USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > The Cincinnati miscellany, or, Antiquities of the West, and pioneer history and general and local statistics. Volume II > Part 2
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On the 16th June, Capt. Booth, who being an well educated man, as well as an efficient lead- er in scouting parties, being at work in his field, was surprised and shot by the savages. Jesse Hughes by common consent succeeded to his post.
In the middle of June three women went out from West's fort to gather greens in an adjoin- ing field, and while thus engaged were fired on by one individual of a party of four Indians .- The ball passed through the bonnet of a Mrs. In 1780 West's fort was again visited by the Indians. The frequent incursions of the saga- ges during the year 1778, had led the inhabi- tants to desert their homes and shelter them- selves in places of greater security ; but being Hacker, who screamed, and with the others ran towards the fort. An Indian having in his hand a long staff mounted with a spear, pursuing close- ly after them, thrust it with so much violence at a Mrs. Frceman, another of the women that, | unwilling to give up the improvements which
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they had already made, and commence anew in the woods; some few families returned to their farms during the winter, and on the ap- proach of spring moved into forts. In this case, the settlers had been in only a short time. when the enemy made his appearance, and continued to invest the fort for some time. Ignorant when to expect relief, the feeble band shut up there were becoming desperate when Jesse Hughes re- solved at all hazards to obtain assistance from abroad. Leaving the fort at night, he eluded their sentinels, and made his way to the Buch- annan fort. Here he prevailed on a party of the men to accompany them to West's and relieve those who had been so long shut up there. They arrived before day, and on consultation, it was thought advisable to abandon the place once more and remove to Buchannan fort. On their way the Indians resorted to every artifice to sep- arate the party so as to cut them up in detach- ments, but to no purpose. All their stratagems were frustrated, and the entire body reached the fort in safety.
In March 1781, a party of Indians surprised the inhabitants on Leading creek, Tygart's Val- ley, nearly depopulating the settlement. Among others they killed Alexander Roney, Mrs. Dougherty, and carried away Mrs. Roney and son, and Mr. Dougherty prisoners. On receipt of these tidings at Clarksburg, a party was promptly made up to chastise the savages, and if possible, rescue the prisoners, and pursuit be- ing immediately made, the advance of the party discovered the Indians on a branch of Hughes' river. Col. Lowther and the brothers, Jesse and Elias Hughes led the pursuing force. It was concluded to leave the Hughes' watch the ene" my, while the residue of the party retired a short distance to rest, with the design to attack them in the morning. As soon as day dawned, on a preconcerted signal being made, the whites crawled through the brush, and a general fire was poured in on the Indians of whom one on- ly made his escape. Young Roney unfortu- nately lay sleeping in the bosom of one of the Indians,and the same bullet that passed through the head of the savage deprived the boy of life. Mrs. Roney, ignorant of the fate of her son, and in the prospect of deliverance, losing the recol- ection of the recent murder of her husband, ran to the whites repeating, "I am Aleck Ro- ney's wife of the Valley, I am Aleck Roney's wife of the Valley, and a pretty little woman, too if I was well dressed." Dougherty who was tied down and unable to move, was discov- ered by the whites as they rushed into the camp. Fearing that he was one of the enemy and might do them injury as they advanced, one of the
party stopping, demanded who he was. Benum- bed with cold, and discomposed by the firing, he could not make himself known or understood. The white man raised his gun, directing it tow- ards him and called out that if he did not say who he was, he would put a ball through hiin, be he white man or Indian. Fears supplying him with energy, he exclaimed at last, "J ----- , am I to be killed by white people at last." Col. Lowther then recognized him and saved his life. The plunder recovered on this occasion was so abundant as to divide fourteen pounds seventeen shillings and six pence-nearly forty dollars to each of the recaptors.
In September, 1785, a party of Indians who had been stealing horses near Clarksburg were followed by a company raised on the spot out of the border warriors, commanded as before by Lowther, and the brothers Hughes, Jesse and Elias. On the 3d night after starting, the whites and Indians unknown to the fact had encamped within a short distance of each other. In the morning the pursuers divided taking two differ- ent routes. Elias Hughes and his party discov- ered the Indians by the smoke of their fires, and creeping cautiously up through the brush were enabled to get near enough for Hughes to shoot, when one of the savages fell and the res- idue took to flight. One of the Indians passing near where Col . Lowther stood, was fired at by him as he ran, and killed on the spot. The hor- ses and other plunder regained from the savages were taken home by the whites who were how- ever waylaid on the route, and one of their num- ber, John Barnet, so badly wounded, that he died before reaching home.
At another time Elias Hughes and his men discovering a party of Indians, fired upon them. The Indians ran in different directions. Hughes made after one, and was gaining upon him fast, in a bottom piece of land in which were no trees, when the Indian turned quickly about with loaded gun uplifted. Hughes' gun was empty and there were no trees to spring behind. But instantly springing obliquely to the right and left, with a bound and out stretched arm, he flirted the muzzle of the Indian's gun to one side, and the next moment had his long knife in him up to the hilt.
On the 5th December of the same year, the In- dians made another inroad into these devoted regions, and marking their progress with blood and plunder, massacred several of the men and women and carried off some prisoners, a daugh- ter of Jesse Hughes among the the rest. She remained in captivity a year, when she was ran- somed by her father.
In September 1789, Jesse being one of a party
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of drovers who were taking cattle into Marietta for the supply of the settlers there, the compa- ny encamped for the night, when within a few miles of the river Ohio. In the morning while dressing they were alarmed by a discharge of guns which killed one and wounded another of the drovers. The most of the party escaped by flight. Nicholas Carpenter and his son, who had hid in a pond of water, were discovered, toma- hawked and scalped. George Leggett, another of the drovers was never heard of afterwards, having doubtless lost his life there. Hughes him- self. although taken at great disadvantage, ef- fected his escape. He wore long leggings, and when the firing commenced, they were fastened to his belt, but were hanging loose below. Al- though an active runner he found his pursuers were gaining on him, and that his safety depen- ded in getting rid of these incumbrances. In as brief a space of time as possible, he halted, stepping on the lower part of the leggings and broke the strings attaching them to the belt, which he had no time to untie or even to get out his knife and cut. As little time as this cost, it was at the hazard of his life. One of the In- dians approached and flung a tomahawk at him, which however, only grazed his head .- Once disencumbered of the leggings, he soon made his escape.
On one occasion during this period of danger, which kept such men as the Hughes' in con- stant employment Jesse, observed a lad, in- tently engaged, fixing his rifle . "Jim," said he, "what are you doing there ?" "I am going to shoot a gobbler that I hear on the hill side," said Jim. Ihear no turkey" replied Hughes. "Lis- ten," said Jim. "there-don't your hear it; lis- ten again." "Well" said Hughes, after hear- ing it repeated, "I'll go and kill it." "No you won't," exclaimed the lad, "it is my turkey; I heard it first." "Well," said Hughes "you know I am the best marksman, and besides I don't want the turkey; you may have it." Jim then acquiescing, Hughes went out, with his own ri- fle from the side of the fort which was furthest from the supposed turkey, and skirting a ravine came in on the rear, and as he expected, discov- ered an Indian who was seated on a chesnut stump; surrounded and partly hid by sprouts, gobbling at intervals and watching in the direction of the fort, to see whom he would be able to decoy out. Hughes crept up behind him, and the first notice given the savage of his pres- ence, was a shot which deprived him of life. He took off the scalp and went into the fort where Jim was waiting for the prize. "There now," said the lad. "you have let the turkey go; I should have killed it if I had gone ." "No,"
said Hughes, "I did not let it go," and taking out the scalp & throwing it down, "There take your turkey, Jim, I don't want it." The lad was overcome and nearly fainted in view of the nar- row escape he had made.
In 1790 the hostilities of the Indians had been reduced to stealing horses, merely. The Ohio above Marietta was their crossing place to Clarksburg, the route from that river being through a dense forest. All was quiet in the settlements, as they had been for some time without alarms on the score of Indians. One night a man who had a horse in an enclosure, heard the fence fall : he jumped up and ran out and saw an Indian spring on the horse and dash off. An hour or two sufficed to rouse the neigh- borhood, and a company of twenty-five or thir- ty persons agreed to assemble and start by day light. They took a circle around the settle- ment, and soon struck the trail of ten or twelve horses, ridden off, as they judged probable, by the same number of Indians. The captain call- ed a halt for consultation. Jesse Hughes who was one of the party was opposed to following their trace, alleging he could pilot them a near- er way to the Ohio, where they would be able to intercept their retreat. A majority, inclu- ding the captain advocated pursuit. Hughes then insisted that the Indians would waylay their trail, in order to know if they were fol- lowed, and could choose spots where they would be able to shoot two or three of the whites, and put their own friends upon their guard, and that the savages once alarmed would keep the start they had already got. These arguments appear- ing to shake the purpose of the party, the com- mander, jealous of Huglies' influence, broke up the council, calling on the men to follow him, and let all cowards go home. He dashed on then, the men all following him. Hughes felt the insult keenly, but kept on with the rest .- They had not proceeded many miles till the trail went down a drain, where the ridge on one side was very steep, with a ledge of rocks for a con- siderable distance. On the top of the cliff, two Thdians lay in ambush, and when the company got opposite, they made some noise which in- duced the men to halt; that instant two of the company were shot and mortally wounded .- Before any of them could ride round and ascend the cliff, the Indians were out of reach and sight.
The party of whites then agreed that Hughes was in the right, and although fearful they were too late, changed their route to intercept them at the crossing place. They gave the woun- ded men in charge of some of their numbers. and making a desperate push, reached the Ohio
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river next day about an hour after the savages had crossed it. The water was yet muddy with the horses trails, and the rafts the Indians had crossed on, were yet floating on the opposite shore. The company were then unanimous for abandoning all pursuit. Hughes had now full satisfaction for the insult. It seemed, he said, as if they were going to prove the captain's words and show who were the cowards. As for him- self, he said he would cross with as many as were willing, half their party, being as he sup- posed, enough to take the enemy's scalps. They all refused. He then said if but one man would cross with him he would keep on, but still no one would consent. He then said he would go by himself and take a scalp or leave his own.
After his party had got out of sight, Hughes made his way up the river three or four miles, keeping out of view from the other shore, as he supposed the Indians were watching to see if the party would cross. He then made a raft and crossed the river, and encamped for the night. He struck their trail next day, and pursuing it very cautiously some ten miles from the river found their camp. There was but one Indian in it, the rest being out hunting. In order to pass his time pleasantly, he had made a sort of fiddle out of bones, and was sitting at ease sing- ing and playing. Hughes crept up and shot him. He then took his scalp and made his way home. This is the last I have been able to learn of Jes- se Hughes, except that he survived many years, and died not long since.
After Gen. Wayne's treaty, Elias Hughes and family settled upon the waters of the Licking in Ohio. The Indians having, at an early day, kill- ed a young woman whom he highly esteemed, and subsequently his father, the return of peace did not eradicate his antipathy to the race. In the month of April, 1800, two Indians, having collected a quantity of fur on the Rocky Fork of Licking, proceeded to the Bowling Green, stole three horses and put off for Sandusky .- The next morning Hughes, Ratliff and Bland, going out for the horses and not finding there, did not return to apprise their families; but con- tinued upon the trail, and at night discovering the Indians' fire on Granny's creek, some few miles N. W. of where Mt. Vernon stands, lay
down for the night, and the next morning walk- ed up to the Indians as they were cooking their morning repast. At first the Indians looked somewhat embarrassed, proposed restoration of the horses, and giving part of their furs by way of conciliation, from which the whites did not dissent, but were thinking of the whole of their furs and the future safety of the horses.
It being a damp morning ; it was proposed to
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shoot off all their guns and put in fresh loads .-- A mark was made; Hughes raised his gun os. tensibly to shoot, which attracted the attention of the Indians to the mark and was a signal .- Ratliff downed one, Bland's gun flashed, but Hughes turning quickly round, emptied his gun in the other Indian's head, setting fire at the same time to the handkerchief around it. On re- turning they kept their expedition a secret for some time.
Hughes' memory failed him considerably the last three or four years. Previously his eye sight failed him entirely , but partially returned again. With patience he waited his approaching end, firmly believing that his Redeemer lived, and that through Him he should enjoy the life to come.
His decease occurred, as I have stated, on the 22nd last March. With him doubtless disap- peared the last survivor of those who bore a part in the memorable battle of Point Pleasant, at the mouth of Kanawha, seventy-one years since. The body was attended to the grave with every demonstration of the respect due to his past ser- vices, by several military corps, and a concourse of his fellow citizens.
The General Assembly of the Presbyte- rian Church.
This body composed of the delegates of tho Presbyterian churches in the United States, met for the first time in Cincinnati, and for the sec- ond time in the west, on Thursday last. There are nearly two hundred on the rolls, who are constituted in about equal proportions of min- isters and ruling elders. They are generally fine looking men, with much less of the rigid Scotch and Scotch Irish cast of features than might be expected from the great element of their descent.
An impression appears to prevail that this body is selected from the church at large, out of its strongest members. This is a great mistake. Each Presbytery, according to its number, sends one or more ministers, and as many lay repre- sentatives, and the usual practice is to delegate them in turn, varying in particular cases to suit the convenience of members. The presump- tion therefore is, that each general assembly is a fair representation-and no more, of the talent and weight of character of the denomination at large. Neither is the title D. D. appended to the names of the ministers, any evidence of the greater weight of influence, talent, knowledge or piety of him who holds it as compared with the rest. It is conferred not by the churchi but by the various colleges of learning throughout the land, and as a general rule, it is doubtless
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the fact that those who bestow degree most free- ly, are least qualified to judge on the subject .- One of the Doctorates in the Synod of Cincin- nati was lately confered on one of the members by Augusta college, Ky. He had probably graduated there. I could find fifty ministers of otliers in the same denomination better enti- tled to pre-eminence in knowledge, judgment, and pulpit abilities. If these distinctions are to be confered, they ought to be bestowed by the General Assembly; but the whole system is at variance with that parity of presbyters which forms a fundamental doctrine in the church or- der and government of Presbyterians.
Various questions of deep interest to that church are fairly before the assembly, and some of them have been discussed, at length. The debates are public and appear to command a crowd of auditors.
The Indian Trail.
"The Indians have attacked Mr. Stuart's house, burnt it, and carried his family into cap- tivity !" were the first words of a breathless woodman. as he rushed into a block-house of a village in Western New York, during one of the early border wars. "Up, up -- a dozen men should have been on the trail two hours ago,"
"God help us!" said one of the group, a bold, frank forester, and with a face whiter than ash- es, he leaned against the wall gasping for breath, Every eye was turned on him with sym- pathy, for he and Mr, Stuart's only daughter, a lovely girl of seventeen were to be married in a few days,
The bereaved father was universally respect- ed. He was a man of great benevolence of heart, and of some property, and resided on a mill seat he owned about two miles from the village, -- His family consisted of his eldest daughter and three children. He had been from home, so the runner said, when his house was attacked, nor had his neighbors any intimation of the catas- trophe until the light of the burning tenements awakened the suspicions of a settler, who was a mile nearer the village than Mr. Stuart, and who proceeded towards the flames, found the house and mills in ruins, and recognized the feet of females and children on the trail of Iadians. He hurried instantly to the fort,and was the indi- vidual who now stood breathlessly narrating the events which we in fewer words have detailed,
The alarm spread through the village like a fire spreads in a swamp after a drought, and be- fore the speaker had finished his story, the little block-house was filled with eager and sympa- thizing faces. Several of the inhabitants had brought their rifles, and others now hurried home to arm themselves. The young men of the settlement gathered, to a man, around Hen- ry Leper, the betrothed husband of Mary Stuart; and though few words were spoken, the earnest grasp of the hand, and the accompanying looks, assured him that his friends keenly felt for him, and were ready to follow him to the world's end. That party was about to set forth, when a man was seen hurriedly running up the road from the direction of the desolated homc.
"It is Mr. Stuart!" said one of the oldest of the group, "stand back, and let him come in."
The men parted right and left from the door- way, and immediately the father entered, the neighbors bowing respectfully to liim as he pass- ed. He scarcely returned their salutation, but advancing directly to his intended son-in-law, the two mutually fell into each other's arms . The spectators, not wishing to intrude on the privacy of their grief, turned their faces away with that instinctive delicacy which is nowhere to be found more often than among those who are thought to be rude borderers; but they heard sobs and they knew that the heart of the usual- ly collected Mr. Stuart must be fearfully agita- ted.
"My friends," said he, at length-'this is kind, I see you know my loss, and are ready to march with me! God bless you! - He could say no more, for he was choked with emotion .
"Stay back, father," said young Leper, us- ing for the first time a name which in that mo- ment of desolation carried sweet comfort to the parent's heart "you cannot bear the fatigue as well as me-death only will prevent us from bringing back Mary."
"I'know it-I know it, my son-but cannot stay here in suspense. No, I will go with you. I have to-day the strength of a dozen men !"
The fathers who were there nodded in assent, and nothing further was said, but immediately the party, as if by one impulse, set forth.
There was no difficulty in finding the trail of the Indians, along which the pursuers advanced with a speed incredible to those unused to for- est life, and the result of long and severe disci- pline. But rapid as their marchi was, hour af- ter hour elapsed without any signs of savages, though evidence that they passed the route a while before was continually met. The sun rose high above the heavens until he stood above the tree tops, then he began slowly to decline, and at length his slant beams could scarcely penetrate the forest ; yet there was no appear- ance of the Indians, and the hearts of the pur- suers began to despond. Already the pursuits was useless, for the boundaries of the settlers' district had long been passed; they were in the very heart of the savages' country; and by this time the Indians had probably reached their vil- lage. Yet, when the older men, who alone would venture to suggest a return, looked at the father or the intended son-in-law, young Leper, they could only utter the words which would carry despair to two almost breaking hearts, and so the march was contined. But night drew on, and one of the elders spoke:
"There seems to be no hope," he said, stop- ping and resting his rifle on the ground, "we are far from our families. What would become of the village if attacked in our absence ?"
This was a question that went to every heart, and by one consent the party stopped, and ma- ny, especially of the older ones, took a step or two involuntarily homewards. The father and young Leper looked at each other in mute des- pair.
"You are right, Jenkins," said the young man, at length. "It is selfish in us to lead you so far away from home on" -- aud here for an in- stant he choked-"on perhaps a fruitless errand. Go back; we thank you for having come so far. But as for me, my way lies ahead, even if it leads into the very heart of an Indian village ."
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"And I will follow you!" "And I!"' exclaim . ed a dozen voices; for daring, in moments like these, carried the day against cooler counsels, and the young to a man, sprang to Leper's side.
Even the old men were affected by the con- tagion. They were torn by conflicting eino- tions, now thinking of their wives and little ones behind, and now reminded of the suffering captives before. They still fluctuated, when one of the young men exclaimed in a low voice --
"See! there they are!" and as he spoke he pointed to a thin column of light ascending in the twilight above the tree tops, from the bot- tom of the valley lying immediately beyond them .
"()n them, on," said Jenkins, now the first to move ahead; "but silently, for the slightest noise will ruin our hopes. "
Oh, how the father's heart thrilled at these words! The evident belief of his neighbors in the uselessness of further pursuits, had wrung his heart and with Leper he had resolved to go unaided, though meantime he had watched with intense anxiety the proceedings of the councils, for he knew that two nien, or even a dozen, would probably be insufficient to rescue the captives. But when his eyes caught the dis- tant light, hope rushed wildly back over his heart. With the next minute he was foremost in the line of pursuers, apparently the coolest and most cautious of all.
With a noiseless tread the borderers proceeded until they were within a few yards of the encamped Indians, whom they discovered through the avenue of trees, as the fire flashed up, when a fresh brand was thrown upon it .-- Stealthily creeping forward a few paces further, they discerned the captive girl with her two little brothers and three sisters, bound, a short distance from the group; and at the sight, the fear of the father lest some of his little ones, un- able to keep up in the hasty flight, had been tomahawked, gave way to a thrill of indescri- bable joy. He and Jenkins were now by com- mon consent looked on as the leaders of the par- ty. He paused to count the group.
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