Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1938-01-06

gave them a lot of additional infor
nation. Mr.. Beach's grandmother
was a sister of Abel Sherman. H,
was buried near where he received
the fatal shot. Sherman's son, who
was at the "Station," heard the two
shots, and for reason, suspected
what had happened, started In
search, and soon came upon the LIE,
less body of his father, killed and
scalped, lying in a may~apple patch,
He was buried not so very far from
where he was killed. This happen
ed in August, 1894. Some 70 years
afterward some of the nephews OF
Sherman took up the remains and
moved them, with the tombstone on
which was carved a scalped head, 20
the Round Bottom cemetery about
who did this exhuming were sur
prised to find the skull SO well pre-
served, especially the perfect set OF
teeth, after the lapse of so many
years. Quite a while after this re-
novel, Mrs. Amy (Beach) Laugh
cry, became interested in replacing
this old original graye-stone with
something better and carried out
the project But this new marker,
owing to poor quality of marble,
and a mistake in the inscription,
was also discarded, and replaced by
another much more satisfactory by
when the Wilson girls were in the
Round Bottom cemetery they no.
ticed that the old original tomb
stone of Sherman's was missing.
Having seen this stone with its
rather crude, gruesOme marking, on
former occasions, they were curious
to know what became of it. They
made inquiry and found that it had
been slowed away in nearby barn.
They reported this to some inf1uen'
tial persons in Marietta, which led 20
it's recovery. ana subsequently nnd mo
ing place in the Campus Martlus
Museum. Mr. Beach also adds his
testimony that his knowledge of the
location of Fort Frye was that it
was a short distance below the pres
ent Beverly school house.
We now wish to pause for mo
ment at this juncture to introduce
to you one who has shown keen
interest in hunting up this "old
stuff" whom many of you know
better than you know us,-John
Beckett, jr., the genial cashier OF
the Cumberland bank. He has shar~
over this old historic ground, be
sides furnishing transportation with
no cost to US. On one occasion, due
to illness, he sent Pearl Still, the
restaurant man, in his place. Our
first trip down there in mid summer
we knew but one person, Odell Bart
lett. He is a well-informed man
and took right in with our quest.
He gave us a good dinner and took
us to the home of Mrs. Owens, the
author to whom we have already
who not only ''knows her apples, .
(she is an orchardist but had dug
up lot of early day history which
added much to our, as yet, rather
meager fund of knowledge. We
were then referred to a man WHOM
we considered it a very great PRIV
ilege to make contact. We re
fer to Rev. Chas. S. Nickerson, re
tired Presbyterian minister He Is
highly educated man and no
doubt better posted on history, and
old folk lore, than any other PEI
son in that part of the country. He
assured us that he would only be
too glad to show us around, but the
day was now too far spent, so we
were to return in fortnight and
resume our investigation. We were
now thoroughly convinced Of the his
toric significance of the territory
along, and adjacent to the Mus
kingum river. On our second visit
Mr.. Nickerson found us another old
timer, Eugene Keyhoe, a promi
nent business man of Beverly. He
is a cousin of one Of the men who
remains of Abel Sherman and his
wife, to the Round Bottom cemetery.
These two men were now ready to
pilot us to the place where the dead
body of Sherman was found. Mr..
Nickerson had been shown the spot,
when he was only boy, by his
grandmother, who was among the
early settlers in that locality. The
place was near the mouth of small
run, since known as sherman g
Run" about 100 yards back of a
hewed log house on route rs, about
a quarter of a mile from where it
Nickerson and Keyhoe couldn
agree where Silverheels stood when
he fired the fatal shot. Neither
could we, as not a soul would ever
know, save the Shawnee himself.
The body of Sherman was buried on
what was known for many years as
the John Mutton farm. On this
river road, in northerly direction
from the Mutton house there was
for many years a very conspicuous
grove of sugartrees. Between this
grove, (where only few now re-
main), and the John Vincent line is a
small plot of ground. 1t was here
that they buried their first and only
victim to lose his life at, or in con-
nection with this upper fort, or,
Sherman Station" On account of
the prevalence of wolves, the grave
was dug eight feet deep. In exhum'
ing the remains they began to think
that they were in the wrong place
on account of the extreme depth.
This place was used for a burying
ground for many years, and when
bones of Sherman and his wife were
taken up, Mr.. Mutton had all the
bodies exhumed and removed to 9TH
er cemeteries. The following spring
he planted the ground in potatoes.
Two of the men who assisted in
the greusome task of removing the
bodies, refused to eat of the pota
toes They were dubious Of what
they knew was in the composition
of the soil Today the place is over
grown with briars, and an old sugar
tree and scraggy oak or two, look
down on the scene of neglect and
desolation.
Mr.. Nickerson is persuaded in his
mind that the location of this upper
stockade was on the right~hand side
of the river~road, just as you are
approaching the Olive Green bridge
C-~I %l~nx