
"This region was then a primal wilderness, pre- senting a scene of wild magnificence. The bottoms were covered with the most luxuriant growth of grass, while the banks of the stream were lined with an almost endless variety of wild flowers and flower- ing shrubs.
"Mrs. Thomas Coulter had four brothers, who fought in the revolutionary war. She once made a most magnificent cockade, which she intended to present to one of her brothers; but coming under the eye of General Washington, who took a fancy to it, she presented it to him, who, on receiving it, kindly thanked her, in the name of Liberty, for this memento of her respect."
JOHN COULTER.
John Coulter was born September 13th, 1790, in Washington County, Pennsylvania. The following is from an article published in the Mansfield Herald, and was written by himself :-
"I came in company with a young man, the name of Edward Haley, who my father hired to accompany me. We came into Richland County in the fall of 1810, and commenced cutting brush to clear off a spot of land to put up a cabin, on the third day after the second Tuesday of October of that year. We continued to labor for two months, during which time we put up & cabin, (said cabin was afterward con- verted into a block-house,) grubbed out ten acres of land, and cut and split three thousand rails, and cut the timber all off the lot, set out some fruit trees, and
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then, during the winter, returned to Island Creek Township, Jefferson County, Ohio; there remained until the 1st of March, 1810. I then, in company with my father and brother Melzer, came out to the cabin we had built the fall before on the bank of the Black Fork of Mohican, now in Green Township, Ashland County, Ohio. From that time until the present, I have been a resident of Richland County, and suppose I have gained my residence in Rich- land County. JOHN COULTER."
Mr. Coulter's Public Life.
Mr. Coulter was the first coroner of this county, and the first assessor of the eastern half of the county. He was twice elected justice of the peace in Green Township; twice in Washington Township; served twice in the legislature, and once on the State Board of Equalization.
Besides the cabin which he helped to erect for his father, Mr. Coulter aided his companions to put up two others the same fall-one for Mr. Crawford, which was located on the present site of Perrysville, Ashland County, and one for Tannehill, which stood on the land now occupied by his son, Melzer Tanne- hill.
These cabins were in the midst of a dense wilder- ness and delightful hunting country. The nearest settlement was about three miles distant, and was composed of the following named pioneers: James Cunningham, Henry McCart, Andrew Craig, Samuel Lewis, and David Davis.
Indian Festival.
Some time during the spring of 1811, the Indians of Greentown and Jeromeville, with some others,
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celebrated one of their religious festivals in the vil- : lage of Greentown. This village, as remarked in another chapter, stood upon or near the banks of the Black Fork, and contained about one or two hundred inhabitants.
The festival was held in the council-house, a spacious building, some sixty or seventy feet long. In the center of this building a temporary altar was erected, about eight feet in diameter and some one or two feet high. Upon this altar a large fire was kindled, which burned with a most lurid brilliancy. Around this fire the principal speakers performed their solemn marches, speaking and singing alternately, while the rest of the audience were arranged in rows, two or three deep, around the walls inside the house.
During the performance of these officials, the audi- ence kept up a kind of grunting exercise, accompanied by a variety of gesticulations and singular contortions of the countenance, indicating that the occasion was one of deep and solemn interest, and would also occa- sionally cast a piece of fresh meat (prepared for the occasion) into the fire, on which a general "pow-wow" would be heard for a few moments.
The costumes of the prominent chiefs were singu- larly fantastic, being ornamented with various colors, arranged in such a manner as to produce the most striking effect. Deers' hoofs were also attached to their leggings, which produced a rattling noise as they moved around the fire.
Among the number of these officials was the cele- brated Captain Pipe, of Jeromeville, who acted a most conspicuous part in the devotions. He was a tall and very graceful chief, somewhat stricken in years. His movements were quick, though bending
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under the infirmities of age, and his keen, black, piercing eyes, told of the fire and ardor of his youth in other days.
"It was evident," says our informant, "that this occasion was one of no ordinary importance, for during the whole exercises a most profound solemnity characterized their devotions, and during some par- ticular parts of their ceremonies the audience were moved to tears."
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