CAPTURE OF LEONARD PETRO AND WILLIAM WHITE.
In September 1777 Leonard Petro and William White, being engaged as scouts in watching the path leading up the Little Kanawha River to the Tygarts Valley killed an elk late in the evening, and taking a part of it with them withdrew a short distance for the purpose of eating their suppers and spending the night. About midnight White, awaking from sleep, discovered by the light of the moon that there were several Indians near, who had been drawn in quest of them by the report of the gun in the evening. He saw at a glance the impossibility of escaping by flight and preferring captivity to death he whispered to Petro to lie still lest any movement of his might lead to this result. In a few minutes the Indians sprang on them, and White, raising himself as one lay hold on him aimed a furious blow with his tomahawk, hoping to wound the Indian by whom he was beset, and then make his escape. Missing his aim he affected to have
been ignorant of the fact that he was encountered by Indians, professed great joy at meeting with them, and declared that he was then on his way to their towns. They were not deceived by the artifice for although he assumed an air of pleasantness and gaiety calculated to win upon their confidence, yet the woeful countenance and rueful expression of poor Petro convinced them that White's conduct was feigned that he might lull them into inattention and they be enabled to effect an escape. They were both tied for the night and in the morning White being painted red and Petro black, they were forced to proceed to the Indian towns.
When approaching a village the whoop of success brought several to meet them and on their arrival at it they found that every preparation was made for their running the gauntlet, in going through which ceremony both were much bruised. White did not, however remain long in
captivity. Eluding the Indians' vigilance he took one of their guns and begun his flight homeward. Before he had traveled far he met an Indian on horseback, whom he succeeded in shooting, and mounting the horse from which he fell his return to the Valley was much facilitated.
Petro was never heard of afterwards. The painting of him black had indicated their intention of killing him, and the escape of White probably hastened his doom.
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[Note: According to widely published family histories, Petro DID survive capture. He was taken to Fort Detroit and turned over to the British. He was released around 1781 and returned home to Hampshire County, VA. The primary source of this information needs to be located and cited.]
