Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1850-06-03
MISCELLANEOUS.
From the Christian Banner.
HANNAH WARE.
A LEGEND OF TIE EARLY SETTLE
MENr OF KENTUCKY.

They reused the wood W of fro.i his DIM retreat,
| And boldly reared the gloomy cabin wall
or rude, ,nisshapen legs amid the forest tall
Elm the year l775, Col. Boon and fifty fan1i-
lies besides his own penetrated into the forests
of Kentucky, and made the first settlement
Other emigEants continued to arrive, and the
population gradually increased" But the pio-
neers of civilization watered the beautiful valley
of the Kentucky river with tears and blood.
This region was not occupied DIS a residence by
| any of the Indian tribes but appears to have
been the common hunting ground of the
neighboring bands. The frequent conflicts of
these hostile savaees had acquired for it, even
among them the terrible title of the clark and
bloody ground and such it proved to be to the
| first waite nen who settled within its borders.
Among the early settlers We're many originally
from New England who like Daniel Boon, were
distinguished for spirit of hardy enterprise in
short time, BY perseverance and a "neyer give
up" sort Of disposition, which isa natural char
aceristic OF all true Americans, they had clear
ed fine tract of land, and although month
hardly passed unmarked by Indian depreciation,
yet the settlers true to Ieil characters, built 'ieir
rough but comfortable log cabins, ploughed,
planted, reapeu and sowed. Use is SECOND IA
ture" says the old and homely proverb, and
verify it was proven in those days, for danger
and death we're Int every day occasions. Some
Oh lG ldTfll houses eAilpltGQ Sl&tllo VI
neatness, the yards We're enclosed ard orna-
mental trees and shrubs were planted, and flour
ishing luxuriautiy i'll the virgin soil. One morn
ing i'll the spring of 1878, old Peter Ware lone OF
the oldest and most enterprising of the early
setters,) was busly engaged in ploughne his
''clearine" which bordered the yet uncxplored
forest he worked two fine bays for it had alV avs
been his nletto,
eta harvest yoad reap,
You shonld always plough deep
He was a hale old man, with a white head
and ruddy face, one of those few whom Old
Time touches lightly. Although he had large
tamily,none oil them We're grown except & dauah-
ter Old Peters mother was a German woman,
teen summers inherited her grand mother's fair
complexion and her brown hair and eyes. Han
nah was not one of your marvellous beauties,
but she was pretty enough, so at least thought
| John OSuivan, the only son of widow near
by, whose ancestors hailed from could Ireandn
Peter Ware had gone out early that rrlcrning,
directing his wife TO send his breakfast out to
him in the field, and taking his rifle and ammu-
milton 18th him as usual, the rife dashed TO his
shoulders, and his powder flask and shot pouch
hanging by his side ; a very necessary precau-
ton when the willy enemy larked behind trees hid
in tall grass, or couched behind the neiahborng
fence like wild beast ready to take advantage
of the unwary, Old MIR. Ware had gone alone
to the field, but was in sight Of his house. At
his usual breakfast hour, Hannah went out to
take his breakfast to him. She sat down under
large oak surrounded by an underground Of
canes and grape zines, Which had been left in
the clearing to shade a spring of clear water
which bnbbed up at the foot of the noble old
tree and taking from the basket which she car
ried snowy napkin, she spread it on the soft
cool grass, and placed thereon, with much care,
her fathers breakfast, which consisted of fried
ham and eggs, together with goodly sized loaf
of corn bread Just from the oven, of such sub
stantial fare old Peter Was in the habit of max
ing very hearty meal, and for the want OF
something better as coffee and tea were not SO
plenty, he finished by taking deep draueht Of
pure water But although the morning air
had sharpened his appetite, he did not stop
ploughing on this particular morning until he cot
10 the end of his 'Iow," even then he stopped
to take his horses from the plough to give them
their "harbn before he eat himself. lie stood
with his back to the forest sometimes talking to
Hannah, and then to his horses as if he thought
they could comprehend him, he was emptyine
the food in a rude trough, when the report1of a
gun reverberated through the forest, bullet
whizzed past his ear and buried itself deep in
the broad chest of one Of his fine bays; the horse
plunged turously and fell struggling in death
/ Fly Hannah! iy /! ! the Indians the Indians
exclaimed old Mr. Ware. But did he flyl No
Deliberately unlashing the rifle from his shout
ders he cut the halter that bound his remaining
horse, but before he could mount his horse
two Indians made their appearance on the
skirt of the forest, raising their guns, they hesi-
tated however, to fire, well knowing that the
i report of more than one gun would alar.n the
settlement, but old MIR. Ware having no such
fears, sheltered himself behind his horse, took a
quick but unerring aim and fred his retls over
the shoulders Of the noble animal which stood as
quietly as if in its STALL Both savages fled, one
of them dropping his gun as he entered the TO-
rest.
Missed him by all that's sacred exclaimed the
old man bitterly, as the ramrod rang in the bar
rel OF his rifle in the act of re-loading, precau-
ton never neglected with impunity by the ear
ly settlers. For moment his chagrin overcome
his sense Of danger but remembering himself