Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-09-12
Famous Escapes From Indians.

"StOrie5 OF marvellous and ingenious
escapes were the romance of the colonies,
and such adventures date back to the
earliest Indian war in Virginia, where man
and his wife, who had been spared In the
wholesale slaughter, found their opportu-
nifty to escape while the Indians were dane
ing for joy over the acquisition OF white
man's boat that bad drifted ashore. These
captIves got into canoe, and soon after
ward surprised their friends IN the settle
mems, who had believed them to he dead
Very like this was the escape of Antholy
Bracket and his wife IN Maine. They
were left to follow on after their captors,
who were eager to reach plunderlng
party In time to share IN the spoil. Brack-
cts wife found broken bark canoe, which
she mended with needle and thread; the
whole family then put to sea in this rlckety
craft, and at length reached Black Point,
where they got on board vessel. A little
lad of eleven years named Eames, taken
IN Philips war, made his way thirty miles
or more to the settlements. Two sons of
the famous Hannah Bradley, previously
mentioned, effected an ingenious escape,
lying all the IiJst day In a hollow log and
using their provisions to make friends with
the dogs that had tracked them. They
journeyed in extreme peril and suffering
for nine days. and one of them fell down
with exhaustion just as they were entering
a white settlement. A young girl LII
Massachusetts, after three weeks Of cap
tivity. made a bridle of bark, and catch
ing horse, rode all night through the
woods to Concord. Mrs. Dean, taken at
Oyster River in 1894, was left, with her
daughter, IN charge of an old Indian while
the rest finished their work of destruction.
would cure pain IN his head. She recon-
mended him to drink some rum taken from
her house. This put him to sleep, and the
woman and child got away. Another
down east captive, with the fitting name
of roogood, while his captor during an
sttsck on 8 settlement was disentangling
piece of string with which to tie him,
jerked the Indians gun from under his
arm aud, leveling it at his head, got safely
away.
Escaping capiIves endured extreme
hardships. One Bard, taken in Pesnsyl-
vania, lived nine days on a few buds and
four snakes. Mrs InglIs, captured in the
valley Of Virginia, escaped in company
with German woman from q place far
down the Ohio river. After narrowly
avoiding discovery and recapture, they
succeeded IN ascending the south bank of
the ONO for some hundreds of miles.
When within few DAYS travel of settle
ments, they were so reduced by famine
that the German woman, enrsged that she
had been persuaded to desert the Indian
flesh-pots, aud crazed with hunger, made
an unsuccessful attack on her companion
with caunibal intentions. The most ia
nous of all the escapes of New England
captives was that Of Hannah Duston, Mary
Neff, and boy, Samuel Leonardson.
These three were Carried of, with many
others, in 1897, in the attack on Haver-
hill, Mrs. Dus.on's infant child having
been killed by the Indians. When tine
captors had separated, the party to whom
the two women and the hoy were assigned
encamped on an island in the Merrimsc
river. AT midnight, the captlves secured
hatchets and killed ten lIldians-two men,
two women, ard SIX children-Une favorIte
boy, whom they meant TO spare, and one
oduiy WOunueu NOHlau, escaping. AitSi
they had left the camp, the fugitlves
remembered that nobody IN the settlements
would believe, without evidence, that they
had performed so redoubtsble an action;
they therefore returned and scalped the
Indians, after which they scuttled all the
canoes on the island but one, and in this
escaped down the Merr,mac, ard finally |
reached Haverhill. This was such an ex-
plot as made the actors Immediately IA |
nous In that bloody time. The Massa- |
chusetts General Court gave Mrs. Duston |
twenty-f pounds and granted half that
amount to each of her companions. The
story of their daring deed was carried far
10 the southwark and Governor Nicholson, |
Of Maryland, sent a valuable present TO the
escaped prisoners.