The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1861-10-30
A DESPERATE LEAP.

| During the earlier years Of tie country, the
Ohio river was the scene OF msa, ohiyalIous and
daring adventures aud ex. Lofts: nd msuy wcre
the sanguinary struggles which took place upon
Its banks hetween the bra, .iiters Of the St
dement's and the red eneEAes, sh0 were justly
jealous OF the growing eEcgcachmeuts OF the
restless whites. On the southern bark OF the
river, ard little below the mouth Of the Kara
/ wha, where now stands e village OF Point
Pleasant, is high precipice, well known 10 tie
passing boatman a. Uhi'- Leap, from the follow
ing incident which occur I'll there:
| During the Revolutionary war the present.
site of the village above named, was occupied bv
a small stockade fort, protection TO the sur
rounding settlements against the attacks of tie
savages in the interest OF the British. The peo-
pie, on the alarm of danger, would leave their
hells. And gather up their families and stock,
would seek shelter in the fort: where alwavs
was stationed a small force of militia tiere
they remained till the threatening danger Was
removed, when they were again returned to their
occupations.
| Ore day in the Spriug of 1882, Colonel Boone,
who was i'll command of the stockade, missed
one OF his saddle horses, which had strayed from
the enclosure, aud called 10 one of his ~ en to 60
ont III the direction OF the river, and bring the
animal back TO the tort The man was Be- fiinn
Ulin, non commissioned officer. For several
weeks there had been discovered 10 signs Of
hostile Indians in the vicinity; and contrary
to orders, the man left the stockade without
arms, not deemiEg il necessary TO 90 beyond the
cover Of the place in search OF the missing horse.
| But on coming To the margin of the kanaw ha
he found, by the tracks upon the shore that the
| horse had crossed over to The other side nt the
steam. Procuring a boat Ulin crossed the
! a 4. - =,
a little path along high bank of the Ohio
| This he followed for some distance, till at length
he came TO the animal quietly feeding upon the
scarcely untoided leaves of the hazel bushes
| growing along the margin OF the bluff
de now cautiously approached the runaway
| with bride in hand and had almost laid his hand
upon his name when IA fierce raT-whoop, accom-
panied by discharge of fire arms, burst upon
his startled ear and caused the frightened animal
to spring from him and disappear i'll the forest
The next instant Ulin found himself surrounded
by party of Wyandotte Indians. who knowing
| that some one would be IN search OF the horse
had laid in ambush. awaiting his arrival. The
savages were occupying the south and west; and
being ntirely without arms, the white man OF
course could make no defence, and sought by
flying in the direction of the Kanawha to elude
them. But scarcely had he run "A hundred yards
filed with enemies, who again opened fire up
on him from that point.
Thus surrounded by his enemies he saw no
possible way of escaping from their hands but
destroying his own life 10y leaping from the fear
ful precipice.
"At all events "a he said, afterwards relating
the adventure to his comrade, thought the least
| could do would be to cheat the cussed red skins
out of my scalp, and that would be some sati-iac-
ton" So bracing himself Tor the terrible death
which he was certain was inevitable the brave
fellow sprung upon the verge o! The elf, where
he could look down the dizzy depth beneath him,
with the shining river breaking softly at the rocky
base. Scarcely a tree or brush interce pred his
vision for nearly fifty feet but at about that dis
tance a scrubby and ated ash tree had found
a roothOld in the crevice OF the cliff, AID reach
ed out ragged limbs over the rocky margin Of the
stream, while below this he could dmly discover
one or two rough hedges, which must receive
him before his body should find lis final gave III
the deep water of the Ohio
The time ocf uped in this desperate survey was
scarcely dozen secOndS-the laborioGs breath
ing OF his pursuers, who were close upon. warn
ed him of the great danger in the reaf-and ht
sprang far out over The rocks into the cbasu be
low.
Downtown he shot Though the yielding air
Yet the brave man retained all his thoughts, anC
with wonderful presence OF mind managed tC
teep in perpendicuar position. a he STRUCK
into the top of the ash, he clutched to the yield
ing limbs, which broke his fall to the first ledg,
some fifteen or twenty feet below. Here, fortu
nately, he fell upon his feet upon bank Of crum
bling shale, which again partially breaking III,
shock of the fall let him down 10 the next ledge
eighteen feet further, from whence he leaped-
first six and then twelve feet to the edge of th
( water; making in all an almost perpendcula
height Of about one hundred feeti This meas
urement was made by Col. Boone, and some 9th
er officers, the day after this extraordinary per
formance.
8 Finding himself still able to move, althoug
seriously injured by the terrible shock he ha
received, Corporal Uln threw himself into III
e river, with the intention of swimming to the op
posite side, but iinding the current too stron
G for his already overtasked limbs, he drew hmse
K again to the shore, and being unpursued by th
by the Indians, kept along under the cliff, till h
4 reached the mouth of the kanawha, and the
: along the beech Of that stream till he again fe
n in with the canoe in which he had crossed bs
fore and safely reached the stockade.