The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1952-07-31

Il
sent ball from his own gun through
Hardin's hair. The Indian was dead
and the rest of his party made no re-
sistance and were marched back to
Hardin's camp.
In 1786 Hardin settled in Washing
ton county, Kentucky, and after
wards was in every expedition
against the Indians except that of
Arthur st. Clair. He was prevented
from joining that because of a lame
lleg. Thus he missed being one of
the dead in st. Clair's disastrous de-
feat at Fort Recovery.
In Harmar's expedition, in 1890, he
was in charge of detachment which
was defeated by the Indians. His
body of men had been cut off from
the other up near present Fort
Wayne. That mattered little because
the defeat of Harmar's whole army
was nearly as bad as the later one of
st. Clair.
Old Hamlet
The date when Hardin, Shelby
county, was settled by the white peo-
pie is obscure but its name was sug-
gested by Col. John Johnson, for
nearly fifty years United States gov
ernment agent for the Indians of the
West He lived at Piqua. The ham,
let is old, however, the first court in
Shelby county was held in cabin at
Hardin May Is and IA, 1919. In
more than 130 years its population
has not reached 100 persons.
Just what the connection of John
Hardin in the naming of Hardin
county is obscure other than the con-
lecture that when the county was set
up April l, 1920, it was desired to
name it for some hero of the old In
dian country and John Hardin was
selected as the one to be so monu.
mented.
Hardin county was formed out of
the old Indian territory and though
set up in 1920 it was not organized
until January s, 1888. In the interim
it was, for judicial purposes, a part
of Logan county and after Cham
paign county was organized Hardin
for time was judicially a part OF
that county.
Hardin County
The original Hardin county was
deep woods but exceptionally clear of
underbrush. The pioneers could see
for long distances between the trees.
Legends have it that the Indians
burned the brush every year to make
it easier to see the game when hunt
ling there. That whole Indian coun-
try was Shawnee territory and in
pioneer days was hunters paradise
and so, the Indians hunting
grounds.
Hardin had been through and had
fought in the Indian country from
which the three counties were form
ed. He was with Gen. Josiah Har-
mar in his expedition April 20, 1870,
against the Shawnee towns on the
Scioto River 1t was of little conse-
quence. Made up of about 300
regulars and volunteers Ha1mar's
BODY marched nm Paint creek and at
tackled the towns where Harmar be-
lieved the savages had hidden the
plunder from their own raids into
the white settlements. The Indians
somehow got information that the
white army was coming and aban-
doned the towns before the troops
arrived.
1t was in October, that same year,
that Harmar's expedition against the
Indian towns around Piqua met de-
feat and Hardin, his own detachment
going much too far to the northwest
of the main body of troops, also was
defeated.
1t was because of his Indian exper-
fences, intrepidity and familiarity
with the Indian country of which Lo-
gan, Champaign, Hardin, Shelby, Mi
ami and other counties were a part
that Hardin had been chosen by
Washington as peace emisary to