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.
