History of the Upper Ohio Valley, with family history and biographical sketches, a statement of its resources, industrial growth and commercial advantages, Vol. I, Part 12

Author:
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Madison, Wis. : Brant & Fuller
Number of Pages: 842

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HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY.

that time, until his lifeless body was drawn in by his companions. Some of the Indians had gone into the milk house which was fashioned of split boards stood upon end. Those in the fort as soon as they saw them enter, directed their fire against it. After the Indians had withdrawn, on inspecting it, there was found a breech clout and splotches of blood on the walls, showing evidently that fatal execu- tion had been done there.

It is supposed that the return of the party to the fort who had been absent on a scout, alarmed the savages, and was the cause of their withdrawal after a siege of about five hours' continuance. The ascer- tained loss of the Indians was four-three of whom were killed at the first fire of the whites-the other about sundown. George Fele- baum was the only one of the whites who was killed. Early in the fight he was shot in the forehead, the ball entering through a port hole near which he was standing, and he expired instantly. This left as the sole defenders of the place: Jacob Miller, George Leffler, Peter Fullenweider, Daniel Rice, Jacob Leffler, Jr., and the redoubtable " Deeds," whose resistance was eminently passive.

On the day of the attack on Rice's block house, George Humphrey, having heard of the troubles there and being curious to learn all the particulars, set out for Buffalo to obtain them. In the afternoon of the same day, a man by the name of - Agar-visited at Humphrey's to learn the news from Humphrey, as he was aware of the latter's mission. But Humphrey did not return to his home until late, after dark, and Agar detained him until his arrival, when Humphrey com- municated to him what details he had gathered concerning the fight which, with the comments of the men, took up so much time that it was quite late before Agar made any preparations for his departure for home. The family strongly opposed his leaving, and urged him to remain during the night and insisted that he should not leave be- fore daylight, but their appeals to prevent him were in vain. Starting out into the darkness, he was not seen alive after leaving the house. It was presumed that a party of Indians had watched his movements when he came to Humphrey's house in the afternoon, and laid in am- bush for him on his return, and in the darkness they suddenly came down on him before he had time to escape. The next morning he was found scalped, his dead body lying but a mile or two from the house he had left the preceding night.

The following account of the killing of William Cochran by the Indians in this same year has been furnished to us by his great-grand- son,* who received it from his grandfather, who died in the year 1860 at the venerable age of ninety-six years. We relate it as nearly as we can in the words of the narrator. By way of preliminary remark we would state that William Cochran settled on lands near the town of West Liberty in the year 1773, being the same lands now owned by S. S. Jacob, Esq.

* Hon. R. H. Cochran.

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" About the time of father's death there were great disturbances on the frontier, and this was particularly the case in the neighborhood of West Liberty. It was customary for us to keep our horses hobbled or belled. One morning failing to hear the sounds of the bells as usual, father sent me to the block house, at West Liberty, while he and my two older brothers started out in search of the horses. It was arranged between them after starting, that they should separate and pursue the object of their search in different directions, my father taking one direction and the boys in company another. The latter soon discovered signs which led them to believe that the horses had been captured or driven off by the Indians, and they at once started on the nearest way leading to the block house, upon reaching which they gave the alarm.

"From ' Billy Boggs,' who was held by the Indians as a prisoner at the time, but who shortly afterwards escaped, we learned the particu- lars of father's death as told to him by the Indians while he was in captivity. Father was a very active and resolute man and the savages wanted to capture him. It appears that they had caught the horses and wrapping moss around the bell clappers, had led them away to a distance, placing six of their number in ambush to capture father or any one who might venture to search for them. Not finding the horses he started on his return, towards the block house, on the way passing in sight of his own house in expectation, as he hoped, of see- ing the boys. The Indians meanwhile had gone into his cabin. In- tending to enter he was prevented by having his suspicions aroused from certain appearances around and in the vicinity which only the keen eye of a disciplined woodsman would detect, and which caused him to change his purpose and start for the block house at the top of his speed. The Indians at once started in pursuit of him, but when they found that the gap between the pursued and pursuers was widen- ing and that they could not overtake him, a half-breed, wearing the cognomen of 'Dolway Jim,' suddenly dropped on his knee and tak- ing fatal aim, fired, and killed him just as he was crossing a piece of rising ground. His remains were afterwards found and buried by a party from the fort on the spot where he fell, which was about two miles south of West Liberty.

"His scalp had been taken by the Indians to their camp where it was flaunted in the face of Boggs, the prisoner, who recognized it. Boggs subsequently escaped, having run the gauntlet and these details of my father's death he repeated to me and my brothers as related to him by his captors."

In the interval after Crawford's defeat, and before the attack on Fort Henry in September of this year, occurred an incident of local interest which shows the dexterity and skill of the famous Indian scout, Lewis Wetzel. Thomas Mills, who lived on Wheeling creek, had accompanied Crawford on his campaign, and, on his return, had left his horse on the west side of the Ohio river, near the spot where St. Clairsville, Ohio, now stands and distant about twelve miles from Wheeling. One day, securing the services of Wetzel, Mills and his

HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY.

companion left Fort Henry to get his horse and bring the animal home. When within a mile or two of St. Clairsville they were met by a band numbering some forty or fifty Indians, who were roaming around in search of stragglers on their return from the army of Craw- ford. The Indians and white men discovered each at about the same time. Wetzel fired first and killed one of the savages, which was promptly returned by one of the Indians. The Indian's fire had wounded Mills in the foot, which prevented him from eluding the savages, who soon succeeded in overtaking and killing him. Four of the Indians then dropped their guns and pursued after Wetzel, who at first succeeded in keeping a respectable distance between him and his pursuers, and loaded his rifle as he ran. But, after running some distance; one of the Indians rapidly gained upon him until he ap- proached within a few steps of him, when Wetzel wheeled around, shot him down and ran on, loading as he ran. After running some distance farther, a second Indian came so close to him that as he turned to fire, the Indian clenched the muzzle of the gun, and he and the Indian had quite a tussle for the possession of it. He, however, succeeded in killing the savage. The pursuit was continued by the two remaining Indians, who now exhibited signs of caution, for when Wetzel would wheel to fire on them they would seek cover behind trees. After running some distance, Wetzel thought he would prac- tice a little piece of strategy, and so made for a small piece of com- paratively open ground. The Indians were not far behind him, and as he was passing over this he suddenly wheeled and stopped with a view of shooting the foremost one who as promptly jumped behind a small tree which failed to cover his body. Wetzel shot, and wounded him in the thigh, which put a stop to further pursuit on his part. The last of the Indians then gave a little yell, and exclaimed: "No catch dat man, gun always loaded," and gave up the chase.

It was during the summer of this same year that two boys belong- ing to Wheeling were sent out for the purpose of finding and driving back some stray cows which had wandered away. For some reason or other they concluded that they had swam the river and crossed to the west side and jumping into a canoe they paddled across and commenced their search for them. While so engaged they were sur- prised by three Indians, who were watching them, and by them taken prisoners. At once the Indians set out on their journey com- pelling each of the boys to carry a large bag, of which they had sev- eral in their possession. They were so heavy that it was with diffi- culty that they could keep pace with their captors, who required them to do so and would suffer no lagging. From the weight of the bags the boys concluded that they must be filled with gold. Urged as they were to their utmost speed, one of them at every opportunity when he could do so unperceived, would break off twigs from the branches of the trees to mark the direction in which they had trav- eled, in case an opportunity should offer for their escape and thus be enabled to find their way back. When night came on the Indians selected a camping place and prepared to retire; before doing which,

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however, they tied the hands of the boys as well as their feet, which for this purpose they drew close together with strips of bark. They were then compelled to lie down between two of the Indians who stretched a blanket over the bodies of the boys upon on the ends of which they laid themselves down, while the third Indian seated himself upon a fallen log in front to keep watch. Deering, the eldest boy, who was about fifteen years of age, managed to disengage his hands from the thongs which bound them and slyly drew a knife from the belt of one of the sleeping Indians, with which he succeeded in loosening his feet. Overcome with fatigue the third Indian had braced his back against the trunk of a friendly tree with his legs astraddle of the log upon which he sat. Whispering to his companion to lie perfectly quiet, he sundered the thongs which bound him. One of the. Indians lying beside him had rolled over in his sleep off of the blanket. With great caution, so as not to disturb the sleeping Indians by their movements, they quietly arose and the elder of the two took the loaded rifle of one of their captors, placing it upon a log for a rest in a line with the head of one of the sleeping savages and gave it in charge of the younger boy, about twelve or thirteen years of age, and instructed his young companion not to fire until he gave him the signal to do so. He himself took a tomahawk, and stealing on the sleeping Indian who had been placed on watch, instantly buried his tomahawk in his brains and then rushed to the Indians lying on the ground, at the same time giving the signal to his companion to to fire, struck deep into the skull of his sleeping victim. The Indian at which the younger of the two boys had fired instantly sprang to his feet howling with rage and pain. The boys not stopping to ascertain what was the effect of the shot, at once took to their heels, and following the trail over which they had passed the preceding day, late in the afternoon of the day following, reached the fort in safety to the surprise of their friends, who had given them up as lost completely.

The relation of this adventure seemed to be so incredible that several of the scouts determined to ascertain the truth or falsity of their assertions, and made preparations to visit the place where the tragedy occurred. A hunter who was present and heard the recital given by the boys, who stated in the course of their narration that they believed the bags contained gold, was shortly after missing. This individual, whose conduct in the past justified the belief (which was general among the settlers), was looked upon as dishonest. The scouting party set out, and from the description given by the boys of the country through which they had passed, and the location of the Indian camp, found no difficulty in fixing the spot. There they found the bodies of two Indians who had been tomahawked just as the boys had stated, and in pursuing their investigations they found concealed in an old hollow tree the third Indian, whose whole lower jaw was shot away. He was barely alive when discovered, and they dispatched him. After this they commenced a search for the bags, but no sign of them was visible, notwithstanding they spent two or three hours in

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looking for them. On their return to the fort they found the sus- pected hunter was still absent, which confirmed the common belief that he had anticipated the visit of the scouts, and reaching the place ahead of them had secured the plunder of the Indians and hidden it. At all events, some years subsequent to the events here recorded he became one of the largest landowners and wealthiest settlers in the section of country in which he resided.

During the summer of the year 1783, occurred the death of a noted Indian spy and hunter, John Neiswanger, a brother of Peter Neis- wanger, who was one of the defenders of Fort Henry, when it was besieged by the English and Indians in the fall of 1782. He was one of the earliest settlers on the waters of Little Wheeling creek, in Ohio county, having taken up a tract of some 400 acres of land now owned by the Stewart brothers, worthy citizens of the said county, and others. He had at first established himself in quarters erected by him on the north side of the tract in close proximity to his boundary line, and had deadened two or three acres of timber in the immediate vicinity. As the troubles on the border increased and danger became immi- nent, being inconveniently situated and at some distance from the sheltering protection of a fort, he resolved to change his location, which he accordingly did, to the opposite side of his farm, where he built a cabin and cleared some ground. Under a shelving rock of a water-fall, in a ravine near his new location, which was narrow, deep and wild, he arranged and improved a cave in which he forted in times of apprehended danger from the savages.

When he went out on hunting and scouting expeditions it was his custom to dress himself in complete Indian costume. It was on one of these occasions that he met with his tragical end. He, in company with Joseph Heffler, another efficient and successful spy and hunter, started on an expedition down the Ohio dressed in the fashion indi- cated. They descended the river in a canoe, and on the evening of the same day, on which they had started, they put into the mouth of little Grave creek. A party of Indians, who had been in concealment, had watched their movements, and during the night made a sudden attack upon them with great fury. Neiswanger was killed in his canoe, but Heffler succeeded in eluding the pursuit of the Indians with the loss of two fingers, shot away at the time of the attack. However, while in pursuit of Heffler, the canoe had by some means become un- fastened and floated away and descended the river, and thus the sav- ages lost the opportunity of scalping the unfortunate Neiswanger. After the lapse of some months the canoe, containing the remains of the hunter with his gun, were found lodged at the head of Captina Island, soine miles distant from the scene of the catastrophe. On a beech tree, something like a half mile distant from the Neiswanger tract of land, on lands now owned by Hon. C. D. Hubbard, of Wheeling, which was cut down a few years ago by a former owner of the land, was plainly carved in a rude manner the initials, P. N., with the date, 1776, to- gether with the representation of a gun, a tomahawk and a pipe. The initials were doubtless those of Peter, a younger brother of John Neis-

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wanger, the same who, as before stated, was one of the brave de- fenders of Fort Henry at the time of the siege at that post in the year 1782, and who was well-known along the border as an efficient Indian hunter and scout. An event which occurred during this year, 1783, and which aroused the indignation of the settlers to a high pitch of excitement, was the murder of a portion of the Van Metre family. The following account has been furnished to us by Vincent H. Van Metre, Esq., a descendant of the family now living near West Liberty, in Ohio county, W. Va:

In this year, the wife, an infant child and a daughter fifteen years of age, all of the family of John Van Metre, were wantonly and cruelly murdered by a roving band of Indians during the absence of the father at a house-raising. The wife and child were deliberately butchered at the door of her house. The girl was engaged in wash- ing clothes at a spring some distance from the house, and had on a sun-bonnet, which prevented her from discovering the approach of the stealthy savage before he was upon her, and who tomahawked her while she was in the act of bending over the spring. When the Indians gathered around her as she lay on the ground in the rigidity of death and gazed upon her mute, but young and lovely countenance, even their hard, stern hearts relented and lamented . the sad re- sult, saying, " she would have made a pretty squaw." The informa- tion of the expression of their regret at her taking off, was subsequently communicated by the renegrade, Simon Girty, who was with the party who committed the murders, to a prisoner who, after his exchange, told it to one of the members of the family. Three of Mr. Van Metre's sons, aged respectively, eleven, eight and six years, were at the time playing in a field near to the house, but discovered the Indians in time to attempt an escape in which two of them suc- ceeded, but John, the youngest, not being so active as his brothers, while in the act of mounting a fence was caught and carried away by them. While these events were transpiring, Mrs. John Spahr, a niece of Mrs. Van Metre, was on her way to visit her aunt. When near- ing the house she observed feathers flying in the air, which aroused her suspicions that something was wrong, which were confirmed by more closely observing the surroundings which, clearly to her eye, in- dicated the presence of Indians. Instantly reaching her hand under the neck of her horse she grasped the clapper of the bell which was suspended therefrom, and held it while she urged her beast to its ut- most speed in the contrary direction, and was thus the first one to convey the intelligence of the presence of the red men. After secur- ing a quantity of bed clothes and other articles, they set fire to the cabin and then made off toward the river with their plunder, and were safely on the western side of it before any organized pursuit could be made to overtake them. The place where this tragedy oc- curred is now owned and occupied by Eugene Ridgely, being the same farm formely owned by one Matthews, and is situated on the waters of Short creek, about four miles southwest of West Liberty.

Some time in the year 1805 a party of Wyandot Indians, from the

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northern part of the state of Ohio, were on a trading and hunting ex- pedition to the southern part of that state, when they stopped on their return at a trading post, which had been erected and was con- trolled by Isaac Zane, near the site where the city of Columbus now stands. Mr. Zane had, for a number of years, been a prisoner among the Wyandots, and was well versed in their language and habits, he was engaged in conversing with some of them in their own tongue, while other white men standing around were talking with some who could speak English. One of the Indians, as he took him to be, ad- dressed Mr. Zane, speaking in broken English and said: "Me John Metre." Upon inquiry concerning him, an Indian volunteered to give the desired information about him, and an account of the circumstan- ces attending the capture of the person who had addressed him. After a time they left and continued their journey. Mr. Zane, who was ac- quainted with the Van Metre family, at once communicated with them, giving an account of the interview he had had with John Van Metre, for it was no other a person than he, the same who had been captured by them at the time of their making the incursion in the settlements, in the year 1783, and enquiring as to the facts connected with the cap- ture of young Van Metre and the circumstances, and stated that the Indians contemplated returning in about six weeks and that they could see him on that occasion at his post. Mr. Van Metre, the father, was still living, but was unable at the time to make the journey, and perhaps entertained doubts whether it really was his son. But he sent his two sons at the time when Mr. Zane informed him that the party was expected to return, with instructions that if it was their brother, that they were to urge him to return home and take up a civilized life. But if they could not prevail on him to return and remain perman- ently, they were to pursuade him, if possible, to visit his parents and his old home. They arrived at the post about the same time that the Indians did, and saw John and were convinced of his identity, while he, himself, was convinced of the identity of his brothers. But it was with great reluctance and hesitation that he could be prevailed upon to accompany his brothers on their return. They represented to him, among other arguments, that their father was a cripple and could no: visit him, but that he was young and strong and could easily go to his father, moreover, they portrayed before him the pleasure it would give his aged parent to see him once again. The efforts made by the brothers to induce him to accompany them were seconded by Mr. Zane. Finally he consented. In the company there were six or seven squaws, one of whom was John's wife who, when the determination of John was made known to her, opposed it most strenuously until upon being informed that she could accompany him, yielded her op- position.

At length they started on their journey for Virginia, John and his wife and his two brothers. That night they camped in the forest, but on arising next morning one of their number was missing. John's wife had decamped during the night while they slept. He was ex- ceedingly vexed at the discovery. The brothers urged him to con-

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tinue without her, but he sternly refused. Collecting a bunch of twigs from spice bushes growing there, he stuck each twig on end in the ground, making with them a circle, inside of which he enkindled a fire, and taking a pouch from his person which he said contained a powerful medicine, he sprinkled some of it in the flames and indulged in mysterious incantations and indescribable movements and gyra- tions, during all of which time he hovered closely over the fire, while his dilated eyes seemed almost ready to burst from their sockets. Suddenly raising himself to an erect posture and straightening him- self to his full stature, he announced that his wife would overtake and reach her party in safety, but that her feet would be very sick. After this mysterious performance he announced his readiness to continue his journey, and, in company with his brothers, cheerfully proceeded the remainder of the distance without manifesting any further reluc- tance. His visit extended over a period of several weeks, but he re- sisted all appeals to abandon his Indian mode of life and return to his own people. While he seemed much gratified in once again meeting his father, and appeared to enjoy his visit, yet his restless- ness and anxiety grew upon him to such a degree that he could no longer restrain his instincts, but, yielding to their influence, he sur- prised them all one day by unexpectedly saying, "good-bye," and bounded away out of sight at the top of his speed. In the course of two or three years after his unceremonious departure, he made another visit to his early home, remaining, on this last occasion, for some five or six weeks, at the end of which period he again took his departure in much the same manner in which he did on the occasion of the first. In the meantime, however, his father had died. This was his last visit, for shortly after his return to his tribe he died.

Several years after the murder of his family he married the widow of Mr. John Beekey, who was an early emigrant from New Jersey to Western Virginia. Mrs. Beekey had four daughters by her first mar- riage, named respectively, Mary, Marcy, Jemima and Susan. Mary, the eldest, became the wife of Maj. John McColloch, a brother of the famous Maj. Samuel McColloch, the border scout and hero of the celebrated leap; Marcy, the second daughter, married Col. Harmon Greathouse, a noted frontiersman, and resided for many years in Lexington, Ky .; Susan, the third one, married John Roland, who re- sided at West Liberty, Ohio Co., Va., and Jemima, the fourth, became the wife of the Rev. Joseph Doddridge, of Wellsburg, Brooke Co., W. Va., the celebrated author of the " Notes on Western Virginia." One child was the issue of Mr. Van Metre's second marriage, whose name was Sarah. She married Mr. Robert Patterson, of Wheeling, Va., who died a few years since.

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History of the Upper Ohio Valley, with family history and biographical sketches, a statement of its resources, industrial growth and commercial advantages, Vol. I, Part 12

Author: Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Madison, Wis. : Brant & Fuller Number of Pages: 842

Author:
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Madison, Wis. : Brant & Fuller
Number of Pages: 842