The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-03-26
ROASTED IN LOG HEAP
.r ONE OF THE GIkTYs' WHO
II WAS HI:
of the GIriy Family OF Ken
Aee".,e.-Iudian Barbari'ies To-
.ard our Early Border Set
,,er.-nary noore-fhe
captive Of ADDS
VALLEY.
r,,,s AND CURIOUS TRADI.
81 TIONs.

xitp the rapid nighI vi 'inlo' 'N0 "SN
~. Of the present day, who are the
manning li,ks of connection between
h.e.,ly frOntiersmen and the present
generation. are passing away ;'.d.,. AID ~'Il u;
Fam many an interesting incident o.
nv, ,s-iIous days, when every man car
n. life in his hand, is lost beyond re-
~, It is the duty, therefore, o1
.a 'O' who know any unrecorded events
,bs history Ct the western portion OF
- r.c,pptry, to preserve them in some
n.,sp, form. Hence this article.
:, the early frontier history of Vir-
II ,,v characters stand out more
s.U,"DiD.p,ly against so dark back,
Po.,s a. Simon Girty, "the renegade,
EIT'; 81, bro,hers The Girtys were OF
Snl ns.cept, their father having emf
..,a4 from ireland to PennsyIvanis
g",1-lo, Every authority says that
.s,,.r VA, msu of bad character
'Lo T,.cluts habits. "rhe old man
o.. o., bes.tiv Incorporate. A jug OF
-, VIZ: the extent Ot his ambition.
M,ng % was hi, song, and grog would ne
"a BIZ. so.tlsnness turned his VIE
.sc,,on S. Ready for seduction, she yield
49, neisL boring rustic. This rustic
"n,4s-qd y the old man, and the Wldo"
'-m.5i tely married her psramour-
,n,g, 1854 and tneJ removed to the
s,,rane frontier
,tv had four sons-Thomas, Simon,
c,s and james. These were all
,.son prIsoners by the Indians, and,
~i,n the exception Of Thomas, who sub
,,oT.o,lv escaped, they were all adop:ed
info d,ticrprt Indian tribes. Thomas,
wro had been cap.ured at Fort G'ahvli''
"a, re.cusd by Go slel Armstrong Ill
,-;s vb.r ne took KrttanlnS. Pa Ar
.L,,, ll775. lie returned To civlI:zei
ufs and d.d, il |. supposed, IN DutIer
.,nnt, Penny vanis, 10 1870. lie WAS
o.. II Brsdy's spies 10 the ladian wars
ALERT R'vo.utlon,
G.,,ec Wa. aioo o,od By the D.lawires,
ma .rrw up with thena thorough saw
a., he remuned wi them until his
dss,b which is SAID to have occurred,
while dunk. oa the Miami or the Likes
,bou, 1918 He fought with the Indians
A. the battle of Point Pleasant James
V. .iopted By the Shawanese, and, like
G,o,ge. became entirely identified with
tssm-profcient in all their bloodthlrsty
customs, spsring neither age nor sex 10
hi, v,risre upon the white settlements,
and dslighting in torturing and practlo
lnr new methods of cruelty upon the un-
fortunate white csp!lVes who fell into ms
hands.
siuon was adopted by the Senecas, but
did not remain long with them, return
ing with his mother to the settlements.
He figures more prominently in pioneer
history than either Of his brothers. he
vss one OF the two scouts whom Lord
Dunmore sent 10 notify General Lewis
Of the proposed junction OF the two armies
Mthe Shswanase towns. And as George
with the Delawares at that time, II Is
believed lhst Simon conveyed through
him 10 ths Indians the strength and po.
Sition OF the army under Lswls, and SO
induced them TO begin that aventful bat
tie Which, resulted in the defeat OF tho
Indians at Point Pleasant in l1Ii. 1t IS
said that he Was intimate with and fire.
QueniIve .j,ycd the hospitality OF Colonel
Crawford, VITO VS. 80 fendishly tortured
in 1852.
Slmcu's subsequent history is so deeply
enshrOuded 10 the blood OF his country
men tha! the on y bright spot in his his
tory, the only fact which indicates that
one touch OF human sympathy still re-
rnained in his heart-his treatment OF
Simon K.ntOn-is scarcely RENE nbered.
When the wsr OF the Revolution began,
Simon made an effort 10 secure COM
mission in the American army, but, iaii-
Ing In this, be, in company with ELLIOTT
and Mckee and a dozen kindred spirits,
leh Pittsburgh and joined the lsdlans.
Tradition gives him the reputation ol
crest courage and cruelty. All
that j, certainly known OF him rep
r,sens him as unusually viudictive
sgsnst the Americans, and his con-
duet ST. the death OF Colonel Crawford,
who hst so often befriended him, dis
pIsyed the grossest inhumanltie', al
ihoush McCuicheon. in tho American
P'oretr, thinks otherwise. IL L: SAID,
however, that there were times when nc
Manifested tenderness of feeling and a
clnssssionat which it is difficult to
reconcile with his usually bsrbarou'
hSoli'. Albaeh SAYS he was scrupulously
honest in the payment of his debts, OF
sne occasion selling his horse to fulfill
promise 10 pay" and that it was when
under the influence OF liquor, that hi:
lear! knew no suSh emotion as mercy
FOR many years the manner and the
plsee Of the death of Simon Glrty wa:
Unknown. Albach states that II wa!
'ad he was cut TO pieces by Johnson:
mounted men At tho battle OF the
Thames.
During tGe present yesr letter sp
peafed in the Wheeling REGISTER, from
correspondent in Virginia, which
sa'ed on the authority Of the Rev
samuel Brown, Presbyterian clergy
mm OF Rockbridge county, Va, thai
olnon Glrty had been burped to desth
a"log-rolling," IN Pocthontss county
vs., BY the inturlsted citizens, who hsd
!oy accident discovered bis name, he hsv
las been Identified by son o. Mr.. Cur
renee OF Tyshsrt's Valley, who suffered
-, - Ihe hands Of Girty in years gone by
.na the young man, though boy at tbt
le Of Glrty's raid, remembered tht
.eauies OF the renegade, who WAS there
SPoa arrested and formally srrsignet
oe,o'e an eIteuporized back woods court
c-' cl' cootesslng his name to be Simon
ar'y, he was .hrust into the FIRE anc
consumed.
D 81 once addressed q letter 10 Mr.
a,".' J,'osn' masking inquiries into the truth
~ 'as statement, and received from hin
'a' following reply:
H1LRoso SPsISGs, BATH Co., VAL
July 4. 1877.
H'v and Dear Sir:
VIII Will cheeriully give you all the in
Jn.m'on l have in relation 70 tn
w'' p ol Simon Girty. Ny informan
d.. James Wood, of this county, lstel,
eased, a. the aga OF ninelv wears an