Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/552

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

��present mill. There is nothing to mark their grave, and the spot could now be pointed out with ditficulty. These soldiers cleared off a little field there. John Swigart was for many years a Trustee of the township, and Jacob Mason was one of the first Justices of the Peace. At one time, a 3'oung couple came to him to have the marriage ceremony performed. Money was a scarce article in those da^'S, and the would- be husband had not the wherewith to pay for getting the knot tied. A happj' thought, how- ever, came to his relief, and he offered the Justice a pup, which, under the circumstances, was kindly accepted and the ceremony per- formed. This would not seem, in the light of to-day, a sufficient compensation for a marriage ceremony, but in those days of wild animals, a good pup represented a money value not to be overlooked. Mr. Swigart served in the war of 1812, in the same compan}' with Grladden. They were in the battle of Mackinaw. Gen. Brooks cut the first road through the township, when he advanced to the seat of war in 1812. He passed the present site of Lucas, encamped there for a short time, and cleared off a little gi'ound about where the village stands. Mrs. Swigart says Brooks had about one hundred wagons, each of which were drawn b}^ six horses. One wagon was loaded with specie, with which to pay the army about Fort Meigs. The money was put up in little iron-hooped kegs. Mrs. Swigart was married in what is now Orange Township, Ashland Count}', her husband being the first school teacher in that township. The advent- ures of the early settlers of Monroe with the wild animals "were numerous and interesting, but space forbids more than a glance at them. The Williams family were among the earliest settlers, Mordecai Williams arriving in the county in 1810, and settling on the Rocky Fork of the ]\Iohican, west of the present site of Lucas, in 1815. Mr. Williams and his wife lived more than eighty j'ears, and raised a large fam- ily of children. One of his sons, Joseph, re-

��lates being chased by wolves, and barely escaped into the cabin. The following bear story was re- lated to Gen. Brinkerhoff, by Solomon Gladden : Washington Chew, a son of William Chew, when a boy often years, went out to hunt the cows. In passing along the creek bottom, on the McBride farm, he came suddenly upon a black bear. As the bear refused to run, he turned and beat a hast}' retreat, the bear following. Finding he could not escape, the boy climbed a small dog- wood tree. The bear came up and, after con- sidering the matter, commenced gnawing at the roots of the tree. He continued to gnaw until the tree began to tremble and the boy gave himself up for lost, when, fortunately, a hog came grunting along, and the bear ran away after that, leaving young Chew to escape. A few days after this, Mrs. Isaac Applegate dis- covered a bear among their hogs, and went for assistance to her neighbor, David Crawford. Mr. Crawford took his gun and dog, went over to the cabin of Solomon Gladden, who also took his gun and dog, and the two men went on a bear hunt. They struck the trail, and after a long chase treed the bear. As it was now night, they camped at the foot of the tree, having been joined by Joseph Applegate, Hugh and Samuel Reed. Bruin was kept up the tree during the night, and in the morning Mr. Crawford fired at him. The bear fell, but did not appear to be hurt, and ran away, notwithstanding the efforts of the dogs and hunters. The chase was now a very exciting one, and the bear was soon brought to bay by the dogs. Mr. Gladden, be- ing fleet on foot, was rather ahead of the others, and attempted to get a shot at the bear, a difficult matter, surrounded as it was by the dogs. In his haste and excitement, he fell over a log, his gun discharging itself into the ground. The bear retreated again, with the dogs hanging to, and snapping at it. As his gun was useless, Mr. Gladden caught up a club, and followed up beating the bear over the head as it turned at bay. This continued a long dis-

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