USA > Virginia > A history of the valley of Virginia, 1st ed > Part 33
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Sufferings of the Rev. John Corbly and family .- Related in a letter to the Rev. William Rogers, late pastor of the Baptist church in Philadelphia.
MUDDY CREEK, PA. JULY 8, 1785.
Dear Sir: The following is a just and true account of the tragical scene of my family's falling by the sava- ges, which I related when at your house in Philadel- phia, and which you requested me to forward in wri- ting. On the second sabbath in May, in the year 1782, being my appointment at one of my meeting-houses, about a mile from my dwelling-house, I set out with my dear wife and five children for public worship. Not suspecting any danger, I walked behind 200 yards, with my Bible in my hand, meditating. As I was thus em- ployed, all on a sudden I was greatly alarmed with the frightful shrieks of my dear family before me. I im- mediately ran with all the speed I could, vainly hunting a club as I ran, till I got within 40 yards of them. My poor wife seeing me, cried to me to make my escape, and an Indian at the same time ran up to shoot me. I had to strip, and by so doing outran him. My wife had a sucking child in her arms: this little infant they killed and scalped. They then struck my wife at sun- dry times, but not getting her down, the Indian, who aimed to shoot me. ran to her, shot her through the body, and scalped her. My little boy, an only son, about 6 years old, they sunk the hatchet into his brains, and thus dispatched him. A daughter, besides the in- fant, they also killed and scalped. My eldest daugh- ter, who is yet alive, was hid in a tree about 20 yards from the place where the rest were killed, and saw the whole proceedings. Seeing the Indians all go off, as she thought, she got up and deliberately crept out from the hollow trunk; but one of them espying her, ran hastily up, knocked her down, and scalped her-also her only surviving sister, on whose head they did not leave more than one inch round, either of flesh or skin,
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besides taking a piece out of her skull. She, and the before mentioned one, are still miraculously preserved, though, as you must think, I have had, and still have a great deal of trouble and expense with them, besides anxiety about them, insomuch that I am, as to worldly circumstances, almost ruined. I am yet in hopes of seeing them cured, as they still, blessed be God, retain their senses, notwithstanding the painful operations they have already and must yet pass through.
At the time I ran round to see what was become of my family, and found my dear and affectionate wife, with five children, all scalped in less than ten minutes from the first outset, no one, my dear brother, can con- ceive how I felt. This, you may well suppose, was killing to me. I instantly fainted away, and was borne off by a friend, who by this time had found us out. When I recovered, oh the anguish of my soul ! I cried, Would to God I had died for them! would to God I had died with them! O how dark and mysterious did this trying providence then appear to me ! but "why should I grieve, when grieving I must bear ?"
This, dear sir, is a faithful though short narrative of that fatal catastrophe, and my life amidst it all, for what purpose Jehovah only knows, redeemed from surround- ing death. Oh, may I spend it to the praise and glory of his grace, who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. The government of the world and of the church is in his hands. May it be taught the im- portant lesson of acquiescing in all his dispensations.
I conclude with wishing you every blessing, and sub- scribe myself, your affectionate, though afflicted friend, and unworthy brother in the gospel ministry,
JOHN CORBLY.
Remarkable encounter of a white man with two In- dians .- In a letter to a gentleman of Philadel- phia, dated Westmoreland, April 26, 1779.
DEAR SIR : I wrote you a note a few days ago, in which I promised you the particulare of an affair be-
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tween a white man of this county and two Indians. Now I mean torelate the whole story, and it is as follows:
The white man is upwards of sixty years of age. His name is David Morgan, a kinsman to Col. Morgan of the rifle battalion. This man had, through fear of the Indians, fled to a fort about twenty miles above the east side of the Monongahela river. From thence he sent some of his younger children to his plantation, which was about a mile distant, there to do some business in the field. He afterwards thought fit to follow, and see how they fared. Getting to his field, and seating him- self upon the fence, within view of his children where they were at work, he espied two Indians making to- wards them; on which he called to his children to make their escape. The Indians immediately bent their course towards him. He made the best haste to escape away that his age and consequent infirmity would permit; but soon found he would be overtaken, which made him think of defense. Being armed with a good rifle, he faced about, and found himself under the necessity of running four or five perches towards the Indians, in or- der to obtain shelter behind a tree of sufficient sizc.
This unexpected maneuver obliged the Indians, who were close by, to stop, where they had but small timber to shelter behind, which gave Mr. Morgan an opportu- nity of shooting one of them dead upon the spot. The other, taking the advantage of Morgan's empty gun, advanced upon him, and put him to flight a second time, and being lighter of foot than the old man, soon came up within a few paces, when he fired, but fortunately missed him. On this Mr. Morgan faced about again, to try his fortune, and clubbed his firelock. The Indian, by this time, had got his tomahawk in order for a throw, at which they are very dextrous. Morgan made the blow, and the Indian the throw, almost at the same in- stant, by which the little finger was cut off Morgan's left hand, and the one next to it almost off, and his gun broke off by the lock. Now they came to close grips. Morgan got the Indian down : but soon found himself
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overturned, and the Indian upon him, feeling for his knife, and yelling most hideously, as their manner is, when they look upon victory to be certain. However, a woman's apron which the Indian had plundered out of a house in the neighborhood, and tied on him, above his knife, was now in his way, and so hindered his get- ting at it quickly, that Morgan got one of his fingers fast in his mouth, and deprived him of the use of that hand, by holding it, and disconcerted him considerably by chewing it; all the while observing how he would come on with his knife. At length the Indian had got hold of his knife, but so far towards the blade, that Morgan got a small hold of the hinder end ; and as the Indian pulled it out of the scabbard, Morgan giving his finger a severe screw with his teeth, twitched it out through his hand, cutting it most grievously. By this time they were both got partly to their feet, and the In- dian was endeavoring to disengage himself ; but Mor- gan held fast by the finger, and quickly applied the point of the knife to the side of its savage owner : a bone hap- pening in the way, prevented its penetrating any great depth; but a second blow, directed more towards the belly, found free passage into his bowels. The old man turned the point upwards, making a large wound, bury- ing the knife therein, and so took his departure instant- ly to the fort, with the news of his adventure.
On the report of Mr. Morgan, a party went out from the fort, and found the first Indian where he had fallen ; the second they found not dead, at one hundred yards distant from the scene of action, hid in the top of a fall- en tree, where he had picked the knife out of his body, after which had come out parched corn, &c. and. had bound up his wound with the apron aforementioned ; and on the first sight he saluted them with, "How do do. broder ? how do do, broder?" But alas! poor savage, their brotherhood to him extended only to tomahawk- ing, scalping, and. to gratify some peculiar feelings of their own, skinning them both, and they have made drum-heads of their skins.
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Singular prowess of a woman in a combat with some Indians .- In a letter to a lady of Philadelphia.
WESTMORELAND, APRIL 20, 1779.
Madam: I have wrote to Mr. - , of your city, an account of a very particular affair between a white man and two Indians. I am now to give you a relation in which you will see how a person of your sex acquitted herself in defense of her own life, and that of her hus- band and children.
The lady, who is the burthen of this story, is named Experience Bozarth. She lives on a creek called Dun- kard creek, in the south-west corner of this county. About the middle of March last, two or three families who were afraid to stay at home, gathered to her house, and there stayed, looking on themselves to be safer than when all were scattered about at their own houses.
On a certain day, some of the children thus collected came running in from play in great haste, saying there were ugly red men. One of the men in the house step- ped to the door, where he received a ball in the side of his breast, which caused him to fall back into the house. The Indian was immediately in over him, and engaged with another man who was in the house. The man tossed the Indian on a bed, and called for a knife to kill him, (Observe these were all the men that were in the house.) Now Mrs. Bozarth appears the only defense, who not finding a knife at hand, took up an ax that lay by, and with one-blow cut out the brains of the Indian. Ar that instant (for all was instantaneous), a second In- dian entered the door, and shot the man dead, who was engaged with the Indian on the bed. Mrs. Bozarth turned to this second Indian, and with her ax gave him several large cuts, some of which let his entrails appear. He bawled out murder, murder.
On this, sundry other Indians ( who had hitherto been fully employed killing some children out of doors ) came rushing to his relief ; one of whose heads Mrs. Bozarth
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clove in two with her ax, as he stuck it in at the door, which laid him flat upon the soil. Another snatched hold of the wounded bellowing fellow, and pulled him out of doors, while Mrs. Bozarth, with the assistance of the man who was first shot in the door, and who by this time had a little recovered, shut the door after them, and made it fast, where they kept garrison for several days, the dead white man and the dead Indian being both in the house with them, and the Indians about the house besieging them. At length they were relieved by a. party sent for the purpose.
This whole affair to shutting the door, was not per- hops three minutes in acting. I am, &c.
Account of the sufferings of Massy Herbeson and her family, who were taken prisoners by a party of Indians .- Given on oath before John Wilkins, Esq. one of the justices of the peace for the com- monwealth of Pennsylvania.
PITTSBURG, MAY 21, 1792.
Massy Herbeson, on her oath, according to law, be- ing taken before John Wilkins, Esq. one of the com- monwealth's justices of the peace in and for the county of Allegany, deposeth and saith, that on the 22d day of this month, she was taken from her own house with - in two hundred yards of Reed's block-house, which is called twenty five miles from Pittsburg; her husband being one of the spies, was from home; two of the scouts had lodged with her that night, but had left her house about sunrise, in order to go to the block-house, and had left the door standing wide open. Shortly after the two rcouts went away, a number of Indians came into the house, and drew her out of the bed by the feet ; the two eldest children who also lay in another bed, were drawn out in the same manner ; a younger child, about one year old, slept with the deponent. The Indians then scrambled about the articles in the house; when they were at this work, the deponent went out of the house,
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and hallooed to the people in the block-house ; one of the Indians then ran up and stopped her mouth, another ran up with his tomahawk drawn, and a third ran and seized the tomahawk and called her his squaw ; this last Indian claimed her as his, and continued by her; about fifteen of the Indians then ran down towards the block- house, and fired their guns at the block and store-house, in consequence of which one soldier was killed and an- other wounded, one having been at the spring, and the other in coming or looking out of the store-house.
This deponent then told the Indians there were about forty men in the block-house, and cach man had two guns ; the Indians then went to them that were firing at the block-house, and brought them back. They then began to drive the deponent and her children away ; but a boy, about three years old, being unwilling to leave the house, they took by the heels, and dashed it against the house, then stabbed and scalped it. They then took the deponent and the two children to the top of the hill, where they stopped until they had tied up the plunder they had got. While they were busy about this, the deponent counted them, and the number amounted to thirty-two, including two white men, that were with them, painted like Indians.
That several of the Indians could speak English, and that she knew three or four of them very well, having often seen them go up and down the Allegany river : two of them she knew to be Senecas, and two Munsees, who had got their guns mended by her hus- band about two years ago. That they sent two In- dians with her, and the others took their course towards Puckty. That she, the children, and the two Indians, had not gone above two hundred yards when the In- dians caught two of her uncle's horses, put her and the youngest child on one and one of the Indians and the other child on the other. That the two Indians then took her and the children to the Allegany river, and took them over in bark canoes, as they could not get the horses to swim the river, After they had crossed the
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river, the oldest child, a boy about five years of age, be- gan to mourn for his mother, when one of the Indians tomahawked and scalped him. That they traveled all day very hard, and at night arrived at a large camp, covered with bark, which by appearance might hold fifty men ; that the camp appeared to have been occu- pied some time; it was very much beaten, and large beaten paths went out in different directions from it ; that night they took her about three hundred yards from the camp, into a large dark bottom, bound her arms, gave her some bed clothes, and laid down one on each side of her. That the next morning they took her into a thicket on the hill side, and one remained with her till the middle of the day, while the other went to watch the path, lest some white people should follow them. They then exchanged places during the remainder of the day ; she got a piece of dry venison, about the bulk of an egg, that day, and a piece about the same size the day they were marching; that even- ing (Wednesday the 23d), they moved her to a new place, and secured her as the night before. During the day of the 23d she made several attempts to get the Indian's gun or tomahawk that was guarding her, and could she have got either, she would have put him to death. She was nearly detected in trying to get the tomahawk from his belt.
The next morning (Thursday), one of the Indians went out as on the day before to watch the path. The other lay down and fell asleep. When she found he was sleeping, she stole her short-gown, handkerchief and a child's frock, and then made her escape, the sun being about an hour high. That she took her course from the Allegany, in order to deceive the Indians, as- they would naturally pursue her that way; that day she traveled along Conequesing creek. The next day she altered ker course, and, as she believes, fell upon the waters of Pine creek, which empties into the Alle- gany. Thinking this not her best course, she took orer some divided ridges, and fell in on the heads of
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Squaw run, lay on a dividing ridge on Friday night, and on Saturday came to Squaw run; continued down the run until an Indian or some other person shot at a deer ; she saw the person about one hundred and fifty yards from her, the deer running and the dog pursuing it, which, from its appearance, she supposed to be an In- dian dog.
She then altered her course, but again came to the same run, and continued down it until she got so tired that she was obliged to lie down, it having rained on her all that day and the night before; she lay there that night, it raining constantly. On Sunday morning she proceeded down the run until she came to the Allegany river, and continued down the river until she came op- posite to Carter's house, on the inhabited side, where she made a noise, and James Closier brought her over the river to Carter's house.
This deponent further says, that in conversation with one of the Indians, that could talk English very well, which she suspects to be George Jelloway, he asked her if she knew the prisoner that was taken by Jeffers and his Senecas, and in jail in Pittsburg ? She answered no. He said, you lie. She again said she knew noth- ing about him; he said she lied, that he was a spy, and a great captain ; that he took Butler's scalp, and that they would have him or twenty scalps; he again said, that they would exchange for him; that he and two more were sent out to see what the Americans were doing ; that they came round from Detroit to Venango; the Indian took paper, and shewed her that he, at Fort Pitt, could write and draw on it ; he also asked her if a campaign was going out against the Indians this sum- mer; she said no ; he called her a liar, and said they were going out, and the Indians would serve them as they did last year : he also said the English had guns, ammunition, &c. to give them to go to war, and that they had given them plenty last year. This deponent also says, that she saw one of the Indians have Capt. Crab's sword, which she well knew ; that one of the
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roger
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Indians asked her if she knew Thomas Girty; she said she did ; he then said that Girty lived near Fort Pitt ; that he was a good man, but not as good as his brother at Detroit, but that his wife was a bad woman; she tells lies on the Indians, and is a friend.to America. Sworn before me the day and year first above written,
- JOHN WILKINS.
Sufferings of Peter Williamson, one of the settlers in the back parts of Pennsylvania .- Written by himself.
I was born within ten miles of the town of Aberdeen, in the north of Scotland, of reputable parents. At eight years of age, being a sturdy boy, I was taken notice of by two fellows belonging to a vessel, employed (as the trade then was) by some of the worthy merchants of Aberdeen, in that villainous and execrable practice of stealing young children from their parents, and selling them as slaves in the plantations abroad, and easily en- ticed on board the ship by them, where I was conducted between decks to some others they had kidnapped in the same manner, and in about a month's time set sail for America. When we arrived at Philadelphia, the captain sold us at about sixteen pounds per head. What became of my unhappy companions I never knew ; but it was my lot to be sold for seven years to one of my countrymen, who had in his youth been kidnapped like myself, but from another town.
Having no children of his own, and commiserating my condition, he took care of me, indulged me in going to school, where I went every winter for five years, and made a tolerable proficiency. With this good master I continued till he died, and, as a reward for my faithful service, he left me two hundred pounds currency, which was then about an hundred and twenty pounds sterling, his best horse, saddle, and all his wearing apparel.
Being now seventeen years old, and my own mas- ter, having money in my pocket and all other necessa,- ries, I employed myself in jobbing for near seven years ;
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when I resolved to settle, and married the daughter of a substantial planter. My father-in-law made me a deed of gift of a tract of land that lay (unhappily for me, as it has since proved.) on the frontiers of the pro- vince of Pennsylvania, near the forks of the Delaware, containing about two hundred acres, thirty of which were well cleared and fit for immediate use, on which were a good house and barn. The place pleasing me well I settled on it. My money I expended in buying stock, household furniture, and implements for out-of- door work; and being happy in a good wife my felicity was complete: but in 1754, the Indians, who had for a long time before ravaged and destroyed other parts of America unmolested, began now to be very trouble- some on the frontiers of our province, where they gene- rally appeared in small skulking parties, committing great devastations.
Terrible and shocking to human nature were the barbarities daily committed by these savages ! Scarce did they pass but some unhappy family or other fell vic- tims to their cruelty. Terrible, indeed, it proved to me. as well as to many others. I that was now happy in an easy state of life, blessed with an affectionate and ten- der wife, became on a sudden one of the most unhappy of mankind. Scarce can I sustain the shock which forever recurs on recollecting the fatal second of Octo- ber, 1754.
My wife that day went from home, to visit some of her relations. As I stayed up later than usual, expect- ing her return, none being in the house besides myself, how great was my surprise and terror, whenabout eleven o'clock at night, I heard a dismal war-whoop of the sar- ages, and found that my house was beset by them. I flew to my chamber window, and perceived them to be twelve in number. Having my gun loaded, I threat- ened them with death, if they did not retire. But how vain and fruidess are the efforts of one man against the united force of so many blood-thirsty monsters ! One of them that could speak English, threatened me in re-
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turn, "that if I did not come out, they would burn me alive," adding, however, "that if I would come out and surrender myself prisoner, they would not kill me." In such deplorable circumstances, I chose to rely on their promises, rather than meet death by rejecting them, and accordingly went out of the house, with my gun in hand, not knowing that I had it. Immediately on my approach they rushed on me like tigers, and instantly disarmed me. Having me thus in their power they - bound me to a tree, went into the house, plundered it of every thing they could carry off, and then set fire to it, and consumed what was left before my eyes. Not satisfied with this, they set fire-to my barn, stable, and out-houses, wherein were about 200 bushels of wheat, six cows, four horses and five sheep, all which were con- sumed to ashes.
Having thus finished the execrable business about which they came, one of the monsters came to me with a tomahawk, and threatened me with the worst of deaths, if I would not go with them. This I agreed to; and then they untied me, and gave me a load to carry, under which I traveled all that night, full of the most terrible apprehensions, lest my unhappy wife should likewise have fallen into their cruel power. At day- break, my infernal masters ordered me to lay down my load, when tying my hands again round a tree, they forced the blood out at my finger ends ; and then kind- ling a fire near the tree to which I was bound, the most dreadful agonies seized me, concluding I was going to be made a sacrifice to their barbarity. The fire being made, they for some time danced round me after their manner, whooping, hollowing, and shrieking in a fright- -- ful manner. Being satisfied with this sort of mirth, they proceeded in another manner, taking the burning coals, and sticks flaming with fire at the ends, holding them to my face, head, hands and feet, and at the same time threatening to burn me entirely if I cried out. Thus tortured as I was, almost to death, I suffered their bru- talities, without being allowed to vent my anguish oth-
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erwise than by shedding silent tears; and these being observed, they took fresh coals, and applied them near my eyes, telling me my face was wet, and that they would dry it for me, which indeed they cruelly did. How I underwent these tortures has been matter of won- der to me, but God enabled me to wait with more than common patience for the deliverance I daily prayed for.
At length they sat down round the fire, and roasted the meat of which they had robbed my dwelling. When they had supped, they offered some to me. Though it may easily be imagined I had but little appetite to eat, after the tortures and miseries I had suffered, yet was I forced to seem pleased with what they offered me, lest by refusing it, they should re-assume their hellish prac- tices. What I could not eat I contrived to hide, they having unbound me till they imagined I had eat all; but then they bound me as before; in which deplorable condition I was forced tocontinue the whole day. When the sun was set, they put out the fire, and covered the ashes with leaves, as is their usual custom, that the white people might not discover any traces of their hav- ing been there.
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