Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-09-18


and whatever might have been their
after fate, it is certain that this unknown
lady with a thirst for adventure, who
"camped awhile in the wilderness al
Palmyra in 1777, is the first pale faced
woman, so far as we have any account,
who ever set fot on the soil of Middle
Tennessee. She was however, merely
soiourner, and came not like our Rem
froe girls, to stay.
About the same time, or little ear
lier, in November, l775, Manscoe, a
famous hunter, and three others, camp
ed few weeks near where the sulphur
Fork Greek empties into Red River,
where Port Ropal now stands. Here
Manscoe had an adventure with some
Indians. Having discovered from their
trail thata hunting party Of some sort
was in the vicinity, he went along to
ascertain il possible who they were.
On the bank nj the river he saw camp
fire, and creeping as close as he dared
he saw two~Indians whom he recog-
nized to be OF the Black Feet tribe.
Manscoe was about to retire to carry
the news to his comrades, when one Of
the Indians arose and came dicectly
toward him.. It being impossible to
avoid him, Manscoe fired and the In
dian wheeled and ran about fifty yards
past his own campfire, and fell dead
owe. the bluff into the river. The 9TH
er Indian also made packet time away
from the fatal spot, not knowing, it may
be supposed, how many were in the
attacking party. Manscoe, not know
ing how many Indians theae were, and
being some distance away from his
companions, absconded as soon as he
fired, and for awhile silence reigned
supreme at Port Royal. In few hours
he returned with his companiogs, and
finding that the fugitive Indian had al.
so returned in the mean while and
packed his woAdly goods on his pony
and left for parts unknown, they took
out after him and followed his trail all
that evening and the following day, but
never caughtflim. Knowing that the
Indians would soon be back in force to
avenge the death Of their comrade,
Manscoe and his friends, as soon rs they
abandoned the chase, left the country.
Terribly however, W.T. the death Of
this Indian afterwards avenged. AS
late as 1874, ten years after Clarksville
had been incorporated and named, Col
IssAc Ellsworth and his brother John,
With their families, moved from North
carolina to the Cumberland Country.
They intended to locate on Red River,
and on the night OF the oath Of October,
1874, they camped at the mouth of Sui
phur Fork Creek, where the Indian
had been shot 81 Mo1scoe. That night
a party Of fifty Creek indiana, stole upon
them and took them completely By sur
prise, Seven of the party, among them
Col. Ellsworth and his brother and their
wives, were killed and scalped. A ne
gro woman was wounded, but crawled
off into the bushes and escaped. The
Indians carried eff six prisoners--a ne
gro man, white man, a grown daugh-
ter OF Colonel Titsworth's and three lit
tie children. In few hours a party OF
white men were organized and on their
track, aud the Indians, says Haywood,
discovering their approach, tomahawk-
ed the three children and scalped them,
taking off the whole skins OF their
heads. The white man and the negro
fellow they either killed or carried of,
together with the daughter"
In 1885, down on the waters OF Bloom
ing Grove Creek ia this county, three
men had fight with Indians. The
men-Peter Burnet, David Steele and
William .Crutcher--were out hunting,
and unexpectedly came upon a rowing
band of Indians, about twenty in num-
Der. There was no escape for the white
men, and they had nothing to do but
to sell their lives dearly, A desperate
fight ensued How many Indians were
killed was never known. Burnet and
Steele were both killed, and Crutcher
was shot and fell to the ground. An
Indian came up to him and he feigned
death. The Indian scalped him and
then stuck his knife in him and went
away, leaving the knife sticking in
him. After they were all gone, Crutch-
er arose and crawlei down to the creek
and laid down, as he said, in the wa
ter to die. Here he was soon after
found, and strange to say, he recovered
from his wounds.
While these stirring times were going
on around Clarksville, a most remarka-
BILE man had taken up his abode here
IA ~