History of Belmont and Jefferson Counties, Ohio, and incidentially historical collection pertaining to border warfare and the early settlement of the adjacent portion of the Ohio Valley, Part 52

Author: Caldwell, J. A. (John Alexander) 1n; Newton, J. H., ed; Ohio Genealogical Society. 1n
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Wheeling, W. Va. : Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 728

USA > Ohio > Jefferson County > History of Belmont and Jefferson Counties, Ohio, and incidentially historical collection pertaining to border warfare and the early settlement of the adjacent portion of the Ohio Valley > Part 52
USA > Ohio > Belmont County > History of Belmont and Jefferson Counties, Ohio, and incidentially historical collection pertaining to border warfare and the early settlement of the adjacent portion of the Ohio Valley > Part 52

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MARTIN WETZEL.

Martin, who was the oldest of the family, was once surprised and taken prisoner by the Indians, and remained with them a

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long time. By his cheerful disposition and apparent satisfac- tion with their mode of life, he disarmed their suspicion, ac- quired their confidence, and was adopted into one of their families.

He was free, hunted around the town, returned, danced and frolicked with the young Indians, and appeared perfectly satis- fied with his change of life. But all the time his heart was brooding on an escape, which he wished to render memorable by some tragic act of revenge upon his confiding enemies. In the fall of the year, Martin and three Indians set off to make a fall hunt. They pitched their camp near the head of Sandusky river. When the hunt commenced, he was very careful to re- turn first in the evening to the camp, prepare wood for the night, and do all other little offices of camp duty to render them comfortable. By this means he lulled any lurking sus- picion which they might entertain towards him. While hunt- ing one evening, some distance from the camp, he came across one of his Indian campmates. Martin watched for a favorable moment, and as the Indian's attention was called in a different direction, he shot him down, scalped him, and threw his body into a deep hole, which had been made by a large tree torn up by the roots, and covered his body with logs and brush, over which he strewed leaves to conceal the body. He then hurried to the camp to prepare, as usual, wood for the night.

When night came one of the Indians was missing, and Mar- tin expressed great concern on account of the absence of their comrade. The other Indians did not appear to be the least concerned at the absence of their companion; they both alleged that he might have taken a large circle, looking for new hunt- ing ground, or that he might have pursued some wounded game till it was too late to return to camp. In this mood the subject was dismissed for the night; they ate their supper and lay down to sleep. Martin's mind was so full of the thoughts of home, and of taking signal vengeance on his enemies, that he could not sleep; he had gone too far to retreat, and whatever was done must be done quickly. Being now determined to effect his escape at all hazards, the question he had to decide was whether he should make an attack on the two sleeping In- dians, or watch for a favorable opportunity of dispatching them one at a time. The latter plan appeared to him to be less sub- ject to risk or failure. The next morning he prepared to put his determination into execution.

When the two Indians set out on their hunt, he determined to follow one of them (like a true hunting dog on a slow trail) till a fair opportunity should present itself of dispatching him without alarming his fellow. He cautiously pursued him till near evening, when he openly walked to him and commenced a conversation about their day's hunt. The Indian being com- pletely off his guard, suspecting no danger, Martin watched for a favorable moment, when the Indian's attention was drawn to a different direction, and with one sweep of his vengeful toma- hawk laid him lifeless on the ground, scalped him, tumbled his body into a sink-hole and covered it with brush and logs. He then made his way to the camp, with a firm determination of closing the bloody tragedy by killing the third Indian. He went out and composedly waited at the camp for the return of the Indian. About sunset he saw him coming with a load of game that he had killed, swung on his back. Martin went for- ward under the pretense of aiding to disencumber him of his load. When the Indian stooped down to be detached of his load, Martin, with one fell swoop of his tomahawk, laid him in death's eternal sleep. Being now in no danger of pursuit, he leisurely packed up what plunder he could conveniently carry with him, and made his way to the white settlements, where he safely arrived with the three Indian scalps, after an absence of nearly a year.

JACOB WETZEL AND SIMON KENTON.

Of Jacob Wetzel's history, writes McDonald, I can give but a meagre account, although I have heard of many of his exploits in the old Indian war. But my recollection of them is so in- distinct and confused, that I will not attempt to relate but one of the numerous fights in which he was engaged. In that bat- tle he had a comrade who was his equal in intrepidity, and his superior in that cautious prudence which constitutes the effi- cient warrior. That headstrong fury with which many of our old frontiersmen rushed into danger, was the cause of many distressing disasters. They frequently, by their headlong course, performed such successful actions, that if any mili- tary exploits deserve the character of sublime, they were emi- nently such.

The following relation I had from General Kenton. He and Wetzel made arrangements to make a Fall hunt together, and for that purpose they went into the hilly country near the mouth of the Kentucky river. When they arrived where they intended to make their hunt, they discovered some signs of Indians having preoccupied the ground. It would have been out of character in a Kenton and a Wetzel to retreat without first ascertaining the description and number of the enemy. They determined to find the Indian camp, which they believed was at no great distance from them, as they had heard reports of guns late in the evening and early the next morning in the same direction. This convinced them that the camp was at no great distance from the firing. Our heroes moved cautiously about, making as little sign as possible, that they might not be discovered by the enemy. Towards evening of the second day after they arrived on the ground, they discovered the Indian camp.

They kept themselves concealed, determined, as soon as night approached, to reconnoitre the situation and number of the enemy; and then govern their future operations as prudence might dictate. They found five Indians in the camp. Hav- ing confidence in themselves and in their usual good fortune, they concluded to attack them boldly. Contrary to military rules, they agreed to defer the attack till light-they chose day- light and an open field for the fight. There was a large fallen tree lying near the camp; this would serve as a rampart for de- fence and would also serve to conceal them from observation till the battle commenced. They took their station behind the log, and there lay till broad daylight, when they were able to draw a clear bead.

Jacob Wetzel had a double barreled rifle. Their guns were cocked-they took aim, and gave the preconcerted signal -- fired, and two Indians fell. As quick as thought, Wetzel fired his second load, bringing down the third Indian. Their number was now equal, so they bounded over the log, screaming and yelling at the top of their voices, to strike terror into their re- maining enemies, and were among them before they recovered from their sudden surprise. The two remaining Indians, with- out arms, took to their heels, and ran in different directions. Kenton pursued one, whom he soon overhauled, tomahawked and scalped, and then returned with the bloody trophy to camp. Shortly after, Wetzel returned with the scalp of the fifth Indian. This was a wholesale slaughter, that but few except such men as Kenton and Wetzel would have attempted.

ANDREW AND ADAM POE-THE FIGHT WITH THE BIG INDIAN.

The names of Andrew and Adam Poe long since became famous throughout the length and breadth of the land, in con- sequence of the desperate encounter with two Indians on the banks of the Ohio river, one of whom gained an equal celebrity under the name of "Big Foot." The narrations of the famous combat that appeared in old books on border warfare and those handed down by tradition are full of conflicting statements, and much that has been published is totally unreliable. It is the purpose of this sketch to correct some of these errors, and after describing the memorable event, to add some facts pertaining to the history of the story of Poe and "Big Foot."

Andrew Poe was born in Frederick county, Maryland, Sep- tember 30, 1742. IIis father, George Poe, possessed a large property in that county, but was murdered by an Irishman in his employ when Andrew was fourteen years of age. Soon after Andrew became of age, finding he would get none of his father's estate, he left his mother and brother, with whom he had still lived, and came to Pittsburgh, Pa., and worked in that neighborhood for several years until he acquired a little property. He then, in company with two young men, went to Harmon's creek, in Washington county, Pa., (then Virginia), where each of them selected for himself a tract of land, and commenced making the first improvement in that part, and pursued their labor undisturbed for several years. Adam Poe was six years younger than Andrew. When he became of age Andrew returned to Maryland and induced him to come to Harmon's creek, and Adam also took up a farm, and their little settlement increased to ten or twelve familics. Adam Poe was married in 1778, and Andrew in 1780.

"The Indians became very troublesome about this time. This little settlement was about twelve miles back from the Ohio river. The Indians very often came across the river into the settlement in small parties, and killed a number of the in- habitants. Such as were active on foot went in small scouting parties into the Indian settlements to learn their strength and retaliate their injuries. Andrew Poe went frequently on those

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excursions, as he was of a daring spirit and inured to all the perils of the woods. In fact both these brothers were "back- woodsmen" in every sense of the word. They were shrewd, active and courageous, and having fixed their abodes on the frontier of civilization, determined to contest inch by inch with the savages, their right to the soil, and their privilege to live. In appearance they were tall, muscular and erect, with features indicating great strength of character. Andrew, in the general contour of his face, differed somewhat from that of his brother, while the freshness of his eolor indicated a better degree of health than the sallow complexion of the other. Both, however, were endowed with an unusual degree of strength, and woe to the man who dared engage in single com- bat with either. In the fall of 1781, there was an occurrence on the Ohio which stamped the character of one as a man of no ordinary make. The place of combat was near the mouth of Tomlinson's run, and about two miles below Yellow creek, in what is now Hancock county, West Virginia. The settlements in this region suffered from a number of incursions made by the Indians at that time.

Early in the month of August, the Wyandots, Delawares, Shawanese and other Indians, with over three hundred war- riors, assembled at the Moravian towns on the Muskingum (now Tuscarawas) for the purpose of making prisoners of the missionaries and Christian Indians, and carrying them to San- dusky. The scheme also being to take the missionaries, Heck- welder, Zeisberger and others, to Detroit, and try them as spies against the British government. The ostensible leader of the ex- pedition was the Half King, the principal chief of the Wyandots. After remaining at the Moravian towns for about a month, the warriors started on their return with their prisoners. On the 20th of September, after having reached a point some distance up the Walhonding river, the Half King sent out a party of seven young Wyandot warriors, among which were three of his sons, to make a stroke upon the white settlers across the Ohio river. They proudly set out upon their expedition, crossed the river, penetrated the settlement in the neighbor- hood of the Poes, and broke into the house of William Jackson, a man about sixty years of age. He being alone in the house, they took him prisoner. Jackson's son, a young man about seventeen years of age, who had left the cabin a short time pre- viously, on returning discovered the Indians having his father a prisoner in the yard, and unobserved by them, fled to the fort on Harmon's creek to give the alarm. This took place as even- ing was approaching. The Indians then tried to break into a house in the same vicinity, where several men were lodging, but failing to get in, they made off with their prisoner. These men also gave the alarm, and the settlement was soon collected. Preparations were made for following the Indians as early the next morning as it would be light enough to see the trail, and at the first dawn of day twelve of the settlers, mounted on horse- back, started in pursuit of the marauders. They followed the trail at the greatest possible speed until they reached the top of the river hill, which was about twelve miles. There they hitched their horses, as the hill was steep, and traveled on foot. When they arrived at the bottom of the hill, near to the Ohio, the trail turned down the river, and in crossing a little stream that put into the river, now known as Tomlinson's run, An- drew observed that where the Indians had stepped into the water it was still riley, and cautioned the men to keep quiet, that the Indians were very near and would hear them and kill the prisoner, as the men were making considerable noise with their feet by running.

After several fruitless efforts to quiet them, he left the com- pany, turning off square to the right, went to the bank of the river, and, looking down, about twelve feet below him he saw two Indians standing about half bent, with their guns in their hands, looking down the river in the direction of the noise. He observed that one was a very large man. The thought struck him that he would shoot the big one and take the other prisoner. Accordingly, he squatted down in the weeds, they not having observed him. He crept up to the brow of the bank, put his gun through the weeds, took deliberate aim at the big Indian, who was three feet in advance of the other, but his gun missed fire. When the gun snapped they hoth yelled, "Woh! Woh !! "

Poe immediately drew his head back, and the Indians did not see him. By this time the other nien had overtaken tlie other five Indians with the prisoner, who were about one lun- dred yards lower down the river, and had begun to fire, which drew the attention of these two. Andrew cocked his gun and crept to the very edge of the bank, and again leveled liis gun at the big Indian, but again it missed fire. He dropped the

pieee and sprang instantly on them. They, on wheeling about at the snap of his gun, were brought side by side, but had not time even to raise their guns before Andrew was upon them. He threw his weight on the big Indian, catching each of them around the neck. His weight coming on them so suddenly threw both down.

The big Indian fell on his back, Andrew fell with his left side on him and his left arm around his neck. The little Indian fell rather behind Andrew, whose right arm was around his neck. Their guns both fell. One of them laid within reach of Andrew, who observed that it was cocked. The Indians had a raft fastened to the shore close by where they were standing, the river being very high. Their tomahawksand shot pouehes, with knives, were on the raft. Andrew's knife was in the scab- bard attached to his shot poueh, which was pressed between them. He got a slight hold of the handle, and was trying to draw it out to dispatch the big Indian, who, observing it, eaught his hand, and spoke in his own tongue very vehemently to the other, who was struggling very hard to get loose.

Andrew made several efforts to get his knife, but in vain. At last he jerked with all his might. The big Indian in- stantly let go, and Andrew, not having a good hold of the han- dle, and the knife coming out unexpectedly easy in consequence of the big Indian instantly loosing his grasp, it flew out of Andrew's hand, and the little Indian drew his head from under his arm, his grasp being slackened by the act of drawing his knife. The big Indian instantly threw his long arms around Andrew's body and hugged him like a bear, whilst the little Indian sprang to the raft, which was about six feet off, and brought a tomahawk and struck at Andrew's head, who was still lying on his side on the big Indian, he holding him fast. Andrew threw up his foot as the stroke came and hit the Indian on the wrist with the toe of his shoe, and the tomahawk flew into the river.

The big Indian yelled at the little Indian furiously, who sprang to the raft and got the other tomahawk, and, after mak- ing several motions, struck at Andrew's head, who threw up his right arm and received the blow on his wrist, which cut off one bone of it and the cords of three of his fingers, disabling all the fingers of his right hand but the fore finger. Andrew immediately threw his hand over his head when he was struck, and the tomahawk, catching in the sinews of his arm, drew it out of the Indian's hand, and it flew over his head. After the stroke was given the big Indian let go his hold, and Andrew immediately sprang up. As he rose he seized the gun, which lay by his head, with his left hand, and it being already cocked, he shot the lesser through the body.

But scarcely had he done so when the big Indian arose, and, placing one hand on his collar and the other on his hip, he threw him into the river. Andrew threw his hand back, and caught the Indian by his buckskin breech-clout, and brought him along into the stream. The water being deep, they both went under. Then a desperate effort was made by each to drown the other, and sometimes one was under the water, some- times the other and sometimes both.

In the struggle they were carried about thirty yards out into the river. Poe at length seized the tuft of hair on the scalp of the Indian, by which he held his head under water until he supposed him drowned. But he himself was sinking; not being able to do much with his right hand, he threw it on the back of the Indian's neck, who was under water, and swam with his left hand, to recruit himself a little. But the Indian had only been "possuming," and got from under Andrew's arm and swam for shore with all his speed. Poe followed him as fast as he could, but having only one hand to swim with, he eould not catch him.

As soon as the Indian got out of the water, the gun being uncocked, he went to cock it and disabled the lock. He then threw it down and picked up the empty gun with which An- drew had shot the other Indian, and went to the raft for the shot pouch and powder horn, and commenced loading. In the meantime, as soon as the Indian reached the spot where both guns and tomahawk lay, Andrew swam baek into the river and called for his brother Adam, who was with the other party.

Adam came running on the bank where Andrew had jumped off, stopped, began to load his gun, as he had discharged it. at the other Indians. Andrew continued swimming away from them, with nothing but his face out of the water, still hurrying Adam to load quickly. The race between the two in loading was about equal, but the Indian drew the ramrod too hastily and it slipped out of his hands and fell a little distance from him. He quickly caught it up and rammed down his bullet. This little delay gave Poe the advantage, so that just as the

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Indian raised his gun to. shoot Andrew, Adam's ball entered the breast of the savage, and he fell forward on his face upon the very margin of the river.

Adam, now alarmed for his brother, who was scarcely able to swim, jumped into the river to assist him to shore, but An- drew, thinking more of the honor of securing the big Indian's scalp as a trophy than his own safety, called loudly upon his brother to leave him alone and scalp the big Indian. Adam, however, refused to obey, and insisted upon saving the living before attending to the dead. In the meantime the savage had succeeded in reaching the deep water before he expired, and his body was borne off by the waves without being stripped of the ornament and pride of an Indian warrior.

An unfortunate occurrence took place during this conflict. Just as Adam arrived at the top of the bank for the relief of his brother, the balance of his party, hearing the hallooing of An- drew, came running up the bank, and seeing him in the river, mistook him for a wounded Indian, and three of them fired at him, one of them wounding him dangerously. The ball entered his right shoulder near the junction with the neck, behind the collar bone and close to it; passing through his body, the ball came out at his left side, between the first rib and the hench bone.

During the contest between Andrew Poe and the two Indians, the rest of the party followed the Indian trail to the river, where the other five Indians were with the prisoner, Jackson. They had a large raft, and were preparing to cross the river. Jackson seeing the men coming as soon as the Indians did, ran to them. One of the Indians having a tomahawk, ran after him and struck him on the back making but a slight wound. The men fired on the Indians, who returned the fire and plunged into the river. They did not capture any of the Indians, but being badly wounded only one of them got across the river, and he was shot through the hand.

The Indians firing at our men, wounded but one of them. He was shot slightly through the side, but the ball cut his lungs, and he died in about an hour. His name was Cherry. The party took the dead man, Cherry, and Andrew Poe up the river to the horses, and then took them on horseback home.

THE ORIGINAL STORY OF ADAM POE AND "BIG FOOT."

This story gained its greatest notoriety and credence by its publication in Doddridge's Notes, but was first published in an old magazine, from which it was copied verbatim by Dr. Dod- dridge. The writer of the old magazine article invented the name of "Big Foot," and got the names of Adam and Andrew Poe transposed, erroneously stating that it was Adam who had grappled with the big Indian. This error, however, was cor- rected by some later writers, properly giving the credit to An- drew, and also correcting the date from 1782 to 1781. But the Wyandots never had a chief called Big Foot, nor was either of the Indians engaged with the Poes known by that name. The chief of the Wyandots was the Half King, and the two Indians engaged with the Poes were his sons, but neither was a chief, nor was either of unusual size, though one was somewhat larger than the other. Three of the Indians in the raiding party, as before stated, were sons of the Haif King, one of whom was the leader, named Scotash. The latter was wounded in the hand, and was the only one who escaped and returned to his tribe to tell the fate of his brothers and companions. The en- counter was a desperate one from the fact that Poe grappled with both of them, and before he succeeded in killing the smaller one, he had been severely wounded in the wrist by a blow from his tomahawk.

It is stated that Scotash, the warrior who escaped from the terrific combat, made his way to the Wyandot town near Upper Sandusky, crossing the Tuscarawas on the trail above Fort Laurens, and before entering the Wyandot town, announced his coming by a series of dismal howls, which indicated that the expedition had been defeated and his brothers killed. This solitary survivor remained in the woods a whole day giving vent to his grief by moaning and howling alternately. The whole Wyandot tribe long mourned the loss of the sons of the Half King.

It is also stated that when they received the news of this disastrous defeat their indignation knew no bounds, and that they at once put to death a number of prisoners then in their hands. Among those who were spared was a young man named George Folks. He owed his life to a young squaw who had fallen in love with him and procured his return home, near Darlington, Beaver county, Pa., where he lived to an old age. In after years two young squaws from the Wyandot reserva-

tion made him a visit, and received many presents to take back home.

Many of the facts connected with this affair are obtained from the manuscript account by Thomas Edgington of his cap- tivity with the Wyandats. Thomas Edgington was the father of the late Jesse Edgington, who resided in Brooke county, W. Va., nearly opposite Steubenville. Some time after the occur- rence of the Poe fight, he was captured when on his way from his cabin, at the mouth of Harmon's creek, to Col. Jas. Brown's fort, to borrow of him a log chain. The Indians came suddenly upon him, made signs to him to surrender, but essaying to escape by running, he was mired in the creek, and they took him prisoner, hurrying him with them over the river and on to the Indian towns. Simon Girty happened at the towns afterwards, and through him he ascertained that the Indian, whose prize he was, was no other than the surviving brother of the Poe fight-bearing on his hand the scar of a severe wound there received. The Indian stated that, on finding himself disabled by this wound, he stole away from the fight and, swimming the river, hid in the bushes until dark. He then constructed a raft, reerossed the river, and recovered the bodies of his slain brothers, except that of the one who floated off, as narrated by the whites. He conveyed them to the Ohio side, and there interred them. He then, being wounded and the last of three stout brothers, took up his sorrowful way back to his tribe, where their deaths were sorely lamented for many days.

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History of Belmont and Jefferson Counties, Ohio, and incidentially historical collection pertaining to border warfare and the early settlement of the adjacent portion of the Ohio Valley, Part 52

Author: Caldwell, J. A. (John Alexander) 1n; Newton, J. H., ed; Ohio Genealogical Society. 1n Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Wheeling, W. Va. : Historical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 728

Author: Caldwell, J. A. (John Alexander) 1n; Newton, J. H., ed; Ohio Genealogical Society. 1n
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Wheeling, W. Va. : Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 728