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suppose that there was more poetry than truth in the whole transaction. 
     Many of the colonists at this time, went off and settled elsewhere with the means that remained to them, and resumed their trades in more populous parts of the country, and others followed the pursuit of hunting and dealing in skins.
     The occasional loss of cattle was about all the colonists suffered at the hands of the Indians, excepting the killing of one French settler, and one man and woman made prisoners, who had ventured some distance from town, although there were frequent losses sustained by the American troops in their frequent encounters with them in the vicinity.

ORGANIZATION FOR DEFENCE.

     In 1791 flat-boats, loaded with troops, descended the Ohio river in an expedition against the Indians, commanded by General St. Clair, which met with signal defeat.  The Indians were encouraged to greater depredations by their success in this encounter, but their efforts were directed mostly against the American settlements, and the Gallipolis colony was nearly free from their depredations, for the reason, no doubt, that being almost wholly French, the hostile tribes fortunately imagined them to be from the French settlers of Canada, with whom they held the most friendly relations.  Immediately after St. lair's defeat, Colonel Sproat, of Marietta, appointed four spies for Gallipolis, who were released after the treaty of Greenville, in 1795.
     Honorable Rufus Putnam, at Marietta, was the acknowledged head of all the settlements in Washington county, which then embraced a territory now covered by nearly forty counties, and to him an application was made and steps were taken to organize a defensive force.  By his orders Colonel Ebenezer Sproat appointed Captain Dr. Francis Hebecourt, a man of distinguished qualifications, to take command; a Frenchman named Malden was appointed lieutenant and C. R. Menager, ensign.  A company of ninety colonists offered their services, who were sub-divided into squads of ten, and on each succeeding day, one squad, or patrol company, was to start out in the morning to act in conjunction with the scouts or spies, whose duty it was to return every night and report the presence of absence of Indians.  In this way a defence was kept up until General Wayne defeated the Indians, at the battle of "Fallen Timbers," on the Maumee Rapids, five miles above Perrysburg, Ohio, Aug. 20th, 1794, and the treaty of peace at Greenville with all the western tribes.  After peace was declared, a free intercourse took place between them and the colonists from Massachusetts and other New England States at Marietta and Belpre, and with settlements at Point Pleasant and Charleston, Virginia.

SECURING OF THE "FRENCH GRANT."

     Six years had elapsed between the time of their embarkation at Havre de Grace, and the purchase of their land, and an enumeration showed that only about three hundred were left.  These, however, resolved in a general assembly to make a memorial of their grievances and send it to Congress.  The memorial claimed no rights from that body, but was a detail of their wrongs and sufferings, together with an appeal to their generosity, and they did not appeal in vain.  Monsieur Jean G. Gervais started with the petition, and at Philadelphia met with a lawyer, M. Duponceau, through whose aid he obtained from Congress a grant of 24,000 acres of land, known by the name of the "French Grant," located opposite Little Sandy, for these people, who were still residents of Gallipolis.  The act annexed the condition of settling on the lands for three years before the deed of gift would be given.  M. Gervais received 4,000 acres of this land for his services in the matter by previous agreement.
     Each inhabitant had thus a tract of 217½ acres of land; but before the surveys and other arrangements could be made some time elapsed, during which those who had reclaimed the wilderness and improved Gallipolis, being reluctant to lose all their labor, and finding that a company, owning the lands of Marietta, had met to divide lands which they had purchased in a common stock, the colonists sent a deputation with a proposal to sell them the tract where Gallipolis is situated, and to be valued and paid for in proportion to the improvements made, which was accepted.
     When at last the distribution of the lots of the French grant was achieved, some sold their share, others went to settle on it, while many sent tenants, and either remained at Gallipolis or went elsewhere.  In fact, but comparatively few of them had the courage and hardihold to enter again into the trials, difficulties and dangers, after their previous sad experience, attending the establishment of a new home in the wilderness; but few, also, of the original settlers remained at Gallipolis.
     Colonel Robert Sanford, heretofore mentioned, was present at the drawing of these lots, and has thus related the circumstances:  General Putnam appointed Mr. Martin to survey the grant, and after this was done and the lots numbered, Messrs. Manney, Putnam and Talmadge appointed a day when all who were to get land were to meet in the public square.  The day came and all assembled.  The names of those having an interest were written upon square pieces of paper, and as many like pieces were numbered.  The papers were placed in two small boxes, two clerks were appointed and two disinterested men were selected, to each of whom one of the above boxes was given.  When all was ready the boxes were shaken and then opened.  Colonel Safford was selected to draw out the papers which were numbered.  As he drew out one and announced the number the clerk took it down; then from the other box a name was drawn which, being announced, was distributed.

HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF SOME OF THE EARLY SETTLERS.

     The history of the township would be incomplete and unsatisfactory without a brief sketch of the lives of a few of those early settlers, many of whose descendants are now living at Gallipolis and vicinity, and a large portion of them occupying prominent positions throughout the country.  It is regretted that they must be mentioned thus briefly, and that it is impossible to obtain the facts connected with the eventful lives of many whose history should be recorded.  A volume exceedingly interesting to the general reader, might be compiled from a detailed account of facts which can here be but briefly mentioned.

     COLONEL ROBERT SAFFORD.  There is no one more early identified with the history of Gallipolis than the subject of this sketch.  He belonged to that sturdy, courageous and enterprising class of pioneers who formed the advance guard of civilization, and who have now nearly all passed away.  As will be seen by reference to the history of the history of the early settlement of Gallipolis, he was a member of Major Bnrnham's party, who came on June 8th 1790, in advance of the French settlers, and cleared the ground and erected block-houses, stockades and log-cabins upon what is now the public square, ready for the colonists, who came and occupied them over four months later.
     After the selection of the site and landing, with that spirit to take the lead which characterized him through life, he sprang ashore with ax in hand and felled the first tree.  As provisions were dear and game plentiful, he joined a band of thirty hunters, who were employed to furnish meat to the settlement, of which McMann, afterwards killed at Fort Recovery, was captain.  Besides the wages paid, each man, as a stimulus to his industry was allowed the valuable skins and furs of the animals they killed.  It was customary with the band to observe the Sabbath by resting from the exciting chase, and spending the day in cleaning their guns, repairing their moccasins, and stretching and dressing their skins.  Colonel Safford, while hunting on one occasion, killed a panther ten feet long.  He was also one of the regularly appointed scouts, and has experienced many exciting adventures with the Indians.  While on one of his scouting expeditions on Raccoon creek, in the winter of 1790-1, he discovered, a cave near which were the remains of an old log-cabin, almost entirely decayed with age.  It was a matter of wonderment to him all his lifetime as to who the builder and occupant could have been, and it remains a mystery still.  In his first trapping expedition up the creek with Daniel Boone, he took him to this cave, and they occupied it together for some time.  The smoke stains of their camp fires can be seen upon its roof to this day.
     Daniel Boone, the famous Kentuckian, James Burford, the celebrated story-teller, and Colonel Safford were firm friends, and trapped together in 1792 on Raccoon creek, near Adamsville, where they caught one hundred beavers; also at Beaver Dam, on the creek, near Vinton.  When Boone took leave of his friend Safford, he presented him with the largest of his traps, which he had named "Old Isaac," also a tomahawk and a small ax.  These Colonel Safford kept until his death, when they passed into the hands of his son, T. C. Safford, and they are now exhibited as very interesting relics.  James Burford, mentioned above, gained a national reputation for relating remarkable stories in a bland, suave and impressive style that carried conviction with them, notwithstanding their absurdity.  Many of these are related, not only at Gallipolis, but in all parts of the country.  An attempt was made at one time to impeach his testimony on the ground of his remarkable characteristic, and Colonel Safford was called upon, who testified that he was a strictly truthful man and only told these stories for amusement.  As an evidence of the confidence the people placed in him the township records show that he was elected to the responsible position of Fence Viewer, in 1803, but there is no record of his ever being elected again to office.  Mr. Burford, although unquestionably an honest man in all matters pertaining to business, and was never known to deceive a man to injure him, was, nevertheless, the most notorious sensation-yarner on the frontier.  He clamed the championship in this, and well earned it, and when a Yankee named Jacobs came down from "Varmount" and beat him at it so palpably that he was forced to acknowledge his defeat, he became completely chagrined and dejected, and it so worked upon his feelings that he sold out his farm in Raccoon township and went to Indiana, where he soon after died.
     Colonel Safford was chairman of the first board of township trustees, in 1802; was the first junior warden of the Free Mason Lodge No. 7, of Gallipolis; was a soldier in the war of 1812, and history informs us that he was a magistrate here in 1798, and officiated in several marriage ceremonies at that early date.  He was a member of the Ninth General Assembly, in 1810, and was elected State Senator in 1828 to 1831, inclusive, when members were elected annually.  Nearly all his lifetime he held positions of honor and responsibility, and his name appears as often as that of any other an in the history of this section.
     On the second Tuesday of September, 1817, Jim Lane was hung - the only man ever executed in the county.  Judge Thompson, of Chillicothe, presided at the trial, but he managed to evade the painful duty of pronouncing the death sentence, and it devolved upon Associate Judge Safford, who did it in his characteristically prompt style.  Samuel Holcomb was sheriff, and it is said that Rev. Gould, the Presbyterian minister, preached a sermon two hours long upon the occasion.
     He was a remarkably active man in his old age, and when over eighty used a rifle with an accuracy and skill to be envied by the keenest-eyed

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