History of Fayette County
From R. S. Dills' History of Fayette County
CAPTURE OF ANDREW ELLISON
One beautiful spring morning a thrilling incident occurred in the little station of Manchester, which threw the settlement into consternation; and as the parties concerned belonged to and passed through this region of country, and likely from the route taken through this comity, we insert it here:
One morning Ellison went out from the fort to throw some logs together in his little clearing, which he had been burning. When he had about finished, and the heaps began to blaze, he observed, while passing from one to the other, three men approaching him. Supposing them to be some of his neighbors he paid no attention to them, although, said he, "they were dark-skinned fellows, I thought they were the Wades, who were dark skinned, going out early to hunt." He continued his work until one of them seized him by the arms and said in broken English, "How do; how do, broder?" He immediately whirled, and on facing them to his horror found himself in the clutches of three stalwart Indians. Resistance was both useless and dangerous. He therefore quietly submitted to his fate. They hurridly moved off with him in the direction of Paint Creek. In the meantime his breakfast was ready at his cabin, and his wife sent one of the children to summons him. The little fellow searched for his father, but came back without finding him. Supposing he had gone out to kill a deer, no immediate alarm was caused by his absence. Dinner time arrived, and his continued absence caused unneasiness to his now anxious wife. His rifle was found hanging in its accustomed place. The alarm increasing, a search was instituted, and the tracks of four men, one of whom wore shoes, was found, leading away from the station, and the awful truth burst upon the poor wife and mother that her husband was a prisoner in the hands of the savages. It was nearly night when this discovery was made, and the party returned to the station. Early the next morning Massie and his party started in pursuit, which, owing to the scarcity of vegetation, and the percaution of the wily savages to keep on high, hard lands, where their feet would leave little or no impression, was slow and laborious. But Massie and his men were as unerring as well-trained blood-hounds, and followed the trail to Paint Creek, when finding the Indians gaining on them so rapidly that further pursuit was useless, they returned to the station. The Indians took their prisoner directly to Upper Sandusky—evidently passing through the territory of this county—where he was compelled to run the gauntlet, and being large and clumsy he received a severe flogging as he passed through the lines. After this he was taken to Lower Sandusky, where he ran the gauntlet again; then to Detroit, where he was generously ransomed by a British officer, who sent him to Montreal, whence he came home during the summer of the same year.