Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1825-11-24
at Winch l was presen
October 4th, 1926.

/ Uofl ~ N LDO w,
| October 4th, 1925.
He once told O. iie-Was the EN-
phatIcsl language used to me by an In
dian in the year 1894, when was at
teuding TO the surveying Of a large DO
dy of lands III what was then called
The French creek country, and west
of the Allegheny river, and as some
of my people were Killed by the Yves
fern Indians, | found it necessa
~, while The surveying was gong on,
to visit the Indian towns, on the Al
leghany river, frequ ntIy; they were
inhabited by the Senecas. General
Wayne was then on his way with his
army to the Indian settlements ON the
Miami river OF the Lake.
One day when | fYas at the Corn
planners town, the nevvs shout, las it
is called was heard; all the Indians
IN the village Immediately reured to
their houses, (and even thei, dogs
went with them, J when an old man
went out 10 meet the person no
brought the news, and to take him to
the Long Or Council house, where a
fire was made, and refreshments were
carried to him, and time given for him
TO dress and paint hRnaelf so as to
appear decent. When sufficient tine
had elapsed for these operations to be
| performed, the Chiefs went first TO
the house, and as the young men were
following, [ asked an Indian WHO
spoke English, and to whom Is he
proiessed to he g priest, physician and
| conjurer,) [ gave the nsma OF Doctor,
whether there was any improperly in
! my going to hear the news: He said
no, and that [ was received as a
friend and visiteT, ell the houses were
open to me, and If [ did not 90 with
ont sny ceremony 1t would sppear as
! if / doubted their words and hospi
tdiltY, which Sa. considered as the
! gree'eat ln.uIt that could bs put oil gu
Indian. For, if there was sny secret
business going on, they would Inform
me- OF it in friendly ~sy, and then [
might retire lncco dmely went with
him into the house, when the Chief.
immediately a. ose and gave me a seat
among them: ill The Indians were
smoking their pipes when | came in,
and the str~ngeI was sitting opposite
the Chiefs on -est, or rather plat
form, by himself; the time appeared
to me very long, as l was very anx
lous to hear the news, being much in
terested in the event, as the Indians
had been deIiberatirg whether or not
they would permit me to continue sur
veying, or send me ont Of the country,
and what surprised me was, that 30
one, contrary 10 their usual custom,
asked him for the news and was 1T a
loss to account fer their conduct e
ventually, the Indian himself, after
preincing the business with tellingthem
he had no doubt as they knew he had
been TO the West, they would be gra
tilted in hearing his news, to W hich no
one in the company appeared TO assent
to or to negative; he then gave an &C
count ofan affair between convoy of
Americans, (who were carrying rein
forcements and provisions to one of our
! frontier pOsts,) and the Indisns, and
that they had killed the commanding
officer and 4 number of our men; and
after he had related all he had to say,
no one asked him for any of the par,
/ tIculars oflhe action, or for any corrob
Grating circumstance, which appeared
, to me very unaccountable, as | had
formerly observed, they were partic-
ularIy polite to strangers and visitors,
and were vecy cautious tosay or 40
any thing to hurt taelr feelings: and as
soon after the Chiefs and the other
Indians began to leave the house.
left the house with the Doctor. As
soon as We had passed tie door, | eX-
pressed my surprised him at the man
ner ;hey had treated the man ~ no
brought the news, as it was SO differ
ent from any treatment | had before
seen, when visited by slrargers-and
| that onld thank him to inform me
OF the cause of it. When hc, whhou
amy hesitation. and with considerable,
emphasis, aus wered, lie once told
a lie > aud continued. tUhut that man
SAID may be 50 true, may be So
not" ace uitcags h>ten to uhG
ie,Cs man has 10 >uy, eUen tcLc
ne knolU hlnI to be tar b
whether we believe h!m or not, it /,