Huntington independent. [volume] (Huntington, W. Va.) 1871-1874, 1873-05-08
Incidents Of Early Times on the Nus
kingum.


The hunter was clad in comple
suit of primitive buckskin, and frol
his appearance he came from Virgins
Duncan, for that was the name b
bore, was tall and powerfully built
and while being muscular, was q
1.-the as leopard aud as bold as i
on. From his cast it was eyiden
that he asked no odds Of the red skins
and with fearless assumption conduc
'e dhimself as best suited his purpose
For the first year or two after Duu
cans appearance at this place a littl
traffic was carried an between him
self and the asvages, but, with NJ
marked show of friendship, and wha
spirit good will did exist, vanished
toward the close of its second season,
when Duncan discovered that the
redskins were tamperiDg with his
traps. He watched, fer the purpose
of punishiagj the perpetrators, and
the first prowling thief caught in the
&C, of taking game that did not be-
long to him, bit the dust with a ball
through his head. This, of course,
crested a deadly eumity, and war
fare opened which called into action
the deepest strategems both parties
could inventto aveage.
The men Of the Indian village
grew less and less from Duncan's
uuerring rife as the months passed
away, aud in spite of all the efforts
on the part Of the savages the pale
faced foe remained unharmed. The
red skins became so enraged that
they determined to take Duncan
alive and and have an Internal feast
by putting him to death by slow tor
ture. They trained the fieetcst of their
tribe for the chase, but all to no pur-
pose. for more than match was
found in the white man for the speed
and endurance Of their best. One
thing which appeared particularly
strange a them was the fact that they
were entirely unable to find the place
Of Duncan's retreat; they knew that
his habitation was not far from thei
village; but the question was, its ex-
act location-that they never found.
At a certain point on the west bank
of the river a few miles below where
the city of Zanesyillo now stands,
Duncan would suddenly disappear,
nd no further trace of him could be
found at the time
The Indians, who had ever been
full of superstitious notions, shook
their heads at the sudden vanishing
of the pale face, and talked among
themselves of possibility Of his being
a messenger from the Great pirit to
punish that tribe for some wrong
that had teen perpetratcd. To give
strength to their whims, II was ascer-
,aincd that Duncan crossed The river
at will without the use of "A canoe ard
without fcidiug, aud further, many
warrio-s gave in testimony that they
had sent arrows directed to his heart,
but the missiles turned away, and left
him unhsrmed.
Matters grew seriously worse for
the Indians till the fall Of the fourth
wear after Duncan made his first ap
pearance, waen 1t wos discovered by
the ed-skins that their foe had no
supernatural way of crossing the
river; but that at low stlge OF water,
at point where there is fall, rocks
where visible above the surface OF
the stream, and at such distances apart
that a ;pry man could leap from one
to another. save where the main chan
mel passed, which wes twelve or tif-
teen feet 10 breadtt, and that the pale
face carried a stout sapling that would
span this space, and used the pcie for
/ foot bridge. ruak!nc his heavy gun
balance while crossing. TINS dis
covery wcs hailed with delight, and
the chief of the tribe ordered that all
other pursuits be abandoned till the
euemy was killed. The bravost and
most sagacious were selected and di-
yided into two parties, to am6uscade
lon both sileS of the river.
One evening, not long after the
new tactics had been adopted, just as
the shadow Of night began to dsrken
the forests, Duncan was seen stealtbily
approaching the falls with pole aud
quo. All around was silent save the
murmuriug of the Sater, and sssur-
ling himself that ali was safe, he leap
ed lightly from rock to rcck till the
main channel was reached; the pole
was adjusted and one half of its length
Itrqversed, when volley Of unseen
rifles and shower Of arrows fron all
sides pierced the bold hunter, aud he
ifell dead iuto the river and was borne
away By the current.
The next LAY the indians made
search for the remains Of their foe
aud found the body stranded on a
gravcly ripple some half a mile below
here the tragedy occurred. To thi;
point they gave the name of Dead
mans Ripple, and to the point where
the pale face was killed, Duucan''
Falls, which names they retain to the
present day.
Early in the present century spo
was found, which in all probability
was the haoitation of Dun ,an. 1t l:
located about mile below the ia lis
on the west side of the river. The
earth is caved IN, and on the bottom
of the pit were found burned stones
charcoal and other evidences of 1T
having once been used as the abode
Of man. ItIs supposed that Duncan
made the excavation by night work
and carefully concealed all traces o
- hv nuttinu the dirt into the river