Jane Mary Wood Johnston Mitchell/Michel: Notes on Family (1870+), Part VI

[Jane Mary Wood Johnston Mitchell/Michel: Notes on Family (1870+), Part VI. My rough transcription. Additional paragraph breaks inserted for easier reading.

 
Many thanks to William Myers, Mary Davy, Sally Young and Sue Davis for their ongoing research collaboration; specifically to William for providing scans of the original documents, and in turn many thanks to Peter Johnston Binckley and Patricia D'Arcy "Trish" Binckley (1951-2007), at the source.]

My grandfather Johnston had, as I said before, four sons, & a daughter who died in infancy. Of the eldest, my father, I gave already spoken.

The second son, Andrew, married Miss Nancy Nash, of Prince Edward. He died rather young, leaving three sons, John Nash, Peter, & Edward: and one daughter, Betsey, now Mrs. Brown. 

John Nash became quite eminent as a Baptist preacher. Peter chose the vocation of school-master. Edward, receiving a finished education, became a lawyer, & was made a Judge when unusually young.

Charles, the third son, engaged early in mercantile business. When he was about twenty, he, with three others, set out in a flat boat on a trading voyage down the Ohio river. On approaching the spot where Maysville now stands, they were induced by the piteous cries & entreaties of a white man on the bank of the river, to row to the shore. He told them a sad tale of his being captured by Indians, & having made his escape from their hands – said he was in immediate danger of being recaptured, & pled earnestly to be taken into their boat. 

The young men were in great terror of Indians, who were said to be lurking on the bank in wait for whites – but, moved by the urgent entreaties of the poor fugitive, they at last determined to push hastily to the shore & rescue him. No sooner had they touched land, than a dozen Indians, springing from concealment, leaped into their boat, & made prisoners of the party!

The white man, they then discovered, was a decoy, employed by the Indians to entrap others.

One of the companions of my uncle, Mr. May, was put to death on the spot – the town afterwards built their received his name.

After taking possession of the valuable contents of the boat, the savages left the river with their captives & struck across the country. After a day or two, the white men resolved to make an effort to escape. Two of them succeeded in getting out of the camp by night – one was caught, brought back, tomahawked by the chief. The other, after extraordinary risks, finally saved himself from their hands.

Uncle Charles was so closely watched after this, that he found it impossible to elude the vigilance of his guard. To his surprise, however, he was treated with levity, & liberally supplied with food. This, as he was told by [an] old squaw who took a liking to him, was done for the purpose of getting him fat, so they designed to have a grand feast at the close of their march, at which he was to form the dainty dish.

Of course, this information took away his appetite: and the Indians, finding he refused food, began to treat him with great cruelty. One of the chiefs, however, interfered on his behalf, & the rest of the journey was comparatively free from suffering.

At length they reached Sandusky, & found another portion of their tribe rejoicing over a victory they had just obtained. To give splendor to their festivities, it was resolved to have a roast of the white man.

Uncle Charles was accordingly bound to a tree, all the preparations were finished, & one of the savages stepped forward with lighted torch, to set fire to the faggots. At that moment, proceedings were arrested by the opportune arrival of a young French trader named Francis Duchoquet, who was a favorite with the tribe. He persuaded the Indians to desist from their frightful purpose, & to give up their prisoner in consideration of a ransom – a hundred silver broaches.   

[page 26 – ends here.]

[Jane Mary Wood Johnston Mitchell/Michel (1811-1892).
My grandfather = Peter Johnston, Sr. (1710-1786).
My father = Peter Johnston, Jr. (1763-1831).
Andrew Johnston (1767-1811).
Nancy Nash = (Nancy) Anne Owen Nash (1775-1851).
John Nash Johnston (1799-1850).
Peter = Peter Butler Johnston (1802-1886).
Edward Johnston (1807-1853).
Betsey Johnston = Elizabeth Fisher Johnston (1809-1883) married Rev. Mr. Thomas B. Brown (1809-1890) in 1838.
Charles Johnston (1769-1833).
Mr. May = John May (d. 1790).
Francis Duchouquet (circa 1751-1831).]