Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-29
aERoTNES OF LONG AGO.
Thrilling Stories Of the Adventures of
Piucky Women or Pioneer Duys =
Brave Fight Against savages-Eiiza-

Il
Brave Fight Against savages-Eiiza-
beth Zane's Heroism.
The very first women west of the Alleghenies
| were Mrs. John Draper and her daughter Mary
| (who became the wife Of William Ingies),
| when, about 174S, several families moved just
over the crest of the low Allegheny divide,
where now stands Blacksburg, Va, and made
a settlement called Draper's Meadows. says a
Charleston, w. Va. correspondent of the New
| York Commercial Advertiser. Having no sis
ter Mary MRS. Ingles) had played altogether
with her brother and grown up like a boy. She
could run as well as he. She could stand and
jump straight up nearly as high as her head;
could leap into the saddle unaided; could
stand on the floor and Jump over chair back
and SO on. This agility and strength stood her
in good stead when, in 1755. she, with other
women and children, were captured by the
Shawnees, and the Indians began hasty
retreat to their homes beyond the Ohio. On
the night of the third day out Mrs. Ingles gave
birth to an infant daughter, but this fact
caused no delay. which would have meant the
death of both mother and child, for the next
morning she was able to ride on. At the
Shawnee town the prisoners were divided up
and scattered, but Mrs. Ingies and her baby
were kept there, where she made herself so
useful that after a few weeks she was taken
along with company of Shawnees to help
make salt at Big Bone Lick, south of the Ohio.
Thus she was the first white woman to enter
Kentucky. long ante-dating the arrival there
of Mrs. Daniel Boone, who is usually given that
distinction.
Perilsus Escupe.
From here she resolved to escape. and abaD-
doning her babe to the Indians started with an
old Dutch woman who had more recently been
brought to the Lick. With nothing to eat but
berries, roots and mussels. with no weapon OF
defense, nor any protection from the weather
beyond their ragged clothes, barefooted. and
guided only by Mrs. Ingles' hope of recognize
ing again the mouth of large river which she
had descended all the way from her home, the
two women forced their way eastward along
the forested bank of the Ohio. At last hope
became certainty, for the picture of the river
mouth printed on her memory did not fail her.
1t was the Great Kanawha, and It's sources
were the streams which flowed through Drap-
er's Meadows. They turned up its course. but
were often interrupted by large streams, which
they were obliged to ascend for miles before
they could cross and retrace their channels
to the main river that was their only guide.
500 Miles Through the Wilderness.
As they got up to where the mountains are
nigh and close together, great cliffs, border
ing what Is now the canyon of the New, down
which the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
makes Its adventurous way, they were often
obliged to scale their heights, only 10 find worse
out, became quarrelsome, and finally attempted
to kill her companion for food, Mrs. Ingles
only escaping after q frightfal encounter.
Through such almost superhuman trials did
she persist, until at last she came to her home.
She had travelled in 40 days probably 500 miles.
When Mrs Ingles stopped near where Charles
ton, the capital of West Virginia, now stands,
and made salt for her captors in her own ket-
ties, she 5 was laying the foundation Of the long
most extensive local industries in tho West.
Features of Frontier Life.
These Southern frontiersmen were manly of
Scotch-lrish stock, and brought with them
sturdy Presbyterian piety which was preserved
and imposed upon their children. They were
uncouth, and in the course of the long Indian
strife which preceded the Revolution they be-
came almost as barbarous and vindictive in
warfare the redskins they were matched
against. But among themselves they we're
honest, hospitable, generous and fearless
They had a code of morals which kept "all the
men brave and all the women yirtuous' to a
most universal and one of the most horrible
massacres began by the savages creeping upon
an unsuspecting household absorbed in prayer:
girls had the idea of fighting ever present to
their minds. and were by no means useless
when the struggle suddenly came. When a
fort was attacked the more expert of the
women would take stations at the portfolios be-
side the men and handle the rifle with prac-
ticed hand. Others would mold bullets and re-
load the guns; while the less robust attended
to the cooking and carried water.
One Woman's Bravery.
It was in the defense of their own cabins, |
when surprised. however, that these frontier
women sometimes exhibited the most extraor- |
binary evidence of nerve and ability. One |
such case was an attack in l778 upon Dunk |
ard family in the northern part of what is now |
West Virginia, named Bogarth. Mrs. Bogarth |
and two men were alone in the house, the chill |
dren being out at play. Suddenly one Of the |
little ones ran in crying: ugly red man COM
mgr Upon hearing this one of the two men
went to the door, where he received a glancing |
shot in the breast that caused him to fall back.
The Indian who had shot him sprang in i'm
after, and graphing with the other
white man was quickly thrown upon the bed,
and held down, while the man called to Mrs.
Bogarth to give him a knife. Not finding one
1t hand, she seized an ak and at one blow let
out the brains of the PROSTATE savage. At that |
instant second Indian entering the door shot
dead the man engaged with his companion on
the bed. Mrs. Bogarth turned on him. and
and made him shout for help. Upon this others
Of his party. who had been engaged with the
children in the yard came to his assistance.
Terrible Battle.
The first who thrust his head in at the door
mad it cleft by the ak of Mrs. Bogarth and fell
ifeless to the threshold. Another, catching
hold of the feet of his wounded, bawling COM
,anion, drew him out of the house. whereupon
he woman. with the aid of the first white man,
Who had somewhat recovered, succeeded in
,losing and fastening the door. and the ex-
,rtions of the remaining savages could not
orce it open. All the children in the yard had
,een murdered, but their mother had killed
hree Indians to pay for it.
Similar heroism was shown by Mrs. John |
Bush, who in 1871 lived in the Muskingum val
ey. o. Two of her children-there were al
Ways large flock of them around the cabins Of
hese frontier people-had been sent away early
n the morning to drive up the cattle. Hear
ng their screams Mr.. Bush started out, when
e was met at the door by an Indian, who
Bush fell across the threshold and the redskin
rev his knife to scalp him. when Mrs. Bush
an to the assistance OF her husband, and with
n ak struck the savage with such force thar
he ak fastened itself in his shoulder and was ,
ulled of the handle when he jumped back.
he then dragged her husband into the house
nd closed the door. By this time other In
ians had come up, and after endeavoring in
ain to force open the door they began shoot
ne through it, but the woman remained unin- I
1red, though IL bullets passed through her q
lothing and some grazed her skin. until neigh ;
ors came and drove the Indians away, but
ould not save the two children.
Daring Elizabeth Zane. :
Pleasanter stories are those of the women 4
nd girls who with such courage and slillful
'ooderaft have undertaken long missions to
AIRY news that help was needed, or to get
owder. Such was that girls ride in the
fountain edge of North Carolina, which j
AIMED all the creeks, according to the miles i
be had passed. Such was mad Ann Bailey's''
de, from Clemdemin's fort, here at Charles
on (W. Val, to Lewisburg, 100 miles away, to
ct the powder upon which their salvation de- q
ended; and such was the daring exploit of ?
retty Elizabeth Zane. L
She was the sister Of Colonel Ebenezer Zane,
fter whom GAINESVILLE. O., was named, but who
/ 1852 was near the fort at Wheeling. A sud- 9
en- alarm caused everybody, except those at !,