The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1867-03-07

were none in his neighbOrhood Accord
/ ingly he dispatched two of his sons, with
orders to go down Paint until they got the
promise Of a sufficient number Of hands
and keg of whisky. The hands arrived
in force and pitched into the little field,
and soon cut II down. They then went to
work and gathered itall to one point, made
a temporary threshiur floor, ana with fails
made Of young hiCkOries thsnsaed It all
out and cleaned It before night. Some Of
them then went hunting, and others went
to cut a bee tree in the ueighborhood At
night they had feast Of venlson, honey.
whisky, &C.
The following exciting account Of dam
gerous encounter with a bear, by ono Of the
early settlers Of Fairfield tp., is given BY
ITr. Scott:
"Hurdin's Creek was a fvoriie range
for bears about lsOl-2 Samuel Pope kill
ed three bears on this stream i'm one dav.
In the fall Of 1902, William Pope. while
ranging through these woods with gun aud
dogs started up very large bear, which
he shot at and wounded. IL soon got into
u fight with the dogs lie loaded his gun
as quick as possible, bv which time the
bear hud caught and was killing one orhis
dogs. He rushed up to the bear in hopes
to rescue his dog, and put the muz2le of
the gun against it To shoot il. whilst it held
the dog i'm its deadly embrace. The gun
missed fire, at which the bear released the
dog, who pitched at the hunter. He gave
back step or two, in doing which he fell
over log backwards. The bear caught
him by the heel, which stuck up over the
log. The dogs now rushed to the rescue Of
their master, and seized the bear i'm the
reor,which was thus forced to release its hold
n
i'm with the dogs, and finally killed il by
repeated and well directed blows with his
tomahawE. 1t was with the greatest diff
tculty he got 20 the camp, where he lay
three weeks, with his foot swung up to
sapling. He was badly wounded and
left the bear lying where he had killed it,"
Late in the fall of 1901, New Market re-
c9ived a valuable accession to her little
community, in the person Of Michael
Stroup, a halter, and.nn industrious, enter
prising fellow, who arrived in the settle
ment on foot from Chillicothe, having
walked all the way with his pack of tools
on his back, and his eighteen gallon copper
kettle on his head. lie also brought with
him n small quantity of wool, and was
soon at work making hats. lie soon made
Up all his stock OF wool, and sold most Of
his hats, but had few left over, for which
he had no trimmings, and no money to
buy any, having spent all he had made in
paying his expenses. Just at this time he
was offered job by Robert Boyce, to as
sist in opening n wagon road from New
Market to Springfield, where Simon Ken
ton had built mill, the stones for which
Boyce had undertaken to haul from Mays
vile. The country from New Market to
Springfield was then wilderness, and
Eenton had authorized Boyce to employ
hands to go before him and open a road,
promising to pay them when the mill
stones arrived. Stroup, VIM. Finley and
Geo. Galley were employed to make the road
at a dollar "a day.
The party started about the middle Of
February, 1902, but day or two after
Galley took sick and had to return, leaving
only Stroup and Finley to do the work,
Boyco being fully employed with his wagon
and team, which consisted of two horses
and two oxen. They were fifteen days in
cutting the road. One night, when about
- miles from Springfield, the party were
out in a severe snow-storm, and losing
their flint, had no means TO strike fire
and came near pcrishing with the wet and
cold. Finally Stroup bethought him Of
the mill-stones as a substitute for the flint
and succeeded in drawing a spark from
stone with his knife, and kindled fire
Next morning they found they were only
a mile from an Indian camp, where they
warmed and cooked their breakfast. Aner
working so hard, and suffering so much
from exposure, whom they at last reached
their destination, Kenton had no money to
pay them, nor even provisions to supply
their immediate wants. "In this state Of
Affairs they started bacl, and got a meal AT
Springfield on credit, Of a hospilablc tavern
keeper recently located at that place.
From there they hurried back to New
Market, where they arrived ON the nine
teenth day after they set out to cut the
road, almost famished, and their clothes
literally torn to pieces"
SToup, though vcxel at losing his time
and labor, was not discouraged, and going
to work again soon managed to get trim
mings for his hats, and disposed Of tholn
readily. The road he helped to cur became
a permanent public highway, sin known
rs the "Old Mad River Road" The next
spring another natter named George Park
inson arrived at New Market from Penn
sylvGnia. He and Stroup went into part
norship, and soon built them hewed log
shop with shingle roof-the first house of
that kind built in tho town. Thos. Kin
cade, a carpenter, was the boss Of the
building.
The shop being furnished, a supply of
wool was the next thing, and to obtain this,
Stroup mounted his horse and rode TO I.cx-
ington, Kentucky, before he could get the
required quality Having bought 100 lbs.
for rs many dollars, he returned, and he
and his partner soon produced hats in
abundance for the whole settlement, be-
sides sending many horse-laod to Chill
licothe and Maysville. The price at that
time was SIS per dozen for common wool
hats, a good price for those DAYS, when