Elizabeth-Town gazette. [volume] (Elizabeth-Town, N.J.) 1818-1821, 1818-10-06

thought OF that il there should one man
move till / gave leave, they would all be
landed in eternity and with this l called
to one Of my companions to come up and
take the money. Up stepped one, W it'll
pair Of double barrelled pistols hanging in
a belt buckIed round his body, and dag
ger hanging on his breast ia sight, and a
good rifle in his hand. / told him not to
fire on them, until they should make
battle. We took all that they had, and
after I.had talked little while longer with
my men, we set them on their road.
A day OF two before this, while we
were hunting in the woods, We came
across spot that seemed very good re-
treat from any danger of being overtaken
by justice, and very comfortable home
too. 1t was on one side of cane brake,
where the cane grew very thick and tall,
and would 1ave concealed us from the
best eyes near the Chickasaw Bluffs.
Here we laid ourselves down to sleep,
as We had slept but little for two or three
nights back, As for me, ! could not
sleep, but lay looking sometimes in the
fire we had kindled, and sometimes at the
stars, and listening to the wind in the
cane brake, which made such mourn
full, rustling noise, that / often thought
something or somebody was coming
through the cane after us. Sol got up,
and went to see if our horses we're near,
which we had let loose near the brake ;
and after / found them, | employed my
self in counting the money, while my
two companions slept on as II nothing had
happened. | had not suffered the two
men to open the mouths of all the bags,
to see what amount was In them. There
was one bag / told them they need not
open. I had heard the man say, when it
was got out of his saddle-bags, Lord
bless my SOUL" and give a heavy sigh.
| remember / thought be was frightened
for bis life, and told him I had never
asked any man for Ills life, and if We
were not SO strongly armed, he would
take mine but that he should not be
hurt. A good deal of the money we took
was in gold and specie, and in bags of
buckskin. The one he sighed for, had
1870 pieces 10 it, and a good deal Of them
gold. | made each man belt, and
put all the gold in three belts, made out
of deer's hide that I bought from an
Indian that lived in the Cherokee nation
when he was at home. The whole that /
had to my share from that robbery came
to 1000 dollars.
We lay in that mountain a month, in
which time we lived on wild meat, wild
turkey, and deer, and rackoon. / was in
Nashville once in that time / took my
horse with me, and my money I hid
where no man knew.
1t was no great while after this, that we
robbed another party in the Cherokee
nation two Of them were from st. Au-
gustine, and one from Charleston, S. C.
three in company. 1 rode in company
with them. One evening told the men
was agent for the Cherokee nation, as
they knew no better, and found out all
their business. They spoke Spanish and
broken English: they had a horse with a
pack-saddle on him, with large pair of
saddle-bags Iashed on the pack.saddle
One of the men had watch that weuld
run, he told me, seven days without
winding up, and asked me if would
exchange my horse for it. told him
{" no. My two men were in house five
or six miles from the Chickasaw nation,
with a man that called his name Hayfoot,
a half bred Indian; they had taken their
horses to his house, which stands between
Bear Creek and Tennessee river. rode
on before my company to inform my men
that we might likely get something from
these men. One of my fellows would
hardly hear me TO the end, so greedy was
he after the pack-saddle mentioned.
We left the neighbourhood of Bear Creek,
took to the great road again, and made as
fast as possible after the company / had
left, which was much afraid We should
miss. About twenty miles from the house
of one Thomson, who was known in
those parts at that time, overlook the
company again. This Thomson is white
man, married to a squaw. We made off
into the woods when we got the travellers
in sight, made bend, and in cane
brake just off the road, we painted our
faces like the Indian when he is going to
war. The party was pretty well armed !;
| rode up TO them-they all started very
much at seeing us, as we showed our
arms and looked very threatening. /
spoke to them in the Creek tongue, of
which knew few words, as if had
been an Indian. They did not under
stand me. One of my men asked if they
could parter Anglais." They stopped,
and spoke broken English. / told them
We were Indians, that we did not think it
any harm to take money from white peo-
nIe and if fhav ra;aad} ono of thai. .r,,s