USA > Pennsylvania > Early history of western Pennsylvania, and of the West, and of western expeditions and campaigns, from MDCCLIV to MDCCCXXXIII > Part 64
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" Brother : We have to request you in a particular manner, to be strong, and consider what may be best to be done with those flagrant offenders of our peace. As to us, we have the satisfaction to inform you, that we have received a message from the lower towns, informing us, that all the Indians there remained quiet, and that they have submit- ted the loss they have sustained, to the candor and justice of your wise people." A belt.
May 16th-A message delivered by five principal men of the Dela- wares, from Custalogo :
" Brethren, the English : I have received your several messages since the outrages committed upon the Indians, and with respect to my peo- ple, I assure you, that we are perfectly well pleased with them. Our young men are following their employments as usual, relying entirely upon your sincerity, and the hopes of your great men's doing every thing in their power, to redress the breach in our friendship. We have, there- fore, also to hope, that what you have said to us upon this head, comes from your hearts, and not with a design to amuse or deceive us, as we are, upon our parts, heartily disposed to preserve the strictest friendship with you." A string.
" May 17th-Brother Custalogo : We are glad to find by message, that you and your tribe are so well satisfied with our endeavors to recon- cile the bad conduct of some rash unthinking people, so injurious to the peace subsisting between you and us. The measures, however, as well as concern we have shown you upon this occasion, must be sufficient to convince you of the desire we have, to live in unity with all our Indian brethren ; and although the folly of a few individuals had given you cause of complaint, yet the general conduct of your brethren, the Eng- lish, towards you, must convince you of their sincerity, as well as jus- tice." A string.
May 21st-Arrived two messengers from New Comerstown, and de- livered the following speech in writing :
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M'KEE'S JOURNAL, 1774.
" NEW COMERSTOWN, May 13th, 1774.
" 'This day assembled in council, King New Comer, Captain Kill- Buck, Thonias M'Kee, together with several other chief men of the Del- awares. They having received a speech from John Thompson, they did not approve of, they now thought proper to acquaint their brothers at Fort Pitt, of him, and would be very glad that our brothers would not take any notice of what he has to say to them, as he only speaks of himself, and there was none of us present ; so we would be glad that our brothers of Pennsylvania and Virginia, would not hear his speech.
" He tells us, that he will speak to our brothers of Pennsylvania, that they should speak to the people of Virginia, and give them some physic to drink, that will bring them to their senses again ; this is what he has to say ; but we hope that our brothers will not take any notice, or think any thing of it, as he cannot speak for us all. To our brothers, COL. CROGHAN, CAPT. M'KEE, CAPT. CONNELLY."
Returned the following answer :
" May 21st-Brethren, chiefs of the Delawares : We received your speech of the 13th inst., by the two messengers you sent us, and we return you thanks for putting us upon our guard against the bad man you have mentioned in it, (though he was known to us before) and you may be assured we shall not pay any regard to what he says to us, or to any other man that does not come with sufficient authority from you. Brethren, we desire you to be strong, and speak to your grand children, the Shawanese, and let them know, that any unruly conduct of theirs at this time, will only produce more fatal consequences than have already happened, and that the number of people who yet desire to live, and preserve the peace of this country, are far superior to those bad people, who desire the contrary, so that if they study their real interest, they will not delay to inform us of their sentiments, as they must be convinced that our whole country is now collected in bodies and waiting to hear from them. Brethren, we desire your young men may be informed that we shall be glad to see them come here and trade as usual." A string.
" May 25th-White-Eyes after delivering the condolence speeches to the Delawares at the New Comers town, received the following answer, directed to their brethren, the English :
"Brethren : We are glad to receive your messages now delivered to us by Captain White Eyes, upon the late disturbances which have hap- pened between our young men and yours, and we return you thanks for the speedy method you have taken to speak to us upon it. We are entirely satisfied upon this account and banish every thing which could give uneasiness from our hearts, as you desire us, and we likewise re- quest you will do the same, that nothing may remain upon either side to discontent us." A string.
"Brethren : We have too great a regard for the ancient friendship established between you and us, and which has so long subsisted between our forefathers to suffer the conduct of foolish men to have any bad effect upon it, or to weaken our good intentions in the least so as to
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loosen our hands from the hold we have of it. We do, therefore, not ! look towards the evil that has been done with any resentment in our minds, but with a desire to have it buried in oblivion, as well as every thing else, which has an appearance of disturbing our future tranquillity. . Be strong brethren, and think favorably of our peace as we do, and we ! shall be too powerful for any bad people who are not inclined to listen to, or preserve it, as we do. Brethren, when our wise people concluded ! the peace which subsists between us, it was mutually agreed between them, that, though probably we might lose people on both sides by the ' rashness or folly of bad men, that it should not have any evil effect! upon the amity settled by them ; and this is still what we adhere to."
" Brethren : Last fall we spoke to our grand children, the Shawanese, upon this head and desired them to keep their young, imprudent men from doing mischief; and this advice we have again given them at this time." A belt.
" Brethren : 'The road which you have cleared between you and us, we now by this string of wampum, upon our parts, remove everyobstacle that may impede our travelling it with satisfaction, and we desire that our young men may be permitted to continue their trade with each other as usual. Those white people who are in our towns, to the number of eleven, you will see in a few days, who are going to Pittsburg under the protection of your brethren, the Delawares, as soon as matters wear a more favorable aspect, shall expect them to return to our towns."- A string.
The Shawanese then delivered the following answer to the condolence speeches and message sent them :
" Brothers : Capt. Connelly, Mr. McKee and Mr. Croghan-We have received your speeches by White Eyes; and as to what Mr. Croghan and Mr McKee say, we look upon it all to be lies, and perhaps, what you say may be lies also; but as it is the first time you have spoke to us we listen to you, and expect that what we may hear from you will be more confined to truth than what we usually hear from the white people. It is you, who are frequently passing up and down the Ohio, and making settlements upon it, and as you have informed us that your wise people were not together to consult upon this matter ; we desire you to be strong and consider it well. Brethren, we see you speak to us at the head of your warriors, whom you have collected together at sundry places upon this river, where we understand they are building forts : and as you have requested us to listen to you, we will do it ; but in the same manner that you appear to speak to us. Our people at the lower towns have no chiefs among them ; but all are warriors, and are also preparing themselves to be in readiness, that they may be better able to hear what you have to say.
" You tell us not to take any notice of what your people have done to us ; we desire you likewise not to take any notice of what our young men may now be doing, and as no doubt you can command your warri- ors when you desire them to listen to you, we have reason to expect that ours will take the same advice from us when we require it; that is, when we have heard from the Governor of Virginia.
" Brethren, (of Pennsylvania.) It is some years ago since we had the [208]
M'KEE'S JOURNAL, 1774.
satisfaction to see you at Pittsburg, when you came there to renew that ancient friendship that subsisted between our forefathers, and it gave us great pleasure to assist you in this good work when the path was opened between you and us, and we now tell you that your traders who have travelled it shall return the same road in peace, and we desire our grandfathers, the Delawares, to be strong in conducting them safe to you." A string.
May 26th-The Indians expressing a desire of hearing their brethren of Pennsylvania speak to them, Capt. St. Clair, on behalf of that Prov- ince, addressed them as follows :
" Brothers, Six Nations and Delawares : We have heard your good speeches, and I am come from your brother of Pennsylvania to thank you for the care and pains you have taken to preserve the general peace. We are determined to do all in our power to maintain the friend- ship that subsists between us and our brethren, the Six Nations and Delawares entire. But as our people are alarmed at what has happened with the Shawanese, we recommend it to you to prevent your people from hunting amongst us for some time, as our people will not be able to distinguish betwixt them and others. We wish, and will endeavor to to keep the path open to our brethren, and keep bright that chain of friend- ship betwixt us, which was so long held fast by their and our forefathers. "Signed, Mr. ST. CLAIR."
The Delawares then returned thanks for the good opinion their breth- ren of Pennsylvania had expressed of them, and that their sentiments corresponded so nearly with their own, with respect to keeping whole their ancient friendship, and they called upon their uncles, the Six Na- tions, to be witness to their now declaring that they were determined to preserve it unshaken and unhurt from the attacks of bad people.
Keyashuta then told his nephews, the Delawares, that he was re- joiced to find them so determined upon supporting the good order and peace of the country. That they might always depend upon being backed by the Six Nations in so laudable a resolution, who were so strongly linked in friendship with the English that it was not to be broken ; therefore, what they had now heard from them was very agreeable.
May 26th-A speech delivered the Delawares upon receiving their answer to the condolence messages that had been sent them, and which were delivered by Capt. White Eyes :
"Brothers : We are glad to find that our former friendship is not to be hurt by what has happened between our young people and yours, and as we have been very sorry for it, we now, at your request, remove the trouble from our hearts, and desire that you may do the same, so that nothing but friendship may be thought of between us.
" Brothers : We are glad to find that you are so friendly and consid- erate as not to allow the rash actions of young, foolish people to break in upon our former friendship, and as you desire it may be forgotten, we hope it will, and that we may never have cause of future disturbance. You may be assured that we are strong on our parts to maintain the strictest friendship with our brethren, the Delawares, and are sure that we will be able for any bad people that may want to interrupt it; what
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APPENDIX-NO. XX.
you observe as to the good understanding between us and you, we have an eye to, and think as you do, that the rashness of foolish young men should not interrupt. We thank you for the pains you have taken to speak to your grand-children, the Shawanese, and for the advice you have given them." A string.
" Brothers : We have heard the Shawanese's answer to our message by you, and we understand it; we are sorry that they should be so foolish as not to listen to reason ; but since we think they will not, we must desire our brethren, the Delawares, to withdraw themselves from amongst them, that no evil may happen them by accident, which would give us great concern. We likewise once more desire such of our brethren, the Six Nations, as may be amongst them to come away also and listen to their own chiefs, as they have been often desired. We are sorry to think that the Shawanese want to destroy themselves, and be no longer a people ; for if they attempt to kill any of us for what has happened, owing to bad young men, our warriors will fall upon them, and they must expect nothing but chastisement ; therefore, I must de- sire you, my brothers, to remove yourselves from those bad people that we may know our friends. They say that the traders among them shall return safe. I hope they speak true, as that may be a great means to prevent mischief." A belt.
" Brethren : We clearly see that the road between us and you is open, if it was not for bad people ; but we hope that will not prevent our in- tercourse with you as usual. We thank you for the mark of your friend- ship in bringing in our people, the traders, safe to us, and we promise, when matters are better settled, they shall trade with you as formerly." A string.
Captain WHITE EYES then replied :
" Brethren : We are very glad to hear what you have now said, and we find that you would willingly preserve the peace. We shall inform all the nations in friendship with us of what has passed between us at this time ; and in one month will be able to complete this design, and then we shall be able to distinguish those who are inclined to listen to our wise people and preserve the peace, from those that choose to speak by their warriors. This will afford time for those who are inclined to remove themselves to their chiefs, and give an opportunity to the warri- ors to speak to one another."
June 1st-A party of Moravian Indians came in with one of the mis- sionaries residing amongst them and his family, with a quantity of peltry belonging to our traders.
These Indians say that they were informed, upon their way hither, that a principal man of the Delawares, who had gone to the lower Shawanese town, after White Eyes' messages were delivered to the Shawanese, in order to hear news, was returned and brought an account that the traders there were still alive; and that the Shawanese Chiefs there had spoken boldly in defence of them to the Mingoes, who were the only people constantly attempting to put them to death ; but that the Shawanese had told the Mingoes, that they had brought the traders amongst them, and were determined to protect them in their bosoms, until they could return them safe home ; and that, if the Mingoes could
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not be satisfied without taking revenge upon the white people for the loss they had sustained, that they must look for it a greater distance than in their towns upon the people whom they had pledged their faith to preserve. Those Indians further say, that the chief disturbances amongst them, appear to be only a small village upon Muskingum, call- ed Waketummakie, composed mostly of the friends of the people who have been killed. And that the Mingoes, as the greatest sufferers, are the most enraged ; however, that the party collecting to strike the Vir- ginians were not gone a few days ago; and that if they could not be pre- vented from their rash undertaking, that the New Comer, chief of the Delawares, was determined to send runners to apprise us of them as soon as they attempted to proceed to war.
June 5th-Two messengers from the New Comers arrived with an account, that five days ago one Conner, a white man, who lives at the Snakes' town, upon Muskingum, had returned home from the place the traders were making their canoes, and informed them that the tra- ders were all safe, to the number of twenty-seven or thirty ; and that the Shawanese had taken great pains in protecting them, and were about send- ing them off with their peltry with some of their young men and some Delawares, to protect them upon their way up the river to Pittsburg.
These messengers further say : "That all the towns, as well as the Shawanese, are now quiet, and that their chiefs have been able to pre- vail over their rash and foolish young men, who wanted to take revenge upon the white people for their loss, except two small parties, consisting of thirteen men in the whole, who were friends to the Indians that suffered, and could not be restrained, though their chiefs did every thing in their power, to prevent them from the bad undertaking ; that they hoped their brethren, the English, would not blame them, or think that they countenanced any evil that might be committed by those rash men, who have stolen away from them to do mischief, contrary to their chiefs advice ; and are chiefly all Mingoes, who have had the most relations killed ; that one party has been out eleven days, and was to return in fifteen ; and intended against that part of the river where their friends were put to death, or some where else below that, upon Virginia. The above party have declared, as soon as they have taken revenge for their people, and returned home, that they would then sit down and listen to their chiefs."
The above messengers also say : "That the day they left home, a runner came in there from five Cherokees that were to be in the day fol- lowing, upon business, and that the Delawares would inform us of it, as soon as it was known. And they also say, that they heard that one of the before mentioned parties, who had gone to take revenge upon the white people, were returned, and had killed one man."
They then produced some belts of wampum, which had been de- livered to them by Sir William Johnson, several years ago, desiring them to collect themselves together, and sit in the centre between their brethren, the white people, Six Nations and Western Indians, when they were required to hold fast by the middle of the chain of friendship; and they were thereby empowered to speak strongly to any nation who might attempt to disturb it.
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Answer-" Brethren : We return you thanks for the trouble you have taken to bring us the news we have now heard from you; and we esteem it as a proof of your sincerity and good inclination, to preserve the peace of the country, as well as those belts you have laid before us,, convinces us, that you still bear in remembrance the former friendship, that has been contracted with you. Be strong brethren, in doing what you have been desired upon them ; you have now an opportunity of ex- erting your good intentions, that may, by speaking to those foolish peo- ple, who have not listened to the accommodations our wise people were endeavoring to make, of the late unhappy disturbances ; for you must be convinced, that every mischief that may be committed at this time, is widening the breach, and of consequence, involving us, on both sides, in greater difficulties ; therefore, we have nothing more to say to you at present, than to recommend to you, to follow the advice that has been sent to you by Captain White Eyes, which was to abstract yourselves from bad people, who may be obstinate in pursuing their own destruc- tion."
" WILLIAMSBURG, May 29th, 1774.
"Answer to the speech of the Indians of the Six Nations and Dela- Wares, dated Pittsburg, May 7th, 1774 :
" Brothers : I have been informed of the misfortunes which have late- ly happened in the neighborhood of Pittsburg, and have received your speech on the occasion ; and I lament no less those that have befallen my brothers, the Indians, than those that have happened to my fellow subjects, the English.
"From the accounts I received, however, the Indians have been the aggressors, and thereby, the occasion of the fatal consequences which have ensued. But as you, my brethren say, that you always, on your parts, have it your constant study to promote the peace subsisting be- tween you and us, and still continue to preserve that chain of friendship; so I take this opportunity of assuring you, that your brethren, the Vir- ginians, do cordially love you, and hope always to live in peace amity and good correspondence with you ; and to that end, if you can point out the offenders against our peace, we will, on our parts, omit nothing in our power, to overtake the transgressors on our side, with the punish- ment due to such crimes.
" I rejoice at the information you have given me, of the good dispo- sition of the Indians of the lower towns, and you may assure them, that their complaints, when they reach us, shall be attended to with that can- dor and justice to which they submit them, and which is due to them. "DUNMORE."
June 9th-A message sent with Lord Dunmore's speech to the Six Nations and Delawares :
" Brethren : We herewith send you the head man of Virginia's ans- wer to your message of the 7th May, 1774, who is, you see, much con- cerned for the unlucky disputes which happened between us and you; and you must observe his speech is very friendly and good towards the Six Nations and Delawares.
" But brethren : As the Mingoes and Shawanese have since struck us, notwithstanding our endeavors to restore friendship, we have now upon
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this account, again to desire your people to withdraw themselves from amongst them, that no injury may happen to you.
"Brothers : You will send the head man of Virginia's speech, to Captain White Eyes, and our brothers of the Six Nations, in order to show them, that he is determined to hold fast by the ancient chain of friendship."
[NO. XXI. ]
DEVEREUX SMITH'S LETTER, &c.
PITTSBURG, June 10th, 1774.
SIR :- I returned to this place the 11th of May, and found my family in the greatest confusion owing to the appearance of an Indian war and the tyrannical treatment they received from Doctor Connelly, in my absence.
Before I was illegally taken from my family the 10th of April, I un- derstood from the Shawanese chiefs at a council with Mr. M'Kee, the Indian agent, under Sir William Johnson, that they were very much dissatisfied at the rapid progress the Virginians had made down the Ohio in settling the lands below the purchase, viz : below Sciota river, which they looked upon as a great encroachment on their liberties and proper- ties. They also expressed their surprise to see a number of armed men assembled at this place with their colors at different times making a warlike appearance, and said that after the first muster of the 25th of January, some of the military fired at their camps near the mouth of the saw mill run.
These Shawanese chiefs were sent for by Mr. Croghan, last summer, and came here the 25th of December, and remained till the first of April, during which time they often complained to the inhabitants of this place that Mr. Croghan had sent for them to do business, and kept them in great distress for want of provision and clothing; upon which the in- habitants were at some expense supplying them during their stay, and when they were going home made a collection of goods for them, in order to send them off satisfied.
On the 15th of April, Mr. William Butler, sent off a canoe loaded with goods for the Shawnce town ; and on the 16th it was attacked about forty miles from here by three Cherokee Indians, who had waylaid them on the river bank. They killed one white man, and wounded another; and a third made his escape; they plundered the canoe of the most valuable part of the cargo, and made off; but as they were Chero- kees, we were sure they did this for the sake of plunder alone, therefore, thought no more of it than the loss. As Mr. Butler, was under the necessity of sending people to assist in bringing his peltry from the Shawnee town, he sent off another canoe on the 24th of April, in care of two Indians who were well known to be good men, and two white men. On the 27th, about ninety miles from here, they were fired upon from the shore, and both the Indians were killed, by Michael Cresap, and a party he had with him. They also scalped the Indians. Mr. Cresap, then immediately followed the above mentioned Shawanese chiefs some
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APPENDIX-NO. XXI.
small distance lower down where they were encamped, and fired upon them, killed one and wounded two more. The Indians fled to the Del- aware towns, which were the nearest, and are greatly exasperated at this treatment as they did not expect any such thing from the English. About that same time a party headed by one Great-house barbarously murdercd and scalped nine Indians, at the house of one Baker, near Yel- low creek, about fifty-five miles down the river.
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