"An Incident: A Scrap of Border History" (1773)
American Pioneer
Vol. II, no. V (May 1843), pp. 382-83
In the year 1773, a band of Indians entered the cabin of ____ Martin, a settler near Wheeling, and after murdering him and his family, set the cabin on fire and departed.
After the news of this murder reached Wheeling, a party of eight or ten men, commanded by a man named Houser, (a private in major Grant's company,) left Wheeling in pursuit of the Indians. They traveled six or eight miles through the forest without finding the savages, and were about returning when Houser observed, at a little distance, an Indian GIRL descending a hill. He halted his men, and made signs of peace to the girl, who came within a few rods of them and drew from her bosom a small strip of paper and threw it towards them. On examining the paper Houser found the following written as if in a hurry: "You must make your escape, the Indians are after you." After reading this, Houser and his men made all haste towards "Baker's station," which was within a few miles, but they were overtaken by the Indians and fired upon. Houser's men, after retreating a few rods, kept up a well-directed fire, which soon dispersed the Indians. They then proceeded on their march towards Baker's station without further molestation from the Indians.
On arriving at Baker's station they related their skirmish and the incident connected with it. The note was written by a man named Watson and given to the girl, who proceeded to warn them of their danger. My informer states that it was the general belief that this Indian girl was the daughter of the celebrated Mingo chief, Logan, and was murdered by the whites at Yellow creek, in April, 1774.
Robert D. Unger
Cumberland, Md., May 8, 1843
Exploration, Settlement and Conflict (1600-1799)