The Plymouth Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1878-1901, 1901-07-11
Angus Corb|y's Captivity
Story of Early Indian Life and Adventure in the Territory
Northwest of the Ohio River.
BY WRITER MARSHALL COUNTY 4


ed country until they came TO the
little settlement ofPaxton. which
but few years later was the
scene of a horrid massacre by a
ravaging band of Indians. Not
far distant. at Harris's Ferry.
now Harrisburg. the river was
crossed and the next stage of the
journey brought the travellers to
the village of Carlisle, little set
Element of log cabins nesting al
the feet of the beautiful Blue
mountains and conferred upon a
blockhouse or log fort. the
refuge for all the little clearings
around in case of alarm,
Carlisle was SammyJohns trad
ing station, established by him
years before, and with the boy he
rode directly to his log cabin,
which was the largest structure
in the town save the fort. dismiss
ing the guard of soldiers and
Indians to the block house with
a message that he would visit
there later. The first duty was to
unload the packs and prepare sup
per, the distance from the ferry
having been traversed since that
morning. and to this task the
trader addressed himself, reject
ing the boys offer of assistance
and casting his eye shrewdly
about to discover if ali things
were as he left them. Angus
busted himself with an inspection
of his new home but had not pro-
ceeded far when the citizens of
the village began dropping in to
get from Sammy John the latest
news from the great outer world
and to impart such information
as they had concerning the excit-
ing movements of the English.
French and Indians in Northern
Pennsylvania.
At that period the two Europ-
can nations were engaged in a
tremendous contest for empire in
America and the stake was the
magnificent valley of the Missis-
sippi, the possibilities of which
as a seat of future civilization
were far more glorious than was
ever dreamed of then. The treaty
of AK Ia Chapelle at the close of
the war between England and
France in 1744-0, did not settle the
controversy as to the boundaries
of the western possessions of the
two nations. England claimed
the right of extending her domin-
ion indefinitely westward from
theAtlantic colonies, whileFrance
claimed the whole of the Missis-
sippi valley. eastward to the Allie
ghanies. France had quietly and
persistently established and
strongly garrisoned fort after
fort until every water approach
to the great basin was guarded
and the system comprised mission
houses and armed trading posts
as we'll as forts. browning las
tions at Frontenac, Niagara. De
troit, Michillimackinac and Sault
| St. Marie commanded the narrow
passes of the great lakes and pro
hibited any but friendly naviga
ton. Forts Presqu'Isle, LIE
Boeuf and Venango held the ap
proach to the Ohio river by way
of the Allegheny; Fort Sandusky
held that by way Of the Sciota,
while the Wabash river route was
barred by Fort Miami, Ouiatenon
and Vincennes and the route to
the Mississippi through the Kan
kakee and Illinois tributaries lay
past Fort ST. Joseph. The south
ern and western routes were like
wise effectively protected against
the English, whose only open
door to the coveted land was
through the forbidding Allegha-
MES westward from the Susque-
hanna settlements There they
maintained three or four insult
ficiently named block houses for
the protection of settlers against
the Indians and without any re-
ference TO the French. This route
necessarily led past Fort Du
Quesne and thus that point, al
the confluence of the Allegheny
and Monongahela rivers, where
Pittsburg's chimneys now smoke
in peace. became the objective OF
the two contending nations and
it was inevitable that collision
should there occur.
The French were always much
more adroit than the British (ol
the later Americans in winning
and holding the good will of the
savage tribes, realizing wha'
powerful allies the implacablt
reds would be in the struggle tha
was to come. The British, al
ways selfopinionated and over
confident, blindly and stubboruly
allowed all these preparations O
France to 60 forward before they
could be aroused to the fact tina
they were locked out of the grea
northwest and that the indians
and French held the key. Thel
England awoke to her DANCE
and sent George Washington
i then but 81 years of age, up TIL
Monongahela and Allegheny t.