We can never be sure,but I think the Indians in the following were hunting on BLUE Lick Run,or Stone Lick Run,of Bullskin near FELICITY,Oh, and were chased thru BETHEL,to the FALLEN TIMBER,which played a part in WM LYTLE'S location of Williamsburg,Oh. Spencer and Laben Records,and bro-in-law HUGHEY. Faith K posted several of Capt Spencer Records memories to LONGHUNTERS-L@rootsweb.com,and I repost them to locations mentioned. This is the 1st memory OHCLERMO-L@rootsweb.com list members will see,of abt 10. From: "Faith Keahey" <keahey@cyberhighway.net> To: LONGHUNTERS-L@rootsweb.com Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1999 14:17:09 -0600 Subject: Capt Spencer Records #14 Message-ID: <003601beb835$36ef9140$c432a1d1@keahey> Return-path: <LONGHUNTERS-L-request@rootsweb.com> Received: from mx2.boston.juno.com (mx2.boston.juno.com [207.205.100.55]) by x11.boston.juno.com with SMTP id AAA5YSCPEABYE6E2 for <hermfagley@juno.com> (sender <LONGHUNTERS-L-request@rootsweb.com>); Wed, 16 Jun 1999 16:31:32 -0400 (EST) Received: from bl-11.rootsweb.com (bl-11.rootsweb.com [204.212.38.27]) by mx2.boston.juno.com with SMTP id AAA5YSCPDART9A62 (sender <LONGHUNTERS-L-request@rootsweb.com>); Wed, 16 Jun 1999 16:31:31 -0400 (EST) Received: (from slist@localhost) by bl-11.rootsweb.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) id NAA11319; Wed, 16 Jun 1999 13:25:17 -0700 (PDT) Resent-From: LONGHUNTERS-L@rootsweb.com Resent-Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1999 13:25:17 -0700 (PDT) Resent-Sender: LONGHUNTERS-L-request@rootsweb.com Resent-Message-ID: <83EF9D.A.rwC.sgAa3@bl-11.rootsweb.com> X-Status: Read X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.3110.1 X-Juno-Att: 0 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit >Sometime in the year 1792, application was made by my brother Laban and >myself, to view a road opposite Cincinnati to Washington, and cut it out a >bridle- path, for a sum of money which the men in Washington had made up, >which we agreed to do. 40 miles of it was then an unbroken forest, and as >it was dangerous times, we took with us two men armed. We viewed the road >down, and cut it back. While two worked, the other two carried the four >guns and provisions, keeping at the same time a look out. Having >accomplished the job to their satisfaction, we recieved our pay. It was >sometimes afterwards cut out, and has been for a long time a very public >road. > >During the summer, the Indians were hunting opposite the mouth of Locust >Creek, having their camp four miles from the Ohio River. After killing a >number of deer, they needed horses to pack off the skins; and no doubt >thinking that they should come into our settlements and steal horses, the >horses would be missed, and they pursued and overtaken before they could >cross the Ohio, as it was only 20 miles to the mouth of the Locust. Now >about 4 miles south of us, the hills set in, forming a very rough and >unsettled part of the country, which continued to the mouth of the Locust, >and so up to the road leading down from Washington to the Blue Licks. Now >should the Indians waylay this road and get horses, before the news could be >taken to Washington and men collected to go to the place, there would be >sufficient time to cross and make their escape, more especially as the men >would have no way to cross the river. This was no doubt their scheme. > >A certain young man who lived on Stoner was driving a wagon to Limestone, >while the Indians were waylaying the road in the knobs of Johnston's creek >about 14 miles from Washington. When he came opposite to them, they sprung >into the road before him, took his horses by the bridle and made him >prisoner. They then took him and his horses and set off for the Ohio River, >which they crossed after travelling 25 miles over a rough hilly part of the >country. > >As the prisoner had a bottle of whiskey, the Indians drank pretty freely, >and got somewhat intoxicated. The roughness of the way, and the darkness of >the night, caused them to get bewildered, which retarded their progress, and >was ultimately of advantage to their prisoner. > >Shortly after he was taken, a traveller came on, going to Washington, and >found the wagon in the road and the gears laying. He rode hastily to >Washington, and took the news to Col Rankin who lived in Washington. He >sent off an express to me ordering me to raise men and pursue them if I >possibly could. (Why did he not give orders to Capt John Kenton, who lived >only 2 miles west of Washington, or to Capt Lee, who lived about the same >distance east? Perhaps he thought they would be slow in raising men, but >knew I would promptly attend to it, and men could be sooner raised on the >frontier, than they could in town.) > >But the express did not arrive until after night. As soon as it was light, >I ran to my brother Laban's and my brother in law John Hughey, and sent them >after men with orders to meet at my father's as soon as possible, while I >ran to others. We soon met ten of us and took the road to Lee's creek >Station on the Ohio, about 8 miles off, where I knew an empty flat-bottomed >boat lay. We ran hastily down, boarded the boat, shoved off, double manned >the oars, and one took the steering oar. We then pulled out into the middle >of the river, and pushed on with all our force. We made good headway and >kept in the middle of the river as long as we could do, for fear of passing >the place where they had crossed the river. > >We then fell over to the NW side, then called the Indian side, and kept near >the shore to see the place where the horses came out of the river. We soon >came to the place, landed, tied our boat, took the trail and pursued them >rapidly about 4 miles, and came to their camp, but they were gone. They had >divided about equally into three companies, which made us at a loss which >trail to take. We wanted to follow those that had the prisoner, as we were >more anxious to release him than to kill them. However, we chose the middle >trail, and following it, pursued them hastily about two miles, where they >divided again into two equal companies. We were again at a loss which trail >to take, but chose the right hand. > >The trail by this time was small, but we pursued it as long as we could see >and encamped for the night. At daylight we continued the pursuit, and soon >heard the halloeing, according to their custom upon leaving the camp. We >felt certain of overtaking them, and soon came to their camp, from which >they had steered a north course. We followed them about two miles in that >direction, when coming to a large tract of fallen timber, that crossed their >course, they turned short to the right, in order to go round it, or find a >passage through it. > >The woods for some distance had been bushy, which prevented us from seeing >them sooner, but near the fallen timbers the woods were open. When we came >to the turn that they had made, we discovered them about 60 yds distant. >There were four of them with one horse laden with skins, on which an Indian >was riding. Two walked next to him, the prisoner behind, and one brought up >the rear. They had taken the prisoner's shirt from him, and gave him a >calico shirt in its place. He was bare-headed, having his own big coat >wrapped up small, hoppised (?) on his back, with his bottle in it, although >the Indians had drank his whiskey, he was careful with his bottle. > >The instant we saw them, they were alarmed, and started on the run. The one >behind the prisoner, jumped before him, all running towards the fallen >timber, with the prisoner after them. John Hughey fired at the Indian on >the horse, who either jumped off or fell off, and made his escape by running >into the fallen timber, which was near him, and grew thick with weeds and >pea-vine. He left a first-rate new rifle gun laying, by which we knew that >he was badly wounded as an Indian would never leave his gun, so long as he >could still carry it off. We supposed that the prisoner was an Indian, on >account of his running off from us, and because he wore a calico shirt. My >brother Laban shot at him, but his gun making slow fire, he missed him, but >hit his big coat, which had turned under his arm, making 16 holes in it, and >breaking his bottle in many pieces. > >At that instant and uncommon incident occurred. Some one cried out, "Shoot >him!---some, "Don't shoot! Let us take him prisoner!." On hearing this he >knew that we were white men, and turned, running to meet us, halloeing, "Oh >my wagon, my wagon." which he supposed to be the best countersign he could >give, as he knew his life was in danger. So he was released from >captivity. We asked him why he had ran from us; he replied, that he had not >thought it possible that white men could be there in such a short space of >time, but that he took us for another party of Indians, who were at war with >those who had taken him, and he went on his way rejoicing. The pack of >skins and the gun went to us for our trouble. > >If, when that young man had been taken prisoner, the news had not soon been >taken to Washington, and then to me; if I had not hastily raised men; if >there had not been a boat at Lee's creek station; if we had not pursued them >rapidly; if we had not taken the right trail each time they seperated; then >the man would not have been released from captivity. And then, if my >brother's gun had not made skow fire, if there had not been a division about >killing him or taking him; if we had all fired on him; then he surely would >have been killed. Some may think it all an accident, and indeed it does >look like an accident. But, my friends, when we rightly consider, that with >the Lord there is nothing accidental, for althought the savages were >permitted to take him, yet they were not permitted to keep, so it was not >possible, that there were any ifs in the case. >cont. > >1802 census of Washington Twnsp,Clermont-laban RECORDS,once from s DEL ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj.