The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-11-10
MARYVILLE, TENN, WEDNESDAY, NOV. TO- 1886.

mOn0s, I1ptOnS, Murr1nS, JenrleS,
Cusicks, McTeers and others.
These hardy pioneers were beset
by dangers untold. Wild beasts
were much to be dreaded, but the
savage Indians were to be feared
above all else. Their subtlety and
deception, together with a want of
0penness and honesty, their blood.
thirsty instincts and inhuman cru.
city, made Of them an enemy, from
which there was no rest or perma-
nent peace. In times when they
were thought to be quiet and peac-
able, parties would venture out in
to the surrounding country in
search Of game or to attend their
corn.
At one Of these intervals, a man
named Cunningham, and Of the
family of which Major Ben Cum
ningham, our present Clerk Of the
County Court, is descendant, went
out from the fort to place on Big
Ellejoy, now in the field Of Arch
Farmer, but then covered by tall,
thick canebrake. While at or near
this place, two Indians came upon
him with their tom ahawks, wound
ed him, carried him into the cane
and scalped him, then left him to
die. Becoming uneasy about Cum
ningham, q search was instituted.
Two of his friends came to the
verge of the canebrake, when deep,
mournful groans met their ears. 1t
was like the deception of Indians to
cause these means, hoping to draw
the friends of the missing one into
the cane, there to be surprised and
butchered. It was like their cruel.
ty to slowly torture q helpless vic.
tim and let him die by degrees
These brave pioneers stood, chilled
and paralyzed with the situation
while the groaning rose deep and
painful from the tangled mass Of
cane. All was still as death for 9
time, while these friends stood with
ears set to catch the least sound. A
deep, heavy moan came from thu
suffering man, when one of those
listening exclaimed, "My God!
can't stand thisw Then rushing
wildly through the cane, followed
by his comrade, they babe defiance
to danger and soon were beside tn
missing man, whom they foun,
: wounded and bleeding, but witt
life sufficient to tell the story of hi
. misfortune and describe the In
, dians who wounded him. Cunning
ham was brought into the fort, bu
soon died. A close lookout wa
kept for the Indians. Pickets wer
posted and patrols kept on tn
alert. A few days after Cunning
ham was found, party on a recon
, noitering expedition met two In
} dams, just such men as Cunning
, ham had described, in the wood
J along the road, between the place
, now owned by Jacob Harmon an
3 Arch Farmer. They fred at once
, when the small Indian fell dead o.
the spot, and the other, a large, ACT
) i've man, ran off and was traced
4 considerable distance by the bloc
4 that poured from his wounds. Aft
8 erwards q grave was found in Mil
| stone Gap, on the top Of ChilhOwe
8 Mountain, over which a mound c
: rocks was piled, where it can b
l found to this day. It was suppose
that this was the grave of the obi
9 brave" where he had fallen and e1
t PRED from the loss of blood and e,
J, haustion. There was a boy wit
e the party who fred on the Indian
= In retaliation the dead Indian ws
|, scalped. This boy had knife, an
L asked that his knife should be use
s in taking off the scalp. It was don
a That knife was carefully kept unit
b few years ago, when by dealt
n and changes in the family, its idel
> tity was lost.
7, Atanother time party of tire
: a man named Campbell, his wifi
It and a man named Moore, startt
n out from the fort to go to station
It Sewer County. Their bodies we
= afterward found only a short di
r, lance from where this church no
l. stands. They had been massacre
g They were buried on the spot, al
it their graves carefully filled. The
d graves have been cared for down
lie the present and are still preserv'
II and watched over by kind, gO
people living near. Within the pa
re year Mr.. Beecher McCampb
IS, found near these graves an old b'
u tle-axe, m ade of stone, such as W
g. used by the Indians in the first 8