The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1950-03-09

where he lived the few years before
his death.
Surrounded by rude and dilapi
dated picket frame, the grave was
on a small grassy knoll beside that
Of another, lesser known, pioneer
Solomon Prateor.
Tall Monument
Kenton's remains and small head
stone were removed to Oakdale
Cemetery in 1874 but the tall monu
ment was not put up until 10 years
later-and then only through the
activition of William Patrick, Ur-
bana, an old friend Patrick, hale
and hearty still was living at cover
ninety in the late 1880's.
Scotch-Irish Simon Kenton, then
15, changed his name to Butler
after he thought he had killed Will
liam Veach, back in his home county,
in a fight over a girl He ran away
to Kentucky and with his new name
felt that he would escape recognition.
Veach did not die and finally Kenton
took his real name back. He was
in constant conflict with the Indians
from that time until their defeat by
Wayne in 1894 at Greenville.
Kenton had more fights with the
savages, single-handed and other
wise, and faced nearly certain death
more times than any other man on
the Ohio frontier. The Indians
thought he had a charmed life.
After the fight with Veach and
the change of names, Kenton loafed
around the campus Of Daniel Boone
and Benjamin Logan until he was
tired of the monotony. Then, with
Alexander Montgomery and George
Clark, he started off into the Indians
country to steal some of their
horses. That was September l,
ITS.
The three had salt and halters and
near Oldtown, two miles north of
Xenia, ran into drove of Indians
horses, managing to capture seven
of them. Undetected, they thought,
by the savages, the white men
managed to reach the Ohio River
at the mouth of Eagle creek, Brown
County. There a high wind made
the waves so rough they could not
get the horses into the river. Horses
are afraid of rough waters.
Indians Oyertake Whites
There the Indians caught up with
them and the three men scattered
and hid. Kenton, then afoot, shot at
an Indian on horseback but his gun
missed fire. Dismounting, the savage
came at him with tomahawk and
Kenton tried to fight him off with a
dubbed gun. He was grabbed by an
Indian from behind, who pinioned
his arms.
Montgomery slipped up, fired at
the Indians but missed and fled.
Later he was overtaken and shot by
the savages, who showed Kenton his
scalp. Clark escaped the savages
and got back into Kentucky.
Kenton was lashed to an Indian
horse, which was whipped, then turn
ed loose. Nearly killed by the
rough ride, he was again taken by
the Indians after the horse had tired
out and forced to run the gauntlet.
Then, on his back and with his legs
drawn apart and tied to trees; a
pole put across his breast and his
arms lashed to it and rope noosed
around his neck just tight enough
not to choke him, and fastened to a
tree, Kenton spent three miserable
nights, exposed to gnats, flies,
mosquitoes and weather.
The third morning he again had
to run the gauntlet but escaped and
was retaken near the council house
in the Indian village.
SOnuemneu 10 Dle
Condemned by the Indians to die,
he was taken to Zanesfeld, Logan
County, the place of execution. On
the way Kenton was whipped and
forced to run the gauntlet at each of
two Indian villages the party passed.
Again he escaped and was recaptur-
ed, then giving up his own case as
hopeless.
At Zanesfeld he was saved by
Simon Girty, who had been a scout
with him at Ft. Pitt, in Dunmore's
expedition and considered himself a
friend. On the way to Upper
Sandusky, where another trial was
to be held, the chief, Logan joined
the party and argued for Kenton's
life.
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