KY-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest 11 April 2000 Volume 00 : Issue 159 ______________________________X-Message: #1 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 13:46:13 -0500 From: "Bob & Kate Cook" Subject: HISTORY: Isaac Knight pt 2, KY This same Dutchman, however, afterward’s being fond of hunting, followed a gang of buffaloes the greatest part of a day and near night had the good fortune to kill one. Finding himself too far from home to gain it before dark, and night threatening to be immensely cold, he skinned his buffalo, kindled a fire, wrapped himself in the hide, with the hair next to him, and laid down to sleep. In the morning he awoke, and found the green hide frozen stiff around him. His struggles, aided by the heat of the sun, enabled him, however to extricate himself about ten o’clock, and return to his camp the next day. They at length arrived all safely, at the Red Banks, where even greater difficulties were undergone by settlers, then had been endured by them at Vienna. Here, too, as the former place, they cultivated the soil in safety, only by means of sentinels. But these only secured them from the attacks of Red men. Greater fears were excited among the quiet settlers, by the inhuman conduct of some white men, Kuykendall, Ayers, Ashley, Howard, Cane and the Masons, who seemed to delight more in bloodshed and murder than in any thing else. With such men as these, they were harassed for some years, and no man’s life was considered secure, who was so unfortunate as to incur their displeasure. A gentleman by the name of Smith came from Louisville with a small store. Mason, who was in the habit of trading with him, called one evening, and pricing a number of articles, objected to them, and abused Smith until he became enraged, and attempted to dirk him. His blow was warded off by Mason’s throwing up his arm, which received the dirk. Mason now giving the alarm, his comrades were all soon there, and Smith obliged to make his escape the best way he could, leafing his store door open and his goods exposed. He was closely pursued, but succeeded in getting to a flat boat, which had at the landing, sunk in the water to the roof. In this he concealed himself with nothing but his head out of water, until early next morning, when, to his agreeable surprise, he saw a keep boat about to land near him. On raising his head, recognized an officer of his acquaintance, commanding a company of soldiers. The officer knew him, and exclaimed with an oath, "Smith, what are you doing there?" Smith related to him the circumstance, and Mason with his van standing on the bank, made it dangerous for Smith to stir. The officer ordered his men to arms, and bade Smith come aboard of his boat, promising to riddle every man that attempted to fire at him. With the assistance of this officer and his soldiers, Smith succeeded in getting his goods, &c., on board the boat, and returned to Louisville. About this time the small pox prevailed at the Red Banks, and little Isaac was vaccinated with it. He was, however, still under the necessity of giving more or less attention to his father’s cattle, in cutting cane, providing food for the, &c. Accordingly, in company with others, he went frequently across the Ohio river in a canoe to cut cane. In one of these routes, accompanied by Peter Sprinkle, and George, his brother, John Upp, and Jacob, his brother, having arrived on the bank opposite Henderson, (as boys are naturally inclined to do) they commenced their sport, running and jumping along the bank, all alike ignorant of their danger, until from behind a blind, which was made of cane, cut and stuck in the ground, for the purpose of concealment, eight Indians, six of whom were found to be Pottawatomies, and two Kicapoos, come rushing upon them. In confusion and astonishment the boys all attempted to escape. The oldest, Peter Sprinkle, a young man of about 17 or 18 years of age, ran nearly to the river and was shot down; three guns being fired at him at once. Little Jacob Upp, a small boy of about seven years of age, finding escape impossible, stood still and begged for his life, crying, "Don’t kill me, don’t kill me;" but it was to no purpose - the cruel savages buried the tomahawk in his skull, and put an end to his cries and his existence. George Sprinkle and John Upp, the former a little larger and the latter a little smaller than Isaac, were taken almost on the spot where the Indians were discovered. When the Author of this Narrative first saw the Indians, he ran, without saying a word; and on hearing the report of the guns that killed Peter Sprinkle, le looked back and seeing one Indian in pursuit of him, he continued his race, until in a short time, he felt a blow upon each shoulder which he afterwards found came from two Indians, instead of one, that pursued him. These blows stunned him so that he fell and in falling lost his hat. He had no sooner touched the ground than his savage pursuers had each hold of an arm lifting him up. Even in this predicament he attempted twice to reach for his hat, but failed to get it. He afterwards learned from one of the Indians who took him, that if he had made a third attempt to get his hat, he would have killed him. These led the affrighted Isaac to the rest of company, and, as he thought, to the place of execution; but to his surprise, when he came there, he found his associates, George Sprinkle and John Upp, in the custody of the savage Red men yet alive. Here in full view of the Red banks, the savages, holding up the yet warm scalps of Peter Sprinkles and Jacob Upp, raised the war whoop, and started with their young prisoners; holding fast to Isaac’s hand, as they compelled him to run after them. Such was their fearfulness that he would yet escape, that in swimming the bayou, a short distance from the river, one still held him by the hand. On reaching the camp where these savages had lain the preceeding night, they put moccasins on the boys, and compelled them to follow them or keep up with them, running all day and traveling all night. In the evening of the first day, one of the boys, John Upp, became so much exhausted that he could run no longer. The Indians, with a view to compel him forward threatened him with their tomahawks; but finding that he could not go, two of them assisted him. The morning of the second day, they came upon three bears, which the Indians killed, and great haste took each a small portion along with him, until they crossed the Pattoka river, and on the bank they stopped for the first time to cook and eat. The boys by this time were much fatigued, and well nigh worn out by means of constant and hard traveling. Nothing worthy of note transpired until evening of the third day, when, after making a small fire of sticks, they produced the scalps of the murdered boys, and after cutting the meat out of them, carefully put it on sticks before the fire and cooked it, then in the presence of the boys, ate it, shaking the remaining scalp at them. This they did, not because they were hungry, but each, that hi might thereby say, "I have killed a white man and eat him," -- And thus they acquired no little reputation as warriors. "The remaining scalps they then stretched on hoops, made for that purpose. That night they danced the war dance, and made their young prisoners walk around with them, and would have had them dance, had they not been too much exhausted. This was afterwards their regular employment every other night. In their route they attempted to cross a stream in a small canoe, which was not more than large enough to carry two men in it; however one of the Indians conveyed the boys across the creek and on striking the opposite bank, George Sprinkle being a little fearful, and knowing the he could not swim, leaped from the canoe to the bank - on doing which the Indian gave him a blow with his paddle, across the back, which injured him so seriously that it was with difficulty he ascended the bank. The reader will remember that Isaac was vaccinated, with the small pox. This was done just the day before he was taken by these cruel savages, on the 8th day of April, 1793, according to his best recollection; and in something like a week he is therefore become very sick with that disease; but was nevertheless impelled to travel every day, even when scarcely able to hold up his head, or help himself in the smallest. (Page 11) The knowledge which his friend at home had of the fact that, if alive, he would be thus afflicted, augmented their uneasiness and anxiety about him. Their fears could but be great that the cruel wretches would kill him; and if not, both he and they expected he would die of the small pox, exposed as he was in an Indian camp. Their manner of crossing ponds and creeks and river was, to wade or swim; and, sick as Isaac was, such was the manner in which he was compelled to pass them. After the disease aboved named, had appeared on him, he was under the necessity of swimming a small river, which was the means of driving it in, so as to render him very sick. Then, for the first time, the savages discovered some humanity, and after kindling a fire, with a view to encamp for the night, they placed Isaac near the fire, wrapped in blankets, win which situation he spent the night. In the morning the pox appeared again and he was some better, but still unable to travel. Nevertheless it was his fate to go, and he endeavored to do so, until faint and sick, he fell to the ground. His Indian drivers, however, soon raised him and compelled him to go forward. Fatigued with traveling and afflicted with fever, he suffered much for water, which they frequently refused him. When in crossing water he would lift up some in his hand and put it to his mouth, they would push him down in the water. At night, encamping near a small branch, he asked to leave to go for water; they granted it - but an Indian followed him to the bank, and then kicked him down a steep, where he fell among the rocks, and was not a little hurt by the fall. At another time, passing a small branch, he asked permission to drink, which was granted; but as he put his mouth to the water, an Indian, with his foot, crushed his mouth into the sand. With this most brutal treatment, and swelled till shapeless, with sores which were constantly separating, discharging blood, he was forced to march. Provisions growing scarce, they spent one day hunting. In the afternoon, having killed two deers, they stopped to cook; Isaac being in the way of one of the Kickapoos, he took the liberty to KICK him down a descending ground, some twelve or fifteen feet. This kicking was no pleasant thing to Isaac; and here he found in one of the Indians, a friend, who claimed him as his, and was much offended at the conduct of the other. In a few days they passed the Kickapoo towns, where the two Indians of that nation left the company, for home, and the prisoners saw them no more so as to recognize them. They soon arrived at another town of some note, on the Illinois river. As they entered the town, on the 15th day after they were taken, it being the 23rd day of the month, on passing some wigwams, some of the warriors gave a signal, which brought out several squaws, who relieved them all of their packs. At this place the prisoners were conducted into the presence of, and exposed to the view of a vast crowd of Indians, many of whom came up with apparent friendship, and gave them a hoarty shake of the hand. Among those who came to them were two Frenchmen, who were merchants, and traders among them, one of whom was very much marked with the same disease which Isaac had suffered, and on shaking hands with him, asked, "What is the matter?" Finding he could talk English, Isaac told him, "it was nothing but being in the wet cold so much." He replied, "I will be well if you find it so." Isaac did not wish to let him know what was the matter with him, as he feared that the knowledge of it among the Indians would be the means of losing his life. From this place they were conducted across the river to a wigwam, where something was provided for them to eat, which very much pleased their palates, as it somewhat resembled small hominy, and they had seen a squaw put a handful or two of sugar in it after striking a dog over the head and driving him out of the wigwam with the ladle with which she stirred the mess. As the evening came on, the Indians began to collect, and as the other two boys had been painted and trimmed by the Indians, previous to their arrival in town, and Isaac was not, (Though none of them could account for it) it was the opinion both of him and them that it was their intention to burn him; however, when they were collected, the young prisoners were ordered out, and the Indians, in one vast body, around a small fire, danced a war dance, the prisoners and the warriors that took them next to the fire, and opposite to, or facing them as they danced round, were two squaws, bearing on canes from the Ohio Bottoms, the scalps of the little boy and the young man who had been killed when the other two boys had been taken. Next morning, as Isaac thought, almost all the Indians in the world collected on the opposite bank of the river, for a ball play, where they spent the greater part of the day in that exercise, both men and women sharing its pleasures; the sexes engaging apart from each other, and seeming to delight greatly in the employment. In the evening, a company of some two or three hundred elderly Indians came marching down to the wigwam where the prisoners were kept, bearing two large kettles of hominy, beating their drums, rattling the deer’s hoofs, and making music of different kinds. They marched several times around the hut, and then with great apparent solemnity, placed the kettles on a handsome green, and when they were all seated around them, two men waiting on the rest divided the contents of the kettles, putting a small portion in every man’s bowl, (for they all had bowls, and, as was their custom, ladles). A prophet then, as was supposed, repeated as he sat, a lengthy ceremony; after which they enjoyed their rapast in good order and dispersed. The next day the boys were permitted to walk around and visit the different huts in the village, where they were received with kindness and well treated by the squaws who kept them. One of them seemed to pity Isaac’s situation, and in expression of her kindness, combed his hair, and finding some sores on his head, anointed them, and was them the means of restoring him to health sooner than he would probably have been restored. By this time his health was somewhat improved though he was yet quite unwell. His resting however, another day in the village was of great advantage to him. On the morning of the fourth day Isaac was presented with his moccasins by a squaw, who also gave them something to eat. Soon afterwards an Indian of the company that had taken the boys came in and beckoned to Isaac to follow him and without a thought that he and his associated were now to be separated until they should meet at home, he followed his guide that whole day, up the Illinois river, wading many small swift-running streams, which, as Isaac expressed himself, washed off many a scab. By this Indian he was piloted to a wigwam where lived, as he afterward’s found, the mother of the two warriors that had taken him, and who were detained at the village by sickness, of which one of them died. Here, being delivered to this old mother and seated by her, she immediately gave him a new blanket, and provided him something to eat. This day’s travel had again freshened Isaac’s sores, and so fatigued him that although he was wrapped in a new blanket, and kindly treated, he had no rest, but felt in the morning almost as bad as formerly. This morning Isaac’s guide gave him to understand that he must start again; but feeling unable to travel and having learned by this time the Indian term for sick, Isaac made all the excuses he could think of, and at last pointing to his moccasins, which were worn full of holes, he told him his "moccasins were sick." And the Indian turned away and left him. The squaw then, in whose care Isaac was left, with a view to cure him, made preparation for it, and with a sharp flint knife scarified him, and rubbed the sores with a piece of rough bark, to make them bleed; then caused him to jump in the Illinois river. This was all done through kindness, although it was harsh treatment. to be continued....... End of ky-footsteps-digest V00 #159 ********************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. 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