xt7pc824bs0k https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7pc824bs0k/data/mets.xml Roe, Elizabeth A. 1855  books b92ps2729r175a91855 English Pub. for the author : Chicago, Ill. Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Lyon, Matthew, 1749-1822 --Fiction. Kentucky --Fiction. Aunt Leanna, or, early scenes in Kentucky. text Aunt Leanna, or, early scenes in Kentucky. 1855 2009 true xt7pc824bs0k section xt7pc824bs0k 
  
T H O M A S J T-

ELGIN, 1/4

- ^ L I B R A R Y R ULES.^>/. . V// Boarders at the National House shall In- entitled to the use of the Library. 2. .Yo Boarder shall be allowed more than one volume at a time, which must be returned before a second can be drawn. All books are to be returned within 7 days from the date of delivery. 3. rill injuries to books, beyond ordinary wear, and'all losses shall be made good by the borrower. 4. A * prefixed to the title of a book shows that it cannot be taken from the Parlors. 5. .Yo books to be taken from the house.

  
  
  
  H)V6  IMM

M

KENTUCKY

  
  
  
SCENE

AT

THE

LANDING

THE

MEETING.

  
28S77

  
  
AUNT L E A O A , '
OB,

E A E L Y S CENES I I K E N T U C K Y .

BY

M RS. E L I Z A B E T H A . R O E .

CHICAGO : PUBLISHED FOR T H E AUTHOR. 1855.

289776

  
  
TO

THE

MEMORY

OF

T HIS V O L U M E IS A F F E C T I O N A T E L Y D E D I C A T E D , THE

BY

AUTHOR.

  
  
PREFACE.

T H E f ollowing p ages w ere first written for the perusal o f the author's family, w i t h no expectation of g iving t hem to the public i n b ook f orm. Having b een r ead by several of her friends, the deep i nterest w hich t he narrative excited led them to urge its publication, T o their solicitations she has reluctantly If y ielded, conscious, however, of the many literary f aults w hich the work w i l l b e found to contain. i ts style b e not the m ost a ccurate and classical, its statements m ay be relied upon as indubitable facts. I t i s written i n the p lain " o ld style," without any a ttempt at embellishment, as the writer was m ore a nxious to benefit the degraded sons a nd daughters o f oppression, and to enlist the sympathies of the c ommunity i n their behalf, than to gratify a taste f or the beautiful i n language or style. T he writer was personally and familiarly acquainted w i t h each character described ; and has

  
VI

   

PREFACE.

e mbodied i n the work her own honest convictions. I f those c onvictions should happen to conflict w ith t he views of any of her readers, she hopes t hey w i l l a ccord to her at least uprightness of purpose. T he work is mainly founded upon incidents connected w ith t he emigration and settlement of Colonel M ATTHEW L YON a nd family i n K e n t u c k y , of their unw i l l i n g p articipation i n the universal custom of slaveholding, a nd of their benevolent and self-sacrificing efforts for the emancipation and improvement of t heii s laves.

  
CONTENTS.

CHAPTER

I.
FAQS.

T H E E m i g r a t i o n from V e r m o n t to K e n t u c k y . C olony. tlers.

L o c a t i o n of the T h e first SetThe Pio-

T h e C o u n t r y and its Productions.

T h e i r E d u c a t i o n , Habits, and Character.

neer of the new Settlement. tion i n V e r m o n t . W est. h is C hildren. C umberland. H i s Prospecting T o u r . The Journey. L ocates there.

Dissatisfied w i t h his condiA c c o m p a n i e d b y s ome o f A r r i v a l a t the M o u t h of the The Cave. Preparations

Determines to s eek a n ew H o m e i n the

f or the Settlement. a dditions val at to his

T h e Pioneer returns to V e r m o n t for * Returns to K e n t u c k y w i t h Conversation Arri. .18 Resignation. . Colony. T h e Flatboats. L a u r a ' s Death. . .

t he remainder of his F a m i l y . r especting Slavery. the

V i e w s of the Ladies thereon.

Settlement.

P rogress of the Settlement,

CHAPTER V i s i t o f the Southerners

I I. Their They the

to the Y a n k e e Settlement. new Comers. Invited to to Mrs. Distrust. Lyon. dine.

O pinions concerning the a re hospitably tion C ave. a ccepted. The Mill. received.

T h e InvitaVisit

Introduction T h e Store.

Proposition to organize a

  
Vlll n ew County.

CONTENTS.
PAGE.

T h e y return home.

Remarks

concerning Yankees

t he new Comers to their Neighbors. o rganized.

T h i n k the

w i l l b ecome S lave-holders from necessity. Is s ent t o Congress, . . . .

A new C o u n t y . . . 27

Colonel L y o n chosen its first Representative.

CHAPTER

I II.

Visit

to

the

Southern Settlement.

Hospitable

Reception.

C onversation on Slavery. K i n d T reatment. ing. f ound i n the Cave. elty. Anna

H i r e Chloe from M r . B a k e r . to purchase Chloe. Anna

A u n t Sarah and Chloe's P r a y e r MeetH e r Master's Inhumanity. She b egs overcome. . . 60

C olonel L y o n endeavors

t he Colonel to b u y her. i s purchased. A .

Mieheson reproached for his C r u dutiful Servant. . . . . Chloe's P i e t y .

Scruples against becoming a Slave-holder

I nfluence on A n n a ,

CHAPTER

IV.

G eorge, the Carpenter.

Entreats the Colonel to purchase h i m . G oes t o Chloe J o y i n the K i t c h e n .

A r g u e s the question of the sinfulness of Slavery. t he h ouse w i t h the Colonel. ples overcome. son. t he t heir Freedom. Preacher. F reedom F amily. i ntercedes for the purchase of George. Marriage of George and A n n a . Bought by the

Conscientious scruArrangements Plans for for the

George is sold to the Colonel b y MieheA n o t h e r visit from Mieheson. Colonel. Richard,

of his W i f e a n d C h i l d r e n . S cene i n his Cabin.

R i c h a r d visits his secured. 88 H i s Death,

T h e i r Freedom

R e m o v a l to Illinois.

Richard's usefulness.

  
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER V.
PADS.

T h e F r e e d o m of George. nois. D eath. , p urchase Home. s ubject.

Pleasant Anticipations.

Continues Her

t o w o r k for the Colonel.

Contemplated R e m o v a l to I l l i Sickness of A n n a . T h e S lav   A u c t i o n . arrival at her new Prom120

T h e i r plans frustrated.

T h e Colonel travels South. them. Its s uccess. Her

L e a n n a and her C h i l d r e n . Is delighted w i t h it. Another Wedding.

H e r appeal to the Colonel to Mrs. L y o n ' s feelings on the George and L e a n n a .

ise of Leanna's Freedom,

CHAPTER I ntroduction Habits. dations C apture. form. of E l l i c k on the a nd F a m i l y .

VL T h e i r purchase. r u n away. Bad DepreTheir

Influence of R e l i g i o n on their Conduct. Smoke-house. They S ale of J e n n y a n d her C h i l d r e n . More Thieving.

E l l i e k ' s s ecIs Detected. Boat.

ond chance for Freedom. Disappointment. S entenced

T h e Colonel's h opes o f his R e "Wreck of the

to be s ent t o Louisiana.

E l l i c k s upposed to be lost. R eturns to K e n t u c k y . ken.

H i s e scape f rom D r o w n i n g . 162

H i s promises of Reform again bro-

H e runs a w a y w i t h his W i f e , a nd g oes t o Ohio,

CHAPTER S abbath M o r n i n g i n the V i l l a g e . lage. ing.

VII. T h e Fleet of F l a t Boats. T h e y l a n d at the V i l Preparations for the Class Meet. . 188 . .

T h e Slave-gang a n d their D r i v e r . Excitement of the Inhabitants. I nfluence of the Meeting, A* . N egro Meeting.

Eloquence of the Preacher.

  
CONTENTS.
C H A P T E R VIII.
P AGE.

P rosperity.

B u i l d i n g of

the

new

Mansion.

B u i l d i n g and Cargo Cargo.

L a u n c h i n g o f the Schooner. for N e w Orleans. T h e Schooner ety of mind. left

S a i l w i t h a valuable Loss of the

Change i n the Colonel's Circumstances. on a Sandbar. Disappointment and a n x i -

C olonel L y o n returns H o m e . groes i n the F a m i l y . I ndians i n Arkansas. M atters. anna. D eath,

S ettles h is business so as to retain the N e A p p o i n t e d A g e n t to the Chickasaw F i r s t t r i p to the Station. Pleasant Reception. Business Returns His 196

Returns H o m e .

t o the Station, w i t h M r . and Mrs. Griffie and A u n t L e D e a t h of George. Sickness of the Colonel.

C H A P T E R IX. M r . G riffie and his 'Wife w i t h A u n t L e a n n a start from the Station. anna. H ome. M rs. Griffie's D e a t h . A u n t Leanna's D e t e n t i o n at Letters w r i t t e n to A u n t L e D e a t h of M a d a m L y t he M o u t h of " White R i v e r .

H e r Departure from AVhite River, and safe a r r i v a l Receives her Free Papers. A u n t L e a n n a and Mrs. L y o n live w i t h H e r devotion to G o d , and her . . . . 222

on's y oungest S on. h appy Death.

h er y oungest D aughter.

A u n t Chloe's D e a t h ,

CHAPTER X.

S lavery and its E v i l s .

A h opeful Remedy,

.

.

.

.

284

C H A P T E R XI. C orroborative E v i d e n c e i n favor of Colonization. M ayo's Views. L iberia. I ts Governor. Commodore ElecIts F l a g .

  
CONTENTS.
t ion o f President Roberts. Rev. Dr. Gurley'B L etter.

XI
PAGE.

T h e Roberts F a m i l y . onization. Judge

President

Roberts' V i e w s on C o l His Arguments in

" Wayne's

S peech.

f avor of Colonization.

Prediction i n r e g a r d to the

South.

P l e a f or F a m i l y Colonization Societies. Thousand Slave-holders.

Three Hundred Reason to 258

T h e i r Soliloquy.

h ope f or the S y m p a t h y and Influence of Non-slave-holders,

CHAPTER A n A p p e a l to the Reader,

XII. 273

CHAPTER

XIII.

P l a n b y w h i c h the m eans c an be raised to fill t he T r e a s u r y of t he Colonization Society, 278

CHAPTER

XIV. . 281

P lan f or the formation of a F a m i l y Colonization Society,

  
  
EARLY

SCENES.

C H A P T E R I.
T I H E M I G R A T I O N F R O M V E R M O N T TO K E N T U C K Y THE COUNTRY AND ITS PRODUCTIONS LOCATION O F T H E C O L O N Y SETTLERS THEIR T H E FIRST

E D U C A T I O N , HABITS, A N D C H A R A C T E R

T H E PIONEER OF T H E N E W S E T T L E IN V E R M O N T D E T E R M I N E S TO

M E N T     D I S S A T I S F I E D W I T H H IS CONDITION S E E K A N E W H O M E IN T H E WEST

HIS P R O S P E C T I N G T O U R     A C C O M P A N I E D ARRIVAL AT T H E MOUTH OF

B Y S O M E O F HIS C H I L D R E N     T H E J O U R N E Y THE CUMBERLAND   LOCATES THERE SETTLEMENT O F H IS F A M I L Y

T H E C A V E     P R E P A R A T I O N S FOR T H E

T H E P I O N E E R R E T U R N S TO V E R M O N T FOR T H E R E M A I N D E R R E T U R N TO K E N T U C K Y W I T H A DDITIONS CONVERSATION R E S P E C T I N G S L A V E R Y ARRIVAL AT T H E SETTLEMENT TO HIS C O L O N Y VIEWS OF T H E

T H E F L A T BOATS LADIES THEREON

LAURA'S D E A T H     R E S -

IGNATION   PROGRESS

OF T H E S E T T L E M E N T .

I N t he y ear 1 799, a c olony o f ISTew E nglanders, f rom t he state o f Vermont, e migrated w estward, and s ettled i n Kentucky. Their new h ome w as situated o n the b anks o f the Cumberland river, a bout t wentylive miles f rom i ts mouth, i n what is now called L y o n c ounty. T his c ounty was then thinly settled, and w here o ur c olony l ocated t hemselves t here was little to be seen o r heard but the red man of the forest, i n h is s avage c ruelty, and the y e l l of the prowling w olf, t hrough the dense c ane, w hich was a natural p roduction of the rich b ottom l ands that lie along the b orders o f the beautiful Cumberland,     B y.the-hand  pf c ultivation these forests o f cane- barve * bpen''skbdue3,

  
1-1

E AELY SCENES LN K ENTUCKY.

a nd p roductive farms, w ith s plendid mansions, inhabited b y intelligent and enterprising farmers, have s prung u p i n their stead, while here and there you w i l l find beautiful villages, which w i l l v ie w ith a ny i n t he western or south-western states. T his p art of the state of K e n t u c k y was settled p rincipally b y emigrants from V i r g i n i a , t he Oarolinas a nd G eorgia. They were as noble and generoushearted as could be expected, w h e n we consider that m any of them could neither read nor write, and i n f act had never seen a b ook or a pen i n their lives, except t he old tattered bible they " fetched " a l l the way o ver t he Cumberland mountains. This they considered sacred, although there was usually not m ore t han one i n a family who could road its sacred p ages. These were generally females. B u t let me say, that u nder these circumstances, many of them were pious, p raying p eople ; a nd t ruly t hey were the " salt of the e a r t h " w here they dwelt, and although they have l ong since f ell asleep i n Jesus, we can see the fruits o f their labor i n the L o r d , a nd t ruly " t heir works do f ollow them." These southern emigrants were what w e at the present day would c all p oor p eople, h aving b rought a l l they were worth on a few paek-horses, f ollowing after them, accompanied by their slaves, t he worst of a ll t heir evils. A t t he time our eastern c olony a rrived, t he Southerners had located their lands, built their log cabins, ^and.fcnced. their cornfields, which contained from six to teH_ucrey,|a^Goj dJMg to the size of their families ;
-

  
V

E ARLY SCENES IN K ENTUCKY.

15

a nd h aving raised corn enough for their hominy and h oe-cake, w ith t he great variety of g ame w h i c h that n ew country afforded, a g ood r ifle a nd plenty of ammunition, t hey felt l ike l ords of the land. They w ere far from believing, when they were trudging o ver the mountains, suffering from hunger and fatigue, a nd the fear of death by the Indians, that they s hould so soon e njoy so many of the comforts of l ife, b ut it was even so, and we soon find them contented a nd h appy, although they had no county organization, s chool house, church, nor any such thing. S uch was the state of things at the time our eastern c olony arrived at their western home. The pioneer of our colony was a generous, intelligent, energetic, and enterprising man. B e i n g a true republican, a nd a sound and honest politician, he had become d issatisfied w ith the state of politics at home, a nd c oncluded he would prospect the western and s outh-western states, for the purpose of seeing what was west of the Green mountains. A l t h o u g h it appeared l ike g oing out of the world, and he was opposed by his family and many of his friends, yet his e nergy and perseverance were sufficient for the enterprise. W i t h a g reat deal of persuasion he i n duced some o f his children to e ngage w ith h i m i n the u ndertaking. T hey started early i n the spring of 1799 for the g reat west, and traveled over the mountains and t hrough t he valleys, i n their Yankee wagons, to P ittsburgh, w hich was then a t hinly p opulated city. Here

  
1(3

E ARLY SCENES LN K ENTUCKY.

t hey embarked on the water, and pursued their course d own the Ohio river u ntil t hey arrived at the mouth o f the C u m b e r l a n d ; they then traveled up this stream a bout twenty-five miles, and stopped a few days, for t he purpose of prospecting, and the language of every h eart w a s     " T h i s is the p l a c e ; we need go no farther ; h ere is r ich s oil, g ood t imber, and a delightful n avigable stream, and one of the best s prings that n ature e ver formed." This spring p roceeded f rom t he foot o f a very large cleft of rocks, w ith a s mooth, p erpendicular front, fifty or sixty feet i n hight. T here was w ithin t his rock a beautiful cave, w ith s pacious r ooms i n i t , and many other curiosities i n and a round i t. O n the top of the h i l l , n ot far from this c ave, there was a sink-hole, as they c all t hem i n that c ountry. A person could descend through this hole, a nd t ravel the distance of a half mile or more, and come out at the c ave i n the rock, or start i n at the c ave, and c ome o ut at the sink-hole, which was a r ough, irregular opening through the rock, large e nough to admit a man. T he mouth of this c ave was near the splendid s pring w e have b efore m entioned; the water c ame out of the spring i n such quantities, and ran off i m mediately w ith s uch force, that it created a splendid w ater-power. This was some i nducement to our emigrants. H ere o ur pioneer thought best to stop, and the c ompany commenced p ulling u p and cutting down t he cane which grew from three to ten feet h igh,

  
E ARLY SCENES IN K ENTUCKY.

17

a nd i n a short time they had some r ude log cabins e rected. There were three families i n the company, a nd a d welling was b uilt f or each family. The leader o f our l ittle c ompany staid w ith t hem a few months, e rected a temporary s aw-mill, a nd prepared materials to b uild a c omfortable house for his family ; and i n the f all he returned home, w ell p leased w ith t he p rospect of doing g ood a nd deriving benefit from the e nterprise. B efore r eturning, h owever, he purchased a l arge tract of l and, a nd resolved that i f he could i nduce a number of his neighbors to r eturn w ith h i m a nd s ettle i n that country, he would do so. H i s f amily and friends rejoiced over his r eturn, a nd g athered around h i m to hear his report from the g oodly l and. A n d while they conversed and thought o f the matter, their hearts burned w i t h a d esire to go a nd see, and derive the benefits and advantages this n ew country afforded to the enterprising and industrious e migrant. B u t t here arose i n the minds of s ome a v ery great d ifficulty ; t hey had not the means to defray the expenses o f such a j o u r n e y ; it was a l l they could do to support their families at home, by their daily l a bor, and their hearts were pained w ith t he thought o f giving up the enterprise. O ur p ioneer looked upon them w ith f eelings he d ared s carce express. A t length, after weighing and c onsidering t he matter i n his own m ind, a nd examining h is purse, he made them the following proposition : T hat he would take as many mechanics as
2

  
18

E ARLY SCENES IN K ENTUCKY.

w ould go w ith h i m , w ith t heir families, defray their expenses o n the journey, and deed them a h ome o n t heir a r r i v a l ; a nd they should work for h i m at a reasonable compensation u ntil t hey paid h i m for the same. In consideration of these inducements, ten f amilies c oncluded to go w ith h i m , and seek t heir fortunes i n the far-famed west. A ccordingly arrangements were made, and they b i d f arewell to the land of steady habits, and a l l that w as dear to their hearts there, and started for their n ew h ome i n the romantic wilds of K e n t u c k y . T hey t raveled as far as Pittsburgh that f all, a nd there remained t hrough the winter. The mechanics were e mployed during the winter i n constructing flat b oats. I do not know that a l l of m y readers know how flat boats are constructed. I w i l l t herefore give a p artial d escription. They are a very clumsy looking w ater craft, constructed on a very cheap plan, of s trong and heavy timbers ; they are flat on the b ottom ; the sides are boarded up five or six feet, a nd t he top is covered over t i g h t ; they are generally f rom fifty to sixty feet i n length, and are designed only to float down stream. I n s uch crafts as this our emigrants descended the O hio river. They would frequently lash two or three o f their boats together and float for miles ; and, when i t was calm, for days together. O n these occasions, t he ladies would have social v isits, w h i c h they enjoyed very much. They would talk of the past un-

  
E ARLY SCENES IN K ENTUCKY.

19

t il the silent tear would trickle down their cheeks, a nd i n v i v i d c olors portray the future, u ntil t he s mile w ould chase the tear away. O n one of these occasions, when they were i n a v ery j oyous m ood, there was a thoughtful and rather g loomy expression of mind c ame o ver the features of the wife of our pioneer. She was a lady of superior q ualities of mind   very few of her day and age surpassed her. She was possessed o f a warm and generous heart, and fervent zeal i n any cause i n w h i c h she engaged, an observing m i n d , w ith a l l other g ood q ualities characteristic of a ISTew E n g l a n d lady of the first circle. " T here is one thing i n regard to our new home," s aid she, " that I do not l ike ; t hat is, the new state to which we are going tolerates slavery. African slavery!   there is something so heart-appalling i n i t, I c an scarcely bear to think of it. I do think it a g reat national e vil, a nd indeed a heinous sin wherever i t i s practiced." " " Well," s aid M r s . Throop, a lady of some d ignity, w ho was i n the circle that evening, " h o w i n the w orld d id these p oor c reatures ever get to our* c ountry ?" " D o you not know how they were introduced into A m e r i c a ? " s aid M rs. L y o n . " I do n o t ; I never saw but one or two of them i n m y l ife, a nd I looked upon them as p oor u nfortunate c reatures. I d id hot know where they c ame f rom,

  
'JO

E AELY SCENES IN K ENTUCKY.

n or did I care, so long as they kept away from me. T hey were not slaves, I believe." " N o , indeed," said M r s . L y o n ; " o ur happy state does n ot tolerate the abominable e vil, a nd I a m t hankful for it. B u t I have often looked upon those p oor creatures that were there w ith a g reat deal of s ympathy. T hey are certainly a strange people, i n a s trange l a n d ; a lthough they are free men and w omen, they have not equal rights and privileges w ith o ur people; and I have often thought, were I one of them, I would rather live i n A f r i c a w ith m y o wn people, enshrouded i n heathenism, than to dwell w ith a p eople w ho looked upon me as an inferior being. T his, i n m y view, is not right, and why the L o r d suffered it to be so I cannot t ell. B u t mysterious are the dealings of G o d w ith t he children of m en. "We are taught this from the history of the I sraelites. See how strange and apparently inconsistent w ere his dealings w ith those people. There m ay be some g reat providential mercy connected w ith t his e vil, a lthough we cannot see it at the present time. B u t one t hing I do believe ; and that is       t he L o r d i s not w ell p leased w ith t heir treatment i n t he southern states. B u t I have digressed some. I w as about to give y o u some i dea of the manner i n w hich t hey were introduced into our country. O u r g overnment, at the present time, permits men to fit out vessels for the express purpose of going to A f r i c a to steal these p oor c reatures, and then they b r i n g

  
E ARLY SCENES IN K ENTUCKY.

t hem to our beloved country and s ell t hem as slaves for l ife, a nd their posterity forever after t h e m . " " O ! I a m shocked at the thought," said M r s . T hroop. " Y o u say they steal them, and, worse than t hat, t hey s ell t hem as slaves, and their posterity after t hem! O h , h o r r i d ! can it be possible that A m e r ica, o ur free republic, permits such cruelty! " " Y es, indeed," said M r s . L y o n ; " and K e n t u c k y , t hat p romising new state i n which our new h omes are situated, and where we w i l l p robably spend our d ays, be they many or few, sanctions this great e vil. T he colonel says that nearly half of the population are slaves; and that it is hard to t ell w h i c h is the most i lliterate, t he master or the slave. B u t w ith a l l t heir i gnorance, there are some v ery pious p eople a mong them. I have told the colonel how I felt on t he subject. The idea is painful to me ; I can s carcely bear to think of settling among them. I h ave m y fears, that, perhaps, under s ome c ircumstances, we may b ecome s lave-holders. The thought s hocks me n o w ; but we know but l ittle o f the future ; w e are creatures of habit, and we can scarcely c onceive h ow much we can be influenced by habit. T he colonel says he feels something as I do on this Bubject, but that we are not going to K e n t u c k y to b e slave-holders. "We are going to show them how h appy, neat, and comfortable we can live without t hem. B u t for the life of me I cannot c onceive h ow w e are to get along without some h elp, and I fear we c annot get any other than the colored people. The

  
22

E ARLY SCENES IN K ENTUCKY.

c olonel is going into business on a large scale, b uilding m ills a nd boats, and opening a large farm, a nd t he dear knows what a l l ; and how a l l this is to b e clone without help I cannot conceive, and where t hey are to c ome f rom I do not know. W e have a n umber of men along w ith u s, but they w i l l n ot be sufficient to consummate half the colonel's plans; a nd as for m y getting along w ith m y large family w ithout h elp, I cannot see how i t can be d one; I t hink i t impossible; and we s hall h ave no rosycheeked Yankee girls to hire there. H o w we w i l l g et along w i t h t he matter I do not know, but I w i l l t ry to make the best o f i t , and pray the L o r d to save m e and mine from the direful evils that are connected w ith A f r i c a n slavery. I believe tea is ready, and wo w i l l d ismiss the subject for the present." D ays and nights passed away, and' our emigrants m oved slowly down the river. N o t h i n g peculiar occurred u ntil t hey arrived at the mouth of the C u m berland, w here they considered themselves almost at t he end of their long and perilous journey. E v e r y h eart was cheered, and every countenance was l i t up w i t h j oy, when the colonel told them they were only t wenty-five miles from their new home. It was o nly twenty-five miles by land, but by water it was f orty. H ere t hey changed their flat boats for a large keel boat, fitted out w ith a set of men and oars   steam Doats at that day being unthought of on our western i vers. W i t h t his b oat t hey made their way up the

  
E AKLY SCENES IN K ENTUCKY.

r iver, s lowly but safely, it being propelled by twelve m en working at the oars. O ne pleasant morning about the first of J u l y , 1 800, as the colonel was promenading the deck, he s a i d : " M a d a m L y o n , " (this was his customary maimer of a ddressing her,) " i f you w i l l c ome t his way I w i l l show you the first sign of our new home. D o you see those bluffs i n the distance?" " I d o," said she. " W e l l , at the foot o f those, i n a beautiful bottom or v alley, o ur western h ome i s situated. T his was resounded from one end of the b oat to t he other, and every eye was strained for the sight, a nd e very heart bounded w ith j o y to think they were so near their future home. " C olonel, how soon do you think we can reach the d estined spot ? " was the inquiry of those on board. " I t hink," s aid he, " i f you are very diligent we m ay arrive at about twelve o 'clock." E v e r y one being active and assiduous, the b oat m oved quite rapidly up the stream, and about twelve o 'clock t hey were rounding a large sand bar, about one mile from their desired haven. " T h e r e , there," said the colonel, " I see the large s ycamore tree that stands on the banks just where w e must land. Boys, we w i l l g ive them a few guns to let them know we are coming and are very near, for they are a l l looking anxiously for us, and hoping to see us every moment, and i f they are a l l alive I s hall b e t hankful. B u t I f ear they have been out of p rovisions some t ime, for we have been g one m uch

  
24

E AKLY SCENES LN K ENTUCKY.

l onger than we expected, and they have not heard one word from us, there being no m a i l routes through t his n ew country." A f ew moments more and they were i n sight of t he desired spot. The gun they had w ith t hem was a s mall cannon   one that was used i n the revolu t ionary w ar   the report of which had brought to the b ank of the river a l l the inhabitants of the settle m e n t ; men, women, and children were seated under t he large sycamore we have b efore m entioned, which s pread its beautiful branches far and wide, and sheltered them from the rays of the sun. E v e r y heart w as i n a state of j oyous suspense, as the b oat s lowly b ut gracefully cut her way through the quiet stream, a nd g radually c ame n earer the shore. " I t i s t h e m ! it is t h e m ! " said M r s . Messenger, w ho was the colonel's oldest daughter ; " I know i t i s f ather and our folks, for who else can it be ? and t hen i t is just l ike f ather to fire those guns. O, i t is t h e m ! I see father and mother standing on the d e c k ; " and the tears began to trickle down their cheeks for joy. " I t is them, without doubt," said M r s . C a d w e l l ; " a nd who s hall b reak to them the sad intelligence o f the death of dear L a u r a . " " I c annot," said M r s . M essenger and C adwell, b oth at the same moment. L aura was a daughter of the colonel, about seventeen years old, whom he t ook w ith h i m for a housekeeper, on his first t rip to the west.

  
E ARLY SCENES IN K ENTUCKY.

25

" I w i l l save you both the painful task," said D r . C adwell, w ho was the husband of the second daughter, a nd Laura's physician ; " only be calm and cheerful as possible." B y t his time the b oat h ad struck the shore, and h eart bounded to heart, hand greeted hand, and a l l was joy and delight. B u t the parents looked around a nd' s aid, " W e do not see L a u r a ! O h , t ell us, have t he cruel Indians k illed h e r ? " " O h n o," said the doctor, "she sickened and died w ith t he billious fever, and she rests i n her silent g rave i n the shady grove, on the top of that large b luff." " O h , M a d a m L y o n , " said the colonel, " that was t he first sight we saw of the settlement, as we c ame u p the r i v e r . " M r s . L y o n was very much o vercome, b ut said, after a m oment's reflection, " It is better than I expected, for I feared we should not find half of them a live." " T r u l y , " s aid the colonel, " we have much to be t hankful f or." T hey were a l l soon m ade as comfortable as possible u nder the circumstances, and after a v isit to Laura's l onely grave, they b ecame c omposed, a nd began to t hink o f the future. T o our friends, who had suffered so much from the .loss of society, want of provisions, and dread of the s avages, this was perfect delight, and they d i d not B

  
20

E AKLY SCENES LN K ENTUCKY.

r ealize t hat they should ever again be compelled to s ip f rom sorrow's cup. B u t t ime brought w ith i t care, anxiety, and s olicitude. T he colonel had brought w ith h i m tools and m achinery o f different kinds sufficient to start a sawm i l l , g rist-mill, a nd boat-yard, where he had i n time boats of different kinds b uilt, s uch as flat b oats, keel boats, barges, schooners, and gun boats, which were o f great service i n the last war. H e also brought on a l arge stock of dry goods a nd groceries, and many o ther necessaries for the benefit of the colony. To g et these matters arranged, and b uild houses to make the families comfortable, occupied much time.

  
C H A P T E R II.
V ISIT O F T U B S O U T H E R N E R S TO T H E Y A N K E E S E T T L E M E N T     T H E I R OPINION? CONCERNING T H E N E W OEIVED MRS. COMERS   DISTRUST T H E INVITATION T H E MILL T H E Y A R E HOSPITABLY R E ACCEPTED I N T R O D U C E D TO TO

I N V I T E D TO D I N E VISIT

LYON

T H E CAVE

T H E STORE   TROPOSITION

ORGANIZE A N E W COUNTY

THEY RETURN HOME THINK A NEW

REMARKS CONCERNING TOE YANKEES WILL BE ORGANIZED

T H E N E W COMERS TO T H E I R NEIGHBORS C O M E S L A V E H O L D E R S - F R O M NECESSITY

COUNTY

C O L O N E L L Y O N CHOSEN ITS FIRST R E P R E S E N T A T I V E

IS S E N T T O CONGRESS.

O UR s outhern friends watched the m ovements o f t he new colonists w i t h a j ealous e ye. They concluded that " them are Yankees," as they called them, w ere t here for no g ood ; t hey w ere s atisfied that they i ntended to take some a dvantage of them. T hey w ere v ery shy for some t ime, but at length one of their leading men, named Mieheson, who belonged to a Carolina c olony w hich was located a bout t welve miles fromthe river, said, " b oys, less go down to the river and see them thar p leggy Y a n k e e s ; I ' m n ot afraid of 'em, t h e y ' l l not hurt a feller i f he's c i v i l ; l et's go and try 'em; any how." So a number o f them c oncluded to go. " T here, J i m , get m y nag," said Mieheson, " I a m g wyne d own w i t h a lot of the b oys to see the Y ankees. I d on't k now what they w i l l do to a feller, b ut I'm g wyne to try 'em, any how."

  
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E AKLY SCENES IN K ENTUCKY.

" O , massa, dey won't hurt you ; no need bein' ' f r a i d ;     w h y , J a c k and I seen some o f 'em tudder S aturday, w hen we was down dar f ishin'." " O h , did you ? a nd what did the critters say ?" " W h y , massa, dey jist said how-dy-do to me and J ack, j ist the same as i f we was white men. D e y ' l l n ot hurt you, I