The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1950-08-24
A Flight For Life
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requests to go to a creek to bathe,
Israel Donaldson escaped from a
Shawnee camp after one week
captivity among the Indians. Donald
son had gnawed his bark rope bonds
apart and crawled into thick forest.
How the quarry feels during a
fox-hunt is revealed by what happen
ed after Donaldson reached the
woods at daybreak, April 20, 1871.
Donaldson at the edge of the for
est sat on a tussock and had pulled
on one moccasin and was putting on
the other when he heard the hue
and cry-the hoot and yell. Each
Indian made as much noise as 20
white men could have made.
Indians Near Fugitive
Had they been silent the Indians
would have found their escaped
captive. They easily could have
heard him because he was barely
two rods away at the time. But
with one moccasin in his hand the
fleeing man sought the poorer ridges,
running around fallen tree logs in
stead of jumping over them. About
ten o'clock when ascending one of
the worst ridges, he crept between
two fallen trees and went to sleep.
1t was sundown when he woke up.
Donaldson travelled on for little
way then took lodging for the night
in hollow tree. In the morning he
collected some logs, peeled the bark
and begun tying it together into a
raft. 1t was too tedious so he
abandoned the job. He found a
turkeys nest with two eggs in it
luckily each egg had a doubleyolk.
They made two delicious meals for
two days.
Sunday, May /, he lassoed a
stray horse with a rope he made of
bark, holding it by tying a piece of
bark around it's lower jaw. Donald
son then mounted but the horse
threw him and got away. Donald
son caught the horse again and
again was thrown, that time, badly.
Horse Gone
When Donaldson came to the horse
was a long way off.
After that the pioneer Travelled
afoot, his bare feet full of briars
and thorns. Travel was very slow
On Wednesday he was ready to give
up, not knowing what distance he
was from the Ohio River and pos
sible succor. SO the man sat down
at the foot of a tree and soon fell
asleep.
Whether he dreamed it or it was
subconscious suggestion that he
should not be wasting his time
asleep, Donaldson awoke and went
on. Again he sat down and went to
sleep but again the dream that he
should quickly move on came to
him. So Donaldson got up and
limped onward.
Soon he saw an opening which
| might lead to the river and shortly
afterwards thought he heard a bell,
like those tied to cow or a grazing
horse. About half way down the
opening in the woods Donaldson
heard the sound of an axe-the
sweetest music that ever had come
to him. Then Donaldson began to
run, slowly from necessity but MAX
ing time just the same.
Axe Sound Welcome
The sound of the axe came from
an extreme outlet and there the
escaping captive climbed over the
hewed fence. 1t, was difficult for
him because the fence was a high
one. He was within a rod of the
man with the axe before he was
discovered. The man was William
Woodward, who later founded Wood
ward High School, Cincinnati.
an the name of God who are
you?" Woodward asked, seeing that
the apparent Indian had no weapon.
Donaldson told his story. After
more questions Woodward told him
to come on to him.
Woodward told the man to sit
down on a log and he would 60
catch his horse and take him on into
Ft. Washington, Cincinnati. He put
Donaldson on the horse but kept
the bride rein in his own hand. So,
Woodward walking and Donaldson
riding, the two went through the
scattered clearings towards Cincin-
nati-then a town of 40 families.
Looks Like Indian
Here and there along the way to
Cincinnati settlers shouted to Wood
ward "Who is he-an Indians" Still
in Indian dress, his hair cut close
and ring in his nose, Donaldson
certainly looked like it. The scalp
lock and pompadour were left long
and put up on piece of tin, with
turkey feathers worked in, which
Donaldson had been unable to undo.