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

St4AH VI AVuE lu1lhut, AllVt WuUn hppetIG
TO be asleep. He paused 10 consider. Their
were four Of them. They were asleep. II
was alone. He resolved TO assail them, an
take the cbances The fearless hnntetcrep
forward, rifle In hand, knife and tomQhawI
In his belt The camp Ere had burnt low
and through the gllmmeLing, httul CLEAN
he moved as silent as his own shadow
Carefully leaning his gun against tree
where II would be ready for m emergency
he drew his tomahawk.
The dark faces Of the sleepers were turn
cd up toward the dark sky, and the heral,
Of death stood over them. A terrific bloV
cleft the skull Of one OF them. Quick o.
thought another was laid in the dreamles
sleep oil death. The other two awoke
They sprang TO their feet. They looked
around In bewilderment. A third blow
IRON the reekfng Ratchet ielled another
dead to the earth. The only survivor be
came alarmed and darted Off into TIT
thicket. Wetzel followed, yelling like {
hIYena, thinking, perhaps, ike Gideon, thai
II he could not get him any other way, ht
would scare him to death. Butt Indian
got away, and Wetzel, having scalped the
dead, returned to Wheeling. Being asked
what success he had met with, he replied
that he had "treed four Indians, but ont
got away,
LEWIS wFrsEL TIRED" ny SIX INDIANS.
On ono occasion Wetzel was scouting
about in the vicinity Of Wheeling When
night came on. Being some distance from
any dwelling, he took shelter In IN old
waste cabin standing on the river bottom.
lie gathered few clapboards, and laying
them across the joists made himself bunk
for the night, and he was beginning to dose
when he heard footsteps approaching In
a few moments six big insty Indians saun-
tered in andstruck up fire. Wetzel drew
ms Knife, prepared to leap upon them. II
they should Tor moment suspicion that
anything was on the shelf, nothing could
prevent his discovery. He lay perfectly
still, determined, II discovered, to tumble
down, and, Ike Boone in the tobacco house,
bring the whole loft with him, and then in
the confusion attempt an escape.
The Indians spitted their meat, eat their
suppcr, smoked their pipes and tioored
themselves for nights sleep. As soon as
they were all snoring, the scout evacuated
his couch, noiselessly glided apast the out
stretched knayes and left the building.
Wetzel WIS like SOgston, he never left q
battle field without leaving something TO
show that he had been there. He walked
y few steps from the door, and hid himself.
he was waiting for the morning. AT day
light he expected to give the Indians some
advice.
The morning came, and after some mus.
terlng about in the house, one OF the In
dams stepped through the doorway, and
stretching up his arms and opening his
big mouth, devoted his whole resources TO
one soul'stirring yawn. 1t was his last. The
ball from Wetzel's rifle had found its way
TO his vittls, and he fell, beating the green
SOD In the paroXysms OF death. Before
those In the cabin could recover enough
from their alarm to look out, the scout was
far of in the forest.
wETzEL SHOOTS AT GEORGE WASHINGTON "
In the year 1850 General Harmar had
command Of the Indian affairs Of the North
West. He built fort Mt th6 mouth Of the
Muskingum, where Marietta now stands
It WAS hIs wish to adjust the difficulty with
the Indians without the further shedding
OF blood, il it could be done.
Accordingly, he sent flag OF truce
among the various tribes, inviting them to
come TO the fort. At the same time he
proclamation declaring the wal
till the utility OF concluding u
general peace could DC investigated. The
Indians we're always ready for anything of
the kind; for, in the aggregate treaties were
to their advantage. Therefore, in accept.
ance OF the offer large number Of them
gathered in from various parts OF the coun-
try, and pitched q general encampment on
the Muskingum, few miles above Ma
Fietta.
Treaties with the Indians had grown so
common, and were so universally disregard
ed and broken, that to make new ones
seemed mere farce The Indians were
not always to blame for the violation Of the
treaties. but they generally were; and be
this as 1t may, the peace was always Of short
duration, and conducive to no ultimate
good,
So, when Gen. Harmar published his
proclamation, declaring the war suspended
for the time, many persons openly avowed
their disapprobation OF the measure, and
declared themselves not bound BY it
Among them were Lewis Wetzel and Veach
Dickerson. They publicly announced their
intention OF fighting the Indians in des-
pite of Gen. HArmar and his proclamation.
Accordingly they set out for the front,
where the General was busiy engaged in
threatening, blarneying and haIanguiag
the peridious savages to another peace.
As the Indian camp was some distance
from the fort, and as they would DO almost
constantly passing back and forth between
the two places, it occurred to Wetzel and
his companion that the most effective mode
Of attack would be to waylay the path be-
tween the two places. This they did.
They sought out a suitable place and set
themselves in ambush.
Presently big buriy Indian, who was
known by the name Of George Washington,
came down the path at full galIop. They
called on him to halt. He did not com.
did not hear them on nc.
count OF the ClGtter of his horses feet.
When he was apast them they decided to
give him a shot anyhow, They fired, but
&c did not fall. He rode on aud reached
the fort, where he gave the alarm. He had
been shot through and through, and died
OF his wounds that night,
GEN. HARMAR ATTEMPTS TO ARREST wErzEI..
As soon as it was known that IN Indian
had been killed, the chiefs and warriors be.
came excited, and the consequences must
have been serious, had not General Harmar
assured them that the dastardfy deed was
done without his knowledge, and against
his orders, and that he would willingly
punish the guilty parties, il be could get
them in his power. TIisallaycd the storm
Of vengeance in the Indian camp.
A rumor was soon circulated That the
shooting had been done by Lewis WetxeI.
This reaching the ears OF Gen. Hamar, he
was highly inCensed, partly that the shame
ful affair had occurred in q time Of truce,
but more that it had been done in rebel.
lion against his authority, by one Of the
border men-a class Of people for whom he
never entertained much love, but whom
he was finally compelled to respect.
He sent Il company Of men under Capt.
Kingsbury to Mingo Bottom with orders to
take Wetzel dead or alive. There was an
impossibility to Kingsbury's obeying this
order, and he was speedily convinced Of it