Plymouth banner. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1852-1855, 1854-08-24
rom tie Auto biography Of J. b. Fuller
THE TWO SPIES.
A II ESTfRN ShETCM II.

As early as the year 1870 the block
ade house and stockade above the mouth
of the Hooking river. was frontier post
for the ha rlv pioneers of the North ives
tern Territory. Then nature was In her
undisturbed livery of dark and thick
forests interspersed with green aud flow
inS praIrIes
Then the forest had not heard The
sound of the wOoJman's axe, nor the
plow of the husbandman opened to the
bosom of the earth. Then those beautiful
prairies waved their golden bloom to the
God of nature. and among the most
ldxuriant of these were those which lay
along the Hooking Vail, y aud especially
that portion of ii OH which the town of
Lancaster now stands
This place for It's beauty. It's richness
ot soil. and picturesque scenery was
selected as location tnr an Indian viii
lage. This afforded suitable place for
the gamtol of the In-ian sportsman, as
veil as central spot for consrcra ting
the lntian warriors.
Here the tribes of the North and West
met To counsel. aud from this spot led
forth the war path III different directions.
| pom one of these occasions, when
the war spirit moved nightly among the
sons of Nature. and the tOmahawk leap.
ell in its scabbard and the spirits of
their friends who had died in the field
at battle visited the warrior in his nigh;
vision, and caiiad loudly for revenge, it
was ascertained at the garrison above
tis mouth Of the Hooking liver that the
Indians were gathering in great numbers
for the purpose of striking blow on
some post OF the frontier. To meet this
crisis truo Of the skilled and indie atiga bic
spies were despatched to watch their
movements aud make o report.
MCIeIand and White, two spirits that
never quailed at danger. and as uncon-
quera5ie as the Lybian Lion, in the
month OF October, and on one OF the
baimy days OF Indian summer, took leave
OF their fellows and moved OH through
the thick plum and hazel bushes With
the noiseless tread Of panthers. armed
with their unerring rifles They continu
Ell their march skirting the prairies. till
they had reached that most remarkable
prominence. now known BY the name Of
Mount Pleasant, the western termination
OF which Is perpendicular cliff Of rocks
oil some hundreds of feet high, aud whose
summit, from a western view. towers TO
the clouds and over,oads the vast plains
below. When this point was gained.
our hardy spies held position from
which they could see every movement OF
the Indians below in the valley.
Every day added new accession o!
warriors to the company. They witness
ed their exercises Of horse racing. run
ming foot-races. jumping. throwing the
tomahawk and dancing. the old sache M 5
looking on with their Indian Indifference,
the squaws engaged in their usual drudg
cry. and children engaged in their play
ful gambols.
The arrival of new warriors was greet
ed with terrible shouts, which striking
the mural face OF Mount Pleasant. were
driven back In the warriors iudentat;ons
OF the surrounding hills. producing re.
Verberations and echoes as if ten thou
sand fiends were gathered together at an
universal levee. Such yells would have
struck terror to the hearts Of those un-
accustomed TO the mode of Indian revel-
~.
To our spies this was most martial
music-strsins which walked their watch
falnesS, and newly strung their veteran
courage.
From their early youth they had al
ways been on the frontier, and were vel
practiced in all the subtllty. daft and
cunning OF Indian warfare, as we'll as
the ferocity and blood thirsty nature ol
these savage warriors. They were, there
fore. not likely to be ensuared by their
cunning. nor without desperate con
f.ct. to fall victims to their scalpinp
knives or tomahawks.
On several occasions. small parties
left the prairie and ascended the mount
from the eastern side. On these occa-
slons the spies would hide in the deep
assures of the rock on the west. and
again leave their hiding places when