The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-18
THE BIG INDIAN SWAMP.
a GREAT PIKE COUNT JUNGLE
AND NOW 1T GOT ITS MANI. y

AND HOW II GOT ITS NAME,
rho Tragic Rvents Attending tho Hurried
Taking OF mi Cortright ana His NeiEhber-
RIcGinniH, ny indians. and st-, nsvS 9,-.s
They Made rh--=Es. ,ns Wilderness
MILFORD. Pa, July 17.-BiG Indian Swamp is
a famous locality in the Pike county wilderness,
II 10 in the southwestern part Of tho county,
near the base Of Highknob, and is included In
the domain OF the Blooming Grove Park Associ-
alton. 1t is doubtful II 1t offered cover to q
| greater number of bears In tho days when the
adventure Of Bill Cortright gave II its name
than IL docs to-day, nor are It's depths any easier
OF access now than they were then. Bill Cort-
right was not after bear, though. when no Wis
tied the swamp that time, He was after an
Indian. The Indian was only q fow paccs ahead
OF him at tho time. Ho could have shot the
Indian with the greatest ease. One reason that
Cortright did not shoot the Indian was that he
had no gun. Another reason was that just
behind him wero two more Indians.
You see, says q man from the Knob coun-
try. who knows all about the affair, Tho want
follerin' that Injin voluntary. He had been took
by en-"
The way II came about was that NJ evening
one day. moro than one hundred years ago, Cort
right and u man named McGinnis. the two being
neighboring settlers Town along tho Bushkill
Creek, went out to a pasture lot on ono OF their
clearings to fetch in a couple of horses. Accord
Ing to the way tradition has brought 1t to the
man from tho Knob country, Cortright was q
man who always knew better than any one else
how things should DO done, and, while he and
McGinnis were on their way to tho pasture lot
he was severely criticising tho manner In which
q fight between a band Of Indian raiders and the
settlers some miles up the Delaware. a few days
before, had been managed on the part Of the
leaders of tho settlers, whom the Indians had
defeated with great loss.
~"Injins fight with a great hcllabaloo," Bill
Cortright remarked to McGinnis, and they're
afraid Of a hellabaloo themselves. All you've
got to do In nghtin' Injins Is to make jestI 40
much hellabaloo as tho Injins does and pitch
In. They'll soon turn tail and make tracks for
cover. Hellabaloo 10 the best weepon In fghtin'
Injins."
By this time the two pioneers had arrived at
tho pasture. They let Town the bars and were
about to enter the lot, when an Indian rose from
fRs se eSe sus SS 0e ea the iase ot aaa s siGs. i9 TSs9 made aSa:
q tremend Gus hullabaloo.,
SoaR' Tine sH SSs'd a tur rnsa his ,sSeiiabsiOp io 'ss o.
ss .ss t e : S' i5s so ~, thf Ts.s { '9 %Sss r. sSli p q.
4, Ina z hurry; az, ,. fore BIZ aoo could even peep they
Tho haste Of these Indians was indeed some
shePf sm insisf,' II fS was IS evening" srin,t' when mi she Ja% 'oOE
Cortrisht and McGinnis. and at shutdown they
s severe tslIai mil sse fro Snm tRe or pa 81 ! e ee Io.. w sMS% an
almost untrodden wilderness intervening. They
%'Ri 6hs, mot S.a haze ,Ssv a So9 PDns.ss this nom 1ss5s;
when but Ave miles on their way 70
t tseip sis sSp't Hhis M sns' thu th5's ssssls9 Il 1RDsGc
After covering the hve miles. McGinnis showed
E E di spO,1d NJ e b lag b and hang Sis bG1 ss. not Sad Se s'yss
out. Tho Indians tarried long enough to toma-
hawk and scalp him; and then sped 3D.. on. . and; a.
. ,ESod halfISan day t tourney in n The Pike county
the aiecrity and speed that abounded a that
isolated lated re, region on.sd In nh f;ssst' ;, compared em srsL., with ho, he
bors Of the captive settlers showed on the ocSss
q hurry that hat. they they r never rsn noticed nisS,, the %, ely ss.m sn !.
s%sm P'a This is' Was a' shs { SFsRaE ia%sr on 'o g ssrles
! from the bushes and underbrush along the way,
the Indians to rescue him those broken twigs
would guide them, straight and surely over the
: The neafss. nsifEhSors MsGinnis, a nd Cser.sdishs
5 had had were sss. Bob 3, AND .ha. Ben aiva Hanna ,Mo aGS b aw Sanders t,,ss
at this point In the weaving Of the story tradi.
tion seems 70 have dropped a few stitches. but
Ac'Y Il Q p did them %%esiehbors know that Bill and
f %HSs"aie on their tep heels r. he says: "Weil. Sit,
, Bob Hsnns; as iys hesrd it. come eo dETn . s,rrnis aH
Injin mere,n two miles. That's how them neigh
bors know'd IT."
r gathered and started in pursuit, They soon s,1
trick Outright was playing on his captors-and
, the broken twigs made the chase more pleasant.
a They came f. e.. sh I, body g! r MsSi Inns s whsrs the is
dig q grave and bury it. Any one soi1urning in
that part Of Pike county to-day viii hear ire.
o . landmark. The barren is there. sure enough.
remains were never disturbed, and whatever
may be loft Of them Is there yet; and that is the
a It isn't likely that it would haye made the
Y slightest difference to tradition whether CoEt.
n started those neiRhbors off with the indomit-
. able able tPE%nrspS SSs 9 9ss rss %onIS t sa2e p doee e, Il tho . Ss5.
- instead OF twigs Topped to guide them. sawlogs
S SSS been Riil;Sa two s.51 lsySsITs R hiEs a in their f path:
p tion, and moro especially Pike county tradition
q Interpreted by a man from the Knob thS county fdi
q, The Indians got into tho Sig swamp with their
Knob country, that Bill wouldn't a got away.
anyhow, whether he'd a been rescued OIL, not.
- Jest by raisin' up an turnin' ON his hellabaioG
as a xeepon. an maxim them Injins make
Q. plain by some o his %posterity that he was on the
r PptiIatt, . dom it jest as the time came when he
", one q the AL, three rec India Indians !, Was E tf :, mend \
.. finSie the campfire; The thiIa stood leaniai
" against q tree. Suddenly crack! crack crack
IN the reports Of TN fsr fsdi E,nes w GfSk tss M ain tu feii dss y
~ on his unltghted fagots. and, the Indian at tn
d Indian leaPed to his feet and sprang into th'
% dense laurels.
81 ground, This is gittin' free siicker than soal
ig grease"
He had scarcely shouted when from the laurel
4. came tho report Of another rifle. and CortriRh
rs tumbled to the ground. Bob Hanna fred at thu
in spot whence the shot had come. A yell followet
% %, Tho big Indian lay dead, clutching his emgt!
al rifle in his hands, and they left him there, II,
had heard CortriRht's ~exultant cry. and hat
Hooo turned to take a shot at him, but his aim, wa
liz liz wild and the bullet struck Cortright in tho thigh
,,SSs killed or badly hurt, he exclaimed:
nd "Artor this, don't never boiler fore you're GU
nv O. the woodsl'
u. Tradition docs not say how long 1t took tn
he party TO travel back home, and the man frol