Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-01-10
BOON'S LAST YEARS.
HOW THE FAMOUS PIONEER WAS
TORTURED THE INDIANS.
An Erroneous Opinion, Once Very
General, Corrected by the Son of an
Old Friend of the Enterprising PI-
oneer-A Tale OF Adventure.

oneer-A Tale OF Adventure.
Influenced by the representations Of
Daniel Boone, q company of immi-
grants was speedily formed, including
Boone's family. It was this company
that founded the first settlement In
Southern Kentucky, at the place since
known as Boonesborough, the name
deriving from Captain Daniel Boone.
This brief but authentic sketch of the
adventures of Daniel Boone, written
for the Detroit Free Press, will correct
the erroneous common opinion, once
very general, that he spent large por-
tioD of his life as hermit in the caves
of Kentucky. The writer's father was
an old friend Of the adventurous set
tier. :. s;.t
Boone was subsequently taken pris-
he was engaged in making salt at the
Blue Licks, about one hundred miles
north of Fort Boone, as the place Of the
settlement was then called, and was
with ten others, carried north to De-
troit. The others were shortly ram
somed by British officers and sent,
home, but large sums were refused for
Boone, on account of his great strength
and bravery. From Detroit he was
brought back to an Indian town on the
Little Miami, where he was adopted in
to an Indian family as chief, The
process was begun by plucking every
hair from his head, except tuft on the
summit, which was to be allowed to
grow to a great length, and to be orna-
mented by braiding it In with trinkets.
This he was told was a mark of dis
tinction and honor, as we'll as also to
enable his enemies, should he fall In
battle, to seize him and with great ce-
lerity remove his scalp with the knife,
besides showing that he was a chief
who had fallen. ..
During all this strange proceeding
Boone affected to acquiesce cheerfully
and even to be pleased, while at the
same time he was thinking of his wife
and children he had left at Fort Boone,
and imagining possible methods of es-
cape and Of once more gettin back to
them. His success with the rifle sur
passed the best marksmen among them
1.-THE Indians now had firearms,) and
the confidence Of his captors had be-
come such that he was trusted to go
alone on the hunt; but powder and balls
were issued to him by day allowances.
But he was more than a match for the
shrewdest Indian in strategy, and had
succeeded, by cutting his bullets in two
and using half charges of powder, in
securinga a considerable magazine, which
he stored in q hollow tree, to be used in
his fight, should he be so fortunate as
to get away.
On a pleasant June morning he was
to go out hunting alone, and as he had
hitherto proved entirely faithful, little
watch over his movements was kept
He knew that his return to the village
would not be expected before evening
and proceeding at once to his magazine
he possessed himself of his reserve, and
then set off with his utmost speed in
the direction of the Ohio river. Hi:
skill as a wOodsman enabled him tt
keep bee line in any direction III
chose to go. He dared not kindle 6
fire or shoot off his gun for fear of be
traying his whereabouts; and besides
there was not a moment of time to bt
lost, for should his flight by any acci
dent be discovered, he knew but too
we'll that he would be pursued with tn,
fieetness almost of the dear. But
should his flight not be discovered tina
day, then he had day and a night a
his command before the trail could b.
taken. And thus he sped on his cours
thro' the trackless forest, without food
other than the small allowance of driet
meat given him for his days ration
and with not one moment of rest By
day or by night until he was sure of be
ing beyond possible danger of beini
overtaken.
He at length arrived safely on tn
bank of the Ohio river, it is believed
near where Ripley now is. He mus
cross over, for to remain on the nortl
side he knew full we'll would be to b
recaptured, sooner or later, only t.
have the tomahawk buried in hi
brains, or possibly to suffer the fearful
ordeal of being burned at the stake; ant
he knew that many hours could no
elapse before his pursuers would be up
on him. But how to cross the hal
mile of surging water did not appear t.
hes mind. He was an indifferen
swimmer, and the river was bank full
and earring driftwood on its surface
Undecided, and in extreme trepidation
he was clambering along the thicket
covered margin, when suddenly h
came across canoe that had drifte'
under the bushes. His heart bounde,
with joy; but he soon discovered tina
there was a dangerous hole in the DO,
below the water, and that the craft wa
partially filled with mud and water.
He. however, succeeded in bailing il
and in so far stopping the leaks as t
make it float, and taking his seat in il
with his trusty rife, he pushed out int
the dangerous flood and succeeded i
padding himself across to the Ker
lucky shore, where he could breath
more freely than he had done durin
the six months of his captivity. At tn
close of the fifth day after leaving tn
Indian town on the Miami, he arrive,
at Fort Boone, only to learn that hi
wife despairing of ever seeing hir
again, had taken her children and re
turned to North Carolina.
Boone died at very advanced age
Missouri, and was finally inferred j
Kentucky. His reputation was ths
ola kind-hearted and benevolent man