HANNAH DENNIS, THE QUEEN WITCH OR INVISIBLE PRINCESS.
In 1 76 1, sixty Shawanese warriors penetrated east of the AUeghanies to
the James river settlements, committing murders and carrying off prison-
ers — among them Mrs. Renix and her four children. Mrs. Renix was,
under Bouquet's treaty, brought to Staunton, in 1767, and redeemed, as also
her son, afterwards Maj. Renix, of Greenbrier, and her other children,
except her son Joshua, who became so enamored of savage life that he
took an Indian wife, became a chief among the Miamis, amassed a con-
siderable fortune, and died, at Detroit, in 18 10.
Among the captives was Hannah Dennis, a clever and spiritual woman,
who was sent to reside at an Indian town, near Chillicothe. Instead of
giving way to grief at her bondage, she applied herself to learn the Indian
language, performed such labor as they required of her with alacrity, pro-
HISTOKY OF AUGUSTA COUNTY. 113
fessed warm attachment to their ways of Hfe, painted her body Hke the
squaws, and conformed to their manners and customs. She became very
popular with the tribe, and in order to enhance her influence, professed
a knowledge of medicine, of the properties of plants and herbs, and com-
menced practice as a doctor among them. She soon discovered the super-
stitious character of the Indians, and determined to take advantage of it
to increase her power and position. Accordingly, she professed witchcraft,
and affected to be a prophetess. Unlike most witches, Hannah was ex-
ceedingly beautiful, and employed her charms of person and the seducing
grace of her manners to enhance her influence. By cunning and craft, by
pretending to tame horses and wild beasts by whispering in their ears ; to
divine future events from the various indications that manifest themselves
in fire, smoke, and in other ways ; by spells and incantations to communi-
cate with the dead ; to foretell earthquakes, allay storms, drive away pes-
tilence, cure disease by virtue of a few words pronounced over the sick
person, — a quicker way than with snake-root or ginseng, — this marvelous
woman acquired such a reputation among the savages that they not only
gave her perfect liberty but looked upon her as a female deity, and hon-
ored her as a Queen. Placing little value upon their homage, she deter-
mined to escape, and in June, 1763, left Chillicothe, in search, as the Indians
supposed, of herbs for medicinal purposes, as was her custom, and did not
return, but, crossing the Scioto, set out for Virginia. Alarm spread
among the tribe when her disappearance was known ; they ran to all parts
on foot and on horseback, but she could not be found. The chiefs met ;
the utmost consternation prevailed ; scouts were dispatched to scour the
country. Finally the pursuing savages caught sight of her beyond the
Scioto, forty miles below Chillicothe. They fired upon her but without ef-
fect, and probably they did not expect to kill her, as their rifles were loaded
with leaden instead of silver bullets. They forded the river and still pur-
sued, but Hannah had disappeared as if the clouds had received her up,
or she had been swallowed by the earth. Awed by the mysterious disap-
pearance, they gave up the chase, lit their camp-fires, and passed the night
on the spot. Next morning they set out on their return. When they had
been gone some time, the invisible princess crept from a hollow log, in
which she had concealed herself, and dressed a wound in her foot which
had been received during her flight. Knowing enough of the Indian
character to feel satisfied they would not return to look after one who had
gone, in their opinion, to the spirit land, Hannah spent three days at this
point, nursing her wound and recovering her strength, and then resumed
her journey for the mouth of the Kanawha. She crossed the Ohio on a
log of drift-wood, and after travelling for twenty nights, resting during the
day in a cave or under the branches of trees, subsisting on fruits gathered
in the forest with difficulty, she finally set down on the banks of a stream
114 HISTORY OF AUGUSTA COUNTY.
which supplied her drink, to die. In this condition, ahnost expiring from
hunger and fatigue, she was discovered by a backwoodsman, relieved by
the pioneers, and ministered to until restored, then supplied with a horse,
and conducted to Jackson's river, and thence to her home and friends.
