The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-04-10
A Pioneer Story


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 still
ness of the wilderness or when he and
his family might be cut down by
warning. These were the inducements
and the drawbacks to settlers In the
new country, though there is fascina-
tion In danger that drew the fearless.
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,
ton went ashore, entered" a quarter
section of land, built log cabin and
proceeded to make living by the cul-
tivation Of the soil and hunting Chill
dren were born to them. As more
room was needed their cabin was ex-
tended, and within a few years the
location 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 asfarmer could obtain were his
own negroes. The community lived
on game, of which there was album
dance near at hand; the grain they
raised and nuts and berries, which
grew plentifully on tree and bush
Each family was unit bound togeth-
er by the strongest ties
But after a 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 the Aborns' 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 it 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 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 chung
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
Ting Of the country he was obliged to
out on Monday and had promised to
be back on Saturday, two days before
the third Monday following All that
day bis 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 sHpposition 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 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 Indians
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 tran of |
the redskins as well as that of their |
captive.
The party before their return debat- |
ed 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 doubtless
been killed by the Indians, not men
tioning that he had been first tortured. |
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 it locked and never
mentioned it or to whom it had belong
ed. After her husbands capture by |
the Indians she sold most of her ne
groes, feeling that she could not afford
to keep them, buying a strong woman |
who would serve all domestic purposes.
To this woman the bedroom that was
never opened was a mystery She once
mentioned. the room to her mistress,
asking why it was kept locked, but re-
ceived no satisfaction. After that she
speculated great deal about the room,
telling the field hands that she 'spect-
ed Missy Aborn had a ha'nt locked up |
in dat ROOM" The settlers, or, rather, |
their wives, who knew Of the closing |
of this room pitied the poor woman,
whose husband had doubtless been tor
tured and burned at the stake by the |
savages and would never return. They |
assumed that she hoped her husband |
would come back to her and she wish |
ed him to find his room ready for his |
occupation.
Two years passed, during which |
Mrs Aborn worked her farm as well |
as she could. and her neighbors on their |
return from their hunting expeditions
always supplied her with meat for the |
coming winter and spring. But it was
a forlorn country In which to bring up |
children, and she was often tempted |
to remove to Indiana or Ohio, where
she would have facilities for giving |
them an education. Finally she resolv-
ed one autumn that if no tidings came
from her husband during the winter