USA > Massachusetts > Our western border : its life, combats, adventures, forays, massacres, captivities, scouts, red chiefs, pioneer women, one hundred years ago, containing the cream of all the rare old border chronicles > Part 26
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In the meantime, Mr. Bard (my father) laid hold of a horseman's pistol that hung on a nail, and snapped it at the breast of one of the Indians, but there being tow in the pan it did not go off; at this the Indians, seeing the pistol, ran out of the house. By this time one of the Indians at the door had shot at Potter, but the ball took him only in the little finger. The door was now shut and secured as well as pos- sible ; but finding the Indians to be very numerous, and having no powder or ball, and as the savages might easily burn down the house bv reason of the thatched roof and the quantity of mill wood piled at the back of the building, added to the declarations of the Indians that they would not be put to death, determined them to surrender ; on which a party of the Indians went to a field and made prisoners Samuel Hunter and Daniel M'Manimy. A lad by the name of William White, coming to the mill, was also made a prisoner. Having secured the prisoners, they took all the valuable effects out of the house and set fire to the mill. They then proceeded toward the mountain, and my mother, inquiring of the Indians who had care of her, was informed that they were of the Delaware nation.
At the distance of about seventy rods from the house, contrary to all their promises, they put to death Thomas Potter, and having proceeded on the mountain about three or four miles, one of the Indians sunk the
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spear of his tomahawk into the breast of the small child, and after re. peated blows, scalped it. After crossing the mountain, they passed the house of Mr. Halbert T-, and seeing him out, shot at him, but without effect. Thence, passing late in the evening M'Cord's old fort, they encamped about half a mile in the gap. The second day, having passed into the Path valley, they discovered a party of white men in pursuit of them ; on which they ordered the prisoners to hasten, for should the whites come up with them, they should be all tomahawked. Having been thus hurried, they reached the top of the Tuskarora mountain, and all had set down to rest, when an Indian, without any previous warning, sunk a tomahawk into the forehead of Samuel Hunter, who was seated by my father, and by repeated blows put an end to his existence. He was then scalped, and the Indians, proceeding on their journey, encamped that evening some miles on the north of Side- ling Hill.
The next day they marched over the Allegheny mountain, through what is now called Blair's gap. On the fifth day, whilst crossing Stony Creek, the wind blew a hat of my father's from the head of the Indian in whose custody he was. The Indian went down the stream some dis- tance before he recovered it. In the meantime my father had passed the creek, but when the Indian returned he severely beat my father with the gun, and almost disabled him from traveling any further. And now, reflecting that he could not possibly travel much further, and that, if this was the case, he would immediately be put to death, he deter- mined to attempt his escape that night. Two days before this, the half of my father's head was painted red. This denoted that a council had been held, and that an equal number were for putting him to death and for keeping him alive, and that another council was to have taken place to determine the question. Being encamped, my parents, who before this had not liberty to speak to one another, were permitted to assist each other in plucking a turkey, and being thus engaged, the design of escaping was communicated to my mother. After some of the Indians had laid down, and one of them was amusing the others with dressing himselt with a gown of my mother's, my father was called to go for water. He took a quart, and emptying it of the water it contained, stept about six rods down to the spring. My mother perceiving this, suc- ceeded so well in confining the attention of the Indians to the gown, that my father had got about one hundred yards, when the Indians from one fire cried to those of another __ " your man is gone."
They ran after him and one having brought back the quart, said: " here is the quart, but no man." They spent two days in looking after him, while the prisoners were confined in the camp; but after an
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unsuccessful search, they proceeded down the stream to the Allegheny river, thence to Fort Duquesne, now Fort Pitt. After remaining there one night and a day, they went about twenty miles down the Ohio, to an Indian town, on entering which a squaw took a cap off my mother's head, and, with many others, severely beat her. Now, almost exhausted with fatigue, she requested leave to remain at this place, and was told she might, if she preferred being scalped to proceeding. They then took her to a town called Cususkey. On arriving at this place, Daniel M'Manimy was detained outside the town, but my mother, the two boys and girls, were taken into the town, at the same time having their hair pulled, faces scratched, and beaten in an unmerciful manner.
HORRIBLE DEATH BY TORTURE OF DANIEL M'MANIMY.
Here I shall extract from my father's papers the manner and circum- stances of M'Manimy's death. This account appears to have been oh- tained from my mother, shortly after her return, who received it from those who had been eye witnesses of the tragical scene. The Indians formed themselves into a circle round the prisoner, and commenced by beating him; some with sticks, and some with tomahawks. He was then tied to a post near a large fire, and after being tortured some time with burning coals, they scalped him, and put the scalp on a pole to bleed before his face. A gun barrel was then heated red hot, and passed over his body, and with a red-hot bayonet they pierced his body, with many repetitions. In this manner they continued torturing him, singing and shouting, until he expired. Shortly after this, my mother set out from this place, leaving the two boys and girl, whom she never saw again until they were liberated. She was now distressed beyond measure; going she knew not where, without a com- forter, without a companion, and expecting to share the fate of M'Manimy in the next town she would reach. In this distressed situa- tion she met a number of Indians, among whom was a captive woman. To her my mother made known her fears, on which she was informed that her life was not in danger, for that belt of wampum, said she, about your neck, is a certain sign that you are intended for an adopted relation.
They soon after arrived at a town, and being taken into the council house, two squaws entered in-one stept up and struck my mother on the side of the head. Perceiving that the other was about to follow this example, she turned her head and received a second blow. The warriors were highly displeased at such acts in a council house, being contrary to usage. Here a chief took my mother by the hand, and de-
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livered her to two Indian men, to be in the place of a deceased sister. She was put in charge of a squaw in order to be cleanly clothed. She had remained here, with her adopted friends, near a month, when her party began to think of removing to the head waters of the Susquehanna, a journey of about two hundred miles. This was very painful to my mother, having already traveled about two hundred miles over moun- tains and swamps, until her feet and legs were extremely swollen and sore. Fortunately, on the day of their setting out, a horse was given to her by her adopted brother; but before they had traveled far, one of the horses in the company died, when she was obliged to surrender hers to supply its place. After proceeding on her journey some miles, they were met by a number of Indians, one of whom told her not to be discouraged, as a peace was about to take place shortly, when she would have leave to return home. To this information she was the more dis- posed to give credit, as it came from one who was a chief counselor in the Delaware nation, with whom she was a prisoner. Having arrived near the end of her journey, to her great surprise, she saw a captive dead by the road side, having been tomahawked and scalped. She was informed that he had endeavored to escape, but was overtaken at this place.
On arriving at the place of destination, having, in all, traveled near five hundred miles, the fatigue which she had undergone, with cold and hunger, brought on a severe fit of sickness, which lasted near two months. In this doleful situation, having no person to comfort or sym- pathize with her-a blanket was her only covering, and her bed was the cold earth, in a miserable cabin ; boiled corn was her only food-she was reduced to so weak a state as to consider herself as approaching the verge of dissolution. But, recovering from her sickness, she met with a woman with whom she had been formerly acquainted. This woman had been in captivity some years, and had an Indian husband by whom she had one child. My mother reproved her for this, but received for answer, that before she had consented, they had tied her to a stake in order to burn her. She added, that as soon as their captive women could speak the Indian tongue, they were obliged to marry some one of them or be put to death. This information induced her to determine never to learn the Indian language, and she adhered to this determina- tion all the time she remained with them, from the day of her captivity to that of her releasement, a space of two years and five months. She was treated during this time, by her adopted relations, with much kind- ness; even more than she had reason to expect.
I shall now return to the narration of facts respecting my father, after he had made his escape from the Indians, as before stated. The In-
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dians, as soon as he was missed, gave chase. Finding himself closely pursued, he hid in a hollow log until they had gone by and out of hear- ing, when, turning in a different direction, he resumed his flight. Two days, it has been said, were spent by the Indians in search of him; in the meantime, with much fatigue and suffering, he came to a mountain four miles across, and at the top covered with snow. By this time he was almost exhausted, having traveled nearly constantly for two days and nights, and being without food, except a few buds plucked from the trees as he went along ; his shoes were worn out; and the country he traveled through being extremely rough and in many places covered with briers of a poisonous nature, his feet were very much lacerated and swollen. To add to his difficulties, the mountain was overgrown with laurel, and the snow lodged upon its leaves so bent it down that he was unable in many places to get along in his weak condition, except by creeping upon his hands and knees under the branches.
Three days had now elapsed since his escape; and although he feared that the Indians were still in pursuit of him, and that by traveling along the mountain they would find his tracks in the snow and by that means be led to his place of concealment, yet he found himself so lame that he could proceed no farther. His hands also, by crawling upon them in the snow, became almost as much swollen as his feet. He was there- fore compelled to lie by, without much prospect indeed of ever proceed- ing any farther on his journey. Besides the danger of being overtaken by his savage pursuers, he was, in fact, in a starving condition, not having tasted food since his escape, except the buds already mentioned, plucked, as he journeyed on, from the bean-wood, or red-bud tree, as it is called. On the fifth day, however, as he was creeping on his hands and knees (not being able yet to walk) in search of buds or herbs to appease his hunger, he was fortunate enough to see a rattlesnake, which he killed and ate raw. After lying by three or four days, he allayed the swelling of his feet by puncturing the festered parts with a thorn ; he then tore up his breeches, and with the pieces bound up his feet as well as he could. Thus prepared, he again set out upon his journey, limping along with great pain ; but he had no other alternative, except to remain where he was and die. He had gone but a few miles when, from a hill he had just ascended, he was startled by the welcome sound of a drum ; he called as loud as he could, but there was no one to an- swer; it was but a delusion of the imagination. Sad and disappointed, he journeyed on again, and on the eighth day crossed the Juniata by wading it, which, on account of his lameness, he accomplished with great difficulty.
It was now night and very cold, and his clothes being wet he was so
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benumbed that he was afraid to lie down lest he should perish; and he, therefore, lame and wearied as he was, determined to pursue his jour- ney, although it was very dark. Providential circumstance ! for in the course of the night, as he wandered on, he scarcely knew whither, he was attracted by the sight of a fire apparently abandoned the day be- fore, probably by a party of the settlers who were out in pursuit of the savages. Remaining here till morning, he discovered a path leading in the direction of the settlements, which he followed with as much speed as he was able. This was the ninth day since his escape, during which time a few buds and four snakes were all he had to subsist on. In the afternoon of this day he was alarmed by suddenly meeting at a turn of his path three Indians ; but they proved friendly, and instead of killing him, as he expected when he first saw them, they conducted him in a few hours to Fort Littleton, (in Bedford county,) a place well known to him, where he remained a few days, until sufficiently recruited in strength to proceed home.
Some time after my father's return home, he went to Fort Pitt, which was then in the hands of the English, and a number of Indians being on the opposite side of the river, about to form a treaty, he one evening went over to make inquiry concerning my mother. My father observed among them several who were present when he was taken prisoner ; to these he discovered himself. But they professed not to know him, on which he inquired of them if they did not recollect having been at the taking of nine persons, referring them to the time and place. They then acknowledged it, and inquired of him how he got home, &c., after which he made inquiry concerning my mother, but they said they knew nothing of her, but promised to give him some in- formation by the time of his return the next day. He then returned to the fort. Shortly after this, a young man, who had been taken by the Indians when a child, followed him, and advised him not to return, for that when he had left them he had heard them say that they never had a stronger desire for anything than to have sunk the tomahawk into his head, and that they had agreed to kill him on his return next day. After this man had requested my father not to mention anything of his having been with him, or of the subject of their conversation, he returned to camp.
I may here state that from the time that my father was taken by the Indians until my mother was released, he did little else than wander from place to place, in quest of information respecting her, and after he was informed where she was, his whole mind was bent upon contriving plans for her redemption. Desiring, with this view, to go again to Pittsburgh, he fell in with a brigade of wagons, commanded by Mr.
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Irvine ; with them he proceeded as far as Bedford, but finding this a tedious way of traveling, he spoke to the commanding officer of the place to get Captain White Eyes, who commanded a party of Indians, to promise to accompany him to Pittsburgh. This was accordingly done, and the Indians having agreed to take him safe to Pitt, my father set out with them, having a horse and a new rifle. They had pro- ceeded but about two miles, when an Indian turned off the road and took up a scalp which that morning had been taken off one of the wagoners. This alarmed my father not a little ; but having proceeded about ten miles further, the Indians again turned off the road, and , brought several horses and a keg of whiskey which had been concealed. Shortly after this, the Indians began to drink so as to become intoxi- cated. White Eyes then signified to my father that as he had ran off from them, he would then shoot him, and raised his gun to take aim; but my father, stepping behind a tree, ran round it while the Indian followed. This for a time gave great amusement to the bystanders, until a young Indian stepped up, twisted the gun out of the hands of White Eyes, and hid it under a log.
The Indians became considerably intoxicated, and scattered, leaving White Eyes with my father. White Eyes then made at him with a large stick, aiming at his head, but my father threw up his arm, and re- ceived so severe a blow as to blacken it for weeks. At this time an In- dian of another nation, who had been sent as an express to Bedford, came by. Captain White Eyes applied to him for his gun to shoot my father, but the Indian refused, as they were about making peace, and the killing of my father would bring on another war: (being of different nations they were obliged to speak in English.) By this time my father, finding himself in a desperate situation, resolved, at all events, to attempt an escape ; he said to Captain White Eyes, " our horses are going away," and went towards them, expecting every minute to receive a ball in his back, but coming up to his horse, he got on him and took to the road; he had gone but a short distance when he saw the Indian who had taken the gun out of White Eyes' hand sleeping at a spring, and I have often heard him say had it been any of the other Indians he would have shot him. Fearing pursuit, he rode as fast as his horse could go, and, having traveled all night, he got to Pittsburgh the next morning shortly after sunrise, and he was not there more than three hours until the Indians were in after him : but from a fear of injury be- ing done my mother, should he kill them, he suppressed his anger, and passed the matter by
Here he had an opportunity of writing her a letter, requesting her to inform her adopted friends, that if they would bring her in, he would
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pay them forty pounds. But having waited for an answer until he be- came impatient, he bargained with an Indian to go and steal her away. But the night before he was to start, he declined going, saying that he would be killed if he went. In this situation he resolved, at all hazards, to go himself and bring her; for which purpose he set out and went to a place on the Susquehanna; I think it was called Shamokin, not far , from what is called the Big Cherry Trees. From here he set out on an Indian path, along which he traveled until evening, when he was met by a party of Indians who were bringing in my mother; the Indians passed him by, and raised the war halloo-my mother felt distressed at their situation, and my father, perceiving the Indians not to be in a good humor, began to promise them their pay, as he had promised them by letter, when they would come to Shamokin, but the Indians told him that if he got them among the whites he would then refuse to pay them, and that they would then have no redress; finding they were thus apprehensive, he told them to keep him as a hostage out in the woods and send his wife into town, and he would send an order for the money to be paid them, and that if it was not done they might do with him as they pleased. This had the desired effect. They got quite good hu- mored and brought them in, on doing which the money was paid agree- ably to promise.
Before my father and mother left Shamokin, he requested an Indian who had been an adopted brother of my mother, if ever he came down amongst the white people to call and see him. Accordingly, some time afterwards the Indian paid him a visit, he living then about ten miles from Chambersburg. The Indian having continued for some time with him, went to a tavern, known by the name of McCormack's, and there became somewhat intoxicated, when a certain Newgen, (since executed in Carlisle for stealing horses,) having a large knife in his hand, struck it into the Indian's neck, edge foremost, designing thereby to thrust it between the bone and throat, and by drawing it forwards to cut his throat, but he partly missed his aim, and only cut the forepart of the windpipe. On this Newgen had to escape from justice; otherwise the law would have been put in force against him. And it has been re- marked, that ever after he continued to progress in vice until his death. A physician was brought to attend the Indian; the wound was sewed up, and he continued at my father's house until he had recovered, when he returned to his own people, who put him to death, on the pretext of his having, as they said, joined the white people.
In August, 1764, (according to the best accounts of the time,) my father and his family, from fear of the Indians, having moved to my grandfather Thomas Poe's, about three miles from his own place, he took
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a black girl with him to his own place to make some hay-and being there at his work, a dog which he had with him began to bark and run towards and from a thicket of bushes. Observing these circumstances he became alarmed, and, taking up his gun, told the girl to run to the house, as he believed there were Indians near. So they made toward the house, and had not been there more than an hour, when from the loft of the house they saw a party, commanded by Captain Potter, late General Potter, in pursuit of a party of Indians who had that morning murdered a school master of the name of Brown, with ten small chil- dren, and scalped and left for dead one by the name of Archibald Mccullough, who recovered and was living not long since. It was re- markable that, with but few exceptions, the scholars were much averse to going to school that morning. And the account given by Mccullough is, that when the master and scholars met at the school, two of the scholars informed him that on their way they had seen Indians, but the information was not attended to by the master, who ordered them to their books; soon afterwards two old Indians and a boy rushed up to the door. The master, seeing them, prayed them only to take his life and spare the children; but, unfeelingly, the two old Indians stood at the door whilst the boy entered the house and, with a piece of wood made in the form of an Indian maul, killed the master and scholars, aftes which the whole of them were scalped.
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ORIGIN OF THE INDIAN TERM "LONG-KNIVES."
Some years after the old French war, several settlers at the mouth of Decker's Creek, on the Monongahela, were cut off by a party of Dela- wares. Of these was Thomas Decker himself. But two or three of the settlers escaped, and one of these, making his way to Redstone, (Brownsville, Pa.,) gave information of the massacre. Captain Paull, of that post, sent a runner to Fort Pitt with full news of the Indian foray, and notifying Colonel Gibson of the probable line of retreat of the savages. Gibson proceeded down the river with the hope of inter- cepting them, and happened accidentally upon a small party of Iroquois or Mingoes, encamped on Cross Creek, and under command of a prom- inent chief by the name of Little Eagle. Discovering the whites about the same moment that they saw him, he gave a frightful yell and dis- charged his piece at the white leader. The ball passed through the Colonel's coat but did no other injury. With the quickness of the crouching panther, Gibson sprang upon his swarthy foe, and with one dexterous and powerful sweep of his sword, severed the head of Little Eagle from his shoulders.
Two others were shot dead by the whites, but the rest escaped and re- ported to their tribes that a white officer had cut off the head of their chief with a long knife. This is said to have been the origin of the epithet " long-knives," applied throughout the Indian wars to the Vir- ginians, and afterwards used generally to denote all the " pale faces" on the Western Border. Gibson, himself a Virginian, then acquired among the Ohio Indians the sobriquet of " Long-Knife Warrior," and was known by it all his life afterwards.
JOHN HARRIS, THE FOUNDER OF HARRISBURG, PA.
"John Harris' Ferry," over the Susquehanna, was a frontier locality so well known before the Revolution to the whole country that its fame far excelled posts of much greater pretension and was even widely known abroad. It was quite common for letters from England, Ireland and Scotland to be addressed, " Care of John Harris, Harris' Ferry, North America."
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JOHN HARRIS, THE FOUNDER OF HARRISBURG, PA.
The first John Harris was a Yorkshireman, who married in Philadel phia an Englishwoman of great energy and force of character, Esther Say by name, and who settled on the Susquehanna about 1724. Here was born, in 1726, the son, John Harris, the founder of Harrisburg, and said to have been the first white child born in Pennsylvania, west of the Conewago Hills.
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