The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1937-07-22
The Indians In Garrett County
Part III. Indian War Days
BY CHARLES E. HOVE

cles, and for other reasons, our part of
Maryland was not settled up as early
as Virginia on the west and Pennsyl-
vania on the north of US.
During the Revolutionary War there
were not over a dozen families resid-
ing within the present bounds of Gar
rett county, and so far as we know
none of them were molested by the
Indians.
The Malott family, murdered in their
cabin near the Glades Path, just east
of Oakland, appear to have been sent
up by Lord Baltimore's agent, primar-
lily to keep squatters off his Great
Yough Manor, soon after it was sur
veyed in 1768. This was a time of
peace, and the story goes that an In
| dian squaw was living with the NAL
otis without the permission of her
people,, when one day a party of In
dams came to the cabin and asked for
their relative. The woman had gone
into the woods and could not be found,
so the angry Indians killed Malott, his
wife and children, leaving their bodies
on the cabin floor.
Some days later members of the
Friend family came by and buried the
remains near the cabin, which stood
by the spring in the rear of the present
brick residence of the late Willoughby
Harrison, on the Mountain Lake Park
road.
The Sandy Creek settlers, which in
cluded those in three states, had Fort
Morris as refuge in case Of alarms,
but we have no record of that settle
ment or fort having been attacked.
The Friends seem to have concen-
trated their strength-three families
in three block houses near each other
on the west bank of the Youghiogheny.
A map of Western Maryland, drawn in
1928, shows these houses located at
the ford at what is now Friendsville,
then designated on the map as
Friends Forts"
Judge D. Harrison Friend wrote, in
1909, of hostile visit by Indians as
follows:
81 have heard my father John
Friend, Jr.) say that his father (John
Friend, Sr.) was first to settle in the
vicinity of Friendsville, and he built
blockhouse for fertilization as pro-
lection in case the Indians became hos
tile, and afterwards realized that it
was a timely protection against the
hostile red men of the forest. .
Many families took refuge in the
blockhouse at Friendsville. After
which there were hostile Indians seen
on one night, the moon shining dimly;
one was discovered looking towards
the fort from a sugar tree, his body
being covered by the tree. There were
several shots fired by men in the fort
and the Indians retired without an at
tack"
Cresap's Letter, 1853
The following letter from Colonel
Thomas Cresap, of Shawnee Old Town,
to Governor Sharp, of Maryland, pic
lures wildly conditions on the Mary
land frontier during Pontiac's War:
Old Town, July Is, 1853.
May it Please Your Excellency:-
take this opportunity in the hight
| of confusion to acquaint you with our
unhappy and most wretched situation
at this time, being in hourly expecta-
ton of being massicread by our bar
berous & inhuman enemies-the In
dians-we having been three days sue
cessively attacked by them, viz: the
10, ID & this instant. On the 18th as
men were shocking some wheat IN
the field S Indians fired on them &
killed one, but was prevented from
scalping him by one of the other mer
firing on them as they came to do it.
& others Running to their assistance
| On the 18th Indians crep up to &
| fired on about 16 men who were walk
ing and sitting under a Tree at the
| Entrance of my Lane, about 100 yards
from My House, but on being fired at
by the white men who much wounded
some of them they Immediately Rur
off & were followed by the white mer
about Mile, all which way was great
Quantitys of Blood on the Ground
The white men got three of their bun
dies containing Sundry Indian nipple
ments & Goods. About Hours after
Several gums were fired in the woods
on which a Party went in Quest OF
| them and found 8 Beaves killed BY
them. The Indians wounded one mar
by their first fire but slightly.
On this Instant as Mr.. Saml. Wilder
was going to house of his about 800
wards Distant from mine with men &
Several women, the Indians Rushed OF
them from Rising Ground but they
Perceiving them Coming Run toward:
my house following which being hearo
at my house they Run to their Assis'
lance & met them & the Indians al
the Entrance of my lane on which the
Indians Immediately fired on then
to the Amount of 18 or 20 and killed
Mr.. Wilder. The Party of white mer
Returned their fire & killed one o.
them dead on the spot & wounded Sew
erall of the Others as appeared by
Considerable Quantitys of Bloot
strewed on the Ground as they Rur
off which they Immediately did & by
their leaving behind them 3 Gums one