by Henry Howe.

Belmont County was one of the earliest counties settled within the State of Ohio, and the scene of several desperate encounters with Indians. About 1790, or perhaps two or three years later, a fort called Dillie's Fort was erected on the west side of the Ohio River, opposite Grove Creek.

About 250 yards below this fort an old man named Tate was shot down by the Indians very early in the morning as he was opening his door. His daughter-in-law and grandson pulled him in and barred the door. The Indians, endeavoring to force it open, were kept out for some time by the exertions of the boy and woman.

The Indians fired at length at the cabin and finally wounded the boy. The woman was shot from the outside as she endeavored to escape up the chimney, and fell into the fire. The boy, who had hid behind some barrels, ran and pulled her out, and returned again to his hiding place. The Indians now forced their way into the cabin, killed a girl as they came in, and scalped the three they had shot. They then left the cabin -- leaving by the side of the house that faced away from the fort.

The boy, who had been wounded in the mouth, took this opportunity and escaped to the fort. The Indians, twelve or thirteen in number, went off unmolested, although the men in the fort had witnessed the transaction and had sufficient force to engage them.

This entry is adapted from Henry Howe's HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF OHIO (2 vols., 1907). The book has been reedited, updated, and restructured for inclusion in the Pierian Press Fulltext eBooks database, and is included on the Stratton House Inn Web site by special permission. This entry is licensed for use ONLY on this Web site. This entry may not be copied or downloaded, but may be used for educational purposes and personal pleasure under fair-use provisions via this Web site. Please note that the Stratton House Inn iteration of this entry does NOT include the subject headings assigned the entry for use in the Fulltext eBooks database.

DATABASE: Fulltext eBooks: Copyright (c) 1998 The Pierian Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved
ENTRY NUMBER: EBK31135101

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