USA > West Virginia > Tucker County > History of Tucker County, West Virginia, from the earliest explorations and settlements to the present time; > Part 5
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But, the savages were not to escape thus. The settle- ments on the West Fork, about and above Clarksburg, were on the lookout for the marauders. Miller, who escaped when Minear, Cooper and Cameron were killed, had fled to Clarksburg, and had alarmed the country so that a close lookout was kept. Spies and scouts traversed the country looking for the enemy. At length, one of the spies discov- ered the Indians on West Fork, and Colonel William Lowther* collected a party of men and hurried to attack them. When he got to the place where the Indians had been seen, near the mouth of Isaac's Creek, they were gone. He followed after them, and overtook them on Indian Creek, a branch of Hughes' River, in Doddridge County. He came in sight of them awhile before night. It was thought best to wait till morning before making the attack. Accordingly, Elias and Jesse Hughes were left to watch the enemy, while Colonel Lowther led his men back a short distance to rest and get ready to fall upon the Indians at daybreak in the morning. Nothing of note occurred that night. The In- dians did not discover their pursuers.
When the twittering of the birds announced that day was at hand, the whites began to prepare for the fight. They crawled forward as noiselessly as panthers, and lay close around the camp of the enemy. As soon as it was light enough to take aim, a general fire was poured into the midst of the savage encampment. Five fell dead. The others leaped up and yelled and darted off into the woods, leaving all their ammunition, plunder and all their guns, but one, in the camp. The whites rushed forward to beat down
* Colonel William Lowther was a relative of Rev. O. Lowther, well known in Tucker County.
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HISTORY OF TUCKER COUNTY.
those who were trying to get away. It was then found that one of the whites, who had been taken prisoner in Tygart's Valley and was in the Indian camp, was killed. He had been shot by the whites who made the attack. They had been very careful to guard against such an occurrence. From the prisoners who were retaken, it was learned that a large band of Indians were near, and were expected to come up soon. On account of this, Colonel Lowther thought it best not to follow the fugitive Indians. He buried the prisoner whom his men had accidentally killed, and, with the guns and plunder of the enemy, he returned to the settlements, well satisfied that the Indians had not got- ten off without something of merited punishment. The fol- lowing account of the affair is from Withers' Border War- fare :
As soon as the fire was opened upon the Indians, Mrs. Roney (one of the prisoners) ran toward the whites rejoicing at the pros- pect of deliverance, and exclaiming : "I am Ellick Roney's wife, of the Valley, I am Ellick Roney's wife, of the Valley, and a pretty little woman, too, if I was well dressed." The poor woman, igno- rant of the fact that her son was weltering in his gore, and forget- ting for an instant that her husband had been so recently killed, seemed intent only on her own deliverance from the savage captors.
Another of the captives, Daniel Daugherty, being tied down and unable to move, was discovered by the whites as they rushed towards the camp. Fearing that he might be one of the enemy and do them some injury if they advanced, one of the men, stop- ping, demanded who he was. Benumbed by the cold and discomposed by the sudden firing of the whites, he could not render his Irish dialect intelligible to them. The white man raised his gun and directed it toward him, calling aloud, that if he did not make known who he was, he should blow a ball through him, let him be white man or Indian. Fear supplying him with energy, Daugherty exclaimed : "Lord Jasus! and am I to be killed by white paple at last ?" He was heard by Colonel Wilson and his life saved.
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JOHN MINEAR.
When the news of the massacre of Minear and his com- panions reached St. George, the excitement was little less than it had been when Jonathan Minear had been killed. The danger in the former case was more imminent than in the latter. But, the blow was heavier, and was more sen- sibly felt. The loss of John Minear, in particular, was irreparable. He was the central mind of the colony, and to him all looked for advice. It was on account of his su- perior business qualifications that he was sent to Clarks- burg to attend to securing deeds for the lands.
As soon as it was known at St. George that he was killed, the settlers from the surrounding country collected and proceeded to the Valley River to bury the dead. The way thither was not free from danger. It was not then known where the Indians had gone, or whether they had gone. The settlers moved with the extremest caution, lest they should fall into an ambuscade. But, of course, there was no real danger of this, because the Indians were by that time on Leading Creek, in Randolph County. When the scene of the tragedy was reached, Minear, Cooper and Cameron were found dead where they fell. It was not a time for unnecessary display at the funeral. It was not known at what moment the Indians would be down upon them, and the funeral was as hasty and noiseless as possible. A shallow grave was dug on the spot, and the three men were consigned to it.
We carved not a line and we raised not a stone,
But we left him alone in his glory.
Not many years ago a party of road-workers accidentally exhumed the bones of the men. A very old man was pres- ent. He had been personally acquainted with them and identified them by their teethi. Two of Minear's front teeth
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were missing at the time of his death. So were they in one of the skulls. Cameron used tobacco, and his teeth being worn, it was easy to tell which skull belonged to him. A peculiarity of teeth also distinguished Cooper. The bones were re-interred near by in a better grave .*
This was the last time the Indians ever invaded Tucker County, so far as is now known. The war against the In- dians in this part lasted only about seven years, from 1774 to 1781. It raged nearly fifteen years longer about Clarks- burg, Wheeling, and along the Ohio. But St. George was too far removed from the frontier to be open to attacks from the Indians.
* Conquest of the Ohio Valley, by Hu Maxwell.
CHAPTER III. MISCELLANIES.
THE dwelling-houses of the first settlers of Tucker County differed somewhat from those of the present day. The hardy pioneers pushed into the wilderness with little of this world's goods. But, they possessed that greatest of fortunes, health, strength and honesty. They were poor; but the Czars of Russia or the Chams of Tartary, in their crystal palaces, were not richer. In that time, manners were not as they are now. Necessities were plentiful and luxuries were unknown, except such luxuries as nature bestowed gratuitously upon them.
To better their conditions, the people who came to Tucker had sold or left what possessions they may have had in the more thickly settled communities, and had plunged boldly into the wilderness to claim the rich gifts which an all-bountiful nature was offering to those who would reach forth their hands and take. Besides, there was something in the wild, free, unfettered life of the forest that was allur- ing to the restless spirits that breathed liberty from the air about them. The ties of society and the comforts of opulence were willingly exchanged for it.
The appearance and condition of the county when first visited by white men has been told in the first chapter. It was an unbroken forest. When those back-woodsmen left their homes in the more eastern settlements for Tucker, they did not have any roads over which to travel, nor any carts and wagons to haul their things on. They loaded
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HISTORY OF TUCKER COUNTY.
their plunder on pack-horses. They had not a great variety of wares to move. A few wooden or pewter utensils, a kettle, a jug or two, and a bottle, a scanty outfit of car- penter and cooper tools, and a little homespun clothing formed about all that the emigrant of that day carried with him, as he followed the star of empire westward. If he had a cow or two, and a calf, they were driven along before the pack-horses, and cropped weeds and leaves from the woods for a living during the journey. Indeed, the cattle lived upon this kind of feed principally for twenty-five years after reaching Cheat River. If the emigrant had children, and there usually were six or eight, they were got- ten along in the best available manner. If one was quite small, its mother carried it in her arms; if a size larger, it with its older brother was placed on a pack-horse. Some- times two baskets, tied together like saddle-pockets, were slung across the horse's bony back. Then a child was stowed away in each basket, so they would balance. Bed- clothes, iron-kettles, dough-trays and other household articles were stuffed around the edges to hold the little urchins steady. Thus loaded with packs and plunder, the procession moved on, the larger children taking it afoot to drive the cattle, lead the horses and make themselves useful generally. The road, if any at all, was narrow and rough ; and the horses frequently scraped their loads off against overhanging trees; or perchance they lost their footing among the steep rocks, and fell floundering to the ground. In either case their loads of plunder, kettles, children and all went rolling, tumbling, rattling and laughing into the woods, creating a scene of ludicrous merriment.
At night, when it was necessary to halt, the horses were unloaded and turned loose to crop a supper in the woods,
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first having had bells put on them by which they might be found should they stroll away. Then with flint and steel a fire was kindled, and the movers fell to cooking their evening meal, consisting of bear's meat, venison and corn bread, if any bread at all. The meat was roasted on coals, or on a stick held to the fire. The bread was usually baked in an oven or skillet, which invariably had a piece broken out of it .* The wheaten bread was often baked in the ashes, and is said to have been excellent. The beds of that time, while traveling, were blankets and bear skins spread on the ground. They slept without a shelter, unless it threatened to rain. In that case, a rude shed was built of bark. In the morning bright and early they were up and on their way rejoicing, singing, laughing, joking and making their pilgrimage glad and merry as they went.
When they arrived at their place of destination, their first care was to build a house. This was done with the material at hand. The head of the family with two or three of his oldest boys, some of the neighbors, if any, with sharp axes and willing hands, went into the work. Logs were cut from twelve to twenty-five feet long. Some- times the logs were hewn, but generally not. The ends were notched to fit one upon another; and the house was commonly one story high, but sometimes two, with a regular upstairs. The roof was of shingles four or five feet long, split from oak or chestnut, and unshaved. They were called clapboards. They were laid upon the lath and rafters so as to be water tight, and were held to their place by logs thrown across them. No nails were used.
It was the custom at that time to build the chimneys on the inside of the house. While the house was building, an
* Finley.
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HISTORY OF TUCKER COUNTY.
extra log was thrown across some six feet from the ground, and three feet from the end of the house. From this log to the roof, the flue was of sticks and mortar. The fire was directly beneath, and the smoke and sparks thus escaped through the wide opening of the chimney. Wood ten feet long could be thrown on the fire, and, when burnt off in the middle, the pieces were shoved together. The floors were of thick, rough wooden slabs; or often the ground was the floor. James Goff, although one of the richest men in the county, had a house with a ground floor. There were no windows. Small apertures through the wall served the double purpose of letting in the light and furnishing means of shooting at Indians when they should come near. There was seldom more than one door. It was made of heavy upright slabs, held together by transverse pieces. The whole was so thick that it was bullet-proof, or nearly so. In times of danger, it was secured by stout bars, fastened to the wall by iron staples on either side. The furniture of these normal dwellings was simple and sufficient. The beds were made of skins from forest animals, or of ticks filled with grass or straw. The bedsteads were rude frames, con- sisting of forks driven into the ground and poles laid across; or the bedding was on the ground or floor. An iron pot, the broken oven, a few wooden or pewter plates and cups, half dozen stools, a rough slab on pegs for a table, a shelf in the corner for a cupboard and pantry, and the furniture was complete.
When the first people came to Tucker, they had not the means of procuring fine clothes, and in consequence, their raiment was just such as they could get the easiest. Boots were not to be had, and they wore moccasins. Their under- clothing was of linen, at times of calico. Their outer gar-
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ments were of linsey or of leather. The men nearly always wore leather breeches, and coats called hunting shirts. These coats were in fashion like the blue overcoats worn by the Union soldiers during the war. The edges and facing were decorated with a fringe, made by cutting the border into fine strings, leaving them hanging fast to the coat. They were frequently stained red, blue or some other color. A row of similar fringes extended from the top to the bot- tom of each leggin. The fastenings were either leather strings or big leaden buttons of home manufacture.
The moccasins were like those worn by the Indians, cut in one piece and closed by a seam on top. They had long flaps to the top, which were wound about the upper foot and ankle to keep out the briers of summer and the snow of winter. Those moccasins were a poor protection to the feet in wet weather. They were made of deer skin, and were flimsy and porous. In wet weather the feet of the wearer were constantly soaked. From that cause, the early settlers were subject to rheumatism, which was about their only disease. To dry their feet at night was their first care. Their moccasins were often decorated with fringes to match their other clothing. Stockings were sel- dom worn in the earliest times. Frequently, as a substi- tute for stockings, leaves were stuffed in the moccasins.
In winter, the people wore gloves, made of dressed deer skin, and decorated with a fringe of mink or weasel fur. In summer, no gloves were worn. The head-gear was a fur cap, made from the skin of a raccoon, otter or fox, with the hair-side out. The tail of a fox hung behind like a tassel.
The women dressed then as now, with the exception of a few bales of ribbon, a dozen hanks of superfluous lace, a yard of bonnet, and some other paraphernalia, best left un-
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mentioned. But, instead of alpaca and the finer cloths, the texture of their dresses was deer skin. Their other raiment was also deer skin, but sometimes rough woolen cloth, or tow linen, or at rare times cotton, was made a sub- stitute. The children dressed as their parents. The men cropped their hair and shaved their beard about three times a year.
It might be asked what the early settlers in Tucker could find to eat before anything was raised. They were not here long before they raised enough corn for bread, and some potatoes, cabbage and other vegetables. They had an easier time than many of the other colonies in West Virginia. A mill was built at St. George in 1776 .* This provided a means of getting the corn ground, and was an advantage not enjoyed by many early settlers. Often at that time the people had to go thirty or forty miles through the woods to mill; and, as this was such a hard under- taking, many preferred to do without bread, and eat hominy. Hominy was made by pounding corn just enough to mash the hulls off. Or, it was soaked in lye for the same purpose. Then it was cooked and eaten.
The settlers frequently ran short of bread. In that case they lived on meat. Fortunately, meat was always plenti-
* There was long a question as to where the mill stood. An old work, having the appearance of a mill-race, passes through the school-house lot in the town, and it was said that the mill was just below where the school-house stands. But this was disputed, and what was said by some to be an old mill-race, was claimed by others to be only an ancient channel of the creek. Thus the matter was unsettled for seventy- five years, and was well nigh forgotten. But, in 1875, a tremendous flood came down Mill Run and cleaned out a great bar of gravel that had accumulated in the creek ford. When the water had subsided, the timbers of the old dam were laid open to view. The gravel had been washed off of them. This settled the question that the trench through the school-house lot was indeed the mill-race. The old timbers of the dam are still to be seen protruding from the gravel on the east side of the creek. One hundred and eight years have had but little influence in causing them to decay, and they seem as solid, and the ax-marks are as plainly to be seen as when they had been there only a year or two. They are white oak, hewn square, and may be seen where the road leaves the water and passes up the eastern bank of Mill Run.
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ful, and might be had for the trouble of killing. Bear meat and venison were the chief dependence. It is a common saying among old people that the flesh of the bear was the bread, and venison was the . meat. The venison was often cut into slices and dried. It would then keep well several months. Buffaloes were found in the earliest years of the St. George colony. But, they never were as plentiful as they were along the Ohio River, and about Charleston, Clarksburg and Buckhannon. Smaller game, such as raccoons, rabbits, pheasants and turkeys were, of course, plentiful. Salt was not often to be had, and it was thought no hardship to do without it. It cost a dollar a peck, and had to be carried seventy-five or one hundred miles. Besides, the dollar was not always at hand. Coffee and tea were unknown. Whiskey and brandy were in nearly every house.
Much is said of the quantities of intoxicating liquors that were drunk in early times, and of the scarcity of drunkards. This is a good subject for theories and speculations that would be out of place in a county history. Besides, Tucker County is not and never was a land of drunkards. Many of the people, let it be said to their praise and honor, have little idea of what a whiskey saloon is. The climate, habits and surroundings of the people are not such as pro- duce drunkards. They work too hard, there are too few places for idle men to associate together.
It is hard to point out any particular harm in whiskey as long as it is used in its right place; although it is equally hard to tell what good there is in it. In early days, when whiskey and brandy were in every house, men seldom got drunk, because they always had their liquor at hand, and
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there was no excitement or novelty to lead them to excess, in which alone there is harm.
If half the creeks and springs of the county flowed apple brandy instead of water, they could not do the harm of twenty grog shops scattered over the county. It is not the taste of the liquor that so much intices men as it is the debauched pleasure which they feel in co-mingling with idlers. A man hardly ever gets drunk at home. The most effectual means of redeeming drunkards is to induce them to stay at home, and away from the places where men associate only with men. But, of this there is little need in Tucker County. Although it is one of the smallest in West Virginia, it is yet the most temperate. No county can claim pre-eminence in that respect over Tucker County.
It may not be amiss to say something of the arms used by the early colonists on Cheat River. The main depend- ence was the rifle. It was the surest means of defense and the most useful weapon. It furnished the settler with game and was a guard against the Indians. The rifle was a flint- lock, muzzle-loader. In addition to the rifle, a tomahawk and a knife were usually carried. These were about all the implements of war used in the early settlement of the country. Pistols were seldom used. The Indians used the same kind of arms that the white people used. But an In- dian could not shoot as well, because Indians can not do anything as well as a white man can. They could not keep their guns in order, and they did not even have skill enough to take their guns apart and clean them properly.
During the first years of the county, there were no churches. Religious meetings were held in private houses. Once in a while, a minister visited the settlements and held a meeting; but, such meetings were not frequent. The
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usual order was for some pious man to be chosen as class- leader ; and all the other people who pretended to be religious would join in the exercise and help. Such meet- ings were generally held in each settlement once a month. The settlers, for ten miles on every side, would come together with devotional zeal, and sing and pray and exhort each other to live and work faithfully in the cause of the church, and against wickedness and sin.
No wagons or carriages were used. The people, who went to church, either rode on horseback or walked. They oftenest walked. Early on Sunday morning, especially in the spring and summer, the people from the forest cabins might be seen wending their way along the narrow roads toward the place appointed for the service. If the weather was fine, they went on foot. If they went on foot, they generally walked barefooted, carrying their moccasins in their hands. This was because they did not want to wear their shoes out with so much walking. A few ten-mile trips would put through a pair of moccasins; while the barefeet were not at all injured by the walk. No doubt, the pioneers enjoyed their Sunday pilgrimage to church. Young men and young lasses, who went the same road, found each other's company as agreeable then as young folks do now. They passed the time talking and singing until they came in sight of the meeting-house, when they stopped to put on their shoes.
The religious exercises of that day would look ridiculous to a city church member of the present time. But, "the groves were God's first temples," as it is said; and, before all temples, He doth "prefer the upright heart and pure," as Milton believed. So we must not judge others, nor pre- scribe forms and bounds for the manifestation of sacred
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devotion ; yet we may believe that, before Him who know- eth the secrets of all hearts, and who rewarded not him who prayed aloud in the synagogue for form's sake, the rude pioneers, in their sincerity and simplicity, were as ac- ceptable as those are who kneel on velvet cushions and read prayers from Latin books. At any rate, we are not to rid- icule the unlettered pioneers of the last century. They worshiped as they thought best, and as best they could. The rude log hut, where a dozen were met together to wor- ship God according to the dictates of their conscience, was as sacred before Him as is St. Paul's or St. Peter's. If not, then religion is a fraud.
There were no schools in the earliest years of Tucker County. But as soon as the people were firmly settled, and could take their minds, for a moment, from the struggle for existence, the subject of education began to be agitated. At that time and in the remote frontiers, there was no pub- lie money for school purposes. Such schools as could be had were paid for from private pockets. The teachers, as might be supposed, were qualified to teach only the easiest branches. Arithmetic to decimal fractions, the spelling- book, the Testament for a reader, and the course of study was complete. No grammar, geography, or history was thought of. The teachers could not instruct in such diffi- cult branches. The majority of the schoolmasters of that time did not believe that the earth was round. They usu- ally taught writing. They set copies for the pupils to follow. They had no system of penmanship. When an apt scholar learned to write as well as the teacher, he was regarded perfect. However, this was seldom the case. The people held a schoolmaster in such esteem that they con-
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sidered it next to impossible for pupils to learn to write as well as he; and there was always room for a little more im- provement. This manner of learning to write would be regarded somewhat antediluvian were it to be revived now ; but the truth cannot be denied that those who were in- structed in penmanship by following written copies wrote as well as those do now, who spend five years on Spencer's, Scribner's and the Eclectic printed plates.
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