Murder of Thomas Urie.

Two or three years prior to the entry of the lands above described, Mr. Urie and his brother Thomas were on a hunting excursion through the eastern part of Ohio, and established their camp between New Philadelphia and Cadiz.  The brothers, in pursuit of their game, had become separated during the day.  Thomas had succeeded in killing a bear, the skin of which he was conveying, toward evening, to the camp, which he had nearly reached.  Solomon was also making his way in the direction of the camp, driving before him his horses, which had been belled and spancelled.  When within hearing-distance of the camp, his ears were greeted with a sound similar to that of a double crack of rifles, or of the falling of two trees.  Knowing that hostile Indians were in their neighborhood, as they had unmistakable evidence during the night before, he considered it prudent to lead his horses and reach his camp by another route.  On approaching, he discovered two Indians in his camp, plundering it of its contents, while a third one stood upon the outside as sentinel.  He raised his rifle with the intention of shooting the Indian on the outside; but before he could fire, his brother's dog commenced barking and his position and attitude were discovered by his enemy.
     In the rear of Solomon was a swamp, but comprehending that it would be an unsafe retreat, he boldly pushed forward to the assault of the sentinel.  The latter ran, dodging behind trees, with the view of protecting himself and gaining an opportunity for shooting his antagonist.  Mr. Urie pressed forward, and in his course discovered the dead body of his brother.  The three Indians pursued him about three miles to the brink of a precipice, down which, without a moment's hesitation, he descended; and, on reaching solid ground, discovered that the breech of his rifle was broken—the trigger of the lock, however, being uninjured.  The Indians, on reaching the margin of the precipice, were so appalled at the height that they gave up the pursuit.  Mr. Urie continued his journey, in the direction of the Ohio River, five miles, when he
came to an encampment which, much to his agreeable surprise, contained, among its inmates, several of the Brady's and other Pennsylvania friends.  He remained, during the night, with his friends, and on the following morning the entire party returned with him to the late camp of himself and brother, and found the
body of the latter covered with the skin of the bear he had killed on the day previous.  One of his legs was stripped of its "leggin" and moccasin, and on the posterior part of his neck was a cross, indicating that this mode of warfare against the whites was to be continued.  His body had been pierced by two bullets, doubtless fired by the rifles the sound of which Solomon had heard the evening before.  The body was deposited in a grave made with wooden shovels, and in a coffin made of puncheons.  The Indians had taken their two horses, forty deer, ten bear, and ten beaver skins, together with their entire stock of provisions and traps.  Mr. Solomon Urie offered his friends the full property of which he had been despoiled, and an equal amount in addition, if they would aid him in their pursuit and infliction of summitry punishment upon the murderers of his brother.  They regarded the undertaking, however, as too hazardous, and declined the offer of Mr. Urie.
     Daring the war of 1812, Mr. Urie and his son Samuel served in the army as volunteers, and in the fall of 1815 removed to the land above described, in Orange Township, and upon which land he had previously made some improvements.  His family, at this time, consisted of his wife and the following named children:  Samuel, Thomas, Susan, David, Solomon, John, Elizabeth, George, W., and James.

A Homesick but Sagacious Dog.

     Mr. Urie brought with him to the country a couple of dogs, one of which, taking a dislike to the " home of his adoption," made his way back to the old homestead, in Washington County, Pennsylvania, a distance of about one hundred and forty miles.  This journey he performed, traversing the wilderness and swimming the rivers, in less than twenty-four hours.

John McConnell.

     This backwoodsman, who may be called an Indian as well as a beast-hunter, for the reason that his kindred had suffered more from the murderous assaults of Indians than from the wild beasts of the forests, had an encounter with a couple of Indians on the Wabash which is worthy of record.  At an Indian camp he was visiting, his hunter's knife had attracted their attention, and he was importuned to sell it.  When he positively declined their propositions, his wary eye detected mischief in their looks.  He took his leave of them, and had not traveled many miles, before he became convinced that he was being pursued by the Indians.  To confirm his suspicions, he suddenly quit the trail after crossing a prairie, and took observations from behind a tree—the result being to fully establish in his mind that their designs were against him.  This was in the afternoon of the day, and he resumed the trail and pushed forward rapidly until the shades of night began to gather, and he had left his pursuers some distance in the rear.  Again quitting the trail he hastily kindled a fire a few rods distant.  Within a few feet of the fire, he arranged an effigy on a log by adjusting his blanket in such manner as would lead one to suppose that it covered its owner; and then concealing himself at a proper distance, awaited the progress of events.  He had not long remained iu this situation before a rifle ball from a concealed foe entered his blanket, and. soon the two Indians were hurrying to ward the effigy with uplifted tomahawks.  The progress of the larger Indian was instantly arrested by a ball from McConnell's unerring rifle; and the smaller Indian reversed his movement and escaped in the woods before McConnell could reload his gun.
Source: A History of the Pioneer and Modern Times of Ashland County from The Earliest to the Present Date, by H. S. Knapp, Publ. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. - 1863 - Page 519