U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: --------------------------------------------------------------------- History of Wetzel County, West Virginia by John C. McEldowney, Jr., 1901 Pages 31-34 LEVI MORGAN. The people of Wetzel county are interested in the life and deeds of Levi Morgan, from the fact that Hon. Aaron Morgan, at the recent session of the Legislature, obtained an appropriation from that body of $3,500, for the erection of a monument in the court house yard at New Martinsville in his honor. The author has used great pains in securing the deeds of him more than anything else, his place of birth, for the year is not known by the author, and is unable to find out, neither can he obtain the year of his death. All that we can find out is that he moved on a farm near Louisville, Kentucky, after Wayne's treaty. In 1878 the Indians visited the settlement on Buffalo, in Pennsylvania, and Levi Morgan was there, skinning a wolf, which he had just taken from a trap. He saw three Indians, one riding a horse which belonged to a neighbor of his, and one that he knew very well, having rode it number of times previous. The other two were walking close behind, coming toward him. On looking in the direction they were coming, he recognized the horse and supposed the rider to be its owner, and on looking again discovered his mistake, and quickly seized his gun, sprang behind a large boulder, the Indians taking shelter behind trees as soon as he was from their view. He turned and glanced around the rock and found that the Indians were looking for him at the other end of the rock, and seeing one peep out, immediately pulled' his gun and fired, on which the Indian fell dead. But on turning to reload his gun, found that he had left his powder horn where he was skinning the wolf. He then darted from behind the rock with all of his speed, and one of the savages took after him. For some time he held his own in the race, but the savage, being used to such work, began to gain on him. The chances were very slim now for Morgan, and seeing this he threw his gun down, thinking that the Indian would be amazed at the idea, and pick up the gun, but the Indian did nothing of the kind and passed by it as though it had never been dropped. He then threw his shot pouch and coat in the way, but his schemes were in vain. They ran on until they reached the top of the hill. Here he stopped, and as though some one was on the other side of the hill, called out: "Come on, come on; here's one, make haste." The Indian, thinking that he was calling upon some one on the other side of the hill, immediately beat a hasty retreat. Morgan then exclaimed: "Shoot quick, or he will be out of reach." The Indian seemed to double the thought, and hastened his speed. Morgan then turned and went home, being pleased with his success, leaving his gun, shot pouch and coat to reward the savage for the deception practiced upon him. At the treaty of Augliaxe he met the Indian who had given him such a chase, and he still had the gun that Morgan had thrown down. After talking over the circumstance, they decided to test the ownership of it by a friendly race. The Indian being beaten, rubbed his hands and said: "Stiff, stiff; too old, too old." "Well," said Morgan, "you got the gun by outrunning me then, and I should have it for outrunning you now," and accordingly took it. In the year of 1790 Levi Morgan was made captain of a company of nineteen men who were stationed at the mouth of Big Fishing creek, where he had erected a fort. They built two sixty-foot canoes and descended downward on their way to the mouth of the Muskingum, where they were going to attack an Indian camp seven miles up the river. When they arrived at the desired point they hid their canoes in the bushes and stationed two men to watch them until they returned, and if they did not return in three days to make their way as fast as possible to the fort. Captain Morgan, with the remaining seventeen men, struck cautiously through the woods westward and traveled several miles, until they struck a large cove at the head of a stream which ran into the Ohio. They heard a bell jingle at the head of the cove, on which Morgan exclaimed: "Boys, get your guns ready and see that your powder is handy." He had a boy in his company who was but sixteen years of age. His name was Hays (see the story of the two half Indians.) He put his men in two's taking the boy with him, and gave orders that when the first gun was fired that they were to run into the camp with a knife in one hand and a gun in another. One was to run around one way and one another, and run the Indians out of their wigwams, if possible, without their guns, and if not, to shoot the first Indian seen with a gun. Morgan and Hays were the first ones to see the Indians, who saw one salting some ponies. Morgan said to Hays: "I will split that Indian's nose, right between his eyes," on which he shot and killed the Indian. They then raised a yell and rushed into camp and found no one there but a few Indian squaws and some young men. There were about five hundred wigwams in the village and about six hundred bushels of corn. One of the old Indian squaws asked Morgan if they had killed a young Indian, and he told her they had not, and she said there was one missing. They then knew that one had gotten away. After catching all the horses they needed, they burned the village and told the old Indian squaw that they wanted to go to the Muskingum river, and if she would take them there that they would not harm her, but if she didn't, they would kill all of them. She took them straight through, traveling both night and day, until they reached the place where they had hid their canoes. It was the fourth day, but the men were still there. They then tied the two canoes together and put the ponies into them, putting the hind feet in one and the front feet in the other. A couple of men rowed the boats to the mouth of the Muskingum, and after crossing over to the Virginia side they sank the boats and went by land to Pricket's Fort, in Monongalia county. They kept the prisoners until Wayne's treaty, when they were given up, and it was at that place that the Drygoo boys were obtained. Morgan was at the defeat of St. Clair and shot at the white renegade, Simon Girty. ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access other articles in this book by going to the following URL which contains a linked index for the book. http://www.us-data.org/wv/wetzel/history/mceldowney.html -------------------------------------------------------------------