Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1855-03-01
From the Medina Gazette.l
ADVENTURES OF A CLEvELANDER,

ADVENTURES OF A CLEvELANDER.
One cold evening in the winter @
1899, company of gentlemen were as
sembled in a parlor in Eastman's Hotel
in Seville, some of whom were travel
ers who had put up there for the night
others were citizens of the town, VIII,
merely dropped in to pass an hour O
two in social way, discuss the news
DC. Among the guests, was one wht
has been well known in Northern OhiC
for many years, who entertained tn,
company by relating many stories ant
anecdotes connected with the early set
Elements of the Northwest, One o.
these l shall endeayor to write out, al
he gave it that evening. As he is stil
living, l may not give his name, but
will call him G.
at was about the 1st of December
in the year 1823," said he, "that ]
found myself in Green Bay. We 1.-THE
business firm in Cleveland of which he
was partner were then building the
schooner, John Adams, and also had
large contracts for furnishing stores and
provisions for U. s. troops, at several OF
the western posts. had just received
eight hundred dollars in gold, from the
officers of the garrison at Green Bay,
and knew that the money was much
needed at home to assist in carrying on
our operations there. The weather was
pretty cold. Steamers and packets
sOere not in those days as they are now.
The upper lakes were mostly covered
with ice, and / saw but one way of get
ting home, and that was TO go by land,
around the south end of Lake Michi-
gan, across the Territory to the head of
Lake Erie, and thence down the shore
to Cleveland.
was pretty well aware of the nature
of the undertaking, but as desperate
cases sometimes require desperate reme-
dies, l determined to make the attempt.
With the assistance of the officers, my
arrangements were soon made-the
gold well secured in belt-my person
well disguised as an Indiana good
horse--a pair of saddle bags-blankets,
pair of pistols, &c, and stout Indian
guide, who engaged to accompany me
to the little settlement on the Maumee
River. Bidding adieu to my friends in
Green Bay, l set out upon what many
of them thought would be my last
journey. Just look back, gentlemen, to
what the country was in 1928, and you
may perhaps imagine something of what
was before me. But l felt little am
bilious; besides l knew that that money
was needed in Cleveland. My guide
proved to be a good hunter, and an in
telligent fellow for an Indian of those
days.
Nothing worthy of particular note
occurred till we had arrived within fifty
miles of Chicago, when at night we en-
camped in the woods, about thirty rods
from the lake shore, built up large
fire, gathered brouse and dried grass
for the horse, (by the way we were
pretty hard put to it sometimes to pro-
vide rations for him, the snow being
now half leg deep, eat our supper
and laid down to sleep. Sometime in
the night 1 awoke, as it seemed acciden-
tally-looked about a little, without
however, moving my body, and was
thinking of more sleep, when my eye
encountered two little balls of fire, like
glowing Goals, about three rods off. In
stantly, l was wide awake. A panther,
perhaps, but more likely wolf, thought
/. The Indian and his rifle lay beside |
me. 1 drew the latter very carefully
around me so that 1 could aim at the
shining balls, and pulled away. The
crack of the rife brought the Indian to
his feet, hatchet in hand; and the
wounded animal with a yell of pain,
jumped ahead into the light of the
campfire, one instant more and the !
hatchet went whizzing into the head of
the creature, and laid him foundering
In the snow. How a man could rise to |
his feet from sound sleep, comprehend !
ing what was going on, take unerring
aim and do up the business, almost be-
fore l could count three, was to me a
mystery; but this man did all of that!
A hurried consultation was now held. |
My companion says, That dog belongs
to Indian hunters-can't be far away
from here-bad business for us-kill In
dams good hunting dog-very bad
1t steemed that he had used his toma-
hawk to stop the noise of the dog, in
order that his owners should not be
aroused. The next thing was to put
out every spark of our campfire, look
to our arms, and set down and wait for
daylight. No more sleep that night
When daylight appeared, we took the
dead dog out good distance into the |
lake, and showed him through an air
hole in the ice; then gathered up every
drop and stain of blood that we could |
find in the snow, and carried that out
and put it under the ice, obliterating as
much as possible all signs of the dog
about the camp, took a hasty breakfast,
and started on.
After two hours march, we met a
party of FIVE Indians, well armed. II
was leading the horse and my guide
was rod or two ahead. The Indians
passed with heads erect, neither party
looking to the right or left. When the
straupers came tn mo ono oa;xad tho