The Indian Wars, 1784-1787 161 



a war party, rescued a captive white man, and took 

 prisoner an Indian who was afterward killed by one 

 of the militia "a cowardly fellow," says Whitley. 

 In October a party of immigrants, led by a man 

 named McClure, who had just come over the Wil 

 derness trace, were set upon at dawn by Indians, not 

 far from Whitley's house; two of the men were 

 killed. Mrs. McClure got away at first, and ran 

 two hundred yards, taking her four children with 

 her; in the gloom they would all have escaped had 

 not the smallest child kept crying. This led the In 

 dians to them. Three of the children were toma 

 hawked at once ; next morning the fourth shared the 

 same fate. The mother was forced to cook break 

 fast for her captors at the fire before which the scalps 

 were drying. She was then placed on a half-broken 

 horse and led off with them. When word of the 

 disaster was brought to Whitley's, he was not at 

 home, but his wife, a worthy helpmeet, immediately 

 sent for him, and meanwhile sent word to his com 

 pany. On his return he was able to take the trail 

 at once with twenty-one riflemen, as true as steel. 

 Following hard, but with stealth equal to their own, 

 he overtook the Indians at sundown on the second 

 day, and fell on them in their camp. Most of them 

 escaped through the thick forest, but he killed two, 

 rescued six prisoners, and captured sixteen horses 

 and much plunder. 



Ten days after this another party of immigrants, 

 led by a man named Moore, were attacked on the 

 Wilderness Road and nine persons killed. Whitley 



