USA > Pennsylvania > Greene County > History of Greene County, Pa. : containing an outline of the state from 1682, until the formation of Washington County in 1781. History during 15 years of union. The Virginia and new state controversy--running of Mason's and Dixon's line--whiskey insurrection--history of churches, families, judges, senators, assembly-men, etc., etc. > Part 10
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HUISTOPY OF GREENE COUNTY. 119
grand-children. He has been a farmer all his manhood days, highly respected by all who know him. In this same town- ship, at Lock No. 6, on the Monongahela river, is situated the busy little town of Rice's Landing, a name derived from John Rice who landed here in 1786, and patented the land above the month of the run. Those lots below the run were laid out by Abijah McClean and went by the name of Newport for many years before the lock and dam were built. This place. small as it is, is the principal port for the landing of all goods for the north-eastern end of Greene county. Large quantities of grain are also exported from this place to Pittsburg and other markets, by way of the Monongahela slack-water improve- ment. The town contains about three hundred inhabitants, three dry goods stores, one saw and planing mill, one grist mill, one grocery and two hotels. Immediately across the river thirty years ago lived a man whose name was Benjamin Coob- ert, a very devout Methodist and a famous singer, according to the system taught in the old "Beanties of Harmony," as pub- lished by Freeman Lewis, in 1814. Mr. Coobert was a very large man, exceedingly stout, and I introduce his name here for the purpose of recording this story about him. It has often been asserted that the Bible requires impossibilities, among other things such precepts as this: "Love your enemies," "When they smite yon on one cheek turn the other also," etc. I have been creditably informed that Mr. Coobert gave an il- lustration that at least one of these precepts can be obeyed. A very quarrelsome man met him at the muster and made vari- ons assaults on him with his profane vulgar tongue, all of which were born in silence, until finally the insolent fellow struck him upon the right cheek, Mr. Coobert turned round, saying : "My Master said, 'when they smite thee on the right cheek turn the other also.'" Although this liberty was given, the ruffian was so overawed by the words and by the manner,
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that instead of striking again, he turned pale, and stammered out, "excuse me sir," and immediately left the place, showing conclusively that the reason why skeptics say that the teach- ings of Jesus can not be carried out, is because they do not try them. This story which is well vouched for forcibly reminds me of another that I heard many years ago as follows: A de- vont old Presbyterian minister was making his annual visit at a house where the woman was a member of his church, but the man was not, and the woman very seldom ever attended at the church. The minister was urging her to attend more regularly. She began to exeuse herself by saying what a bad husband she nad, and that he always opposed everything she tried to do that was right, etc. The preacher told her she ought not to talk so about her man, but on the contrary she ought to be more kind and affectionate, consealing instead of publishing his faults, and thus heaping coals of fire on his head, as the Scrip- tures require us to do. The woman exclaimed, "Oh, it would not do a bit of good !" When the preacher asked the question, did you ever try it, to which she replied, "No, I never did just. try coals of fire, but I have tried bilen water !"
On the south-eastern line of Jefferson township, just inside of Cumberland township, on Pumpkin run, is the spot where old fort Swan and Vanmeter stood one hundred years ago. I was at the place almost thirty years ago, the exact spot being pointed out to me by Thomas Allfree, who resided at no great distance from the place. Andrew J. Young now resides on the identical place where the old stockade was erected about the year 1770. John Swan, the great-grandfather of Mrs. Young, made his towahawk marks here as early as 1767 and his permanent settlement in 1779, in company with Thomas Hughes and Jesse Vanmeter. I am inclined to think this was the very first white settlement, of a permanent kind, in Greene county. Some have supposed the Eckerline brothers were in
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the bounds of the present county on Dunkard Creek, previous to the coming of these three men. Be this as it may, those Eckerlines were hardly entitled to the name of settlers at all. There is no evidence that they had any families, but on the contrary they were a kind of batchelor hermits, neither "multiplying and replenishing the earth," nor subduing it, as I can find no evidence that they ever cleared one acre of land. Their place of abode on Dunkard creek is no doubt very justly called a "camp," which in my opinion is not a settlement. Their time was employed in "exploring, hunting and medita tion," very different avocations from those in which the Muddy creek settlers, men, women and children engaged, viz : clearing the land and cultivating crops on the virgin soil. So that if these three families had any predecessors, it must have been Col. John Minor (who built the first flouring mill in the county. at Mapletown, and was appointed a Justice of the Peace by the Supreme Executive Council at Philadelphia, Nov. 30, 1789) and Jeremiah Glasgow, as we have evidence that they explored the region of Big Whiteley Creek about the year 1766. How mnuch they did towards making a permanent settlement, is not known, but one thing seems well established, that they were there. at that date, ready to suffer the privations of frontier life in one long protracted battle with the panther, bear, wolf, wild cat, etc., but above all the savage red man, whose wiles they were to study, whose courage they were to brave, and whose long-winded self-denial they were to out-wind. The mighty forest was to be subdued, and the howling wilderness must become a fruitful field, and the desert must be made to blossom like the garden of the Lord. After the expiration of one century may we not exclaim, "What hath God wrought ?"
As there is no better way by which we can appreciate the blessings of the present than to compare the times in which we live with those times that "tried men's souls" in the past. I in-
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troduce right here some of those firy trials. In the spring of 1781, (the same year that this territory was created into Wash- ington county), the Indians made their appearance on Crooked run, close to Mason and Dixon's line in what is now Dunkard township, where they seem to have lain in ambush during the night near the cabin of Thomas Pindall, who had gone the day previous to Harrison's Fort where the principal part of the set- tlers had taken refuge. Mr. Pindall and his family had not vet returned to the stockade, and he being more brave than pru- lent, induced three young men whose names were Harrison, Crawford and Wright to go home with him and spend the night. Sometime after they had been in bed, Pindall's wife woke him, saying that she had several times heard a noise which she was quite sure was the whistling on a charger, insist- ing that they had better go to the fort immediately for safety. Ile insisted, however, that it was only the wind, the sound of which her fears had magnified into the Indian signal, and as the night was exceedingly dark, all parties took their rest tili morning. when the men rose early and apprehending no danger. Mr. Pindall walked out into the woods to catch his horse, while the young men went to the spring for the purpose of washing themselves. While thus engaged three guns were fired at them by the ambushed Indians, and Crawford and Wright were instantly killed. Harrison immediately fled, and arrived safely at the fort. Mrs. Pindall and her sister-in-law, Rachel, hearing the report of the guns, leaped out of bed and ran toward the fort, pursued by the Indians, who overtook, killed and sealped Mrs. Pindall, while Rachel escaped safely to the fort. In the month of June of the same year, another dep- redation was committed by the savages at Martin's Fort, on Crooked run. The majority of the men had gone forth at an carly hour to labor on their farms. The women were engaged in milking the cows at the gate of the fort. The Indians, who
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were lying concealed in the woods, made a simultaneons rush, and killed or captured ten of the females who were outside of the fort gate. They also killed James Stewart, James Smolley, and Peter Crouse, while John Shriver and his wife, two sons of James Stewart, two sons of James Smolley and a son of Peter Crouse were carried into captivity, a fate for the women more frightful than death. These two depredations were on the ex- treme southern boundary of Greene county. Let us now notice another murder on its northern border. In the month of Sep- tember of the same year, Nathan Davidson and his brother had" gone on a hunting expedition up Tenmile. They left their camp one morning intending to meet there at a certain house, and then they would return home the same evening, (which home was near Davidson's Ferry). At the appointed hour Josiah arrived at the camp, but Nathan never came back. In the following March his body was found by John Reed where he had been shot and scalped. But the sneeking perpe- trator was not known to have committed. any other crime. This same Tenmile region had previously been stained with the blood of the whites, shed by the murderous hands of their im- placable foes, the Indians. In the month of February, 1780, several families had gathered into Harbert's Block House. On the third of March while some children were playing with a crippled crow in the yard, they espied several Indians coming toward them. They immediately gave the alarm, when John Murphy looked out at the door to ascertain the nature of the danger, when he recived a shot from the gun of an Indian (who had just come round the house), and fell back into the house. The Indian, eagre for his scalp, sprang into the block honse, the door still being open. Here Harbert, a brave man, laid hold on him and threw him on the floor. A shot from the outside of the house wounded Harbert. Still he maintained his hold on his savage antagonist. trying, in the meantime, to dis-
17 her is probably Ten Mule in 1. Ply
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patch him with his tomahawk, when he received another shct through the head and immediately expired. His wounded an- tagonist then sprang out at the door which was partially open. Another active young warrior sprang in, carrying in his hand a tomahawk with a long spear at the end of the handle. Ed- ward Cunningham raised his gun to shoot this savage, but it missed fire and the two grappled in a dreadful struggle. At length Cunningham wrenched the tomahawk from the hand of the savage and buried the spear end of the handle in his back. Mrs. Cunningham now struck the Indian in the face with the edge of an ax, wounding him severely, when he loosened his hold of her husband and staggared out of the house. A third Indian now ran in, and aimed a murderous blow at the head of Miss Reese, which did not kill her, only inflicting an ugly wound. Her father, who was a Quaker, seeing his daughter thus brutally beaten, seized hold of the Indian, but was soon thrown to the floor, and would have been killed but for the op- portune interference of Cunningham who had been released from his struggle with the first Indian just in time: Seeing the danger Reese was in, he drew out the spear end of the toma- hawk from the back of the first Indian and instantly sunk the bit into the head of the second Indian as he was about to dis- patch Reese. The door was now shut and firmly held by the women, although the Indians on the outside made desperate efforts to force it open. They now killed and scalped, or cap- ยท tured, all the children in the yard. When disparing of being able to do any more mischief, they departed, leaving the whites in possession of the stronghold they had so valiantly defended. Of the whites in the house only one (Ilalbert) was killed and four wounded, while seven or eight children in the yard were killed or captured. One Indian was killed and two des- perately wounded, showing it to be a draw battle in which savage valor of one sex was met by equal valor on the part of
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both sexes of the whites. When the third Indian aimed his deadly blow at the head of Miss Reese, the girl's mother rushed forward and caught the warrior by his false horns which came off in her hands, and, although her interference did not entirely protect her daughter from injury, it no doubt turned aside the murderous weapon sufficiently to save the girl's life. If Reese had laid aside his Quakerism at an earlier period in the strng- gle the probabilities are, that the two wounded Indians would have been incapacitated forever from participating in another such battle, and yet the Quaker owed his life to the man whom he at first refused to assist.
While on the subject of Indian barbarities I will add one more sad chapter to the list that might be indefinantely pro- longed. That is the murder of the two sisters by the name of Crow, on Wheeling Creek. Jacob Crow had settled here in 1770 or 1771; he was the father of five daughters and 'it least one son. As these were "times that tried men's souls," so, also, did they try the nerve and muscle of the bodies of their women. Hence one of the daughters had been working for wages for Mr. James Davis near Ryerson's Station and had re- turned home on Saturday night for the purpose of spending the Sabbath at her father's house. A colt belonging to the old man had broken out of its enclosure and ran off up the creek. A son, whose name was Michael, had gone in search for this colt up above the mouth of Wharton's run. Upon finding it he returned down the creek until he was again opposite the mouth of this run, near which at a few rods distance from the creek lay a sand stone rock probably twenty feet square. Be- hind this rock, in concealment lay the notorious young Spicer and two Indian warriors who might easily haveshot down the boy on the colt but he was permitted to pass in safety as the In- dians evidently had designs on other parties close at hand. These parties were the five daughters of old Jacob Crow and sisters
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to the young man Michael. Four of these daughters had ac- companied their older sister (on her return back to her weekly work near the Station) and were now engaged cracking wal- nuts under a tree preparatory to separation. Here they were met by their brother who told them they had better go on as it was getting late and there might be "Injuns" about. The girls then separ: ted, two of them staring to the creek, the others to return home. At this moment two guns were fired from behind the rock and the two girls in the creek both fell fatally wound- od. The other three fled with all possible speed, pursued by the savages who threw a tomahawk striking Taner in the back between the shoulders near the spine, and bringing her instantly to the ground. The Indians kept up the pursuit until the re-' maining young woman was captured, to whom they made offers if she would go with them as a companion that they would save her life. These offers were refused with contempt and disdain, when in hateful rage the scalping knife was applied and her luxuriant head of hair was torn off to grace an Indian's belt and she was left to die a lingering and horrible death that occurred about nine days after, partly from starvation and partly from exposure and loss of blood. During this parley in making these offers and having them rejected Taner (who had been: knocked down apparently dead by the stroke in the back) had revived from the shock and had secreted herself so successfully that even Indian vigilence failed to find her and she lived to be an old woman as the wife of --- McBride, and the mother of ten or eleven children. The mark of the tomahawk in her back was distinctly visible at the time of her death and was seen by one of my informants. Mary, the little sister, who had "scarce entered her teens," ont-ran all parties and was taken up behind her brother on the colt on which they both made their escape, first to their father's house, where, after alarming the remaining inmates, all parties made their escape
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that night to Ryerson's Fort, where this same infamous Spicer and his savage allies had committed another depredation the same day about a mile above the station in the slaughter of the Davis family. This little girl, Mary Crow, who made such a narrow escape was afterwards married to Hiram Gray. Sie lived to be 104 years old and was the mother of fifteen chil- dren. This Michael Crow had already had a distressing Inden experience when he was only five years old. An Indian alarm had come; those who were older were started to run to the Fort while those who were smaller were carried in the arms of their parents. This boy was too large to be carried and too small to run, hence a puncheon in the cabin floor was lifted and he was pushed down "nolens volens" and directed, under all circum- stances, to keep quiet, which he certainly did, as the Indians soon entered the cabin in their work of pillage and held high carnival immediately above him while he maintained a pro- found silence even long after the departure of his, foes from which unpleasant position he was finally released by other members of the family, after remaining under the house for three days with nothing to eat and no companion but a large dog. These statements I have received from Mrs. Ann Rickey, wife of William S. Rickey, and grand daughter of Michal Crow, Sr. Robert Dinsmore, John Dinsmore, and David Braddock, Jr., also concur in substantially the same statements. I am aware that there are other versions of the affair, but these de- scendents and relatives think that this chapter is about as near correct as we possibly can have it at this late day. Another of these Indian depredations occurred in the month of March, 1779, on Dunkard Creek. The heroine was a woman whose name was Experience Bozarth, who seems to have been a wo- men of unusual courage, and was recognized as such by her neighbors, two or three families of whom had taken refuge at her house, deeming themselves safer in her company than they,
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would be at their own homes. On a certain day some of the children thus collected together came running in, saying that there were Indians coming. One of the men in the house walked to the door to see and found the report was true, when he received a ball in the side of his breast which caused him to fall back into the house. The Indian rushed in after his scalp, when he was met by a very stout man who was un- armed at the time ; he, however, seized the Indian and threw him on the bed and called loudly for a knife to kill him with. Instead of hunting for a knife, Mrs. Bozarth seized an ax that stood in the corner and with one blow let out the Indians brains. At that instant a second Indian ran in and seeing the man leaning over the body of the Indian on the bed drew up his gun and shot the white man dead. Mrs. Bozarth now attacked this second Indian with her already bloody ax inflicting several wounds, one of which let out his entrals, causing him to bawl out murder. This brought out a third Indian to his relief who had only stuck his head a short distance into the door when the murderous ax (wielded by the stalwart arm of this Amer- ican Amozonian) clave his skull in two, stretching him lifeless on the floor. A fourth Indian now seized the bellowing fellow by the leg and drew him out at the door, which was immedi- ately shut and barred by the woman and the white man who was first shot, and who by this time had partially recovered. Here they were compelled to remain for several days with the dead white man and dead Indian both in the house. They were finally relieved by the arrival of several, hunters who drove away the Indians who still continued to beseige them. This affair was in the bounds of the present Greene county, although it was then called a part of Westmoreland county. But I have already mentioned the murder of the Davis family, of which I have obtained the following additional particulars from Eze- kiel Grandon, a grand nephew of old man Davis. This mas-
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sacre was done on the morning of the same day that the Crow sisters were killed. The oldest daughter of the Davis family had risen early and went out to milk the cows. While thus en- gaged she saw two Indians and a white man stealthily creep- ing along the fence of the field in which she was milking. Without showing any, signs of alarm, she walked deliberately to the house and told what she had seen. This her father and brother refused to believe, as so many rumors had been started that had proven untrue, and derided her declarations as the re- sult of fear. Soon after the family sat down to a breakfast of bread and milk. But scareely had they begun to eat when in rnshed the two Indians whom the girl had said she had seen, and instantly shot down the old man and his full-grown son. They handed their empty guns to the white fiend who accom- panied them, and he immediately proceeded to re-load the same, while the Indians, with their tomahawks, soon dispatched the tive younger children, taking the mother and her infant captive and leaving seven sealpless. bleeding corpses lying on the floor. This constituted the entire family, except the daughter who had first spied the savages ; who was on the look-ont, and. although her report was not credited, still she could not disbelieve the testimony of her own eyes, and as soon as the massacre com- meneed, (she having refused to sit down with the family), she sprang out of a low window and fled to the fort. Another full-grown son had gone out hunting, and when he heard the report of the guns he concluded that it was the settlers at the fort killing a beef. The bodies of the murdered family were burried in one grave on the bank of Thomas' Fork of Wheel- ing creek, about three hundred yards from the spot where the massacre occurred, on lands lately owned by the late Armstrong Grim.
About three miles from this place. on the other branch of Wheeling creek, about forty-three years ago, a murder occurred
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which involved the whole community in a state of the most in- tense excitement. An old man, whose name was Samuel Ven- atta, who owned a large tract of land on the Thomas branch of Wheeling creek, had also bought a settlement right on the South branch. A man whose name was Jesse Pettit had pur- chased the same land-as part of the Cook or Lieper lands- ind insisted on having possession of the same. This Venatta refused to give, when a posse of some ten or twelve men attempted to forcibly eject Venatta's tenant. The old man came to their assistance and was very much abused by them ; but still he and his tenant held the "fort." On the next day they returned, armed with a warrant, in the hands of Nathaniel Pettit, who was the Constable of Morris township. This war- rant the Constable attempted to serve, and was refused admit- cance on the ground that Venatta was afraid to risk his life in the hands of the men who had torn his shirt off his back the day before, as well as otherwise bruising and kicking him. The Constable then attempted to break open the door, when Ven- itta warned him from the inside that if they persisted they would do it at their peril. This warning was unheeded ; the posse from behind pressing the Constable on against the too !. which yielded and flew open, when the Constable rushed Ili and was met by Venatta, who held a butcher-knife in his hand. HIe instantly thrust the knife into the breast of the Constable, who immediately exclained, "it is all over; let him alone!" and turned to go out at the door, when he received another thrust in the back, and after walking a step or two, fell dead on the porch. Either of these wounds would have proved fatal as the knife in both instances had touched the heart. A warrant was procured the same evening from 'Squire Lazear for the arrest of Samuel Venatta for murder. This warrant was immedi- ately served by George Stroup, the Constable of Richhill town- ship, to whom Venatta peaceably surrendered himself, and was
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taken to Waynesburg the same night. He was permitted to file a bail bond, endorsed by Francis Gray and John Conkey. Ile was eventually tried, and acquitted on the ground that the killing was in self-defense.
About two and a half miles from the place where the Davis family were murdered is a spring known by the old settlers as the "Panther Lick." This name is derived from the following circumstance : Edward Grandon was ont of meat, and was anxious to procure a supply. For this purpose he resorted to a salt spring or "lick," at a time when the deer were ac. customed to procure their supply of salt by imbibing these salien waters during the darkness of the night. The usua method was to get the exact range of the spot where the ani- mals drank during the day light, then stake the gun in that po- sition and await the arrival of the expected game, when the hunter had nothing to do but draw back the hammer of the old flint lock gun, pull the trigger, and away went the ball, .- bringing down the denizen of the forest (providing the ball hit.) On this occasion Mr. Grandon arrived at the "lick" about sun- down and was engaged in staking his gun in the proper posi- tion, when his attention was diverted from his work by a piece of bark, falling from a tree. Casting his eye upwards he was horrified at the sight of a large panther, within easy spring- ing distance of him, which evidently was also awaiting the arrival of the deer. Mr. Grandon now discovered that he had other use for his gun, and profiting by the hint he did not wait to "stake down his piece" in the range of the panther, but rais- ing it to his shoulder he drew a "bead" on the intruder and drove a ball through his heart. Had it not been for that fall- ing bark, some luckless deer might have been shot, and the hunter would have found it difficult to make an equitable divide with his rival in a struggle over the corpse of the animal that both parties would no doubt claim as their lawful prey. While
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