Written lor the Indiana Farmer.
THE FIBST WHITE MEN
INDIANA.
A Thrilling Story of Adventure Among
the Indiana.
The historical societies have picked up
every thread so as to weave a web of events
and bring their respective localities into
prominence, but this little sketch of history of Rush county, Indiana, has either
been overlooked or has never been in their
possession. This little sketch has escaped
the pen of the historians -who have recorded the daring deeds of the brave men of
the Stato of Indiana. It is almost a century since the subjects of these events
have fallen by the ruthless hand of death,
and the corroding tooth of time has almost effaced their remembrance from the
minds of the few gray haired relatives
that are left.
It is not our aspiration to tread the path
of Mayne Kied in his blood and thunder
narratives; nor is it our purpose to rival
the Beadle series of scalping knife exploits, but to bring to light thoso bold and
daring deeds of heroism that are known to
relatives and perhaps a few acquaintances
of those who were the acting heroes in
this thrilling adventure. Time has robbed
this relative of ita choicest feature?, and
links lost have to be supplied. Could we
but have seen the subject of these events
and heard him relate the adventures, his
toils, his hair breadth escapes, enlivened by
the fascinating charm of the pure original
source as indelibly printed on his mind,
we then would have a better assurance of
interesting the reader. Or could we but
have witnessed the strong emotions, or
the  animated  countenance,  the heaving
- bosom and the silent tear, as it coursed
down his furrowed cheek, the trembling
f voice, the bending  frame, we could have
_ better imparted in this little sketch
the heroism of the prisoners in the time
when men's souls were tribe. It was a
case of pure and hallowed friendship
whose links were only severed by death.
When General Wayne, better known as
Mad Anthony, fought the memorable
battle with the Indians at Maumee in
Northern Ohio, there were two young
men who showed such remarkable bravery
that they attracted the attention of tho
commander and he assigned them as
scouts, which position they filled to the
entire satisfaction of the General. The
oldest, James Thomas, was 23 years old,
the other, Silas Gibbs, was his junior by
two years. After the battle referred to, a
small party of Indians went off in the direction ofthe Big Miami country, and
Gen. Wayne thought they were going
after reinforcements from tribes which
lived In that country. To be sure of their
intention he sent Gibbs and Thomas to re-
con noiter and to follow in their wake,
which they did for ten days, but on the
eleventh they ran into a small squad of
aborigines encamped on the margin of a
swamp, and were taken prisoners. They
were disarmed and bound together with
thongs of bark and compelled to travel
thus, uuder guard, for five or six days,
until they reached a village on the banks
of the Big Miami, where the Indians held
a council and condemned them to the
"bolem," a most inhuman torture. This
mode of torture was to bury the victim up
to his neck, with hands tied down, then
procure round stone and roll them'at the
, victim's head, ten pin fashion. To this
infernal amusement these scouts were
condemned. Thomas understood the Indian  language perfectly  but maintained
. the mojt stoical countenance, as he listened to the sentence. The Indians noticed this and supposed that the prisoners
wero ignorant of their language.   Theln-
ans wanted to make a grand day of it
and eent runners to other tribes, east and
west. The grand fete was to come
off at the next full moon, which was
in about threo weeks. Gibbs was determined to escape when an opportunity presented itself. The time had run around
to within one week of tho fatal day, yet
that much coveted opportunity had not
arrived, for with such strict vigilance were
tiey guarded that the least motion would
have betrayed their intentions. The tribes
had commenced to come in from every direction and continued dancing and feasting
was going on.
One evening, a tribe from Mirietta came
andbroughtalongaquantityof whiskey in
their calabashes, which they procured at
some trading post. Shortly after theirarrl-
val, the Indkins began to drink, and beforo
midnight every man was drunk and unconscious. Even the warrior that guarded
the prisoners, had given to the subtle influence of Baccheus nectar, and, in a stupor, he had fallen across Gibbs, his hunting knife coming in close proximity to the
latter's manacled band. With almost superhuman efforts, ho succeeded in getting
hold of the knife and cutting the shackles
of himself and comrade. They sought
their rifles and procured all the ammunition and jerked venison they could lind,
and then started West. The moon was
shining brightly, and when they reached
the bank of the Miami river, thoy saw a
large number of canoes hauled ashore.
Thoy cut holes in all of them but one, and
shoved them into the water where they
soon sank. They then rowed across to the
west side and scuttled the remaining
canoe. Then striking into the dense forest they kept in a western direction until
about noon, when thoy concealed themselves in a hollow log. Shortly afterwards, a squad of Indians cauie along and
seated themselves on tho log, and held
council about their escape and capture. In
the course of the day, four other bands
stopped near their hiding place. The
woods seemed full of them, and so close
were they that Gibbs declared he feared to
draw ;his breath, lest they should hoar
him. They learned from what thoy heard,
that the Indians were going to concentrate
and annihilate Wayne's army. They likewise learned the number of warriors.
This was the information they most desired. That night they traveled west, as
by so doing they would evade their merciless enemies; likewise, they aimed to
strike the head waters of the St. Mary
river, from hence their descent to the lake
would be easy, as they had been on that
river before. They crossed a stream of
large size, about midnight, the water in
which seemed to be as white as milk owing to the reflection of the moon. They
traveled on, looking in vain for a stream
running north. At daylight, they came
to" a stream running in a southwestern direction. They knew now, that they were
on the water-shed of the Ohio river, and
they would have to travel north and pass
a summit, before they could reach the
lake basin. From the general resemblance
to a stream in their native State, they
called this stream Flat Kock. We feel
safe in assuming that these men were the
first white men that ever trod the soil that
now comprises Kush Co., and we believe
that we would not miss it if we were to
say the first that traveled through the
gloomy recesses of the primeval forest of
Eastern Indiana.
Concluding to conceal themselves ior the
day they found a large, hollow, sycamore
tree, which grew close to the stream—
"large enough for a tavern,"Thomassaid—
into which they crept and closed the aperture with rotten wood. They felt safe for
this day; in fact they were not afterwards
molested by Indians. The spot where they
lay concealed that day,lsabout 3 or 4 miles
below  Kushvillo.   The  white  man's  ax
elledjthe old Sycamore more than three-
fourths of a century ago, and nothing Is
now left to mark the exact spot where the
noble men rested.
Next morning they began the ascent of
the stream but bad not travelled more than
eight miles when their spirits, which had
been strung to their greatest tension
through the excitement of their perilous
adventure and escape, began to flag and
they got hungry and sore and concluded
to rest the remainder of the day and kill
some game. Gibbs tald Thomas he would
build a lire if Thomas would dress some
squirrels, which they had killed. IIo ignited an old beech stubabout -10 feet high. It
burned rapidly and before they wero aware
of it it fell toward where Thomas stood.
Tho top striking him In the back, ho fell
and remained Benselew till evening, when
consciousness returned but the wounded
man could not move his lower extremities.
He begged Gibbs to shoot him and put him
out of his misery. With tears in his eyes
Gibbs knelt beside him and urged him to
bear up with fortitude, saying that he
would bo able to travel in a few days.
Thomas bogged him to leave him to his
fate and proceed to Lower Sandusky and
save the army; by bo doing there would bo
but one man lost and hundreds saved.
But Gibbs gave his unfortunate companion to understand that como what would,
ho was determined to Btay with him. He
male shelter for his comrade out of forks
and boughs, and gnthered leaves for
couch and placed Thomas on it.
Days lengthened into weeks yet the poor
unfortunate young man lay with half his
body useless. Winter was fast approaching and their clothing was threadbare, and
their shelter insufficient! But Gibbs was
not idle, he had killed an abundant supply
of meat, had dressed the skins and mado
rude garments. Winter passed, spring
came and went, and another autumn
passed and found the young men in the
same predicament. Nothing transpired
worth noting, but their ammunition was
running short, and where could it be
replenished?
There was not a trading post within 200
miles that thoy knew of, and had there
been one closer, Thomas would not havo
left his comrade on account of the wolves,
which were numerous and ferocious. So
Gibbs, who always had an expedient, concluded to forego venison and cat wolves
and other animals that he could trap. He
found no dlfliculty in procuring In this
way, all the meat necessary. Thomas who
was naturally of an impetuous disposition,
and had roamed the world considerably,
grew melancholy; his eyes grew luster-
less and sunken; his visage thin; confinement was fast wealing him out, and despair had seized him with its iron grip.
Gibbs tried to rally him without success.
Consumption stepped in and claimed him.
He lay at death's door for weeks and
months, and was nursed by Gibbs with
untiring zeal. He watched by him in the
dark vigils of the night with nothing to
break the monotony but hoarse howling
of the wolves and hooting of the owls.
Whon the forest had again changed its
hue of green- for a sheen of crimson and
gold, Thomas was gradually going. A
strange light shone in his eye. He called
Gibbs to him and imparted his last request
which was to go to Lower Sandusky, and
tell his mother and sister of his fate. As
the last lingering rays of the twilight disappeared the spirit of James Thomas
mounted into ethereal space, and the
proud brave form lay a corpse.
The next morning Gibbs scooped out a
shallow grave and interred the remains
and planted a willow at the head of the
grave. Then he gathered up such things
as were necessary for his trip and started
for home. After many perils and privations, he arrived to the great surprise of
his parents and friends,  who had long
mourned him as dead. The mother and
sister of Thomas grieved much over his
untimely death.
This was the fate of the first white men
who lived in Hush county. Silas Gibbs
married and settlt-d down in a village in
northern Ohio, where he was esteemed by
all who knew him, and he lived to a good
old age. His numerous descendants are
living in difierent portions of the great
West, and some are filling places of renown in their respective States.
When hostilities had ceased and immigration be a*an to come into Eastern Indiana, among the first was a son-in-law of
Gibbs, who settled in Flat Itock, and some
neighbors soon followed who were induced
by his description of the magnificent timber and fertile soil. After Itush county
was partially settled Gibbs visited his
daughter, and sought the grave of Thomas,
but the woodsman's ruthless ax had been
there and obliterated all traces of the spot.
Newton, 111.
 a   ♦ -.	
Written for the Indiana Farmer.
Another Cabbage Insect.
11Y I-K01-*. J. TR0O1*.
On December loth Mr. V. M. Polk, of
Tobinsport, Indiana, sent mo specimens of
an insect "that has been been working on
tho cabbage for the last two seasons" in
his locality, and asking for information
concerning it. It proves to be the harlo- ■
quln cabbago bug, Mttrgantia lli-ttriimica
Hahn, which has boen vory destructive to
cabbage and othor cruciferous plants
throughout tho Southern States, but has
not been reported until now as occurring
in this State. Mr. Polk states that they
are more injurious than the cabbago
worm, as they suck tho lifo out of the
plaqt. It is a true bug, (having the Bucking mouth parts) a little loss than a half
inch In length and a quaitcr of an
inch broad; and is called the harlequin cabbage-bug from tho "manner in
which the black and orange yellow colors
are arranged upon its body." Says Dr.
Riley in his report to tho Commissioner
of Agriculture for 1S8J, "under favorable
circumstances tho rapidity of development of tills insect is remarkable. The
eggs will hatch on tho third day after laying,
and Mr. William Howard is authority for
the statement that the young bugs will go
through all their molts and be ready for
reproduction within two weeks. They
come early and stay late. They winter, as
do all related insects, as full grown bugs
under all sorts of rubbish, under stones,
logs, in fence corners, around out buildings and in similar locations."
REMEDIES.
Owiug to the peculiar manner in which
this bug takes its food, tho ordinary arsenical mixtures would have little or no ef.
feet upon it. Only those substances
which kill by contact should be used;
such as hot water, kerosene emulsion, or
pyrethrum if the unadulterated article can
be had. Burning all rubbish found scattered about the garden will also prove effectual. In fact, as this bug has now
secured a foothold in this State, it will be
found that wherever it makes its appearance, unless some natural enemy appears to hold it in check, eternal vigilance
will be the price of cabbage.
Lafayette, Ind.
 a    »    ■
Editors Indiana Farmer:
I shelled and counted the grains on ten
ears of corn, which contained 13,300grains,
making an average of 1,300 grains; can any
of yourreadcrs beat that? J. E. M.
Dekalb Co. 	
Editors Indiana Farmer:
g_I noticed in last week's Fakmer that Mr.
G.'.W. Klise grew an ear of corn having 1,244
grains, and that J. A. C. ha'd also grown
one with 1,301—a majority 57 grains. We
can beat that by 205 grains; having an
ear with 1,560 grains.   Who comes next.
Henry Co. J. M. H.