The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-11-02
KINCHA
The Story Of the Son OF an Early
Settler Among the Indians.

lu6 SlOTy vi bAO 0OlA Va oil 1dlly
Settler Among the Indians.
From the Albany (Gd.) Ne,cs and advertiser.
A News aud Advertiser scribe who
boarded the train on the Southwestern
railroad few days ago met an old
acquaintance in the person of Rev. r. H.
Harris, formerly of Townsville, but now
Of the Baptist church of Columbus, and
when Kinchafoonee creek was crossed Mr..
Harris was reminded of a story that ne
had heard good many years ago,
and he gave the scribe a most graphic re-
cital of il.
John F. Pitcher, the hero Of the story, is
now a very old man, and lives in Thomas
county. The incident occurred when he
was boy only Is or IA years of age, but he
recollects all of the details as if they had
transpired only yesterday.
WAY back in the Juveniles" the father of
our hero settled with his family near
Kinchafoonee creek, in what is now Lee
county. Bears, wild hogs, and other ami
mails, made such frequent raids upon his
corn field that he gave MS son John trusty
old musket and sent him out to guard tie
crop, telling him to shoot anything that he
discovered committing depredations upon
the growing crop.
One day when the father and mother
were DOUQ away, anu OOuu dtlO ulo oLobtl
Mary and younger brother aud sister were
left alone on the place, John discovered
two Indians in the cornfield helping them
selves to roasting ears. His instructions
from his father were to shoot all depreda-
tors, and he blazed away at one Of the In
dams and shot him dead. The other Indian
hurriedly left, and John at once realized
that he had got himself and the family into
trouble with the redskins, which meant
"a 90 ;frbt ~. 10 brr al
to the house, and, saddliug the only horse
that was on the place, put the two younger
children on it and started them off toward
the nearest neighbours house, which was ten
miles away. John and Mary followed on
foot, and before they were out of sight of
the house the Indians were in hot pursuit
Some of the savages stopped to pillage the
house and then set fire to it.,
while others followed the fleeing
children. John and Mary were discovered
and pursued so closely that
they sought refuge in a dense swamp. As
they entered the swamp they were fired
upon by the Indians, and Mary received
wound that so disabled her that she could
not proceed further. She had presence of
mind enough to secrete herself, however,
and the maddened savages, without know
ing that one of their bullets had stopped
her flight, rushed by without discovering
her.
John continued his fight, and succeeded
in eluding the Indians in the cover of the
dense swamp. He knew that the nearest
neghbor lived ten miles below on the
Kinchafoonee and that he could reach the
place by following the stream. He got his
bearings before nightfall, and started out
on his lonely and perilous journey. He
reached the neighbours house early in the
morning, and found that his little brother
and sister had arrived safely the evening
before. Meantime the news Of the trouble
between the Pitchers and the Indians had
been sent out to the other neighbors, and a
few white me had gathered to go in search
and proceeded with the party to where he
had last seen Mary. The girl was found ~
the swamp where she had lain 81 CO the ilay
Lelore, but her wound, while it had dis