The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-01-20
KENTUcKY's PIONEERS.
WarlIke Matrons and Children Who
Could Protect Themselves.
louisville CourIer.Ionrnal.l

louisville Courier-Journal.l
In the early settlement of Kentucky,
the boys, and even the women and chill
dren, became as thorough soldiers as the
men. This was the result of their slr-
roundings. They were educated to it.
and lived at time when it was neces-
sary to practice it daily. There were
few women on the frontier but could
load and fire rifle, and many of them
could do it with as fatal accuracy as
their fathers, husbands and brothers. A.
fair illustration is found in the case of a
Mrs. Daviess, whose husband was among
the early settlers of Lincoln county. She
could shoot an Indian with as steady a
hand as Daniel Boone himself. One day
a white man came to her husbands cab
in who had stolen some property from
him, and who bore bad character gen.
orally.
Mrs. Daviess was alone with her chill
dren when this desperate called, and,
knowing her husband was on the look
out for him, she resolved to capture him.
Upon his entering the cabin she asked
him if he would not "take dram"-no
pioneers home was ever found without
its whisky bottle. which was kept as a
remedy for snake bites, etc. She put the
bottle on the table and told him to step
up and help himself. He set his gun
against the cabin wall to comply with
her invitation, and, after hearty pull at
the bottle, he turned to find himself look
ing into the muzzle Of his own rife,
which Mrs. Daviess had picked up while
he was drinking, cooked it, and stood
with it leveled at his head. When he
asked her what she meant, she informed
him that he had stolen her husbands
property, and she meant to keep him
there until his return, and she did. She
stood guard over him until her husbands
return, when she delivered to him her
prisoner. are a
The boys were no less brave and man.
full. To fight the 'Injuns" was the first
thing they learned, and, by the time they
could lift rifle they knew how to use it.
Many instances and incidents could be
given illustrating the heroism of the Dor
der boys, of which the following may be
taken as fair sample: Among the early
settlers of Hardin county was one Silas
Hart, an expert hunter, a thorough back
woodsman, and an inveterate Indian
hater and fighter. Whenever an Indian
incursion was made into the state he was
one of the first on the trail, and he pur-
sued them relentlessly and with the keen
ness of a bloodhound. His keen eye, and
c,l-, ,c1 nj ha@
the Indians the name of "Sharp Eye"
On one of their any incursions into
his neighborhood, Tart pursued them
with few chosen followers, and before
they reached the Ohio shot and killed
their CHER. The ssTages vowed ven
geance against him and his family, and
shortly another incursion was made by
them under the leadership of the brother
of the fallen chief. AS usual, Hart was
first on their trail, and the savages re-
treated toward the Ohio. The whites
finally despaired of overtaking them and
returned home, when the Indians turned
upon their trail and became the pursuers
instead of the pursued. Hart reached
his home about dark, and, being much
fatigued from his long tramp, slept
soundly all night, little dreaming of dan
ger lurking near.
Next morning, just as the family were
sitting down to breakfast, the savages APP
peared at the door, and the dead chiefs
brother shot Hart dead. His son, lad
but 10 years old, sprang up, seized his
fathers rifle and shot the murderous
savage. As the next Indian sprang over
his fallen leader, the brave and I'M
daunted boy, with a large hunting knife,
stabbed him to the heart. But the odds
were against him, and he and hismother
were carried away captives. 1t was the
intention of the savages to take them to
their towns and torture them, but they
were finally ransomed and returned to
their friends.
The same Daviess mentioned above was
surprised one morning in August, 1852,
by Indians. They had approached his
cabin during the night, concealed them
selves, and waited for him to make his
appearance. Daviess, little after day
light, got up and stepped out of his cabin.
He had proceeded but short distance
from the door when, turning, he beheld
number of savages behind him and the
cabin. Seeing there was no chance to
render his family assistance, he fled to
the nearest station, which was five miles
distant, for help.
The Indians made prisoners of his
wife and children, the eldest boy 10
years old, and, knowing Daviess had
escaped, they soon left with their pris-
oners, hoping to escape beyond the
Ohio. Daviess gathered force, and
pursued SO rapidly as to overtake them
before night. AS usual, when about to
be brought to bay, the savages essayed
to kill their prisoners, but were too
closely pressed by the whites. A savage,
however, succeeded in knocking down
the boy and scalping him. The boy
was not killed, only stunned by the
blow, and almost as soon as the savage
left him bounded to his feet, exclaim-
ing: "Durn that Injun, he's got my
scalp"
The boy lived to grow up to manhood,
but was ever after "hAld headed; the
hair would grow no more on that part
of the head which had been scalped. He
never forgave the savages for rendering
him prematurely bald headed, but swore
eternal vengeance against them. In the
summer OF l792, ten years after his ex-
periences detailed above, a band of In
dians raided the settlement, and stole a
number of horses. Young Daviess joined
party in pursuit of them. When the
savages found they would be overtaken
they ambushed the whites, and in the
skirmish that ensued young Daviess was
killed. Thus the Indian fatality chung
"a him.
Chesterfield's ISon.