The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1925-01-22
Meshach Browning, Pioneer

| have not time to go into this
question at any great length. The
accepted history indicates a hopeless
! confusion as to whether the date was
September 1st or September End, and
whether the Indians were perceived
from the fort or discovered by young
Andrew Zane who was hunting DR..
McMechen's horse. Zane is said to
have leaped down precipice of sew
enty feet. Then it said that Capt.
Mason led out fourteen men against
the Indians and that Captain Ogal
went to his relief with twenty scouts.
And that all were killed except the
two captains and three men.
There is something convincing in
Browning's account of the pioneers
running out after the Indians, for
that was just like the minute men,
who never knew discipline of any
kind.
The histories agree that three men
ecaped with their lives, two of whom
were wounded. If there is any de-
sire to work on a quod Tibet as to the
identity of the unwounded man,
Browning gives a clew by showing
that it was John Caldwell. Another
had his thigh broken and the third
| had an arm broken.
The white savage that John Cald-
well saw was no doubht Simon Grit,
who was with the Indians in that bat
tie and held long parley with the
fort and read to them the proclama-
ton of Gen. Hamilton, of Fort De
troit, Offering the frontier inhabitants
immunity if they would come in and
surrender at Detroit. But doubters
have arisen TO say that Grit was not
at Fc-, Henry.
! Browning also tells about the effort
the Indians made to make a cannon
out of a hollow log wound about with
chains and how it burst and destroy
/ GU d HltIiIOCI VI lIlUldlS.
Browning left Wheeling to return
TO the wilderness to marry at the age
Of eighteen, Mary McMullen. The
young couple built home in the
woods in the pioneer style and clear
ed out farm. Browning's hunting
was his sport and largely his living.
| He settled near the Deep Greek coun-
try made up of mountain lands and
valleys and great stretches of glades
where the deer waded in grass above
their backs.
He estimated that during his life
time that he had killed from eighteen
hundred to two thoushand deer; from
three to four hundred bears; about
! fifty panthers, and many wolves and
wild cats, and any amount of other
game. Passing illusions indicate that
he was in fine trout country, but he
only took them as needed and fishing
was no more an incident with him
than digging potatoes. His young
wife Mary seems to have been more
of fisherman than he himself
DR.. Wilson, Mayor of Warrington,
comes from the same community in
which Browning lived and his ances-
tors lived there from the very earliest
period of the pioneers. (Dr. Wilson
, is son of the late George W. Wilson,
of Garrett county.-Editor The Re-
publican.)
The Wilson's are all familiar with
the Browning book. The one question
that is usually asked is whether the
Browning book. is reliable. l think
so. l believe it from cover to cover.
My main reason for believing it is be-
cause | have heard countless old
hunters relate the intimate circum-
stances attending the tragedy of the
big game animal, and l see no partic-
ular difference between the histories
except that in one case they are writ
ten down with meticulous precision
and in the other case they were re-
lated by word of mouth. And in all
the cases the old hunters found the
supreme emotions of life in the oc-
casions.
was on the train the other day
with the Hon. George Wilson and he
referred to the occasion of the old
man Browning waking up and finding
himself fast to tree as being rather
extraordinary, but do not recall that
he doubted it. l will set down here
that incident:
| and my two sons John and James
prepared for hunt on the North
Branch of the Potomac. We loaded
one horse with provisions and two
others with articles, such as an ak, a
pot, small griddle, potatoes, apples,
etc, when, all being ready to take up
the line of march after breakfast we
set out for the Potomac.
We had Travelled but a few miles
when rain commenced falling slowly
and continued all day. AS we return
RI F1sT.1 h..