Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1917-02-22
A MYSTERIOUS
DISAPPEARANCE
A Pioneer Story
By WALTER WILCOX
A Pioneer Story
By WALTER WILCOX

One hundred years ago q young cou-
pie left Virginia. crossed the Allegheny
mountains and settled In Henderson
county. Ky II was "a Wild country In
those days. but very beautiful. nature
seeming to tempt the pioneer with its
virgin scenery, its immense trees It's
pr0fusion or 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 a
t0mahawk without even "a whisper OF
warning. These were the Inducements
and the drawbacks 10 settlers in the
new country. though there is fascins
ton In danger that drew the fearless
John AbUrn and his wife Mary Jour
neyed 10 their new home down the
Ohio river on the only means OF in
land navigation known sc that time q
flatboat and on reaching their destina-
ton went ashore. entered Il quarter
section OF land built log cabin ami
proceeded 10 make living by the cul-
tivntion Of the soil and hunting CHI
dron were born 10 them AS more
room was needed their cabin was eX
tended and within few years the
location assumed the semblance OF civ
ilization
ADOrn brought with MIN 10 Ken
lucky a few slaves and bought others
from time t. time for we must re-
menbeI, that in those days the only
hands a farmer could obtain were his
own negroes The community lived
on game. or which there was abun
dance near at hand, the grain they
raised and nuts aud berries which
grew plentifully on tree and bush
Each family was a unit bound togeth
er by the strongest ties
But after time the game was not
50 plentiful about the settlements Oh
the river bank. and the hunters were
obliged 10 20 farther inland to provide
meat for their families. Then IL 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 \ new
country u settled. on account Of tho
absence OF government dnd It \ ans
deld for their lawiess operations. New
ertheless every autumn John Aborn
was obliged 70 go into the unsettled
regions In order TO bring back a sup
ply OF meat for the winter consump-
ton. Sometimes he would 20 with q
party OF his neighbors, sometimes with
q 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 Q
presentiment that evil might happen
to him or that he must now 20 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 20 be gone
three. This was because with the set
Ting or the country be was obliged to
go farther from home He had set
out on Monday and had promised to
be back on Saturday, two days before
the third Monday following All that
day his wife aud 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
Tie wife and mother BEGAN 20 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. Aboru felt sure that
both had met with misfortune. The
most reasonable supposition was that
they had been killed by indians
A month passed. aud still neither
Aborn nor his companion returned.
Then the other hunters OF that region
organized a band to 20 and look for
the missing men week later they
returned, reporting tiiat they had come
upon the body ~ Alexander Swift
pierced with arrows and scalped
They had found no trace whatever OF
Aboru. II seemed probable that the
tue IaI - It'd
that Swift had been killed and Aborn
in which event he must have
met worse fate than his companion
The rains had washed out the trail OF
The redskins ~ we'll as hat ~ their
captive
The party lefore their return debat
ri what report 10 make to Mrs Aborn
IS 10. the probable fate Of her husban
md agreed that it would be best TO
hell hen that her husband had doubtless
been Killed by the Indians not men
TINT he had been first tortured
As the Ahorn family had increased
the father, who at times had been
troubled with insomnia, had slept In a
room by himself. Mrs Aborn. who did
not relinquish all hope that ne would
return. kept this room always ready for
him. But she kept IL locked and never
mentioned II or TO whom Il had belong
ed. After her husbands capture by
the Indians she sold most Of her ne