Ewing was arrested at Coshun's coal bank, now in Conemaugh township, Cambria county, by sending in a bloodhound and scaring him out. Shaffer was apprehended at Columbia, Pennsylvania, and the others, excepting Young, were soon in Somerset jail. Before the trial Ewing broke jail and was never heard of afterward.

The trial took place in Somerset in August of that year before Judge Kimmell, when John R. Edie, Esq., subsequently a member of congress and a colonel in the regular army, was district attorney. Zook was not indicted, but betrayed his confederates and went on the witness stand for the commonwealth, although it was he who planned the robbery and procured their help to carry it out. Shaffer, Miller and Patton were sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, but Shaffer was pardoned after a period of three years, and for many years afterward kept hotel at Duncansville, Blair county.

A portion of the $300-about one-third-was the savings of Joseph Johns, the third, in five and ten-dollar gold pieces. It seems Shaffer did the dividing of the spoils in a house over the basin waste weir, between the corner of Clinton and Washington streets and the Gautier Works, in Johnstown and, shaking some of the gold pieces, said, "these pennies are not much account, " and put them in his pocket, thus defrauding his criminal associates, as he had Mr. Johns.

Neither the grandfather, nor the son, ever sat for a portrait, daguerreotype, photograph, or any other kind of a picture of themselves. At the period when the elder Mr. Johns lived there was no opportunity for such things, except to have an oil portrait, and such artists were scarce in the vicinity in which he resided; but it is most probable he would not have had a likeness if he could, on a question of principle, as his son-Joseph, the second-declined to do so because it tended to vanity, which these good people abhorred. The grandson absolutely declined to sit for a photograph, but he qualified his refusal by saying: "Some of the children have theirs, but I do not need it." However in 1904 he reconsidered his former opinion.

CHAPTER V I.

INDIAN TRAILS-OLD ROADS.

It is admitted that the best map of Western Pennsylvania during the colonial days is that of "W. Scull," dedicated to Thomas and Richard Penn, without date, but generally said to have been made in 1770.

It shows the Venango trail as beginning at Frankstown, thence to the top of the Allegheny mountains, most likely through the Burgoon Gap; crossing the Clearfield and Chest creeks, it passes through "Hart's Sleeping Place," near Carrolltown, thence in a direct line to "Canoe Place," or Cherry Tree, from where the trail runs to the junction of the Allegheny river and French creek. Scull's map also describes the Bedford-Pittsburg trail thus: Starting at Bedford and passing through the "Shawnese Cabbins," at the foot of the eastern slope of the mountains, thence to the summit. A short distance from the top of the mountains is "Edmonds' Swamp," then crossing the Stonycreek and the Quemahoning creeks and a direct line to Fort Ligonier, thence to Fort Pitt. The "Long Glade" and the "Great Glades" are a few miles south of the swamps.

There is another map without date published by the state, also dedicated to the Penns, which locates the Indian village at the junction of the Conemaugh and Stonycreek rivers, now Johnstown, and marks it thus: "Conemack, Old Town and Sauvages. Also, at a point opposite the mouth of the Loyalhanna river, which is now Saltsburg, is marked "Black Town Sauvages," and further down the Kiskiminetas river another Indian village is shown. On the Ohio river the villages are indicated thus: "Sewicklys, Old Town, Sauvages," and "Chartiers' Old Town, Sauvages."

These records are important in view of the fact that when Joseph Johns laid out what is now the city of Johnstown, he named it "Conemaugh Old Town," or at least the person who prepared the document made it that way. It seems clear that the words "Old Town" were not a part of the name of the place, but were given by the early surveyors to explain that the village

.

was an old Indian town, and in no sense to be a part of the

name.

The Pennsylvania Historical Society of Philadelphia has published a map of the early days of the province, which discloses the Kittanning trail as beginning at Frankstown, below Hollidaysburg, thence through Burgoon's Gap, at what is now known as Kittanning Point, to the top of the mountains. There it diverges, one going northwest direct to Cherry Tree and Kittanning, and the other one taking a southwesterly course follows the Little Conemaugh river to Johnstown.

These maps show other places mentioned in the several schedules of distances given by Weiser, Harris and others. For instance, Dunning's creek begins on the eastern slope and empties into the Raystown branch of the Juniata, east of Bedford. The "4 mile Run," the "9 mile Run," and the "12 mile Run' are streams which empty into the Loyalhanna river west of Fort Ligonier, crossed by the Pittsburg-Bedford trail.

The Kittanning trail was the route over which Colonel John Armstrong conducted his expedition to destroy the French and Indian out post at Kittanning.

*

In his elaborate report Colonel Armstrong states: "On Wednesday the 3d instant, (September, 1756), we joined our advance party at Beaver Dams, a few miles from Frankstown, on the north branch of the Juniata. We were there informed that some of our men having been out on a scout had discovered the tracks of two Indians, on this side (east) of the Allegheny mountains, and but a few miles from camp. The next morning we decamped, and in two days came within fifty miles of Kittanning. It was then adjudged necessary to send some persons to reconnoiter the town and to get the best intelligence they could concerning the situation and the position of the enemy. Whereupon an officer with one of the pilots and two soldiers were sent off for that purpose. The day following we met them on their return, and they informed us that the roads were entirely clear of the enemy, and they had the greatest reason to believe they were not discovered.

**

*

It will appear that on September 4th the expedition halted in the vicinity of Canoe Place, or Cherry Tree, to await the information desired. Receiving that, Colonel Armstrong continued his way and attacked the force at Kittanning, which he completely routed, and destroyed the town. The French and Indians retiring to Fort Duquesne, now Pittsburg, removed the enemy

from that portion of the colony. The loss to Armstrong's command was forty-nine; 17 killed; 13 wounded and 19 missing, and a number of prisoners held there by the Indians were recaptured.

The result was so important that the city of Philadelphia tendered him and his men a vote of thanks, and appropriated 150 pounds for a medal for the Colonel and to give relief to the widows and children of the soldiers lost.

There were three Indian paths leading from the Allegheny river to Philadelphia, which passed through what was and is now Cambria county. The Quemahoning trail from Bedford to Ligonier crossing the Quemahoning creek at Kickenapaling's Indian village, now in Somerset county; the Conemaugh, following the river to Johnstown thence to Bedford, and the Kittanning trail from Kittanning to Frankstown. However, the first highway for teams and wagons was the military road constructed by Colonel Boquet in 1758, to take his army to Fort Duquesne, which passed near to Stoystown.

The Bedford and Johnstown road is the oldest one in the county, and ends at the corner of Main and Bedfords streets, Johnstown. It was opened for travel so early that there are no records of it. It was the most direct route between these points, and may have been travelled as early as 1731, when it was simply a trail to the nearest block house at Bedford. It was used by Solomon and Samuel Adams and their sister Rachel between 1760 and 1770. At that time it came down Solomon's Run to Adam's mill, subsequently John Horner's mill, on the northerly side of the Von Lunen road, in the Seventh ward. The old road passed Salix three miles to the south of that town. It has been changed in many places, but it is substantially the same road between these points that the pioneers and the Indians used as a path. It was upon this road that Samuel Adams was killed by the Indians in 1771, as noted elsewhere.

The Kittanning Trail, or Burgoon's Gap Road, was one of the northerly pathways between Bedford and Kittanning, or Lake Erie, at a very early date, at least in 1754. It led from Frankstown to what is now known as Kittanning Point on the Pennsylvania railroad, where there are two gaps. The Kittanning trail was in the northeasterly gap and passed through Clearfield township, Hart's Sleeping Place, near Carrolltown, thence through Susquehanna township to Kittanning. This road was not in use in 1816, excepting through the Burgoon Gap, the

southwesterly gap at Kittanning Point, thence passing Cadwalladers, and Elder's Mill, in Gallitzin township to Loretto. The Burgoon, or the Dry Gap road to Captain Michael McGuire was used prior to 1789, when the Galbreath road was opened. through Blair's Gap to Frankstown.

On April 6, 1787, the executive council for the province of Pennsylvania appointed Charles Campbell, of Westmoreland county, James Harris, of Cumberland county, surveyor, and Solomon Adams of Bedford county, Commissioners to lay out a highway between the navigable waters of the Frankstown. branch of the Juniata and the river Conemaugh, agreeable to the act of assembly of March 29, 1787. Charles Campbell was the grandfather of Joseph H. Campbell, formerly a resident of Ebensburg. He is also the same person who took out the warrant for the land on which Johnstown is now located. Solomon Adams is the same Mr. Adams who occupied the tract of land known as "Adams Mill Site," in the Seventh ward of the city, and extending along Solomon's run, later acquired by John Horner.

On September 25, 1788, the bid of Robert Galbreath, of Bedford, was accepted. He offered to make a good public road to lead "from Frankstown to the mouth of Loyalhanning creek," fifteen feet in width, except at places where digging or bridges were necessary, which were to be twelve feet, for three hundred and ninety-three pounds in specie, or about $1,906. Hugh Davidson and Andrew Henderson were his sureties for the faithful performance of the work. On January 4, 1790, Mr. Galbreath made this report to the council:

"Agreeably to a contract made with your honorable Board in September 1780, I have proceeded to open the road from Frankstown, in Huntingdon county to the mouth of the Blacklick, in Westmoreland county, & having compleated the same as will appear by the enclosed certificates, take the liberty of requesting a performance of the contract.

"I also beg leave to inform the Honorable Board, that at the time I undertook this Business it was with a full conviction that the distance was no more than forty three miles agreeably to the Draughts made by the Commissioners appointed to lay out the road. Whereas the real distance measured after Compleating the Business (the chain carrier being previously sworn) is fifty four miles, & the Comm'rs in surveying the road after running several different courses laid down the draught in a straight line from the first to the last which will appear by a copy of the field notes obtained from Mr. Harris. I was con