M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1858-02-11
5f(istcIIaneous ArtitIrs.
Romance of western History,

EGOuuhcc Oh " cstcSu sAistOiy
Where is the West2 Like the in
detinablo horizon, it is continually re.
treating. We thought it was but q
short way off, and now it is beyond
the Mississippi, ard far away on the
shores Of the Pacific. The islands oil
the ocean, and then the Old World
will be our West
To those of our readers who are
now in this region we would say that
Ohio and Kentucky were, only a short
generation since, the West; then In
diana and Illinois were the far West
1t was in those days, and in the valley
of the Ohio, that Judge Hall laid the
scene Of a very interesting volume
called, "Tho Romance Of Western
History" Like all his works, it is
elegantly written, smooth, and ploao-
ant: but to those whose reminiscent
ces lie back among the pioneers, or
who, in their boyhood. associated with
them, this romance (albeit less ro-
nance than fac0 has peculiar zest.
1t brings up, like a good picture taken
in other DAYS, the dress, attitude, and
appearance of the old race, who once
lived here and struggled through the
semi -barbaric period of civilization.
Itis only by such pictures that we can
have our knowledge Of them, for they
can never return.
Let us quote a paragraph or two
from this romance of history. that we
may catch sidelong glance at the old
pioneer. Judge Hall relates a story
of(as he understood iD Muldrow, who
gave name to Muldrow, still in Ken
tucky. This man, who is one Of tho
earliest pioneers, had a cabin in one
of the rugged activities of the bill or
mountain named from him. He had
been there a year or two, and was
searching for game, when he saw a
small dog running in his track, and
supposed an Indian was near. In a
few minutes the owner of the dog
came stepping cautiously along, glanc
ing iealously around, and making sig
nails to his dog. The owner Of him
halted in front of the hunter, and fuh
exposed to view. lie was a tall, ath-
lctic man, completely armed with rifle
and tomahawk and knife; but whether
he was a white man or Indian could
not be determined, either by complex
ion or dress.
"Ile wore hunting-shirt and leg
gins of dressed deer-skin, and a hat
from which the rim was entirely torn
away, and the crown elongated into
the shape of a suear.loaf The face,
feet, and hands, which were exposed,
wore the tawny hue of the savage, but
whether the color was natural, or the
effect of exposure, conlG not be ascer.
tanned, even by the keen eye Of the
hunter, and the features were so dis
guised by dirt and gunpowder that
their expression afforded no clue by
which the question could be decided
whether the individual was a friend OF
foe. There was but moment for de.
liberation and after a hasty scrutiny
the pioneer, inclining to the opinion
that the stranger was an Indian, eau.
tiously drew up his rife, and took de.
liberate aim; but the bare possibility
that he might be pointing his weapon
at the bosom of a courtryman induced
him to pause. Again he raised his
gun, and again he hesitated while
his opponent, with his rife half rails
ed towards his face, and his finger or
the trigger, looked eagerly around
Both stood motionless and silent; one
searching for the object of his pursuit
the other in readiness to fire. A
length the hunter, having resolved tc
delay no longer, cooked his riAe-tht
stick reached the acute ear of his op
ponent, who instantly sprang behind 6
tree; the hunter initiated his exam