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SAMUEL BRADY, I left Beavertown in the mail coach, at eleven o'clock in the forenoon, for Poland, in Trumbull county, Ohio, distant thirty eight miles. Directly on leaving Bridge water and crossing ‘a small stream, on a neat bridge, we began “to ascend a long, steep hill, called’ Brady’s STill. It recei ved its name from an interesting border adventure, which occurred in early times” near the base Captain Samuel Brady Was one of that band of’ brave men, who lived in the trying days of the American Revo lution, on the Western borders, exposed to all the horrors and danger of Indian war fare, and whose names shall ‘be ’penpetua ted in history. ‘He held'a commission ‘un der the United States, and for a part of the time commanded company. of’ ran gers, who traversed the forests for the pro tection of the frontiers. He was born in Shippensburg, ‘Pa.’ in ‘the year 1758, and removed,” probably when “1 boy, into the valley of the Monongahela. At the pe riod of this adventure he lived ‘on the Chartier Creek, about twelve miles below Fort Pitt; a stream better known, how ever, to the pilots and _keel_boatmen of modern- days,by the significant name of Shirtee. He died in 1796, soon after ‘the eloge of the’Indian war . ‘number of articles were published in the Blairsville scorder, 2 year ‘or two singe, detailing his adventures, which would ‘make a most interesting volume. His father and a bro ther were both killa by Indians. LEGEND or BRAdy’s Hit. ‘I recei ved the particulars of the following’ story from one of the passengers in the’ coach, who ‘had resided in the country ‘several years and often heard it related.” Samuel Brady, the hero of the following adven ture, ‘was over six feet’ in height, hit light blue eyes, fair skin and dark hair.= He was remarkably straight; ‘an athletic, bold, vigorous ~backwoodsman, inured to all the toils, and hardships of. frontier life, ‘and ‘had become very obnoxious to the Indians, from his numerous Successful attack on their war parties, and from shoot ing them during his hunting excursions, whenever they crossed his path, or came within reach of his rifle , for he was per sonally engaged in more hazardous contests with the savages, than any other man west of the mountains excepting Daniel Boone. He was in fact an Indian hunter, as man of the early borderers were. This class of men appear to have been more numerous in the region than in any other portion of the frontiers , and doubtless arose from the slaughter at Braddock’s defeat, and the numerous murders and attacks on defence less families, that for many years followed that disaster. Brady was also a very suc cessful trapper and hunter, and took more beaver than ‘any of the Indians them selves. In one of his adventurous trap ping excursions to the Beaver ‘river, or Mahoning, which in early days go abound ed with the animals of this species that it took its name from the fact, it so happen ed,that the Indians surprised’ him in his cannyi and took him prisoner. To have shot or tomahawked him on, the “spot would ‘have been but a small gratification to that of satiating their revenge by bur ning his at a slow fire, in the presence of all the Indians of their village. He was therefore taken alive to their encampment, on the west, bank of the Beaver River, about in mile and a half from its mouth. After the usual exultations and rejoicings at ‘the capture of ‘a noted enemy, and cau sing him to run the gauntlet, a fire was prepared, near which Brady was placed, after being stripped naked, and with his arms unbound.Previously to tying to the stake ai large circle was formed, consisting of Indian men,’ women and children » dan cing and yelling, and uttering all manner of threats and abuse that their small knowledge of the English language could afford. .. The prisoner looked on these pre parations for death, and on his savage foes with a steady eye, meeting all their threats with a truly savage fortitude. In the midst of their dancing and resolcing,a squaw of one of their chiefs came near him,with a child in her arms. Quick as thought, and with an intuitive prescience, he snatched it from her and threw it into the midst of the flames. Horror struck at the sdden outrage, the Indians ‘simul taneously rushed to rescue the infant from the fire. In the midst of the confusion Brady darted from the circle, overturning all that’came in his way, and rushed into the adjacent thickets, with the Indians yelling at his heels. He ascended the steep side of the present hill amidst a shower of bullets, and darting down the opposite declivity, secreted himself in the deep, raviness and laurel thickets that abound for several miles around it. His knowledge of the country and wonderful activity enabled him to elude his enemies, and reach the settlements on the south of the Ohio river, which he crossed by swim ming. The hill near whose base this ad venture ja saids to have happened still goes by his name, and the incident is often re ferred to by the traveller, as the coach is slowly dragged up its side. Brady’s Pond. In the course of this afternoon we passed near several small lakes, from half to three-fourths of a mile long, and nearly as wide; being embosom ed among low green hills, they resembled beautiful’ pearls, surrounded by emerald. Q One of these, called Brady’s Pond, is seat ed about three miles from the cliffs or nar rows of the Cuyahoga. From undoubted authority,'‘it seems that the following in cident ‘actually transpired in this vicinity. Brady’s residence was on Chartier’s creek on the south side of the Ohio, as before noticed ;and being a man of Herculean strength,activity and courage, he was gen erally selected as the leader of the hardy borderers,in all their incursions into the Indian territory north of the river. On this occasion, which was about the year 1780, a large party of warriors from the falls of the Cuyahoga and the adjacent country,had made an inroad on the south side of the Ohio river, in the lower part of what is now Washington county, but which was then known as the settlement of Catfish Camp, after an old Indian of that namd, when the whites first came into the country on the Monongahela river.— This party had murdered several families, the plander had recrossed the before effectual pursuit could be do. .. By Brady a party was directly summoned, of his chosen followers, who hastened on after them ; but the Indians having one or two days the start, he could ertake them in time to arrest their their’ villages. Near the spot 7 town of Ravenna now stands . Separated into two ‘parties, hich went to the north,and the to the falls of the Cuyahoga. Iso divided ;.a part. pursued them trail, ‘and.a part went with their commander to the Indian village, ly ing on the river,in the present township of Northampton, in Portage county. Al though Buidy ide his approaches with the dirnig of caution, the Indians, expecting a pursuit, were on the lookout, and ready to receive him with numbers fourfold to those of Brady’s party, whose only safety was in a hasty retreat, which, from the ar dor of the pursuit, soon became a perfect flight. “Buddy directed his men to sepa rate, and “each one, take care of himself ; but the Indians knowing Brady; and ia Ying a most inveterate ‘hatred and dread of him, from the numerous chastisements which he had inflicted upon them; left all the others,‘and with united strength pur sued him ‘alone. ‘The Cuyahoga’ here makes a wide bend to the south, including a large trast, of land of several miles of surface, in the form of a peninsula ; with in “this tract ‘the pursuit was’ hotly con tested. __ The Indians, extending their line to the right and left, forced him on to the bank of the stream. Having, in peaceable times, ‘often hunted over this ground with the Indians, and knowing every turn in the Cuyahoga as familiarly as the villager knows the streets of his own hamlet, Bra dy directed his course to the river, to a spot where the whole stream is compress ed, by the rocky cliffs, into a narrow chan nel of only twenty-two feet across the top of the chasm, although it is considerably wider beneath, near the water, ,and in its height more than twice that number, of feet above the current. “Through this pass the water rushes like a race-horse, chafing and roaring at the confinement of its, current by the rocky channel, while, a short distance above, the stream is at least fifty yards wide. As he approached the chasm, Brady, knowing that life or death was in the effort, concentrated his mighty powers, and leaped the stream at a single bound. It so happened that, in the opposite cliff, the leap was favored by a low place, into which he dropped, and grasping the bushes, he thus helped him self to ascend to the top of the clif. The Indiana, for a few moments, were lost in wonder and admiration, and before they had recovered their recollection, he was half way up the side of the opposite hill, but still within reach of their rifles. They could easily have shot him at any moment before, but being bent on taking him alive for torture, and to glut their long-delayed revenge, they forbore the use of the rifle ; but now seeing him likely to escape, they all fired upon him; one bullet wounding him severely in the hip, but not so badly as to prevent his progress. The Indians having to make considerable circuit before they could cross the stream, Brady ad vanced a good distance ahead. His limb was growing stiff from the wound, and as the Indians gained on him, he made for the pond which now bears his name, and plunging in, swam under water a consid erable distance, and came up under the trunk of a large oak, which had fallen into the pond. This, although leaving only a small breathing place to support life, still completely sheltered him from their sight. The Indians, tracing him by blood to the water, made diligent search all round the pond, but finding no signs of his exit, fi nally came,to the conclusion that he had sunk and was drowned. As they were at one time standing, on the very tree be neath which he was concealed, Brady, un derstanding their language, was very glad to hear the result of their deliberations, and after they had gone, weary, lame and hungry, he made good his retreat to his own home. Isis followers also all return ed in safety. The chasm across which he reaped is in sight of the bridge where we crossed the Cuyahoga, and is known in all that region by the name of Brady's Leap.
Newspaper Details
Altoona Tribune
Altoona, Pennsylvania, US
Thu, Jan 19, 1860
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
John S.
USA 25 Dec 2025
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