The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1916-01-13
The Decoy
By RYLAND BELL
By RYLAND BELL

The great decisive campaigns Of the
world have their place in history and
are as well known as the large cities
OF the world. The conquest Of Amer.
lea, which extended over several cen
turtles, is comparatively little known.
It was achieved almost entirely by
citizens who, to make new homes for
themselves, wrested wilderness from
the savages. None Of its many parts
Is more thrilling than the possession
Of that region which embraces Ohio,
Indiana and Kentucky by the Vir-
ginias.
One day during the emigration that
set in from Virginia to this region in
the latter part of the eighteenth cen
fury John May, his clerk and man
named Skies embarked on flatboat-
the parlor car Of that period-and be-
gan the descent of the Ohio river. At
Point Pleasant they were Joined by one
Finn and his two sisters. Indians in
habited both banks Of the river, and 1t
was necessary to keep sharp watch
night and day. Savage warfare was
what it had always been-not open
fighting, but cunning. The red men
rarely attacked boat in the river, but
practiced all sorts Of acts to decoy the
emigrants to the shore, where an am
bush was set. One Of the devices was
to compel captive whites to call out to
the travellers that they had escaped
from Indians and beg to be taken
aboard.
One morning at daylight the watch
awakened the crew with the informa-
ton that there were fires below. At
the same time two white men came
down to the river bank on the side
OF the fires and begged to be taken
aboard. They told plausible story
as to how they had been captured and
how they had escaped, stating that
IL left they would likely be retaken.
May, who was familiar with Indian
devitiss, turned deaf ear to their en-
treaties. He asked them what had
fessed ignorance of them. May was
by this convinced that the men were
decoys and kept the middle of the
stream. While they were talking the
men were running on the shore to keep
pace with the boat, pleading In despair
ing tones to be saved from torture and
death.
This was too much for the women,
who were in favor Of landing and TAX
ing the fugitives aboard. Finn was
soon won over; May held firm for
awhile, but was at last persuaded. He
consented to run near enough to the
bank to permit Finn to wade ashore
and have q nearer view Of and ques-
ton the two men. By the time this
was decided on the boat had drifted a
mile beyond the latter. The boat was
pulled to the bank, and Finn stepped
ashore.
Several Indians stepped out from
cover, seized him and fred on the boat.
Two Of the men sprang to their guns.
the third, May, to an oar. His only
hope was to get the boat again into the
current. He called to the others to drop
their rifles and help him, but the fire
was 80 hot that they sank down for
shelter. The boat lay still while the
Indians kept pouring in lead. One Of
the women was killed, Skiles badly
wounded, and there was nothing for
May to do but surrender. When he
arose to do so he was shot dead.
The Indians now went out to the
boat, scalped the dead and made cap
tives of the party. They were Joined
BY the two decoy white renegades, and
all spent the night on the river bank.
In the morning three flatboats made
their appearance. They were in charge
Of Thomas Marshall and his son. The
Indians forced their prisoners to man
the oars Of the captive boat, which was
headed for the channel to intercept
those coming down. Those In Mar
shalrs boats saw their danger and
made what preparations they could for
defense. The first two boats, though
exposed to heavy fire from the In
.dians, passed on down and escaped.
Marshall commanded the last boat.
The Indians while attempting to reach
it got out Of the current. Their prison
.ers rowed In such a way as purposely
to make little Roadway. Taking ad-
vantage Of this, the second boat al
lowed the third to overtake It, and,
transferring the passengers, the third
was set adrift. Then, the oars and
rowers available being doubled, the
whole party made their escape.
This yielding to the pleadings Of the
white decoys, taken with other cases,
resulted In some very unmerciful re-
fusals to take aboard real escaped pr1s-
oners. A Colonel Downing had been
captured and marched into the Indian
country north Of the Ohio river by an
old Indian and his son. One evening
as the Indian went for water the pris-
oner picked up a tomahawk, followed
him and killed him. The young man
sprang upon him, but was thrown. OF
wounded and escaped to the river. A