The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1910-07-07
John AbOrn S
Disappearance.
A Story of Kentucky When
1t Was Wilderness.
By GERTRUDE B. WALKER


One hundred years ago a young cou-
pie left Virginia. crossed the Allegheny
mountains and settled in Henderson
county, Ky. 1t was a wild country in
those days, but very beautiful. nature
seeming TO tempt the pioneer with its
virgin scenery, its immense trees, its
profusion of wild flowers. And such
temptation was necessary. The settler
never knew at what moment the yell
of the savage would break the stiffness
of the wilderness or when he and his
family might be cut down by toma-
hawk without even a whisper of warn
ing
John Aborn and his wife Mary jour
neyed to their new home down the
Ohio river on the only means of in
land navigation known at that time, a
fatboat, and on reaching their destina-
ton went ashore, entered" quarter
section of land, built log cabin and
proceeded to make living by the cul-
tivation of the soil and hunting. Chill
families settled about them. AS more
room was needed their cabin was eX-
tended, and within a few years the To-
cation assumed the semblance of CIV
ilization.
Aborn brought with him to Ken
lucky a few slaves and bought others
from time to time, for we must re-
member that in those days the only
hands a farmer could obtain were his
own negroes. The community lived
on game of which there was abun-
dance near at hand; the grain they
raised and nuts and berries, which
grew plentifully on tree and bush.
Each family was a unit bound togeth-
er by the strongest ties.
But after Il time the game was not
so plentiful about the settlements on
the river bank, and the hunters were
obliged to go farther inland to provide
meat for their families. Then 1t was
that Mrs. Aborn's troubles commenced.
In the wilderness still inhabited by
the deer and the wild turkey were
many dangers Besides the Indian,
there was the wolf, and there were
desperadoes, who. whenever a new
country is settled, on account Of the
absence of government find 1t a fine
field for their lawless operations. New
ertheless every autumn John Aborn
was obliged to go into the unsettled
regions in order to bring back a sup
ply of meat for the winter cOnsump-
ton. Sometimes he would go with a
party of his neighbors, sometimes with
a single friend and sometimes alone.
One October morning he set out on
his annual hunting tour in company
with Alexander Swift, the neighbor
with whom he was most intimate.
When Aborn embraced his wife and
children before departing they clung
to him with unusual reluctance to let
him go. Whether this was due to a
presentiment that evil might happen
to him or that he must now go farther
and remain longer than ever before,
the fact remains that he and his fam
lily were loath to part. Finally, tearing
himself away from them, he sprang
into the wilderness with his friend.
When it came time for the husband
and fathers return his wife and chill
dren watched for him eagerly. He
had usually been away two weeks. but
on this trip he purposed to be gone
three. This was because with the set
tling Of the country he was obliged to
go farther from home. He had set
out on q Monday and had promised to
be back on Saturday, two days before
the third Monday following. All that
day his wife and children watched for
him. but he did not come. The next
and the next day they felt sure would
bring him. but he disappointed them.
The wife and mother began to be
troubled. but concealed her anxiety as
well as she was able from her chill
dren. When another week had passed
and neither Aborn nor his companion
returned Mrs. Aborn felt sure that
both had met with misfortune. The
most reasonable supposition was that
they had been killed by Indians.
A month passed, and still neither
Aborn nor his companion returned.
Then the other hunters of that region
organized a band to go and look for
the missing men. A week later they
returned, reporting that they had come
upon the body Of Alexander Swift
pierced with arrows and scalped.
They had found no trace whatever of
Aborn. 1t seemed probable that the
two men had been attacked by In
dlans; that Swift had been killed and
Aborn captured, In which event he
must have met worse fate than his
companion. The rains had washed out
the trail Of the redskins as we'll as
that Of their captive
The party before their return debat-
sd what report to make to Mrs. Aborn
as to the probable fate Of her husband
and agreed that It would be best to
tell her that her husband had doubt
less been killed by the Indians, not
mentioning that he had been first tor
tured.
AS the Aborn family had increased
the father, who at times had been
troubled with insomnia. had slept in
room by himself. Mrs. Aborn, who
did not relinquish all hope that he
would return. kept this room always
ready for him. But she kept 1t locked
and never mentioned 1t or to whom 1t
had belonged. After her husbands
capture by the Indians she sold her
household negroes. feeling that she
could not afford to keep them, buying
q strong woman who would serve all
domestic purposes. TO this woman
the bedroom that was never opened
was q mystery. She once mentioned
the room to her mistress, asking why
lt was kept locked. but received no