Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-08-31
PiOneer Life and History OF
Wyapid0t County.
BY A. W. BRINKERUoFF.
CHAPTER VINO. 10.


yo ur boy and then sank down exhaust
ed and as If in the arms of death.
If, in 1871, surrounded by friends and
til comforts of home and civilization
tn ere are happy meetings of near and
de: lr fl lends, and if kind husbands now
rel olce over the return of wives al
Chi ldren from their visits to other civil
izet | friends, what must have been the
joy of that father and husband, here
am, )ngst the savage red men of the for
est, nearly one hundred years ago, to re
ceiN e to his home. thus unexpectedly
his chosen, captive wife and child, after
thei terrible journey through the wide
wild lerneSs, every step of which was
mat lie in pain and with dangers thick
arc und them? We can only imagine
the ir feelings and 10Y at such meeting,
and rejoice that their lot was never ours.
a t that time the father and husband
hac here in store an abundance OF cloth-
ing coffee, tea, sugar Sc, received from
the French at Detroit Post, and with care
anc rest the frail mother was again re-
sto red to health and strength.
time another son was added to their
hol ne, whom they named John. the two
bel ng all their children, and most surely
the first white children ever bora in Up
pc Sandusky.
Nearly one hundred years have passed
- hSC biiSL, tiCf listNc ICluIIASN
t. earth.
I or some time pre- 7ious to Crawford's
I Tlarching against the Indians at Sandus-
ky, John Titt and his wife Sally resided
in Moravian town. Colonel w illiamson
then took possession OF COshocton.- -
Shortly after this the British and their
Indian allies took Noravian town with
himself, wife and children and all the
MorayianS prisoners, and carried them
again to Sandusky. He says latter ar
| Eiving at Sandnsky again, the British
| would not suffer me to trade on my own
\ footing, and for myself, but five OF them
1 placed their funds in common stock and
/ employed me to attend to their business.
| "Whilst thus employed, Col. Crawford
marched with an army against SanGuS-
I XIV. | was closely watched by the Indi-
| ans. l was compelled to make my
| movements with much care. though 1
| had spies cut from whom L could hear
1 every evening where the army was en-
camped for several days. One evening
| l learned that the army was only fifteen
! miles distant l then collected all our
goods and horses and started tor lower
Sandusky, (now FremOnt), next morn
! ing at daylight. After travelling about
| three miles L met Captain Elliot, Brit
! ish officer, and about twelve miles fur
ther on. met the whole British array,
| composed of Col. Buffers Rangers.
They took from me my cattle, and let
me pass. That night | encamped about
| fourteen miles above Lower SanduSkV.
"Next morning early, we heard a can
non fire ut Upper Sandusky. L arrived
at Lower Sandu3ky on the second day
and remained there three days to hear
the result"
A ter the battle he again returned to
| Upr er Sandusky, where he remained
about three years, when lie moved GO
| New Coshocton. Again moved to Ius-
caravans, where he remained about nine
months. Captain Hamilton, an Ameri-
can officer. also came there soon after
with goods, and opened them near Johns
| shanty. About the same time he got with
him again his wife and children. Soon
after this Captain Hamilton went to Fit
Pitt for more goods, when several Wyan-
dots came to his store. Two OF them
killed his clerk, and then they stole his
| goods. st this John Leith or Join
"Titt" was greatly alarmed, expecting
that his turn would come next. While
sadly contemplating what might be il
store for him. a Delaware Indian came
up ard said to him John, l win stant
i by you and if you die l will die ly you.'
Soon after they saw the Clerks BODY ly,
ing naked on the ground, where they
had to leave it, and were compelled
themselves. to accompany the gang O
savages. As we jOurneycd on .ritt
says. Il determined that When we cam,
to 4 thIckct, On Susan Greek bottom. t,
kill the Indian who tOmahawked til,
Clerk. When L got an opportunity
told my wife of my Intentions, and tina
| should make my escape. She at one
burst into tears and said, o, John.woul,
you use me so? Would you kill him
make your escape and leave mo and on
little children to the fury of savages !?
After these words he determined t.
stay and suffer with her and the chill
dren, if suffer they must, while life last
ed.
They were taken to the Shawne
towns on mad river. and while kep
there tie indians hid al his property Il
TUscarawas.
9 After the lapse of some time, job
again reached Fort Pitt, and again abou
the 18th of January following. he had
little store in the woods at CoshOctoI
, at the mouth of White Woman Creel
where he again traded for furs. In tim
{ | he had secured fourteen pack-hOrSe load
, of skins and furs, and started his ma
with them to Fort Pitt. While on I'll
way thither his man was killed by Mil
go and wyandot Indians and the prof.
. erty all taken by them.
visited Fort Pitt, leaving his family ne;
: Coshocton. but was soon after sdVised i
Indian friends to remove them also
Fort Pitt. which he did.
! Again, with his family, he left Ft. Pi
! and settled in MoTovian town on HI
! ron River, where he remained until GC
Hannar came with an army to the MAJ
NEE River. when, from the gloomy a
e pearance OF things, he again was indu
io1 TO- eynal- f,, Il se,
my Wife to prepare plenty of parchC
corn and sugar for our journey, and O
the first day of November we agai
y started for Fort Pitt, nearly 200 mil
away" On the seventeenth day the
arrived at Big Beaver Creek, at q
American station, after travelling ov
two hundred miles, at every step eXpec
"a ing to hear the war whOop of the savai
Indians, Such feeling of distress,
d says, as were theirs on that journey, b
~ few mortals ever experienced. for ''h;
we been taken we would all have bct
butchered or burned aliye.'
After remaining at Beaver for thr
days. they again proceeded to Fort Pi
where they arrived on the second day.
Z From thence they proceeded TO Bud(
= Ferry. and there, to their great jO
ID found the relatives of the, to them, lol
lost sally" They there settled al
commenced farming. surrounded, aft
solong life in the wilderness, by frien
and civilization.
lie then adds Il have now got throu!
with narrative of some of my sava
life, for eighteen years together, amol
l. the Indians.
n THE reader may imagine my sufft
t. ings, the effect it had on my nature Al
n disposition, and how man must feel, wi
y for so long time has been surround
by scenes of bloodshed and carnage, 81
ficient to horrify any but savage heart:
n. BUNNELL, of Wyandot, is our Age
for the REPUBLICAN,. He is authorized
take new subscribers and payment for t
same. If.
lie