The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1872-05-03
WHOLE NUMBER CTS
BORDER "REMINISCENCES.


, as BORDER "REMINISCENCES.
the -
full Adam Pee > Gre"s f'sh.
, The celebrated fight between Adl
~. M Poe and the Shawnee chief, Bla
y; ~, Feather, has been spoken of in
~ ~ histories of early Kentucky, but
ia believe the particulars of the comt
I &c have never been given to the publ
VI The fight was remarkable, not on
- on account of the well known pro
:; ess of the parties engaged, but wi
AZ - the exceeding stubborness with whi'
ae it was conducted, and the many phi
ma m ses it assumed before it ended.
70 20 They literally fought on the cart
/, in the sir. and under the water.
"a Adam Poe, one of the first settler
~ of Kentucky, had often expressed
"a desire to meet the Shawnee chief In
IL hand-to-hand combat, and thes
: boastings having reached the ears Q
!. Black Feather, he declared his inten
ton Ps5 o5 sesAkag lSA pR6 ogs R afHSns ldh
"a - did, but circumstances combined {
- - keep them apart for time. Finally
- however, the opportunity came.
:, Adam Poe and his brother ha,
= been ou. hunting, and were return
= ing, toward sundown, bearing bucl
on pole between them.
: When passing a small thicket, 6
= : shot was fired at them, the ball lodg
.. ing in the head of the deer, which
hung next to Adam Poe.
To drop their burden and rush to
the ambush was but the work Of q
moment, Adam taking the right and
his brother the left hand side.
The thicket proving much larger
than either thought, they became
more widely separated than they in
tended, and Adam was on the point
of returning to where they had left
the deer. when, at the distance of q
hundred yards or 80, he discovered
the gigantic form of the Shawnee
chief, who was just in the act of
firing upon him. ---..-
Adam had time to reach cover be-
fore the shot was made, and then be-
gan a series of tactics, such as is
rarely witnessed in those wilds, for
Two of the most noted wsrriers Of the
day were trying to gain an advan-
tage over the other. - ---..5-
Foot by foot they drew nearer
each other, leaping from tree to tree,
from stump to stump, from rock to
to rock as the case may be.
Imperceptible to each other, per-
hsps, they gradually worked round,
until both stood on the verge of
high bluff bank overlooking the river,
facing each other, but some twenty
PAGES apart.
Here, from behind trees, the wild
foeman strove to obtain shot; and
ct last Adam, thinking he saw his
chance, fired at the exposed hip OF
the chief.
He missed his aim, and like an en-
ragged lion, the gigantic Indian rush
ed from his cover, and bore down up
on the no wise undaunted white
man.
Half way they met, the Indian
welding his tomahawk, having cast
aside his rifle, while Adam laid his
hopes and prospects upon the keen
edge of his hunting knife.
With q shock, they met midway,
and then began struggle such as is
rarely witnessed between human
kind.
Poe was not quite so tall as the
Shawnee, but he was fully as strong,
and more active and so the fight
was on an equal footing.
For many minutes they struggled
back and forth upon the grassy lsvel,
now closing in the attempt to throw
each other, and falling in this, again
resorted to blows, dealt with toma-
hawk and knife. By this time both
were wounded in several places, the
chief probably the most severely of
the two.- .--..-
At length, making savage stroke
with his weapon, the grasp of the
red-skin slipped, and the light ak
went whirling far into the river.
In an instant the Indian grappled,
and struggle, fiercer than any that
had yet taken place, ensued each
put forth every effort, until, approach
ing too near the verge of the prci-
pice, they missed their footing and
went tumbling into the stream lock-
ed in deadly embrace!
The advantage now lay with
Adam. He was practical SWIM
mer, and soon discovered that his
could not swim at all.
The Indian strove to regain the
shore, hut was thwsrted at every
point by Poe, who would jerk him
back into deep water, and then both
would go under together.
Finally falling further out than be-
fore, the combstants were caught up
by the current, and quickly born
some distance from the land.
The fight was now all in the white
mans favor, and would be soon end
ed, but for On unlooked-for and un-
fortunate circumstance. Adams
brother suddenly appeared upon the
scene, and taking iu his brothers
peril, as he thought, at a glance,
ventured uponIthe dangerous exper-
iment of finishing the chief by
shot
The ball sped, but not truly, for it
struck Adam in the shoulder, al
most paralyzing his left arm. His sit
uation became desperate now indeed.
He could force the Indian beneath
the current, but he could not keep
him there, and seeing that his own
strength was rapidly departing, he
determined to try and outwind the
enemy.
With this object he suddenly
threw his arm around the savage's
neck, and they disappeared beneath
the surface.
Adams brother, standing upon the
bank, unconscious of the harm he
had done, witnessed the scene in
dismay.
Long he waited for the appearance
OF one or the other, until at length.
becoming alarmed, he leaped into
the stream, and swan to the spot.
He reached it not a moment too
soon.
Adam had" out.winded" the In
dian, but, in doing go, had nearly
drowned himself.
He came feebly to the the surface,
and would have sank again, but for
his brothers aid.
They both reached the shore in
safety, but Adam Pee never fully re-
covered from the terrible exertion Of
that fight.
Mr.. SPuRGEos is the opinion that
when people, particularly preachers,
have nothing important to say, they
take a tong time about it, but when
they have something worth telling
they tout with it at once" 1t was
1t was DIR. Chalmers, who, on being
asked how long it took to make a
sermon, replied "That depends up
on how long you want it. If your
sermon is to be half an hour long, it