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renegadeslivedamongthesavages,andduringthirty
yearsharassedtheborder,perpetratingallmanner
offiendishcrueltiesupon.thesettlers.Theywere
nolesscrueltotheredmenwhomtheyruled,and
attheheightoftheirbloodycareersmadefutilethe
Moravianmissionaries’longlabors,anddestroyedthe
beautifulhamletoftheChristianIndians,called
Gnaddenhutten,orVillageofPeace.
Andwhiletheborderproducedsuchoutlawssodid
itproducehuntersEkeBoone,theZanes,the
McCollochs,andWetzel,thatstrange,silentmanwhose
deedsarestillwhisperedinthecountrywhereheonce
roamedinhisinsatiatepursuitofsavagesand
renegades,andwhowaspurelyaproductofthetimes.
Civilizationcouldnothavebroughtforthamanlike
Wetzel.Greatrevolutions,greatcrises,greatmoments
come,andproducethementodealwiththem.
TheborderneededWetzel.Thesettlerswouldhave
neededmanymoreyearsinwhichtomakepermanent
homeshaditnotbeenforhim.Hewasneverapioneer;
butalwaysahunterafterIndians.Whennotonthe
trackofthesavagefoe,hewasinthesettlement,with
hiskeeneyeandeareveralertforsignsoftheenemy.
TothesuperstitiousIndianshewasashadow;aspirit
oftheborder,whichbreathedmenacefromthedark
forests.Tothesettlershewastherightarmofdefense,
afittingleaderforthosefewimplacableandunerring
frontiersmenwhomadethesettlementoftheWest
apossibility.
Andifthisstoryofoneofhisrelentlesspursuits
showsthemanashetrulywas,lovedbypioneers,
respectedandfearedbyredmen,andhated
byrenegades;ifitsoftensalittletheruthlessname
historyaccordshim,thewriterwillhavebeenwell
repaid.
Z.G.
