Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1876-06-10
THE INVISIBLE FOE.


I Most readers of frontier history are IA
J miliar with the story of the Indian who,
| by Initiating the cry of the wild turkey,
| lurcd several pioneers from Fort Wheel
ing to the vicinity of his hiding place
among the rocks, and within the fatal
7 range of his rifle. rH
] "A circumstance equally romantic Oc-
CURED century ago, on the banks ofJa-
: rUb's Greek, near the MOnOugahela, in
southwestern Pennsylvania. The Indi-
ans iil,l retired far to the westward of the
river, aud the settlers upon its eastern
shores cleared their lands aud planted
I tiirir crops with feelings of security -
/ Tue comparative immunity which this To-
I Cality enjoyed from savage outragcs
/ greatly encouraged the growth of the set
tlepent.
But in those days the red men often
halted i'm their Inevitable Journey toward
the setting sun, aud in mardutiing bands,
/ small squads, threes and twos-some-
time even sihgly-came back, Ike a bad
penny. to plague those who had fancied
thcut-e Ives rid Of them forever; and the
lat general alarm ia the settlement in
question was caused 10y tire mysterious
affair of this nature | am about to relate
The sound Of the axe WIS heard in The
clrariugs. aud the corn was growing in
the fields; the ds'esTs of tho log houses
were Opeu to welcome the summer breeze {;
AAlt blnt Nitltkf slSffntlHH IN lHnIi<tlE
wrcaths from a hundred rude chimneys; !;
aud many Il tired farmers wife, and rud-
dy rustic maid, with cheerful face. busted
herself about the household duties OF her
new home, when CONSERVATION and alarm
fell upon the settlement.
The Indian assassin had come into the
midst of the unsuspeCting settlers, and
killed and scalped ono of their number,
leaving his body to be found in a lonely
raxipa fhrnrrori.
flowed on its way to the Mouongahela.
The citizens were in arms, aud secured
the woodlands on both sides of the river.
for miles around, 10 find no trace of the
dusky assassin.
1t was generally believed thag "a single
savage or two had ercpt back into the
neighbOrhOOd for one more sweet morsel
of revenge on the pale-fIce, before going
far into the Western wilds forever.
This was about the time that Logan,
the MiHgO chief, formerly warm friend
of the whites, was so inUcnscd agsinst
them, together with his tribe, by the mas
sicrc of his family and other peaceIblc
Indians, by Captain Grcathouse and his
party.
\ few days after th tragcIss on Ja-
cob's Creek, 4 second settlerse w:pisSing,
and when q scarch was made, j lmutila-
ted body was also found in the same lone
y
like his unfortunate neighbor, TO search
for straying cattle,
The startled community again armed
aud secured the forests as before, but to
no purpose. The only traces left by the
assassin were those OF hia rifle and scalp
ing-knife.
\ week later third settler was muir
dered, and another humble home was the
scene of mourning.
'Hpf.rpr Spiyf,f unnr1 tho rtappIe and "a
Interpretations thrill crept into their
midst. Men went to the fields with load
cd rifles, and wives shuddered to see them
pass out of their sight. "
Al the time OF which | write, a rowing
Irishman, known as Jim Mallory, who
had spent ten years ON the frontier, made
his hOHlc with one of the earliest settlers
Ou the banks OF Jacobs Creek, man
uanicd Walters, many OF whose dcsceu-
dants still live ON the very lands To which
he established the first civilized claim.
Jim divided his time between working
in The cie'irings aud limiting game, and
was noted for his skill a "a nITksman.
When the mysterious assassin came in
To the settlement, and proceeded, with
such frightful deliberation, To decimate
ihc numbers of the frOutiersmen, he
joined eagerly in the search, yearninS
Tor a possibility of getting tlIe merciIesS
Zoe within range Of his rifle.
one day, Mr.. Walters missed a favor
Ite steer from among his cattle, and sup-
posing that it had wandered toward the
river, asked Jim to go in search OF it, gsi-
ding:
But look out for thar red-skin. 1
don't want you to get killed, and would
not ask you TO go, only you 80 cut every
day or two, anyhow, and try to get scalp
ed"
''Oh, bother the fear have % that In
jun" Jim replied, as he shOuldered his
rifle. "If he's gOin' to shoot any more
of us, it might well be me, for I've no
wife, 60 be cryin after me, nor ehilder,
ayther."
"StilI, there's people would lie sorry
if anything happened you, jim"
That may be true; but somehow I'm
| thinkin' I'll be one 10 tend that ugly
crIyture's buryin' yet
With characteristic Indifference 10 dan
! ger, Jim started of down the valley, aud
/ an hour later was picking his way along
/ the shores Of the creek, quite beyoud The
/ bouDdS Of the settlement.
/ On either hand were high, steep hills.
| which came nearerand nearer together
/ as he advanced down that lonely valley
/ in the direction of the locality that had
proved fatal to three i'll -fated settlers.
He looking carefully about him now,
and stopped at short intervals and listen
[ ed iutently. Finally he heard the sound
| of a bell, such rs the settlers often fixed
to the necks Of cattle and sheep, that they
might bc more easily found when they
had wandered far away through the
I lonely woods.
"Bedad,' he muttered, that's the
I haste, Didn't know the bell was on hin
/ though. Thought it was on the brindle.
He moved on down the creek, in the
direction of the sound, but il soon ceased
lie stopped To listen, aud heard auOth-
/ er faint tinkle He pushed on, and a few