The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-08-21
A TnoRouaH WHEELING AND OHIO
COUNTY ROMANCE.
simon olrly. .rhe white savaEe.r


For nearly d score Of years, during the
early pioneer history OF America, Simon
Girty figured as the raw.head.and.bloody-
bones Of the western border. From his
renegade flight from Fort Pitt (now Pitts.
burgh) in ITS down 70 Mad Anthony
Wayne's battle OF the Fallen Timbers in
1904 in Western Ohio, when and where
the power and conference OF the conled-
Grated Ohio tribes were forever broken,
Girty and his two brothers, George and
James, were the scourge OF the Virginia
and Pennsylvania borders. Scarce
mRraud, massacre or scalping foray oc.
Cured in those thoublous and turbulent
times but what the Girtys, all living
among and operating with the savages,
were the actual or reputed instigators.
The dreaded name was q perpetual terror
in every frontier cabin, the mere mention
Of which would cause woman's cheeks to
blanCh and children's hair to stand with
fear. The hated name Is even yetabhorred
by the numerous descendants OF the
old pioneers and by all students OF West.
ern history. In Ohio, West Virginia and
Pennsylvania many localities are called
after Girty aud the name is familiar as q
household word.
And yet, as with many another historic
celebrity, the truth about this notorious
character is very little known, or is so
largely mingled with mere fable as to be
utterly unreliable. It is high time the
man should be made to stand out in his
truecolors. With this end in view Charles
Mcknight, ESQ.,, the well known border
historian and author OF "0ur Western
Border" "Old Fort Duquesne," ETC., has
written q reliable historical romance, with
title as above, which has recently been
brought out and is now in the hands Of
agents. II is a common saying tnai
"the devil is not SO black as he Is painted"
and so with Simon Girty: The author dis
covered, by carefully sitting border chron'
icles and pioneer stories and through cor
respondence with those best posted IN thai
deeply exciting branch Of American histo-
tory, that Girty had really adouble char
acter; that he was not all or always bad,
and that for many OF the massactes and
atrocities OF which for long years he has
stood the reputed author, he was In no
; wise or partially to blame, his more savage
and truculent brothers being the real per-
Eiiriy was, Il is true, thorough savage,
both BY nature and training, but he was
Ialso brave and honest, and had many
redeeming traits, and when not maddened
by LIQUOR, was amiable and good.hearted,
performing some kind and humane &C.
lions. Especially Gid the author find q
hitherto unsupported vein OF romance
running through the desperado's life-that
he had once truly loved and married Ger.
tain Kate Malott, who was very reputably
connected and at one time reputed to be
the prettiest girl in Detroit.
The chief characters who figure in this
, romance are all well.known border celeb
rites: Betty Zane, Drusilla swearinsen
and Lydia Boggs Of the Virginia borders
OF males, there are besides Girty himself
3 the Zanes who founded Wheeling, the
Wetzells, the two Poes. Captain Sam Bra
8 dy, Simon Kenton, Major John Rose, Col
| VIM. Crawford and others. OF Indian
!. leaders, Killbuck, Captain Pipe, Wing
8 round, etc. The object OF the author has
i been not only to please, but to instruct
faithfully following reliable border history
written and unwritten, and in no case
!. doing violence TO truth or probability
His simple aim has been to dress history
a to advantage and every day details with 9
q drapery OF attractive interest. Thus thiE
: romance has, 1t is believed, more sub
stance and realism than is ordinary will
fctions, and its readers will not only bt
:. deeply interested in Its stirring passages
but also acquainted with some OF the mos
= extraordinary characters in all American
y history. Agents wanted by ]. o. Orr 4
: Co., Pittsburgh, Pa, or Wheeling, VIVA