San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-09-13

| the saddle unalded, could Stand on the 1uOr
and jump over a chair back, and so on This
| agility and strength stool her III guui stead
| when in 1885, she, with other women and
children, were captured 10y the Shawnees
| and the Indians began hISty retreat to their
homes beyond the Ohio On the night of the
| third day out Mrs. lngles gave birth 30 an
infant daughter, but this fact caused no de-
lay, 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 scat
tered, but Mrs. Ingles and her baby were kept
there, where she made herself so useful that
after few weeks she was taken along with
company Of ShawneeS to help make salt at
the Big Bone Lick, south of the Ohio. Thus
she was the first wnite woman to enter Ken
lucky, long antedating the arrival there Of
Mrs. Daniel Boone. who is usually given that
distinction.
A PERILOUS ESCAPE.
From here she resolved to escape, and eban-
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
weapons OF defense, nor any protection from
the weather beyond their ragged clothes,
barefooted and guided only by Mrs. Ingles
hope of recognizing again the mouth of a
large river which she had descended all the
way from her home, the two women forced
their way eastward along the foreated 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 ia sources were the
streams which flowed through Draper'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. As
they got up to where the mountains are high
and close together, great cliffs, bordering
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 to find
worse one just ahead. The old woman scar
ly gave out, became quarresOme and finally
attempted to kill her companion for food,
Mrs. IngleS only escaping after frightful
encounter. Through such almost superAu-
man trials did she persist, until at last she
came to her home. She had travelled in forty
days probably 800 miles
Had this simply been a story of human
maintenance under dreadful circumstances,
it could be matched by many another wo-
mans story OF that period; but 1t amounted
to a most valuable exploration since, until
then, nobody knew that their waters gather
ed into Il great river, OF emptied into the
Ohio, nor what was the OhiOs lower course,
nor that saline springs existed in the western
valleys When Mrs. lngles stopped near
where Charleston, the capital of West Nir.
ginia, now stands, and made salt for her cap
tors in her own kettles, she was laying the
foundation Of the long race Of kanawha salt
makers and of one of the most extensive local
industries in the west. This woman lived to
be very old and saw turnpike stages and
steamboats, atfording quick passage over
the route she had travelled 50 YEARLY, which
became one Of the main avenues Of emigra-
ton and gives today the shortest railway
route between Chicago and the seaboard.
Pleasanter stories are those of the women
and girls who with such courage and skillful
wOedcraft have undertaken long missions to
carry news that help was needed, or to get
powder. Such was that girls ride in the
mountain edge of North Carolina which
named all the creeks according TO the miles
she had passed. Such was Mad Ann Bal
ley's" ride, from Clendemin's fort here at
Charleston w Va TO Lewisburg, 100 miles
away, TO get powder upon which their sal
walton depended; and such was the daring ex-
plot of pretty Elizabeth Zane.
She was the sister Of Col. Ebenezer Zane,
after whom GAINESVILLE, O., was named, but
who in l7S2 was near the fort at Wheel
iug. sudden alarm caused everybody eX-
cept those at Zanes house TO hasten into the
stOckade, among whom was the colonel's
young sister, girl who had just returned
from school in Philadelphia and was totally
unused 70 the5s wild scenes. The attack was
fierce aud prolonged, and the powder gave
out before the red skins showed any signs of
retreating In this emergency it became
necessary 10 replenish their ammunition
from Col. ZIue's house, which was about
fifty PAGES distant.
1t was therefore proposed that one of their
feetest men should endeayor to reach the
house. get a KEY Of powder and return with
it. The enterprise was full Of the keeuest
danger, yet many volunteers presented them
selves for the task, Among them was Eliza
beth Zane She was young, athletic and
fearless You have not one mau 70 spare,
she pleaded IF fall-it is only girl, who
will not be missed in the defense Of the fOr5.
I.et me gDr Her services were accepted.
Dvestiug herself Of impeding skirts she stood
ready for the hazardous adventure, and
when the gate was opened she bounded forth,
| buoyant with youthful confidence Of success.
| Wrap5 in amazsment, the indians beheh
! her, bun shouting: "A squaw a squawW dis
datnsI % Interrupt her progress % her broth
! ers door Then Col Zane fastened a table
! cloth around her waist and, emptymg into II