Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1841-05-07

Read before the Illinois State Lyceum, Dec. 6, 1892.
BY THOMAS LIPPlNCOTT.


Read before the Illinois State Lyceum Dec. 6, 1882.
BY THOMAS LIpplNcoTT.
Among the various incidents Of the early
settlements of Illinois, and those of the last
war with Great Britain, that have commanded
the attention OF writer's, there is one which |
do not remember TO have seen in print, that
we'll deserves TO be preserved among the re-
cords of frontier hardihood and suffering. |
refer to the massacre of woman and six chill
dren, by the Indians, in the forks of Wood
river, in 1914. The following is given as an
authentic sketch of the facts, taken from the
lips of Capt. Abel Moore and his wife, who
were sufferers in the transaction.
Travellers who have passed on the direct
road from Edwardsville to Carrolton, will re-
member at pleasant plantation on the banks
Of the east branch of Wood river, shor, dis
lance from the dwelling house and powder-mill
Of Mr.. George Moore, an old building com.
posed of rough, round logs, the upper story Of
which projects about foot on every side, be-
yond the basement This, in times of peril,
was block-house, or in the common phrase,
fort, to which the early settlers rescrted for
safety. Pursuing the road about two miles,
to an elevated point on the bank of the west
fork, where the road turns abruptly down into
the creek, another farm, now in possession Of
younger member of the family of Moores,
exhibits the former residnce of Reason Rea-
gam and midway between these two points,
resides Capt. Abel Moore, on the same spot
which he occupied at the period to which our
narrative relates. William Moore lived near
ly south of Abel's on road which passes to-
wards Milton. Upper Alton is from two to
three miles, and Lower Alton from four to five
miles distant from the scene Of action.
l, appears, that while the giant rangers were
securing the country, ever on the alert, the in
habilants, 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 security that they went to their iarmes and
dwellings,, with the hope Of escaping further
depredalions in the forks of Wood river, were
some SIX or eight families, whose men were
for most part i'll the ranging service, and whose
women aud children were thus left to labor for
and defend 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, induced
them to leave it as soon as prudence would at
all permit.
Nor had the hardy inhabitants forgotten,
alnids. their dangers, the duties of social life,
nor their high obligations to their Creator
The Sabbath shone, not oniy upon the domes-
tic circle, as gathered round the flfeside altar,
but It's haliowed light was shed Oh groups col
lected in the rustic edj!ices which the piety Of
the people had erected for divine worship.
1t was on the Sabbath, the 10th of July,
1911, that the painful occurrence took place,
which now record. Reason Reagan had gone
to attend divine worship at the Westinghouse,
some three miles off, leaving his wife and two
children at the house Of Abel Moore, which
was on the way. About four o'clock in the
afternoon, t.rs. Reagan went over to her own
dwelling, to procure some little articles OF con-
venence, being accompanied by six children,
two of whom were her own, two were chill
dren of Abel Moore, and two Of WIN. Moore.
Not far from, probably little after, the same
time, two men of the nelghborhood passed
separately, believe in the opposite direction
to that in which Mrs. Regan went; and one
of them heard at certain place, low call,
as of boy, which he did not answer, and Tor
a repetition of which he did not delay. But
he remembered and told 1t afterwards.
When il began to grow dark the families
became uneasy at the protracted absence OF
their respective members; and William Moore
came to Abel's, and not finding them there,
passed on towards MIR. Reagan's, to see what
had become OF his slSter-In-laW and children !;
and nearly about the same time, his vile went
across the angle directly towards the same
place. Mr.. Moore had not been long absent
from his brothers. before he returned with the
information that some one was killed by the
Indians. He had discerned the body OF
person lying on the ground, but whether man
or woman, it was too dark for him to see With
out closer inspection than was deemed safe.
The habits of the Indians were too we'll known
by these settlers, to leave man in Mr.. Moore's
situation free from the apprehension OF an am
buscade still near.
The frs, thought that occurred, was to flee
to the 5lock-house. Mr.. Moore desired his
brothers. family to go directly to the fort,
while he should pass by his own house to take
his family with him. But the night was now
dark, and the heavy forest was at that time
scarcely opened here and there by little farm,
while the narrow road wound through among
the tall trees, from the farm of Abel Moore to
that of his brother, Geo. Moore, where the fort
was erected. The women and children there
fore chose to accompany VIM. Moore, though
the distance was nearly doubled by the mea-
sure.
The feelings of the group as they CROPPED
their way through the dark woods, may be
more easily imagined than described. Sorrow
for the supposed loss of relatives and children.
was mingled with horror at the manner Of
their death, fear for their own safety, aud pain
at the dreadful idea, that the remains Of their
dearest friends lay mangled on the cold ground
near them, while they were denied the prlvl-
lege of seeing ard preparing them for sepnl-
ture.
Silently they passed on till they came to the
dwelling of William Moore; and when they
approached the entrance, he exclaimed, as If
e. ..u,, J.o.Ir,I apurohonSiOn