THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY

GEN. GEORGE ROGERS CLARK

     Thus 25 years before Belmont County was organized Gen. George Rogers Clark of Virginia with less than 300 courageous Vir-

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"A REVOLUTIONARY HERO."

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INDIAN OCCUPATION OF THE COUNTY.

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THE TRAGEDIES AT YELLOW CREEK AND CAPTINA.

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THE DISASTROUS DUNMORE WAR.

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the fate of those armies which at different periods have suffered defeats in consequence of venturing too far into the Indian country.  It was the general belief among the officers of our army at this time that the Earl of Dunmore, while at Wheeling, received advice from his government of the probability of the approaching war between England and the colonies, and that afterwards all of his measures with regard to the Indians had for their ultimate obtain an alliance with those ferocious warriors for their aid of the mother country in their contest with us.  This supposition accounts for his not forming a junction with the army of Lewis at Point Pleasant.  This deviation from the original plan of the campaign jeopardized the army of Lewis, and well nigh occasioned its total destruction.  The conduct of the Earl at the treaty shows a good understanding between him and the Indian chiefs.
     He did not suffer the army of Lewis to form a junction with his own, but sent them back before the treaty was concluded, thus rising the safety of his own forces, for at the time of the treaty the Indian Warriors were about his camp in force sufficient to have intercepted his retreat and destroyed his whole army.

THE FOREMOST AMERICAN HEROINE.

     Perhaps the severest battle with the Indians, fought within the boundaries of Belmont County, was the attack on Fort Kirkwood in the spring of 1791, and narrated in the story of "A Revolutionary Hero."  But there were many acts of heroism and deeds of daring and danger familiar to the people of that generation that history needs to preserve for generations to come.  Perhaps the foremost is the thrilling adventure of Elizabeth Zane, the heroine of Fort Henry, and who was for many years a resident of Martin's Ferry, and her remains are interred there.
     She was twice married, first to a Mr. McLaughlin of Martin's Ferry, and second to Mr. Clark, and her lineal descendants still reside in Belmont County.  A few years ago President Roosevelt, in a circle of eminent literary characters in New York State among whom was William Dean Howells, pronounced Betty Zane the foremost American heroine.  He said her daring deed in replenishing the powder supply at Fort Henry had never been surpassed, a sentiment in which Mr. Howells heartily concurred.

SIEGE OF FORT HENRY.

     The story is briefly told in Judge Cranmer's report of the siege of Fort Henry.  In September, 1782, a large force of Indians headed by a company of British soldiers laid siege to Fort Henry at Wheeling.  East of and but a short distance from the fort stood the log dwelling of Col. Ebenezer Zane, attached to which was a small magazine containing the military supplies which had been furnished by the government of Virginia, and also a kitchen or outbuilding occupied by "Daddy Sam," so called (a negro slave owned by Colonel Zane, and to whom he was much attached), and his wife, familiarly known by the name of "Katey."  On the occasion of the attack upon the fort by the Indians in the year 1777.  Colonel Zane and family had aandoned his cabin and sought shelter in the fort at which time it was reduced to ashes by the besiegers.  He then declared that if the Indians again made their appearance he would not abandon his dwelling.  As an outpost for the protection for the fort, and as an annoyance to an hostile force, it could not be excelled.
     Hence on the appearance of the Indians at this time he made all necessary preparations possible for its defense.  Had he retired from it, all the military stores and ammunition stored there would have fallen into the hands of the enemy, and have been destroyed or appropriated by them.
     The names of those who remained with

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him in his cabin are:  Andrew Scott, George Green, Elizabeth Zane, Wallace Scott, Miss McColloch, a sister of Maj. Sam McColloch, a visit to her sister, Mrs. Zane); "Daddy approached under cover of the British flag which was unfurled to the breeze and waved in proud defiance by the color-bearer in the face of the little band of heroic defenders.  Before commencing their attack they demanded the immediate surrender of the fort in the name of His Brittanic Majesty, to which no other reply was given than by the firing of a shot by some one in the fort at the offensive colors which were flaunted before them.  Thereupon the assault commenced in dreadful earnest, the frenzied savages rushing forward like mad men, and in their wild attempt striving to destroy the pickets so as to effect an entrance to the fort, and take it by storm.  Colonel Zane has arranged to the best advantage, and where it could do the most execution.
     As the Indians sounded their war whoop and made their desperate rush, he opened upon them with a well directed and brisk fire simultaneously with the one from the fort, so as to cause them to fall back in great disorder, and to seek cover where their persons would be less exposed.
     But  others, again, seeing the discomfiture of their comrades, promptly with loud and deafening yells rushed forward to take the places of those who had retired, only to be repulsed again, and although these charges were repeated again and again, they suffered a recoil.  These unsuccessful efforts upon their part were continued until night threw her mantle over the earth and a brief cessation of conflict and a temporary rest was secured.  Yet it was but for a brief time this respite was granted.
     Their assailants were engaged in holding a consultation and deliberating among themselves how best to obtain possession of or destroy the cabin of Colonel Zane, which had proven so offensive to them in their repeated assaults on the fort and thus balked their efforts at its reduction.
      The conclusion arrived at was to make an attempt under the cover of darkness to destroy it by firing it and reducing it to ashes.  After an interval of an hour or two, when silence had settled down upon the scene and the campfires of the savages had been put out, and it was presumed that the whites had relaxed in some degree their caution and vigilance, a savage with a half burned brand in his hand crawled in the direction of the kitchen of the house, upon nearing which he slowly rose from the ground and waving the brand to and fro, and blowing upon it to rekindle it, was about to stealthily apply it to the building, when of a sudden the quiet was disturbed by the sharp crack of a rifle which rang out in the stillness of the night, which a moment later was accompanied by a sharp yell of pain and rage, ere the echoes of the shot had ceased to resound in the mazes of the forest.  The vigilant and quick eye of “Daddy Sam” had detected the savage in time to foil him in his design and spoil his calculations, thereby saving his master’s property from destruction.  Other similar attempts were made on the same night, but in every instance “Daddy Sam” was on the alert, and always frustrated them.  And here we will be pardoned if in passing we say a word or two concerning this individual.
     He was an original importation from Guinea, and had all the characteristics of a native of the country, believing in charms, incantations and signs, and was a bundle of strange superstitions and beliefs, and these he retained until the day of his death.  He and his wife were cared and provided for by Colonel Zane and his family until their decease.
     This gentleman erected for them a cozy cabin on the upper portion of the island. immediately opposite the city of Wheeling.  “Daddy Sam” died in peace and contentment, honored and respected by the whole

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community, worn out with age and its attendant infirmities.  At his death he left strict injunctions to have his rifle and his accoutrements—tomahawk, knife and silver snuffbox—buried with him, that they might bear him company to the happy hunting grounds of the African.  So greatly was he esteemed that he was buried with military honors, and he was followed to the grave by an immense concourse of citizens, composed of the most prominent as well as the humblest members of society.  In stature he was small and of light frame, with arms of unusual length, and a complexion as black as coal.
     But to resume our narrative.  At daylight on the following morning the lines of the enemy showed that they were tightly drawn and in compact order, but they were laggard in renewing the assault.  However, they were not idle, but were actively employed in making preparations evidently for some important event.  Shortly after dark of the preceding day a canoe, loaded with cannon balls from Fort Pitt and destined for the falls of the Ohio, had put ashore under the cover of the fort.  It was discovered by the Indians, but its occupants succeeded in effecting an entrance for themselves into the fort, in their efforts to do which, however, one of them Daniel Sullivan, was wounded in the foot The savages secured the canoe and took possession of its contents.  A new idea now dawned upon them—why not utilize these missiles and make them play a part in the reduction of the forts.  The idea was approved and the suggestion was at once put into execution.  Securing a hollow log which they deemed adapted for the purpose, they proceeded to bind it with iron chains which they found in the blacksmith shop of the village.  Filling it with a heavy charge of powder, they rammed home as many of the captured balls as it could conveniently hold, and with as much accuracy as possible under the circumstances aimed it against one of the bastions. All was now ready as soon as it was primed, for which purpose a big Indian stepped forward, emptying from his powder horn a sufficient quantity around the vent.  A crowd of Indians collected around to witness the new engine of destruction, and the effect produced upon the fort by its discharge, not doubting in the least that it would prove more or less destructive in its effects.  In this\supposition they were not deceived, but were sorely disappointed in the nature of the result which ensued.  All things being ready, an Indian advanced with a lighted brand, which he applied to the vent hole and thereby stamped “finis” on the last page of his own and the life history of his curious companions who were near by him at the time.  Several were killed, many were seriously and some slightly wounded, and all were terror stricken by the unexpected result.  The unlooked for and unexpected havoc caused among their number, by the explosion of their wooden artillery which burst into fragments, led them to become wild and furious under their disappointment and the loss and wounding of so many of their number, and wild with rage in their excitement they redoubled their exertions, renewing the assault with heedless desperation, and exposing themselves in the most careless manner to the shots from the house and the fort.  At times it appeared that the Indians would succeed, but then the fortunes of the day would change. and the fortunes of the inmates of the fort appeared to be in the ascendant.  Thus the conflict wavered until noon, when the forces of the Indians were drawn off temporarily.  It was exceedingly fortunate for the little garrison that the savages desisted from their attack when they did, as the ammunition of the defenders of the fort was beginning to grow short.  The alarm given by Linn of the approach of the enemy having, as we have stated, been so limited, and the fact that the fort was destitute to a great extent of any large supply of ammunition to enable it to withstand a protracted siege, it was discovered that the

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supply on hand was being rapidly exhausted, and some measures must be adopted to supply the need.
     As before stated, there was plenty of powder stored in the magazine at Colonel Zane’s house, but for all practical purposes it might as well have been a hundred miles away.  The contingency which now happened could not have been foreseen, and the emergency now upon them was a grave one.
     But it was one which had to be met, and the question was how could they best replenish their almost exhausted stock.  An effort at least to obtain powder from Colonel Zane’s house it was absolutely necessary should be made, for should the enemy return to the assault in their then condition the danger of the inmates was not only imminent, but their doom was almost sealed.  Among the many propositions which were made and the one which seemed to obtain favor, was that one of the fleetest runners among the younger men should be selected for the perilous undertaking of obtaining a keg of powder from Colonel Zane’s house and hasten with it to the relief of the besieged.  It was an undertaking full of daring with the prospect of almost certain death to the person who should essay the task.  But undeterred by the magnitude of the feat and the peril which attended it, at the call of Captain Zane for a volunteer, several brave men stepped forward, each one of whom insisted on being permitted to make the attempt.  The loss of a single man at this juncture would have been keenly felt by the entire company.  While Captain Zane was hesitating in arriving at a decision and making his choice from among those chivalric spirits who had so promptly offered their services.  there came bounding into his presence his own sister.  Elizabeth Zane, in the elasticity of her youthful strength, and volunteered to attempt the accomplishment of the errand, regardless of what might befall her if thereby she could be instrumental in saving the lives of others.  When told that a man would encounter less danger by reason of his superior fleetness, she nobly replied that the loss of a man under the circumstances would be more severely felt than her own.  “You have not one man to spare,” she said.  “A woman will not be missed in the defense of the fort.”  All the arguments adduced by her brother and others to dissuade her from making the attempt together with the expostulations of the other females had the effect of only confirming her in her resolution.
     Reluctantly they finally acquiesced in her purpose and her services were accepted.  Divesting herself of all unnecessary clothing which might impede her in her progress, she appeared ready for the dangerous ordeal.
     The gate was swung open and the young heroine sprang out in the swelling buoyancy of hope, knowing no such word as fail in the full confidence of success, and swift as a deer she sped away on her mission, arriving safely at the cabin of her brother, Col. Ebenezer Zane, who saw her coming and promptly opened the door to receive her.  When the Indians saw her bounding along at the top of her speed they were amazed at her temerity but did not offer to fire at her, but contented themselves with simply exclaiming with contemptuous sneers, “A squaw, a squaw.”  Upon reaching her destination she lost no time in stating her business.  After a brief breathing spell she announced her readiness to return, whereupon Colonel Zane, taking a tablecloth and fastening it securely around her waist with two of its ends, while the other ends were held by her in her hands, emptied into it a keg of powder when she again ventured forth on her return to the fort.  Her black hair, like a banner, streamed out upon the air as with swift feet she lessened the intervening distance.
     But she had not covered more than half the space between the cabin and the fort when the savages, apprehending her purpose, showered a rain of bullets around her, none of which, however, did any execution, as she reached the fort in safety and delivered the powder without losing any percepti-

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ble portion of it.  Subsequently in recounting her experience on this occasion, she would relate how the bullets whistled around her so thick and fast that the dust thrown up by them as they struck the ground blinded and confused her so that she could scarcely distinguish her way.
     As she neared the fort the gate was again thrown open for her entrance when the Indians made an unavailing effort to reach it, before it could ‘be closed, by making a sudden rush.  Finding themselves foiled, they quickly withdrew.  This act of heroism on the part of Elizabeth Zane doubtless saved the lives of the inmates of the fort, and enabled them successfully to withstand the siege.  As night closed in, the enemy renewed their efforts to reduce the fortress, and continued them until daylight.  Times almost without number, during that trying and eventful night, the enemy attempted to accomplish by the torch what they could not by superior numbers and advantage.  Bundles of hemp and wood and rubbish were heaped by them against the pickets and set fire to at different places.
     The hemp, fortunately being wet, would not burn, and the dry wood and rubbish proved also vain in accomplishing their end.  When the day dawned after that terrible and trying night, it was greeted by the besieged with a renewal of hope which had been well nigh banished.  When the intelligence reached Shepherd's Fort, located at the forks of Wheeling Creek, of the investiture of Fort Henry by Indians and British soldiers, a party left the former fort with a view of rendering assistance to the inmates of the latter, but on arriving in the vicinity they found that it would be impossible to gain admission and therefore reluctantly determined to return.
     This conclusion was arrived at in opposition to the views of their leader, Francis Duke. a relative of Colonel Shepherd.  He insisted that if no one else would, he alone would make the attempt to gain ingress at the fort at the risk of his life.  To all persuasions against the undertaking he turned a deaf ear.  He recognized their force and complained not at the resolution of his men to return, but his chivalric character and determined spirit could not be curbed by argument or persuasion.
     He did not regard the imminent danger attaching to the bold undertaking, but, subordinating this to the higher and nobler promptings of his nature which enabled him only to see the peril of friends, he spurned all restraint, and taking his life in his hands and putting spurs to his horse, he sped swift as his horse could carry him toward the gate of the fort, calling aloud as he rode, “Open the gate, open the gate.”
     He was recognized by those within the fort and the gate was swung open for his admission, but before reaching it he was pierced with bullets, and this young and gallant chevalier fell a martyr to his reckless daring and noble disinterestedness.
     ‘On the morning of the third day the enemy, despairing of success and abandoning all hope of the reduction of the fort, resolved on raising the siege.  This resolution
was announced to the inmates by a series of terrific yells and deafening whoops, which was the means adopted by them to give expression to their disgust at their failure.  Turning their backs upon the scene, they took their departure and recrossed the river into Belmont County.

"WHISTLING TO START THE TUNES."

     It was a trying experience for a young and refined woman like Mrs. Zane to be called upon to pass through - to sever the ties of home and kindred and forego all social advantages and the pleasures of civilized life, and be deprived of much of its conveniences and plunge into the depth of the wilderness, the abode of savages and wild beasts.
     Doddridge says:  "This lady was  said to have been the first convert to Methodism in all the country surrounding Fort Henry.

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The religious services were conducted by a 'circuit rider,' Rev. Wilson Lee, in 1789.
     "Her consistent work of Godly conversation was proverbial, and her zeal kept pace with her piety.  It was esteemed no hardship those days to travel long distances to attend divine worship, and the meetings were largely attended by young and old.
     "Not the least enjoyable feature of the service was the singing in which young and old participated.
     “At one of these meetings there was no one to start the tunes.  In this dilemma Betty Zane, the heroine of Fort Henry, volunteered to ‘whistle’ the tunes, and those who could not sing might catch up the tune and ‘carry it along.’  The proposition was accepted and the forest was soon ringing with the melody of their voices.”

THE KILLING OF WILLIAM COCHRAN.

     Judge Cochran of Martin’s Ferry has often heard his grandfather tell the tragic story of his father’s death.  Said he: “About the time of father’s death there were great disturbances on the frontier.  It was customary for us to keep our horses hobbled or belled.  One morning, failing to hear the sound of the bells as usual. father sent me to the block-house at West Liberty, while he and my older brothers started out in search of the horses.  It was arranged between them after starting that they should separate and pursue the object of their search in different directions, my father taking one direction and the boys in company another.  The latter soon discovered signs which led them to believe that the horses had been captured or driven off by the Indians, and they at once started on the nearest way leading to the block-house, upon reaching which they gave the alarm.  From Billy Boggs, who was held by the Indians as a prisoner at the time, but who shortly afterwards escaped, we learned the particulars of father’s death, as told to him by the Indians while he was in captivity.
     “Father was a very active and resolute man, and the savages wanted to capture him.  It appears that they had caught the horses. and wrapping moss around the bell clappers had led them away to a distance, placing six of their number in ambush, to capture father, or anyone who might venture to search for them.  Not finding the horses, he started on his return toward the block house, on the way passing in sight of his own house, in expectation, as he hoped, of seeing the boys.  The Indians meanwhile had gone into his cabin. Intending to enter, he was prevented by having his suspicions aroused from certain appearances around and in the vicinity, which only the keen eye of a disciplined Woodsman would detect, and which caused him to change his purpose, and start for the block-house at the top of his speed.  The Indians at once started in pursuit of him, but when they found that the gap between the pursued and the pursuers was widening, and they could not overtake him, a half-breed, wearing the cognomen of ‘Dolway Jim,’ suddenly dropped on his knees and, taking fatal aim, fired and killed him just as he was crossing a piece of rising ground.  His remains were afterwards found and buried by a party from the fort on the spot where he fell.  His scalp had been taken by the Indians to their camp, where it was flaunted in the face of Boggs, the prisoner, who recognized it.
“Boggs subsequently escaped, having run the gauntlet, and these details of my father's death he repeated to me and my brothers, as related to him by his captor.”

THE TRAGEDY NEAR KIRKWOOD'S BLOCK-HOUSE.

     About 1795 Lieut. Duncan McArthur and a posse of men, numbering in all a dozen, were stationed at the block-house on the lands of Robert Kirkwood.  One morning they noticed a young Indian dodging along not far from the fort among the trees.  He had been sent by a body of Indians, who had ambushed about three miles below, on the

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banks of the Ohio River, to decoy the soldiers from their fort.
     As soon as he was discovered, Lieutenant McArthur and his men started out to catch him.  They followed him as he ran down the river about three miles to where the Indians had secreted themselves, when 15 of the redskins fired into their number, killing six of them instantly.
     So unexpected was the attack that the remaining six, completely bewildered and frightened, turned and retreated, McArthur behind.  As he turned his head to take in the situation his foot caught in a grape vine and he was sent sprawling on his face just as the Indians fired a volley of bullets after him and the limbs and leaves dropped all around him.
     He regained his feet and started at full speed, following the course of his men.  He was closely pursued by the savages, but being very swift of foot, the latter soon gave up the chase, and the remnant of the party gained the block-house in safety.  Lieutenant McArthur was afterwards made governor of Ohio.