Daring Escape From the Shawnee Indians in Southern Ohio
Escapes.—We traveled that evening I thought seven miles and encamped in the edge of a prairie, the water a short distance off. Our supper that night consisted of a raccoon roasted undressed. After this meal I became thirsty, and an old warrior to whom my friend had given me in charge, directed another to go with me to the water, which made him angry; he struck me, and my nose bled. I had a great mind to return the stroke, but did not. I then determined, be the result what it might, that I would go no farther with them. They tied me and laid me down as usual, one of them lying on the rope on each side of me; they went to sleep, and I to work gnawing and picking the rope (made of bark) to pieces, but did not get loose until day was breaking. I crawled off on my hands and feet until I got into the edge of the prairie, and sat down on a tussock to put on my moccasins, and had put on one and was preparing to put on the other, when they raised the yell and took the back track, and I believe they made as much noise as twenty white men could do. Had they been still they might have heard me, as I was not more than two chains’ length from them at the time. But I started and ran, carrying one moccasin in my hand; and in order to evade them, chose the poorest ridges I could find; and when coming to tree-logs lying crosswise, would run along one and then along the other. I continued on that way until about ten o’clock, then ascending a very poor ridge, crept in between two logs, and being very weary soon dropped to sleep and did not waken until the sun was almost down; I traveled on a short distance further and took lodging for the night in a hollow tree. I think it was on Saturday that I got to the Miami. I collected some logs, made a raft by peeling bark and tying them together; but I soon found that too tedious and abandoned it. I found a turkey’s nest with two eggs in it, each one having a double yolk; they made two delicious meals for different days.
Arrives at Fort Washington.—I followed down the Miami, until I struck Harmar’s trace, made the previous fall, and continued on it until I came to Fort Washington, now Cincinnati. I think it was on the Sabbath, the first day of May; I caught a horse, tied a piece of bark around his under jaw- on which there was a large tumor like a wart: The bark rubbed that, and he became restless and threw me, not hurting me much however; I caught him again, and he again threw me, hurting me badly. How long I lay insensible I don’t know; but when I revived he was a considerable distance from me. I then traveled on very slow, my- feet entirely bare and full of thorns and briers. On Wednesday, the day that I got in, I was so far gone that I thought it entirely useless to make any further exertion, not knowing. what distance I was from the river; and I took my station at the root of a tree, but soon got into a state of sleeping, and either dreamt, or thought, that I should not be loitering away my time, that I should get in that day; of which, on reflection, I had not the most distant idea. However, the impression was so strong that I got up and walked on some distance. I then took my station again as before, and the same thoughts occupied my mind. I got up and walked on. I had not traveled far before I thought I could see an opening for the river; and getting a little further on, I heard the sound of a bell. I then started and ran, (at a slow speed undoubtedly); a little further on I began to perceive that I was coming to the river hill; and having got about half way down, I heard the sound of an axe, which was the sweetest music I had heard for many a day. It was in the extreme out-lot; when I got to the lot I crawled over the fence with difficulty, it being very high.
William Woodward.—I approached the person very cautiously till within about a chain’s length undiscovered; I then stopped and spoke; the person I spoke to was Mr. William WOODWARD, the founder of the Woodward High School. Mr. WOODWARD looked up, hastily cast his eyes round, and saw that I had no deadly weapon; he then spoke, “In the name of God,” said he,” who are you?” “I told him I had been aprisoner and had made my escape from the Indians. After a few more questions he told me to come to him. I did so. Seeing my situation, his fears soon subsided; he told me to sit down on a log and he would go and catch a horse he had in the lot and take me in. He caught his horse, set me upon him, but kept the bridle in his own hand. When we got into the road, people began to inquire of Mr. WOODWARD, “Who is he—an Indian?” I was not surprised nor offended at the inquiries, for I was still in Indian uniform, bare headed, my hair cut off close, except the scalp and foretop, which they had put up in a piece of tin, with a bunch of turkey feathers, which I could not undo. They had also stripped off the feathers of about two turkeys and hung them to the hair of the scalp; these I had taken off the day I left them. Mr. WOODWARD took me to his house, where every kindness was shown me. They soon gave me other clothing; coming from different persons, they did not fit me very neatly; but there could not be a pair of shoes got in the place that I could get on, my feet were so much swollen.
