Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Wayne County, Ind.) 1831-1837, 1836-07-30

1
not to be specialized upon by us.
Yours, respectfully,
DAVID s. PORTER.
MISCELLANEOUS.
From the Western Literary Journal.
THE LAST OF THE INDIAN FIGHTERS
DIED, at his residence in Logan
county, on the goth April last, Gen
eral Simon Kenton, aged eighty-one
years. less seventeen days. The
deceased is believed to have been the
last survivor, Of that hardy and intre.
pid band Of Pioneers, composed Of
Boone, Kenton, Logan and Craw.
ford, who took so active a part in
the first exploration If the Western
country, during the closing quarter
of the last century. For several
years, a gentleman of education and
talent, who has had ample oppertu-
mites of consulting with the Old
Warrior, has been engaged, at leis-
ure intervals, upon an extended biog-
raphy Of him. This, as it will prob
ably contain full history of the strug-
gless of the Pioneers for ascenden-
cy in the West, will be work of We
ry great interest; and we would res
pectfully suggest to the writer, the
propriety of putting it to press at IS
early a period as convenient.
Simon Kenton was a virginian by
birth, and emigrated to the wilds Of
the West in the year 1871. He was
born, according to a manuscript
which he dictated to a gentleman of
KY, several years sinceD in Fau-
quier county, Va.,on the 18th of May.
1855. of poor parents. His early life
was passed principally upon a farm.
At the age of sixteen, having a quar-
rel with a rival in love affair, he left
his antagonist upon the ground for
dead, and made quick steps for the
wilderness. Visions of the gallows
and the hangman were crowding up
on his brain, & he did notwait to bid
the cause of the quarrel .good-by,' nor
even procure any clothing in addition
to the suit upon his back. In the
course Of 4 few days, wandering to
and fro, he arrived at a small settle
ment on Cheat creek, one ofthe forks
of the Monongahela, where he called
himself Butler. Here, according to
Mr.. M'Clung, whose interesting ac-
count of kenton, in the Sketches of
Western Adventure we are follow
ing. he attached himself to a small
company headed by John Mahon and
Jacob Greathouse, which was about
starting farther west on an exploring
He was soon induced.
however, by a young adventurer of
of the name of Wager, who had been
taken by the western Indians when
a child and spent many years among
them, to detach himself from the COM
pany. and 60 withhim to a land which
the indians called kan-tuc -kee, and
which he represented as being a per-
feet Elysium. Accompanied by an
other young man. named Strader;
they set off for the Backwoods Para
disc in high spirits: kenton not doubt
ing that he should find a country
flowing with milk and honey, where
he would have little to do but eat.
drink and be merry. Such. however,
was not his luck. They continued
wandering through the wilderness
for some weeks without finding the
Promised Land and then retraced
their steps, md successfully explored
the land about Salt Lick, Little and
Big Sandy. and Guyandotte. At
length, being totally wearied out, they
turned their attention entirely to hum
ting and trapping, and thus spent
nearly two years. Being discovered
BY the Indians, and losing one of his
companions. (Strader.) kenton was
to abandon his trapping
waters, and hunting grounds. After
divers hardships, he succeeded m
the mouth Of the Little Ken
awha, with his remaining companion.
where he found aud attached himself
70 another exploring party. Thiss|
however, was attacked BY the Indi-)
ans soon after commencing the de-
scent Of the Ohio, compelled to aban-
don ITS canoes, and strike dia9onally]
through the woods for Green-briar|
Its members suffered much
in accomplishing this journey, from