Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-08-06
ELIZABETH ZANE.
A TALE OF WESTERN VIRGINIA IN
THE COLONIAL PERIOD.
HOW FORT HENRY WAS RELIEVED BY
THE DARING OF A YOUNG LADY.

j. E. COOKE 3 STORIES OF tle Olu
We have now reached the period OF
the American revolution but before L
speak of some great events which took
place in Eastern Virginia, l have two
or three remarkable stories 20 tell you
of fighting in the woods Of the West.
In this country, along the Ohio, every
thing was quite different. In Lower
Virginia the people were generally large
landholders, who lived in comfort, if
not in luxury. Their houses were ex-
cellent, and they had servants to wait
ON them. and travelled in coaches, and
wore rich clothes, and altogether led
very agreeable lives. Their wives and
daughters were tenderly cared for, and
the boys were not brought up to work
with their own hands life was passed
in peace and enjoyment, and the laws
protected every one fiom injury. If a
robber or murder was committed, there
was the constable to arrest the criminal,
and the wbipping-post or gallows to
punish him. On Sunday the families
went TO church in their carriages the
Young men rode fine horses and visited
The young ladies'; entertainments were
often given, at which the ladies and
gentlemen dressed in silks and velvets ;
and altogether the old-time Vlrginians
of the Tide.water region, as it was call
ed, led as pleasant lives, perhaps, as
any people ever did in this world.
Over the mountains toward the Ohio
things were very different, as l have
told you. The country was thinly set
tied, and covered with great woods,
from which peeped up here and there,
the few log forts Of the settlers, built to
defend them from the sayages, who
were lurking in the forests around. The
men who lived in these log houses or
forts were brave fellows from Lower
Virginia, or Maryland, or Pennsylvania
and they dressed in hunting-shirts, and
had no servants to wait on them, and
they had to protect themselves and their
families and this they did with their
knives and rifles. They supported their
families by hunting and tilling the soil
with their own hands, and were not
able to educate their children or afford
them luxuries. This probably did the
young people good, however as they
learned to take care Of themselves.
They were happy and contented, if the
Indians would only let them alone
Thus they grew up to be brave and in
dependent. And there never was a
finer race of men than these hunters OF
the border. The very women and chill
dren were cool and determined, as they
showed on hundred occasions {; andin
a story l shall now tell you, 1 will re-
late a brave action performed by bor-
der girl, whose name deserves to be
recorded in history.
Before telling you this remarkable
story, however, l will say few words
of the border boys. They were as brave
as their fathers, and not only worked for
the family but took part in fighting the
Indians when they came to attack them.
The name Of one of these boys was
Lewis Wetzel. His father lived near
Wheeling, on the Ohio river, and Lewis
soon learned to use his rifle and hunt
like a man. AS he thought it might be
useful to him some day, he taught him
selfto load his gun while running. He
did this with an eye TO the Indians
The borderers often had to run from
them, so that when the Indians pursued
him he might fire back at them, and
then load without stopping.
One day, when Lewis was about l3
years old, he and his younger brother,
Jacob, who was about IL, went Off into
the woods to hunt. Here they came
upon some Indians, and, OF course, ran
as soon as they saw them but the In
dians fired upon the boys and wounded
Lewis in the breast and captured them
both. They took them along with them
into the great woods beyond the Ohio,
ant marched for two days. At last
the second night came, and the Indians
lay down to sleep. AS they considered
the boys mere children they did not tie
them or watch them very closely, and
Lewis determined to attempt an escape.
He therefore waited until the Indians
were asleep, and then whispered to hi:
little brother that he must get up and
20 with him. At first little Jacob was
afraid, but Lewis persuaded him to
try, and they stole of quietly until
they were one hundred yards in the
woods. Lewis then sat down on log
and said TO Jacob:
well, we can't 60 home barefooted
will go back and get pair of mocca-
suns for each Of us'--moccasins, you
know, being a sort Of Indian shoes made
of deer akin,