The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1875-08-18
A KENTUCKY ROMANCE.
How Three Young Girls were
Captured and Rescued Ninety.
Nine Years Ago.
Louisville Courier-Journal.I

rudely constructed fort at BoonSDoro ia
| In drowsy stiffness on the bank of tn
Kentucky River. Daniel Boone and hi
friend and associate, Richard Galloway
had been absent since early in the morn
ing; and the good wives, sharers in tn
toll of the early pioneer days, were en-
joying the rest that the Sabbath brough
even to the unbroken wilderness. In tn
grateful shade of tree in one corner 0
the enclosure, sat three young girls, CIV
ing an unwonted charm to the rough
evidences of civilization which had blu
recently forced themselves upon the
primitive harmony of the surrounding
! scenery.
The eldest of these maidens was Eliza
beth Galloway. The experiences of life
rather than the observance of nature
seem to have given turn to the thought:
and tastes of the earlier settlers, SO
while the euphonious name of Bessie
might have harmonized well with the
murmuring river and the soft and Ian
guild aspect of nature in her Summer
garb, the hard, every day life of the adj
| venturous jewellers in the dark and bloody
ground seemed to comport best with the
harsher name of Betsy. So Elizabeth
was known simply as Betsy Galloway
not a name suggestive of romance, yet
she was withal a gentle and loving girl,
and had maiden fancies that gave the
deep color of romance to one of the in
cidents of her life in the wilderness. She
was just turned of sixteen. The other
girls younger by two years, were Fanny
Galloway, fairer than her sister Betsy,
and Jemima Boone. Though but four
teen years counted the lives of the two
girls each had lover who was hardy
pioneer. As evening drew near, one of
the girls proposed that they should go
short distance below the fort to where a
canoe was lying, and drift out upon the
river to catch the rising GOODNESS of the
evening.
Hardly were they seated and prepared
to push from the shore, when they de-
tected slight rustic in the bush, and in
a moment more five stalwart and hideOus
~ painted Indians leaped to the side of
the canoe. What girl of sixteen could
be equal to such an emergency? Betsy
Galloway, without moments hesitation,
determined to defend the honor and the
lives of herself and her young compan-
ions, and wrote her name in the annals of
Kentucky. Standing erect in the canoe,
she seized the paddle, and at single
blow laid open to the bone the head Of
the foremost savage. The other Indians
pressed on, but, still undaunted, the
brave girl fought them. Finally exhaus-
ted. she sank to the bottom of the canoe,
and with her trembling sister and friend
was dragged ashore, and hurried off to
meet whatever fate might be in store for
them.
The CONSERVATION at the fort can well
be imagined The fathers of the girls
soon returned, and, before the night
closed in Daniel Boone, at the head of a
party on foot, and Richard Galloway, at
the head of party on horseback, were
off in pursuit. In Boone's party were
Samuel Henderson, John Holder, and
Flanders Galloway. AS Henderson
strobe along he was thinking of the olive
checked heroine, BETSY Galloway; and
Holder clenched his hands and ground
his teeth when he thought Of poor little,
frightened Fanny, and Flanders Gala
way almost forgot his kith and kin for
thinking of his captured Jemima Boone
We can easily smile over it now, but let
young men and ask himself how he would
feel in such pursuit.
When the Indians started with the
girls they made the younger ones take off
their shoes and put on moccasins, but
Betsy refused to take off her shoes, and
as she walked along she ground her heel
into the soil to leave trail. Noticing
this, the Indians made the whole party
walk apart and deviate from the course,
so as to wade through the water and de-
stroy the trail. Then the undaunted
Betsy broke off twigs and dropped them
along the road; and when the savages
threatened her with uplifted tomahawk if
she persisted in this, she secretly tore off
portions of her dress and dropped them
on the road.
BoOne's party soon found the trail and
followed it rapidly, fearing that the girls
might grow weary and he put to death
All Sunday night and all Monday the
pursuit was kept up. On Tuesday morn
ing slender column of smoke was seen
in the distance and the experienced eye
of the hunter detected the camp Ct the
Indians. 4 serious difficulty nov pre-
scented itself How were the captives to
be rescued without giving ;he captors
time to kill them There was little time
for reflection, as the Indians must quickly
discover their presence. The white men
were sure shots and so they picked their
men, fired upon them, and then rashed
into the camp to the rescue. AT the mo-
ment of attack the girls were sitting at
the foot of a tree Betsy with red ban
danna handkerchief thrown over her
head, while the heads of Fanny and Je-
NINA were reclining in her lap. Betsy's
olive complexion came near serving her
bad turn at this Juncture, for one d the
rescuing party coming suddenly upon her
mistook her for an Indian, and was about
to knock her brains cut with the butt of
his rifle when a frindly hand interrened
and saved the.girl from meeting her Heath
Just at The moment when she saw liberty
within her reach.
The father and gallants carried their
loved ones home In triumph, and this
romance of real life in Kentucky CEN
tuary ago would not be complete without
the information that the dreams OF love
and happiness that were so cruelly dis
turbed, were subsequently all realized.
Brave Betsy Galloway became Mrs. Sam
uel Henderson, and lives to tell the story
of her capture to her children's children.
Little Fanny became Mrs. John Holder,
and Flanders Galloway took to his home
Jemima Boone, and thus cementel the
friendly ties of the Boones and Gala
ways. 1t is long time ago, nigh IN to
a hundred years; and all the actSrs in
the romance have long since departed,
but their memory is green with many of
us yet, ind we can all well afford to give
few thoughts to the event that marked
their characters and the times in which
they lived.