Ohio History Journal

A GRAVE IN THE WILDERNESS.

 

 

BY BYRON R. LONG.

When one considers the amount of material collected and

published having to do with the story of Ohio and the North-

west Territory, he is apt to hesitate before he sets himself the

task of adding to that collection. So many details of that his-

tory have been published already that one fears he may be

traversing the same grounds when he attempts to narrate a

detail that has grown familiar to him through personal and

intimate association. And then, except one is giving himself

wholly to the business of writing history, he scarcely feels com-

petent for the task of setting before his readers a narrative

that is altogether new, or that has not in part, at least, been

told before.

One may be comforted in the thought, however, that well-

established historical data have been provided in this very way.

Many writers dealing with the same event or incident and at

different angles of observation give to the general historian.

when he comes to sum up details, such a vision of the whole as

enables him to present a narrative that appeals to the candid

and serious student who makes history contribute to the

philosophy or science of human government.

In presenting this detail the writer has no ambition other

than to call attention to it as having some part in the beginning

of great commonwealths that now stand as monuments to the

faithful and heroic men and women who performed their tasks

at the close of the eighteenth and at the beginning of the nine-

teenth centuries.

Scarcely had the ordinance of 1787 been created when

a vaster pilgrimage set in toward the Ohio country. Every

day in the year, winter and summer alike, witnessed the new

arrivals; their miniature crafts touching the wilderness borders

on the south shore of Lake Erie, or their caravans wending

6 -Vol. XXIII.         (81)

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82       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.   their way along the ridge roads from the east to find dwelling places in the untried forests. There was comedy and tragedy all the way along which they came. They were pilgrims and strangers setting their faces toward a goodly country, as they thought, and having set out it was for them to do and dare and be patient no matter whether the way be rough or pleasant withal. Graves marked the way they came, and not a few who reached the land which was to be their future home, sighed for

faces and forms which they had sadly covered from sight and left in unknown graves along the way. The interest the writer takes in telling this particular story has come of his visit to a grave which had the good fortune to be marked. And standing by this grave he said to himself, here is material for an interesting sketch. Most people move shy of graveyards.    Living, stirring scenes interest them more. Underground where mineral-wealth veins lie is of greater moment than are the places where the

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A Grave in the Wilderness.             83

 

forms of once living men lie hidden away. True it is, that

for long time men visit the graves of their loved ones and carry

flowers to make them beautiful, and there is a general sense in

which memory holds dear the resting places of the dead. But

as a rule we put our dead away and as the years speed on the

places of their sepulcher are but feebly remembered.

Some graves to be sure become shrines, and men travel

over long distances to stand beside them and drop the wreath of

honor and right regard-the meed of heroic action or the

memorial of high-born thought.

A few years ago a Bulgarian student at Harvard Uni-

versity, before returning to his home land after years of study

at that institution, came hundred of miles into the interior of

our country at the behest of his countrymen to express their

love by placing a wreath of flowers upon the grave of a news-

paper correspondent, who, in a crisis of their national life, had

spoken and written the words that stirred another and power-

ful government to come to her defense in a way that led up to

final deliverance.

America and Europe have many graves that have become

shrines; and travelers on their way seek them and stand be-

side them and gather inspiration for the tasks still to be per-

formed.

The love of country; the admiration for great men and

great achievements; the high respect born of instinct and reason

which we have for lofty character, lend hallowedness to the

spot of ground where repose the bodies of heroes and states-

men, philanthropists and  philosophers.  The  Westminster

Abbeys of the world are, by no means, deserted grounds.

One may take a morbid interest in matters like these, and

in this way lose any true value that must come of a just esti-

mate that should be placed upon them. But rated at their true

worth they become individual and national assets of wonderful

significance.

The grave to which attention is called in this document

gets its importance of the fact that it entombs the body of one

of the most noted pioneers of the Western Reserve. And it is

one of the oldest, if not the oldest, marked grave in that region.

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84        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

Of other graves it may be said, as may be said of the distin-

guished one along side this one, that the occupants were as

early on the ground as was this man, but it may also be said

that they lived on through many years and came to the close

of their pilgrimage in the middle of the century. Sad to say,

however, many of these have no markers above their resting

places.

Here on this lonely ridge in the wilderness a grave was

made in the autumn time of the year before Washington died.

And it is of no little interest to note that the man buried in this

grave was a compatriot of the Father of his Country, and won

not a little renown in the Revolutionary conflict under the leader-

ship of the greatest general of that war.

Upon the stone above the grave is inscribed the date 1798,

two years before the ushering in of the century which, at its

close, had recorded the miracles of science and demonstrated

the sovereignty of mind over matter. The following lines,

partially worn away by time, express the modest estimate of

those who lived to appreciate his sturdy character:

 

"Around this monumental stone

Let friendship drop a sacred tear;

A husband, kind, a parent fond,

An upright man lies buried here."

 

Eleven years prior to this the great document, the Ordi-

nance of '87, affecting all the region of the new West, had come

as a part of the fabric of government. Ten years before this

date the second Mayflower had landed where the Muskingum

empties its turbid waters into the River Beautiful, and where

the first settlers of Ohio established their Campus Martius.

Two years previous to the making of this grave in the

wilderness, on the Fourth of July, 1796, a surveying party led

by Moses Cleaveland had landed at the mouth of Conneaut

Creek, since named the Plymouth of the Western Reserve, and

the man who led the party has been mentioned as the Moses

of the New Promised Land. Moses Cleaveland is known the

world over now, since his name was given to the city founded at

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A Grave in the Wilderness.             85

 

the mouth of the Cuyahoga, and which is today the sixth city

in population in the United States and the metropolis of Ohio.

The city of Cleveland had just begun to be when this grave

was made thirty-five miles to the eastward and in it was placed

the body of Alexander Harper, captain in the army that fought

the battles of the American Revolution; pioneer promoter of

commonwealths in two regions of our country and the heroic

leader of bands of pilgrims and founder of townships of the

same name in each of these states-Harpersfield in New York

and Harpersfield in Ohio, the former in 1770 and the latter

in 1798.

Captain Alexander Harper was born in Middletown, Con-

necticut, in 1744, and therefore was in his prime when malarial

fever carried him off at the age of 54 years.

In 1754, when he was but 10 years old, his parents moved

to Cherry Valley, New York, famed as the scene of the terrible

tragedy of 1778 when the Tories and Indians swept down on

the beautiful region to massacre the inhabitants and destroy their

homes. In 1768, while mutterings of revolution were ominous

of epoch-making events, Captain Harper, his brother and a

number of neighbors and friends secured a patent for a large

tract of land in what is now Delaware County, New York, and

here, as before mentioned, established the town of Harpersfield.

They lived here in comparative quiet during the next four or

five years. During this period, on July 30th, 1771, Captain

Harper was married to Elizabeth Bartholomew, a woman of

remarkable character and worthy in every way of her illustrious

husband and sharing with him during the remainder of his

life the vicissitudes of soldier and pioneer, and after his death

winning to herself great distinction among the heroines of

the Western world. She lived to the advanced age of eighty-

four years and was buried beside her husband's wilderness

grave. The story of her life has enlisted the pen of a ready

writer and is beautifully and graphically told in a volume en-

titled "The Pioneer Women of the West." The same volume

contains the biography of their daughter, Elizabeth Tappan.

The counties of Herkimer, Schoharie, Otsego, and Dela-

ware, New York, are geographical divisions well known to the

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86       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications. student of the times of the Revolution. Threaded with spurs of hills - the receding slopes of the Catskill Mountains - and by the winding headwaters of the Mohawk, Delaware and Sus- quehanna rivers, these counties occupy a place on the map of our country memorable in the romance and struggle of the life of our Revolutionary fathers. There are towns here and there suggestive of great men and great events-Cherry Valley, Oriskany, Schoharie, Herkimer. These names call to mind the thrilling stories of the French and Indian War: The alliance

with the Indians of Englishmen like Sir William Johnson, who by marriage got to himself a brother-in-law in the world- famed Indian, Joseph Brant, chief of the Mohawks; the heroism of old Nicholas Herkimer with his 800 men marching to the portage of Oneida to relieve Fort Stanwix; the battle of Oriskany on the way, which by one writer has been men- tioned as "the most obstinate and murderous of the entire Revolution", where a third of the eight hundred were killed and wounded yet winning the day and staying the march of Johnson

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A Grave in the Wilderness.             87

 

and Saint Leger's forces from marching farther south. Here

it was that Herkimer's horse was shot under him and his leg

shattered by a musket ball, but nothing daunted, seated on his

saddle under a tree, he continued to smoke and shout his com-

mands until the fight was over, dying ten days after as the result

of an unskilled operation. The brave old man was remembered

by a grateful people in the erection of a magnificent monument

at Oriskany in 1884.

Schoharie deserves mention here also, since the place is so

clearly identified with the person and family of the man whose

story is being told in these pages. In 1777 Colonel John Harper,

brother of Captain Alexander Harper, was in command at Fort

Schoharie and of the frontier stations in this region under Gov-

ernor Clinton. The incident is related in "Border Warfare,"

by Rev. Mr. Fenn, who declares that he was told the story by

Colonel Harper himself. It reveals his knowledge of how to deal

with Indians when they have blood in their eye. He was on

an inspection tour, visiting Oriskany, Cherry Valley and Har-

persfield. As he rounded a promontory he came face to face

with a band of Indians. He chose rather than to flee to march

right up to them and hail them on friendly terms. His coat was

buttoned about him tightly so as to hide his regimentals. He

knew the leader and some of the others and began a colloquy,

the purpose of which was to allay any feeling on their part as

to what his real mission was. In the course of their talk he

discovered they were on their way down the Susquehanna river

to make a foray on a Scotch settlement, known as the Johnston

Settlement. He further learned that the band would rest for

the night at a point near the mouth of Schenevas Creek. After

getting these facts he bade them goodbye and proceeded on his

journey. When he was out of sight he changed his direction

and made a circuit for the head of Charlotte river, where he

knew there was a company of white men engaged in sugar

making. He ordered them to make ample provision and meet

him at a place called Evans Place at a certain hour that after-

noon. Then he rode with great speed to Harpersfield and col-

lected the men there. On their return to Evans Place they

found the Charlotte men, and together, after the plan was out-

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88        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

lined, they marched down the river and across the mouth of

Schenevas Creek. Here the stalwart braves had built their

camp fire and with their feet to the blaze had surrendered them-

selves to the thrall of slumber. It was a fatal surrender. The

enemy was too near and too familiar with their plans for them

to permit such unguarded condition. Colonel Harper and his

men were wary. They knew how to take advantage of the

situation. Creeping silently toward the place where the Indians

were sleeping they secured all their weapons and put them at a

distance. Then each member of his company, for they exactly

equaled the number of braves, sprang on his man and after a

short but severe struggle they had them securely in their power.

By this time the morning had advanced so objects could be dis-

tinctly outlined, and as the Indian leader Peter recognized Col-

onel Harper, he shouted: "Now, Harper, I know thee; why did

I not know thee yesterday?" The Colonel replied: "There is

some policy in war, Peter." "Oh, me find it so now," said the

chief.

The Colonel marched the men to Albany and delivered them

into the hands of the commanding officer and by this act saved

the whole Scotch Settlement.

In 1778 an aggressive Tory, McDonald by name, had mar-

shalled troops of about 300 Indians and Tories and was making

wicked ravage on the frontier settlements. Among others he

visited Schoharie and with fierce barbaric spirit proceeded to

commit depredations.

Colonel Vrooman was commandant at Schoharie at the time.

The garrison was very weak and the besieged company were

very fearful of massacre. Colonel Vrooman seemed helpless to

take any step to make safe the people he was set to guard.

When the crisis came Colonel Harper was ripe for the emer-

gency. He called for his horse and started for Albany. He

made his way right through the enemy's country. The story of

this venture relates that at Fox Creek he presented himself at

the tavern, demanded a room and retired for the night without

showing fear, but not long had he been there when there was

a loud rap at the door. When he asked what was wanted the

reply came that they desired to see Colonel Harper. He arose

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A Grave in the Wilderness.                89

 

and after securing part attire and buckling on his sword and

pistol, he unbolted the door, stepped back to his bed and bade

them come in. He pointed to a crevice in the floor and said:

"Who crosses that mark is a dead man." With a short parley

they left. He went to slumber no more that night and with the

coming daylight continued his journey to Albany. An Indian

pursued him almost into the city, but every time he would wheel

his horse the Indian would turn and run. At Albany he was

able immediately to get the ear of Colonel Gansevoort, who, hear-

ing of the distress at Schoharie, provided a squadron of horse

and in a brief time they were on the way to relieve the fort.

They rode all night and were at Schoharie in the early morning

(one writer says at noon) of the following day. The tremendous

shrieking outside the fort was the first intimation the imperilled

Schoharians had that the soldiers were there to rescue them from

their danger. The men of the fort joined in the fray. The

enemy were soon driven away and the people were again per-

mitted to enjoy a period of peace and were enabled to gather in

their harvest.

The hero of this episode in the period of the Revolution

attained the highest distinction of any of the Harper Brothers,

all of whom were great soldiers in that war.

Many other stirring scenes are portrayed in "Border War-

fare," the historic document from which this incident has been

selected.

Thomas Dun English, the poet, has made the incident at

Schoharie famous in his interesting ballad:

 

"COLONEL HARPER'S CHARGE."

"As Eastward the shadows were steadily creeping,

Fair wives were at spinning, stout husbands at reaping,

Loud chattered the children with no one to hush them;

None knew that the thunder was stooping to crush them.

But soon from the forests, the hill and the dingle,

Came footmen and horsemen, in bodies and single.

Wild painted Cayugas, relentless and fearless,

More barbarous Tories, black hearted and fearless,

To hearthstone and roof tree destruction to carry,

The cruel McDonald came down on Schoharie.

No mercy was offered no quarter was given;

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90         Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

 

The souls of the victims departed unschriven,

Their requiem only the shrieks of the flying,

The yells of the slayers, the groans of the dying.

Too weak in our numbers to venture a sally,

We sat in our fortress and looked on the valley.

We heard the wild uproar, the screaming and yelling,

The fire and the crashing, the butchery telling.

No tigers imprisoned in iron bound caging,

Felt half of our fury or equaled our raging.

Yet what could we hinder? Revenge was denied us

While ten times our number exulting defied us.

Though wild was our anger and deep our despairing,

To fight with three hundred was imbecile daring;

But Colonel John Harper, who chafed at the ravage,

The pillage and murder by Tory and Savage,

Urged on the conflict and angrily showered

Hot words on our chief as a cold blooded coward.

We heard all his ravings of anger in sadness;

We never resented but pitied his madness.

John Harper looked round him and said he scorned favor,

He'd seek for assistance from men who were braver.

He called for his horse, and defied us to stay him,

And scoffed at the cowards who dared not obey him.

His foot in the stirrup, he hearkened to no man,

Sank spurs to the rowels and charged through the foemen.

He scattered them fiercely and e'er they could rally,

Away like an arrow he shot through the valley.

He broke through the circle created to bound him,

The bullets they showered fell harmless around him.

When fair in the saddle, he never was idle;

He rode through the darkness and kept a loose bridle.

On, on through the darkness, till daylight was o'er him,

And Albany's houses rose proudly before him.

We heard the shots rattle; we saw his foes rally,

And thought that his life-blood had moistened the valley.

Meanwhile, in the fortress, through all the night dreary,

We watched till the sunrise, disheartened and weary.

Noon came in its splendor, we saw them preparing-

To storm our rude ramparts and laughed at their daring;

For we were in shelter and they were uncovered-

There was work for the buzzards that over us hovered.

Each step they took forward, with eagerness timing,

We handled our rifles and gave them fresh priming.

But stay! Is this real or only delusion?

What means their blank terror, their sudden confusion?

The whole of the foemen seem stricken with one dread,

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A Grave in the Wilderness.                91

 

'Tis Colonel John Harper with horsemen a hundred.

We gazed but a moment in rapture and wonder,

Rides Harper like lightning and falls like the thunder.

To saddle, McDonald, your doom has been spoken,

The tigers are on you, the bars have been broken.

Whose horse is the swiftest may ride from the foray,

No hope for the footman of Savage or Tory.

The heart shuts on pity where vengeance is portress;

And husbands and fathers came forth from the fortress.

As the wails of our wives and our babes we remember,

The bright flame of mercy goes out, the last ember.

They meant but a visit, we forced them to tarry,

But few of the foemen went back from Schoharie."

I will here quote again from the volume published in 1905

under the title of "Records of the Harper Family," the portion

which is taken by the compiler from a volume published by

Harper Brothers in 1831, known as the "Annals of Tryon

County." This gives record of the deal before mentioned, by

which the Harpers with others obtained a patent for about

twenty thousand acres of land in Delaware County, New York.

Here it was that they came to live after leaving Cherry Valley,

and founded the settlement known as Harpersfield, which was

to have a duplicate in the Western Reserve twenty-eight years

afterward. It is also recorded in Volume I, page 158, of the

"Proceedings of the Provincial Congress" how Alexander Har-

per was appointed First Lieutenant July 17th, 1777. In the

same volume reference is made to the Fifth Regiment.

The Council of Safety on this date ordered two companies

of Rangers to be raised in the counties of Tryon, Ulster and

Albany for the protection of frontier inhabitants; one of these

companies was to be commanded by Colonel John Harper, with

Alexander Harper as First Lieutenant. This perhaps was the

beginning of the Fifth Regiment, which appears in the record

later on March ₃rd, 1780. The following list of officers appear

in connection with appointments made at the time:

John Harper, Colonel.

William Wills, Lieutenant Colonel.

Joseph Harper, First Major.

Thomas Henry, Second Major.

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Saint Ledger Crowley, Adjutant.

Alexander Harper, Captain.

On another page appears the pay roll of the officers, who were

prisoners in Canada. Upon this pay roll appears the name of

Captain Alexander Harper from April 7th, 1780, to November

28th, 1782, A. A. B. 225.

In the "Historical Collections of the State of New York,"

published in 1841, some note is taken of the capture of Captain

Harper by Joseph Brant, the noted Indian Chieftain. A descrip-

tion of this event is given also in a work entitled "Romance of

the Revolution," published in 1870 by Porter and Coates of

Philadelphia.

A little space might be used profitably at this point to call

attention to the noted Indian Chief who took Captain Harper

prisoner, bearing him away from his family and holding him a

prisoner over a space of two years and eight months, until his

people thought him dead.

Joseph Brant, the most famous Chief of the Mohawks and

by some one estimated as the greatest of all the North American

Indians, had a remarkable history. The story of his life reads

like a romance. In fact it belongs to the realm of romance as

well as of history. The Indian name of Brant was Thay-en-da-

nega, and he was born on the Ohio River while a great company

of his tribe from the Mohawk Valley were on a hunting expedi-

tion in about the year 1740. The meaning of his name is "A

bundle of sticks." Why he was given such a name no one can

tell. He had a sister, Molly Brant, who became the wife of

Sir William Johnston, an Irish baronet, who came to America

in the middle of the 18th century and took up his residence on

a large tract of land which he had obtained of the English King.

Johnston was a great friend of the Indians. He was very

successful and became one of the largest landholders and one

of the leading Englishmen in the new land.

His first wife was a splendid German girl and they lived

happily on his princely estate. Three children were born to

them, a boy and two girls. Soon after the birth of the third

child his wife died. A while afterward at a military field-day,

Johnston first saw Molly Brant and was smitten with her wild

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A Grave in the Wilderness.             93   beauty. He invited her to go to Johnston castle and be his mistress. This she finally consented to do. This common-law marriage pleased the Indians and Johnston was a great favorite ever afterward. His castle home was open to the friendly visits of members of the different families of Indians. In fact John- ston became a member by adoption of the Mohawk nation and was made a Mohawk war chief. His marriage to Molly Brant brought him in closest relation with her brother Thay-en-da-nega, or Joseph Brant, as he was familiarly known.

Sir William took marked interest in Joseph and sent him to school at Lebanon, Connecticut. Here he was taught by Rev. Eleazer Wheelock and became very proficient in the use of the English language. Dr. Wheelock said of him: "He is an ex- cellent youth. He is always well, studious and diligent." It was at this school that Joseph Brant and Captain Alex- ander Harper first met, and many times afterward their paths crossed each other. Brant was at Crown Point in 1755. He was also present at the siege of Fort Niagara, fighting with Sir

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William Johnston's men and so getting disciplined for the war

of the Revolution in which he was to take part.

He married and lived quietly in Canajohari. He was a

member of the Church of England. His wife dying he married

her sister and lived a time at Fort Hunter. During these times

he and Alexander Harper often saw each other, and so be-

came well acquainted. When the Colonists in 1775-20 years

after Crown Point - determined to resist the tyranny of Great

Britain, Joseph Brant was found on the side of England and

had by his own personal prowess and good judgment, together

with the influence of his brother-in-law, Sir William Johnston,

reached a place of great power among his own people. The

Iroquois and Mohawk nation recognized him as perhaps their

greatest Chieftain.

The story is told that the Colonists tried to enlist him on

their side and so had his old teacher Wheelock write him with

the purpose of determining on which side he would fight in the

coming conflict. When Brant received the letter he answered

with characteristic with-"I remember," said he, "many happy

hours that I spent under your roof, dear doctor, and I especially

remember the family prayers. These you used to pray on bended

knee and ask that we all might be able to live as good subjects,

to fear God and honor the king. How is it that you no longer

wish to honor the very man for whom you used    to pray?"

Wheelock never attempted a reply. The English had the sup-

port of the noted man and all his followers. He went to Eng-

land and was lionized at the hands of England's nobility. He

was not spoiled by it in any way and came back to his own land

to live the plain life that had been his custom. But he was

not permitted to be quiet for any extended period. He was

called to take part in battles fought on Canadian soil and here

won additional fame.

Now let us return to our narrative; 1777 as before learned

was a critical year in the history that is here being recorded.

Cherry Valley in Otsego County, New York, from which the

Harpers had removed a few years previous to a point some

miles South in Delaware County, became the center of attack

on the part of the Indian forces under Brant. Here it was in

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A Grave in the Wilderness.           95

 

November, 1778, that the terrible massacre occurred with which

Joseph Brant's name has been always associated. People in all

the surrounding country fled to the forts. Alexander Harper's

family fled to Schoharie, where the other brother, John Harper,

as before mentioned, had proved a hero. We learned also that

it was the year before this that Alexander Harper was made

first lieutenant. For the two years following he performed his

duty as a Scout of the government in such a commendable way

that he was commissioned Captain in 1780. It was this year that

he and Joseph Brant were to associate in a way that was to try

both of them as to the mettle of their manhood. On the 7th of

April in this year, while he and his men were about the work

of making maple sugar, the enemy under the leadership of

Captain Brant pounced unaware upon Captain Harper and his

men. They had supposed there were no armed foes nearer

than Niagara and the first intimation they had of their proximity

was the thud of the tomahawks which sent three of their number

into eternity. Harper himself was face to face with the Mohawk

chieftain and his former friend. As said, they had been in

school together. They knew each other well. It was a critical

moment. Much depended on the skill with which the circum-

stance could be handled. Courage and adroitness were the

elemental qualities for such a time, and Harper was awake to

the demands on him, as a preserver of life to himself and little

company as well as of those who were in the forts.

Brant knew Harper's mind and courage and Harper was not

less aware of the mettle of the warrior with whom he had to

deal. It was in fact a meeting of foes worthy of each other's

steel.

That Brant's social sentiment was of a good type was dem-

onstrated when he said to Captain Harper: "Harper, I am sorry

you are here," and when the Captain inquired why, his reply

was: "Because I must kill you, although we were schoolmates

in our youth." He raised his tomahawk to strike the fatal blow

when suddenly it fell to his side. It had dawned upon him what

the murder of such a man might mean under certain condi-

tions. So under the spell of fear and respect he began to

make inquiry as to the state of things at the forts. "How many

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96       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

regular troops are there?  How about the supplies and the

soldiery?" Answer to this inquiry would determine his course.

The Captain saw that the telling of the naked truth would mean

terrible danger to the people in the fort, including his loved

ones. He resorted to a trick. His representation did not fit the

facts, but it had the effect desired. His answer was to the

effect that the forts were manned by several hundred of the

Continental troops. Believing this statement from his former

friend and schoolmate, Brant took a more moderate course of

treatment than the tomahawk and scalping knife. The captives

were bound and carefully guarded by the Tories in the camp,

while the Indians held their solemn council. The majority were

for the death penalty but their chief stood out stoutly for other

disposition of the case.

There was much doubt even in Brant's mind as to the truth-

fulness of the American Captain, but Harper stood his ground,

with the result that the attack was not made at that time and

the prisoners were carried captive to Niagara. It was a journey

fraught with torture and great danger. Those who could not

endure the march, which was rapid, were tomahawked, scalped

and left by the wayside. On their arrival at Niagara they were

subjected to trial and persecution and barely escaped with their

lives.

One incident on the march was most thrilling. On the way

from Niagara Brant had sent eleven of his braves to make a

raid on Minisink settlement. These warriors secured five of the

stalwart settlers and brought them as far as Tioga Point. Here

the Indians, weary of their march, fell into profound slumber

from which only one was ever to awaken. One of the Minisink

men broke the cords which bound him and silently but swiftly

liberated the others. With tomahawks they dispatched nine of

their savage victims, while the other two attempted to escape.

One succeeded and met Brant on the way. The death yell of

the escaping warrior aroused the Indians who had been with

Brant and for revenge they were determined to treat Harper

and his companions in the same way. They began their prepara-

tions for the slaughter, when, strange to say, the survivor of the

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A Grave in the Wilderness.             97 group, who had told the story of the awful death of his fellows, put up a strong appeal in behalf of the prisoners. "It was not these men who murdered my brothers," said he. "The Great Spirit would be very angry, if we were to take the lives of these white men on the ground that other white men had killed our brothers." It was a successful appeal. It after- ward proved that this Indian had known Harper and the other men and had associated with them in Harpersfield in the former era of peace. This act on the part of the warrior made a pro-

found impression on both the whites and the Indians and de- served historic mention, for it demonstrated the sense of justice latent in the breasts of these people, the finest specimen of the North American Indians. On the day following their arrival at Niagara they were compelled to run the gauntlet, one of the excruciating experiences to which captives were most always sub- jected. Harper was the first sent along the perilous way be- tween two parallel lines of warriors armed with clubs and knives and other instruments of torture. The swiftness with which 7-Vol. XXIII.

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98       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

the captive ran astonished the Indians, and for fear he would

run the entire course without injury, a stalwart brave stepped

before him in the path only to feel the sledge-hammer blow

of the runner which put him hors-de-combat. The garrison gate

was opened to receive him, as was his right, but the Indian

ranks had been broken and the other prisoners, profiting by it,

escaped the ordeal and finally escaped captivity.

Captain Harper was carried captive to Quebec, manacled in

iron and put in a gruesome prison cell and afterward in a prison

ship. This captivity lasted two years and eight months and his

family thought him dead. In 1783, on his release, he returned to

Harpersfield, New York, and remained there for a period of

fifteen years, witnessing the growth of the community into all that

makes for the peaceful enjoyment of civilization. In 1798, with

his own and two other families, he left Harpersfield, New York,

and in June of that year landed off shore of Lake Erie, opposite

the site of the spot which in September became his burial place

and where in the year 1835 his faithful wife was laid beside him.

The Wilderness grave is no longer in a wilderness. As one

stands beside it and looks about him on the wide stretches of

beautiful landscape and sees the elegant homes that men of a

new century have builded, and sees here and there a house that

has stood the storms through much of the whole period since

Alexander Harper came into the dense forest, he feels the pro-

found meaning of it all. Surely "The Wilderness has blossomed

as the rose." We may not feel that the touch that has trans-

formed has always been divine. Still there is something in the

mighty change which has been wrought here that constrains one

to think that the divine purpose which stirred in the hearts of the

pioneers, can never be separated wholy from the splendid fruitage

that is in evidence all about.

The change wrought in a hundred years has, indeed, been

wonderful. To the writer, standing by this grave, there came the

thought that men as a rule are too unmindful of God's instru-

ments who have had part in the drama of the years and who are,

in a vital way, part of the structure of institutions and govern-

ments as they may stand completed or completing in any present

time.

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A Grave in the Wilderness.           99

All about this grave lies as beautiful country region as the

state of Ohio affords.  Men of great fortune have built

stately mansions on the very ground where was erected the bark-

shack that housed the pioneers who with ax and gun penetrated

the dense woods almost one and a quarter centuries ago. One

hundred yards from where this temporary shack was situated

are the four-track pathway of the great Lake Shore Railroad,

the two-track way of the Nickel Plate and the line of the Northern

Ohio Traction Company. Over these railways travel daily

thousands of human beings unmindful of the historic significance

of the places over which they travel. The mighty traffic of a na-

tion passes to and fro East and West, witnesses to the progress

of a civilization undreamed of by the pioneers who cleared the for-

ests away. On the ridge, three-quarters of a mile south and

within a hundred feet of the pioneer grave, passes the roadway

which has for a century served the multitudes passing from East

to West and who have developed the means of transportation

from the covered wagon drawn by oxen to the sixty-mile per hour

touring car, which traverses in a few hours the distance which it

took the pioneers days and weeks to pass over. This roadway is

the great highway stretching along the lake shore from Buffalo to

Cleveland.

In the village stands an old inn. A century of life has gone

in and out its hospitable doors, and now the proprietors of a

large estate have purchased it and propose to restore it to its old

condition, making out of it a modern hostelry for auto tourists

passing to and from different parts of the country.

One and a quarter miles from the grave in an easterly direc-

tion and on this roadway stands the Harper homestead, known as

"Shandy Hall". The old house has stood there for one hundred

years and was erected by colonel Robert Harper, youngest son of

Captain Alexander Harper, and who for himself won distinction

in the War of 1812.

This sketch would be incomplete if something were not said

about Shandy Hall. Compared with the modern mansions all

about it, the old home does not present a very attractive exterior.

Still there is an attraction there that influences the traveler in a

way that beauty of architecture alone is not able to do.

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100      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

The dwelling place of a distinguished family, covering a

century of time, becomes a shrine. If the walls of this antique

home had tongues to whisper in our ears the tale of the swift

flying years, it would be a story of family life profoundly inter-

esting. Here were developed manhood and womanhood of the

truly royal type. Out from under this roof went soldiers, states-

men and citizens of which the state of Ohio and the nation may

be proud.

Reference has been made to Elizabeth Harper, the wife of

Captain Harper, who, three months after the arrival of the pioneer

band, witnessed with tear-dimmed eyes the wilderness grave close

over the body of the one upon who she and the little company

had depended for guidance through the pioneer period. This

woman became the tower of strength on which the others leaned

after the passing of her husband. Through experience that would

quail the ordinary woman she passed courageous and strong,

till her sons and daughters stood beside her bearing witness to

mother-love and faithful devotion to an heroic task.

In "The Pioneer Women of the West," published by Porter

and Coates, a chapter is given to incidents in the life of this noble

matron. The closing paragraph sums up the excellencies of her

character as follows:

"During all the privations, trials and sufferings which Mrs.

Harper was compelled to endure, she was never known to yield

to despondency, but with untiring energy exerted herself to en-

courage all within the sphere of her influence, teaching them to

bear up under misfortune and make the best of the place where

their lot was cast. Her own family never knew, until the hard-

ships of pioneer life had been overcome, how much she had

endured, how many hours of anxiety, how many sleepless nights,

she had passed in the times of darkness and disaster. She found

her reward in the affection of her children and the influence of

their lives, many of them filling important positions in the

adopted state.

"During the war of 1812 the country was exposed to all the

dangers of a frontier, liable on every reverse of the American

army to be overrun by hostile tribes of Indians. In time of

danger Mrs. Harper's advice was always eagerly sought, as one

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A Grave in the Wilderness.             101   whose experience qualified her to decide on the best course in any emergency. She lived to the great age of eighty-five years, dying on the 11th of June, 1833, retaining unimpaired until her last ill- ness the characteristic strength of her remarkable mind." The last twenty years of Elizabeth Harper's life were lived in "Shandy Hall," so that the old house connects up closely with the pioneer band who were sheltered under the bark shack structure a half mile away in the June days of 1798. The home is still occupied by the great-granddaughters of Alexander and Elizabeth Harper. The rooms are full of the furniture and household utensils of the early days -mahogany,

marble, bronze, elegant china, cut-glass, great tiers of book- shelves, filled with rare books now out of print, together with those of recent publication. All bear witness to culture and re- finement of the best sort. There are seventeen rooms in this quaint old structure. Pre- eminent is the one known as the "Banquet Hall". A good de- scription of this unique chamber is given in the brochure giving the record of the Harper family, published in 1905: "This room is exceedingly large and built in colonial style with a low arched ceiling. The old fire place and the wainscoting are black with age. The wall paper in this room is its most strik-

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102       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

ing feature. It is said to have been imported from Paris for use

in a large hotel in Philadelphia about 1830; and through a failure

of some kind on the part of the company, was offered for sale and

was purchased by Robert Harper for his dining hall. The paper,

which was put on the walls in eighteen-inch squares, represents a

continuous panorama, no two sections of figures being alike.

Trees, castles, architectural ruins, fountains, shady walks where

men and maidens stroll, a bay with ships sailing in and out, and

above all a blue sky flecked with light clouds, are all included

in this vastly artistic decoration. Time has softened the colors

until the whole effect is beautiful in the extreme.

"The round table in this dining room was made from two

pieces of board sawed from a tree seven feet in diameter. It is

beautifully polished and a rare piece of furniture:"

There are glasses and dishes of all shapes and sizes and of

unique designs. It is said that from a tumbler, held in great

reverence, Washington drank when a visitor in the Harper home

in Harpersfield, New York, during the Revolutionary War.

This "Banquet Hall" was the scene of many a famous gath-

ering in the old days. A young poet of the tribe of Harper, in

"Reverie," wrote as follows of "Shandy Hall":

 

In the twilight, Shandy Hall,

When the silent shadows flit

O'er my tired busy brain

In a reverie I sit.

From those quaint, old pictured walls

There come echoes of the past,

Of the days when pleasure reigned,

Of the days when sorrow came

And I would not change the picture if I could.

 

The hearts that beat within thee, Shandy Hall,

In those olden days, were just the same as now,

Where the woof was grey with sorrow

They wove a brilliant warp of love,

And looked cheerfully towards the morrow

Placing trust in Him above.

 

I greet you, Shandy Hall,

And the memories you bring,

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A Grave in the Wilderness.                103   Long may you stand As a monument to them, Who a hundred years ago, In the forest wild alone Struggled on with sturdy hearts For a future happy home. Aye, they won you, but through hardship, Shandy Hall; And we hold you now through hardship, Shandy Hall; But while loyally we stand, We will lend a helping hand, And no alien shall possess you, Shandy Hall. The writer, accompanied by a photographer, spent a day in July in the year 1913 amid the beautiful scenes that stretch in every direction from the village and its cemetery containing Alex- ander and Elizabeth Harper's graves.

The landscape gardener has been at work here. The magnificent  Hopper  estate controls a vast tract running up to the limits of the village. On the east arid just across the macadam roadway from the site of the bark and slab shack, the first shelter of the pioneers, the Hopper and Nicholas mansions have been erected. A few rods north of these is the magnificent home of Winchester Fitch, son-in- law of Mr. Hopper and a prominent member of the Ohio Club in New York. where with his family he spends the winters. The fine elm shown in the picture stands in the lawn of the

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104      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications. Hopper home and the railway station is just opposite the lawn, on the west. The Hopper estate has indirect connection with the Standard Oil industry and the story is an interesting one. Mr. Hopper was an ordinary farmer who had the good fortune to entertain an angel unaware in the person of a ragged though intelligent tramp. This personage came to the Hopper home in great distress due to sickness. The Hoppers cared for him ten- derly and on his departure he left a slip of paper in Mr. Hopper's hand which afterwards proved a bonanza. It was a recipe for a solution for lining vessels such as barrels, boxes or cars. After a successful testing Mr. Hopper secured a patent, and in the course of time the Standard Oil Company, hearing of it, made investigation and finally purchased it. The purchase price was a princely fortune and the royalty was a vast income.  Mrs. Hopper still lives in the Hopper mansion, and as said her two daughters, the Mesdames Nicholas and Fitch, with their families live in adjoining palatial homes. The farm lands, going into the thousands of acres, present an appearance of a veritable park. An army of men and women find employment on the estate. Strange that the earliest settlers on the spot and the present owners should have names so similar, Harper and Hopper. Beginning at Unionville, on to Cleveland, through Madison, Painesville, Mentor, Willoughby, past the homes of the Garfields and others of note, stretches the highway over which the pioneers came into Ohio and along which they built their homes and schools and churches, and as we turn aside under the trees where the long grass waves we remember with devout gratitude the heroes and heroines of the wilderness way a hundred years ago as we read on the leaning stone "Hic jacet."

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