History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests / compiled from the official records of the county, the newspapers and data of personal interviews, under the editorial supervision of Thaddeus D. Seeley.

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

INDIAN NEAR DEATH
"Mrs. Hodges first pronounced them scalps. My father's face was
terrible to look upon as he first took in the situation and the insult, and
I have ever thought that Indian was as near death that moment as he had
ever been. My mother, who stood in the door laid her hand on father's
shoulder and bade him come into the house at once. I will give you
my reasons for that belief. Having often heard my father relate that
on the second day after General Winchester's defeat and the massacre, while walking on Jefferson avenue in company with one French
gentleman and an English officer, meeting a band of painted Indians
all carrying scalps on sticks or at the end of war clubs or tomahawks,
one of the tallest and heaviest looking struck my father in the face with
the fresh scalps, torn from those unfortunate Kentuckians, and he always turned pale and had the same look of horror and rage as he related
it that I then saw on his face. The Indian quickly replaced the scalps,
but not before we had all seen to whom they must have belongedtwo men, one woman, a girl, two boys and a fair-haired child or babe,
as we judged by the length and cut of the hair. Those Indians belonged
to the Grand river bands, and were probably Ottawas. I never saw
them afterwards.
D'EAR OLD OAKLAND, THE BEST OF ALL
"Since then it had been my lot to traverse the valleys, hills and
mountain ranges of California; to see those valleys covered with beautiful flowers in all their pristine loveliness; to climb the basalt capped
and snow covered mountains; have ridden over the grass covered wide
savannahs; clambered up and down and viewed the wild savagery of
the Andes; crossed and recrossed the awe-inspiring Cordilleras of Central America, whose forests are filled with the progenitors of Darwin;
witnessed on its plains on the night of April 12, 1850, the birth of a
volcano, standing at a safe distance; watched through a long, tropical
night the grand display of nature's fire-works, and upon the land felt
the throbbing of its mother earth. And of all these grand and beautiful
scenes none have left more lasting, vivid and pleasant remembrances
than did the grand old forest, shining lakes, hills, valleys, flowered
covered plains, musical with the hum of bees and the song of birds, of
old Oakland as we found and lived among them. Nor will the others
ever make as happy homes, or sustain as dense populations. And I
now look back and endeavor to recall the often suffering faces of
the many respected pioneers by whose kindness, example, friendship,
instruction and admonition I was enabled to profit I find of their number nearly all have. crossed the river that we, too, must soon be ferried
over. That we shall meet again, retaining full consciousness of our
lives and friendships here, it seems to me that no intelligent persons
should doubt if they have studied well the past and present history of
the world and the life and death of the King of mankind-He who
spoke and is still speaking to us as never man did before or ever will