Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-03-05
...-.s From Graham's Magazine. ..
Incident in the Life of Capt. Samuel
Brady. .
BY A WESTERN MAN,

BY A WESTERN MAN. f'
About thirty miles from the present city Of
Pittsburgh, stood an ancient fort, known as
Fort Mcintosh. 1t was built by a revolution
airy gentleman of that name, in the summer Of
l77S. 1t was one of line of forts, which
was intended to guard the people who lived
South of the Ohio river, from the incursions Of
the savages to the northward This fort was
one of the favorite resorts of the great Indian
spy and hunter, Captain Samuel Brady. AL
though his usual headquarters was Pittsburgh,
then consisting of a rude fort and a score or
two of rough frontier tenements
Brady had emigrated westward, or rather
had marched thither in ITS, as Lieutenant
in the distinguished Eighth Pennsylvania Reg
lment, under the command of General Richard
Broadhead, of Easton. When, in the spring
OF l7I9, Mcintosh retired from command in
the West, BrOadhead succeeded him, and re-
manned at Pittsburgh until l7Sl Shortly af-
ter his advent to the West, Brady was brevet-
ted Captain.
Brady had served at the siege of Boston,
fought at Long Island and White Plains, gone
through the whole of the terrible campaign of
Trenton and Princeton, suffered at Valley forge,
distinguished himself at Germantown and
Brandywine, and narrowly escaped death at
Paoli But his tastes led him to the erratic
mode of warfare known upon the frontier
Indeed his early education upon the upper Sus-
quehannah had inculcated and developed those
tastes from the very earliest boyhood. Hating
an Indian with that instructive hatred which is
begotten in the bosom of the white race, by
long years of contest and outrage, bitter in
tod to h. Al:
by the murder of his father and younger
brother by the Indians, under trying circum-
stances.
Having promised this much by way of in-
PRODUCTION it brings us to that eventful morn
ing upon which Brady set out from fort McIn-
tosh, for Pittsburgh He had with him two of
his trusty and wel-tred followers These were
not attached to the regular army, as he was,
but were scouts and spies, who had been with
him upon many an expedition. They were
Thomas Beyington aud benjamin Biggs-
Brady resolved to follow the northern bank of
the Ohio. Biggs objected to this, upon the
ground as Brady well knew, that the woods
were swarmug with savagcs Brady, how
ever, had resolved to travel by the old Indian
path, and having once made up his mind, no
consideration could deter him from carrying
out his determination. Bevington had such
implicit faith in his ability to lead, that he
never thought of questioning his will
Quite discussion arose between Biggs and
his captain at the mouth of Beaver river
about mile above the fort where they must
cross the Ohio, if they continued on the north
ern side. Biggs finally waived his objections,
and they crossed Beaver, and proceeded with
the habitual caution of woodsmen who under
stand their business. They had started early
and by rapid travelling they had reached, ere
noon came, the last piece of bottom land on
the northsde of the river, just below what is
known as the Narrows. Upon this bottom a
pioneer, more daring than most others, had
built cabin and opened a small spot of clear
ed land He had planted it in corn, and it
gave promise Of most abundant harvest
But as they approached the edge of the
clearing, just outside of the fence, Brady dis
covered Indian signs" as he called them
His companions discovered them almost as
quick as he, and at once, in low tones, commu-
nicated to each other the necessity for keen
watch. They slowly trailed them along the
side of the fence toward the house, whose stu
alton they well knew, until they stood upon
the brow of the bluff bank which overlooked
it, A sight of the most terrible description
met their eyes The cabin lay mass of
smOuldering ruin from whence a dull blue
smoke arose in the clear August sunshine
They observed closely everything about it
Brady knew it was customary for the Indians
when they had fired settlers cabin, if there
was no immediate danger, to retire to the
woods close at hand, and watch for the ap-
proach of any member of the family who
might happen to be absent when they made
the descent. Not knowing but that they were
even then lying close by, he left Lexington to
watch the ruins, lying under cover, whilst he
proceeded to the northward and Biggs south
ward, to make discoveries Both were to re-
turn to Bevington, if they found no Indians
If they came across the perpetrators and they
were too numerous to be attacked regularly
Brady declared it to be his purpose to have
one fire at them, and that should he the signal
for both of his followers to make the best of
their way TO the fort.
All this rapidly transpired, and with Brady
to decide was to act. As he stole cautiously
round to the northern side of the enclosure
he heard a voice in the distance singing. He
listened keenly, and soon discovered from its
intonations, that it was white mans He
passed rapidly in the direction whence the
sound came. AS it approached, he concealed
himself behind the trunk of large tree
Presently white man riding fine horse,
came slowly down the path. The form was
that of Albert Gray, the stalwart, brave,
devil-may-care settler, who had built him a
home miles away from the fort, where no one
would dare to take family but himself
Brady wore, as he almost always did, the
Indian garb, and had war-paint upon his face
He knew that if he showed himself upon the
path, Gray would shoot, taking him to be an
Indian. He therefore suffered Gray quietly
to approach his lurking place. When the
couId have time to prepare drew his toma-