The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-10-30

bert WAS struck with the singular appearance
Of its proprietor, dressed in fashion half
Indian and the other half not dressed to
speak of. He had Q wild csdaverous and
fierce look. On exchanging greetings, Let's
observed, why, Haws what's the matter
With your The latter replied; "Ol nothing.
but you see had long spell of the blamed
ager and drank a pint Of whisky and then
jumped into the pond anu swan around it .
while an then went TO bed and sweat like
- well no matter) and it broke the ager
but the cure like to broke mel
GOING FORWARD.
The movers continued their journey to
Cedar creek, where they located, buying q
claim from MIR. George Holderman, Who
moved up northeast and made claim and
gave, q permanent name to Holderman's
grove. MIR. Let's at once set to work and
built saw mill at the mouth of Cedar creek,
about a mile and half directly south Of
Peru.
PERU IN 1880,
Started out to be as it is now, "Peru on the
hill and Peru under the hill" There were
thin settled there TWO persons, and they
they were: On the hill, Samuel Lapsley o
peculiarly odd sort of person who seemed
to have spent his whole life among the In
dams rs trader and who felt so much at
home with them that he refused to come in
to the fort during the Sac war. The other,
was u Mr. Hayes, who had cabin under the
hill At the bottom.
The Let's farm was on the edge of the
prairie at Cedar Point, where, between crops
and the saw mill-the first in that region,
they made comfortable subsistence. A man
named Ish, was the only white settler on
that prairie, whose cabin was a short dis
lance south Of the present village Of Gran
vile. MIR. Let's remained there till after
the Indian war, in 1882.
CAUSES OF THE INDIAN WAR.
The Indians, jealous Of the encroachment
Of the whites and seeing new "pale faces
constantly arriving from the east, and rea-
lining that either the whites or they must 60,
as war of races was inevitable, resolved to
make bold stand for their hunting grounds.
The only feasible plan to the Indian mind
was the determination of the whites, or, to
drive back the tide Of immigration and dis.
courage and even stop effectually any more
settlers from coming into this region, north
and west of the Illinois river, which they
concluded was proper dividing line between
the two races IN the west. 1t is o fact that
the historians seemed to have ignored in
treating of the Indian war against the whites,
that the red men committed no outrages,
made no attacks upon their foes south and
east of this river All their efforts were di.
rected against white settlements on the OPP
site side of the Illinois river to the north and
west of it. That the Indians did not at first
include the numbering of the settlers in their
scheme is apparent, for they had long prac-
ticed intimidation and threats, but did no
actual violence. They would visit the lonely
cabins of the pioneers, destroy their fences,
upset their bee.hives. demolish their clocks
and grindstones, drive off their cattle and
horses and commit similar deviltries. Ex-
termination was their last resort.
ACTUAL WAR.
Indian threats had began to assume the
character of not only possibilities but prob
abilities and all these were develping into
certainties, Large bands of armed warriors
had been congregating at various points in
the northern part of the state. Settlers had
been driven from remote places, and rumors
Of outrages were becoming daily news, many
Of these stories perhaps unfounded, but here
and there horrid details of murders was
passed back and forth among the terrified
settlers. At last the uprising Of Black
Hawks band of Sacs and Foxes was an es-
tablishel fact, and the settlers at Hennepin,
south of Peru and at Ottawa began TO flock
together for mutual protection and defense
ALBERT AS A SOLDIER.
Mr.. Geo. d. Walker had sent down to
Cedar Point for men and guns Albert and
DR.. David Richie started in response to the
call, and arrived Mr.. Hogaboom's double
log cabin, south of Ottawa, ready for duty
Here was the rendezvous for the white set
tiers. They renamed here while but all
being quiet they returned, as the government
had sent soldiers to protect the settlers. Mr.
Let's family went to the fort a. Ilennepin
and remained there two weeks. A company
of soldiers had been sent from Hennepin to
Peru, and they were piloted by Albert.
Here they halted, spent three days in swim
ming their horses over the river, and made
a fort, named in honor of their commanding
officer, Fort Welburn.'
FORT wELBURS.
The fort stood half mile south Of Peru,
On the bottom. 1t was built of logs cut by
the soldiers and covered with puncheons or
"shakes" split out of Eastwood with the
0round for q annr Three or f,ur Loo bonsas