1786.
In the autumn of this year, James Snodgrass and John
Ice were killed while looking for their horses, which had
strayed from their owners when on a buffalo hunt on Fishing
creek.
A few days subsequent to this occurrence, a party of Indians
came to Buffalo creek, and meeting Mrs. Dragoo and her son
in a field gathering beans, took them prisoners, and supposing
that their detention would induce others to look for them,
waylaid the path leading from the house. "According to
expectation, uneasy at their continued absence, Jacob Strait
and Nicholas Wood went to ascertain the cause. As they
approached, the Indians fired, and Wood fell. Strait taking
to flight, was soon overtaken. Mrs. Strait and her daughter,
hearing the firing and seeing the savages in pursuit of Mr.
Strait, betook themselves also to flight, but were discovered
by some of the Indians, who immediately ran after them.
The daughter concealed herself in a thicket and escaped.
Her mother sought concealment under a large shelving rock,
and was not afterwards discovered, although those in pursuit
of her husband, passed near and overtook him not far off.
Indeed she was at that time so close as to hear Mr. Strait
say, when overtaken, `Don't kill me, and I will go with you;'
and the savage replying, `Will you go with me?' she heard
the fatal blow which deprived her husband of life.
"Mrs. Dragoo being infirm and unable to travel to their
towns, was murdered on the way. Her son (a lad of seven)
remained with the Indians upwards of twenty years,—he
married a squaw, by whom he had four children, two of whom
he brought home with him, when he forsook the Indians."
