The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1880-03-17
MISCELLANY.
AN INDIAN STORY.

mo PAfO Win iOde Coubctt WHiio ~uo lOOktu
upon the waters of the Ohio aud watched the
passing up and down the river of steamboats,
and vessels whose broad sails were filled by
the sail winds that came from the direction of
Lake Erie, sweeping across the State in fitful
currents.
John Harvey was man verging upon three
score and ten. His hair was white, and his
face somewhat wrinkled, but he was yet erect
of carriage-a stalwart looking man, who, in
his youth and prime, must have been active
and powerful-a very Hercules in form and
strength.
john boasted being one of the early pioneers
of Ohio. He early entered that wild country
and commenced in the woods clearing home
for himself and his young wife--a very at
tractive girl she must have been when she
first became Mary Harvey, for even at the
time of which am writing when she was
well past her sixtieth birthday, she still pre-
sented the appearance of having been beau
tful. Her eyes were yet bright, large, and
black, and when at all excited, she looked
like what she had proved herself, daring
woman-just such a one as a pioneer would
wisely select to accompany him into strange
land, into the Wilderness to be his friend and
helpmate in more ways than one.
"When Mary and l first came into this
wilderness" said John, as he removed his to-
bacco from his lips, and looked up toward his
wife, who was standing near him, partly rest.
ing her body by placing it against the side of
his great, homemade arm chair, " it was full
of lndians-treacherou fellows they were, too
but they've all gone they've just died out
melted away as snow disappears before the
heat of the sun, and as silently. They came
very near settling me-" he added, after a
short pause. +" 1t was when had built my
cabin, and commenced to fix up bit. And
but for Mary here, guess they'd have finish
ed me-"
" Tell me the story, grandfather, said.-
had heard something of it before, but not
in detail from his or grandnloher's lips.
g Well it happened in this wise, he began,
"when | entered the wilderness, thought
I'd act justly toward the red men, and see il
| couldn't buy hundred or two acres of land
they owned. By doing this hoped to secure
their friendship, and thus save me from flu
ture trouble or danger. At the time the viii
lage of the Indians was placed at the mouth
of the Licking River in Kentucky, just OPP
posite where Cincinnati now is. Well, | saw
the head men of the Ohio tribe, and for a
dozen blankets, "a lot Of cured tobacco, pow
der, shot, some old hats and clothes-they
wanted whiskey, but | wouldn't give it to
them-they sold me nearly a thousand acres.
1t was just the land wanted. Everything
was done in good faith returned to my
cabin. Mary was with me- and we went to
work to make things homelike and comfort
able for, you see, we expected to have
pleasant surroundings.
" Well things went very nicely for nearly
two months /; the Indians didn't come near
us, and we supposed from that they consider
ed our land sacred where they had no right to
enter. But at the end of the second month
trouble came upon us in a heap. 1t grew out
of accident. | was in the woods hunting, and
perceived an object moving cautiously in the
distance, having covering ON it that looked
like the skin of black bear, thought I'd
have shot at it. Covering the animal as
supposed it to be, pulled the trigger, and
when I'd lowered my rifle, the smoke clearing
away, | saw it lying on the ground motionless.
| hurried up to it, and to my surprise, found
had killed an Indian of considerable reputa-
ton as brave or sunchief. He had, | sup
posed, put on the bears skin the better to
hunt. 1t was a: common practice among the
red men. | carried the body of the dead man
]
friends. When | own there was groauing
and sulen looks turned upon me. However,
l returned unframed to my house, and short
ly after number of Indian bucks followed
and carried away the corps but not until they
had examined the place where the ball had
entered the bears skin and the dead Indians
body. For several days after this unfortunate
event could see Indians lowering about the
place, but paid no attention to them sup
posing they we're hunting and fishing or gath
ering nuts. As | felt the killing of the In
dian was an accident. supposed that they
were of the like opinion. But it was soon to
be undeceved.
i must here say that my wife had, by
practice, become accustomed to the rifle, and
was as good shot as myself. She has killed
deer and other large game that l had failed
to bring down. But the time Of which am
speaking she was very unwell.
I" One day, quite late-it was near shutdown
II was chopping wood at a good distance
from the house. Just as l was about to throw
my axe on my shoulder and trudge home
ward--the shadows of the trees gradually be-
coming longer and the light duller--I heard
the breaking of dry twigs near me, as if some
one was cautiously treading on them look
ed about me, but could see nothing. Now it
happened did that day what l bad never
done before forgot to take my rife with
me.
When had got about half way on my
journey | found myself in very dark and
dense piece of woodland, but thinking no
harm trudged into it, singing to pass the
time. | had just about got into the heart of
this wood, when | found myself suddenly sur
rounded by fitting, dancing figures. stop
ped and watched these shadows, not imagin-