The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-10-02
"REMINISCENCES.
The BLACK Boys !"

The BLACK Boys"
Possibly in literature no story, fable
or anecdote is mentioned or quoted
more frequently than that Of the old
farmer and the lawyer, in which the
''gored OK" plays conspicuous part,
and in all these years it has made all
the difference in the world whose OK
was gored.
During our struggle for independ
ence, one great object of our colonial
fathers was to obtain recognition from
some European power, particularly
France, as that nation and England
were not on very good terms And
while the late war between the States
was in progress, the sole aim, in di-
plOmatic sense, of the Confederat Gov
ernment, was To have belligerent rights
granted them 10y some of the great
powers, preferably, also, France; and,
il has subsequently transpired, that
some fine diplomacy was required To
prevent such recognition. Cuba is in
an almost chronic state of revolt, keep
ing the government of Spain in hot
water all the time; almost bankrupt
ing that efiete monarchy TO prevent
the insurgents from obtaining their in
dependence. The insurgents have
made, in all their previous revOlts, and
also, in the present one, strenuous ex-
ertions to obtain recognition from the
United States government and / pre-
sume the vast majority of the citizens
of this country would like to see belli-
gerent rights granted them, if there is
any excuse possible for it but their
government, such as they have, lacks
the requisite stability.
On the other hand, the fellow whose
OK is likely to be gored, does all in his
power to prevent the recognition Of
belligerent rights, or governmental rec
ognition. In these eases the "Other
fellow" was the English government
during the revolutionary period, the
Federal government during our late
war, and the Spanish government dur
ing the Cuban revolts. All through life,
i'm war or peace, in business or diplo-
macy. iD love or intrigue, the same
view is, and always has been, taken in
this matter. The fellow whose OK has
been gored is much more anxious 10
foil
whose OK did the goring. y bitter, re-
lentIess warfare, which had been car
ried on for more than ten years, with
the various Indian tribes of the north
west, ended about 1865, by a treaty of
peace. The inhabitants of the border
settlements of Pennsylvania, having
had abundant experience, placed no
confidence in Indian promises, not
withstanding the certificates of good
character given them by eranks and
fanatics, just as they do to-day, who
had never seen, or had anything to
do with them. The settlers believed
peace would be much more secure If
the Indians were destitute of the muni-
uitiOns Of war. Hence, when they
found unscrupulOus traders from the
east were supplying the Indians with
guns, powder, lead, tOmahawAs, etc,
in exchange for their furs and pelts,
their CONSERVATION and Indignation
knew no bounds. These traders sup
piled themselves with the munitions
OF war, n mentioned, n well n other
goods that found favor with the In
dians, such as gaudy jewelry, blankets,
and spirits in casks. OF course these
traders, having no OK TO be gOred, cared
not whether rapine and murder, saw
agery and scalping, devastation and Pill
lage followed 80 they recklessly enter
ed into the nefarious barter. The men
on the border, ever on the watch, in
stinctively saw in this what they be
lieved would eventually result in anoth-
er Indian uprising, and their former
experience was sufficient for them To
understand what that meant. They
determined, at all hazards, y break up
these illicit, as they believed, trans
actions, and organized themselves into
"A resolute body of regulators, and cali
ed themselves the "Black Boys" Their
homes were in the vicinity OF Fort
Loudon and Littleton, in what was
then Cumberland county, and accord
ing 70 a local historian, their singular
and summary administration of justice
bore marked affinity to the codes
sometimes adopted by that worthy
dissemination of criminal Jurisprudence
in the west, Judge Lynch" The prin-
cipal leader of the "Blaek Boys" was
James Smith. Smith, in May l75j,
while engaged, with Others, i'm open
ing road from Fort LOudon to
Raystown, afterwards Bedford, was
captured by the Indians and taken to
Fort Duquesne, where he still was
| when the victorious French and In
dams returned after the disastrous and
bloody defeat of General BraddOck.
| Under the excitement of their victory
and the taste of blood, figuratively, and
perhaps, literally speaking. Smith was,
with others who were captured at
Braddock's defeat and before, subject
ed to many indignities. He was made
to run the gauntlet. which, everyone
knows, consisted of running between
two rows Of hali-grown boys, vicious
and blood-thirsty squaws and old men,
a. many as the tribe could muster, all
armed with clubs and other weapons,
whips, tomahawks, knives, etc. III
/ the captive proved to he strong and
vigorous man, he of course, escaped with
| less injuries than a weaker one, a. he
/ could run, under the incentive given,
at very rapid pace, unless an un-
lucky blow, for him, laid him low,
when the whole mob pounced on him,
and, many times, beat him To death.
A weak man could hardly pass the
ordeal safely. Often, after strong
man had made the run in comparative
safety, he was made to run again, when
he usually did not fare so well. Then,
frequently, after man had run the
| gauntlet, he was tOmahawked and
scalped. The prisoner was, as gem