Indian Murders and Revenge in Ross County, Ohio

Indian Murders and Revenge in Ross County, Ohio

George EuflPner emigrated to the Scioto Yalley, in 1798, from 

Kanawha, Virginia, and settled on the waters of Paint creek, 
near Chillicothe. The foundation of his cabin is yet visible. 
He was a fearless, brave, and daring hunter; had a great antip- 
athy to the Indians, in consequence of the killing of his father 
and mother by them, in 1791, on the Kanawha. He lived by 
hunting panthers, bears, wolves, and deer, and would kill, 
during his hunting excursions, any straggling Indians that 
crossed his path. During the wars of 1791 and 1812 he served 
as a spy. He moved his headquarters on the head waters of 
the Mohiccan, was frequently in company with the renowned 
Indian killers, Wetzel and Hughes. A few days after the 
burning of Greentown, a party of Indians was discovered upon 
the banks of the Mohiccan Lake. The discoverer was Bunty 
Billy. It appears that the Indians had recognized Billy at the 
same time he saw them. Billy at first attempted to run away, 
but the Indians called to him to stop, telling him that they 
would not hurt him; he stopped. The Indians approached 
him in a friendly manner, calling him good boy, etc. "Do 
you know a family by the name of Seymore?" asked a tall 
Indian. "Yeth thir, I geth I do, thir," said Billy. "Do you 
know a man by the name of EuflFner?" "Yeth thir, but I'd 
tbay to you, thir, not to put yourthelf in hith way, thir. He ith 
a perfect devil, thir, when he ith not in a good humor, thir." 
"All right," said the Indian, and the Indians took their leave, 
and Billy hastened home to inform Euffner of his discovery. 
Instantly Euffner seized his rifle and set out in pursuit of the 
Indians. He soon got on their trail and followed them to the 
cabin of Seymore. The Indians had entered the cabin door 
when they were soon joined by Euffner. On their entry they 
appeared friendly, shaking hands with the whole family; nor 
were the family alarmed, as the visitations of Indians were fre- 
quent. But Euffner's sudden appearance aroused the suspicions 
of Philip Seymore. Euffner thinking that they would not dare 
to attempt an assault upon the family in his presence, insisted 
upon Philip, as he was the most fleet on foot, to run into the 
settlement and gather up some friends. As soon as Philip had 
left the cabin, Euffner immediately noticed a sudden change in 
the countenances of the savages; they cast upon each other 
significant looks and glances, as much as to say: "He is gone 
for aid, and now is our time." A deep, death-like silence 
now reigned in the lonely forest cabin. Kate Seymore could 
no longer endure this deathly gloom. Advancing toward 
Euffner, she said : " Oh, Euffner, we shall all be killed!" Euff- 
ner, who had sat eyeing the savages with a tiger's look, sprang 
to his feet and exclaimed, in a stentorian voice : " Imps of hell, 
leave this place this moment, or I will send your bloody red 
spirits to the burning pit of hell," advancing toward them. 
Instantly the Indians sprang from their seats, and made an 
attack upon the heroic Euffner with uplifted tomahawks. 
In the bloody conflict he killed three of the murderous savages, 
bat, being overpowered by their united strength, fell a lifeless 
bleeding corpse upon the cabin floor. The remaining savages 
then turned upon the aged and helpless couple, who sat like 
petrified statues, gazing with a vacant stare upon the terribly 
bloody scene around them. Two tall savages, with tomahawks 
uplifted, dripping with the blood of the murdered Euffner, 
dealt each a blow upon their heads, and they, too, fell in the 
Agonies of death. 

Poor Kate was an eye-witness to the dreadful tragedy. She 
was compelled to hand over all the money of her murdered 
father, and cook dinner for the murderous Indians. Immedi- 
ately after dinner Kanotchey, the brutal chief, approached Kate 
and sunk his tomahawk deep in her head. She, too, fell to rise 
no more. 

The savages then left the cabin, concealing themselves in the 
deep, dark forest. Philip, on returning with help, entered the 
yard, and seeing the blood}^, mangled body of Eutfner, sprang 
into the cabin, where his worst fears were realized. The sight 
was shocking. Poor Kate, the once romping, laughing, beau- 
tiful, rosy-cheeked Kate — there she lay beautiful in death. 
Philip, on beholding her lifeless form, and those of his beloved 
parents and the noble Euffner, gave vent to a flood of tears, and 
exclaimed: "'Tis done; I am left alone." Said he to his neigh- 
bors: "Blood for blood shall be my motto." Bidding them fare- 
well, he bounded into the deep forest, becoming an Indian killer. 
His home was the forest; his covering, the blue sky; his food, 
wild meat. He would lay in ambush, and every straggling Indian 
that hove in sight he would kill. Near the close of the war, 
while seated on a high bluff near the Mohiccan, in a narrow 
bottom below, he saw a large, straight, tall Indian in shooting dis- 
tance. He cocked his gun, took ainl, fired, and killed the sav- 
age. He descended and walked to the place where the Indian 
lay. On examination of his costume and person, he found it 
was Kanotchey, the murderer of his sister. Philip said: "I am 
now avenged." He then returned to his home on the Mohiccan.