The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-11-17
COLONIAL HISTORY.
BOB BURDETTE IN WEST PENNSYLVANIA
BRADDoCK's BATTLE WITH THE FRENCH
AND INDIANS-THE HUMORIST'S
OBsERYATION's ON MILES.

!
/ takes the B. & o . from Pittsburgh to Con-
nellsville. At least did, and am the only
everybody interested in this trip. 1t is a
pleasant run all the way down OF up, as the
/ case may be. 1 think it is up. About ten
miles out of Pittsburgh we reach Braddock,
a town of twenty-five hundred people, more
/ OF less and across the run is the old Brad
! dock battle ground. Braddock was an En-
I glish general, you may remember. He came
| over here as long ago as 1755 8. BY that time
/ the good Indians on William Penn's reserva-
! tion were celebrating their Bi-Centennial in
advance with the most thrilling and startling
/ tableau whenever they caught white man
/ out alone. 1t was necessary that the red
/ brother should be licked clear out of his moe
casins, ard Braddock thought he was the
man who could do it. He came over here
| with an Englishman's idea about America
and thought New York and San Francisco
/ were nearer each other than WappingtonI
/ New-Half- Market, Old Street Stairs, st
| Trevenor's Terrace, City Road, Ifieswich
+ Cross Station, Chororcerster Square is to If
fiingham-I bingham on Walsingham-Wal-
| singham. He intended to spend few DAYS
/ in this country and then go home and write
a book about it. Poor Brad. He never wrote
| that book, although he furnished materia
/ for it. He came out here, crossed the Yough-
/ iogheny river at ConneIlsville, came up to
/ Braddock Station, and then and there the
| wild men of the woods and lot of French
/ fell upon him in the ravines and hills of the
MonoHgahela, and they encompOsed him
round about, and treated him roughly and
smote him that he died and raised Jumps all
over his arms. 1t was a dreadfully success
full surprise party. From the wooded sides
OF the steep hills there suddenly broke vollev
upon volley of rattling musketry, mingling
with the frightfui war whoops of the savages.
The men war whOops in those days Brad
docks regulars numbering one thousand
fought this unseen foe for three hours vainly
endeavoring to employ regular tactics and
European methods against an enemy that
only fought to hurt and shoot to kill regard
less of the regularity of the thing Washing
I toms Virginians-GeoTge was along-saved
the army from total destruction by fighting
the Indians in their own way, and checking
the comparatively small body of men that
were doing all this fighting Sir John St
Clair was wounded, Sir Peter Halket was
killed, BraddOck had five horses killed under
him. and was at last struck from the saddle
by mortal wound, shot by one of his own
panic stricken regulars Sixty-three officers
and ia regulars were left in those dark ra-
vines when Washington led that shattered
remnant of the army back home. Braddock
died about six days after the battle, some
where near Fort Necessity, and was buried
in the road at midnight, Washington reading
the burial service. Some of BraddOck, be-
lieve is still buried near Fort Necessity and
the rest of him the general American relic
hunters stole.
Conn ellsvile is live town on the Youph.
iogheny, and it burns coke for all creation,
runs full hand of tanneries goes to eight or
ten good churches, puts up at the Smith
house always, manufactures heap Of wool
en- goods. think it has paper mill, and is
surrounded with beautiful scenery. Some Of
the views from the great ridge that towers
above the town are very famous. The soft,
yellow sandstone in these ridges is worn and
cut by time and the weather into curious and
picturesqe shapes.
Old Ephraim ConneH started this town
niuety-two years ago, and Col. William
Crawford used TO live here. He was the
same Colonel Crawford who was captured by
the Ohio Indians near Sandusky, and put to
death with such terrible tOrtures. Ohio new
er was much of State for Pennsylvauians;
Maine is their best "holt'' when they m /
CRATE. Blaine is a Pennsylvania, born down
here in Washington county. He had too
much sense to go to Ohio after Colonel Craw- /
ford's experience
1t is the land of coke. From Connellsville
we run past few Thousand miles of coke
ovens along the line of the Southwest Penn
sylvania railroad. The fires glaIe and glow
with strange effect against the background
of brown fields and green forests, for the
trees are scarcely touched by the frost. Along
the tramway on top of the ovens, past the
columns of flame and smoke that leap up be-
side him, the patient, much enduring, long
suffering mule holds his steady way, hauling
a few tons of coal-as much as the car can
stand at load. The mule is never over
loaded. Oh, no. Nobody ever worries about I
putting on more coal than the mule can haul. I
but the capacity of the car is limited, and il /
must not be loaded Beyond a certain strain. .
No wonder the mule is a kicker. Were 1 I
a mule, love, 1 too would kick. Emery time 4
1 got chance L would lift somebody higher |
than kite. 1 know just exactly what kind .
of a mule would be. bay mule One of /
i
the breeches and think. With striped legs
like a zebra. And dark brown streak down .
my back, and a paint brush tail. And my |
name cut short, and my foretop banged, and
my head as long as a -four barrel, and I'd be
worth two hundred and half in any market,
and I'd wear a fiat harness and no blind
ers, land some day when some man hitched me
up to a dray and piled on ton and half of
pig iron, cord of wood, six barrels Of. flour,
a good load of household goods and steam
boat boiler, l would start off with it patent
Iy and haul it steadily until got to the top
of the grade on the new road and around
North Hill, and right about there and then
falling maple leaf, fiuttering down in
spark of gold and crimson, would scare me
all but to death, and the authorities would
have to drag the Mississippi river six weeks
to find all of that load and some of tnat dri-
ver, while in three minutes after the emeute, !
1 "a ould be TRANQUILITY browsing on the gras-
sy heights that smile above the silver flowing
river. That is a kind OF a mule 1 would be.
Not many miles out of Connellsviile we 5
run past a tract where an earthquake bas
evidently been prospecting for coke coal $
The ground is scOOped up and dug out IN /
thousand directions, and beats an Arizona {
mining camp for dips, spurs, leads, angles i
and sinuositles. 1t is very charming. this
broken country, with the wealth of a fertile
soil on the bills, and the greater wealth Of