USA > Ohio > Miami County > Troy > Centennial history. Troy, Piqua and Miami county, Ohio > Part 7
USA > Ohio > Miami County > Piqua > Centennial history. Troy, Piqua and Miami county, Ohio > Part 7
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"On emerging from the prairie to the higher ground and looking back, I could see several of them plunging through the snow on my track. Until then I was con- fident of reaching home before they could overtake me, but now I saw that it would be impossible to do so. I therefore con- cluded to dismount and climb the first de- sirable tree I came to. By this time I could hear the infernal pack coming, and riding up under a large tree, I hastily threw a bag of meal over a convenient limb, for I knew they would tear it to pieces if they could get at it. The mare, comprehending the situation, had become very restless, and just as I threw the bag over the limb, she jumped to one side,
OLD CANAL LOCKS, TROY
STILLWATER RIVER, PLEASANT IHLL
sr
ON THE BANKS OF THE CANAL, TROY
LUDLOW FALLS
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throwing me to the ground, and at once started for home, making fast time, being rid of her load. I saw that I could not get into the tree very readily, so I ran to a small dogwood tree near by, and just as I drew my last leg up a wolf snapped my foot, holding on for an instant, doing me no harm. I was now out of their reach and safe, if I could only keep up the circu- lation of my blood. I was chilled through and through, but by whipping my arms against my body I soon got all right. My perch was a frail one, requiring consider- able effort to keep it.
"On looking down I beheld abont twenty of the brutes leaping towards me, snarling and gnashing their teeth in mad frenzy. They were of the large grey variety. Num- bers kept coming; in an hour's time the pack had increased to at least fifty. They finally got to fighting among themselves; when one got wounded they would tear it to pieces, devouring it, so nearly famished were they. A terrible stench from their fetid breaths and damp bodies assailed me. It was almost unbearable, I being only twelve feet above them. I saw a number leaving on the trail of the mare, but they were too late; she would reach home before they could overtake her. On seeing the mare returning without me, mother could not help but think that I had been devoured or at least might be perish- ing with the cold in a treetop, the only possible chance for my escape, and I feared that in the anxiety and excitement of the moment she might start ont in search of me and be herself destroyed. I fervently prayed to God that she might not; and that He would protect me as He did Daniel of old when in the lion's den.
"Finally I became calm and hopeful.
waiting for the night to pass away; but how slowly the hours dragged! At last I noticed streaks of light shooting up in the east; the welcome sun would soon shine again upon the world, and then I would be relieved. The wolves by this time be- gan to leave. Some of them, after going a short distance, would sit upon their haunches and look wistfully at me, reluc- tant to give me up, but in a short time all were gone.
"Just as the sun, in all its refulgence, burst through the treetops what did I see but mother coming up the trail mounted upon ' Old Doll.' I will not attempt to de- scribe my feelings on that joyous meet- ing. Suffice it to say that I mounted thie mare, taking mother behind me, and we were soon warming ourselves before the roaring fire that brother Charley had pre- pared for us. After drinking a bowl of strong coffee-real coffee-I felt as good as new. Had I been a minute later in mounting the dogwood tree, in all proba- bility the world would never have known that I ever existed."
The foregoing is only one of the many incidents that crowded the lives of the boys who lived in the Miami wilderness. Theirs was a strennous life, beset witli dangers from wild beast and savages, but all acquitted themselves bravely. Their adventures, coupled with the work they did in clearing the land, hardened their muscles and kept them ever on the alert. The writer has heard more than one thrill- ing story from the lips of the first set- tlers and the narration of all would tax the capacity of a large volume. Before proceeding to give several thrilling inci- dents that took place within the county during the war of 1812 I hope I may be
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pardoned for telling the story of a Mrs. Davis, who at one time was a resident of the county in an early day. I had often heard the story from her descendants and its authenticity is not to be doubted.
Mrs. Davis was a widow with three small children and occupied a home in the wild wood region on the west side of the Miami River. About the only serious annoyance and drawback to peace was the immense number of wildcats which prowled through the woods and decimated the poultry. Stumpy-tailed, green-eyed, they strolled through the clearing and sunned them- selves on the limbs of neighboring trees, blinking calmly at the clucking hens, which they marked for their prey, and even ven- turing to throw suspicious glances at the infant sleeping in its cradle. Sociable in their disposition, they appeared to even claim a kind of proprietary interest in the premises and in the appurtenances there- of. Shooting a dozen and trapping as many more made little appreciable differ- ence in the numbers of the feline colony. Mrs. Davis at last constructed with much labor a close shed within which her poul- try were nightly housed. This worked well for a season. But one evening a commotion in the hennery informed her that the depredators were again at work. Hastily seizing an axe in one hand and carrying a light in the other, she hurried to the scene and two wildcats were found feasting sumptuously on her plumpest pul- let. The banqueters were evidently a mother and her well-grown son, whom she was instructing in the predatory art and practice.
The younger animal clambered to the hole where it had made its entrance and was about to make a successful exit, when
the matron, setting the light on the ground, struck the animal with the axe, breaking its back and bringing it to the ground. Without a moment's warning, the mother cat sprang upon the widow, and fastening its powerful claws in her breast, tore savagely at her neck with its teeth. The poor woman, shrieking with terror, strove with all her might to loosen the animal's hold, but in vain. The ma- ternal instinct had awakened all its fierce- ness, and as the blood commenced to flow in streams from the deep scratches and bites inflicted by its teeth and claws, its ferocity redoubled.
It tore and bit as if nothing would ap- pease it but the luckless victim's death. Mrs. Davis would doubtless have fallen a prey to its savage rage but for a happy thought which flashed across her mind in her desperate straits. Snatching her light from the ground she applied it to the hind- quarters of the wildcat. The flame instant- ly singed off the fur and scorched its flesh. With a savage screech it released its hold and fell to the ground, where she succeeded in dispatching the creature. It proved to be one of the largest of its species, meas- uring nearly three feet from its nose to the tip of its tail, and weighed over thirty pounds.
For many years this colony of pioneer wildcats continued to "make things liot" for the settlers in that region, but most of them were finally exterminated and the remnant emigrated to some more secluded locality.
Mrs. Davis had a grown daughter named Nancy, as winsome a lass as was to be found in the Miami wilderness. Nancy Davis had a score of admirers among the young men of the settlements and was the
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accredited belle of the region. She was a good rider and an expert shot with the frontier rifle, and on several occasions had carried off honors at the "shooting matches" in vogue in pioneer days.
While she was one day wandering through the forest not far from home she was suddenly startled from her reverie by a hoarse, deep, cavernous growl, and as she lifted her eyes they were opened wide with dismay and terror. Not twenty paces from her, rising on his huge-clawed iron feet, was a wide-mouthed, vicious-looking black bear of unusual size, who had evi- dently been "worked up" and was "spoil- ing for a fight." That the bear meant mis- chief was plain, but the girl was a pio- neer's daughter and her fright produced no symptoms of anything like fainting. Bears could climb, she knew very well, but then, if she got out of his way quickly enough he might not take the trouble to follow her.
It was the only chance, and she sprang for the nearest tree. It was of medium size, with a rough bark and easy to climb. All the better for her. if none the worse for the bear, and in an instant she was perched among the lower branches. For two or three minutes the shaggy monster seemed puzzled and as if it doubted what course he had best pursue if he wanted the pioneer belle; then he came slowly np and began smelling and muzzling round the roots of the tree as if to obtain the neces- sary information in order to enable him to decide the important question.
The young woman in the tree was no coward, but little as was her hope of be- ing heard in that forest solitude, she let her fears have their own way and screamed for help. As if aroused and provoked by
the sound of her voice, the bear began to try the bark with his foreclaw while his fierce little eyes looked up wistfully into the face of the maiden and his little tongue came twisting spirally from his half opened jaws, as if he were gloating over a choice titbit. It happened that a neigh- bor young man, and by the way, one of the girl's admirers, soon reached the scene of action. Though completely unarmed, he did not hesitate to come to close quarters with bruin, and seizing a heavy stick, he commeneed to vigorously belabor the hind- quarters of the brute, who, however, only responded to these attentions by turning his head and winking viciously at his as- sailant, still pursuing his upward gym- nasties in the direction of the treed girl, who on her part was elambering towards the upper branches of the tree.
The young man redoubled his blows, and for a moment bruin seemed disposed to turn and settle matters with the party at his rear, but finally, to the dismay of both the maiden and her champion, the bear, evidently deeming his readiest escape from attack would be to continue his ascent, re- sumed his acrobatic performance and was about to place his forefeet on the lower limbs, when his foe, dropping his futile weapon, seized the stumpy tail of the beast with his strong hands and, bracing his feet against the trunk of the tree, pulled with all his might. The girl, seeing the turn that matters had taken, immedi- ately broke off a large limb and stoutly hammered the bear's snout. This simul- taneous attack in front and rear was too much for bruin, and with an amusing air of bewilderment, he descended in a slow and bewildered manner and galloped off into the forest.
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It is not on record whether Miss Nancy rewarded the courageous youth with her hand or not, but he certainly deserved some consideration at her fair hands. The foregoing are some of the thrilling inci- dents that enlivened pioneer days among the wild beasts that infested the lands of the Miami a century ago. At times it was not safe to go far from home for fear of the savage four-footed denizens of the for- est. During certain seasons of the year, when food was scarce, it was dangerous to venture far, for the wild beasts were ravenous and did not hesitate to attack the settlers. It is not believed that any of the pioneers fell victims to the rapacity of the wild animals, but narrow escapes were numerous and would thrill the reader if all of the personal encounters could be recorded.
With the breaking out of the War of 1812 the pioneers were thrown into a new peril, which discounted anything that they had hitherto experienced. The British did not hesitate to turn loose upon the isolated settlements bands of savages, who swept the forest like a besom of destruction. Not only this, but they placed a bounty on scalps, and many were actually sold by the red fiends at the English posts in Canada. There is extant an old song which had for its refrain a stanza like this :
"Scalps are sold at stated prices, England pays the price in gold."
This atrocious bargain on the part of the mother country with a lot of blood- thirsty fiends who carried in their hearts no attributes of mercy cannot be condoned. It is no wonder that the settlers along the Miami lived in terror of this red war cloud which hovered over them throughout
the whole period of that war. It seemed as if the entire border would be decimated by the tomahawk and scalping knife, and there was a constant fear everywhere. Block houses were established in various parts of the county, and to these the in- habitants would flee at every alarm. When one observes the present state of happi- ness and prosperity in our midst he can scarcely believe that such a state of affairs as I have described ever existed here. The wild beasts of the forest were outdone in their ferocity by the wilder Indian. The savages, egged on by the English, stopped at no cruelty, and all the time the settler was in the direst peril.
Small war parties of Indians reached this locality. Raids were made by them within our borders, but strange to say, but little murdering was done. The settlers were constantly on their guard and the savages feared their murdering rifles. A number of cattle were killed or carried off by the marauders, and several people were slain and scalped. One of the most notable of these killings within our bor- ders was that of the Dilbone family, which occurred in Spring Creek Township.
The killing of the Dilbones, which oc- curred in August, 1813, was preceded by the Indian assault on David Gerard, who lived four miles north of Troy. Gerard, in company with a neighbor named Ross, was cutting timber. They were not ap- prised of the nearness of the Indians until a shot was fired from ambush and Gerard fell. Ross turned and fled for his life and succeeded in outstripping the redskins, who soon came back to their victim. When the nearest neighbors reached the scene of the attack it was found that Gerard had been scalped and not an Indian was in
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sight. But for the alarm spread by the terrified Ross, the entire Gerard family would have been massacred, but, as it was, only one victim had succumbed to the fury of the savages.
The Dilbones resided two miles north of the Gerard home. They were among the earliest settlers of the county and were well known people. Dilbone and his wife were found at work pulling flax. As they had heard nothing of the killing of Ge- rard, they were unsuspicions of danger, and therefore were not able to make any resistance to their enemies. It was a beau- tiful summer day and the sun was sinking slowly behind the distant hills, the last rays flooding the flax fields with a shower of golden light. At the first volley by the Indians Dilbone fell with a bullet in the breast, being unable to render his wife any aid. He was mortally wounded, but managed to secrete himself in the corn and was overlooked by the enemy. From his hiding place he saw the fiends shoot and scalp his wife, after which they cleared out with the bloody trophies of their foray. There were only two Indians engaged in this killing, and one was only a half-grown boy, who in all probability was taking his first lessons in warriorship. The twain carried but one rifle, which was lost, but was picked up the following day. Dilbone survived his wound till the next day, but his wife died. It was afterwards ascer- tained that these same two Indians were seen along Spring Creek the day previous to the killing, but they disappeared so mysteriously that their whereabouts could not be traced.
Of course this incursion into the county created the greatest excitement. The whole border was thrown into a state of
alarm, and it was for a time feared that a large body of Indians was about to be precipitated upon the Miami settlements. The fact that the two Indians concerned in the murders on Spring Creek went north after their bloody work gave rise to the belief that they were taking the scalps to their white employers for the promised reward. About this time a woman named Martin was scalped by maranding Indians, but she survived her wounds and lived for many years afterward in this eounty.
There came into the county previous to General Clarke's expedition against the Piqua towns, two boys by the name of Moffit. They had passed through the most exciting experiences. Their home was in Greenbrier County, Virginia. One day while hunting squirrels they were sur- prised by a foraging party of Indians and made captives. John, who was the eldest, presented his gun to the redskins, but the Indian made proffers of good intentions and the brothers were deceived and se- cured.
From the date of their unlucky experi- ence began a long captivity. John was forthwith adopted into the tribe and given an Indian name. His brother, whose phy- sique was more delicate, was marked for death, but a squaw who had recently lost a son interceded for the boy and he was handed over to her. The ceremony of In- dian adoption was somewhat peculiar and may be given here. George Moffit was first required to run the gauntlet, after which his Indian mother took some dry ashes which she placed on a square bit of bark. She next rubbed the ashes on her fingers and proceeded to pluck from the boy's head every hair but enough which formed a scalplock after the manner of the
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the Miami. Firmly held by several red Indians. This ceremony was not to young Moffit's liking, but he had to submit to it, which he did with no good grace.
The conclusion of the adoption cere- monies was an immersion in the waters of Amazons, the bewildered boy was dragged to the banks of the river and was repeat- edly soused in the water till he was de- clared to have no white blood in him. For a year or two afterward he remained to all intents and purposes an Indian. He was still in the hands of his captors when Gen. Clarke entered the Miami country in 1782. During the night battle waged by Clarke's little band against the Indians George Moffit made his escape and fled in the direction of the Stillwater. He did not care to go back to the whites, so ac- customed had he become to the wild habits of his tribe, and he looked upon the whites as invaders who were unjustly persecut- ing the Indians. But the time was coming when George, or "Kiterhoo," as he was called by the Indians, was to leave his cap- tors. His father, who still resided in Vir- ginia, heard through other Indian captives that his boy was alive and with the red tribes. This information eventually brought about young Moffit's return to his home. Jolin remained a captive nearly two years after his brother's restoration to the old home, when he was ransomed by French traders, so that both boys saw the family roof again, with exciting experiences that would fill a whole volume.
Years afterward the Moffit boys became residents of this county, in 1808, and pur- chased land not far from Piqua. George Moffit died in 1831 and John survived him a few years. Both married and raised families and became substantial citizens
of the county. Singular to relate, the two brothers for many years after their re- turn to civilization retained some of their Indian habits. They were familiar with forest life and could track a deer when the knowledge of a settler was in this par- ticular utterly at fault.
Another pioneer of the county who had a large and vivid experience with the In- dians was Col. Johnston, who during the War of 1812 was an Indian agent, and by his excellent management and coolness kept a large number of Indians on his land near Piqua and prevented them from tak- ing up arms against the Americans. Among the Indians thus managed by Col. Johnston were Shawnees, Delawares, Wy- andots and Senecas. At one time he had six thousand red men under his charge. The Indians hostile to Col. Johnston fre- quently plotted against his life, for they realized that while he lived he would keep his charges neutral and thus prevent them from deluging the frontier in blood.
All these murderous plots failed. At one time it was designed to kill him where he was expected to pass on a journey. Not far from the Indian camp at Piqua, which Col. Johnston visited daily, grew a wild plum thicket. A lot of hostiles secreted themselves among the underbrush and pre- pared to end the career of the white man whom they so cordially hated. Col. John- ston had not the remotest suspicion of the plot. The day came and the death hour was near at hand. Fortunately, just be- fore the culmination of the scheme some Delaware women warned the agent, and the would-be assassins fled. Pursuit was instituted as soon as possible, but the vil- lains escaped and, it is said, were later on concerned in the killing of the Dilbones.
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At another time Col. Johnston proved the stuff he was made of and showed what sort of men it took to keep down the tur- bulent characters that threatened the Mi- ami frontier. It seems that two mem- bers of the militia, in a spirit of pure malice, fired upon a party of friendly In- dians protected by a flag of truce furnished by Col. Johnston. Two Indians were killed and the remainder were taken to Green- ville as prisoners, a most shameful and unwarranted act. Changing their minds, the militiamen brought the prisoners to Piqua and turned them over to Col. John- ston. He decided to take them back to Greenville and restore them to their people.
As the journey at that time from Piqua to Greenville was one full of danger, Col. Johnston applied to the commander at Pi- qua for an escort. The cowardly militia refused to go. Then Col. Johnston said he would accept the responsibility himself and conduct the Indians twenty-five miles through the forest alone. It was indeed a dangerous journey, for the Indians had recently committed several murders in the region through which the trip had to be
made. Col. Johnston saddled his horse, bade his wife farewell, scarcely expecting to see her again, and set out with his charges. He made the journey unmolest- ed, and having delivered the Indians back, set out on his return trip alone. Great was the surprise of the militia at Piqua when they saw the brave old agent safe again in their midst, but not one of the dastardly fellows could look him in the eye without quailing, and the reader can imagine, for we cannot describe, the opinion Col. Johnston had of them.
I have not space in this book to narrate all the thrilling personal incidents con- nected with the settlement of the county. I have given only a few of the many, but from them the reader will form a good idea of the whole. It took courage and perse- verance, hardihood and untiring watchful- ness to wrench from the wild beast and the wilder Indians the rich and beautiful lands of the Miami. The people who now inhabit the county, while they honor the memory of the pioneers, can never fully appreciate the suffering and heroism which were required to make this region what is is to-day.
CHAPTER V.
EARLY TRANSPORTATION
Corduroy Roads-First Gravel Road-The National Road-Braddock's Road-Early Stage Lines, Stages and Stage Drivers-Famous Taverns-Water Transportation -Freighting on the Miami-To New Orleans by River in 1819; an Unfortunate Voyage-Dr. Dorsey's Recollections of Flat Boat Navigation-Canal Construction -The Miami and Erie Canal-Benefits of the Canal-the Old Mail Service-Postal Ratesin 1816-Postoffice Established at Piqua-The Early Postmaster-A Mail Carrier's Adventure-A Century's Progress.
Transportation and travel in the early days of the county bordered on the primi- tive. For a long time there were no roads at all, only the buffalo trails, and these zig-zagged in every direction. They were at first used by the men who opened the wilderness and were followed by the blazed ways from one settlemnet or town to an- other. As early as 1806 a road was blazed to Greenville through the forest, and was for a time the main thoroughfare, so to speak, in this region. As the various set- tlements grew and the people increased in numbers by accessions from other locali- ties, better roads became necessary, and the settlers began to construct them. Long before the days of the turnpike came cor- duroy roads, which for a while seemed to fill a "long-felt want."
J. M. Thomas, one of the early pioneers, has written as follows of the corduroy road :
"The best roads were the corduroy roads. The man- wer in which they were constructed was to get together the men and boys of the neighborhood with their axes and oxen, 'Buck and Berry,' as the oxen were almost always called. The men who drove them had a stick about six feet long with a leather strap tied to one end of it, with which he would guide his team. The men would cut down trees, split them into rails and haul them with the ox-teams to the worst places in the road. They would first lay brush in the road to support the rails and prevent them from sinking too deep in the mire; then lay the rails on top of the brush and shovel mud over them. This was the best road we bad in those days. We did not dream of steam or electric railways.
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