The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1907-11-06


that same old gun killed many deer
afterwards. Upon my return to Hart
ford, exhibited my gun with more
heartfelt satisfaction than can well be
imagined at this day. Many persons
about Hartford never had believed
the account of my adventures as
had detailed them,bu when l appear
ed with my gun, found as it had
been by Springton, at the very spot
had so often described, and bearing
evident marks of the truth of my as
sertion, | was at once acquitted of all
suspicious in the minds of the most
incredulous; and now for upwards
of half century have lived near
this same town of Hartford and en-
deavored to maintain the same char
acter for truth and honesty, which
the appearance of my gun at that time
enabled me to attain.
In the same month, August, 1870,
the Indians attacked three men who
were hunting near the mouth ofGreen
river. The men were camping out
when they were attacked. Two of
the men, McIlmurray and Faith, were
killed; the third, Martin Vannada, was
taken prisoner. Taking their prisoner
with them, they crossed the Ohio
river and travelled several days to-
ward the North. They came upon
what the Indians considered the signs
and tracks of white men, and in or
der not to be impeded by their pris-
oner, they determined to leave him. |
have frequently heard Vannada relate
that terrible adventure.
The Indians determined to leave him
but at the same time to secure him so
that he could not escape before their
return. They spread down blanket
at the foot Of tree. With thong
of raw hides they pinioned his hands
behind him to the tree, and another
they tied around his neck and around
the tree, wrapping it and twisting 1t
securely both before and behind, fast
ening his head back close to the tree,
also iashing his feet together, aud In
this secure position they left him.
Vannada Immediately commenced his
efforts to extricate himself. In the
course of an hour he felt the knot
which bound his hands behind the
tree to loosen. He soon had his
hands loose. Drawing his feet up,
he united the thong which bound
them, but now his task seemed only
begun. He could notr each around the
tree to where the knot was, and 1t
was so securely tied and twisted
between his neck and the tree that he
could not slip it, and as he moved
around himself, the knots would also
move so as to be exactly on the other
side of the tree from him and always
out of his reach; nor could he slip
his head through, and in no possible
way could he get to use his teeth up
on it. Vannada used to say that he
felt his teeth ION edge" so great was
his desire to get a good gnaw at that
rome; he had no knife to cut 1t with.
He then sincerely regretted that he
had made any attempt to rescue him
self, believing that when the Indians
returned and discovered it they would
murder him.
In this dilemma it occurred to him
that his vest had metal buttons on
it. He pulled one of them off, and
with his teeth broke it in two. With
the rough edge of this piece of but
ton he succeeded finally in fretting,
rather than eating the cord, which
bound his neck. He finally released
himself and was once more free. But
in such a condition! He was in
wild wilderness hundreds of miles
from any human habttation that he
knew of, with no clothes save his
pants, vest, shirt and moccasins, moth
ing to eat, no gun, no ammunition,
no knife, not even flint to strike
fire with. He had his choice between
certain death when the Indians re-
turned, and his chances for life in
the wilderness. He chose the latter al
tentative, and started with the deter
mination to reach his friends at Hart
ford or die OH the way. No human
being ever suffered more than did
Vannada before he reached Hartford,
Which he did on the evening of the
ninth day after his escape. During
this time he subsisted entirely upon
berries, roots, nuts, worms, snails and
such things as he could find in the
woods. For the last day or two he
several times despaired of ever reach
ing his destination, and two or three
times laid himself down to die. He
was almost famished, and his init
mate friends scarcely recognized him.
4 -. 30, or