Year: 1874

Is Among number of other quite in
teresting incidents of early times about
Steubenville, related at the last meeting


d the Pioneers Association, was one


Narrated by Mr.. Nathaniel, Wells of Jo-
siah Davis, which is illustrative of the,
perils of those times which SO sorely
Ntried men's. souls" In those early
days all the salt procured by the settlers
IN this vicinity was transported from


Raltimores on horseback, and in return.


fsf is the people dug up through the
5Sssts Aers lsnsse l<feast ties i
for which at time there was great de-
mand in the markets at Baltimore. AT


the time in which this incident happened
there were no settlers upoE this side of
the river; but when there were no ru-


mofs of Indians about those on the
other side were frequently in the habit
of crossing from the settlement at the
fort to gather "sang roots as it was
then popularity known, ON the hills back
of our city At the time of the occur
renee we are about to relate Josiah Da-
Hvs-of whom many of our older cit


zens have heard-and who was then a
young man, in company with q number
o. Others had crossed in canoes and
proceeded to little clearing, upon what
lis now the farm owned ny John Bus
tard, for the purpose of laying in sup
ply of this marketable vegetable The
manner of digging it was by sharpen
ing long stick with which the root was
|pried up from its native earth and after


wards being dried was ready for trans
portation. The party had reached the
clearing, but only two had entered into
lit, young Davis and an old man named


Anderson. The old man had kneeled


down on the ground and was busy at


his work, and Davis was standing by


him engaged in sharpening his stick,


when suddenly wild whoop was utter.
ed. two rifles rang out on the air and
|old man Anderson fell corpse over his
work, but Davis was untouched. The


remainder of the party the savages did


not appear to have seen, and they broke
for their canoes and hurIiedly crossed
the river, reporting the tidings to the
|distracted families at the settlement that


Anderson and Davis had both fallen
under the bullets of the savages. This


was incorrect,however. At the moment
Eold man Anderson fell, Davis realized
the dangerous situation at once, and he
ing extremely feet on foot. and determ
lined to lead the savages off the trail Of
his companions, darted into the forest
ina southernly direction, heading to-


wards what is now Jacksonville Then


began fearful race for life between this


young unarmed boy and the band of
Fscreeching btood-tifrsty demons that


were after him, whose terrific yells as


they rent the forests would have frozen


to stone the heart of the modern .Steu-


benville youth with terror Twice after
the start did his pursuers get sight of


him and sent the laden messenger of
death OH its errand, but Gods hand
shielded this brave lad, who so nobly


was striving to save his companions


from massacre, by misleading the howl


ing heather who were on his path For


tunately, through the thickness of the


forests, he succeede in out distancing


them and throwing them off his track,


and he finally reached the river near the


present site of the rolling mill, into


which he sprang and swan safely


across. His friends were shortly after


wards greatly astonished and heartily


gratified to see him bound into the cab.


in, with his knife still open in one hand


and the stick he had been whiting in


tire other, both of which in bis terrible


race for life, and his long dive through


the river, he had never dropped from


his hands