USA > Michigan > Cass County > History of Cass county, Michigan > Part 52
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SECTION 26.
Abram V. Tietsort, Cass County, Mich., Nov. 18, 1830 .. 80
Henry P. Voorhees, Montgomery County, N. Y., June 29, 1835 160
A. H. Redfield and E. B. Sherman, Cass County, Mich., Sept. 22, 1831 80
John Jewell, Cass County, Mioh., Sept. 26, 1831. 160
Garrett Waldren, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 11, 1831 .. 80
Edwards & Walton, Cass County, Mich., Oct 21, 1831 80
SECTION 27.
Abram Tietsort, Cass County, Mich., May 11, 1830. 80
Abram Tietsort, Cass County, Mich., Jan. 1, 1831 80
Thomas Vanderhoof, Cass County, Mich., July 1, 1830. 80
Thomas Vanderhoof, Cass County, Mich., June 7, 1831. 80
John Fluallen, Cass County, Mich., May 15, 1833. 80
Darius Clark, Montgomery County, N. Y., June 29, 1835. 240
SECTION 28.
Robert Wilson, Franklin County, Ohio, June 18, 1829 240
Robert Wilson, Cass County, Mich., June 3, 1830 80
Robert Wilson, Lass County, Mich., Sept. 27, 1832. 40
Jason R. Coats, Nov. 26, 1831. 80
John Gowthrop, Dec. 10, 1832. 40
John Gowthrop, Dec. 12, 1833. 40
John Flnallen, May 15, 1833. 80
Chester Stevens, Dec. 12, 1833
40
SECTION 29.
Abram Huff, Cass County, Mich., Oet. 16, 1830 80
A. and C. lluff, Cass County, Mich., Nov. 11, 1831 80
J. V. and 1. A. IIuff, 'ass County, Mich., Nov. 11, 1831 80 Jason R. Coats, Cass County, Mich , Nov. 23, 1831 80
Abram li. Tietsort, ('ass County, Mich., Dec. 17, 1832 10
John Fluallen, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 20, 1832 40
John Gawthrop, Cass County, Mich., May 22, 1833. 80
Eber Root, Cass County, Mich., Feb. 10, 1834. 40
Thomas Vanderhoof, Cass County, Mich., April 5, 1834. 40
Thomas Vanderhoof, Cass County, Mich., Jan. 27, 1835 40
236
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
SECTION 30.
ACRES.
James Petticrew, Cass County, Mich., July 7, 1830 80
James Petticrew, Cass County, Mich., June 24, 1831 80 James Petticrew, Cass County, Mich., March 3, 1832. 80
Jonathan Prater, Cass County, Mich., Jan. 29, 1831. 80
Thomas Ware, Butler County, Ohio, Oct. 13, 1831. 80 Robert Faries, Butler County, Ohio, Sept. 7, 1832. 89
Azial Smith, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 24, 1835 40
Titus Husted, Otsego County, N. Y., Oct. 29, 1835 40
Elizabeth Lowe, Cass County, Mich., Feb. 15, 1836.
SECTION 31.
John Hain, Clark County, Ohio, April 21, 1834. 40
John Hain, Clark County, Ohio, Nov. 1, 1830 90
Margaret Petticrew, Cass County, Mich , June 7, 1831 80
Joseph McPherson, Cass County, Mich., July 4, 1831 160
Jonathan W. Roberson, Butler County, Ohio, Oct. 13, 1831 80
David Hain, Cass County, Mich., Feb. 2, 1833. 40
Elizabeth Lowe, Cass County, Sept. 27, 1833 40
Robert Nixon, Cass County, Mich., Nov. 24, 1835 131
SECTION 32.
John Lybrook, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 6, 1830 80
Frederick Rickert, Cass County, Mich., March 24, 1832. 80 Abram Loux, Cass County, Mich., March 24, 1832. 160
Eli P. Bonnel, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 17, 1832. 80 Levi Tietsort, Cass County, Mich., May 20, 1833. 40
Sylvanus Loux Cass County, Mich., Feb. 6, 1834 80 Isaac Shurte, Cass County, Mich., March 1, 1834 40
William Arrison, Cass County, Mich., July 19, 1834 40
SECTION 33.
Gamaliel Townsend, Cass County, Mich., July 12, 183] 80 John Gawthrop, Cass County, Mich., May 22, 1833. 80 Levi Tietsort, Cass County, Mich., June 1, 1833 40 Ira B. Henderson, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 14, 1833 40 Thomas W. Sherman, Cass County, Mich., Jan. 13, 1834 40 Correll Messenger, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 31, 1834. 40 William B. Shurte, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 5, 1834. 120 Isaac Sears, Cass County, Mich., June 17, 1835. 120 Elias B. Sherman, Cass County, Mich., July 15, 1835. 40
SECTION 34.
David Vanhouter, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 31, 1834 40 John Vandeventer, St. Joseph County, Mich., June 17, 1835, 320 Isaac Sears, Erie County, Penn., June 17, 1835 280
SECTION 35.
Abram Tietsort, Cass County, Mich., July 7, 1830. 78 David T. Nicholson, Cass County, Jan. 1, 1881. 112 Chester Stevens, Cass County, Mich., Feb. 24, 1834 66 Oliver Johnson, Monroe County, Mich., June 3, 1835. 76 Nehemiah Case, Erie County, N. Y., June 13, 1835. 119
SECTION 36.
Henry H. Fowler, Cass County, Mich., May 19, 1830 .. 65 Ephraim McCleary, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 14, 1830. 160 Hiram Jewell, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 16, 1830 80 E. Thomas, Jr., and Thomas Clark, Monroe County, Mich., Jan. 1, 1831. 80
E. Thomas, Jr., and Thomas Clark, Monroe County, Mich., Jan. 1, 1831. 48 John Huff, Butler County, Ohio, Aug. 28, 1831 80
Following are the principal officers of the township, Supervisors, Clerks and Treasurers, elected up to 1880:
SUPERVISORS.
1830, Joseph S. Barnard ; 1831-33, James Kava- naugh ; 1834, Jesse Palmer; 1835, John Fluallen ; 1836, Jesse G. Beeson ; 1837-38, John Fluallen ; 1839-41, County Commissioners; 1842, Elias B. Sherman ; 1843-46, Eli P. Bonnell; 1847, George B. Turner; 1848-49, Henry Tietsort, Jr. ; 1850, Simeon E. Dow; 1851-52, Henry Tietsort, Jr. ; 1853-54, Daniel S. Jones ; 1855, C. B. Tietsort ; 1856, Henry Walton; 1857, William G. Wiley ; 1858-60, Daniel S. Jones ; 1861, William R. Fletcher ; 1862-66, Daniel S. Jones ; 1867, William T. Tinney ; 1868, Daniel S. Jones ; 1869, L. H. Glover ; 1870, Abram Fiero ; 1871-73, Daniel S. Jones ; 1874-78, Robert Wiley; 1879, Daniel S. Jones ; 1880-81, Robert H. Wiley.
CLERKS.
1830, Martin C. Whitman ; 1831, Samuel Wilson ; 1832, James Harvey Cornelius Smith ; 1833, M. J. McKenney; 1834-38, William Arrison; 1839, Ben- jamin Gould; 1840, T. Barnum; 1841, Benjamin Gould ; 1842-45, no record of election ; 1846, David Histed; 1847-50, Daniel S. Jones ; 1851, D. S. Kingsbury ; 1852, Daniel S. Jones; 1853, F. A. Graves ; 1854-64, Charles G. Banks; 1865-68, Lowell H. Glover ; 1869, Eber Reynolds; 1870, E. C. Deyo ; 1871-73, Eber Reynolds ; 1874, Henry J. Webb; 1875-77, Charles G. Banks; 1878-81, William Jones.
TREASURERS .*
1830-33, Eli P. Bonnell; 1834, J. B. Wade ; 1835, Thomas W. Sherman ; 1836-45, no record of election ; 1846, Levi Tietsort ; 1847-54, Elias Simp- son ; 1855, Edward Graham; 1856-57, Elias Simp- son ; 1858-60, S. S. Chapman; 1861, A. Tietsort ; 1862, Edward Graham ; 1863-64, A. Tietsort ; 1865, Byron Bradley ; 1866-68, Joseph Graham; 1869, Josiah Hathaway ; 1870-74, Isaac Wells; 1875-76, A. Tietsort; 1877-78, George B. Crawford; 1879, William H. Hain ; 1880, Rodney R. Perkins ; 1881, George B. Crawford.
BAPTIST CHURCH AT OAK GROVE.
In answer to the query "What's in a name ?" it may be said there is sometimes a great deal, as for instance in the original appellation of this church, which in full was "The Old School Regular Primitive Baptist Church of La Grange by the name of Con- cord."
Originally the office was designated as that of " Collector."
RESIDENCE OF ABRAM FIERO, LA GRANGE, MICH.
237
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
This was one of the early religious organizations of the township and came into existence in 1843. It was formed by Elder William Jackson at a meeting held at the house of Yorkeley Griffin, February 25. The original members, Johnathan W. Roberson, Rachel Roberson, Mary Griffin, Sally Huff and Susan Ball. At a meeting held March 18, 1843, Yorkely Griffin and Solomon Dewey and wife were received as members, and subsequently, at various times, the following persons, viz. : Obediah Potter, Dorothy Ann Potter, Stephen B. Clark, Elizabeth Clark, Joshua Howell, Christiana Howell, Johnson Patrick, Peter Hess, Julia Hess, Rebecca Hess, William Jackson, Mary Jackson, Thomas B. Huff.
Rev. William Jackson was the first and only preacher of the church ; Stephen Clark, and, after him. Peter Hess and Thomas B. Huff were Church Clerks. The church held some peculiar doctrinal views and odd rules of discipline. It never had a large membership, and yet the organization was kept up and was in quite a flourishing condition until 1856. After that, the life of the church was spas- modic, and there is no mention of its meetings in the old record book later than 1863. The early meetings were held at Yorkeley Griffin's, at Solomon Dewey's, at the schoolhouse in District No. 5, and occasionally at Joshua Howell's in Cassopolis. In 1848, the first steps were taken toward the purchase of a suitable site and the erection of a church building. A lot was bought on the corner diagonally opposite the Oak Grove Schoolhouse, and a house of worship erected which still stands there and serves the Christian Church as a meeting-place.
July 26, 1881, Elder William Jackson relinquished in favor of the Christian Church all of his claim upon the property, and it passed from his hands into the possession of the organization named. Several con- ditions were stipulated that the church should be open to all ministers of good standing in the Baptist Church ; open to people of all denominations for the holding of funerals ; that the Christian Church should hold regular services in the building; that they should paint it, keep it in good repair, etc.
BAPTIST CHURCH AT WHITMANVILLE.
About the time that Martin C. Whitman laid out the village which bore his name (now La Grange), a Baptist Church was organized, and he donated a lot on which the society, or a few individuals, erected a small house of worship. The church had a feeble begin- ning, never obtained much strength, and after the lapse of a few years became defunct. The edifice which the society erected rotted down, or became so out of repair that it was removed. There were not a suffi-
cient number of Baptists in the village or its vicinity to maintain either society or building. The lines of the old hymn,
"Except the Lord doth build the house The builders build in vain, "
and the other lines, improvised on a certain occasion, by Pierpont Edwards,
" And except the Lord doth finish it 'Twill tumble down again."
apply very appropriately to this old church of Whit- man ville.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF LA GRANGE.
This church was organized on the 10th of Novem- ber, 1858, at the house of Charles Van Riper, in the village of La Grange, by the Rev. E. H. Day. The first Trustees were Charles Van Riper, John A. Van Riper, Washburn Benedict, Abram Van Riper, Jacob Zimmerman, John S. Secor, Joshua Lofland and Joseph W. Sturr. The Rev. E. H. Day was the first pastor. The society erected soon after its organiza- tion a comfortable and neat house of worship, which still serves the church as a meeting-place.
CEMETERIES.
The burials, as has been said, were made in the little cemetery set off by Isaac Shurte from his farm soon after the settlement was begun.
Another burial-place was laid off in the southwest portion of the township, on the Jefferson line, by Joseph McPherson. It was intended as a private burying-ground, and interments were made there by permission until Mr. McPherson removed from the township, when he deeded the land to the Board of Health of La Grange. The first person buried here was John F. Petticrew, a Revolutionary soldier, who died in 1837.
Other than these two burial-places there are none in the township, except those of Dowagiac, Cassopolis and La Grange.
EARLY MANUFACTURING.
The saw-mill built by Job Davis in 1829, which was undoubtedly the scene of the first introduction of mechanical industry in the township, has already been spoken of.
Henry Jones and Hardy Langston built another saw. inill in 1830, upon the outlet of Jones' Lake, in the northeast part of the township. Jones soon be- came the sole owner, and put in carding machinery, which he operated until the Van Ripers opened their mill in La Grange Village. The same mill is now run (in connection with a furniture manufactory) by Daniel S. Jones.
238
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
The next effort in the manufacturing line must be credited to William Renesten. He located in 1830, on the Dowagiac Creek, on the north line of the town- ship, and near the present western limits of Dowagiac City, and built there, the same year, a woolen mill, the machinery for which he brought from Southern Indiana on wagons. Three years later, he built a grist-mill at the same place, the iron work for which he had made in Cincinnati, while the stones were quarried and dressed in Elkhart, Ind. In 1834, he sold the property to Erastus H. Spalding. Mr. Spald- ing bought the property for his brother, Lyman A. Spalding, and Jonathan Thorne, of New York. The property subsequently passed into the possession of Mr. Thorne, and Joseph Harper, as his agent, sold it to Erastus H. Spalding, who built a new mill-the one now standing-which was a great improvement upon the old one. He ran the mill until 1868, when he sold out to the present owner, H. F. Colby, who made material improvements in it.
Eli P. Bonnell engaged in the manufacture of the simpler forms of pottery in 1831, the shop in which he began being located upon the farm north of that on which Stephen D. Wright now resides. He sub- sequently removed his pottery to a point three miles west of Cassopolis, and there continued the business for a number of years.
These are all of the manufacturing industries, either early or late, of any importance, except those in La Grange Village and Cassopolis.
FISH HATCHERY.
In 1877, Dr. Alonzo Garwood began the propaga- tion of brook trout on his farm, two miles north of Cassopolis, where there are abundant springs of clear, cold water, such as these aristocrats of the finny tribes delight to desport themselves in. He stocked one small pond with young trout, and the experiment proving successful, added to his facilities for growing them from time to time, until at present he has a very fine " fish farm," in which he takes a great amount of pleasure. He has now five ponds artificially formed, and a hatching house, provided with appliances by which 100,000 eggs may be developed into fish at one time.
Of late the Doctor has procured a few German carp, which are thriving as well as the trout, but his attention has been principally devoted to the propagation of the latter variety of fish. He has now in one pond upward of a thousand of the speckled beauties, some of which-those four years old-weigh a pound and a half. Dr. Garwood thinks that his successful propagation of trout in La Grange and the failure of the State hatchery at Pokagon may be at-
tributed almost entirely to the superiority of the water upon his farm over that upon the Dowagiac Creek.
THE VILLAGE OF WHITMANVILLE.
Whitmanville was laid out by Martin C. Whitman, in 1834, the village plat being recorded on the 4th of August. It was described as being in " the northern half of the east half of the northwest quarter of Sec- tion 15," and consisted originally of four blocks and eighty lots. Lot 65 was reserved for the Baptist Church ; Lots 3 to 37 were promised to Joseph Sker- ritt ; Lot 5, to Jesse Palmer ; Lot 6, to Jared Palmer ; Lot 7, to J. J. Draper ; Lot 8, to Luther Whitman ; Lots 11 and 12, to J. B. Wade; Lots 13 and 14, to Levi Godfrey; and Lots 24 and 38 to Stephen Peck.
A village plat, which was called La Grange, was laid out in the southwest quarter of Section 10, by Erastus H. Spalding, in April, 1836, the surveying being done by John Woolman. It was really an addition to Whitmanville. Martin C. Whitman laid out an addition to La Grange in July, 1836, and in September of the same year made an addition to Whitmanville, which included a provision reserving land for a burying-ground.
The village was commonly known as Whitmanville until its name was changed to La Grange by act of the Legislature of February 12, 1838.
A saw-mill stood on the site of the town, which had been built in 1829, by Job Davis, and which was bought by Mr. Whitman in 1831. This gentleman recognizing the value of the water-power, probably conceived at that time the project of building up a large manufacturing business and a village. In 1832, he erected a grist-mill, which he operated for a term of years, and then sold to Goddard & Wells, who, in turn, were succeeded by Erastus H. Spalding. East- ern capitalists, who held a mortgage on the property, came into its possession through the failure of Mr. Spalding, and sold it to Perry, Root & Co. Soon after this transfer, the mill was burned, and there was no further manufacturing of importance in the village until the Van Ripers purchased the land and the water-power, in 1856, and not only rebuilt the mill, but instituted various other industrial enterprises. The new mill was built by Abram Van Riper, and his sons Charles and Garry. It subsequently passed into the hands of the father alone, and was by him sold, about 1867, to its present owner, H. F. Colby, of Dowagiac.
The woolen-mill established by the Van Ripers was more especially the enterprise of John A., but was some time afterward owned by Garry and J. J. Van Riper. Afterward, a stock company, of which Daniel
RESIDENCE OF WM H. SHANAFELT, LA GRANGE, CASS CO., MICH.
239
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Lyle, of Dowagiac, was President, bought the mill, and operated it until 1876, when it was bought by William Pickett, of Chicago. In 1878, a stock company was formed, with $50,000 capital, of which W. S. George, of Lansing, was President, under the title of the La Grange Knitting Mills Company. The weaving machinery was taken out, knitting machinery of an improved kind put in, and the com- pany has since carried on a large business in the manufacture of underwear.
Basket-making is now carried on by William Van Riper, and has been since 1868. In that year, he put his machinery into a building which had been built for a distillery by a Mr. Wilson, and subsequently occupied by Perry, Root & Co. A small foundry is also in operation.
One of the earliest industries carried on in La Grange, or Whitmanville as it was then called, was the manufacture of furniture, begun in 1836, by Hervey Bigelow, and continued until 1851, when he removed to Dowagiac.
The village was for a number of years in a very thriving condition, and its founder indulged for a time the aspiration that it might be made the seat of justice of the county. As late as 1836-37, there were four large stores in the place. From various causes, how- ever, the village declined. Chief among the disad- vantages was, perhaps, that of unhealthiness. The large shallow pond, extending over several hundred acres of land-the set-back caused by damning up the Dowagiac Creek to secure water-power-has un- questionably been a sourse of much sickness. Many of the inhabitants, too, were led to cast their fortunes with other villages in the county as they obtained railroad advantages. La Grange has now a popula- tion of about one hundred and twenty.
MECHANICSBURG.
A village was platted in the spring of 1837, by John F. Petticrew, which he gave the name of Mechanicsburg. It consisted of sixteen lots, and was situated four miles and a half directly west of the court house in Cassopolis, on the north side of the road, in Section 30, where now stands a district schoolhouse. There now remains no mark to indicate that a village was laid out at this place, and in fact Mechanicsburg never passed very far beyond the em- bryotic stage of existence. Two or three buildings only were erected. Henry Roof kept a store for a short time, and John Kinzie proposed to engage in business and began the erection of a building, but never finished it. A small tannery was established by John F. Petticrew, and carried on for a few years, subsequent to the year 1840.
HOMER WELLS.
Homer Wells, son of Worden and Julia (Baker) Wells, was born in Hartwick, Otsego Co., N. Y., December 12, 1830. The parents were natives of Rhode Island, and reared a family of nine children, six boys and three girls. The elder Wells was a sad- ler and harness-maker in early life, but became an extensive manufacturer of lasts and boot trees. He was a man of much force of character and decided opinions. He was an ultra abolutionist in the early days of anti-slavery agitation, and although a stanch Whig, he did not vote for Henry Clay for the Presi- dency for the reason that he was a slaveholder. He emigrated to Michigan with his family in 1835, and settled in the town of Charleston, Kalamazoo County, where he still resides. Homer received such opportunities for education as were afforded by the district school of those days. At the age of thirteen, he met with that irreparable loss, the death of his mother, by which event he was thrown upon his own resources. In 1849, he came to Cass County, being at the time nineteen years of age; for two years he resided in Silver Creek, where he was engaged in farming. In 1852, he went to California, where he remained until 1854, when he returned and purchased a farm in Wayne, where he resided until 1866, when he moved to the farm he now owns in La Grange Township. In February, 1855, he was married to Miss Laura A., daughter of A. H. Reed, of Wayne; she died in March, 1858, and in December of that year, he was again married to Miss Fanny Beverstock. She was born in Vermont, March 20, 1829.
Mr. Wells is a man to whom the latin phrase, Faber sure fortuno is eminently applicable, starting in life with only his natural resources for his capital, he has secured a competency, and is prominent among the representative farmers of the county. He has identified himself largely with its best interests, and has occupied many positions of trust. We present on another page a view of his home in connection with portraits of himself and wife.
STEPHEN D. WRIGHT.
Stephen D. Wright was born in Butler County, Ohio, in a little hamlet called Miltonville, April 4, 1816. He was the son of William R. and Sarah Wright; both were natives of New Jersey, where the former was born in March, of 1775, the latter in May, of 1877, they were prominent among the pioneers of La Grange Township, where they settled in 1828. William was a lad of twelve years at the time of family's emigration to Michigan. and is a pioneer in
240
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
the strictest sense of the term. He has witnessed the transition of a wilderness to a fertile and produc- tive 'region of a thin settlement to a busy and pros- perous community and in his own person typifies many of the agencies that have wrought these changes. His life has been comparatively uneventful and marked but by few changes, save such as occur in the lives of most people. His life has been devoted to agricultural pursuits, in which he has been successful. His home, a view of which is presented on another page, is the result of his own industry, and attests his thrift and enterprise. He has been three times married ; first, to Miss Clarissa Wheeler, in 1842, who died the same year. His second marriage was to Martha Wheeler, in 1854. She died in 1856, and in 1858 he was married to Miss Louisa S., daughter of Jackson Mosher. By his second marriage there was one child which reached maturity-William, deceased; by the third two-Clara A. and Charles E. Mr. Wright is now in his sixty-sixth year, well preserved and enjoying the reward of a well spent life. The elder Wright died in 1850, aged seventy-five years. His wife lived to the remarkable age of ninety years.
ORLEAN PUTNAM.
Very few of the pioneers of Michigan have passed through more varied or romantic lives than that which lies behind Orlean Putnam, of La Grange Township, and the day is fast approaching when such experiences as his will be forever impossible in the whole length and breadth of the land.
Orlean Putnam, son of Uzziel and Mary (Trask) Putnamn, was born in the town of Adams, Jefferson County, N. Y., May 7, 1808. When he was perhaps three years old the family moved to the then distant West, almost to the farthest confines of civilization- to what was then Huron, but now Erie County, Ohio. They came on the lake to Detroit, and stopped there several months before locating in Northern Ohio, and this circumstance, as it afterward transpired, was a very fortuitous one for the child, Orlean. The pio- neers were soon disturbed by the breaking-out of the war of 1812, and the feeling of safety they had enjoyed in their new home was destroyed, a vague fear taking its place, which assumed more definite shape as they thought of the employment of Indians in the strife, and the opportunity that would be offered them for the commission of atrocities. As time passed on, however, and the war progressed without bringing danger into their immediate neigh- borhood, the inhabitants of the sparsely settled region threw off the slight restraint they had subjected them- selves to and fell into that careless, fearless mode of life, which has rendered so many of the early settlers
of the West victims of their savage enemy. Men went to their work of hewing farms out of the forest or tilling their crops, their wives spun flax and wove and toiled alone in the cabins, or occasionally visited each other that they might enjoy companionship as they carried on their rude domestic industry, and the children played in the little clearings about the doors of the houses, or wandered in the woods beyond. But danger was present when they dreaded it not.
One pleasant, peaceful day in the summer of 1813, the 20th of June, Mrs. Putnam went half a mile through the woods to the cabin of one of the neigh- bors, the Snow family, to spin some yarn, taking with her the boy Orlean and two other children. A Mrs. Butler had also gone there to visit, accompanied by her three children. A young woman, Hannah Page, who lived with the Snow family, was in the cabin, as were also two daughters of Mrs. Snow-girls just entering womanhood. Two boys of this family, one six years old the other three, were playing with the visiting children in some underbrush near the cabin. Mr. Snow and Mr. Putnam were some distance away, engaged at work. The only person near the cabin to whom the women and children could look for defense in the event of an attack, was a young man named Henry Grass, an employe of Mr. Butler's, who was, on this particular afternoon, engaged in putting some hides to soak in a little pond. Suddenly the children at their play were startled by the appearance of strange forms which emerged from the leafy coverts. A band of hostile Indians had come upon them, and the children, who had been taught to fear them, scattered and fled as young partridges do when scared. The flight of the little ones was, of course, useless. They were very quickly overtaken and led away through the woods by their captors, while others of the marauding party rushed into the cabin and made the frightened women prisoners, and caught the young man, Henry Grass. In all, there were thirteen persons captured. Two of the children of the Snow and Butler families, were killed as soon as the party had crossed the creek, a few rods away from where they were captured, the Indians, after tomahawking and scalping them, dash- ing their brains out against a tree. Resuming their way, the other party having in charge the women and young Grass, was soon met. Mrs. Snow recognized the scalp of her little boy hanging at the belt of his murderer. Her agony was soon over, for annoyed by her wailings and lamentations, one of the Indians dis- patched her with a stroke of his tomahawk. The next victim was a little daughter of Mrs. Butler. Four bleeding, disfigured bodies were now left along the path of the retreating savages. A tomahawk was raised to brain the boy Orlean, and in an instant
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