USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > The Cincinnati miscellany, or, Antiquities of the West, and pioneer history and general and local statistics, Volume I > Part 56
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pose of keeping them secure-and have direc- ted these two companies to be raised at Cincin- nati, that my instructions to you of the 10th inst., may be most certainly put into effect. I have only to repeat, that I wish the orders there given to be most strictly attended to, and not suffer a boat to pass unexamined and arrested, if sus- picion in the least degree be attached thereto.
Blannerhassett and Comfort Tyler have made their escape, but Col. Phelps, of Virginia with a party of men are after them.
In haste, I remain dear sir,
Yours, &c. &c.
EDWARD TIFFIN. Gen. J. S. GANO.
Chillicothe, Jan. 8th, 1807.
DEAR SIR :
I received by the mail yours of the 28th ultimo, and by Mr. Goforth yours of the 2nd. inst. I was in hopes ere this to have re- ceived further instructions from the Secretary of war, but herein I am disappointed; when I first ordered out a detachment of our militia on duty at Cincinnati ; it was for the express pur- pose of endeavoring to arrest Comfort Tyler and Blannerhassett's boats, part of which was rep- resented to be armed, and in a situation to make a resistance-as well as any others which might be descending the Ohio with hostile views. Part of this object was accomplished by our troops at Marietta who have taken fourteen boats and secured them,-the other part of the object fail- ed, as Tyler had passed Cincinnati before you were in a situation to arrest them. Had I not re- ceived orders from the Secretary of war to raise men which would be paid by the United States, I should not have felt justified after these occur- rences to have either subjected this State to the expense, or our citizens to the burthen of being drafted on further duty.
I believe I have got pretty correct informa- tion, that from the vigilance of the general gov- ernment in providing to secure some boats that are said to be built up the Alleghany river with hostile views, and the stationing of troops at different points on the Ohio, as well as the pre- cautions I have taken at Steubenville, at Mariet- ta and elsewhere-that all who. were engaged in the enterprize above us, gaveit out-and that no armed boats will either get leave, or dare to descend the Ohio. Under this state of things, and not knowing that the Secretary of war will agree to pay any men but who are regularly en- rolled under the orders I gave for enlisting two companies of volunteer militia, I have to repeat the directions I gave two weeks ago, for you not to draft any more of our citizens on duty.
these troops, how to act, &c. You observe Capt. Perry has enlisted 30 men, and Capt. Carpenter 15. I hope they will get their companies com- plete-and these men who are raised under the authority, and in the pay of the United States, will be sufficient for any service that can be re- quired of them; it is quite unnecessary to har- rass men when we are certain no hostile boats are to come down, or to have more out than is necessary to bring to any who may be suspected for examination.
I shall therefore give the necessary orders to Major Riddle, and I beg you to accept my thanks for your kind and patriotic exertions during the late occurrences, and am with great respect and regard,
Yours &c., EDWARD TIFFIN.
GEN. GANO.
P. S. Gen. Buell enlisted his men for three months unless sooner discharged, and his quota complete in a day and a half.
A Deep Bite.
At this season of assessing the property and. business taxes of Cincinnati, I am reminded of an incident in the operation of past years here. Jonathan Pancoast, an old citizen, although at that period not so well known among the active business men in Cincinnati, as he deserved to be,. had been appointed assessor, and one ol the first individuals he called on was an extensive whole- sale dealer in drygoods, who bore as mary names as he had feet to his height, Gustavus- Vasa Hannibal D- --. What illustrious names were here thrown away on a merchant, which should have graced a general's commis- sion at least! Pancoast entered the warehouse with the air and appearance of a country store- keeper, and glancing around the piles of dry goods that reached from the ceiling to the floor and on the shelves, at length remarked, "A pret- ty smart chance of goods you seem to have here. I suppose a man could suit himself in your store with every thing he might want." "Yes," said the merchant, who mistook his visiter for a buy- er from the country, "We can suit a customer here with all he needs -- but walk up stairs if you want to see a fine stock of goods." So ta- king his visiter up one two & three pair of stairs. through rooms filled up with merchandize .-- "There" said he, "is'nt there a pile for you to. pick among." "I should think there was," re- plied Pancoost, "and I suppose there can't be less than eight or nine thousand dollars worth of goods." "Eight or nine!" exclaimed the mer- chant in a contemptuous tone, "There is sixty or seventy thousand dollars worth, at least!" --
I shall write to Major Riddle, who I under -! "Very well," said the assessor, taking a large stand you have appointed to the command of roll of paper from one of his coat pockets, "that
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will do," and while the undeceived salesman Blood petrified with astonishment, and chagun at his own folly, made his entry , "G. V. H. D. dry goods merchant, value of stock 60,000 dollars!" This swell cost the unfortunate merchant all of 300 dollars extra taxes.
A Legend of Cincinnati.
Most of my readers are familiar with the nar- rative of the late Oliver M. Spencer, and have read in various shapes the account of his capture by Indians between Cincinnati and Columbia, while on his way home to the latter settlement in July, 1792. There is a legend connected with that event very current among the early settlers which refers to an incident connocted with that narrative, to wit, the escape from those Indians of Mrs. Mary Coleman, by her floating down to Cincinnati, supported by her clothes which are stated to have buoyed her up all the way, from the scene of those events a distance of four miles.
A late visit to Montgomery in this county has given me an opportunity to enquire of Mr . Jesse Coleman, son of the lady named, and who at the period referred to, was a boy old enough to know something of the circumstances. He is now considerably over sixty, and his intellects are clear and strong. He gave me the follow- ing statement, which he has repeatedly heard made by his mother, by which it appears that the distance she thus floated was not more than a mile, and affords some interesting particulars I had never known.
The scenery of the Ohio between Columbia and Cincinnati was in those days truly roman- tic; scarcely a tree had been cut on either side, between the mouth of Crawfish and that of Deer creek, a distance of more than four miles The sand bar now extending trom its left bank, op- posite to aportsman's Hall, was then a small is- land. 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 cover- ed with small cotton wood, and surrounded by willows extending along its sides almost down to the water's edge. The right bank of the riv- er crowned with its lofty hills, now gradually ascending, 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, border ing the tall trees with which it was covered was a thick growth of willows, through which in many places it was difficult to penetrate. Be-
low 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 round the point of the hill above Deer creek, descended north wardly about four hundred feet, and crossing that creck, and in a southerly direction ascending gradually its western bank, led along the ground, now Symmes street, directly toward Fort Washing- ton, and diverging at the intersection of Law- rence street to the right and left of the Fort, en- tered the town.
The river between Columbia and Cincinnati is thus minutely described, not only to give an idea of the former appearances to those who have come to reside here since, but also to ex- plain the statement which Mr. C. give me.
Spencer, as he tells us in his own narrative, had got on board a canoe at the bank in front of Fort Washington, which was just ready to put off from the shore on the afternoon of the 7th July. It was a small craft, and hardly fit to ac- commodate the party, which thus consisted of a Mr. Jacob Light, a Mr. Clayton, Mrs. Cole- man, young Spencer, a boy of 13, and one of the garrison soldiers, which last individual being much intoxicated, lurched from one side of the canoe to the other, and finally by the time they had got up a short distance above Deer Creek, tumbled out, nearly oversetting the whole party. He then reached the shore, the water not being very deep at the spot. Spencer did not know how to swim, and had become afraid to contin- ue in the canoe, and was therefore as his own request put on shore, where they left the soldier and the party in the boat and Spencer on shore, proceeded side by side. Light propelled the boat forward with a pole, while Clayton sat at the stern with a paddle which he sometimes used as an oar, and sometimes as a rudder, and Mrs Coleman a woman of fifty years, sat in the mid- dle of the boat. One mile above Deer creek, a party of market people with a woman and child, on board a canoe, passed them on their way to Cincinnati. Light and the others had rounded the point of a small cove less than a mile below the foot of the island, and proceeded a few hun- dred yards along the close willows here border- ing the beach, at about two rods distance from the water, when Clayton looking back, discov- ered the drunken man staggering along the shore, and remarked that he would be "bait for Indians." Hardly had he passed the remark when two rifle shots from the rear of the wil- lows struck Light and his comrade, causing the latter to fall towards the shore, and wounding
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the other by the ball glancing from the oar .- The two Indians who had fired instantly rush- ed from their concealment, to scalp the dead, and impede the escape of the living. Clayton was scalped, and Spencer in spite of all his cf- forte to get off, was made prisoner, but Light soon swam out of reach of his pursuers, and Mrs. Cole- man who had also jumped out, preferring to be drowned to falling into the hands of Indians, and floated some distance off. The Indians would probably have reloaded and fired, but the report of their rifles brought persons io the oppo- site shore, and fcaring to create further alarm, they decamped with their young prisoner in haste, saying "squaw must drown." Light had first made for the Kentucky shore, but finding himself drifting under all the exertions he could make in his crippled state, directed his way out on the Ohio side. Mrs. Coleman followed as well as she could by the use of her hands as paddles, and they both got to shore some dis- tance below the scene of their events. Light had barely got out when he fell, so much ex- hausted that he could not speak, but after vom- iting blood at length came to. Mrs. Coleman floated nearly a mile, and when she reached the shore, walked down the path to Cincinnati, crossed Deer creek at its mouth, holding on to the willows which overhung its banks-the wa- ter there in those days flowing in a narrow cur- rent that might almost be cleared by a spring from one bank to the other. She went direct to Captain Thorp at the artificer's yard, with whose lady she was acquainted, and from whom she obtained a change of clothes, and rested a day or two to overcome her fatigue.
Mrs. Coleman, deceased six years since at a very advanced age, at Versailles, Ripley county, Indiana.
Interary Notice.
I adverted a few weeks back to the Pictorial History of the World, by John Frost L. L. D., writing out a notice of the character of the first number. Nos. 2 and 3 are now both on my ta- ble.
Egypt, Ethiopia, Babylonia, Assyria, Asia Mi- nor and Syria, form subjects of the three earlier numbers published. Nothing can be treated more judiciously than the early history of these regions, objects of the deepest interest, to the reader alike of classic and sacred literature. ] have already spoken of the typoography, engra- ving, and paper of this pablication. They are perfect of the kind.
I observe also by a circular handed me on the subject, that the Ohio Dental College has been organized; and that lectures will be deliv- ered in the Institution on the first Monday of November ensuing, the session to continue
four months. It speaks well for the west that this is the only college of Dental Surgery in the United States, that of Baltimore excepted. We leave transcendental science to the Bostonians, intending ourselves to transcend dental science as. it exists in any part of the republic.
A Chapter on Names.
These are in every measure of oddity and va- riety throughout the United States, and in many respects illustrate the character of our respec- tive communities. A man in Baltimore bears the name of Origen L. Herring. He goes by no other name than Original Herring. This- name in turn naturally reminds us of Preserved Fish, of New York City, who ought to have been called Pickled Fish, on the dictionary principle that to pickle is to preserve ..
I have heard of a man who had vowed to name his first child Thomas Jefferson, of course he calculated on a boy, but his first born was a female. He kept his oath however, and the la- dy bearing this unfeminine appellation is still living, and called by her little nephew and niece. Aunt Jiffy.
Another individual, a Mr. New, had his first born baptised something, and the next nothing. These were of course-the first, Something New, and the second, Nothing New. An auctioneer in N. Orleans called his first daughters who were twins, Ibid and Ditto. His three boys who fol- lowed, were A Lot, One More and The Last. What name he could give his sixth, if he should have had one after this I, cannot conjecture.
A man by the name of Stickney up the Great Miami, determined on a succession of numbers as names for his children, and actually had them baptised, One Stickney, Two Stickney, and so on to the babe at the breast who was called Nine Stickney.
I knew a storekeeper in Pennsylvania who promised one of his customers, a married wo- man, half a dozen frock patterns for her infant baby if she would allow him to give the name, adding, as he was considered little better than an infidel, it should be a Scripture name. The banter was accepted, and the name handed in accordingly Mahershallalhashbas. He had nam- ed it thus, expecting that the dresses would be given up rather than taken encumbered with such a name. But the mother kept the name and the clothes too.
The following is an actual list of names in one neighborhood in Georgia. Drusilla Nar- cissus Baker, William Green Marion Stibbs, Peggy Caroline Amanda Steele, Matilda Polly Araminta Jacobs, David Thomas Jasper Jack- son, Rebecca Tabitha Jane Armor, Violet Deli- lah Clementine Bell, Abraham Orlando Sym- machus Jones, Miranda Delia Sally Williams . Enough for one dosc.
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Modern Traveling.
Dr. Brisbane now travelling eastwurd, gives the following table of travelling expenses from Cincinnati.
Passage to Wheeling, steamboat, $5
Wheeling to Philadelphia, 13
Philadelphia to New York, 4
New York to Boston, 3 50
Seven meals, 3 50
Porter's fees, 1 00
30 00
Tour five days eighteen hours.
Let our rail road once be completed via. San- dusky and Buffalo to Boston, and we ean be ta- ken on to the last named place in 50 hours and at an expense not exceeding ten dollars. I re- member when the eastern practicable route hence to Philadelphia alone cost the traveller twelve days and an outlay of fifty dollars.
Ingenuity of Germans.
There is in many minds a prejudice against the German nation, on account of the stupidity unjustly laid to its charge. On examining the subject I find the following inventions have ori. ginated in Germany.
A. D.
350 Saw Mills
898 Sun Dial
996 Fulling Mills
1070 'Tillage of hops
1100 Wind Mills Oil Painting
1270 Spectacles
1300 Paper of linen rags
1312 Organs
1318 Gun powder Cannons
1350 Wire making
1330 Hats
1379 Pins
1389 Grist mills
1423 Wood engravings
1436 Printing
1439 Printing press
1440 Copperplate engraving
1450 Printing ink
1452 Cast types
1487 Chiming of bells
1500 Watches Letter posts or mails Etching
1500 Bolting apparatus
1527 Gun locks
1535 Spinning wheels
1546 Almanacs Stoves Sealing wax
1590 Telescopes
1610 Wooden bellows
1620 Microscopes
1638 Thermometers
1643 Mezzotint engraving
1650 Air pumps
1652 Electrical machines
1656 Pendulum clocks
1690 Clarionet
1706 Whito china ware
1707 Prussian blue.
1709 Stereotyping
1715 Mercurial thermometer
1717 Piano Fortes
1738 Solar microscope
1753 The gamut
1796 Lithography.
Besides these are several German inventions of which I cannot ascertain the date-such as door locks and latches, the modern screw auger, and gimlet, the cradle for harvesting, &c. &c. Surely a nation which has made such contri- butions to the interests of literature and the arts must occupy a high rank in intellect and ingen- uity.
Western Heroines.
Mr. CIST : CINCINNATI, May 12th, 1845.
As opportunity now offers I will pro- ceed to redeem my promise by giving you ano- ther of "Old Tim Watkins' " tales. On the II- linois river. near two hundred miles from its junction with the Mississippi, there lived at the time I write of an old pioneer, known in those days as "Old Parker the squatter." His family consisted of a wife and three children, the old- est a boy of nineteen, a girl of seventeen, and the youngest a boy of fourteen. At the time of which we write, Parker and his oldest boy had gone in company with three Indians on a hunt, expecting to be absent some five or six days .- The third day after the departure, one of the Indians returned to Parker's house, came in and sat himself down by the fire, lit his pipe and commenced smoking in silence. Mrs. Parker thought nothing of this, as it was no uncon- mon thing for one or sometimes more of a par- ty of Indians to return abruptly from a hunt, at some sign they might consider ominous of bad luck, and in such instances were not very com- municative. But at last the Indian broke si- lenco with "ugh, old Parker die." This ex- clamation immediately drew Mrs. Parker's ta- tention, who directly enquired of the Indian, what's the matter with Parker? The Indian responded Parker sick, tree fell on him, you gu he die. Mrs. Parker then asked the Indian if Parker sent for her, and where he was? The replies of the Indian somewhat aroused her sus- picions. She however came to the conclusion to send her son with the Indian to see what was the matter. The boy and Indian started. That night passed, and the next day too, and neither the boy or Indian returned. This confirmed Mrs. Parker in her opinion that there was foul play on the part of the Indians. So she and her daughter went to work and barricaded the door and windows in the best way they could. The youngest boy's rifle was the only one left, he not having taken it with him when he went
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to see after his father. The old lady took the rifle, the daughter the axe, and thus armed they determined to watch through the night and de- fend themselvesif necessary. They had not long to wait after night fall, for shortly after that some one commenced knocking at the door, ery- ing out mother! mother! but Mrs. Parker thought the voice was not exactly like that of her son-in order to ascertain the fact, she said "Jake where are the Indians?" The reply which was "um gone," satisfied her on that point. She then said as if speaking to her son, put your ear to the latch-hole of the door I want to tell you something before I open the door. The head was placed at the latch-hole, and the old lady fired her rifle through the same spot and killed an Indian. She stepped back from the door in- stantly, and it was well she did so, for quicker than I have penned the last two words two ri- fle bullets came crashing through the door. The old lady then said to her daughter, thank God there is but two, I must have killed the one at the door-they must be the three who went on the hunt with your father. If we can only kill or eripple another one of them, we will be safe; now we must both be still after they fire again, and they will then break the door down, and I may be able to shoot another one; but if I miss them when getting in you must use the axe .- The daughter equally courageous with her moth. er assured her she would, Soon after this con- versation two more rifle bullets came crashing through the window. A death-like stillness en- sued for about five minutes, when two more balls in quick succession were fired through the door, then followed a tremendous punching with a log, the door gave way, and with a fiend- ish yell an Indian was about to spring in when the unerring rifle fired by the gallant old lady stretched his lifeless body across the threshold of the door. The remaining, or more properly surviving Indian fired at random and ron doing no injury. "Now" said the old heroine to her un- daunted daughter "we must leave." According- ly with the rifle and the axe, they went to the iver, took the canoe, and without a mouthful of provision except one wild duck and two black- birds which the mother shot, and which were eaten raw, did these two courageous hearts in six days arrive among the old French settlers at St. Louis. A party of about a dozen men crossed over into Illinois-and after an unsuc- cessful search returned without finding either Parker or his boys. They were never found. There are yet some of the old settlers in the neighborhood of Peoria who still point out the spot where "old Parker the squatter" lived.
Respectfully,
G. REDDING.
Relies of the Past.
FORT WASHINGTON, May 4th, 1792. SIR :
A disappointment on the part of the Con- tractor, prevents my despatching the heavy es- cort so soon as my last letter mentioned, and the party which now goes on, is to endeavor to join Fort St. Clair under cover of night. They are to halt with you the day they may arrive, and you are to cross thence over the river, on the evening of that day after sun-set, taking the ne- cessary precaution to prevent the enemy from discovering their numbers. You will give the Corporal orders to reach St. Clair, in the course of the night on which you despatch him. His safe- ty and the safety of the little convoy, depend on the strict observance of this order. Captain Peters, with the efficient escort, waits the arri- val of a drove of bulloeks, which have been in- judiciously halted at Craig's, and will not reach this place until the 8th inst,-by him you will receive a volume, from
Yours sincerely, JAS. WILKINSON, Lieut. Col. Com'dt.
JNO. ARMSTRONG, EsQ. Capt. Com'dt.
P. S. I expect to break an ensign here to- morrow, he is under trial.
FT. HAMILTON, May 7, 1792. LT. COL. JAMES WILKINSON.
Dr. Sir-on the evening of the 5th inst. your letter was handed me by the Corporal con- dueting the escort. As Indians had shown them- selves on the the opposite shore for three suc- eeeding days, I detained the escort until the evening of the 6th, and in the interim detach- ed Lt. Gaines with 20 men, five miles on the road leading to St. Clair with directions to 1e- cross Joseph's creek, and to form in ambuscade, until the small party pass him-which promises an ample reward ; if there was nothing improper in the request, I would solicit their continu .. ance here until the opening of the campaign.
Yours,
JNO. ARMSTRONG. Capt. Ist Regt. U. S. A.
MARRIAGES.
On Friday 11th ult., Miss MARY E. SHERWOOD, daugh- ter of Mrs. Ann S. and step-daughter of S. W. Davis, to Mr. WILLIAM L. THOMAS.
At Baltimore on the 29th ult. by the Rev. Mr. Trapnett, Mr. LEWIS A. HOWSER, 10 MARY ANN BURDICK, Of Wheeling.
On Sunday evening, 4th inst. by the Rev. Mr. Lynd, Mr. JACOB HOFFNER to Miss FRANCIS A. SMITH-all of this city.
On Tuesday, 6th inst. Mr. GEORGE MELLUS, of N. Or- leans, La., to Miss SUSANNAH BATES, of this cily.
DEATHS.
On Thursday, 8th inst. Mrs. ELIZABETH ANN SMITH Monday, 12th inst. Hon. WILLIAM MILLER, aged 83.
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Journal of Rev. David Jones. COMMUNICATED BY HORATIO G. JONES JR., LEVER- INGTON, PA.,
We encamped on the east side of this [the Scioto] river, at a place called Red Bank, and indeed this was the first place that we could en- camp with safety, for in floods the waters of the Ohio and Scioto spread over the low land at the mouth of the latter. For about one mile or more, the two rivers were near the same course, and are not far apart. The mouth of this river, ac- cording to Mr. Hutchins, is in lat. 28 deg. 22, and he calculated it only 366 miles, as the river runs from Fort Pitt, but it is accounted 400 by the traders, and I am persuaded it will be found good measure. I am informed this river has its source towards Lake Erie, and that there is but a very small land passage between this river and the streams that empty into that lake. The Scioto is very crooked but not rapid, so that men with canoes can stem the current to the head. Tuesday June 5th, I went out and killed some turkeys, and the men rowed up the canoe 6 or 7 miles and were obliged to encamp, be- cause of the depth of the water. Wednesday 6th, moved but slowly, and spent some time in fit- ting poles of pawpawwood, which is very plenty here and very light, so that it is used chiefly for canoe poles ; we encamped on the west side of the river. It rained very hard, so that our lodg- ing was not the best. Thursday 7th. As the canoe was polled up the stream, I chose for the advantage of killing game, to walk on land; but mistaking the way that the river turned, I lost myself on the finest and largest walnut bottom that my eyes ever beheld. The sun did not shine, and after some time I perceived that I was lost, and what added to my surprise on the occasion, was that it drew near night. After ruminating on my case with some degree of disquietude, and reflecting on the course that I came, I thought I knew which way the west was, and therefore ran over many bad places, and at last saw the top of a very high hill, which I appre- hended would afford me a prospect of the river . To this I made with all speed, and before I as- cended it far, I saw the river; this was pleasing, but I knew not whether the canoe was above or below me. However I first went up the river, and both whistled and hallocd, but finding no answer, I turned down again and went many miles back until I was sure they were above me. Thereupon I retraced my steps, and was marching up the stream, expecting nothing else than to be left in the wilderness, with but little ammuniiton. While many thoughts arose in my mind, I heard them fire for me at their camp. I supposed they were three miles above me, and began to run firing as I went, but as the wind blew towards me, they never heard the report of
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