The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-11-05

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I sboTId otscr 70 plsee the evidence Of The
! $500 o. Nh. Su-ke.t beside Ms. Cru
Rer's or Mrs.. Iist, bat know no reason
Ehy ] Ehogid besitstR t9- ; raonent
tCSnpsrisons are oaiOus and make none
Unf6rtunately hare no statement a Ma
Burkett % snhnif, bat believe JGGse
Cranmer has some information from her
Ehieh be vii doubtless incorporate IN bis
history, md Is the good lady s now dead,
the Jndge WIN Sc thEe her ehzrGe.er 4
not wantonly asperssl Mr.. Se1t+ s
ra4n Of eh4rar4er and integrity whose yer-
aeity s unousstioned and challenge Mr..
NeSleehen 70 attempt It's impeachment
His charge 7sb14 I -ungenerDusly Il.
itenpted 70 Ess1l Mrs CruSer Ter1dfy
Z untrue. ] never mentioned her rerad-
~. and though referred 70 the eTldenee
| n nv possession, some Of which z PIE
sentsd above, showing that aboCt lSSe Ars-
Cruger had given = different and contra
dicory statement to that Published n
1873. ] expressly retained from ehar1c-
terizing the discrepancy BY any expression
or inuendo. simply stated 4 taet, on
evidence, and the fnferenee most people
would draw from my words might Be 70
the det-inent Of her memory IN 1879 nth
e than her yeradty.
/ cannot aaswer NJ. MeMeehea's con-
uDdrum vhy the '-Zanes have not gSen
the world , true history OF tie seYe o;
Fort Henry" Perhaps they were satiSbed
\ with the accepted histories Published N
their time. Perhaps they preferred th4f
impartial persons, Ike those who had A.
ready written should nagrzte their achieve
/ ments rather than vE1nt their oEn pr1:ses-
PERHAPS they were Indifferent TO the mat
ter, Is seems to be tnmily Filling. Per
| hans they we're not 4s ready with their
pens a With their rides Perhaps they
didn't know that Mr. CrugeF, long years
after they we're al dead, would come out
with : new statement Perhaps they
didn't think that in the year Of grace 1875
Mr.. james h MeMechen would settle
down 70 digging over their graves, and r1k-
ing among their ashes, asking, Why?
I turn gladly from these personal and
offensive masters, which ne very unoon-
genial 70 my habits and tastes. TO the con-
sdeE7tion Of
IHE HISTORICAL 0CETIoS.
SOt that there i really any question about
which there can be Gny doubt or dispute,
bot because the mass Of our people who
are not IN possession Of the early histories
of those times, one Of which n least i :
rare and costly work, they might easily be
misled BY the attempt 70 tOist into our
annals statements a. variance with the
truth shall give therefore the accounts
Of two Of these early writers for the INFORM
ation OF the plblir, accompanied with some
eorrubOrative evidence which Easgathered
some time ago In the interest Of 4 project
ed Eoyk-though shall reserve portion
Of nv materials for future use.
Il viii be Obvious 70 al unprejudieed
minds, think that IN matters OF history
the earliest Published account Of the event,
! Il made in the life time Of the actors n0St
nearly concerned and in the neishbor-
hood Of Ill Who we're personally eognifaat
Of the event nnst be held, when unoon-
tradietAd or unQuestioned II the time Of
publieStiOu, IS the correct account The
presumption i always in tzvOE Of the &C
count most nearly ooniemPorsne0ls with
the event. For L i hiriy to Be inferred
tha1 their sources Of information are more
annie, the events tresheE IN memory, and
the opportunities for correction and Cr!ti-
cism, or Of protest by interested parties
such a. viii insure entire accuracy. Il re-
Guines Overwhelming evidence 70 over
throw or impeaeh successfully, In sIbse-
quenr years, history 50 written and pub
kshad IN the very presence Of the parties
concerned
The only hiSory containing narrative
Of our early settlement, which falls within
the prescribed rules, and OF which hare
any knowledge, Is "WitheEs Chronicles Of
q Il
published account, in book form, OF the
Two ieses Of FOEt Henry, and the events
connected Herewith. So tsE, At least, Is
the Powder Exploit Is concerned, al
the parties, in any way interested In the
correct narrative Of that episode Of one OF
the ieges, were living At the time Of rs
publication, and for several years alter
Eard. AT that date Elizabeth Zane, Mrs..
Cr1rsr. Molly Scot1 and many other IN
naatlss Of the For, gho we're Witnesses OF
the exploit, were al living In Wheeling
or It's immAiise vicinity. Erom the fAet
that names are gwen and their location and
duties Il the tune Of the siege, Il can Dc
safely inferred that these faets were gath
cred from the parties themselves The
publication ms have been generally
known a, an iRtonned, 1t exsitod nueh
Interest and, in some cases, vas used Is ;
reading book in schools.
The author, Colonel Alexander s. With
erS. / understand, belonged 70 the VIZ
giniA family Of that name, of which the
present United StStes Senator Withers, Of
Virginia, i Distinguished member. He
came IVES. 70 write the history Of the
western portion Of VirginiS, and spent
several yeacs gathering materials. S1hse-
auent historians have drawn their most
important data from him. His work
shows him to have been 4 careful, indus
trions, conscientious and PainsiSling his
torian, While his style and especially bis
long introduction 70 the work, exhibits the
culture Of 3 fne classical scholar and = well
informed man.
Be5oE copy his accounted
mn sE1oE OF lTss
'i0n the frst Of September iITS2I, John
Lynn q celebrated spy, and the same EhO
had been with Capt Foreman n the time
Of the htal ambUscade It Gr1Te Creek be
ing engaged IN watching the va-Ti0c
paths, northwest Of the Ohio, discovered
the Indians marching With great expedi-
ton for Wheeling, and fastened to VAN
the inhabitants q the danger which vas
threatening them, swan the rTer, and
reached the village but alItEie While before
the savage army made itsaPpearanoe- The
Fort was n tbs ttme without any regular
garrison, and depsnded for defence s1elI-
siyely upon the exerti0ns Of those who
sought security within It's E1lls. Inc brief
spacs Of time which elapsed between the
alarm By Lynn and the arrival Of the In
dams permitted only those ShO were I'M
mediaiely present 70 retire into It, and
when the attack vas begun 70 be made
there we're not within is palisades twenty
effective men TO oppose the assault The
dwelling house al Col. E6sneEer Zane,
standing about forty yards from the Fort,