The Plymouth Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1878-1901, 1901-07-25
Angus Corb|y's Captivity
Story of Early Indian Life and Adventure in the Territory
Northwest of the Ohio River.
WRITER OF MARSHALL COUNTY. 4
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tanning communication with Une
French at Fort st. DuSkie, now San
dusky. They were to spread the in
telligence that the English had been
forever subjugated by theFrench king,
who would send presents to his chill
dren of the woods and that he would
chastise severely any of his children
who should listen to the ''bad birds'
sent out by the defeated English to
give them wrong information. They
were also to prevent the passage OF
any English people down the Ohio or
through the country and they were
encouraged to believe that English
scalps had very high market val
lie at the French forts.
1t was far too late i'm the season to
plant corn, as they usually did in the
spring, but the newly-arrived Indians
were under no necessity to do so, for
they were promised ample provisions
by their white allies, SO they set leis-
urely to work building village of
huts on a level plateau overlooking the
great river Their wigwamS were
rude and frail affairs constructed of
poles stuck in the ground and tied to-
gether at the top, with strips Of hick-
DRY bark, the covering being of large
sheets of thick bark or mats made of
woven flags from the swamps These
were set up without regard to lines
or distances. but near the center of
the village they built a larger and
more substantial cabin of small logs
covered with bark for use as council
house and for gatherings in stormy
weather and also with some regard to
its possible service as sort of fort,
an idea received from the whites.
The Indians. however. never learned
to fight well behind fertilization,
preferring their own strategy of fight
ing each for himself under cover of
trees and rocks, where they could pass
easily from one protection to another
or get into the open as occasion might
require.
Having completed their village and
stored their goods and baggage the
little tribe or clan left it in charge of
some of the old men and scattered in
small bands up the river and its .trib-
utaries to explore the country
while waiting for their Squaws
and families, who were ex-
pected to arrive soon from the
Susquehanna region. Angus accom-
panied Elenip and five or six compan-
ions into the interior. His sunny
temper and willing heart had won the
friendship of all and his knowledge of
the Rough life of the woods and facil-
ity i'm learning the Indian tongue add
ed to the esteem in which he was
held. His new friends began TO re-
gard him as a young brave of great
promise and their kindly attentions
increased accordingly. In their
wanderings they found many villages,
some abandoned and ruined while
others were occupied by the families
of those who were away to fight the
English, and these had fields of grow
ing corn. The old men and the few
young warriors thus left behind list
ened eagerly to the story of the blood
already shed and that which was yet
to flow. The excitable young fellows
would dance all night after hearing
the news and were with difficulty re-
strained from rushing off to join
their brethren in the war. At that
time there were no white people in the
Muskingum valley except a very few
mild, patient, intrepid French mis-
sionaries and occasionally wild and
reckless coureur de bois, the latter
some times having with him an Ind
ian wife.
One afternoon the little party of
rovers, then far up toward Sandusky,
came to village larger than any of
the others they had seen,
and found several visitors from
neighboring villages, among them
being a considerable number of fight
ing men. They found there also
small number of braves just return
ed from Sandusky with the talk of the
French still sounding in their ears and
when Elenip's band came i'm and it
was learned that they had actually
seen the great battle and taken part
in it the excitement became intense.
A great feast was prepared by the
Squaws while the men gathered about
the newcomers i'm fevered and fasci-
mated groups, eagerly drinking in
every new phase of the recital, and
when night had come and great fires
lighted up the uncouth wigwams and
cast weird shadows in the forest the
naked bucks began wild and awful
dance. Shouting and leaping in cir
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