Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1851-11-21
M seer lla1re c ntt 9
THE INDIAN YER.
4 BORDER TALE.
BY DIR. JOSEPH HENDERSON.

1t was my lot in early life 10 be cast into
the society of some of the first settlers in
the valley of the Juniata, and to hear
many tales Of the . hair breadth escapes
and thrilling incidents. which belel those
hardy adventurers, in the desullory and
vindiclive warfare they had waged with
the aborigines of tie soil.
Holding a title to the land having It's
origin bevond the reach of tradition: their
just claim had been fully acknowledged in
all our treaties or transactions OF public
character with the Indian tribes--they
must therefore have had reason To enter
tain jealous alarm at the continued en-
croachments Of the white man upon their
rightful inheritance. And depending main
" as they did for subsistence upon the
game which abounded in their forests,
and for articles of The first necessity to the
small traffic in skins and peltrv which they
carried on with the regular trader as
might be expected they would regard with
much distrust and little favor, the occu-
patton of their streams and hunting grounds.
by those whose superior means and APP
pliances gave them great advantages over
them in the exercise Of their own peculiar
craft. Quarrels unavoidablv arose which
repeated aggressions tended to inlame and
cXaspcrate-and 4 war of determination
was the unhappy consequence.
AS there were few among the pioneers
of the settlement, who had not mourned
over some friend or relative fallen beneath
the murdcrous tomahawk and scalping
knife, it is difficult at this day, to conceive
the bitterness of The hatred engendered in
their breasts against their ruthless foes
who, in their turn, for the wrongs too often
inflicted upon them, had sought an indis-
criminalc and bloody vengeance. And too
often, happy was the lot of the captive
whom sudden death had rescued from the
most cruel and protracted tortufcs which
savage ingenuity could invent or vengeance
inflict.
And yet there were not wanting many
instances wherein these yindiclive feel
ings gave place to the prompting of bet
ter spirit, and tho unhappy prisoner des
tined for the stake and the fagot, was fire.
quently snatched from the flames to supply
in some lone heart the place of lost son,
or a beloved daughter.
How beautiful trait of Indian character
is here developed in custom, that dis
covers refinement of feeling, and a SEN
sibility to the finest impulse Of our nature.
at variance with all our preconceiyed ideas
of savage life, and proves the strength of
those holy ties with which these children
of the wild wood were firmly bound to-
gether.
Whilst | have looked upon the spring
that bears an imperishable name, near to
which once stood the cabin Of the cele-
brated Logan, and have repeated TO myself
his simple and sublime appeal TO the white
man, where, in the utter desolation OF 4
broken heart is expressed, with truth and
a pathos that have touched the lowest
chord in the scale of human wo: Or when
the sound of mighty oak, in the stiffness
of the wood has recalled to mind the
mournfully beautiful words of the dying
Pushmata-how have | regretted that SO
few anecdotes Of these noblemen of nature
have been preserved, and that many of the
most interesting events of border lille.
which tradition had imperfectly handed
down TO the last generation, are destined to
fade away from that which is TO follow.
The ensuing narrative, in which | give
the substance of what | heard narrated,
deserves TO be recorded as rare instance
OF dlslnterested love and chvalrOus geRer-