The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1900-05-17

Intellectual attempts to make Mr..
Dick carry a load of their plunder,
but he showed his courage and inde-
pendance by refusing to work for In
dians. After being with the Indians
for some time, and experiencing
many adventures with them. he was
sold by them to trader, who carried
him to Detroit, where the English
Commandant of the Post bought him
and then released him. AS he was
good penman be soon made him Sec
retary of the Post, by which means
he was able to lay up some money.
He was of course very desirous to pro-
cure the release of his wife, who in
her afflicted condition had no hopes
Of escape. Not thinking it prudent
to go himself he hired a Chippawa
Indian to go and steal her away from
them and bring her to Detroit, for
which he paid him twenty gallons of
rum in advance, and of course he
never saw that Indian again. After
waiting a long time for the return of
the Chippawa he asked the advice of
the Commander, who told him to
never pay an Indian until the work
was done. So he employed another
Indian, who was recommended to him
as trustworthy man, for the sum of
Sl8. So the Indian started off on his
mission by going down the Detroit
River to the lake, then up the Maumee
River to the place where the Indians
were on a fall hunt. After consider
able manuvering he made arrange
ments with an old colored woman who
had been prisoner a long time with
the Indians to bring Mrs. Dick to the
river at night, which she did after the
Indians had gone asleep. Taking her
in his canoe they travelled down the
river all night and laid by during
the day, when he would secrete his
canoe by sinking it in the water and
hid her in the bushes. He was very
attentive in supplying her needs and
carried water to her in his moccasins.
After three or four days travel he
reached Detroit, and delivered her
safely to her husband. When Mrs.
Dick had rested sufficiently they took
passage on a vessel bound for Buffalo
and were landed at Erie, Pa, about
the first of December. 1871, having
been with the Indians about nine
months. From Erie they directed
their course towards Philadelphia,
but met with difficulties on the way
as the winter was severe. Sometime
they could hire a team for a day or
two, at other times Mr.. Dick would
take his wife on his shoulders and car
ry her, land in this way they Travelled on
until they reached Philadelphia on
the first of February. From there
they went to Pittsburg, where they
arrived on the Sth of March, 1892, and
lived in Pittsburg until 1913. On the
9th of November of that year he
started down the Ohio River by boat
ville) on the Goth of the month, hav-
ing been on the river eleven days.
Not being as well pleased with Ken
lucky, as he anticipated he determin-
ed after Wayne's treaty with the In
dians had established peace on an ap-
pariently firm basis to move to the
SciOta Valley, where he hoped to
make his permanent home. So he
Joined Gen. Massie's company in the
spring of 1796 to make the first settle
ment in the vicinity of where Chilli
Cothe now stands. He assisted in
laying out the town and helped to
raise the first cabin in it. He re-
mained here six years and did much
in establishing good morals and
furthering the religious interest of
the town. During his residence here
he had the misfortune to loose his
wife by death. She died on the End
of October, l79S. On the Sth of the
following May, 1899, he was married
to Elizabeth May, the mother of
Aunt Mary Lucas. He purchased a
farm in the cattail swamps near Chill.
licothe, but the Sciota Valley contin-
uing sickly he determined to leave it,
which he did in January, 1902, and
settled in Highland county on the
farm lying east of the present town
of Marshall, where he built log
cabin. At this time the country
around with the exception of Major
Franklin's cabin and clearing two
miles east of his farm was wilder
ness, and the nearest mill was Smith
Shop were at the falls of Paint, and
Chillicothe was the nearest market
and trading point. So we see that
Aunt Mary commenced life on the
frontier, where mems courage and
perseverance were put to the test
. where they had to endure hardships
dangers and alarms incident to front