USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 1 > Part 46
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. THE SPEECH OF THE MIAMIS.
On July 17th, Freeman's return from his ex- pedition is noted by Symmes. With him he brought a speech from the chiefs and warriors of the Maumee towns :
"MAWME, July 7, 1789.
"Brothers ! Americans !- At the Miami- Warriors !- listen to us warriors, what we have to say.
"Now Americans! Brothers,-We have heard from you, and are glad to hear the good speech you sent us. You have got our flesh and blood among you, and we have got yours among us, and we are glad to hear that you wish to ex- change; we really think you want to exchange, and that is the reason we listen to you.
"As the Great Spirit has put your flesh and blood into our hands, we now deliver them up. "We Warriors, if we can, wish to make peace, and our chiefs and yours will then listen to one another. As we warriors speak from our hearts, we hope you do so too, and wish you may be of one mind as we are.
"Brothers, Warriors,-When we heard from you that you wished to exchange prisoners, we listened attentively, and now we send some, as all are not here, nor can be procured at present, and therefore, we hope you will send all ours home, and when we see them, it will make us strong to send all yours which cannot now all be got together.
"Brothers, Warriors,-When we say this, it is from our hearts, and we hope you do the same, but if our young men should do any thing wrong before we all meet together, we beg you will overlook it; this is the mind of us warriors, and our chiefs are glad there is hopes of peace. We hope, therefore, that you are of the same mind.
"Brothers, Warriors,-It is the warriors who . have shut the path 'which your chiefs and ours formerly laid open, but there is hopes that path will soon be cleared; that our women and chil- dren may go where they wish in peace, and that yours inay do the same.
"Now Brothers, Warriors,-You have heard from us; we hope you will be strong like 11s, and we hope there will be nothing but peace and friendship between you and us."
The following prisoners came in with Isaac Freeman, viz .: John White, taken from Nel- son County, Kentucky; Elizabeth Bryant and her child, and a child named Ashby, who were taken from a boat at the mouth of the Ken-
tucky River-all its friends said to have been killed at the time. Two others who were in- tended to be sent in ran off the night before Freeman left their towns, to avoid returning to the whites. Of those who would be sent in thereafter, was a Mrs. Bilderback, whose hus- band was killed at Mingo Bottom, at the time she was made prisoner; also, a soldier in Cap- tain McCurdy's company, named Brady,-he was with a party guarding a surveyor, when made captive. Seven soldiers and several of the inhabitants were killed in the attack.
Freeman lost his life on a later mission to the Indians, being fired on while bearing a flag of truce. He brought back at this time terrify- ing accounts of the warlike preparations mak- ing at the Indian towns which raised fresh commotion in the village and induced many of the families to leave for the falls. Symmes writes that he is not terrified by the report of Freeman :
"I am by no means terrified by the report of Mr. Freeman but I am indeed mortified to see people running away from these settlements, merely because no care is taken by their super- iors to save them and their families from the rage of the savages. They feel themselves abandoned to destruction, and whether the danger they apprehend is real or imaginary, 'tis the same thing to them. One family flying from the purchase causes more detriment to the settlement than fifty staying away, when they are away."
A number of the things observed by Free- man while at the Indian towns reflect upon the condition of affairs among the savages gen- erally. He lodged at the house of a chief, Blue Jacket. While there he saw pack horses bring- ing to the house five hundred weight of powder and an equivalent amount of lead with one hun- dred muskets. The same amount of ammuni- tion he saw deposited at the house of another chief in the same town and a like quantity was sent to every chief through all their towns. Upon the arrival of these stores which came from Detroit, British colors were displayed upon the housetop of every chief. A prisoner among the Indians, who had gained their confidence and had attended their council house by means of an artifice, succeeded in conversing with Free- man. He assured him that the Indians were determined to destroy the Miami settlements and would have attempted it before this time had it not been for the lack of military stores. These had now arrived and they only awaited
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the return of a Mr. Magee (?) with two pieces of artillery from Sandusky or Detroit to pro- ceed without delay on their expedition to the Ohio.
Freeman's report was also corroborated by the letter which Luce had received from Ham- tramck and also by way of Pittsburg. On the evening of Freeman's return a Shawanee Indian came on the hill back of the town and hallooed to the Indian who had come back with Mr. Freeman. This naturally caused considerable alarm. The women and children rushed to Symmes' house and the men paraded with their arms. The friendly Indian however went up to the hill to the stranger and brought him in. He stated that he was alone and was from the Indian towns having spent but five days on the road. In view of these rumors it is not sur- prising that Judge Symmes should write :
"What will be the issue, God only knows. I
shall however maintain the ground as long as is possible, ill-prepared as we are. I can but perish as many a better man has done before me. It will be but just, however, if we are to have no assistance, to advertise me thereof immediately, that we may all resort to one sta- tion, which will be put in the best posture of (défense that we are able to fortify." (Symmes to Dayton, July 17, 1789. )
THE SEWARDS.
On September 20, 1789, there came the attack on the Seward boys, the sons of a pioneer from New Jersey, named James Seward. Seward owned a lot in Turkey Bottom, which, as has been stated, had been originally an Indian clear- ing, planted in corn for many years by the abor- iginees, and had been leased by Stites to the various settlers. Seward's house was on the side of the hill near Columbia and his farm lot was reached by a path about two miles in length.
Abel Cook, one of the party that first landed at Columbia in a search for nuts had cut down a large hickory tree which lay across the path and near the outside of the fence. Seward's two sons, Obadiah and John, aged 21 and 15 re- spectively, had in charge the cultivation of this field. On the afternoon referred to, the boys on their way to the clearing had just leaped over the hickory tree when two Indians sprang upon them. They had been concealed in. a tree- top and one slid down each side of the tree so that an Indian was in front and another behind the boys, who were unarmed as at that time no (langer was feared from the Indians. Obadiah,
the elder, surrendered at once and was fastened with twigs by the Indians. John the younger, made a dash for home. The Indian on his side of the tree followed him and soon came within striking distance when he hurled his tomahawk after him. This brought the boy to the ground as it clove his skull just behind the right ear. The Indian then overtook him, struck him again on his head and scalped him and left him for dead with his brains oozing from his head. He was found the next day by some of his neigh- bors and his own family, and was carried home on the back of John Classon. When he was found it was discovered that although so terribly injured he had retained sufficient strength to endeavor to crawl away; being unable to lift his head and probably unconscious of what he was doing, he crawled round and round in a regular circle until he had made a deep track with his hands and knees and feet. He lingered 39 days during which time he became conscious and was able to give an account of the attack. In spite of every thing that could be done for him he finally died.
Obadiah's fate was unknown for some time but it was finally learned from another man, Ned Larkins, a hired man in the service of John Phillips. On the day of the attack upon the Seward boys as is stated in one account and ten days later as is stated in another, he had been at work engaged in topping corn for fod- der when he was suddenly assailed by two In- dians. One grasped him by the arm and the other treatened him with his tomahawk. His screams for assistance were stopped by the threats of his captors, made partly by signs and partly in broken English, that they would kill him at once if he did not keep quiet. After being tied he was taken away along an Indian trail until they came to the trail leading' from Pittsburg to, Detroit. Larkins was taken to Detroit and there sold to a Frenchman for a small trifle. The Frenchman tiring of him set him at liberty and he made his way with a num- ber of other whites who had been redeemed from captivity to Pittsburg, from which point he re- turned to Columbia without difficulty. He brought the first news of the fate of the elder Seward boy.
The boy had been ordered to drive the pack horses carrying the plunder of his captors. When they reached the road from Pittsburg just mentioned, they met another party of Indians and all indulged in a general carouse. After this they started on their way with young Seward
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driving the horses ahead. At a fork of the road Seward made a mistake and took the wrong fork and one of the drunken Indians sent a ball after him which killed him. The Indian afterwards claimed that he did not know the gun was loaded and fired mercly for the pur- pose of frightening him, but his head was cut off with part of the skin of the breast adhering to it and was placed on a stake alongside the road. Here Larkins, who had been quite inti- mate with Seward, saw it and recognized it.
Young Seward is said to have felt a presenti- ment that he would be killed by Indians and to have had the intention of returning to New Jer- sey as soon as he should become of age, which would have been in a few months. The father moved to the neighborhood of Springdale, where he lost another son by a fall of a tree. He lived in that neighborhood well into the next cen- tury.
HILLIERS.
On December 12, 1789, a son of John Hilliers of North Bend while going out in the morning to bring home the cows about a half mile from the garrison was attacked by Indians who toma- hawked and scalped him in the most surprising manner and took away his gun and hat and left him lying on his back.
VANEMAN AND LAFFERTY.
On December 17, 1789, two young men, An- drew Vaneman and James Lafferty, crossed the river from North Bend for the purpose of hunt- ing. They encamped at night and made a fire when they were surprised by the Indians who shot at them from the woods as they sat by the fire. The first fire killed them. They were shot through the back between the shoulders; the bullet in each case came out under their right arms. They were afterwards tomahawked and scalped in a most barbarous manner. Their clothes were stripped from them and they were left lying on their backs quite naked without as much as one thread on them. The next day a party including John Dunlap, the surveyor, and six others went over and buried them in one grave. (Field Notes of John Dunlap.)
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It is not surprising that after such episodes as this, Symmes should write: "Things were prosperous, considering the mischief done there this spring by the Indians. They plant consider- able corn, though much more would have been planted if no mischief had been done. Many
fled on those occasions-two men have been killed. The Indians are universally hostile and the contrary opinion is illfounded."
Symmes' confidence is shown as usual in the same letter: "And while settlers are hovering along the Ohio's banks, fearful to go farther back into the country, we should embrace the opportunity to settle our township well. For when it is once safe for settlers to go so far back as the level country, which is much more inviting, we shall find it difficult to persuade them to stop with us. Now, is therefore the time to prevail with them to accept the fec of a small spot -- they will afterwards hardly leave it." (Symmes to Dayton, May 28, 1790.)
WETZEL.
On October 27, 1790, a hunter Jacob Wetzel was returning from a successful day in the chase. Near the crossing at the mouth of Deer creek he sat down on a decayed tree trunk in the midst of a forest of bcech and maple surrounded by a heavy undergrowth of grape vines and shrubs. Hearing a noise in the woods near him and alarmed by the growl of his dog, he glanced up just in time to see an Indian pointing his rifle at him from behind a large oak tree. Wetzel sprang behind another tree and he and the In- dian discharged their guns simultancously. The Indian's shot missed but Wetzel hit his enemy in the left elbow. Before either could reload, Wetzel dashed upon him with his hunting knife and the Indian drew his own. Wetzel's first blow was parried and his knife knocked from his hand to a distance of some thirty feet from him. He immediately seized the Indian about the body and threw him to the ground, holding the arm with the knife under him. The two 'men rolled about locked in deadly struggle until the Indian succeeded in getting the uppermost and was about to finish Wetzel with his knife. At this moment the dog suddenly sprang at the Indian's throat with such fury as to cause him to drop his knife. Wetzel seized it at once and stabbed his opponent to the heart. After he had taken his enemy's spoils and started to his home, he heard the war whoop of a number of , other savages. He ran hastily to the river and escaped to the cove known as Ycatman's Cove at the foot of Sycamore street. The Indian who was killed . was regarded as one of the bravest' of his tribe,
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Another account places this episode at the road along the Ohio River leading to Storrs and Delphi, some four hundred feet below the junction of Front and Fifth streets.
WALLACE.
In May, 1791, John S. Wallace, a celebrated pioneer, in company with his father and another boy were hoeing corn in a lot which was imme- diately north of where the Cincinnati Hospital now stands. In the neighborhood near the corner of what is now Central avenue and Clinton street two men named Scott and Shephard were plowing. They had drawn but a few furrows across the lot when five or six Indians sudden- ly jumped the fence with a terrific yell and started after the plowmen. These took to their heels and were able to escape their pursuers who followed them as far as the corner of Fifth and Race streets. Wallace, who it will be re- membered was fined for not carrying his rifle to church, had it with him on this occasion. He snatched it up and started into the neighboring lot where he discovered an Indian about eighty yards away about to enter the bushes. He fired at him but did not seem to hit him as the In- dian escaped. Two other Indians had mounted the plow horse and were making away at the top of their speed. They left behind them eight blankets and blanket capots together with a leg of bear meat, a horn of powder and some other trifles. The alarm was given and II of the best woodsmen and hunters started on foot in pursuit, followed by II others on horses, which took all the horses in the place. The horsemen carried some corn pone and venison wrapped in their blankets for the horsemen and footmen. At sunset they were overtaken by a heavy thun- der storm and rain and the party encamped for the night, fastening their horses to the trees. In the morning they took up the trail and found that the Indians had spent the night in a prickly ash thicket and that they had eaten part of a fawn raw, leaving the rest. The chase was continued as far as a point on the Great Miami just above where Hamilton now stands. Here the river was bank full, owing to the tremendous rain, and the pursuers gave up the chase and re- turned home.
CUTTER.
The same spring (May 21, 1791), Col. John Riddle and his father-in-law, William Harris, were clearing ground for a corn field at a spot where Byington's Rolling Mill was afterwards
located on Plum street south of the corporation line (Liberty street) ; this was in the neighbor- hood of the site of the present Cincinnati Hos- pital. While they were resting from their work they heard a slight rustling in the spicewood bushes and started the dog who was with them into the bushes to see if there were Indians there. He soon returned with his tail and ears down and showing every evidence of fear. The men im- mediately made a circuit through the bushes to get around the Indians if any should be there.
When they struck the path just below where they had been, they heard the Indians crossing at the spot where they had been sitting. They hurried into Cincinnati and found that Benjamin Van Cleve had been shot at and Joseph Cutter, who was clearing one of the out-lots, captured and carried off by the Indians. A res- cue party was made up at once and accompanied by a dog it started in pursuit. The trail was easy to follow as Cutter had lost one of his shoes so that the marks of his feet were very plain in the marshy bottoms and along the water course. The pursuit was kept up until dark when it was abandoned for the night and resumed on the next day. It was after- wards ascertained that the savages had halted two miles beyond the point where the pursuit had been given up for the night and had encamped there. Cutter was never afterwards heard from.
VAN CLEVE.
Shortly afterwards, June 1, 1791, Van Cleve was working with two other men on the same out-lot in the neighborhood of the present 14th street and the canal when the Indians again as- sailed them. The party started to run for the settlement and two escaped, but Van Cleve, who had passed the others and was some three hun- dred yards or more in advance, was intercepted by an Indian who sprang at him from an am- buscade in the top of a fallen tree. Van Cleve grappled with his antagonist and threw him but the Indian arose quickly and plunged his knife two or three times into Van Cleve's side. He then quickly stripped off his victim's scalp and made his escape before the other two men caught up with Van Cleve who was entirely lifeless.
Benjamin Van Cleve, a son, gives the follow- ing account of these events :
"The Indians had now become so daring as to skulk through the streets at night and through the gardens around Fort Washington. Besides many hairbreadth escapes, we had news daily of
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persons killed on the Little Miami or on the Great Miami, or between the settlements. One morning a few persons started in a pirogue to go to Columbia, and the Indians killed most of them a little above the mouth of Deer creek, within hearing of the town. David Clayton, one of the killed, was one of our family.
"On the 21st of May, 1791, the Indians fired on my father, when he was at work on his out-lot in Cincinnati, and took prisoner Joseph Cutter, within a few yards of him. The alarm was given by hallooing from lot to lot until it reached town. I had just arrived from Leach's Station. The men in town were running to the public ground, and I there met with one who saw the Indians firing on my father. I asked if any would proceed with me, and pushed on with a few young men without halting. We, however, met my father after running a short distance, and got to the ground soon after the Indians had secured Cutter. While we were finding the trail of the Indians on their retreat, perhaps fifty per- sons had arrived, most of whom joined in the pursuit. But by the time we had gained the top of the river hills we had only eight. Cutter had lost one of his shoes, so that we could fre- quently distinguish his track in crossing water- courses, and we found there was an equal num- ber of Indians. We were stripped, and a young dog belonging to me led us on the trace, and generally kept about a hundred yards ahcad. We kept them on the full run until dark, thinking we sometimes discovered the shaking of the bushes. We came back to Cincinnati that night, and they only went two miles farther from' where our pursuit ceased. The next day they were pursued again, but not overtaken.
"On the first day of June my father was killed by tlicm. He was stabbed in five places, and scalped. Two men that were at the out-lot with him, when the Indians showed themselves, ran before him towards the town. . He passed them at about three hundred yards, the Indians being in pursuit behind; but another, as it was sup- posed, had concealed himself in the brush of a fallen tree-top between them and the town. As my father was passing it, a naked Indian sprang upon him. My father was seen to throw him; but at this time the Indian was plunging his knife into his heart. He took a small scalp off and ran. The mien behind came up imme- diately ; but my father was already dead,"
These attacks are said to have been the last in- stances in which a rifle was fired by savages within the limits of the original city. Many depredations were committed after that time and the Indians often came down so far as to the fields surrounding Fort Washington where they frequently killed the cattle or drove them away. In these attacks the bow and arrow were used which enabled them to prowl through the streets at night without making any noise which would alarm the garrison or inhabitants. On one occa- sion an Indian is said to have shot an arrow with a stone head into an ox with such force as to cause it to pierce the entire body of the animal.
The defeat of Harmar had given great assur- ance to the savages and they seemed for a long time to have no hesitation in attacking any strag- gling parties near the settlements. As St. Clair's army began to gather they became more cautious and from that time the immediate neighborhood of the fort was not in such great danger. The attacks upon the outskirts and at a little distance from the principal settlements continued.
FULLER.
In August, 1791, a man by the name of Fuller and his son William, who was a boy about . 16 years of age, together with John Matson and George Cullum went to the Big Miami about two miles from North Bend and built a fish .stand. At night Fuller sent his son to take the cows home and nothing more was heard of the boy for some time. The neighborhood turned out to hunt him up, naturally attributing his disappearance to the Indians. No trace of him was however obtained or any information about him received until the time of Wayne's treaty four years later. The father in the hope of learning something about his son went with a party to Fort Greenville where he spent a week making inquiries among the Indians. Here he learned by a conversation with one of Wayne's spies, Christopher Miller, who had been taken captive himself when young and who had been raised among the Indians, that his son was still alive and among the savages. He was finally restored to his father and taken home.
Miller's story was that two Indians were scouting on the Miami when a boy who - was looking for the cows came quite near to them before he observed them. He started to run and Miller called out "Don't run." In response to the boy's question as to who he was he said his name was Miller. Young Fuller supposed lini
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to be a neighbor and allowed him to approach near, being quite lame and unable to make any resistance to his capture. He was taken across the Miami and finally to an Indian town. Fuller was lame and cross-eyed and as a result the Indians were in favor of tomahawking him but Miller saved him on the ground that he was his own personal captive. After his return he fell into bad company and became one of a gang of horse thieves.
SPENCER.
One of the most interesting incidents con- nected with the relations of the Indians to the settlers was the capture of Oliver M. Spencer, a son of Colonel Spencer, one of the most prom- inent of the early settlers. This occurred July 7, 1792, on the river between Cincinnati and Columbia about four miles above Broadway.
Mr. Cist gives the following account of this episode :
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"The scenery of the Ohio between Columbia and Cincinnati was in those days truly romantic ; scarcely a tree had been cut on either side, be- twcen the mouth of Crawfish and that of Deer creek, a distance of more than four miles. The sand-bar now extending from its left bank, opposite to Sportsman's Hall, was then a small island, between which and the Kentucky .shore was a narrow channel, with sufficient depth of water for the passage of boats. The upper and lower points of this island were bare, but its centre, embracing about four acres, was covered with small cottonwood, and surrounded by wil- lows extending along its sides almost down to the water's edge. The right bank of the river crowned with its lofty hills, now gradually as- cending, and now rising abruptly to their sum- mits, and forming a vast amphitheatre, was from Columbia, extending down about two miles, very steep, and covered with trees quite down to the beach. From thence, nearly opposite the foot of the island, its ascent became more gradual, and for two miles farther down, bordering the tall trees with which it was covered was a thick growth of willows, through which in many places it was difficult to penetrate. Below this, the beach was wide and stony, with only here and there a small tuft of willows, while the wood on the side and on the top of the bank was more open. Not far from this bank and near the line of the present turnpike, was a narrow road leading from Columbia to Cincinnati, just wide enough for the passage of a wagon, which, winding
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