The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-08-18
l0lte 1afeli5 5le ! II !
THE LEAP FOR LIFE.
& a BALLAD OF WEST VIRGINIA.
BY R.aREENE. ESQ.


BY K.aREESE, ESQ.
l. ..'' 1890.
Published by request,I
On tho prairies OF Missouri, six.and'thirt!
Met / with an Indian warrior Time haC
he had been among our people, and coult
speak their language well;
Knew thetE manners and their customS-o
@ them many a tale could tell.
He had climbed the Alleshanies, ranged
Virginia through and through,
And upon the lakes to northward he hac
ToWei his BARR canoe;
He had fought an hundred battles, often los
and often won,
In the land now or the white man, far to
wards the rising sun.
Ee had met with daring spirits, bravest soul.
among the brave,
Men OF VaIIoDS castles and nations who could
smile upon the grave;
But The bruveSt one among them was o!
III those with faces pale,
And with that The tIme-Worn warrior sal
-- him down to tell q tale.
Where the proud Ohio moYeth 'mong heI
oak-crowntd hills OF green,
There the white men built a village-white
men from the east, ween;
Five-and-twenty cabins built they, on the
rivers southern shore,
And they called the village Wheeling-but
IN tell you something more.
Near the river Just above it-where, amid
prlmeyA Cnarms,
Wheeling Creek came leaping downward
into the Ohio'S AIMS,
Stood tort; the white men built Il, (Such
Conclusions we Will draw
Not SO much Tor seIf-protectlon as TO fill our
hearts with awe.
When these tiiings reached our country
spreading near and spreading far,
We convened ourselves in council 10 DELHI
crate on war;
And when summer flowers had faded, and
the leaves were gold and brown,
From among the Tackles mountains came
four h0ndIed warriors down.
But the citizens of Wheeling learned 1t al
and spoiled the sport,
By removing, with their families, from the
village to the fort; ....H.
Hence we found but empty cabins. SO oul
work was soon complete
And we, following the deserters, next be
sleged their strong retreat.
For a time they stood out boldly, held IL
check and fought us well;
BIT at length fate turned against them-ont
by one their warriors fell,
TIL out OF the hardy hlty-straugels all tc
Sixteen only were remaining yet witt
strength enough 10 fight.
Victory seemed to hover near us, and oul
hearts grew brave and large,
AS we formed ound the fortreSS-formed u
make our final charge;
But that charge-we never made it-from the
forest Ike storm
Dashed McCulloch and his rangers, ere oul
charge had taken form.
On they came with horses fsamIng, fny
riders, dead TO fear,
Onward, heedleSs of our forces, with Mccall
loch IN the rear;
Onward t'waId the rated fortress, each re.
solved to do or die,
Breaking like mighty river through oul
lines and passing by.
Well we knew this Sam McCulloeh-lead.
er ofa dauntlesS band
Dearest friends and bravest warriors had
gone down beneath his hand;
Friends whose bleaching bones were sending
upon every passing breath
To our ears the inc ian nlHxirn-'death mus
be avenged by death"
So when we beheld him riding rearlessly
along behind,
Visions OF revenge by torture flashed athwart
each Indians mind;
And we threw ourselves around him, check
ed his eharger with our din,
Cut him on, although his rangers each one
safely passed within.
When McCulloch found his efforts 10 affair
the front were vain,
Hastily he wheeled his charger, and dashed
off across the plain;
But our warriors rose before him, for oul
plans were all com pleLe-
Rose like beech-uees OF the forest, cutting of
his each retIeat.
Not rife levelled at him, no intent 10 harm
For We hoped that we might take him bear.
not Ia single scar;
Take him safely to our village, far towards
Take linn there, and there avepge us of the
wrongs which he had zone.
He was deeply learned in woodcraft, 30 he
read our actions well;
Well he knew the price that only could ar
Indians anger Quel;
Hence he nerved for desperate action, spur
re1 anew MS Ioaning 9tesd,
such reckless heed.
We were IusIng on behind him, rushing or
NOm lett 10 right.
While IN front his horse was nearing rapidly
Etudy he ghti
Nearing where the npplIng Wheeling had
III Countless moons DetOfe
Cut its way down through Lae limestone
full two hundred feet or more.
Shouted We with exultation, when we
thought linn in our power;
Wilder shouted when we saw him on the
very verge 10 tower;
But in the succeeding instant chills through
For we haR the fearless hOTseman EparTins
1or the reckless leap.
With a rifle poised above them, with then
eye. n lurlu glare,
Daunliess NOISE, aud dauntless rider, sailed
Bounded from The rugged Lodges, down TO.
wards tue stIvsIy etTeam-
BleathIssS horror paTHly z "a US awful silence
reiEneu supreme! er=
Bearing shouts Of glorious triumph upwart
from the depths below
And we EenL0red TO looK over, for wei
dared II not Till then, L..
When we saw The horse and Eder sweeping
on ACROSS inc glen.
Looked we on the solemn silence, tn he dis
appeared IUm sight,
Then we turned our laces westward, fol
we'd 10 more heart 10 fight;
No more heart, for we mad witnessed wha
we could not understand
Mark ed an act whose reckless daring 6hameC
the blavest OF our band.
No more heart, for something told US thai
tue ruling God OF wRr
Smiled upon CUR pale.faCed brothers from
the window of his star;
That his ann had brought McCulloch safely
down this hopeless flight,
Just tosnow us OF the IoEeat we were wrong
while he was right.
When the sun upon the morrow, from some
distant mountain peak, DO
Looked TO west, The war had ended-au wa
calm at Wheeling Creek;
Not an Indian fingered near 1t-in the fores
They were moving homeward, eastward
farther, farther ali the day.
am now toooId for lighting. age has greatly
diInmed mine eyes; =.
L have drawn my falling neTs-I am Jour
neylng west to die
Journeying to the Rocky Mountaineering
Will shortly be my uFni
Farewell, brother, must onward while tn
lamp holds out 20 burnI'
a GREAT SENSATION.
] = -