that I might not see his face, for if I had, I could never have had the courage to kill him." The little girl was seven years with the Indians; when she was brought to her .nother as her child, she disowned her, saying "it was not hers," and the child was returning, amongst various other children, who had not as yet been claimed by their parents, and friends. After the child had left her house some time, she called to mind a mark, which was on some part of its body, and ran after it, with a view to be satisfied whether it was her's or not, and upon examination, found it to be her child; but it was long before she felt any attachment for it. The child grew up, and being a great heiress, rang loud in her day; many suiters came to woo her, and many were rejected. At length she gave her hand to a Mr. Da vies, by whom she had several children, one of whom, a daughter, married Mr. Ballard Smith, late a member of Congress, and amongst the first lawyers in the western country. Mrs. Davies is still living. It is only seven years since her mother, Mrs. Rogers, died. This renowned female is represented to have been a woman of a great mind, unequalled fortitude, and invincible cour. age. Besides Mrs. Maiz, who is among the most sensible women I have seen, she has a son living near this place, of highly respectable standing.

late
tlers

just 1

was

already mentioned. On his way thither, he encamped upon the ground where Lewisburg now stands, which, at that time, was nothing more than a bleak savannah. In the following year, Col. John Stewart, (now living) and Mr. George Matthews, of Augusta, Va. opened a store on this savannah; a fort was likewise built on it, to protect them from the Indians. I am now (1824) sitting on the site where this fort once stood: not the least vestige of it, however, remains. It is now the proper ty of Mrs. Welsh, whose house and garden stands with in the limits once occupied by this fort. From Mrs. W. who is now in her seventieth year, I collected these particulars. She is now sitting by me, and goes on to re

mous

DE

ding te
nah,
Don:

THE they al the The and c by m with dest static sto foug mathi settle toned The h

marc Eleme

goin ese m dạng anh; befo ping thatger!

Cour before th

terri: John brav

that.

Idrew Lewis, who commanded at the battle of the Point they are an

Lewisburg.-Lewisburg takes its name fron Gen. An

arriv

fore

T:

amo even wom

Col. three

Dick

nigh
he i

at requ

counsel

terrified John Pric

hat insta hey pase

arrived at

ire the The in amount o evening Women ar Col. Don three or

Dick Poin

Oright the moune is still

late "That she was one of the earliest permanent set-
tlers of Greenbriar, and lived within a mile of the fort
just mentioned, which was called Fort Savannah. She
was then the wife of a Mr. Arbuckle, who was in the fa-
mous battle of the Point, and spent all his time in guar-
ding the settlements. There was, besides Fort Savan-
nah, another about eight miles north-east of it, called
Donnally's Fort.

y were

western

The Indians, actuated by revenge, for the treatment they met with from Gen. Lewis, and his men, meditated the destruction of this second settlement of Greenbriar, and sat off accordingly in a large body, from their towns, with this design. At that time there was a party of men stationed at Point Pleasant,* (where the battle was Ir. Da-fought,) by government, with a view of guarding the vhom, a settlement, and to watch the movements of the Indians. mber of These men, by some means, got intelligence of their march; but who would undertake the perilous task of going to apprise those unsuspecting people of their danger! The Indians were several days on their march before they were informed of it. It was an enterprise that required the utmost courage, trust, and dispatch: a counsel was held; silence, for a long time, reigned in the terrified party. At length, two champions stepped forth, John Prior and Philip Hammond: We will go, said these brave and worthy men. No time was to be lost, they sat off that instant, travelled night and day, saw the Indians as they passed them; almost spent, and out of breath, they arrived at the settlement the third day, a few hours be

y seven

This reoman of

fore the Indians.

j never

girl was ught to ing "it

mongst

claim

hild had

a mark,

after it,

or not, ; but it

The

loud in

le cour

st sensiear this

ON

en. Anfoe Point camped which,

30

eve

vannah.

WIC

7 living) Cal pened a on it, to

De 24) sit

the least

proper. Is with

Mrs. W.

ese par on to re

The inhabitants flew to Donnallys's Fort, to the amount of three hundred souls. It was late in the evening before they were all fairly in, principally women and children: there were but four men besides Col. Donnally, and a negro man belonging to him, and three or four guns in the fort. The negro's name was Dick Pointer, and Dick saved the fort! On the same night the Indians drew near, old Dick (as he now is, for he is still living,) and the four men, were standing

* One hundred and fifty miles distant from the settlement, with vast mountains and rivers between.

1

ין

r

guard. Col. Donnally's house made a part of the fort, the front of it forming a line with the same, the door of the house being the door of the fort. Near this door, Dick and his companions were stationed, and about midnight Dick espied, through a port-hole, something moving, but the night was so dark, and the object making no noise, it was long before he discovered it to be an Indian, creeping up to the door on all fours. The negro pointed it out to his companions, and asked "if he might shoot ;""no," they replied, not yet. In about twenty minutes after this, a large force was at the door, thundering it to pieces with tomahawks, stones, and whatever weapon offered. The door being of the stoutest sort, resisted their efforts for some time; at length they forced one of the planks. Dick, (who,Her from every account, is as brave as Cesar,) had charged every his musket well with old nails, pieces of iron, and buck posses shot; when the first plank dropped, he cried out to his her pr master, "May I shoot now, sir?" "Not yet, Dick:"she m he stood ready, with his gun cocked. The Indians, meanwhile, were busy, and the second plank began to tremble. "O master, may I shoot now?" “Not yet," his master replied. The second plank falls; "Now Dick," said his master; he fired, killed three, and whom wounded several; the Indians ran into some rye, with R. nat which their fort was surrounded, leaving the dead bod-adorn ies at the door. Shortly after this, or at least before day, they were attacked by a large party of men, under the command of Col. Samuel Lewis, who had, during the while, been collecting and preparing for that purpose, and were totally routed by these men. Mrs. Welsh's husband, Arbuckle, was one of them. But had it not been for Dick Painter's well-timed shot, every soul in the fort must have been massacred.* I have had the relation from several persons, and from old Dick himself. The poor old creature wanders about very shabby: the country does allow him something, but his principal support is derived from donations by gen

munitio

* This house is still standing, and the bullet holes made in it by the Indians when they were attacked by the whites, are still visible. Mr. A. Rayder now lives in it.

leme He do ty-five white

eye, years

E

set hi

Bu: woma of m

spent

runni peopl

emine

Clin

same.

est. G in the (1810) vegeta

now.
in ever

to con

is mater

are ve that ca

favora

oats, f

and ca

ormed

nbce

Clima

Ge In the v

gelatio

very

at can

avorable

neither ble backwi

ad cabba

heither d

uckwhead

WEST VIRGINIA.

the fort,iemen, who visit this place and admire his character. door of He does not know how old he is, he thinks he was twendoor,ty-five at the attack of Donnally's Fort. His head is as about white as wool, which, contrasted with his black keen mething eye, gives him a singular appearance. His master, some object years after the signal service he rendered his country, ered it set him free.

I fours.

I asked

s

But to return to Mrs. Welsh, the most extraordinary woman I ever saw; she has been, and is now possessed et. In of much personal beauty. Although this female has at the spent her life in the western wilds of America, often stones, running from the Indians and cooped up in forts among of the people as rude as the savages themselves, yet she is me; at eminently qualified to adorn the most polished assembly. (who, Her pleasing and courtly manners are unequalled, and harged every way bewitching; with a mind unimpaired, she J buck possesses all the gaiety and sprightliness of youth; but t to his her predominant trait is benevolence. God knows what Dick" she must have been when in youth, for she is irresistible now. She has a daughter living here, (Mrs. Reynolds,) in every respect her counterpart. How nature managed to combine so many virtues and charms in one family is matter of great wonder. There are few people in whom we do not see something to admire; but on Mrs. R. nature has bestowed the choicest of hor gifts; she has adorned her with a liberality that seldom marks her munificence to the sex.

adians, gan to yet," "Now e, and

•

with d bod

before

under

during

at purMrs.

ut had

every I have n old about

deg, but

gen

69

by the Mr. A.

Climate.-The climate of all these counties is the same. If any difference obtains, Greenbriar is the coldest. Generally, there is frost in Greenbriar every month in the year, but one, which is August; and one year (1810) they had a frost in August that wholly destroyed vegetation, and nearly caused a famine. The winters are very long and cold, and leave them but a few weeks that can be called summer: the climate is therefore unfavorable for the growth of any thing except wheat, rye, oats, flax, Irish potatoes, timothy, blue grass, turnips and cabbage. Garden vegetables do not succeed well, neither does Indian corn, except on the rivers; but buckwheat is reared in great quantities. The climate

is likewise unfavourable to negroes-numbers of then perf

ces is co

live

but t

matc

whisk

ticles

die in consequence of its intense coldness. It also af
fects the white inhabitants with rheumatisms, sore
throats, pleurisies, palsies, and apoplectic fits. One
thing remarkable and peculiar to these counties is, the
dissolution of old people. It is very common for old
people to drop down dead out of their seats, or walking
about in perfect health. I have seen several instances
of this since my stay in this country. A Mrs. Peebles
was sitting in her porch, spinning, in perfect health-shely
was heard to fall, and the sound of the wheel to stop
suddenly her daughter ran to see what was the matter,
as quick as possible, and found her quite dead. She
was almost seventy years of age. A Mrs. Kitchen, who
lived in Monroe, famed for keeping a house of entertain.
ment on the public road leading from the sweet springs
to the western country, dropped dead in a second of
time. She was in her eightieth year, and was sitting feath
in her own room, spinning on the little wheel; no other
person was in the room but herself, though her son and
his family lived in the same house. The old lady had
a favourite little black boy, whose business it was to
wait on her, solely-the little boy, though hardly ever
absent even for a moment, was then out of the room.
She rang the bell, and her daughter-in-law stepped
to the door to see what she wanted, but before she
came in sight of her, she heard her fall to the floor, and
when she came to her, she was dead. She never breath-being
ed afterwards! Old Mr. Bowyer, (Mike Bowyer,) the the 1
proprietor of the White Sulphur Springs, nine miles from
hence, died sitting upright in his chair. How long be-
fore it was discovered, no one knew, as he likewise was
alone. A man, but a few days since, of considerable
age, who lived about a mile from this place, (Lewisburg,)
walked into town for the purpose of purchasing coffee,
for breakfast, and was to have returned immediately.
The teakettle was on, the table set, and every thing ready
but the coffee. One hour passed away-the old man's
daughter set out herself to get the coffee, and see what
was the matter, when lo! she found him lying dead in
the road, and the coffee by him. He had left town in

with ble to

on th long. perpe

s

but i conti.

part perh

comm Th

ers.

cattle

and s

ment breed

doze

whole

art of

forty: on the

do no

the m

to Phi

rived just w

peltry

The

winter

P