The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1897-09-02
TWO OLD KENTUCKY LOVERS
BY W w. WARNER.

Perhaps no section of the union, il
/ all the striking vicissiuudes of settle
ment and growth to a later, mor'
lquiet and permanent condition of SO
clety, has presented more remarkable
incidents, whether we regard the com
ic or tragic aspect of the case, thar
Kentucky; the title-the Ozark ane
Bloody Ground'-to portion of i
being fitting synonym, perhaps, o
the one condition, and the reckl las!
gayety of the old settlers, their mer
ry makings and dances night after
night on the puncheon floor at times
illustrating the other.
Indeed, and notwithstanding the
dangers and hardshiws of the pio
neer's life, in those days, yet the
means of living, from the abundance
of game and other requisites. were sc
easily had, that life. under the cir
cumstances, had attractions hardly to
be found, in many cases, in other
pursuits by their better provided but
more severely worked and care-worn
descendants. A small patch of corn
another, perhaps, of wheat, easily cul-
tlvated, supplied breadstuffs for each
household; the naples supplied sugar
| and molasses, while so numerous we're
the bears in those days that "bear
hams" were the chief reliance in place
of the bacon so essential now, and
much less easily procured in these
latter times. Even the supply of fruit
was not very limited, the delicious
pawpaw, or custald apple in its sea-
son covering the ground in places and
filling the river bottoms with its de
licious fragrance, while persimmons,
berries, chestnuts, pecans, and other
nuts filled large space in the fall
supplies of luxuries not unfrequently
supplemented with honey, or bags of
dried peaches and apples brought
through on pack horses from North
Carolina and Virginia.
ALI this, l repeat, made life easy,
aud comparatively free from that
gnawing anxiety of other and older
communities as to the means of living
saved them that anxious care which
comes OF a too great sOlicitnde for
mere sordid accumulation, the desire
to pile up huge eStates, as in older
countries: and if the frequent alarms
from the Indians. and occasionally
a panther or bear fight in which the
settler came off second best. even all
this gave a zest to living in such a
country, and in that day held the
place of modern expeditions to AriZo
na or the Black Hills.
When it is noted, additionally that
buffalo, deer, wild turkeys and "barrin
hens" the modern prairie chicken
made the country fairly alive with
their presence, and that the genial
climate and fertile valleys and plains
made it almost perfect as desirable
home, the observer of to day in that
state, favored as it really is, sees eas
lily enough why, Notwithstanding the
roughness of earl y times, the sum of
human happiness might be consider
ed pretty evenly balanced as between
the past and the present.
And if we regard that condition of
society which makes the timid and
peacably inclined uncomfortable, tie
prevalence of "lynch law, or the alb
sence of law at all, except that impro
vised by the settlers as applicable to
the occasion; the account, even then,
seems to stand very much in favor of
those far away times. Then, the ap-
plication of any severe and summary
measure or code was thought needful
in very few instances beyond the pla-
cling of captured horse thieves ou the
back of the stolen animal, to cause
the latter to walk out foom under
the sturdy limb where the rogue was
to be leftdangling; the horse thus
made, in one view of it, the avenger
of the wrong; this, and similar at
tempts to enforce justice certainly be
ing a contrast to the wholesale feuds
and fights which OF late years have
too often stained the annals of the
state. All this is preliminary to what
am going to relate of savage en-
counter between two Of these settlers,
and as illustrative of the strong and
fierce passions which semed never to
burn out among the denizens Of the
Dark and Bloody Ground"
Among those was one who as con
temporary and comrade of Boone and
Simon Kenton found home there IL
those early times, an expert with rifle
and compass allke-for be was lanC
surveyor one Sam Plummer
who, after rambling all over the state
finally settled near the three forks Of
| tho Il nnfnnEu 0f <h.,
to locate claims IN the region extend
ing from Big Sandy to Green river
Sans adventures with Indians and al
kinds of 'varmints" were almost mum
berless; one occasion particularly hi.
escape with his scalp being almos
miraculous.
| He, with three or Tour assistants
had been running lines in the Biz
Sandy bottoms; and, their days worl
done. had encamped in a dense cane
brake close TO the bank of the river
About midnight Sam, happening t,
wake up, found two of his men play
ing cards by the light of a blazin,
pine-knot stuck in the ground. Kais
ing himself for moment on his eiboy
to look at them, he with his practise,
hunters ear heard twig snap not ia
off in the dense thicket; and, takin,
the alarm instantly, he at once seize,
handful of dirt and threw it on tn
torch, leaving them all III darkness
Avolley of profane objurgationi fol
lowed this sudden interruption of th
game, of course; but, soon cautionin,
l t,.l, 70,
Aad instruments Immediately, th
whole party quickly and quietly de
camped in the deep darkness to pu
some ten miles between themselve
and the twig breakers ere daylight.
, The next day, reinforced by anothe
surveying party at work in the vic
nifty, they all returned to the pl c
and found, from their tracks IN th
! soft soil and other signs, that about
i | Anzan Savauas ho1 hooy, in tho mt ,