Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1844-05-17
From the c cvclani Herald.
INDIAN ADVENTURES IN OHIO;
NARROW ESCAPE OF TWO BOLD
SCOUTS.

West is rcplete with bold adventures and
hair breadth escapes. We copy from the
lecture of Gen. Sanderson the following
thrilling narrative of a visit of two gallant
Scouts to the spot where the town of Lam
caster now stands-their successful fight with
the Indians upon Mount Pleasant, then called
the Standing Stone-recapture of a female
prisoner--and their narrow and perilous es-
cape from their wary enemy.
AS early as the year 1870, the block house
and stockadc above the mouth of the Hook
hooking river, was a frontier post for the har-
dy pioneers of the North Western Territory,
now that portion of our State from the Hook
hooking to the Sctoto, and from the Ohio
river to the northern Lakes. Then nature
wore her undisturbed livery of dark and thick
forests interspcrsed with green and ilowery
prairies. Then the axe of the woodman had
not been heard in the wilderness, nor the
plough of the husbandman married the beau
ties of the green prairies. Among the many
rich and luxurant valleys, that of the Hook
hooking was pre-cminent for natures richest
gilis-and The portion of whercon Lancas-
ter now stands was marked as the most luxu-
RANT and picturesque, and became the seat
of an Indian village, at period SO early,
that, the memory of man runneth not paral-
| lei thereto
On the gre en- sward of the prairie was held
many rude gambol of the lndians; and
here too, was many an assemblage of the
warriors Of one of the most powerful tribes
taking council! for war path upon some
weak or delenceless frontier post. Upon one
of these war stirring occasions, intelligence
reached the little garrison above the mouth
of the llockhocking, that the Indians were
gathering in force some where up the Valley,
for the purpose striking terrible and fatal
blow on one Of the few and scattered defcn-
ces of the whites. a council was held by
the garrison, and scouts were sent up the
Woodworking, in order to ascertain the
attack. In the month Of October and one of
the balmeSt days of our Indian summer, two
men could have been seen emerging out of
the thick plnmb and hazel bushes skirling the
prairie, and stcalihily climbing the eastern
declivity of that most remarkal lie promonto-
~, now known as Woum Pleasant, whose
western summit gives "A commanding view to
the eye, of what is doing on the prairie
This cminence was gained by our two adj
vrntlrers and hardy scouts, and from this
point they carefully observed the movements
taking place on the prairie. Every day
brought an accession of warriors TO those
already assembled, and every day the scouts
witnessed from their eyre, the horse IA.
cling, leapine, running and throwing the
deadly tomahawk by the warriors. The old
sachems looking on with indifltience-the
sqnaws, for the most part, engaged in their
usual drudgcrics, and the papooscs manifest
ing all the noisy and Maynard joy of child
hood.
The arrival Of any new party of warriors
was hailed by the terrible wor ,choop, which,
striking the mural face of Mount Pleasant
was driven back into the various indenla.
tons of the surrounding hills, producing re-
vcrberatOn on reverberation, and echo on
echo, till it seemed as if ten thousand fends
were gathered in their orgies. Such yell,
might well strike terror into the bosoms Of
those unaccustomed To them. To our scouts
these were but martial musc-strains which
walked their watchfnlness, aud newly strung
their iron tramcs-trom their early voutl
had they been always on the frontier, and
therefore well pracuced in all the sublility
craft and cunning, as well as knowing tn,
ierocity and blood thirsty perseverance of tn,
savage. They were therefore not likely &c
he clrcnmvenlcd by the cunning of their foes
. and without desperate struggle, would no
fall victims to the scalping knife. On seve
f raj occasions, small parties of warriors lief
the prairie, and assembled the Mount, O,
~
assures of the rocks, or lying by the side o
some long PROSTATE tree, cover themselves
with the scar and yellow leaf, and again leav,
their hiding places when their unnyited Wis
: tiers had disappeared.
For food they depended on lcrked vcni
; son, and cold corn bread, with which thei
} knapsacks had been well stored. Fire the,
. dare not klndle, and the report of one of thei
rifles would bring upon them the entire fore,
, OF the Indians. For drink they depended OF
some rain water, which still stood in the ex
cavations of the rocks, but IN "A few DAYS thi
store was exhausted, and M'Cleland an,
Whnll must abandon their enterprise or flint
new supply. To accomplish this mos
hazardous affair, M'Clelland beng the elder
; resolved to make the attempt, with his trus
ty rifle in his grasp, and two canteens strun,
; across his shoulder, he cautiously descende,
to the prairie aud skir,ing the hills on tin
north as much as possible within the haz
lhcke', he struck course for the Hook
hooking river. lie reached its margin, an,
turning an abrupt point of hill, he found
beautiful fountain of limpid water, nov
known as the Cold Spring, within few fec
of the river. He filled his can,eens and re
) turned in safety to his watchful companion
1t was now determined to have supply O
: water every day, and this duty was to b
performed alternately.
On one Of these occasions after White ha
filled his canicens, he sat few moments
watching the limpd element, as it Came CUR
gling out OF the bottem of the earih-th
light sound of footsteps caught his practice
ear, and upon turning round, he saw tw
squaws within few feet of him; these upo
turning the jut of the hill had thus sudden
come upon HIM. The elder sqnaw gave on
OF those far rcachinU yvhnons ,o,,,I;.,, A., II,