xt731z41rv6g https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt731z41rv6g/data/mets.xml Gaines, B. O. 1905  books b92-114-28158719v1 English B.O. Gaines Printery, : [Georgetown, Ky.] : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Scott County (Ky.) History. B.O. Gaines history of Scott County  / B.O. Gaines. (vol. 1) text B.O. Gaines history of Scott County  / B.O. Gaines. (vol. 1) 1905 2002 true xt731z41rv6g section xt731z41rv6g 


























"Elhborn Country"



1790



t        tla
FncQ5fIe, Vi4ni


 












          First Settlement.


    4      IN the month of June, 1774, Col. John
      ffi    Floyd, accompanied by Col James
             Douglass, came through this country,
  / tax;   which was then Fincastle county,
            Virginia, making military surveys,
            and stopped at the Big Spring, a
            stream of water that attracted the
attention of pioneers and caused a settlement to be
made, which has since become the Belle of the Blue
Grass-Georgetown, Scott county, Kentucky.
  In the month of April, 1775, John, Alex. and Wm.
McClelland, Col. Robert Patterson, Wam. McConnell
and Stephen Lowry came from Pittsburg, Pa., by
boat and erected a fort near



FLOYD'S SPRING.



HeIlped to Inspire.



          THE mint that once grew so profusely
          around this sprin-g, combined with its
          cool water and some of "Rev. Elijah
          Craig's Best," helped no little to inspire
          the pioneers of those davs of trouble.
We are sure that the sentiment of the pioneers then
has not changed with the sentiment of the Ken-
tucky Colonels now.
         Corn bread when I'm hungry,
         Whisky when I'm dry,
         Greenbacks when I'm hard up,
         And Heaven when I die.



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    INDIANS ATTACK FORT..


    On the 29th of December of the same year, vlbei
 defended by only about 20 men, it was











            ATTACKED BY .30 OR 40 INDIANS

 Under the famous Mingo Chief, Pluggy-three days
 after they had defeated, near the Lower Blue Licks,
 Col. John Todd's expedition after the powder. The
 attack lasted for several hours, and was only dis-
 continued then by reason, as was afterwards learned,
 of the death of Pluggy. Of the whites two were
 mortally wounded, John McClelland and Chas. White.
 (Gen.) Robert Todd and Capt. Edward Worthington
 were seriously wounded, but both recovered. The ter-
 ror inspired by this event, caused the occupants to
 abandon the fort.





        LANDED IN OHIO.


    Late in the evening of the 12th of October, they
 landed a few miles below the mouth of Hockhocking,
 in the present State of Ohio, and, contrary to their
 usual practice, made a fire-having become less cau-
 tious in consequence of their near approach to the
 settlements. They laid upon their arms around the
 fire and in the night were attacked by a party oI
 eleven Indians, who gave them a volley, and then fell
 upon them with their tomahawks. Col. Patterson
 received two balls in his right arm, by which it was
 broken; and a tomahawk was struck into his side, be-
 tween two of his ribs, penetrating into the cavity of
 the body. He sprang out into the darkness and got
 clear, supposing all his companions were killed. Hle
 made for the river in hopes of getting into the canoe
 and floating down to Point Pleasant; but as he ap-
 proached it, he discovered that there was an Indian
 in it. In a short time the whole party of Indians
 went on board, and floated down the river. Col. Pat-
 terson then made an attempt to get to the fire, in
 which he succeeded. He found a companion, named
 Templeton, wounded in a manner very similar to his
 own case; another, named Wernock, wounded danger-
 ously; and another, named Perry, slightly. Of the
 other three, one was killed, one was missing, and the
, other, named Mitchell, was unhurt. They had saved
f one gun and some ammunition. They remained on
the ground until morning, when they attempted to
proceed up the river on foot; but Wernock was umI-
able to move, and they were forced to leave him. They
however, found themselves unable to proceed farther
than a quarter of a mile from the camp, and it was
then agreed that Perry should endeavor to reach
Grave creek, and bring them aid, while Mitchell was
to remain and take care of the others. Wernock, who
was left behind, died in the evening; and Mitchell,



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who had gone back to assist him, lost his way in re-
turning to Patterson and Templeton, and did not
find them until next morning. They then moved a
couple of hundred yards further from the river, and
the next day got under a cliff, which sheltered them
from the rain, where they remained until Perry re-
turned from Grave creek with assistance. They were
removed to that place after lying eight days in their
suffering condition. Patterson laid twelve months
under the surgeon's care.




IN DIANS STOLE 20 HORSES

     ,            In the latter part of May, 1778, a
                party of Indians stole twenty horses,
                near Col. Johnson's mill. This mill
                stood at Great Crossings, and was
                recently purchased by Rhodie Hern-
                don. Part of it had fallen dowr,
                and the other portion left is now
used by Mr. Herndon as a tobacco barn.
   They were pursued by Capt. Herndon with a small
body of whites, but escaped. On this occasion, a most
singular manoeuvre was executed by one of the Indi-
ans, probably the leader. The party, after traveling
about twenty miles, halted in a brushy copse of wood,
and were overtaken by the pursuers, who came upon
them before they were discovered or saw their advers-
ary. The whites, on discovering the marauders,
made instant preparation to fire; and at the same mo-
ment, the Indians gave a loud yell, sprang to their
feet, and, with one exception, ran in various direc-
tions. One, who remained in view of the whites, con-
tinued to yell and scream and jump-now flying to
one tree, then to another-now dodging and spring-
ing aloft, as one perfectly frantic. This strange
exhibition attracted and so engrossed the attention of
the whites that they did not even fire-thus, without
doubt, effecting the very object intended by this
dexterous and wily savage. In the meantime the
other Indians had secured their guns and blankets,
and made their escape, as did also the partisan hero,
in an instant after his followers were safe-leaving
an enemy, superior in numbers, to express their won-
der at the enchantment which had thus eluded them.




INDIANS KIDNAPPEDOCHILD


2 Ash         About the 20th of June, 1788, three
             Indians made an incursion into Scott
             county, and stole three horses from
             the farm' of Jacob Stucker, on North
             Elkhorn.
  On the succeeding day, a lad was killed near Col.
Johnson's mill. The neighborhood was roused, and
Capt. Henderson, immediately assembling a company,
gave pursuit. He struch the horse trail and, pursu-
ing it with great vigor, soon overhauled the Indians.
At the first fire two of the Indians fell dead, and the
third, though wounded, effected his escape. The
horses were recovered, and the whites returned to
their homes without having received the slightest
injury.



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A FLAT-BOTTOM BOAT.

  Much has been written and said of boating, but
probably of all that has been written and all that
may be said, no account of which will equal that of
Captain Hubbell and his party in 1791, in a flat-botom
boat sailing down the Monongahela, en route to Scott
county, as published in Western Review August, 1819.
                  The subject of this brief notice
t            was a native of Vermont, and serv-
U :     :   ed five and a half years in the Rev-
olutionary army, in the various stations of private,
sergeant, ensign and second and first Lieutenant. He
participated in the capture of St. John's and Montre-
al, and was engaged in many skirmishes during the
war. Some years after the close of the Revolutionary
war, Captain Hubbell removed to Kentucky and set-
tled in Scott county, where he resided until his death
at a very advanced age-enjoying throughout life, in
an eminent degree, the confidence and esteem of the
community among whom his lot was cast. In the
year 1791, while the Indians were yet troublesome,
especially on the banks of the Ohio, Captain Hubbell,
who had been compelled to go to the eastward on
business, was returning to his home in Kentucky. On
one of the tributary streams of the river Monongahe-
la, he procured a flat-bottomed boat, and embarked in
company with Mr. Daniel Light, and Mr. William
Plascut and his family, consisting of a wife and eight
children, destined for Limestone, Kentucky. On
their progress down the river Ohio, and soon after
passing Pittsburg, they saw evident traces of Indians
along the banks, and there is every reason to believe
that a boat which they overtook, and which, through
carelessness, was suffered to run aground on an
island, became a prey to the merciless savages.
        AN IRISHMAN AND DUTCHMAN.
        Though Captain Hubbell and his party stop-
      ped some time for it in a lower part of the
      river, it did not arrive, and has never to their
      knowledge been heard of since. Before they
      reached the mouth of the Great Kenhawa, they
      had, by several successive additions, increased
their number to twenty, consisting of nine men,
three women and eight children. The men, besides
those mentioned above, were one John Stoner, an
Irishman, and a Dutchman whose names are not recol-
lected, Messrs. Ray and Tucker, and a Mr. Kilpatrick,
whose two daughters also were of the party. Infor-
mnation received at Gallipolis confirmed the expecta-
tion which appearances previously raised, of a serious
conflict with a large body of Indians; and as Captain
Hubbell had been regularly appointed commander of
the boat, every possible preparation was made for a
formidable and successful resistance of the anticipat-
ed attack.
        /    THREE WATCHES FOR NIGHT.
            The nine men were divided into three
          watches for the night, who were alter-
          nately to continue awake and be on the
          look-out for two hours at a time. The
          arms on board, which consisted principal-
          ly of old muskets much out of order, were
          collected, loaded, and put in the best pos-
sible condition for service. At about sun-set on that
day, the 23d of -March, 1791, our party overtook a
fleet of six boats descending the river in company,
and intended to have continued with them; but as
their passengers seemed more disposed to dancing
than fighting, and as soon after dark, notwithstand-
ing the remonstrances of Captain Hubbell, they com-
menced fiddling and dancing instead of preparing
their arms and taking the necessary rest preparatory
to battle, it was wisely considered more hazardous to
be in such company than to be alone.



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FALL ASLEEP ON BOARD.



         It was therefore determined to proceed rap-
       idly forward by aid of the oars, and to leave
       those thoughtless fellow-travelers behind. One
       of the boats, however, belonging to the fleet,
       ecommanded by a Captain Greathouse, adopted
       the same plan, and for a while kept up with
       Captain Hubbell, but all its crew at length
       falling asleep, that boat also ceased to be pro-
       pelled by the oars, and Captain Hubbell and
 his party proceeded steadily forward alone. Early
 in the night a canoe was dimly seen floating down the
 river, in which were probably Indians reconnoitering,
 and other evident indications were observed of the
 neighborhood and hostile intentions of a formidable
 party of savages.
       CAPTAIN STAYED UP AT NIGHTS.
 W    w It was now agreed that should the attack, as
       was probable, be deferred till morning, every
 man should be up before the dawn in order to make
 as great a show as possible of numbers and of strength;
 and that, whenever the action should take place, the
 women and children should lie down on the cabin
 floor and be protected as well as they could by the
 trunks and other baggage, which might be placed
 around them. In this perilous situation they contin-
 tied during the night, and the Captain, who had not
 slept more than one hour since he left Pittsburg, was
 too deeply impressed with the imminent danger which
 surrounded him to obtain any rest at that time.
     EACH FELLLOW TOOK HIS POSITION.
  Just as daylight began to appear in the
east, and before the men were up and at
their posts agreeably to arrangement, a
voice at some distance below them in a
plaintive tone repeatedly solicited them
to come ashore, as there were some white
persons who wished to obtain passage in
their boat. This the Captain very natur-
ally and correctly concluded to be an In-
dian artifice, and its only effect was to arouse the
men and place overy one on his guard. The voice of
entreaty was soon changed into the language of in-
dignation and insult, and the sound of distant pad-
dles announced the approach of the savage foe. At
length three Indian canoes were seen through the
mist of the morning rapidly advancing. With the
utmost coolness the Captain and his companions pre-
pared to receive them. The chairs, tables, and other
incumbrances were thrown into the river, in order to
clear the deck for action.
      "MIGHT SINGE THEIR EYEBROWS."
   Every man took his position, and was or-
dered not to fire till the savages had approach-
ed so near that (to use the words of Captain
Hubbell) "the flash from the guns might singe
their eyebrows;" and a special caution was
given that the men should fire successively, so
that there might be no interval. On the arrival
of the canoes, they were found to contain about
twenty-five or thirty Indians each. As soon as they
approached within the reach of musket shot, a gener-
al fire was given from one of them, which wounded
Mr. Tucker through the hip so severely that his leg
hung only by the flesh, and shot Mr. Light just below
the ribs. The three canoes placed themselves at the
bow, stern, and on the right side of the boat, so that
they had an opportunity of raking in every direction.
The fire now commenced from the boat, and had a
powerful effect in checking the confidence and fury
of the Indians.
         TOOK WOUNDED MAN'S GUN.
               The Captain, after firing his own
             gun, took up that of one of the wound-
             ed men, raised it to his shoulder, and
             was about to discharge it, when a ball
             came and took away the lock; lie coolly
             turned round, seized a brand of fire
             from  the kettle which served for a
caboose, and applying it to the pan, discharged the
piece with effect. A very regular and colnstant fire
was now kept up on- both sides. The Captain was



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just in the act of raising his gun a third time, when
a ball passed through his right arm, and for a mo-
ment disabled him. Scarcely had he recovered from
the shock and re-acquired the use of his hand,
which had been suddenly drawn up by the wound,
when he observed the Indians in one of the canoes
just about to board the boat fn its bow, where the
horses were placed belonging to the party. So near
had they approached that some of them had actually
seized with their hands the side of the boat.
             SEVERAL WOUNDED.
   Severely wounded as he was, he caught
up a pair of horseman's pistols, and rush-
ed forward to repel the attempt at board-
ing. On his approach the Indians fell
back, and he discharged a pistol with
effect at the foremost man. After firing
the second pistol, he found himself with-  
out arms, and was compelled to retreat;
but stepping back upon a pile of small
wood which had been prepared for burning
in the kettle, the thought struck him, that it might
be made use of in repelling the foe, and he continued
for some time to strike them with it so forcibly and
actively that they were unable to enter the boat, and
at length he wounded one of them so severely that
with a yell they suddenly gave way. All the canoes
instantly discontinued the contest and directed their
course to Captain Greathouse's boat, which was then
in sight. Here a striking contrast was exhibited to
the firmness and intrepidity which had been displayed.
              RETIRED TO CABIN.
   Instead of resisting the attack the people  
on board this boat retired to the cabin in
dismay. The Indians entered it without
opposition, and rowed it to the shore, where
they instantly killed the Captain and a lad
of about 14 years of age. The women they
placed in the center of their canoes, and
manning them with fresh hands, again pur-
sued Captain Hubbell and party. A mel-
ancholy alternative now presented itself to these
brave but almost desponding men, either to fall a
prey to the savages themselves, or to run the risk of
shooting the women, who had been placed in the
canoes in the hope of deriving protection from their
presence. But "self preservation is the first law of
nature," and the Captain very justly remarked, there
would not be much humanity in preserving their
lives at such a sacrifice, merely that they might be-
come victims of savage cruelty at some subsequent
period.
         FOUR MEN LEFT ON BOARD.
             There were now but four men left on
           board of Captain Hubbell's boat, capable
  m        h  of defending it, and the Captain himself
           was severely wounded in two places. The
           second attack, however, was resisted with
           almost incredible firmness and vigor.
           Whenever the Indians would rise to fire,
           their opponents would commonly give
           them the first shot, which, in almost every
instance would prove fatal. Notwithstanding the
disparity of numbers, and the exhausted condition of
the defenders of the boat, the Indians at length ap-
peaied to despair of success, and the canoes success-
ively retired to the shore. Just as the last one was
departing, Captain Hubbell called to the Indian who
was standing in the stern, and on his turning round
discharged his piece at him. When the smoke, which
for a moment, obstructed the vision, was dissipated,
he was seen lying on his back and appeared to be se-
verely, perhaps mortally wounded.
           SPECTACLE OF HORROR.
  Unfortunately -the boat now drifted
near to the shore where the Indians were
collected, and a large concourse, probably
between four and five hundred, were seen
rushing down on the bank. Ray and
Plascut, the only men remaining unhurt,
were placed at the oars, and as the boat
was not more than twenty yards from
shore, it was deemed prudent for all to lie



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down in as safe a position as possible and attempt to
push forward with the utmost practicable rapidity.
While they continued in this situation nine balls
were shot into one oar and ten into the other, with-
out wounding the rowers, who were hidden from view
and protected by the side of the boat and the blankets
in its stern. -During this dreadful exposure to the
fire of the savages, which continued about twenty
minues, Mr. Kilpatrick observed a particular Indian,
whom he thought a favorite mark for his rifle, and,
notwithstanding the solemni warning of Captain Hub-
bell, rose to shoot him. He immediately received a
ball in the mouth, which passed out of the back part
of his head, and was almost at the same moment shot
through the heart. He fell among the horses that
about the same time were killed, and presented to
his afflicted daughters and fellow travelers, who were
witnesses of the awful occurence, a spectacle of hor-
ror which we need not further attempt to describe.
   The boat was now providentially and suddenly
carried -out into the middle of the stream, and taken
by the current beyond the reach of the enemy's balls.
Our little band, reduced as they were in numbers,
wounded, afflicted and almost exhausted by fatigue,
were still unsubdued in spirit, and being assembled
in all their strength, men, women and children, with
an appearance of triumph, gave three hearty cheers,
calling to the Indians to come on again if they were
fond of the sport.
                A LITTLE HERO.
   Thus ended this awful conflict, in which, 7
out of nine men, two only escaped unhurt.  
Tucker and Kilpatrick were killed on the spot, E
Stoner was mortally wounded, and died on his
arrival at Limestone, and all the rest, except-
ing Ray and Plascut, were severely wounded.
The women and children were all uninjured
excepting a little son of Mr. Plascut, who, after
the battle was over, came to the Captain, and,
with great coolness, requested him to take a ball out
of his head. On examination it appeared that a bul-
let which had passed 'through the side of the boat,
had penetrated the forehead of this little hero, and
remained under the skin. The Captain took it out,
and the youth observing, "that is not all," raised his
arm, and exhibited a piece of bone at the point of his
elbow, which had been shot off, and hung only by the
skin. His mother exclaimed, "why did you not tell
me of this" "Because," he cooly replied, "the Cap-
tain directed us to be silent during the action, and I
thought you would be likely to make a noise if I
told you."
           ARRIVE AT LIMESTONE.
   The boat made the best of its way down the river,
and the object was to reach Limestone that night.
The Captain's arm had bled profusely, and he was
compelled to close the sleeve of his coat in order to
retain the blood and stop its effusion. In this situa-
tion, tormented by excruciating pain and faint
through loss of blood, he was under the necessity of
steering the boat with his left arm, till about ten
o'clock that night, when he was relieved by MIr. Wil-
liam Brooks, who resided on the bank ,of theX river,
and who was induced, by the calls of the suffering
party, to come out to their assistance. By his aid,
and that of some other persons, who were in the same
manner brought to their relief, they were enabled to
reach Limestone about twelve o'clock that night;
        CAPTAIN HUBBELL DISABLED.
   Immediately on the arrival of Mr. Brooks; Captain
Hubbell, relieved from labor and responsibility, sunk
under the weight of pain and fatigue, and became for
a while totally insensible.' When the boat reached
Limestone, he found himself unable to walk, and was
obliged to be carried up to the tavern. HIIere he had
his wound dressed and continued several days, until
he acquired sufficient strength to proceed homeward.
            ALL KILLED BUT ONE.
   On the arrival of our party at Limestone, they
found a considerable force of armed men, about to
march against the same Indians, from whose attacks



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they had so severely suffered. They now learned that
on the Sunday preceding, the same party of savages
had cut off a detachment of men ascending the Ohio
from Fort Washington, at the mouth of Licking
river, and had killed with their tomahawks, without
firing a gun, twenty-one out of twenty-two men, of
which the detatchment consisted.
     LITERALLY FILLED WITH BULLETS.
   Crowds of people, as might be expected, came to
witness the boat which had been the seene of so much
heroism, and such horrid carnage, and to visit the
resolute little band by whom it had been so gallantly
and perseveringly defended. On examination it was
found that the sides of the boat were literally filled
with bullets and with bullet holes. There was scarce-
ly a space of two feet square in the part above water,
which had not either a ball remaining iIi it, or a hole
through which a ball had passed. Some persons who
had the curiosity to count the number of holes in the
blankets which were hung up as curtains in the stern
of the boat, affirmed that in the space of five feet
square there were one hundred and twenty-two. Four
horses out of five were killed, and the escape of the
fifth, amidst such a shower of balls, appears almost
miraculous.
         WOULD NOT ATTACK FLEET.
   The day after the arrival of Captain Hubbell and
his companions, the five remaining boats, which they
had passed on the night preceding the battle, reached
Limestone. Those on board remarked, that during
the action they distinctly saw the flashes, but could
not hear the reports of the guns. The Indians, it
appears, had met with two formidable a resistance
from a single boat to attack a fleet, and suffered them
to pass unmolested; and since that time, it is believed
that no boat has been assailed by Indians on the Ohio.
             WHIPPED TO DEATH.
   The force which marched out to disperse this for-
midable body of savages, discovered several Indians
dead on the shore, near the scene of action. They
also found the bodies of Captain Greathouse and sev-
eral others-men, women and children-who had
been on board of his boat. Most of them appeared to
have been whipped to death, as they were found
stripped, tied to trees, and marked with the appear-
ance of lashes; and large rods, which seemed to have
been worn with use, were observed lying near them.



  H U NTI NG PARTY I N 1788-

  In the year 1788, a party of hunters-five in num-
ber-from the station near Georgetown,
Kentucky, landed at the mouth of Deer
creek, in Cincinnati, in two canoes.
After hiding the canoes among the
willows and weeds, that grew thick and
rank upon that little stream, they pro-
ceeded to aseend ,the creek along the
left bank. At the distance of about one
hundred and fifty yards from the mouth, in the shade
of a branching elm, they halted for refreshments,
and sat down to partake of the rude repast of the
wildnerness. The month was September, the day
clear and warm, and the hour that within which the
sun would "sink to rest." After having partaken of
their coarse evening meal, the party, at the sugges-
tion of a man named Hall, one of their number, pro-
posed as a matter of safety and comfort, that they
should go among the northern hills, and there en-
camp until the morning's dawn, as the mosquitoes
and the frogs, amongst the creek's marshes, dinned
the night with most annoying cherivari. The propo-
sition of Hall was acceded to, and the party packed
up for their journey.
             SHOT FROM AMBUSH.
  Emerging from a thicket of iron weed, through
which a deer path was open, and into which the party
walked single file, they entered, one after another,
upon a grassy, weedless knob, which being elevated
some distance above the tops of the blossomed iron
weeds around, had the appearance of a green island
in the midst of a purple sea. The deer path crossed



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the knob and entered the weed thicket again on the
northern side. The hunters did not pause for a mo-
ment, but entered the narrow avenue, one after
another. As the last man was about to enter the
path, he fell simultaneously with the crack of a rifle,
discharoed from amongst the weeds on the western
slope. The whole party dashed into the thicket on
either side, and "squatted," with rifles cocked, ready
for an emergency. Quietly in this position they
waited until nightfall; but everything around being
still, and no further hostile demonstrations being
made, one after another they again ventured out into
the path anmd started towards the opening-observing
however, the utmost caution.
         BURIAL OF THEIR COMRADE.
   Hall, a bold fellow, and connected by ties of kin-
dred with the man who had been shot, whose name
was Baxter, crawled quietly upon his hands and
knees to the spot where his comrade had fallen, and
found him dead, lying with his face downward, a bul-
let having entered his skull forward of the left tem-
ple. Baxter had fallen some ten feet from the thick-
et's entrance, and Hall, after getting out of the
thicket, rolled slowly to the side of the dead man,
lest he should be observed by the sulking enemy-as,
in an upright position, notwithstanding the gloom of
nightfall, he would have been. He lay for several
minutes by the side of the corpse, analyzing, as it
were, the sounds of the night, as if to detect in them
the decoying tricks so common with the Indian.
There was nothing, however, that, even to his prac-
ticed ear, indicated the presence of an enemy; and
he ventured, at length to stand erect. With rifle
ready, and eyeball strained to penetrate the gloom
that hung like a marsh mist upon the purple fields
around, he stood for several seconds, and then gave a
signal for the approach of his companions. The
party cautiously approached the spot where Hall
stood, and after a moment's consultation in whispers,
agreed to bury the unfortunate man, and then pursue
their journey. Poor Baxter was carried to the bank
of the river, and silently interred under a beech, a
few feet from the bluff, the grave being dug by the
knives and tomahawks of his late companions. Yet
in the warmth of recent life the body was laid in its
rude resting place, and the sod which was to shut it
out from the glow of star or planet-the light of sun
or inoon-was moistened with many a tear from many
an eye that danger never blenched.
             ONE CANOE MISSING.
   Having performed the last sad duties to the de-
parted, the party prepared to leave, and had advanced
silently, a step or two, when they were startled by a
sound upon the water. "A canoe!" whispered Hall.
A suspicion flashed upon his mind, and he crawled to
the spot where the canoes had been hidden,and found
one of them gone. Quick to decide, and fired with a
spirit of vengeance, lie proposed to his comrades that
immediate pursuit be made. The proposition was
agreed to, and in less than five minutes three of the
hunters, armed and determined for a deadly mission,
were darting silently through the quiet waters, in
the direction of the sound which they had recently
heard. About one hundred yards below the mouth
of Licking, on the Kentucky side, they came within
rifle shot of the canoe, tired at the person who was
pad(ldlill it, scarcely visible in the dim starlight,
and a short exclamation of agony evidenced the cer-
tainty of the shot.
           ALONE UPON WAR-PATH.
   Paddling up alongside, the canoe was found to
contain but a single person, and that an old Indian,
writhing in death's agony, the blood gushing from
his shaven brow. In the bottom of the canoe lay a
rifle, an(l near it a pouch of parched corn, and a
gourd about half filled with whisky. It was this
Indian, evidently, who shot Baxter, and it seemed
equally evident that lie was alone upomi the war-path.
The savage was scalped and his body thrown into the
river. Hall and his party returned to the mouth of
the creek-again hid the canoes-encamped near
Baxter's grave for the night, and with the morning's
dawn started upon their journey to the north.-Cin-
cinnati Advertiser, 1847.



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KENTUCKY PIONEERS.
   Thus, it will be seen, that the pioneers of
this territory-a territory that has long
since become a State, out of a small portion
of which Scott county was formed-endured
many hardships, which is referred to by Mr .
Butler in his history of Kentucky, as fol-
lows:
          HARDSHIPS OF PIONEERS.
   ,4       Let us, for a moment, consider the situ-
          ation of our pioneers at this period of
          their history. They were posted in the
          heart of the   most favorite hunting
          ground of numerous and hostile tribes of
          Indians on the north and on the south-a
          ground endeared to these tribes by its
possession of the finest game, subsisting on the lux-
uriant vegetation of this great natural park, in a
fatness not surpassed by the flocks and herds of an
agricultural society. It was emphatically the
           EDEN OF THE RED MAN.
   Was it then wonderful that all his fiercest pas-
             sions, and wildest energies should be
             aroused in its defense against an en-
             emy whose success was the Indian's
f    l  S downfall    So formidable were these
             enemies into whose mouths our hand-
             ful of hunters had thrown themselves,
             that they occupied the present terri-
tory of Tennessee, and the whole north-western side
of the Ohio river, now embracing the States of Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois and the Territory of Michigan.
These territories were then the stronghold of the
most ferocious and warlike tribe