The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1915-11-11
THE
PIONEERS
By MARJORIE CLOUGH


century ago what we call the middle
west now teeming with millions Of
civilized beings engaged in commerce
and manufacture, was a wilderness
under process Of conquest from the
savage. Reading Of the terrible dan
gers, the many butcheries Of the set
tiers Of that period, we are wonder
struck not only that men should go to
such region to live, but that they
should take their wives and children
with them.
In April, 1854, six families left Louis
Vile, KY, to make new home farther
down the Ohio on Green river. The
method of travel was by the fatboat
OF the period. They used two Of these
boats, one for themselves, the other
for the cattle. One night about 10
o'clock, when they were floating in the
middle of the river, the bloodcurdling
Indian yell was heard several miles
below, coming from the northern shore.
Having floated little farther down.
they saw fires on the bank from which
the yells proceeded. ...
A boat had passed the emigrants
during the day, and they concluded
that the Indians had captured it and
were massacring its crew. The fiat
boat was designed to drift with the
current, and there was no prOpelling
power capable Of forcing it upstream.
The emigrants were therefore com.
PEELED to float on down and run the
gantlet of the savages. A man named
Rowan was in command of the boats.
which were dashed together, and under
bis direction preparations were made
for defense. The men of the party
were seven, including himself.
The Indians being on what is now
the Indiana shore, the boats were
guided nearer the Kentucky shore, but
the emigrants dared not approach too
near, fearing there might be savages
there too. The fires were extended
along the shore, and the boats must
psss them oil to secure safety. Rowan
directed that not a sound should be
made, either of voice or oar, hoping
that they might drift by unperceived.
They had reached point midway on
the line Of fires when the Indians dis
covered them and ordered them to
come to the shore. The whites con-
6nued their course and their silence.
With yell the savages rushed to their
canoes and left the shore to intercept
them. The latter foated on in silence.
not even moving an oar to assist in
their escape
When the red men had approached
10 within hundred yards of the float
ing boats the wife Of the commander of
the whites rose from her seat, collected
the axes and placed one beside each
man, who silently awaited till the In
dams should come near enough to war
rant giving them volley. Mrs.
Rowan. desiring to make sure that
each man knew that an ak had been
left beside him and not being permit
ted to SPEAK. touched him as she de-
posted his weapon. The furnishing of
these axes was designed to enable the
men to repel the Indians in case they
should attempt to board the boats.
With so many children present it
was difficult to preserve silence. and
each mothers duty was to see that
none Of her brood gave vent to terror.
1t has been recorded that no one ex-
cept such as have heard the Indian
yell can form any idea of the fear with
which It inspires one. 1t is therefore
to be wondered that the children, who
heard the bloodcurdling sounds. could
be kept quiet.
A being used to inspire fear by noise
would naturally be awed by silence.
Whether it was this silence on the fiat
boats or. the red men believed that
their intended victims were waiting
for their nearer approach to pour
volley into them after coming certain
distance, they ventured no nearer,
keeping up their fiendish yells, brand
ishing their weapons and otherwise at
tempting to paralyZe their intended
victims by fear Mrs. Rowan. who had
reserved a Ratchet for her own use in
case the boat was boarded, remained
seated like statue, while every other,
mother watched her children to see
that none Of them broke the silence.
One can fancy the feelings Of these
emigrants, awed not only by the death
that threatened them, but the scene
about them. There were the dark wa
tiers, the still darker banks, the great
dome above, while the whole was ill.,
minated by the lurid fires on the shore.
But what was most terrorizing were the
hideous yells of the savages, who al
ways used these means to paralyze
those they wished to capture. The
Ohio was called by the French Ii Belle
R1viere beautiful river. but this was
the river Of He'll.
For three miles the Indians followed
the boats. then, awed by the impress
sive silence, drew OF. More than a
hundred savages had been kept at bay
BY seven men and three boys, for
whom there were but nine guns. This
result, achieved by a policy requiring
marvellous self control, q control that
was largely assisted by the calmness