USA > Ohio > Contributions to the early history of the North-west, including the Moravian missions in Ohio > Part 5
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then given for them, lay in ambush near the road and shot at one of the Christian Indians, who was a little before brother Grube and his company. Providentially the ball passed only through his shirt sleeve, and the other Indians taking the alarm, the men who lay in wait jumped up and run off. On the 30th of June the whole company reached Schoenbrunn, to the great joy of the missionaries and their congre- gations. Brother Grube visited and preached at all the stations, and in the following August returned to his own people in Litiz.
BIRTH OF THE FIRST WHITE CHILD.
The marriage of John Heckewelder and Sarah Ohneburgh must have been consummated shortly after her arrival at the missionary station, as their first child was born the 16th of April, 1781. This child was a daughter, and is still living in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and was probably the first white child born within the present bounds of Ohio.
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ATTACK ON THE MISSIONARIES.
TRANSACTIONS OF 1781.
, In July the missionaries, Zeisberger and Jungman, arrived safe with their wives, and the joy of the Indians was like that of children at the return of beloved parents. Brother Zeis- berger had gone in the Spring to Bethlehem, for the purpose of bringing out a wife. Whom he married does not appear; but females who could venture so far in the wilderness among hostile savages must have possessed the spirit of a Deborah, and the courage of Miriam.
ATTACK ON THE MISSIONARIES.
On the 10th of August, 1781, the long- threatened arrest of the missionaries approached- a crisis. The jealousy of the Governor of De- troit, Arend Scuiler de Peyster, still continuing against the Moravian missions, the Indian agent . at the great council of the Iroquois, or Five Nations, held at Niagara, requested them to take up the Christian Indians and their teach-
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ers and carry them away. This the Iroquois agreed to do; but, not choosing to do it them- selves, sent a message to the Chippewas and Ottawas, that they made them a present of the Indian congregation "to make soup of," as much as to say, murder them. The Chippewas and Ottawas refused, saying they had no reason for so doing. The same message was then sent to the Hurons, at the instigation of Captain Pipes, a Delaware Indian, very hostile to the missionaries. The Hurons accepted the invita- tion, and after a great feast, at which they roasted a whole ox, they began to put the plan, very secretly, into execution-but under the pretense of friendship and to save the Christian Indians from the dangers which sur- rounded them. Accordingly on the 10th of August they made their appearance at Gnaden- hutten, to the number of three hundred war- riors, headed by an English officer, with the Half King of the Hurons and Captain Pipes, bearing the standard of Great Britain.
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INTERFERENCE OF A SORCERER.
The Christian Indians treated them kindly, and gave them plenty of provisions of the best they had. The behavior of the British officer and the savages was at first friendly; but when the missionaries declined going with them im- mediately to Sandusky-the spot proposed for their exile-but chose to remain where they were till their crops of corn, potatoes, etc., could be gathered to prevent famine in the Winter, they became very abusive, and insisted on their going immediately, pretending they had an abundance of food for the supply of them all at that place. The Indian chiefs were willing for them to remain, but the British officer was so importunate, and threatened them with the displeasure of the Governor, that they at length consented to take them by force.
INTERFERENCE OF A SORCERER.
At one consultation, as they afterward re- lated, they had decided on killing all the white brethren and sisters; but before putting it in
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execution they consulted one of the warriors, who was accounted a great sorcerer, as to the consequences which might follow from the act, as all savages consider the character of priests as sacred. He answered, this would only in- crease the evil, for the most influential of the believers would still remain. They held an- other council, in which they decided on killing the assistant teachers as well as the mission- aries and, their wives, and again consulted the sorcerer. He answered: "You have resolved to kill my dearest friends; but if you hurt one of them I know what I will do." His threats alarmed them and they gave up the design.
FURTHER AGGRESSIONS.
The savages soon became very insolent, and, although supplied with all the meat they needed, commenced shooting the cattle and hogs in the streets, and would not allow their carcasses to be removed, so that the stench soon became quite insupportable.
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FURTHER AGGRESSIONS.
On the second day of September the mission- aries, Zeisberger, Senseman, and Heckewelder, were summoned before a council of war, who insisted on an immediate answer, whether they would leave the place or not. On their declin- ing to go, they were seized by a party of Hurons, and declared prisoners of war. As they were dragged along to the camp, an In- dian aimed a blow with a lance at brother Sen- seman's head, but missed his aim. When they were in the camp the death-song was sung over them, and the missionaries stripped of their clothing to their shirts. While this was doing a party rushed into the missionaries' dwelling-houses, and plundered and destroyed their furniture, books, papers, etc. They were all now led into the tent of the British officer, who, seeing their distress,.expressed some com- passion, and said this treatment was against his intention, although he had orders to take them by force if they refused to go willingly ._ They were next led to the Huron camp and
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confined in two huts. After they were thus secured they saw a party of warriors march off for Salem and Schoenbrunn, which caused them much uneasiness as to what their families might suffer. In the dusk of the evening they broke open the mission-house, and took Michael Jung, and sister Heckewelder and her child prisoners. Mr. Jung narrowly escaped the blow of a tomahawk aimed at his head. Having plundered the house, they brought brother Jung, about midnight, to Gnadenhutten, and shut him up with the other missionaries. Mrs. Hecke- welder and child they left at Salem, at the earnest entreaty of the Indian sisters, when she and her child were safely conducted up by the Christian Indians next morning. During the same night some Hurons, who seem to have taken the lead in mischief, came to Schoen- brunn, and broke open the mission-house, tak- ing brother Jung and his wife, and sisters Zeisberger and Senseman out of their beds. The house was plundered of its furniture, the
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CONDUCT OF THE BELIEVING INDIANS. 121
beds ripped open and feathers thrown out, and the church robbed of every thing valuable; when they put all into canoes and returned to Gnadenhutten. Sister Senseman had been brought to bed three nights previously, and was now hurried off by these merciless barba- rians in a dark and rainy night. But God, who does all things well, suffered not her or the child to receive any injury, by imparting to her an uncommon degree of strength and fortitude. Early on the morning of the fourth day, they led this company into Gnadenhutten, singing the death-song. The day following the prisoners were allowed to see each other and converse, when their resignation and composure greatly moved the savages.
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CONDUCT OF THE BELIEVING INDIANS.
In the beginning of these troubles, the be- havior of the believing Indians much resembled that of the disciples of our blessed Savior; they forsook their teachers and fled. When
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they got together in the woods, they wept so loud that the air resounded with their lamenta- tions. But soon recovering from their fright, they returned and assisted the missionaries all they could; recovering many of their articles by purchase or persuasion from the savages, and bringing them blankets to cover them by night, and fetching them again early in the morning lest the Hurons should steal them.
MAGNANIMITY OF AN INDIAN FEMALE.
Amid all this cruel and vicious conduct of the Hurons, there was found one heart that commiserated their sufferings. A young wo- man of this tribe, who witnessed the cruel conduct of her countrymen, said to an Indian sister, she should never forget this abuse, nor could she sleep all night for distress. Ani- mated by the most generous feelings, early that evening she got possession of a very active horse belonging to Captain Pipes, and entirely alone rode all night through the wilder-
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ness. Before noon the next day she reached Fort Pitt, where she gave an account of the danger of the missionaries and of their congre- . gations, urging an immediate attempt for their release. She had been gone but a short time when the Indians were informed of it, and made instant pursuit; but so bold was her riding, and so active the animal she bestrode, that they could not get within sight of her, and gave up the chase. The Hurons were greatly enraged with the missionaries, believing they had hired her to bring the Americans to their rescue. The commander at Fort seems, had determined to send a force to their rescue, but was providentially prevented; which was fortunate for the missionaries, as they would probably have been killed on the first appear- ance of the Americans.
EXILE OF THE MISSIONARIES.
After four days' imprisonment, they were allowed to join their congregations; but find-
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ing the Hurons were determined continually to harass them till they removed, they finally concluded to emigrate. Accordingly on the 11th of September, 1781, they abandoned their three towns of Schoenbrunn, Gnadenhutten, and Salem, with much heaviness of heart and great regret, leaving in them the larger portion of their possessions. They had already lost more / than two hundred head of cattle, and four hundred hogs; and now left three hundred acres of corn almost ready for harvesting, be- sides large stores of old corn, with cabbages, potatoes, garden fruits, etc. At a moderate calculation their loss was above twelve thou- sand dollars. But that which most grieved them was the loss of all their books and writ- ings in the Delaware language, compiled for the instruction of the Indian youth. These were all burned by the savages, who hated every thing that tended to turn them from the heathen practices of their forefathers. A troop of Hu- rons, commanded by British officers, escorted
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SEVERITIES OF THE JOURNEY.
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them, inclosing them on every side, for the distance of some miles. Their course lay along the shores of the River Walhonding, some in canoes, and some by land, on the route to Sandusky Creek. Owing to the hurry and con- fusion a number of the canoes sunk, and the . travelers in them lost all their provisions, and articles saved from the sack of their towns. The number of exiles was about five hundred. The emigrants by land drove the cattle, a pretty large herd, collected from Schoenbrunn and Salem. Although the fatigues and suffer- ings of the journey were very great, yet broth- erly love prevailed in the congregation, and daily meetings were held for prayer.
SEVERITIES OF THE JOURNEY.
At Goskhosink, or Owl Creek, so named from the great number of those birds formerly found there, the exiles left their canoes and all went by land. The savages now drove them on like a herd of cattle, whipping the horses of the
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missionaries, and often not allowing the females time to nurse their children. The road much of the way led through swampy ground, making it very tedious and wearisome traveling.
SANDUSKY CREEK.
On the 11th of October they reached San- dusky Creek, about one hundred and twenty- five miles from Gnadenhutten. Here the Huron Indians left them, in the midst of the wilder- ness, where there was little or no game, nor any provisions, as they had promised there should be. After roving about some day's, they finally fixed on Upper Sandusky to spend the Winter, and built small huts of bark and logs. They were nearly destitute of blankets, and the provisions they had brought with them ex -. hausted-the savages having stolen every thing from them on the journey, only leaving them a few kettles for cooking. During the building of the huts, the evening meetings were held in the open air, by large fires, for they could not
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ORDERED TO DETROIT.
live without their social meetings for prayer, any more than they could without food. They often thought of the Israelites in the wilder- ness, and of that bread by which they were fed from Heaven. In these straits a few of the missionaries and Indian brethren returned to the settlements on the Tuscarawas to collect some of the corn left in the fields, and trans- port all this long distance; a journey full as tiresome as that of the children of Jacob into Egypt to buy corn of Joseph.
THE MISSIONARIES ORDERED TO DETROIT.
The last of October, the Governor of Detroit sent a message to the missionaries, directing them to come to him. The brethren Ziesberger, Heckewelder, Senseman, and Edwards, with four Indian assistants, went on this journey, while Jungman and Michael Jung remained with the congregation at Sandusky. They reached De- troit the 3d of November. At first, the Gov- -
ernor, Arend Scuiler de Peyster, used them
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harshly; accusing them of carrying on a cor- respondence with his enemies, the Americans. Captain Pipe, their old enemy, appeared as.their accuser; but as he could substantiate none of his charges, the Governor allowed them to return to the Indian converts, but would not suffer them to go back to Gnadenhutten. He, more- over, redeemed four of their watches from the Huron Indians, which they had sold to the traders, gave them new clothes, and kindly entertained them at his own house; and finally dismissed them with many good wishes. They reached Sandusky the 22d of November, to the great joy of the poor Indians.
SUFFERINGS DURING THE WINTER.
That Winter they suffered greatly from fam- ine and cold, and would have fared still worse, but for the kindness of two Indian traders, M'Cormick and Robbins, who bought corn for them and assisted them all in their power. By the 1st of December they had built a new
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SUFFERINGS DURING THE WINTER.
chapel, in which they celebrated Christmas; but, having neither bread nor wine, could not keep the holy communion. In January and February many of their cattle died from hunger, and the severity of the cold. The famine also increased among the Indians, who had to support life by digging for ground-nuts, a species of wild po- tato, and the carcasses of the dead cattle. Prov- identially many deer came into their neighbor- hood during the cold weather and were killed by the hunters. The missionaries fared no better than their congregation, and were often dependent on them for a meal of ground-nuts, having nothing in their huts of their own. 9
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CHAPTER VII.
THE MORAVIAN MISSIONS-CONTINUED.
VISIT OF THE HURONS.
DURING this miserable situation the Half King of the Hurons, with a retinue of savages and white people, made them a visit. One of the Christian Indians went to him and told him there was no meat to be had but that of the dead cattle, and added, "Formerly, whenever you came to Gnadenhutten, we gave you not only enough to eat, but if you desired sugar, bread, butter, milk, pork, beef, or any other article, we always gave it to you and to your warriors. But you bade us rise and go with you, and that we needed not to mind leaving our plantations, for we should find enough to live on here. Now, if any one catches a bird, or any other animal, his first care is to get food
FURTHER TROUBLES OF THE MISSION. 131
for it; but you have brought us hither and never offered a grain of corn to any of us. Thus you have obtained your whole aim, and may rejoice that we are perishing for want." The Half King seemed struck with the reproof, and went away in silence.
FURTHER TROUBLES OF THE MISSION.
At the instigation of the Hurons, and other heathen savages, who were determined to break up the mission, and disperse the Christian In- dians, the Governor of Detroit, on the 1st of March, 1782, again summoned the missionaries to appear before him, with their families. The Indian congregation were overwhelmed with grief, for they felt when they were gone, that they would be a flock without a shepherd, in the midst of ravenous wolves. The mission- aries also felt that they would rather die than leave their charge, but there was no alternative. They were compelled to abandon their homes and take up their march through the wilderness.
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MASSACRE AT GNADENHUTTEN.
The day before they started on their journey, a warrior from the Muskingum brought the distressing news of the murder of ninety-three of their congregation, who had gone back to the deserted villages on the Tuscarawas for the purpose of collecting corn for their starving relatives. While there a party of Americans under the command of Colonel Williamson, from the Mingo Bottoms on the Ohio, surprised and took them prisoners, and afterward put them all to death. This transaction took place on the 8th of March, and for cool-blooded atrocity has no parallel in the whole circle of American history. The particulars of this horrid transac- tion have been often before the public, and need not be again detailed to tarnish the fame of Western borderers. In mitigation of th wickedness, it may be stated that in the council held by the borderers as to the fate of their prisoners, a majority voted for murdering them
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MASSACRE AT GNADENHUTTEN.
the next day, while a large minority were op- posed to it, and called God to witness that they were innocent of the blood of these harmless Christian Indians. To describe the grief and horror of the Indian congregation at Sandusky, on receiving the news of the murder of their friends, is impossible. Parents mourned the loss " of children, husbands their wives, and wives their husbands; children for their parents, brothers for their sisters, and sisters for their brothers, in one wide, weltering stream of woe. And now having lost their teachers who used to sympathize with them, and strengthen them in their reliance on the faithfulness of God, their grief was nearly insupportable. But they mur- mured not, nor did they call for vengeance on their murderers, but prayed for them. Their only consolation was the belief that their mur- dered relatives were now in heaven. The mur- derers themselves acknowledged that they were good Indians, for said they, "they sung and prayed to their last breath."
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DEPARTURE OF THE MISSIONARIES.
On the 15th of March the missionaries, with many tears, took leave of the remnant of their congregation, for so many years under their charge; one part of which was about to be imprisoned, another part already murdered, and the remainder in danger of being dispersed and forsaken. In this journey the missionaries were conducted by a Frenchman, in place of the British officer.
DISPERSION OF THE CHRISTIAN INDIANS.
The Indians left at Sandusky, after the de- parture of the missionaries, living in continual fear of their lives, dispersed among the adjacent tribes, and some to the River Maumee. It was providential that they did so; for early in May their station was visited by another party of white men, for the purpose of destroying them, only a short time after their departure; but venturing too far into the Indian country were
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themselves attacked and defeated, and one of their commanders, Colonel Crawford, taken and burnt alive at the stake. Colonel Williamson died in jail, in Washington, Pennsylvania.
· NEW GNADENHUTTEN.
In July the missionaries obtained liberty from the Governor to make a settlement on the Huron River, thirty miles from Detroit, and soon collected a part of their congregation around them-so loth were these good men to leave the poor Indians, although repeatedly offered the chance of returning to Pennsylvania. The settlement on Huron River they called New Gnadenhutten. The Governor and his wife, whose hearts had become tender on see- ing the' sufferings and faithfulness of the mis- sionaries, assisted them in many things neces- sary for their comfort, and in building the new town. The 20th of July the missionaries, Zeis- berger and Jungman, with their wives, and the single missionaries, Edwards and Jung, left
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Detroit, with nineteen Indian brethren and sisters, and crossing over Lake St. Clair, set- tled the next day on the south side of Huron River, not far from the mouth. The mission- aries, Heckewelder and . Senseman, with their families, remained at Detroit, with the rest of the believing Indians, to attend to the concerns of the reviving mission in that place. Here they laid out gardens and plantations, built huts of bark, and maintained themselves by hunting and fishing. The forests were filled with sycamore, becch, ash, lime, oak, poplar, maple, and hickory trees, with the largest sas- safras they had seen any where. Wild hemp grew in abundance, but salt was scarce, and could not be had even for money. They there- fore thought themselves highly blessed when they discovered some salt springs, which yielded them an abundant supply. There were also springs of fresh water in plenty. In the begin- ning they were much tormented by musketoes and other insects, so that they had to keep up
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NEW GNADENHUTTEN.
and sleep in a thick smoke. But they gradually lessened in numbers as the ground became cleared. In August they commenced to build, and finished a street of block houses, and by the 21st of September moved into their new house and celebrated the Lord's Supper to the great comfort of the congregation. Others of their old flock gradually joined them, and were kindly treated by the inhabitants of Detroit as they passed through on their way to the new station. The Governor also supplied them with food till they could raise their own. In the Autumn some Chippewa Indians visited them, but as to the Gospel they only listened to it in silence. They are generally a peaccable tribe, but very indolent; plant but little corn; live chiefly by hunting; boil acorns for bread to their meat, and, like the Calmuc Tartars, eat the flesh of dead horses. By the middle of
November fifty-three Indians had rejoined them. The Winter was passed in comparative comfort; the Indians bartering their skins and venison,
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obtained in hunting, for corn at Detroit. They also made baskets, canoes, etc., for sale. In the Spring a large quantity of maple sugar was manufactured.
NEWS OF PEACE.
In May, 1783, the missionaries received the joyful news of peace between England and the United States. In the course of the year forty-three more of the scattered congregation joired them; but many were kept back by the influence and discouragements of the heathen savages, among whom they had taken shelter. The new chapel was consecrated, and their spiritual comforts were greatly multiplied.
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TRANSACTIONS OF 1784.
In the beginning of the year a most extra- ordinary frost set in, extending over all that country. All the rivers and lakes were frozen, and the oldest inhabitants of Detroit did not remember ever to have seen such a deep fall
FAMINE AT NEW GNADENHUTTEN. 139
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of snow. In many places it lay five or six feet deep, and was the cause of much suffer- ing. The 6th of March it was still four feet deep. About the end of the month it began to melt, but the ice on Huron River did not break till the 4th of April, and Lake St. Clair was not free in the beginning of May.
. FAMINE AT NEW GNADENHUTTEN.
As no one expected so long a Winter, no provision was made adequate to the wants of man or beast. The early frosts in the preced- ing Autumn had destroyed a large portion of the crops of corn, so that the Indians soon began to suffer. It was very dear at Detroit, and the bakers refused to sell bread at a dollar per pound. The deep snow prevented hunting. The Indians had to seek their food wherever they could find it, and some lived on noth- ing but wild herbs. At length a general fam- ine prevailed, and the hollow eyes and sunken cheeks of the poor people bore sad tokens of
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- their distress; yet they appeared resigned and cheerful, and God in due time relieved them. A large herd of deer strayed unexpectedly into the neighborhood of their town, of which the Indians killed above a hundred. This they accomplished by walking over the deep snow on snow-shoes, which are a kind of racket made of a hoop, across which are stretched thongs of deer-skin, in such a way as to sup- port the wearer from sinking into the snow. A part of this venison was bartered for corn at Detroit, so that they did not suffer to that extremity they had done in 1781 at Sandusky. As soon as the snow melted, they went in search of wild potatoes, and came home loaded with them. They are a farinaceous and very nourishing article of food. When the ice was gone they caught a great number of fishes. Bilberries were their next resource, of which they gathered great quantities, soon after which their crops of Indian corn were ready for roast- ing ears, of which God blessed them. with a
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