The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-01-11
BY WALTER WILCOX
A Pioneer Story

! One hundred years ago young cou
. Pile left Virginia. crossed the Alleghen,
G mountains and settled In Henderson
: county Ky II was Wild country II
those days, but very beautiful, natur'
, seeming 10 tempt the pioneer with IL
{ virgin scenery, It's immense trees, III
! temptation was necessary The settle
never knew nj what moment the vel
OF the savage would break the still
ness of the wilderness or when he am
his family might be cut down by 4
tomahawk without even a whisper OF
warning. These were the inda emcnty
and the drawbacks 10 settlers IN the
new country. though there is "A fascina
ton in danger that drew the fearless
John Abdn and his wife Mary jour.
neyed 10 their new home down the
Ohio river on the only means Of IN
land navigation known at that time, n
ilatboat, and on reaching their destina.
ton went ashore, "entcfel' a quarter
section of land. built leg cabin and
proceeded TO make "A living by tie cul-
tivation Of tie soil and hunting Chill
dren were born 10 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 10 Ken.
| lucky a few slaves and bought others
from time h. time for we must re.
member that In those days the only
! hands farmer 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 ana berries. which
grew plentifully on tree and bush
Each family was n unit bound togeth
er by the strongest ties.
But after time the game was not
so plentiful about the settlements on
the river bank. and the hunters were
obliged to 80 farther inland TO provide
meat for their families Then it was
tuht tiN hboihN tioublNO
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 new
country is settled on account Of the
absence Of government find it n fine
field for their lawleSs operations. Ncv.
ertheless every autumn John Ab0rn |
was obliged to go into the unsettled |
regions in order to bring back a sup |
ply of meat Tor the winter c0nsump
ton. Sometimes he would 20 with
party of his neighbors, sometimes with |
a single friend and sometimes alone.
One October morning he set ont on
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 60 Whether this was due 10 n
that evil might happen
o him or that he must now 20 farther
md remain longer than ever before.
he fact remains that he and his fam
ly were loath to part Finally. tearing
himself away from them, he sprang
nto the wilderness with his friend
When it came time for the husband
md fathers return his wife and chill
lren watched for him eagerly. He
lad usually been away two weeks, but
IN this trip he purposed TO be gone
hree. This was because with the set
ling OF the country he was obliged to
% farther from home He had set
ut on Monday and had promised to
e back on Saturday, two days before
he third Monday following All that |. I
ay his wife and children watched for !
i'm, but he did not come The next
nd the next day they felt sure would [
ring him. but he disappointed them !
he wife and mother began to be I
'oubled, but concealed her anxiety as
'ell as she was able from her chi. I
rem. When another week had passed Il
nd neither Aborn nor his companion r
lhdl bNu hIH. AbJiH ItIl SURE Iudl | II
9th had met with misfortune. The u
lost reasonable supposltion was that "
ley had been killed by Indians. 4
A month passed and still neither II
born nor his companion returned. II
hen the other hunters Of that region b.
'ganized band TO 80 and look for u
le missing men. week later they N
turned, reporting that they had come Il
)on the ho9y Of Alexander Swig
creed with arrows ana eaalped lo
hey had found no trace whatever Of tc
born. II seemed proballe that The Ii
70 men had been attacked by Indians; VI
at Swift had been Killed and Iborn II
ptured, In which event he must have BIT
Il worse fate than hA companion. he
re rains had washed out the trail Of or
e redskins as well as that Of their ia
ptive. be
The party before their return debat- ne
what report TO make 10 Mrs. Aborn he
to the probable fate Of her husband >
. agreed that II would be best 10 10
her that her husband had doubtless III
N killed by the Indians, not men. be,
ming that he had been first tortured. be,
.s the Aborn family had increased er.
father, who at times had been sd,
nbled with insomnia, had slept IN ty
IN by himself, Mrs. Ab0rn. who did tur