The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-08-02
From the Knickerbocker for july.
capt. Samuel Brady and COrDplanter.
A LEGEND OF THE ALLEGHANY RIVER.

ana Indian barbarlty that have been enacted
along the shores of the Allegheny and Ohio
have never been rescued from the dim and IA
ding remembrances of past age. But Occa-
sionally story of thrilling interest is snatched
from the lingering records of the red man.
The story am about to relate l received
from an old Indian pilot of the Allegheny
1t was many years ago, when the stern old
Chief Cornplanter Whose remains now repose
in silence and lone mess on the banks of the
beautiful river he loved so welD was in his glo-
ry. His tribe roamed over the dense and I'M
broken forests along its banks, fearless, unmo
Tested and free.
His people we're hostile to the whites, and
never lost any opportunity to lie in ambush
and seize the lonely voyager as he descended
the river and consign him to the stake and the
torture. But the watchful, shrewd and deadly
foe of Cornplanter and the whole tawny race
was the indomitable and fearless Capt. Sam
uel Brady. This veteran pioneer and Indian
hunter was one of those noble specimens of the
hardy forester who plunged fearlessly into the
interminable forests that then Overspread so
large portion of the western States.
HLike Daniel Boone, Lewis Wetzei, Simon
Kenton and others, who made Indian hunting
pastime, his deadly hate of the Indian, and
his burning passion for hunting them down,
amounted to monomania. This hatred was
in consequence of the wrongs they had inflicted
upon his family-his father, Captain John
Brady, and his brother having fallen victims
to the tomahawk and scalping knife.
. The scene Of the present story is at place
known to boatmen and raftsmen as +" Brady's
Bend" and where now the noise and hustle of
new manufacturing town called the Great
Western resounds along the shores that then
echoed only to the whoop of the savage or the
panther's scream.
.s.It is bend in the river of nine miles in
length, and is sometimes called the "Nine-mile
Bend,' and is scarcely half mile across the
neck. Here in this bend, Cornplanter, retur-
ned from some successful inroad upon the.
whites, had secured several prisoners by tying
them to as many trees, while his swarthy and
hideously painted followers were busy 10 ma
king preparations for the faggot and the tor
ture. I Er e. 1
The stake was erected and the faggots pre-
pared with all the GOODNESS and refinement of
Indian barbarity. 1t was beautiful evening;
the sun was just sinking behind the lofty hill
its oily wand upon the Alleghany's crystal tide,
and it slept. The full, round moon, just burst
ing through the tree tops behind them, sailed
calmly through the distont blue, and cast its
yellow beams upon the sleeping river. and dan
ced upon its placid bosom.
&The melancholy note of the whip-poOr-will
from the adjoining thicket, fell sweetly upon
the ear. The victims were unbound and led
forth to the place of torture. At this moment
voice. high up among the frowning rocks that
ioomed out from the thick hemlocks that
crowned the hill opposite, hailed Cornplanter
in the Indian tongue, informing him that he
was an Indian warrior just returned from the
war path with goodiy number of prisoners"
He desired that the ceremonies of the tor
ture might be suspended until he could ford the
river and join them when they would celebrate
the occasion with unusual demonstrations of
savage rejoicings To this Cornplanter con-
sented The flames that had been kindled were
extinguished, and the prisoners again bound to
the trees
In the meantime Brady, for it was he who
had deceived the willy Indian, with body of
men moved silently up the river to place
known as "Truby's Ripple and there fording
the river, drew his men up across the neck of
the bend and moved noiselessly down upon the
savages. So cautious was his approach that
the Indians were completely cut OFF from re-
treat before they became alarmed.
Bradys men hemmed them in from behind,
while the Allegheny rolled in front. The first
intimation to the savages os his approach was
communicated by deadly discharge of his I'M
erring rifles. The Indians fought with desper-
alton, but were overpowered; all were killed or
taken prisoners, save the chief, COrnplanter,
who, finding himself alone, plunged into the
rver and swan for the other shore.
r. Being good swimmer, he remained several
minutes under water, but as he rose for breath,
he was greeted with a shower Of bullets. In
this way, alternately swimming under water as
long as he could hold his breath. and then ris-
ing to the surface, he escaped unhurt, and
seaching the other shore in safety, secreted
himself behind standing rock.
The prisoners were of course unbound, aud
all Joined in the jollifcation and Joy at the
timely and unlocked for release. The rock
that shielded Cornplanter from Brady's bullets
was pointed out to me by the old Indian, IN a
recent trip down this river. 1t is known as
"Cornplanter's Rock" The old Indian gave
me the story with sad and detected counten-
ance, in broken English.
Alas! what a change! Where then the
sheeny tide OF the beauteous Allegheny parted
only to the swift-skimming birchen canoe, and
echoed to the wild voices that came out of the
dense, dark forest, now is heard the shrill whs-
tie of the steam-pipe, and the rushing of the
mighty steamer. Wherethe tawny savage then
reclined upon the shady banks from his pursuit
of the deer, the panther and the bear, or rested
from the war path, is now the scene of life and
activity.
The tall old forest has receded from before
the advance of civilization, and given place to
farms. beautiful villas and busting towns
The Indian, too. has passed away; but few,
and they but miserable, decaying relies OF what
they once were, are now occasionally seen, the
descendants of the proud race that once could
call these hills, and groves and rivers all their
own. Alas! in the language OF the poet.
"Chieftans and their tribes have pershed
Like the thcksts where they grew"