Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1880-06-22

MIR. Cra1g,S pafSOn OF the I1nKllng
Spring congregation. A classical edu
cation was not attempted, because Will
liam was thought to be too much grown.
However, an excellent course of history
mathematics, and penmanship was af-
forded. Colonel Patton had then the
affairs of the mountain region of Vir-
ginia entrusted to him by Governor
Dinwiddie. His sister, Mrs. Preston,
was induced to remove to (Hanger's)
Judge Baldwin's seat, for the purpose OF
affording her son the opportunity of
posting merchants books and doing
whatever writing bis brother needed.
Colonel Patton left his seat and removed
to Staunton and lived in his sisters
house. Shortly afterwards he was sent
to Longstown. somewhere near Pitts
burg, to make treaty with the North
western Indians. William Preston,
then eighteen years of age, was made
his private secretary. I remember to
have read Colonel Patton's journalf
written by himself, with the speeches Of
Ocanostoto, the old Mingo chief. After
peace was made Colonel Patton came
up to the now extreme western coun-
ties of this State. He located all the
fine lands of Upper James river, Ca
tawba, and the Amsterdam lands in
Botetourt county He then came to
North Roanoke (Strouble's creek) en-
bracing the Blacksburg lands and
Smithfield, the present seat of Governor
James Patton Preston. After that he
came to Burke's Garden and the Rich
Valley, on Holston, on which the cele-
brated salt works of Mrs. Sally Preston
and Mr.. William King are situated.
Colonel Patton tried to rally the set
tiers to defend the country from the in
roads of the Indians on the frontiers of
Virginia. This he was unable to effect.
All the settlers from South Holston to
South Roanoke left the country and
went below the Blue Ridge. Patton
maintained his ground-as did Colonel
William Ingles, Philip Barger, and
Philip Lybrook-on Sinking creek. On
the 9Th day OF July, it being Sunday, a
party of Indians came up the Kanawha,
thence to Sinking creek, thence to
Stronble's creek; Ingles and Draper
were living at Solitude, the present res
idence of Colonel Robert T. Preston !;
Barger half mile nearer to the noun
tain. The Indians came to Barger's,
cut his head off and put it into a bag
(Barger was very old MANI; then
came to Ingles's and Draper's, killed
old Mrs. Draper and two children of
Colonel Ingle's, by knocking their brains
out on the ends of the cabin logs. Took
Mrs Ingles and her son Thomas, a boy
of ten years of age, prisoners, as well as
his sisterin law, Mrs. Draper, who was
trying to make her escape with her in
FAINT in her arms. but was shot at by the
Indians, who broke her arm, in cOnse-
quence of which her infant was dropped.
The Indians caught il up and dashed its
brains out on the end of the cabin logs.
Colonel Patton that morning, after
having dressed himself in his uniform,
and getting his nephew William Pres
ton TO sew up in the fob of his small
clothes thirty English guineas, told him
to go to Sinking creek, to get LybrOok
to help to take OFF the harvest, which
was then ready to cut. Preston went
very early, After breakfast Colonel
Patton had sat down to his table to
write. The Indian warwhoop was
raised, and some five or six of them sur
rounded the cabin to set it on fire. The
colonel always kept his sword on the
table. He rushed to the door with it in
hand and encountered two of them. Pat
ton was almost gigantic in size. He cut
two of them down. In the meantime
another warrior had leveled his gun,
fired and killed the brave old pioneer,
Patton fell !; the Indians ran off in the
thicket and made their escape before
any pursuers could be brought to-
gether. Lybrook and Preston came
through the mountains by an unfre-
quented route; arrived at Smithfield,
then called Draper's Meadows, where
they found Patton, Mrs. Draper, the
mother of Mrs. Ingles, and the children
buried. The whole settlement was de
stroyed. The Indians on their return
stopped at Ly brooks, told old Mrs Ly-
brook they had killed two men, one
woman, and three children, and directed
her to look in the bag and she would see
an old friend. She Immediately recog-
nized the head of Philip Barger, who
was then aged and very gray. Mrs.
Ipgles, her eldest son, "a boy of ten
years of age. and Mrs. Draper, her sis
ter-in-law, were taken to the Indian
towns on the other side of the Ohio
river. They travelled down the Kanaw-
ha, or, as it is sometimes called, New
River, and went through the northeast
ern part of Kentucky. Mrs. Ingles in
three nights after her capture gave
birth to daughter. Her sister-in-law
had been traded off to another tribe of
Indians, as was her son. Three months
after the birth of her child she determ-
ined to run off from the Indians, who
were dreadfully barbarous to her. An
other strong impulse, the desire to re-
turn to her husband, made her under
take q journey unparalleledin the Incl
cidents of pioneer life. She and a
Dutch woman who was taken from the
upper part of the Ohio. determined to
run away from the towns. Mrs. Ingles
left her child ina bark cradle asleep,
knowing that as soon as she was missed
the Indians would kill the Infant.
"A series of remarkable events oc-
Cured to them on the route. Mrs. In
giles kept by the water courses till she
got to the Ohio river, when she and the
Dutch woman tied logs together with a
grapevine, made raft, andcrossed the
stream. They were near perishing with
hunger, and lived on blackberries, sas-
safras leaves, frogs, and in one instance
ate snake, which they had found dead !;
also raccoon in an advanced stage of
decomposition. All means failing, a
proposition was made that lots should
be cast to decide which of them was to
be eaten by the other. The lot fell on
MIS-. ICSy WAO UNDERSTANDING AcI
travelling companion's temper. prom
ised her sum of money if she would
refrain from killing her. Col Ingles
was rich man, and this had the desired
effect. The Dutch woman forbore. Mrs.
Ingles, however, slipped off, leaving
the woman to find her way as she could
After many weeks travelling Mrs. In
giles arrived at Ingles's Ferry, on the
New river, the then residence of Colonel
Ingles. She was afterwards the mother
of highly respectable family, who
have always been distinguished for
bravery and honesty. Her grandchil
dren's children live on the place which
she made such wonderful efforts to re-
turn to. These transactions took place
in the year'of Braddock's defeat. Mrs,
Ingles lived to very great age. have
seen her, fifty years ago, at Baptist
Association, thirty milds from her
home. She was then eighty years DID,
looked florid and erect.
X
"Mr. Draper desires to know whatever
particulars of my father, Colonel Viii.
liam Preston, 1 may have knowledge
of. He was the only son of John Pres
ton and Elizabeth Patton, and was born
in ireland, in the town of Newton, Lii