| Show A leghlid legend of the alleghany allegheny Alleg liany hany river many of the wild legends of border strife and indian barbarity that have been enacted along the shores of the alleghany allegheny Alleg liany hany and ohio have hava never been rescued from the dim and fading remembrances of a past age but occasionally a story of thrilling interest is snatched from the lingering records of the red man the astory I 1 am about to relate I 1 received from an old indian pilot of the alleghany allegheny Alleg hany it was many years ago when that stern old chief cornplanter whose remains now repose in in silence and loneliness on the banks of that beau leous river he loved so well was in his glory his tribe roamed over the dense and unbroken forest along its banks fearless unmolested and free his people were hostile to the whites and never lost any opportunity to lie in ambush and seite belise the lonely voyager as he descended the tha river and consign him to the stake and the torture but the watchful shrewd and deadly foe of cornplanter and the whole tawny race was the indomitable and fearless captain samuel brady this veteran pioneer and indian hunter was one of those thore noble specimens of the hardy forest ers era who plunged fearlessly into the interminable forests that then overspread so large a portion of the western states like daniel boon lewis wetzel simon kenton and others who made indian hunting a pastime his deadly hate to the indian and his burning passion for hunting them dourif down amounted to a monomania this hatred was in consequence of the thi wrongs they had inflicted upon his family his father captain john brady and his brother having fallen victims to the tomahawk and scalping knife the scene of the present story is at a place known to boatmen and as bradys bend and where now the noise and bustle of a new manufacturing fac turing town called the great western resounds rebounds resounds along the shores that then echoed only to the whoop of the savage or the panthers scream it is a bend in the river of nine miles in length and is sometimes called the nine mile bend and is in scarcely half a mile across the neck here in this bend cornplanter returned from some tome successful inroad upon the whites had efured secured several prisoners by tying them to as its many marry trees while hits hin swarthy and hideous ly painted followers were busy in making pre pa rations fot for the faggot and the torture the stake take was erected and the faggots maggots prepared with all the coolness and refinement erne rit of indian barbarity it was a beautiful eveni evening tig fig the buff was just jest sinking behind the lofty hill upon the opposite shore calmness had thrown its oily wand upon the Alleg hanys henys crystal tide and it slept the full fall round moon just bursting through the iree free treetops tree tops behind them sailed calmly through the distant blue and cast its beams upon the sleeping river and danced upon its placid bosom the melancholy note of the whip whim ip from the adjoining thicket fell swe awe sweetly upon the ear the victims were unbound and na led forth to the place of torture at this moment a voice voice hiffa up among the frowning rocks that loomed out exit from froni the thick hemlocks that crowned the hill opposite bailed baided cornplanter in the indian tonge tongue JP informing him hii that he be was an indian warrior warrior just returned from the warpath karpath war path with a goodly number of prisoners he desired that the ceremonies of the torture might be suspended until he could ford the river and join them when wilen they could celebrate the occasion with unusual demonstrations of 0 savage rei rejoicings rejo icings to this cornplanter consented the flames that had been kindled were extinguished gui shed and tile the prisoners again boand to the trees in the meantime brady for it was he who had bad deceived the wily indian with a body boby of men moved silently up the river to a place known as Tru bys bya ripples and there fording the river drew his men up across the neck of the bend aud and moved wl nis lessly y down upon the savages so cautious was his approach that the he indians were completely cut off from retreat before they became alarmed bradys men hemmed them in from behind while tile tiie allegheny Alleg hany rolled in front the till first intimation to the savages of his approach was communicated by a deadly dis charge from his unerring 11 rifles the indians fought w with 1 arati inbur were overpowered all we were re killed or taken prisoners save the chief cornplanter who on finding himself himsel alone falone plunged into the river and swam swarn for the other shore being a good l swimmer he remained several minutes underwater under water but as he rose for breath breath he was greeted with a show er of bullets in this way alternately swimming e ng under water as long as he lie could hold his be breath at h and then rising to the surface he be escaped unhurt and reaching the other shore in safety secreted himself behind a large standing rock the prisoners were of course unbound and all joined in the jollification and joy at the timely and unlooked for release the rock that shielded cornplanter from bradys bullets was pointed out to me by the old indian in iii a recent trip down this river it is known as Cornplanter lo rock this tins old in dian than gave me the story with e sad alid and dejected countenance in broken english alas alss how changed the scene where then the sheeny tide of the beauteous allegheny Alleg hany parted only to the swift skimming bir bircher cher chei canoe and echoed to the wild voices voices that came out of the dense dark forest now is heard the shrill whistle of the steam pipe and the rushing of the mighty steamer where the tawny savage then reclined upon the shady banks from his pursuit of the deer the panther and the bear or rested from the war path is no now the scene of life and activity the tall old forest has receded from before the advance of civilization and given place to farms beautiful villas and bustling towns the indian too has parsed passed away but a few and they but miserable decay decaying inc inZ reiles relies of what they once were are now occasionally seen the descendants ts orthe of the proud race that once could call these hills and groves and rivers all their own knickerbocker |
