Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1833-08-07
From the Western Monthly Magazine.
THE WOOD RIVER MASSACRE

Among the various incidents of the
early settlement of Illinois, and those OF
the late war with Great Britain, that have
commanded the attention ofwriters, there
is one which | do not remember to have
seen in print, that well deserves to be pre-
served among the records of frontier har-
dihood and suffering. refer to the mas
sacre of woman and six children, by the
Indians, in the forks Of Wood river in
l814.-Thc following is given as an au-
thentic sketch of the facts, taken from the
lips of Captain Abel Moore and his wife,
who were sufferers in the transaction.
Travellers, who have passed on the di-
rect road from Edwardsvillc and Carroll
ton, will remember, at a pleasant Planta,
ton on the banks Of the cast branch oil
Wood river, short distance from the
dwelling house and powder mill of Mr.,
George Moore, an old building, composed
of rough, round logs, the upper story OF
which projects about a foot on every side,
beyond the basement. This in times OF
peril, was a block house, or in the com
mon phrase fort, to which the early set
tiers resorted for safety. Pursuing the
road about two miles, to an elevated spot
on the bank of the west fork, where the
road turns abruptly down into the creek,
another farm, now in the possession OF a
younger member Of the family of Moores,
exhibits the former residence of Reason
Reagan; and mid way between these
points, resides captain Abel Moore, on the
same spot which he occupied at the Pc
riod to which our narrative relates. Will
lam Moore lived nearly South of Abel's,
on road which passes towards Milton.
Upper Alton is from two to three miles,
and Lower Alton four or five miles dis
tant from the scene of action.
1t appears, that while the gallant ran
gers were securing the country, ever on
the alert, the inhabitants, who for several
years had huddled together in forts, for
fear of the Indians, had in the summer
of 1914, attained to such sense of secu-
rity, that they went to their farms and
dwellings, with the hope of escaping fur
ther depredations. In the forks of Wood
river, were some SIX or eight families.
whose men for the most part, were in the
ranging service; and whose women and
children were thus left to labor and de-
fend themselves. The block house which
have described; was their place of re-
sort on any alarm: but the inconvenience
and difficulty of clustering so thickly, in
duced them to leave it as soon as pru-
dence would permit.
Nor had the hardy inhabitants forgot
ten, amidst their dangers, the duties of So
cial life. nor the higher obligations of their
Creator. The Sabbath sfone not only
upon the domestic circle, as it gathered
round the fireside altar, bat its hallowed
light was shed on groups collected in the
rustic edifices which the piety of the peo-
pie had erected for divine worship.
1t was on Sabbath the tenth of July.
1914, that the painful occurrence took
place which now record. Reason Rea.
gan had gone to attend divine worship at
the meeting house, some two or three
miles Oft, leaving his wife and two chill
dren at the house of Abel Moore, which
was on the way. About four o'clock in
the afternoon. Mrs. Reagan went over to
her own dwelling to procure some little
articles OF convenience, being accompa-
MED by six children of Abel Moore and
two of William Moore. Not far from,
probably little after, the same time, two
men of the neighborhood, passed separ-
ately, l believe, along the road, in the op-
posite direction to that in which Mrs.
Reagan went; and one of them heard at
certain place, a low call, as of a boy,