USA > West Virginia > Harrison County > History of Harrison County, West Virginia : from the early days of Northwestern Virginia to the present > Part 10
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Having thus succeeded in killing one of his pursuers, Morgan took to flight and the remaining Indian after him. It was now that trees could afford him no security. His gun was unloaded and his pursuer could approach him safely. The unequal race was continued about sixty yards when looking over his shoulder he say the savage within a few paces of him and with his gun raised. Morgan sprang to one side and the ball whizzed harmlessly by him. The odds were now not great and both advanced to closer combat sensible of the prize for which they had to contend and each determined to deal death to his adversary. Morgan aimed a blow with his gun and the Indian hurled a tomahawk at him, which cutting the little finger of his left hand entirely off and injuring the one next it very much knocked the gun out of his grasp and they closed. Being a good wrestler Morgan succeeded in throwing the Indian, but soon found himself over- turned and the savage upon him feeling for his knife and sending forth a most horrible yell, as is their custom when they consider victory as secure. A woman's apron, which he had taken from the house and fastened around him above his knife so hindered him in getting at it quickly, that Morgan getting one of his fingers in his mouth deprived him of the use of that hand, and disconcerted him very much by continuing to grind it between his teeth. At length the Indian got hold of his knife, but so far towards the blade that Morgan too got a small hold on the extremity of the handle, and as the Indian drew it from the scabbard, Morgan biting his finger with all his might and thus causing him somewhat to relax his grasp, drew the knife through his hand gashing it most severely.
By this time both had gained their feet, and the Indian sensible of the great advantage gained over him, endeavored to disengage himself, but Morgan held fast to the finger until he succeeded in giving him a fatal stab. and felt the almost lifeless body sinking in his arms. He then loosened his hold and departed for the fort .
On his way he met his daughter, who not being able to keep pace with her brother had followed his footsteps to the river bank where he had
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plunged in and was then making her way to the canoe. Assured thus far of the safety of his children he accompanied his daughter to the fort, and then in company with a party of the men returned to his farm to see if there were any appearance of other Indians being about there.
On arriving at the spot where the desperate struggle had been, the wounded Indian was not to be seen, but trailing him by the blood which flowed profusely from his side they found him concealed in the branches of a fallen tree. He had taken the knife from his body, bound up the wound with an apron and on their approaching him accosted them famil- iarly with "How do do broder how do broder." Alas poor fellow their brotherhood extended no further than to the gratification of a vengeful feeling. He was tomahawked and scalped and as if this would not fill the measure of their vendictive passions, both he and his companion were flayed, their skins tanned and converted into saddle seats, shot pouches and belts, a striking instance of the barbarities which a revengeful spirit will lead its possessors to perpetrate.
The alarm, which had caused the people in the neighborhood of Prickett's fort to move into it for safety, induced two or three families on Dunkard creek to collect at the house of Mr. Bozart, thinking they would be more exempt from danger when together than if remaining at their several homes. About the first of April when only Mr. Bozart and two men were in the house the children, who had been out at play, came running into the yard, exclaiming that there were "ugly red men coming." Upon hearing this one of the two men in the house going to the door to see if the Indians really were approaching received a glancing shot on his breast, which caused him to fall back. The Indian who had shot him sprang in immediately after, and grappling with the other white man was quickly thrown on the bed. His antagonist having no weapon with which to do him any injury called to Mrs. Bozard for a knife. Not finding one at hand she seized an axe and at one blow let out the brains of the prostrate savage. At that instant a second Indian entering the door shot dead the man engaged with his companion on the bed. Mrs. Bozart turned on him and with a well directed blow let out his entrails, and caused him to bawl out for help. Upon this others of his party who had been engaged with the children in the yard came to his relief. The first who thrust his head in at the door had it cleft by the axe of Mrs. Bozart, and fell lifeless on the ground. Another catching hold of his wounded, bawling companion drew him out of the house, when Mrs. Bozart with the aid of the white man, who had first been shot, and was then somewhat recovered, succeeded in closing and making fast the door. The children in the yard were all killed, but the heroism and exertions of Mrs. Bozart and the wounded white man enabled them to resist the repeated attempts of the Indians to force open the door, and to maintain possession of the house until they were relieved by a party from the neighboring settlement. The time occupied in this bloody affair from the first alarm by the children to the shutting of the door did not exceed three minutes and in this brief time Mrs. Bozart, with infinite self possession, coolness and intrepidity succeeded in killing three Indians.
On April 11th 1779, five Indians came to a house on Snowy Creek
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now in Preston County in which lived James Brain and Richard Powell, and remained in ambush during the night close around it. In the morning early the appearance of some ten or twelve men issuing from the house with guns for the purpose of amusing themselves by shooting at a mark, deterred the Indians from making their meditated attack. The men seen by them were travelers who had associated for mutual security, and who after partaking of a morning's repast resumed their journey unknown to the savages, when Mr. Brain and the sons of Mr. Powell went to their days work. Being engaged in carrying clapboards for covering a cabin at some distance from the house they were soon heard by the Indians, who dispair- ing of succeeding in an attack on the house changed their position and concealed themselves by the side of the path along which those engaged at work had to go. Mr. Brain and one of his sons being at a little distance in front of them, they fired and Brain fell. He was then tomahawked and scalped, while another of the party followed and caught the son as he was attempting to escape by flight.
Three other boys were then some distance behind and out of sight. and hearing the report of the gun which killed Brain for an instant sup- posed it proceeded from the rifle of some hunter in the quest of deer. They were soon satisfied that this supposition was unfounded. Three Indians came running towards them, bearing their guns in one hand and toma- hawks in the other. One of the boys, stupified by terror and unable to stir from the spot was immediately made prisoner. Another, the son of Powell was also soon caught, but the third finding himself out of sight of his pursuers ran to one side and concealed himself in a bunch of alders where he remained until the Indians passed the spot where he lay, when he arose and taking a different direction ran with all his speed and effected his escape. The little prisoners were then brought together, and one of Mr. Powell's sons being discovered to have but one eye, was stripped naked, had a tomahawk sunk into his head, a spear ran through his body, and the scalp then removed from his bleeding head.
The little Powell who had escaped from the savages, being forced to go in a direction opposite from the house, proceeded to a station about eight miles off, and communicated the intelligence of what had been done at Brains.
A party of men equipped themselves and went immediately to the scene of action, but the Indians had hastened home as soon as they perpetrated their horrid cruelties. One of their little captives, Benjamin Brain, being asked by them "how many men were at the house" replied "twelve." To the question, how far from thence was the nearest fort, he answered "two miles." Yet he well knew that there was no fort nearer than eight miles, and that there was not a man at the house, Mr. Powell being from home and the twelve men having departed before he and his father had gone out to work. His object was to save his mother and the other women and children from captivity or death by inducing them to believe that it would be extremely dangerous to venture near the house. He succeeded in the attainment of his wishes. Deterred by the prospect of being discovered and perhaps defeated by the superior force of white men represented to be
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at Mr. Brain's, they departed in the greatest hurry, taking with them two little prisoners, Benjamin and Isaac Brain.
So silently had the whole affair been conducted, the report of a gun being too commonly heard to excite any suspicion of what was doing, and so expeditiously had the little boy who escaped, and the men who accompanied him back move in their course, that the first intimation given Mrs. Brain of the fate of her husband was given by the men who came in pursuit.
Soon after the happening of this affair, a party of Indians came into the Buckhannon settlement and made prisoner of Leonard Schoolcraft, a youth of about sixteen, who had been sent to the fort on some business. When he arrived at their towns and arrangements being made for his run- ning the gauntlet, he was told that he might defend himself against the blows of the young Indians, who were to pursue him to the council house Being active and athletic, he availed himself of this privilege so as to save himself from the beating which he would otherwise have received, and lay- ing about him with well timed blows, frequently knocked down those who came near him, much to the amusement of the warriors, according to the account given by others who were prisoners and present. This was the last certain information which was ever had concerning him. He was be- lieved, however, to have been afterwards in his old neighborhood in the capacity of guide to the Indians, and aiding them by his knowledge of the country in making successful incursions into it.
In the month June 1779 at Martin's Fort in what is now Monongalia County another murderous scene was exhibited by the savages.
The greater part of the men having gone forth early to their farms and those who remained being unapprehensive of immediate danger and consequently supine and careless, the fort was necessarily easily accessi- ble, and the vigilance of the savages, who were lying hidden around it, dis- covered its exposed and weakened situation and seized the favorable moment to attack those who were without. The women were engaged in milking the cows outside the gate and the men who had been left behind were loiter- ing around. The Indians rushed forward and killed and made prisoners of ten of them, James Stuart, James Smally and Peter Crouse were the only persons who fell, and John Shriver and his wife, two sons of Stuart, two sons of Small and a son of Crouse were carried into captivity. According to their statement upon their return there were thirteen Indians in the party which surprised them, and emboldened by success instead of retreat- ing with their prisoners, remained at a little distance from the fort until night, when they put the captives in a vacant house near under custody of two of the savages, while the remaining eleven went to see if they could not succeed in forcing an entrance at the gate. But the disaster of the morning had taught the inhabitants the necessity of greater watchful- ness. The dogs were shut out at night and the approach of the Indians exciting them to bark freely gave notice of impending danger in time for them to avert it. The attempt to take the Fort being thus frustrated, the savages returned to the house in which the prisoners were confined and moved off with them to their towns.
In August 1779 two daughters of Captain David Scott, living at the mouth of Pike Run, now in Monongalia County, going to the meadow
A Pioneer Home
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with dinner for the mowers were taken by some Indians, who were watch- ing the path. The younger was killed on the spot, but the elder was taken some distance further and every search for her proved unavailing. Her father fondly hoped that she had been carried into captiviey and that he might redeem her. For this purpose he visited Pittsburg and engaged the service of a friendly Indian to ascertain where she was and endeavor to prevail on them to ransom her. Before his return from Fort Pitt, some of his neighbors directed to the spot by the buzzards hovering over it, found her half eaten and mutilated body.
In September 1779 Nathaniel Davisson and his brother, being on a hunting expedition on Ten Mile Creek, left their camp on the morning of the day on which they intended to return home, and named an hour, at which they would be back and proceeded through the woods in different directors. At the appointed time Josiah went to the camp, and after waiting there in vain for the arrival of his brother became uneasy lest some accident had befallen him and set out in search of him. Unable to see or licar anything of him he returned home and prevailed on several of his neighbors to aid in endeavoring to ascertain his fate. Their search was likewise unavailing, but in the following March he was found by John Reed while hunting in that neighborhood. He had been shot and scalped and notwithstanding he had lain out nearly six months, yet he was but little torn by wild beasts and was easily recognized.
During this year, too, Tygart's Valley which had escaped being visited by the Indians in 1778, again heard their harrowing yells, and although but little mischief was done by them while there, yet its inhabitants were awhile kept in fearful apprehension that greater ills would betide them. In October of this year, 1779, a party of Indians lying in ambush near the road, fired several shots at Lieutenant John White, riding by, but with no other effect than by wounding the horse to cause him to throw his rider. This was fatal to White. Being left on foot and in open ground he was soon shot, tomahawked and scalped.
As soon as this event was made known, Captain Benjamin Wilson with his wonted promptitude and energy raised a company of volunteers, and proceeding by forced marches to the Indian crossing at the mouth of Sandy Fork of the Little Kanawha, he remained there nearly three days with a view to intercept the retreat of the savages. They, however, returned by another way and his scheme of cutting them off while crossing the river consequently failed
Sometime after this several families in the Buckhannon settlement left the fort and returned to their homes under the belief that the season had advanced too far for the Indians again to come among them, but they were sorely disappointed. The men being all assembled at the fort for the pur- pose of electing a Captain some Indians fell upon the family of John Schoolcraft and killed the woman and eight children, two little boys only were taken prisoners. A small girl who had been scalped and tomahawked until a portion of her brains were forced from the head, was found the next day yet alive and she continued to live for several days, the brains still oozing from the fracture of her skull.
The last mischief that was done this fall, 1779, was perpetrated at
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the house of Samuel Cottrill, who lived on the East side of Elk Creek near the old Jackson grave yard near where Clarksburg now stands. During the night considerable fear was excited both at Cottrill's and at Sotha Hickman's, who lived on the opposite side of Elk Creek, not far from where Elk View Cemetery is now located, by the continued barking of the dogs, that Indians were lurking near by, and in consequence of this apprehen- sion Cottrill on going to bed secured well the doors and directed that no one should stir out in the morning until it was ascertained that there was no danger threatening. Awhile before daylight, Cottrill being fast asleep, Moses Coleman, who lived with him, got up, shelled some corn and giving a few ears of it to Cottrill's nephew with directions to feed the pigs around the yard, went to the hand mill in an out house and commenced grinding. The little boy being squatted down shelling the corn to the pigs found himself suddenly drawn on his back and an Indian standing over him ordering him to lie there. The savage then turned towards the house in which Coleman was fired and as Coleman fell ran up to scalp him. Thinking this a favorable time for him to reach the house the little boy sprang to his feet and running to the door it was opened and he was admitted. Scarcely was it closed after him when one of the Indians endeavored to break it open. Cottrill fired through the door at him and he went off. In order to see if others were about and to have a better opportunity of shooting with effect Cottrill ascended the loft, and looking through a crevice saw them hastening away through the field and at too great a dis- tance for him to shoot with the expectation of injuring them, yet he con- tinued to fire and halloo to give notice of danger to those who lived near him.
Sotha Hickman long after this occurrence told Luther Haymond that on that night he knew the Indians were prowling around his house but did not feel very apprehensive until he heard or saw them striking fire with flint and steel. He then remembered that in a shed adjoining his house he had a lot of flax, and then feared they intended setting fire to that in order to burn the house. In a few minutes he smelled tobacco smoke and then knew that they had struck a fire to smoke.
In the morning hearing the firing over the creek at Cottrills he with his family hastily left the house and rapidly took the trail over the hill to Nutter's Fort, which was about a mile distant, and reached there in safety.
John Evans, County Lieutenant of Monongalia County, writes to Philip Bush at Winchester applying to him for the means of purchasing provisions for the North Western Department and for the Militia when called out for the defence of the same. He had advanced all the money he could and can no longer get credit. "The people having been so disap- pointed in getting their cash for articles they have spared they will part with nothing more."
The enemy being so troublesome that unless men are constantly kept on duty "the frontiers would break up &c."
The severity of the following winter put a temporary stop to the inroads of the savages on the settlements, and gave the inhabitants a much needed repose.
But early in March 1780 Thomas Lackey discovered some moccasin
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tracks near the upper extremity of Tygart's Valley, now Randolph County, and thought he heard a voice saying in an undertone, "Let him alone, he will go and bring more." Alarmed by these circumstances he hastened to Hadden's Fort which stood at the mouth of Elk Water and told there what he had seen, and what he believed he had heard.
Being so early in the season and the weather far from mild, none heeded his tale and but few believed it. On the next day, however, as Jacob Warwick, William Warwick and some others from Greenbrier, were about leaving the fort on their return home it was agreed that a company of men should accompany them some distance on the road. Unapprehen- sive of danger, in spite of the warning of Lackey, they were proceeding carelessly on their way, when they were suddenly attacked by some Indians lying in ambush near to the place where the moccasin tracks had been seen on the previous day. The men on horseback all got safely off, but those on foot were less fortunate. The Indians having occupied the pass both above and below, the footmen had no chance of escape but in crossing the river and ascending a steep bluff on its opposite side. In attempting this several lost their lives. John McLain was killed about thirty yards from the brow of the hill, James Rolston when a little further up it, and James Crouch was wounded after having nearly reached its summit, yet he got safely off and returned to the Fort on the next day. John Nelson after crossing over attempted to escape down the river, but being there met by a stout warrior, he too was killed after a severe struggle. His shattered gun breech, the uptorn earth and the locks of Indian hair in his yet clenched hands showed that the victory over him had not been easily won.
In this affair the Indians lay concealed in the mouth of a ravine, which puts down from the West about three miles above the mouth of Elk Water.
Jacob Warwick, one of the men on horseback it is said promised his horse, which was wounded, that if he would carry him safely away he need never work again. The horse did so and Warwick kept his promise.
Soon after this the family of John Gibson were surprised at their sugar camp on a branch of the Valley River and made prisoners. Mrs. Gibson being incapable of supporting the fatigue of walking so far and fast was tomahawked and scalped in the presence of her children.
West's Fort on Hacker's Creek, near where Jane Lew now stands, was also visited by the savages early in this year, 1780.
The frequent incursions of the Indians into this settlement had caused the inhabitants in the year 1779 to desert their homes and shelter themselves in places of greater security, but being unwilling to give up the improve- ments they had made some few families returned during the winter and on the approach of Spring moved into the fort. They had not been long here before the savages made their appearance and continued to invest the fort for some time. Too weak to sally out and give them battle, and not knowing when to expect relief, the inhabitants were almost reduced to dis- pair, when Jesse Hughes resolved at his own hazard to try to obtain assist- ance to drive off the enemy. Leaving the fort at night he broke by their sentinels and made his way with all speed to the fort at Buckhannon. Here he prevailed on a party of the men to accompany him back to West's Fort
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and relieve those who had been so long confined there. They arrived before day light and it was thought advisable to abandon the place once more and remove to Buckhannon.
On their way the Indians used every artifice to separate the party, so as to gain an advantageous opportunity of attacking them, but in vain. They exercised so much caution and kept so well together that every strat- agem was frustrated, and they all reached the fort in safety.
WEST'S FORT.
When the Hacker's Creek settlement was abandoned by the whites in 1779 the Indians burnt West's Fort, which stood on an eminence where the residence of Minor C. Hall was afterwards built. When the settlers again returned to the clearing a new fort was erected about one third of a mile from the old fort. It was in a flat about seventy-five yards east of the house built by the pioneer Henry McWhorter and later owned by Edward J Jackson. This fort was known locally as the Beech fort, from the fact that it was built of beech logs.
Henry McWhorter was born in Orange County, New York, Novem- ber 13, 1760. He was a soldier in the Revolution from 1777 to its close. In 1784 he settled about two miles from West's Fort, three years later he moved nearer to the fort, and built the house of hewn logs mentioned in the description of West's fort, which is still in a good state of preser- vation. He died February 4, 1848 .- Thwarte's New Edition of Border Warfare.
Two days after the settlers took refuge in the Buckhannon fort, as Jere- miah Curl, Henry Fink, Edmund West, Alexander West, Peter Cutright and Simon Schoolcraft were returning to the fort with some of their neighbor's property, they were fired at by the Indians who were lying concealed along a run bank. Curl was slightly wounded under the chin but disdaining to flee without making a stand, he called to his companions "Stand your ground for we are able to whip them." At this instand a lusty warrior drew a tomahawk from his belt and rushed towards him. Nothing daunted by the danger which seemed to threaten him, Curl raised his gun, but the powder being dampened by the blood from his wound, it did not fire. He instantly picked up West's gun, which he had been carrying to relieve West of a part of his burden, and discharging it at his assailant brought him to the ground.
The whites being by this time rid of their incumbrances, the Indians retreated in two parties and pursued different routes, not however with- out being pursued. Alexander West, being swift of foot, soon came near enough to fire, and brought down a second Indian, but having only wounded him and seeing the Indians spring behind trees he could not ad- vance to finish him, nor could he again shoot at him, the flint having fallen out when he first fired. Jackson, who was hunting sheep not far off, hearing the report of the guns, ran towards the spot and being in sight of the Indian when West shot, saw him fall and afterwards recover and hobble off. Simon Schoolcraft, following after West, came to him just after Jack- son, with his gun cocked, and asking where the Indians were was advised
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