USA > Ohio > History of the Ohio falls cities and their counties : with illustrations and bibliographical sketches, Vol. II > Part 66
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Monroe is drained by a number of streams, more or less important. Union township, which lies on the south, has few streams except Silver creek proper, which heads on tract number two hundred and twenty-one, by several tributaries from Monroe. Preston's fork rises in the ex- treme northeastern corner, flows entirely through the township, and has for an affluent the North fork of Silver creek. Miller's fork heads in the region of the Pigeon Roost, but its waters, like those of all other branches in the township, flow in an easterly direction. It passes by the village of Henryville, and supplies water for milling pur- poses. The general course of all the streams is south. "Silver creek bears a little west of south, and until it strikes Silver creek township is a beautiful, clear stream, retaining its peculiarities and identity through Monroe and Union. From its rise down so far, it runs on slate bottoms with a high hill on the east side and a gentle rise on the west. Hence there are no tributaries on the east but Sinking fork. Miller's fork has many of the characteristics of the main stream. Lick run empties into Cane or Caney run. This stream gets its name from the amount of cane which grew upon its bottoms many years in the past. Here the order of the hills is reversed. In place of being on the west side of the streams, they are on the east side."
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This Silver Creek valley was formerly called the Pea-vine country by the settlers. Previous to 1816, when the State was admitted, the valley was almost destitute of underbrush. Pea-vines literally covered the face of the earth, much as clover does now, and furnished excellent pasture for cattle. But it must be remembered that no great crop of pea-vines ever grew upon the bot- toms of Monroe as it is to-day. The township at that time extended down into what is now Union for as much as two miles, and it was here that such a luxuriant crop was produced.
Much of the soil in the northwestern part of the county is almost worthless for agricultural purposes. The land is washed into gutters, and in many fields no amount of care or artificial ap- pliances can restore them to a state of fertility. Land sells at from $2 to $10 per acre; and few sales at that price. The value of the land de-
pends more upon undiscovered resources than any present strength which is known only on its surface.
Much of the timber, originally of fair quality, has been cut away. It is now made up mostly of small white-oak. Hundreds of acres are cov- ered by white-oak bushes and small, scrubby trees. This is especially true in the six miles of the township lying north of Henryville, next to the county line.
Half a century ago there were few pine-trees on the knobs. Then they were confined to the sides of the most elevated knobs; now they are scattered over the whole surface and spreading rapidly in every direction. " Until lately these knobs were considered of little use except for timber, and timber grew very sparsely on the south side." But they have been found to be very excellent for peach-growing, and there are many orchards in this locality.
MOUNDS.
On Thomas Montgomery's farm, in the east- ern part of the township, on one of the tributa- ries of Silver creek, have been found some inter- esting relics of the ancient Mound Builders. A few years ago a skeleton was dug up in a dense thicket among the forest-trees. It measured about eight feet in height, but upon exposure soon crumbled into dust. Close by another grave was discovered, apparently that of an in- fant, protected on all sides by limestone. No bones were in a state of preservation, but the ev- idences of burial were conclusive.
WILD ANIMALS.
All kinds of wild animals abode here during the age of the Indian. The deer, bear, black and gray wolf, black and gray fox, the panther, catamount, raccoon, opossum, the otter, mink, and the black and gray squirrel, were numerous, and in some cases so abundant as to be a posi- tive nuisance. The migratory fowls were the wild-goose, the paroquet, the brant, sand-hill cranes, and wild ducks of various kinds. Fish in the streams were numerous. Deer were better provided for here than in many other places. The knobs afforded excellent protection from the bow and arrow and the old-fashioned flint- lock rifle, while the pea-vines in the valley below supplied an abundance of food. "Formerly as many as twenty in a row could be seen showing,
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not the white feather, but the white tail, as fugi- tives from what the white man called justice." Bears were numerous here, but have been exter- minated for more than half a century. Yet they have left their marks, which can be plainly seen on many of the trees of the forest. Panthers were not often seen here by the white man; still they were here, and sometimes made their appearance most unexpectedly.
THE PIGEON ROOST MASSACRE.
This is the most notable event in the annals of the Indian period upon the Clark Grant. Its memories of this day are almost as thrilling and painful as are those of the massacre of Glencoe or of Cawnpore. The following account is ex- tracted from one of the older narratives of the dreadful tragedy :
For some time previous to the year 1811 the Indians of the Northwest had manifested no little unfriendliness toward the whites of the frontier. This eninity was encouraged and aggravated by the British, in prospect of the war that soon after broke out between this country and England. Tecum- seh, the leader among the disaffected Indians of Canada and the Northwest, visited the tribes of the South and Southwest for the purpose of stirring them up against the whites, and of securing their co-operation in striking a terrible blow upon the frontier settlements. Governor Harrison, being informed of the schemes of this cunning Indian warrior, and knowing his influence with the various tribes, proceeded up the Wabash with an armed force for the purpose of enforcing the treaty of Greenville, or of making some new treaty by which the frontiers should be protected from Indian depre- dations. He was successful in driving them from their towns and in destroying their property. But when the war with England began in 1812, they renewed their hostilities. Being supplied by the Britishers with arms and ammunition, they were enabled to wage a much more destructive warfare upon the whites than they had done before.
Monroe township was at that time thinly set- tled. The old county seat was the central point froin which the county people came and went. All the northwestern part of the county, now in- cluded in Monroe and a portion what is now Scott county, was hardly known to the people of Clark generally. The county lines were yet imaginary. Many of the original claims were under dispute. The settlers were of that peculiar cast which always marks backwoodsmen.
These circumstances rendered the frontier very unsafe. The attack on the 4th of Septem- ber, says a local historian, on the fort named in honor of General Harrison, was simultaneous with that of Pigeon Roost. Another gentleman, a person no less in experience than Colonel Wil- ley, says the attack was made on the evening of
the 3d of September. These general attacks, it is presumed, though not positively known, were a part of the same regular plan of attack. They were "made at the same time to distract the at- tention of the whites and to prevent the citizens of the Grant from going to the assistance of those on the Wabash." It was this attack which threw the people of the county into such excitement, caused block-houses to be erected and forts to be built. For our information we are indebted to the manuscripts of the late Rev. George K. Hes- ter, of Charlestown, which were kindly furnished by his son, Judge M. C. Hester.
Monroe was the slowest of all the townships in filling up with settlers. The summit was a favorite hunting ground, and here the first set- tlements began on the northern side of the town- ship. The Pigeon Roost neighborhood was so named because pigeons had made it a roosting- place for many years. The land was high and the water passed or ran in both directions to the headwaters of Silver creek and the streams in Scott county. When the county line was after- wards settled by actual surveys, the neighbor- hood where the massacre took place was thrown into Scott county, where it now is. Many of the trees, the smaller ones, and the branches of those that were stronger, were broken down from the accumulated weight of these birds. "The stench from their excrements was readily per- ceived at a very great distance. Such was the fertility of the soil, imparted to it by these dungs, that many persons who visited the settle- ment after the massacre, admitted that these white-oak lands were as productive as the richest bottoms of Kentucky. The soil and abundance of game in this locality had induced several families to settle there," to engage in the chase and live upon the meats of the forest. Among the first, if not really the first, who came to this neighborhood was William E. Collins, a gentle- man from Pennsylvania, but who settled at , Louisville before there was a substantial log cabin within the present city limits. Several years before the massacre he removed to this locality from the interior of Kentucky, and dur- ing the troublesome times which followed was an eye-witness to all the cruelties of Indian war- fare. These settlers were often visited by roving bands of Shawnees, Delawares, and Pottawato- mies, who always professed to be very friendly.
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Their treachery, however, was often discovered after their departure, when a piece of flax linen, toweling, or woolen goods was found missing.
The first victims were a Mr. Pain and Mr. Coffman. These two persons were about three miles from the settlement, and wholly unarmed. 'The Indians came upon them by accident, and murdered them on the spot. Coffman lived in Ken- tucky, and was on a visit to Pain. They next found a Mrs. Collins, the wife of young Henry Collins, who had been visit- ing a neighbor living near the present site of Vienna. She was killed while returning home. The family which they fell upon was that of Pain, consisting of his wife and four chil_ dren. It appears they killed them in different directions from the house, and then dragged their bodies, trailing the ground with their blood, and threw them into the house. Af- ter plundering the house they set fire to it and burned it to ashes. Nothing remained of the bodies but a mass of of- fensive matter. This attack was made in the evening, the sun being only about an hour and a half high. Richard Col- lins' family consisted of his wife and seven children, who were all brutally murdered. Their bodies were found in different places, as they were cut down while attempting to make their escape. Mr. Collins was absent from home at the time. He belonged to a company of rangers, and was then at Vin- cennes. At the same time they killed the family of John Moris, composed of his wife and three children. These two families lived but a short distance apart. Mr. Morris was also from his home. He had been drafted on the call of Governor Harrison for service on the Wabash, and was at that time at Jeffersonville.
The firing of the gun by which Henry Collins was killed was not heard by any of old Mr. Collins' family. The Indians advanced upon his house. As they drew near they dis- covered a lad, a member of the family, who had just caught a horse and was in the act of starting after the cows. The boy fled upon seeing them and concealed himself in a briar thicket. The Indians ran around and through it time and again, but without finding him. The little fellow said he could see all their maneuvers from under his covert of mat- ted briars and bushes. Sometimes they would seem to be coming directly upon him, and then would turn in another direction. There he lay until after the Indians had attacked the house; and then, in the midst of the attack, he rushed up and was Jet in.
A few minutes before Henry Collins was shot, Captain Norris, from the neighborhood of Charlestown, had arrived at the house of old Mr. Collins. He had gone there on some business and to persuade Mr. Collins to remove from his dangerous situation. Mr. Collins had just brought in a fine lot of melons. While they were feasting upon these, their attention was arrested by the appearance of a strange dog. Mr. Norris looked up the road and discovered eight or nine Indians, with war-paint on their cheeks, approaching the town. He exclaimed: "Here they come now." "Not to kill," said Mr. Collins. "Yes, to kill," Mr. Norris replied. With the utmost haste they set to work to make a defense. Mr. Collins having at hand two loaded rifles, directed Mr. Norris to take one and station himself by the side of the door, while he guarded the window with the other. The In- dians had been discovered in their approach by a Mr. John Ritchey and his wife, a newly married couple who resided near Mr. Collins; they instantly fled into a corn-field and escaped. As the Indians entered the yard, a part of them stationed themselves behind a corn-crib, a part passed on to Ritchey's house, and one presented himself at the door of
Collins's house and was about to push it open. At him Nor- ris pulled trigger, when the muzzle of the gun was not more than three feet from his breast; but unfortunately the gun flashed. The door was quickly closed. Collins, perceiving through the cracks of the door the Indian's body, fired his rifle at him, and he immediately disappeared. Blood was seen the next day in the yard. Collins reloaded his gun, and seeing an Indian standing in Ritchey's door, he took de- liberate aim at him and fired. The Indian fell back into the house, and the door was closed. Collins was an expert marksman, and he felt sure that this shot made one of the redskins bite the dust.
A part of the Indians were now in Ritchey's house, and a part behind the corn-crib. Collins and Norris supposed they would wait until dark and then set fire to the house. As the house was a double cabin, with no inner passway from one to the other, the inmates thought they could easily effect their object. The only possible chance for them to escape was to gain a cornfield close by. To do this they knew they they would have to pass under the fire of the Indians behind the corn-crib. But as it was evidently death to remain, they resolved to escape, hazardous as the attempt certainly was. Just as twilight set in they opened a door and started, Nor- ris in advance, closely followed by the two children. Collins brought up the rear with his gun in his hand, cocked and presented before him. As they passed out with a quick step, Collins was fired at. The ball struck his gun about the lock, and violently whirled him around. At this moment he lost sight of Norris and the children. He then ran some distance into a cornfield, and halted to see if the Indians were in pur- suit. To be prepared for them, he examined his gun, but found it so damaged he could do nothing with it. He then hastened to the woods, and made good his escape. The In- dians were now heard to give a most hideous yell, indicating their intention to proceed no further-that their hellish thirst for blood had been glutted.
Some little time after dark Mrs. Biggs, daughter of Mrs. Collins, having heard the firing of the guns at the distance of half a mile, started with her children to go to her father's house. Her husband was at that time in Jeffersonville, in the drafted military service. When she came near the house she left the children by the roadside and proceeded to the house alone. When she reached the house she pushed open the door, but the smell of gunpowder was so strong that she became alarmed and quickly returned to her children. She traveled with them about six miles to Zebulon Collins's and gave the first alarm to the older settlements.
The absence of the Indians in Mr. Collins's house at the time Mrs. Biggs entered it, is enveloped in mystery; for it was only a little time after this that it was seen burning, the Indians having evidently returned and fired all the houses. It was conjectured that Collins had killed one or more of them, and that they were engaged in concealing their bodies.
Norris and Collins, having been separated on leaving the house, were unable to come together again that night. Norris proceeded with the children in the dark, through brush and briars, avoiding every road and pathway, climbing hills and crossing valleys, frequently falling with the children into deep ravines, until he at last lost his course. After sev- eral hours of fatiguing travel, he came up near the farm from which he had started and behind the burning buildings. Again he started for the older settlements. He traveled until a late hour in the night, but being wearied out he and the children lay down on the ground until the morning star arose. They then resumed their journey, and finally suc-
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ceeded in reaching one of the older settlements. The little girl was found so badly bruised that it was found necessary to call in a physician for her relief.
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Before day a runner was sent to alarm the citizens of Charlestown. I well remember hearing him as he passed my father's residence, just after daylight, crying at the top of his voice, "Indians! Indians !! " The whole country was thrown into the wildest excitement and confusion. Before sunset of that day vast numbers of the citizens of the Grant had hur- ried across the Ohio river into Kentucky for safety. A con- siderable number of men were immediately raised to pursue the fiends; but they effected nothing. The Indians must have left soon after finishing the work at Mr. Collins's, as they were seen the next day by a scouting party from Washington county, on the Chestnut ridge, in Jackson county, going in the direction of Rockford. Had the commanding officer of that company possessed any skill, he might have dealt them a heavy blow. When the Indians were discovered, a part of them were walking. and a part riding the horses they had stolen, heavily laden with the property of their mur- dered victims. This officer, instead of having his men con- ceal themselves and fire upon the Indians from their places of protection, commanded them to "charge." This gave the Indians upon the horses an opportunity of preparing for flight by lessening their burdens, while the footmen in real Indian style quickly jumped behind trees and logs, and opened fire on our men. The rangers then attempted the same mode of fighting, but while one of them was drawing sight from the wrong side of a tree, his exposed body was pierced by an Indian bullet. He was removed to a station, but soon after expired. There were in this company about twenty Indians, more than were supposed to have been at Pigeon Roost.
In the spring of 1813 another party of Indians, or the same that were at Pigeon Roost, came into the neighbor- hood of Zebulon Collins, about nine miles northwest of Charlestown. They concealed themselves behind the bank of Silver creek, and shot Mr. Huffman, who at that moment came to the door to look for his two sons, who were playing in the bottom below the house. The old gentleman was killed instantly, and the ball passed through the body of his wife. She recovered from this wound, although it was thought at first to be fatal. They took one of the children into cap- tivity, and kept him for a number of years. His relatives afterwards, through the aid of the General Government, as- certained his whereabouts, and secured his release. During the time of his captivity he had become so uncivilized and so attached to the Indians and their manners, that it was with no little difficulty his friends succeeded in persuading him to leave the savage tribes and return to his home and relations.
A company of soldiers were stationed at this time at Zebulon Collins's, which was only a few hundred yards from Huff- man's house; and had they attended to their duty they could have protected the Huffman family. It being the Sabbath day, they had abandoned their posts and gone off to enjoy the society of some young people in the neighborhood. As soon as they returned and learned what had happened, one of them, a Mr. Perry, started about dark to carry the intelli- gence to the settlement about Charlestown. In passing down Silver creek, when about a mile and a half from Collins's, he was intercepted by seven Indians. They shot at him and ran some distance through the bottoms of Silver creek, but he succeeded in making his escape and made his way back to Collins's. Some time after dark he made another attempt to pass over the same route and succeeded. As soon as the older settlements had received the information, men were
raised to pursue the Indians. It was thought best to notify families most exposed of their perilous condition. For this purpose a Mr. Reed attempted to go to Mr. Elliott's. He wore around his waist a belt, which he had used on the Tip- pecanoe expedition. When he had come within sight of Elliott's house he was fired upon by a company of eight In- dians, who had concealed themselves behind a fallen tree, doubtless for the purpose of awaiting a favorable opportunity of murdering the family. Five discharged their guns at him at almost the same time, but fortunately without doing any serious harm. Some of the balls passed through his clothes, one cutting his belt nearly in two. One or two hit his horse, but he succeeded in making his escape. A company of men were soon in pursuit, but the Indians made good their escape.
From the number of depredations committed by the In- dians it was evident they had sallied forth in different parts of the country at the same time. To defend the settlers from these raids it became necessary to station companies of men at the various points most exposed. This unhappy con- dition of affairs continued until the restoration of peace be- tween this country and England.
Thus concludes the most remarkable Indian massacre in the annals of Clark county. It threw the whole country into such a feverish state of excitement that for a number of years afterwards the least sign of Indians caused a general panic. And it was this massacre which caused the erec- tion of so many block-houses and forts in the county at this time, of which we have spoken in the histories of other townships.
At present there is nothing that would indi- cate to a stranger that any memorable occurrence took place in this vicinity. The pigeons have taken their flight, seemingly, with the red man. A few trees, whose limbs have been broken off and whose ends are rotten from long contact with the elements, are yet standing. The soil, by constant use for over sixty years, has lost much of its early strength, and good crops can only be raised by the most careful attention. Two things combine, however, to make the place ever historical-the roost of the pigeons and the massacre of the whites by the Indians. People in this locality refer to it to this day with feelings of deep concern, and remind you that you are treading upon historic ground.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
The first settler in the township of whom there is any definite knowledge was Mr. Robert Biggs, who came here in 1806 from Kentucky, but was a native of Pennsylvania. He settled on Miller's or Biggs's fork of Silver creek, one mile above Henryville. His wife, whose maiden name was Miller, bore him a large family, of which the
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children are scattered in all the States and Terri- tories. Biggs was of Scotch-Irish extraction. In character he was as good as the majority of early settlers, and held the faith of the Seceders' church of England. Biggs lived and died in sight of Henryville. He took much pleasure in hunting, and was considered a superior marks- man.
A family settled in the extreme southwest cor- ner of the township, who were probably from Kentucky, by the name of Eson. The Pigeon Roost massacre caused them to return to their old home, and they never came back.
Joseph Miller settled in sight of Henryville about 1806, or, what is more probable, a year or two afterwards ; for Robert Biggs must have married one of his daughters. Miller was from Kentucky; his family consisted mostly of daugh- ters, the only son dying many years since, and of course the family name is now extinct. He died about 1830.
Nicholas Crist, a brother-in-law of Abner Biggs, both of whom we have mentioned as kill- ing the last bear but one in the township, settled about one mile west of Henryville in 1808 or 1810. He was born in Pennsylvania, but came here from Kentucky. He married a daughter of Mr. Robert Biggs. Crist removed to Clay county, Indiana, in 1830 or 1831, and died at an extreme old age.
Robert Carns, who was from Pennsylvania by way of Kentucky, settled one mile east of Henryville about 1810. He carried on farming and was a clever gentleman.
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