USA > Pennsylvania > Lehigh County > Bethlehem > Bethlehem and Bethlehem school (history of Moravian Seminary and College for Women (Bethlehem, Pa.)) > Part 3
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A moment more and then she added : " Oh, it is much easier, I find, to speak of death, aye, and wish for him when he is distant, and to regard him as a welcome messenger to bear us away from earth, than actually to meet him. And much as we may have craved his coming ere this, when we realize his presence it is hard to keep from shrinking at his approach."
And then as earnestly as she had implored her
41
DIES.
friends to pray for her death, did she entreat them to plead to Heaven in her behalf for a continuance of the precious gift of life ; but all unavailing, and instead, the prayer of years was to be granted, for the summon's had gone forth that she must die.
And now in that presence chamber of death, there was a fearful conflict between that dying woman and the great adversary of our race.
Yet it was only for a brief space, for the Saviour was near, and ere she entered the dark valley she discerned His presence as her guide, support, and stay. Then the yearnings of her better nature re- turned-her spirit longings revived-the Christian's faith triumphed over the weakness of humanity --- and with a certain hope of a blessed eternity, the good old Mammy Schindler quietly and calmly re- signed her being.
PAPPY HECKEWELDER,
AND THE
GHOST OF BETHLEHEM.
For the greater part of a quarter of the present century, the most prominent if not the most inter- esting individual residing at Bethlehem during that interval, at least to the majority of the gentlemen strangers visiting the place, was the late John Heckewelder, the distinguished Indian historiog- rapher, besides of another volume or two in rela- tion to the aboriginal population of this country.
The old gentleman had long lived among these people both as a missionary of the Society and otherwise. Indeed, he.passed altogether a great many years with them-hence had an excellent op- portunity, which he improved to a considerable extent, of becoming well acquainted with their natural traits of character, their peculiar habits and way of thinking upon subjects in general, and of the manners and customs of some of their various tribes. IIe soon found himself interested in these denizens of our soil, and formed some strong at-
43
AN EARLY FRIEND.
tachments among them. And the more closely he studied them, observed their natural characteristics, and made himself familiar with their peculiar foibles and weaknesses, the better he became able to appreciate whatever was commendable and good in their natures, as well as the more readily to ex- cuse the many imperfections which sully this portion of our humanity. And he was ever their friend and advocate as long as he lived, and continued to reside among them until quite advanced in years. IIe then retired to Bethlehem to pass the residue of his days, where he died somewhere between 1820 and 1830, but I cannot now positively remem- ber exactly when that event occurred.
He was a great favorite of mine, this dear old Daddy Heckewelder, as he was familiarly called at Bethlehem, as well as Pappy, though most generally by the former appellative. I had always known him, aye, even from my very infancy. In fact, he was associated in my mind with my earliest recol- lections of life, and as many of these reminiscences were of a peculiarly impressive nature, they were fastened the stronger upon my memory. I always venerated and loved him ; and as the juveniles of our family usually called him Grandfather, I had learnt to regard him with the feelings due to that relation. And the circumstance of his being at Bethlehem at the time I went there, certainly recon- ciled me more than any other thing to the separa- tion from my family, especially as he had promised
44
OUR FIRST MEETING.
my parents to be kind and attentive to me, and I placed implicit confidence in his word. And e'en now as I write I distinctly remember how I joyed in the anticipation of seeing the good old man again. I recollect our first meeting occurred in the church the morning of the next day subsequent to my arrival at Bethlehem. It was at the public examination of the school. He had heard of my coming, and I perceived him looking for me, and oh ! how fatherly and kind did he greet me ; and as I had already become somewhat home-sick, how soothing and pleasant his voice sounded, and how it cheered me in the midst of the tumult of excite- ment I was in, because of the feeling of loneliness and strangeness which was even then sensibly steal- ing upon me and affecting my spirits. Soon he re- minded me of his promise, which again he reit- erated, then arranged with one of my teachers when I should visit him. In consequence, on the morrow, attended by Sister Brown, I wended my way to his house. We went there directly after my first visit to Mammy Schindler, the rear of whose garden joined his. There I met with as cordial and hearty a greeting as I had experienced from the ancient lady I had just left, and he was ever after equally as affectionate and kind to me.
Dear old gentleman ! I loved him, not only be- cause of his unvarying kindness to me, but for the reason of his being highly esteemed by my parents ; besides, he was a connecting link with their mission-
-
45
THE MISSIONARIES.
ary efforts. In fact, they were for a space co-workers together in this enterprise, though not exactly in the same field of labor, but only a few miles distant, and saw each other very frequently. Yet my father commenced his missionary career under Mr. Heck- ewelder's guardian companionship, and together they journeyed in the discharge of this commission for some hundred miles, he being his guide to the people among whom he had been appointed to labor, and was with him as I have already stated, or near him, during some of the years of this truly trying and difficult crusade against Satan, sharing his joys and sorrows, sympathizing in his troubles and difficulties, participating largely in his conse- quent cares and anxieties, ever proving throughout his faithful counsellor, his attached and often very efficient friend.
Venerable and excellent old man !- how I used to delight to hear him recount some of the scenes of trials they had together experienced-to tell me some of the anecdotes with which he abounded of the Indians, among whom they dwelt ; and more than all, it was pleasant to a daughter's ear to listen to the sayings and doings, the labors and efforts of my beloved sire, in behalf of these benighted sav- ages of our western world ; and to hear how highly he was estimated, how universally respected, not only by the wise and good, but also by some of these ignorant people,-and the influence he exer- cised, the interest he excited for these unfortunate
46
AN APOSTLE.
beings, together with the amount of good he probably accomplished both for the temporal and eternal welfare of his charge. And then it was the wont of the good Pappy to speak of his faith and patient perseverance, even amid the most dis- couraging circumstances, notwithstanding bodily weaknesses and infirmities of various kinds; and how martyr-like he endured tribulations and trials, with no other prospect of earthly reward than theirs-a cruel and violent death. And, continued the old gentleman, he looked so frail and feeble all the while, that it was truly a wonder how he could bear up ; but he leaned upon our Lord, and trusted in Him, and this gave him courage and made him feel strong, although in reality he was very feeble and sickly. And as this subject was a favorite theme of conversation with the venerable man when I visited him, and like old people generally, he was apt to repeat the same narratives over and over again. I heard these repeatedly, and thus many interesting facts in my father's missionary history became indelibly impressed upon my young mind.
The old gentleman, though from early years a member of the Moravian community, had not, like his brethren, generally lived a secluded and retired life, but had mingled considerably with the world outside of their church, and seen much of society out of the pale of their communion. He was, I believe, of German parentage, but passed some years in
£
47
OLD TIMES.
England previous to coming to America, where he became quite a traveller ; and being very observant and inquiring, had taken careful note of persons with whom he met, and of circumstances as they occurred, which could be of any advantage to him, and had profited materially by his observations.
Mr. Heckewelder was a very sociable and pleas- ant man, exceedingly agreeable and entertaining in his conversation, having the happy faculty of know- ing how to engage the attention of his hearers gen- erally, whether they were old or young, either when telling over the reminiscences of missionary life and of the times of primitive Moravianism, or when speaking on any other familiar topic. Besides, he was very fond of communicating any desired infor- mation in his power, especially when it related to the Indians or the Moravian Society ; and as he was well acquainted with the history of his church, and of the settlement of Bethlehem from its very commencement, he was a very valuable reference for knowledge of facts connected with either of these subjects. As was natural I had considerable curiosity about the bygone events of the Church, the olden times in the Society, and had many ques- tions to ask relative to that period. I found him ever ready to satisfy my queries, and thus I became possessed of many interesting particulars of the Society in its primitive state, both in this country and in Europe, some of which my memory has carefully preserved, and from its store I have se-
49
CIRCUMSTANCES.
lected a sketch or two which will be found in this volume.
Mr. Heckewelder was not poor,-on the con- trary, he possessed at least a moderate competency. He acquired this property not by inheritance, but in a government situation, which he held either when he was a missionary or immediately subse- quent to that period.
The old gentleman was one of the commissioners appointed by the General Government to select the site of the capital of Tuscarawas County in the State of Ohio, and of another, the name of which I do not now recollect, whereupon acres of land which he had purchased but a short time previously, were divided off into town lots, and he realized quite a little fortune thereby.
He owned the house he lived in at Bethlehem. It was, if I recollect right, a comfortable snug two- story building, but it always appeared to me to be in an unfinished state. A single daughter lived with him, and she with one servant completed his household. This daughter Polly was his house- keeper, but unfortunately so very deaf that the only way she could communicate with persons gen- erally, was by writing either by pen or pencil on paper or slate, and she always was provided with some of these necessary materials. This infirmier I heard had been produced, it was thought, alto- gether by often repeated severe headaches.
Mr. Heckewelder had a beautiful garden in the
GARDEN. 49
rear of his house, which, though not large, was, I believe, tastefully arranged, and contained quite a variety of choice fruits and flowers. The former were principally of the berry kind. I remember, in particular, some very fine English strawberries and white raspberries and gooseberries, all of which were unusually large and well flavored; besides, he had a quantity of currants of the colors red, black, and white. Of the flowers, I recollect a kind of rose which particularly struck my young fancy. I believe it was perfectly white, exceedingly fra- grant, and trained to run up nearly the whole of the rear of the house. And then besides he had those deliciously perfumed plants, the tuber rose, mignonette, and the sweet-scented strawberry- shrub. And there too was a summer house, where the good old Pappy used to love to retire to smoke his pipe and segar, and his favorite place to tell stories in, and it was there where I last saw him, and as I kissed his venerable cheek, came the feel- ing that it was our final leave-taking ; and it proved to be so, for we met no more upon earth.
But I will not linger upon this sad retrospect, therefore return we to the house and pass to another spot consecrated by associations of interest con- nected with my revered friend. This was his liter- ary corner, where for some time I almost always found him-seated in a comfortable, old-fashioned arm-chair-pen in hand, and with a pile of books and manuscripts before him.
3
50
WRITING-BOOKS.
One day, when thus situated, I went to see him. He was so busily engaged at the time, that he did not perceive my coming into the room, but as soon as I approached near, he raised his eyes, smiled, and gave me, as usual, a cordial greeting-then for a space resumed his occupation. I watched him a little while, and then quietly left him to amuse myself in the garden, but had proceeded but a few steps when he called me to him.
" You seem to have so much to do, dear Daddy," said I, " that I am afraid I shall be in the way."
"No, no, my dear child," he replied, "I am very glad you have come."
"But what does it mean, that I always find you so busily writing ? What is it all about ? "
He looked at me and smiled ; then taking my hand within his he answered : "You wonder, my child, what I am doing. Well, I believe I will tell you." Then laying down his pen he resumed : "To tell you the truth, my dear, I am writing a book, which I intend to publish, and it is about the Indians. And I am doing this, my child, to in- terest the world in them ; to make them acquainted with the language, habits, and traits of character of . the people among whom your parents and I perilled our lives, and by this means, I hope to live long after I am dead and gone."
I looked at him wonderingly, for in fact I did not directly comprehend his meaning.
"Yes, my child," he continued, "it is even so:
51
MR. DUPONCEAU.
and the idea is pleasant, that years after I have ceased to live upon this earth, I shall not be for- gotten -- at least my name will be remembered."
And then I inquired, "And in the same man- ner will not these poor Indians continue to live?"
The old man sighed, and then answered my in- terrogatory by saying, " Ah, my child, this is the only way the races of our poor North American Indians will presently be known, for they are fast disappearing from the face of the earth, and they will soon exist only upon the page of history." In truth, as he was so very much interested in our aborigines, he deeply felt the wrongs and outrages which had been inflicted upon them, and grieved over their too probable destiny.
I remember, while with him one day, that a car- riage stopped at his door from which two gentle- men alighted, and almost directly afterwards they were shown into the room, one of whom imme- diately advanced towards Mr. Heckewelder, ex- tended his hand, and greeted him very cordially, and then introduced his friend. The former, quite an aged man, I believe was Mr. Duponceau of Philadelphia, a particular friend of the Daddy, and through whose instrumentality and encouragement his works were published. Mr. Duponceau, if I recollect right, was then the President of the His- torical Society of Philadelphia, and, being much interested in our aboriginal population, and anxious to obtain the most reliable information concerning
1
10
52
REV. MR. MORTIMER.
them as a people, and of their language, &c., had for some time corresponded with the old gentleman upon the subject. And the result was not only the publication of Mr. Heckewelder's celebrated work upon the Indians under his especial patronage, but of a lasting friendship between the twain.
This visit truly afforded much pleasure, not only to the parties concerned, but to the little girl who listened to the conversation of the gentlemen, and heard many things new and strange of the people among whom she was born. Pappy Heckewelder, as usual when talking about such matters, was very animated, and he did not fail to introduce me to his friends as a daughter of the Rev. Mr. Mortimer, one of their missionaries among these Indians; he called me a little white Delaware Indian girl, which amused me very much, and caused his visitors to · laugh heartily.
While I write, how vividly does this dear old man present himself before me, as he is connected with the greater part of the happiness I enjoyed while at Bethlehem; for to him I went with all my little griefs and sorrows, well assured of receiv- ing in return his sincere sympathy and some cheer- ing expression of kindness. Not that I had no other friends in the village-for I was singularly fortunate in this respect -- but I knew him better than any one else, and had the greatest confidence in his sympathizing interest in my behalf.
Besides, like his old neighbor, dear good Mammy
53
KINDNESS.
Schindler, he seemed to take particular pleasure in administering to my creature comforts, especially those which pertain to the palate. For, ever and anon, a very acceptable gift of one or another kind of fruit, or something else of equal value, found its way to the school to me, as tokens of the kindly consideration of these excellent friends. And as I was for a considerable space, a sickly and puny child, and very sensitive to neglect, these atten- tions were the more highly prized and apprecia- ted.
And now for another reminiscence of my friend, good old Pappy Heckewelder. I have said that he abounded in stories of the Society in primitive times, and I cannot refrain from giving one here which greatly interested me. The whole circum- stances given, transpired, I believe, within the first forty years from the commencement of Bethlehem, and occurred in that place. And my memory con- jures up the old gentleman as he told it to me, on one bright summer afternoon in his pleasant sum- mer bower.
He said that among the first strangers who ap- plied at Bethlehem for permission to live there. was a young woman, but of what rank in life, or of what appearance she was, did not transpire in his narration. He only stated that she seemed quite young, came entirely alone, and represented her- self a single woman, and friendless; yet what at- tracted her to the settlement, or induced her to
L
54
THE STRANGER.
wish to remain there was not known, neither any thing concerning her but what she chose to men- tion ; and as she said as little as possible respecting herself, very few facts of her history were elicited, but as these satisfied the Society of the sincerity of her motives, they granted her request. And as she represented herself as single, they placed her in the sisters' house ; and being poor, provided her with employment to support herself.
But this occurred during the time of the estab- lishment of the community of goods at Bethlehem, of which I promise to speak more fully elsewhere. She therefore had to toil not only for herself, but for the common good. And it was the impression of my venerable narrator, that she faithfully per- formed her share of this duty.
She was active and industrious, but quiet and reserved in her manners. Indeed, she was remark- ably taciturn, and thought to shun the society of her associates, but presently, as her conduct proved perfectly unexceptionable, at her own expressed desire, she was admitted into the Society, though at first only on probation ; but soon after she joined it in full communion and church membership. After this she continued to demean herself well. and with the strictest propriety of behavior ; yet those who closely observed her, could perceive that a shadow rested npon her soul, which occasionally fearfully distressed her. Still, this circumstance did not elicit much remark. It was attributed to
יחיא
55
MARRIAGE.
her altered manner of living, which perhaps she found too severe and exacting; and in addition, it may be that it originated in her lonely and isolated condition.
This latter idea probably induced the Elders of the Society in the place, to suppose that a change of situation might be conducive to the happiness uf their young sister: accordingly they soon pro- posed her for marriage with one of their brethren. But when the proposition was submitted to her, in- stead of affording her any pleasure, a dark cloud came over her countenance; she immediately be- came exceedingly unhappy, and wept considerably : yet it seems she did not reject the offer, but after making herself perfectly wretched about it for a space, accepted the destiny proffered her by the church, and apparently, with willing and cheerful acquiescence.
Yet scarcely was she married, ere the cloud re- * turned heavier and darker than before; a very great change became perceptible in her whole de- meanor. She was now ever restless, gloomy and abstracted, and indeed so unhappy as to be almost constantly in tears. This distressing state of feeling continued, and so fearfully increased, that her very soul appeared shrouded in impenetrable melancholy, and the reason wherefore nobody could fathom ; for her husband was kind, and no one knew of her having had any trouble whatever with anybody.
I know not for what length of time the unhappy
1
56
SUICIDE.
woman was in this situation, but my impression is that it had not continued but a few weeks cre she suddenly disappeared, and it was immediately con- jectured that she had destroyed herself. And hav- ing been last seen walking in the direction of Bar- tow's road and near the river, a search was made there, and presently her lifeless remains were found near the spot where subsequently the wash-house of the school was located. This was the first sui- cide among the Moravians, and I know of none other which ever occurred in the whole Society.
As will be readily believed, this event produced considerable excitement. Nor did it end with her death, for according to my chronicler, every morn- ing afterwards, always at a certain time, which I think he said was just before the break of day, a pale shadowy form, bearing a strong resemblance to the self-destroyer, and with an infant in her arms. could be distinctly seen leaving her former dwell- ing-glide rapidly along in the direction of the Le- high-pause a moment upon its bank-then appar- ently plunge in aud vanish within its peaceful bosom.
The coming of this apparition caused consider- able consternation among the inhabitants generally, and when its return was found to continue, and of daily occurrence, it became a matter of serious de- liberation how to put a stop to these ghostly visita- tions. At length it was suggested that the good people of the place should among themselves en-
57
THE FEARLESS BROTHER.
deavor to banish it from them. But who would undertake this disagreeable duty ? Who had suf- ficient courage for the enterprise ? The question was scarcely asked, when one of the Brethren, a very holy and reverend man, volunteered his ser- vices for the occasion.
This Moravian brother has been described to me as rather old; small in stature ; of florid com- plexion, and of snow-white hair. His voice was very distinct and clear though somewhat tremulous, but his step firm; while he had much nerve, and considerable self-reliance and determination of char- acter, and indeed was so fearless as to give the im- pression upon some minds that he would not have been afraid to encounter even the Devil. His name I have learnt, and it was either Grube, or De Fries, but I cannot recollect which, from the fact that I have heard incidents of both which are not defi- nitely settled upon either.
My story goes on to say that one morning, soon after this resolute man had entered upon this en- gagement, two or three hours after midnight, he rallied forth and alone to confront the spectre, in order to demand some explanation why it thus an- noyed the good people of Bethlehem and was thus unquiet and restless. He had to wait for its ap- pearance only until the usual time, when he saw it rapidly approaching in the direction where he stood. It was just about passing him, when the stout-hearted little man called out loudly to it to
3*
1
58
THE GHOST.
stop, and when he did so, he uttered the following or similar words, at the same moment raising cane he held in his hand as he spoke, and pointing it in the direction of the Spirit-
"Stop, my friend, I command you in the name of the Father, and of his blessed Son our Lord Je- sus Christ, and of the Holy Ghost which He seu: to us; yea, even in the name of the Triune God, I command you to stop, and tell me why you thus wander forth in the midst of us, and disturb us : also why your soul does not rest in peace ? "
The Spirit immediately thereupon halted, and whilst it gently waved in the early morning air. before the man of God, it whispered in his ear a tale of crime and suffering. It told him that she who had been deemed so virtuous and good while sojourning in the Settlement of Bethlehem, was that shunned and despised thing, a victim of vics and of fell depravity ; that a child had been the con- sequence of this life of infamy, which she had de- stroyed ; and then, fearful of detection, and with the finger of scorn ever pointing at her, she had fled t .. Bethlehem as to an ark of safety-a place of secu- rity-a safe retreat from the hands of justice. That there she had sincerely repented of her griev- ons sins ; had become a reformed Magdalen, at. sought by penitence and prayer, and diligent labor in the service of the church, to make some atone ment for her crimes. Yet she found not the peace and comfort which she so ardently desired ; but o ..
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