The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-02-13

news came that BIO had been taken
By the Spanlards, and was in prison at New
Orleans. Nothing was known OF the cause
Of his confinement. II was charged BY The
| Spanish autioritiestha he had i4shpd cnun.
terfeit money, but his innocence Of that was
soon established. Then Il was claimed
that be had disturbed the peace and private
relations Of Spanish family.
~ that Us II may, lao Nas kept In close
confinement and treated with great rigor
ior Two years. We have no account Ol litW
nc pissed tho time or what his exact con.
dillon wns, but he must have suffered, for
those who saw him aIierward say that his
personal appearance was much changed
after his release.
He would probably have died IN prison
had not the United States interterred and
Procured his manumission. He was car
rled to Philadelphia aud thence made his
wayto Wheeling.
LAST YEARS OF wETzRL'G LIER.
He remained at Wheeling but short
time, and again lett for New Orleans, VOW
lngvengeanceon the Spaniard, whom hs be.
lleVCd had been the cause Il lis ispr.son.
ment, Months aud months pissed and no
ttdtngs came Of him, till one day he teis.
urel sauntered into Wheeling, Where ho
had been and what ho had been doing are
unknown. He would iell nothing He
must have been about thirty.Hve years Of
age at this time. He was In the vary prime
Of lie, but his work was about over. The
Indians We're departing toward tue lAnu VI
the setting sun, and with that his labor
was finished. The battle Of tho Fallen
rtmbers had crushed and torn Asnpder tho
formidable confederation OF the Six Ma.
TONS, and the long series Of wars was draw
ing TO close, Still he was not altogether
Inactive. tie rOHned ile.woOis US much
us ever. He went on hunting expeditions
fur into Ohio. During one Of these, he was
carelessly strolling along one morning.
when he discovered an Indian with gun
leveled on him, in the net OF shooting. Quick
as thought, Wetzel sprang behind a ire
The Indian did likewise. Eluu stood stIu,
waiting Tor the other to nuke q move. To
peep out was exceedingly dangerous,
They stood in strained suspense, watching
and waiting, till it begin to grow wears
some, Wetgel, not liking tho idea OF no.
naming there all dAy, determined 10 bring
matters to an issue. He placed his bar.
skin cap on the end OF his rumtod, and
with slow, hesitaling and uncertain move
menis, he pOked It around the tree, az
though he were peeping with the extrem.
est caution. This fooled the Indian, and
he blazed away ut the cap, tearing hole
IN It, but nothing moro. Ills gun was now
empty. Weiael rushed forward. The sur.
prised and frightened Indian now turned
10 run, but it was too late. The ball from
Wetzel's rifle pierced him through and
through, and springing high into the air,
he stretched out dead aud le4l IL lie
ground with thad.
Wet2el once accompanied John Madi>
son. brother to President Madison, on an
Exploring tour on tho Little KanaU ha,
They came to IN Indian camp, which be-
ing tenantlrss, each took blanket ard
rode on. Shortly after, while crossing tie
Little kanawha they came to an Indian
camp, which being tenanlless, each took a
blanket and rode on. Shortly after, while
rrcrOsSing the Little Kanawha, they were
fired upon by party Of Indians. Madison
was killed, but Wetzel, us matter OF
course, escaped.
In 1903 Lewis and Clarke we're making
preparations for their famous expedition
across the Rocky Mountains to the PAciRc.
The fame OF Wetzel had reached there, aud
they were DESTROYS Of his company. They
sent u messenger to him, and after much
hesitating he consented TO go. He accom-
panied them three months then deserving,
he returned home. In this his infprio,iiy
-or at least his dissimilitude-to McCieI-
and, with whom he has been compared, is
visible. However, he and Al'CIeand were
nj 4
Pope and MCleland w,ts ii Dryden. Wet
eel was daring but reserved; MClelaRd
WIS daring, but fiery and impetuous. II
Welzel went to New Orleans to take re-
venge on Il SpNniurd, MCleland went far
into the unknown witds OF Dakotah to de-
mand satisfaction Of an Indian trader By
4 strange cOinCidence-not very strange
eitber-MClelaDd was one OF Clatke's and
Lewis company, from which Wetzel de-
serted. This man, like Weizel, had been
i'll an hundred fierce hand to hand encoun-
ters with the Indians, and now, that the In
dian wars were over, like Welzel he was
out OF employment. But, unlike Wetzel,
he did not desert, but stood by his friends
in every phase OF fortune, from the luxuries
OF summer 10 the famine Of winter, when
the carcass OF starved wolf WIS a feast,
In this MCiefand is visible US more ad.
veuturous, u more rersevering and q more
perfect man than Wclzel.
What remains Of Wetzel is easily told.
He still yearncd for the sunny South, and
third time set ont for that land and never
returned. He made his home with friend
near Nutcticz during this visit. Mcintyre
saw him there in April, 1908, and Welzel
said then that it was his intention 10 re.
turn to Wheeling tho following summer.
But, alas his journey was to that mysteri-
Ous realm from which no traveller returns.
At the time OF his death he WIS about
fory.eight years Of age.
Several able writer's, eminent among
whom is DeHass, have thoroughly ex.
plOred and searched ont the incidents of
his life, aud tho result is he now appears in
II much more favorable light than was
formerly thrown around him. He was BY
no means beast or savage He possessed
many OF those higher and nober qualities
which are too frequently wanting in per-
sons Of higher elevation in society than
Lewis WeIzel.