Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1851-11-21
FRIDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 81, 1851.

Tue llShl Oh savage beasts, than rational
beings endowed like ourselves with the
image and feelings of humanity.
Mr.. John Hall, revolutionary soldier,
and one of the early settlers of Hunting
don county, frequently related the following
interesting incidents, as having occurred
within his own knowledge, and connected
with the captivity and escape of girl by
the name of Brotherton, who had been
taken prisoner by predatory band of Sc
neka Indians, and carried TO their settle
menls Of the Northern frontier.
Two trappers or the Mushannon were
driven from their camp, near the present
town of Philipsburg, by the advancing
war party, and flying to the nearest settle
ment on the Junata, forewarned the in
habltants OF the impending danger. The
fearful tldlngs were carried by runners
from house TO house, and all save Brother
ton and his daughter sought the protection
OF the Blockhouse at Standing Stone
(now called Hunlingdon.) The father
being absent at the time, the heroic girl,
resisting every cnlreaty, resolutely refused
TO leave the house until his return, which
was every moment expected. The rest of
the family, consisting of the mother and
several small children, with the most
gloomy forebodngs were reluctantly com
PEELED 10 leave her behind. Brotheron
did not return that night, and early the
next morning the barking of the dog ap-
prislng her that some one was Eear, she
opened the door, when conceive of her
hnTrIr nd tha L. Of
welcome with which she had thought to
have greeted her father, was met by the
scOwllng visage of a savage foe. 1t was
some time before she recovered from the
shock of the overwhelming calamity that
had helalien her, believing as she did. that
violent death or a fate still more horrible
awaited her and ii was not until they had
held a short conference among themselves,
that she was somewhat reassured by one
Of the party who gave her to understand
in broken English and BY significant ges-
lures, that she had fallen to the lot of one
who would protect her, and that unless she
made an attempt TO escape, no one should
harm her.
Already suspecling that their approach
had been discovered, from the circum-
/ stance that several cabins they had visited
/ bore certain evidences of the hasty flight
of their late occupants, and loading them
selves with the piunder thus acquired,
/ they made precipitate retreat through
the mountains.
They were immediatly pursued by all
! the dlspOsable force at Standing Stone,
which Brotherton arrived in time to Join.
The party WAS headed by an old hunter,
who following the trail with the instinct
of a bloodhound, came upon the place of
their first night encampment among the
/ laurels of Tussey's mountain.
On the following day, in tracing their
footsteps over some boggy ground, they re-
marked with pleasure that the slight shoes
Of Miss BrothcrtOn-worn through the
preceding DAYS march, were now replaced
by a substantial pair of moccasins. After
this discovery the leader of the party, a
man experienced in the warfare and Gus
toms OF the Indians, proposed consul
tation, and addressing himself to Broth
erton, the one of The party most deeply
interested, advised him as the most pru-
dent course on his daughters account to
give up the pursuit, as it was now evident
they meant 10 treat her kindly, and that if
overtaken and finding themselves encum-
bered with the prisoner, they would most
probably put her to death, rather than
, that she should fall into their hands.
This prudent counsel happily prevailed,
and they returned 10 the settlement.
Little is remembered of the adventures
of the prisoner and her captors. except the
instances she related Of their extreme Vi
GLANCE and caution, TO battle pursuit and
avoid surprise: such as when ascending a
mountain if stone was moved they would
turn to replace it, and i'll the stiffness of
the night if a noise was heard, as the snap
ping OF anything, their pipes were instantly
laid aside and their fires put out and not a
word spoken until there was ligh! enough
10 resume their noiseless march.
+ Our heroine is represented to have pos
sessed much rustic beauty and attractive
! ness of manner, and although she had
! scarcely reached the full bloom of woman
hood previous TO her captivity, more than
one aspirant to her hand, had already paid
I homage TO her charms.
After remaining upwards of year in
the family of a chief as an adopted daugh-
ter, Oran, a distinguished young warrior,
became deeply enamoured of her, and
with every demonstration of the most ar
7 dent affection, offered her marriage. His
suit was mildly but firmly rejected. Some
time after, he sought and obtained a pri-
I yate interview, at which he told her he
had plainly discovered that the White
Dove "a name by which he was pleased to
! distinguish her, loved the hills and the
valleys of her own " clear strean,," better