I will next introduce the
name of General Simon KENTON, and say a few things from
personal intercourse with him. I need not rehearse the
thrilling scenes connected with his early eventful life.
History informs us of his early departure from his Virginia
home, one hundred years ago with an alias to his name,
his adventures with the early pioneers of Kentucky, his
associations with Daniel BOONE, George Rogers CLARKE, and
others, his many wild adventures and hair breadth escapes, his
capture by the Indians, his relationships with Simon Girty
his running the gauntlet on several occasions, his riding the
wild horse without bridle to guide it through dense thickets of
under brush. I repeat I need not speak of thse scenes as
they are all on the historic page. But will speak of him
as a citizen of Urbana, as a neighbor, and a friend. I
have already stated in these sketches, that he was the Jailor at
my first acquaintance, and as strange as it may now sound, he
was a prisoner by legal construction to himself. In his
early Kentucky life, he engaged in some land speculations which
involved him, and some creditor pursued him with a claim which
was unjust as he alleged, and which he was unable to pay.
A capias, or full execution, for want of property, was levied on
his body, and to avoid being locked up in his own prison-house,
he availed himself of the prison-bounds, which at that day were
between Reynolds street and Ward street north and south, and
between the east line of the town and Russell street east and
west, according to my present recollection. These bounds,
by legislative provision, afterward embraced the whole county.
He was soon released, however, from here given to expose some of
the barbarisms of the law of that day, which put it in the power
of a shylock creditor to harass his debtor, even to the
incarceration of his body if so unfortunate as to have no
property upon which to make a levy. General KEN-
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ton, as a neighbor, was kind and obliging, and as a friend,
steadfast; he was generous, even to a fault, affable an
courteous in all his relationships, and for a man without
scholastic culture was remarkably chaste in his behavior and
conversation. He was un assuming in his whole deportment
toward others, never arrogating to himself superiority over
those with whom his associatoins brought him in contact.
Although docile and lamb-like in his genearl intercourse in
life, yet, if occasion prompted it, he could doff the lamb, and
don the _ion. I will give an instance: As has
already been stated, the friendly border tribes of Indians had
been invited to come into our vicinity for protection and after
they had acepted the offer, some hostile savages had made their
way into one of our settlements and commmitted an atrocious
murder, which had created intense excitement throughout the
whole country, and the spirit of revenge was aroused, and found
its way into an encampment of soldiers in this place, and it
soon became known that a conspiracy was about being formed in
the camp to move upon the friendly tribes above the indicated
and massacre the men, women and children, in retaliation for
that murder. Some of the citizens of Urbana, with
General KENTON at the head, remonstrated with them; he being
chief speaker expostulated with them, giving his superior
experience in regard to the Indian character; told them that
every circumstance connected with the murder clearly removed
every vestige of suspicion from those friendly tribes, and
told them the act would disgrace them as soldiers; and would
implicate each of them in a charge of will ful murder. At
this point General KENTON and the citizens retired, but
soon learned that the hellish purpose was determined upon, and
preparations made to move upon the Indian camp. When
General KENTON, rifle in hand, accompanied by his few
fellow-citizens, again confronted the malcontents, and told them
they were not soldiers but cowards, and under a solemn
imprecation, with eyes flashing fire, told them that if they
went he would go too, and would shoot down the miscreant who
would first attempt to commit the deed, and that if they
succeeded, they would have to do it over his dead body.
They found with whom they had to deal, and hesitated, and calmed
down, and the poor Indians were saved.
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the close of the war of 1812, might hae been seen on one of our
streets a tall, well-built specimen of an Indian, enquiring for
the residence of Simon BUTLER, and soon after, General
KENTON might have been seen moving on the same street; the
two personages met, eyed each other a moment, and immediately
were in each other's most affectionate embrace. It seemed
that the Indian had been his adopted brother during his
captivity, and as such had formed strong attachments.
General KENTON took his Indian brother home, and kept him
some days as his visitor.
The writer of this, though very young at his first
acquaintance with General KENTON, seemed to secure his
confidence, and the General would take pleasure in rehearsing
the scenes through which he passed; and as some individuals of
this day are trying to disparage him by calling him an Indian
horse thief, I will state as nearly as possible General
KENTON's own version, and in his own language: "I
never in my life captured horses for my own use, but would hand
them over to those who had lost horses by Indian thefts, nor did
I ever make reprisals upon any but hostile tribes, who were at
war against the white settlers." He disavowed taking from
friendly Indians horses or other property, then why should he be
assailed as a horse thief when he only did such acts as are of
common practice in a state of war?
I can not extend this notice, but will say that during
the war of 1812, he took an active part whenever the settlements
were menaced with hostile attacks. Although old, he still
had the courage to face all dangers. My acquaintance with
him reached through all the years fro m1811 to his death in
1836, and taken as a whole, his life was a model in many
respects worthy of imitation. He was one of nature's
noblemen, and well deserves the eulogy which closes the
inscription on the slab a this grave in Oak Dale Cemetery:
"His fellow citizens of the West, will long remember
him as the skillful pioneer of early times, the brave soldier,
and the honest man." |