Captain Samuel Brady was the Daniel Boone of Western Pennsylvania. As
brave as a lion, as swift as a deer, and as cautious as a panther, he gave
the Indians reason to tremble at the mention of his name. As the captain
of the rangers he was the favorite of General Brodhead, the commander of
the Pennsylvania forces, and regarded by the frontier inhabitants as their
eye and arm.
The father and brother of Captain Brady being killed by the Indians, it is
said that our hero vowed to revenge their murder, and never be at peace
with the Indians of any tribe. Many instances of such dreadful vows, made
in moments of bitter anguish, occur in the history of our border, and,
when we consider the circumstances, we can scarcely wonder at the number,
though, as Christians, we should condemn such bloody resolutions.
[Illustration: GENERAL BRODHEAD.]
Many of Brady's exploits are upon record; and they are entitled to our
admiration for their singular daring and ingenuity. One of the most
remarkable is known in border history as Brady's Leap. The energetic
Brodhead, by an expedition into the Indian country, had delivered such
destructive blows that the savages were quieted for a time. The general
kept spies out, however, for the purpose of guarding against sudden
attacks on the settlements. One of the scouting parties, under the command
of Captain Brady, had the French creek country assigned as their field of
duty. The captain reached the waters of Slippery Rock, without seeing any
signs of Indians. Here, however, he came on a trail, in the evening, which
he followed till dark, without overtaking the enemy. The next morning the
pursuit was renewed, and Brady overtook the Indians while they were at
their morning meal. Unfortunately, another party of savages was in his
rear, and when he fired upon those in front, he was in turn fired upon
from behind. He was now between two fires, and greatly outnumbered. Two of
his men fell, his tomahawk was shot from his side, and the enemy shouted
for the expected triumph. There was no chance of successful defence in the
position of the rangers, and they were compelled to break and flee.
Brady ran towards the creek. The Indians pursued, certain of making him
captive, on account of the direction he had taken. To increase their
speed, they threw away their guns, and pressed forward with raised
tomahawk. Brady saw his only chance of escape, which was to leap the
creek, afterwards ascertained to be twenty-two feet wide and twenty deep.
Determined never to fall alive into the hands of the Indians, he made a
mighty effort, sprang across the abyss of waters and stood rifle in hand
upon the opposite bank. As quick as lightning, he proceeded to load his
rifle. A large Indian, who had been foremost in pursuit, came to the
opposite bank, and after magnanimously doing justice to the captain by
exclaiming "Blady make good jump!" made a rapid retreat.
Brady next went to the place appointed as a rendezvous for his party, and
finding there three of his men, commenced his homeward march, about half
defeated. Three Indians had been killed while at their breakfast. The
savages did not return that season, to do any injury to the whites, and
early in the fall, moved off to join the British, who had to keep them
during the winter, their corn having been destroyed by General Brodhead.
Brady survived all his perils and hardships and lived to see the Indians
completely humbled before those whites on whom they had committed so many
outrages.
[Illustration: MASSACRE OF MRS. WHETZEL AND HER CHILDREN.]