Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-10-14
THE BORDER lIEROINES.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE PLUcKY
WOMEN OF PIONEER DAYS.

How strength. Agility and bravery Saved
Their Lives and Those Of Their Friend..
Two Thrilling stories which Snow What
True Courage Is.
The very first women west OF the Allegha-
nies were Mrs John Draper and her daugh-
yer Mary (who became the wife of William
ingiesl, when, about l74S several families
moved Just over the crest of the low Ale
ghany divide, where now stands Blacksburg
Va, and made settlement called Draper's
Meadows
Having no sister, 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 ms 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 lT55. 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 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 lngles and her baby were kept
there, where she made herself so useful that
after a few weeks she was taken along with a
company Of Shawnees to help make salt at
the Big Bone Lick, south OF the Ohio. Thus
she was the first white woman to enter Ken
lucky, long antedating the arrival there of
Mrs Daniel Boone, who is usually given that
distinction.
A PERtLoUs ESCAPE.
doning her babe to the Indians started with
an old Dutch woman who had more recently
been brought 10 the Lick. With nothing 20
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 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. II was the
Great Kanawha, and its sources were the
streams which flowed through Drapers
Meadows
They turned up its course but were often
interrupted by large streams, which they
were obliged 10 ascend for miles before they
sOahh NAtoo hhh itNidSc tilcil 70 tUc
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 70 find a
worse one just ahead. The old woman near
ly gave out, became quarrelsome and finally
attempted 20 kill her companion for food,
Mrs lngles only escaping after frightful
encounter. Through such almost superhu-
man trials did she persist, until at last she
came 10 her home. She had Travelled Ia forty
days probably 500 miles
Had this simply been IA story Of human
maintenance under dreadful circumstances
IL could be matched by many another wo-
mans story Of that period, but IL amounted
10 a most valuable exploration, since, until
then, nobody knew that their waters gather
ed into great river, or emptied into the
Ohio, nor what was the Ohio's lower course,
nor that saline springs existed la the western
valleys. When Mrs Ingles stopped near
where Charleston, the capital OF West Viz.
gtnia, now stands, and made salt for her cap
tors In her own kettles, sbe WAS laying the
foundation OF the long race OF Ksnawha 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, affording a 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
woodcraft 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
legs" ride, from Clendemin's fort, here at
Charleston w Va to Lewisburg, 100 miles
away, Z" 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 lIs2 was near the fort at Wheel-
ing. A sudden alarm caused everybody e1.
cept those at Zane's 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 10 these wild scenes. The attack was
herce and prolonged, and the powder gave
out before the red skins showed any signs of
retreattng. In this emergency it became
s--essary 10 replenish their ammunition
from Col. Zane's house, which was about
fifty PAGES o.tant.
IL was therefor. opposed that one of their
heetest men should onacavor TO reach the
house, get key OF powder and -eturn with
IT, The enterprise was full of the keenest
danger, yet many volunteers presented tuS,,-
selves for the task. Among them was Eliza,
beth Zane. She young, athletic and
fearless. "You have not one man 70 spare"
she pleaded. IF fall-it is only n girl, who
| will not be missed In the defense Of the fort.
| Let me gol" Her services we're accepted
Divesting herself Of impeding skirNs she stood
| ready for the hazardous adventure, and
| when the gate was opened she bounded forth,
buoyant with youthful confidence Of success
| Wrapt In Armament the Indians beheld
her, but shouting: "A squawl a squawl" dis
dained TO interrupt her progress TO her broth
| er's door. Then Col Zane fastened "a table
cloth around her whist and, emptying into it
a keg OF powder, again the door was opened
and shs darted out. The Indians were no
longer passive. Ball after ball sung around
her ears, but none touched her, and in a mo
ment her flying feet had carried the precious
burden safely into the fort.-Charleston NY.
Va Cor. New York Commercial Advertiser.
ynsuccessfuI Attempt at Suicide.
In 1872 general in the French army at
tempted 10 commit suicide by plunging head