The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-01-24
Letter No. a.
lPalafina Hill Va 9Th Annfl 1870

Palatine Hill, Va, 9Th April, 1912.
Epther Raymond, 81
Sir:In my last letter had
brought my narrative up to the year
1'790. We were stili living. on the
hflf above Clarksburg. The Indians
were getting to be very troublesome,
itiil we would venture in the woods.
At fseem8 strange to me at this time
That my father would indulge us an
our excursions at that time As those
y times are SO forcibly impressed on
my mind will give you an account
Of one or two circumstances which to
me now would seem perilous. In the
fan Of 1870 II went with old Mr,
Thomas Natter and Isaac Richards on
a sftinting excursion to see DC we could
find any huffaloes. We steered our
course Through the hills towards Mar
detta, generally leaving the road to
our right hand until we reached the
Hughes, friyer, five miles below wfler,
the road crossed said river, we fell
on the trail OF a buffalo bull, followed
him about gmile when we saw him
jump up and start to run. Richards
anu nyyseh fired at the same instant;
one Of nus shot him in some part OF the
head which brought him to his knees,
the other hit him behind the should-
err, which was the killing shot. He ran
ABOUT 100 yards and fell. He was a
fine animal We butchered him and set
out for home. We came into the state
road near where Mr.. Martin now lives
and arrived safe at home with our
meat.
One other trip will mention. In
the last OF February, 1871. Jonathan
Coburn and myself started on a
trapping fvoyase.R We hired Daniel
Mccain to go with US to the mouth OF
Fink,s fork of Leading creek to help
carry bur traps out and bring in our
horses Just below the mouth of said
fork Coburn and myself camped, built
canoe and stayed there about a
week While we were there we caught
four beavers. We then descended the
creek dnSotf canoe to Its mouth, which
we Thought = was about twenty-five
miles AT the junction Of the creek
with the river we set trap and went
UP the river about one hundred yards.
It was then near; dark. Coburn went
on the land to find a place to camp;
he came back and said he had found
q fine chance for a FIRE, a small house
he said, which had been built by hun
tiers to put meat in. We struck fire,
put sdn4 q quantity, and 1t blazeti lin
\ finely while the bark lasted, and then
II took. the balance Of the night to
keep IT alive 1t was a very cold
night and to dark to hunt wood. AS
soon as day came, we made a fine fire
to taaaw ourselves. j Coburn, said he
had dreamed that he had scufle
with a man who had but one arm, and
said, he. "a expect / shall find, q
beaver in that trap with one foot off,
ne went to the trap and brought back
y beaver which had lost one Of its
4 fore legs 4 suppose he had been
co5lght IN q trap and, gnawed his leg
of. This was one or the truest dreams
/ ever knew We then descended the
river slowly saying to each other that
witen we got to the usual crossing
places of the Indians we would be
very careful but we always forgol
( 10 be so In crossing those places
There had been a great beech mas,
the preceding year There was plenty
B Of mast In March, The woods were
full OF deer, bear and some buffalo
and a large quantity of turkeys. VIZ
( lived chiefly on turkeys. They. werf
very fat. About ten miles above the
mouth OF the West fork of the Kan:
awha we Killed buffalo, and aboui
six miles above the same place VIZ
saw d bear swimming in the river
We landed and had q hard fight. W.
shot ai3ofit Xix times Sheforf wa killer