Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1815-11-11
TIE .zDyENTURE 0EHrNRr BED

FROM Tire .ffi0tcct.c ,HQgazisie. }
Henry Bum rernoyedia 1907 from Frederick
ccuaty, Virginia, where lie was borr. in 1867 10 the
bead waters o. Sandusky, in tie state of Ohio lie.
Vas accompanied BY Two of his neighbours, JOHN
Peters aud Thomas Philips, in partnership with
Nii0n he had purchased little trgct az SIX hundred
AID sixty acres o land. At that time there were no
lni'aIitaats within eight tine miles of the $40,
they had chosen. The first thing ;hey did WIS 10
bc'id log hui, with the assistance Of their neioh-
bours, who each brought bushel of wheat tn sun
port the newcomers until they could raise their
own grain. Such IS the custom in all these lrtIe
frontier settlements. where n,csssi;v las
Hned many good old patiinrclal customs and csfa-
phs,eoa ne Bibouriy eonnexion among the first
settlers chat Is rot seen in other communities.
Here BirdhyeS till the year 1911, during which
r,me he became the father o. five children aud saw
the country change from wilderness inhabited bv
Partners. bears, bufalcos, wolves and wild turkeys
"a cultivated farms, belonging 60 sturdy indep-n
sent yeomanry. The frat wear he came, though
no hunter he s.iiled two PARTNERS, and had an IT.
rup,ion made IItc his pis-stv, w icli al oned o,a
end OF his hut by bear, who carried off on. of his
lest pigs--For a long time, he was disturbed at
night by the bowling OF wolves close under his vim
dOws; bnt rs The country became cleared and
more uis~ly settled, they gradually rcccded into
TOE Wcods, and seldom came near the house The
In'iians were all ahout them, and friendly inter
course had lon. subsisted between fird ard a war.
ror ei toe Ss'awanese tribe, called the Big CAPTAIN
yhe often came and slept at bis house.
u' 't0i VIC patlie OF iIpeccnoe, they ali d;sap-
Psared; and rs this a.sgnai that they me o,.,rd
revenge, the Inhabitants gathered together two or
thTee isnilies IN hut, that they might be the het
ter able to RESIST auy sudden attack Birds friends
SeieIs and Philips, came to lis house with thcir
families, because it was larger than tejrs having
rs he says, " two ire-I lsces with partition he
tween. The whole number tfus collected aruo,,,t.
ed 70 nineteen, three meo, three women, and t,ir
seen ciiiliren, some of them quite grown, up.
On de l7'ho OF October, S11, just after c.aylieh,
vac gone tonse his own expressions, while Bird
IS 'yra down ON the bed, his wife roasng a niece
81 uiaio, and Peters ard Philips with three of the
daughters were sitting round the fire, eight guns
were discharged through the window when killed
The whole party at the fire and wounded Biz! i'm the
hip with two balls. lie sprung out uf bed. but d,on
ped the floor, and AT tie same instant the Ird;as
eighteen IN number, burst open the door with hor
role yell. Bird eudeavou cd to Climb I'd so a. IN
reach one OF iour loaded rauskets, which han, g.
Si"st The wall, but was followed by an ia,lisn who
struck INN Ia the shoulder with his tnnahaNk
nus blow brought him down, and the ludsn cut
and hacked away at his lett SIDE, which WA, uD,er-
most, until he thought him quite dead Then. bnr
sng siiied the whole nineteen, and being fearful tha
the hI1rg might have reused the nei.dbOrlIood
they seized the four rifles, the Big Capt.in cave The
retresng var whoop, and tbey all retir. to thair
canoes, which had been left at the head of creek
communicating widl die waters Of tile Great San.
lusky
Here they lay until morning, when hading an
q Pfri
irg The deed b4dies, arr oi,nng to eighteen. Wien
uey had done this, they piled them I'D m the mid.
de oi the room. The Indians attsInnted 10 si,,n
OH Birdie hunting slnt oftos Linen, and were going
TO scalp him and throw him on the pile with the
rest, when the Big Captain came. Ejrt sncl-e IN
hi." by name. begged 10 lie tomahswked, aud told
the Captain she never used him so ~bcn be came
20 see MN. The Zig CapteiB then, viii out max
ins any reply, began to examine lis wounds, which
Wnen ne had done, he exclaimed VIII wonder
trf no flEs.n u.v.f
"'lt carry you home and cure you" sal he
re oidered two Indians TO put Bird in = blanket
anu carry hiln downto his canoe, whittier he follow
ed Inm and While the rest of the party were
bringing down Tie plumber, dre5es lis wounds for
the lndans always carry with them materials G,r
dressing wounds when they go 10 war By this
time they had loaded their canoes, and vixen the
last patty lett Che house. they Get on fire in oei
iobfn the dead bodies, among which we're Birds
wife and i've children. This done they went down
theSaDdusky into Lake Erie, which thcy crossed
ami coated down to the lever end, till they came
20 creek the iadians called I0-heh up which thew
proceeded about fourteen miles. to the old Shnva-
nose town. This was distance OF near four hmm
dred miles during ali ibis time The Big Captain
stressed Binds wCuuds With considerable sl;ll i.,,
iiandl' him so roughly as 50 pot him to very great
PAIN. BIRD thinks he remembers every thine that
passed IN this long transportation, and when asked
him about the state Of bis mind, sai " he was so
taken up with his own psus lr, lac had 10 time to
The Big Captain carried him TO bis own wowam.
where he lay two and-twenty moons before he
could walk with crutchss. When he grew able
his business was to light the Big Captains pipe, and
fetch water for hin. Ia this last occupation he
sometimes met, A. the spring American white wo-
inen, whose families mostly had been rnurd. red
asd who we're nov slaves 20 the Shawapcsc Ono
oftbese nc knew. She had lived in Ohio, and her
siCry vas that Of hundreds Of others, whose bus-
bands and children had been surprised al their fire.
s'iesand murdered. Bird promised, should he ey
or live 10 escape, tat he would give information q
TIE a,e q these unhappy women, whose number
~ this sDglc village wss fifty eight, and who doubt
SO, have long been eousdercddcad.
Toe lnSnn, are ttc most jealous and sisBisio1s of
hitr prisoners Of any people in The world One of
item had observed this conversation, without hear.
ing Il, sod gave notice That there was blot aroon,
tic white siayt 10 ran away Bird aud the noop
woman we're then brought before the BIZ Cst,iaip
anc threatened with death if they OIL not conf 81
teir PITS. Hepcrsistedin refusing 20 make ANY
disclosures, anil the Big Captain ordered lis fwo
thnmb nmis 70 10 twisted Of Finding that Bir1
siii' refused TO make any disclosurcs he st last he
came convinced If hi7 innocence, aud by w., OF "a
tisiaciOr, directed him t. tW of the tufnbnss of
Che aceuscr. Tia however be declined
Ffnm thedmc dat Bird left off his crtifehss he
Lad ms6iiatcd making bis escape although he In
general treated pretty well b. the Big Cspfsin, tx
crpl when q g Cnicf wasin liquor 81 such ti,aes n.
ven Ills VIE DID not dare to come near him for nj,
ps'oors were terrible, and &c was accustomed tni,
Gag. u.ea Ti.h impaai'y, secauss is = az cf me