Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-08-06
Lewis stole back To the nlace where


them on and Lewis next said:
Now will go back and get fathers
gun, and then we'll start"
He stole of again, creeping along the
ground and listening until he got to the
savages and there, lying by them, was
his fathers gun, which he caught up
and brought back with him. The boys
then started at once for home, but had
not gone far before they heard the In
dams running after them. They began
to run themselves, but they heard the
Indians coming nearer and nearer. As
it was bright moonlight night Lewis
knew that they would be seen very
soon, so he told his brother what he
must do. Their only chance, he said,
was to hide until the Indians went BY,
and this they did. Lewis pulled Jacob
into some bushes, and they crouched
down and waited. They soon saw the
Indians running past them, as they did
not know that the boys had stopped to
hide and then Lewis told his brother
to come on-they must follow behind
the Indians. They did this for some dis
tance, but soon heard the Indians COM
ing back. They then hid again, and
waited until the savages had passed
and then Lewis and little Jacob hurried
on, and safely reached home, after
dodging two of the savages who follow
ed them on horseback, IN the same
manner as before.
This was brave adventure for mere
boys, and what made it nobler still, in
the case of young Lewis was his dan
cerous wound. Of this he made no
complaint to his little brother but
when they crossed the OHIO river on a
raft they made, and got back home, the
boy was nearly dead. He recovered,
however, and became a great Indian
fighter and you will some day read
the stories about him and others, and
see what hard lyes they led, and how
fearless they were.
l might tell you a number OF these
stories of bloody fighting, but | doubt i
1t is we'll to fill the minds Of boys with
such things. 1t is apt to excite them
and make them wish TO do likewise, for
which there is now no necessity. What
| have told you was to show the cour-
age of the border boys, which oaght to
be known; and these anecdotes will
give you an idea of the times. The old
histories are full of fighting, bat 1 can
not stop to tell you of all the instances
of Indian cruelty. One related in these
old books will give you good idea OF
them.
An Indian seized Mrs. Scott the
book SAYS, and ordered her to par
ticular spot, and not 10 move; others
stabbed and cut the throats of the three
smaller children IN their bed, and alter
ward lifting them up, dashed them upon
the floor near their mother; the eldest,
a beautiful girl eight years old, awoke,
escaped out of the bed, ran 10 her par
ent. and with the most plaintiye accents,
cried, 'Oh mamma! mamma! save
me = The mother, in tue deepest an
guish of spirit, and with q flood of tears,
entreated the savages to spare her child !;
but, with brutal ferceness, they toma-
hawked and stabbed her in her mothers
arms
If you will try to think how you would
have felt if this little girl had been your
sister, you will understand the feeling
of the border people toward the savages.
They hated them bitterly, and never
saw an Indian without longing to put a
bullet through him as if he had been a
venomous reptile. They and the red
skins hunted each other, and every fight
was a life and death affair. The hunt
ers knew that they would be scalped,
and the Indians that they would have
their brains dashed out if they were
overcome and this made the fights on
the border so desperate.
Twill come now to the particular in
cident which l set out to relate-the
attack en- Wheeling fort, and the fear.
less act of young girl on that occasion.
This took place in l777, which was
called the year of the three sevens,
and was one of the darkest hours of the
Revolution. The English aud Ameri-
cans were at war, and the struggle had
become bitter. The British forces were
more numerous than those of the Amer
leans; and to make matters worse, the
English had persuaded the Indians to
ioin with them and attack the frontier
settlements. They supplied them with
muskets, and paid them, and even oierN
ed certain sum of money, it is said,
for every white mans scalp.
Such was the state of affairs at the
time when the incident l will now re-
late took place. The English had a
number of forts toward Canada. on the
lakes, and Fort Detroit was the most
important Of these, 1t was command
ed by Colonel Hamilton, Governor OF
Canada, and he was the chief agent Of
the British in stirring up the Indians. l
will have more to say Of him hereafter.
At present I will tell you Of his scheme
to get possession Of Fort Henry, at
Wheeling, in Northwestern Virginia.
This was an important border fort,
and a small village o. about twenty-five
log houses had sprung up around it,
These were occupied by the settlers
when time. were quiet; but as soon as
a report came that the Indians were
approaching, the settlers fastened into
,Lo Co,.f with fheir wivos and children