Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-04-07

been solely instrumental in presenting himself,
so unfortunately and with so much rancor and
vindictiveness to the public. You are his pro-
tector and friend, not exempt by age or any
other cause, voluntarily in the field, fully re-
sponsible, skilful and impetuous, as the emer-
gency may require. in making or receiving a
charge. 1t is for this reason my letter is ad-
dressed to you instead of him.
| will address myself at once to the facts of
this narrative, and, because your father through
you, has given only partial extracts from it,
will introduce rough outline of it in connec-
ted form, and endeayor to meet his conjectures
and hypotheses
The families of the settlement at the mouth
of the Wysox at the time of the capture, num-
bered three, viz :-SEBAsrIAN SrRoPE, wife and
children; Of whom Mrs WHITAKER. nv inform
ant was one ; JOHN SrRopE. wife and children
Mr.. and Mrs VAN VALKENBURG and their un-
married daughter Eva These families were
all connected The MessrS SrRoPE were bro
theirs and each had married dahghtef of Mr.
| VAN FALKENBURG.
The date of their emigration from Catskin
TO WySox was l773-4, nearly FIVE years pre-
viouS TO the capture. All of them were cap
tured in May IT'S, with the exception of Sg-
n,
had gone TO the Forts at Wyoming to procure
& sufficient guard and help 10 protect and aid
him in removing the families and their valua-
bleS to Wyoming. which was then viewed. in
| comparison with their remote frontier residence
as place of security.
The houses Of the settlement were all de-
Stroyed and the captives We're taken at once
10 TiOga Point, and there given up TO a Bri-
! tish officer at the head of his Rangers and In
dams. In the latter part of July, they were
taken up to Bainbridge and Unadilla Short
I ly after, they were sent back TO Tioga Point
/ Thence in the Fall they were sent, bv the usual
trail, 10 Fort Niagara. In the published Sc
rieS of the ST Nicholas, these Journeys are Civ
en- toleraby full, although facts might, aud
should have been given more in detail Mr.
/ VAN NALKENBURG and JOHN SrRoPE had been
sent, Immediately after the capture, as prison
/ ers under Indian escort TO Fort Niagara, where
they were in confinement when their families
arrived
Having remained a short time at the Fort
they were all then sent down the Lake to
Ducks Island in a vessel. In the narrative
as given me bv Mrs WHITAKER. she calls it
Bucks Island but knowing that it could
have been none other than the one al the foot
of the Lake | felt warranted in correcting.
what was with her evidently, only defect of
memory. From that point they were sent in
bateauN 10 st. Johns where they remained du-
ring the greater part Of their captivity after
ward to Machiche and soon after TO tue Vi
cinitv of Montreal and in the Autumn Of 1850.
they we're SeRt. with three hundred other cap
tiyc> for exchange, by cartel, 10 SkeneSboro',
now W hitehaI Thence they were sent in
such vehicles as could be then procured. 10 their
various homes. Upon hearing the news Of the
return Of 50 many captiyeS SEBASTIAN STEaPE
fastened 10 Albany, and pushing on at once
toward SheaeSborOugh. met his long lost fami-
ly and friends. including his aged father and
mother-ia-iaw and others. Such meeting
words are inadequate 10 describe.
He took them all TO CatSkill and remained
there until peace vas established aud the next
Spring returned 10 WySox To which place the
Others followed in the Fall The full particu-
lars, as embodied by NE in the June July aud
September numbers of the 81. Nicholas can
not. of course. be detailed here This rough
outline Is sufficient for cur present purpose.
Among other incidents which occurred after
the return 10 NvSoX. aud may be appropriate
ly re-Stated here was this JOHN SECuRD.
noted Tory, after the war, attempted 10 settle
in Mr.. STRoPE's neighborhood and So indignant
( was the latter. on account Of that mans cruel
/ " 10 the captiyeS while they were prisoners
/ upon the SuSquehaRna, that he sought him
cut, whipped him aud drove him from the
country.
/ The name of Mrs JANE WHITAkERs first
/ husband was JEREMIAH WHITE In the wear
1877, soon after their marriage. they removed
up the river, As did many Of the Wyoming he
/ r0eS, the SATTERLEES, ELISEs, HANNAS. Ran
SONS ALpENS. FORsYTEs Sc. Mr.. WHITE set
f.. he'd on land on the west side of the Owego
! Greek, now the town Of 1ioga but less than
a mile from cur village. From that date
/ down TO the time of her removal to Berkshire,
I Ill this County. u few years since, where she
went 10 reside with her daughters, Mrs. HAN
NAH HUI and Mrs. LYDIA OLNEY, whom she
( left about the year 1880. 10 take up her resi-
dCnce with her son, OLIyER " HTTAKER, most
f respectable gentleman OF Toulon Illinois, where
( she died She was known 10 all Of our citi-
I ZcnS. and from the first 10 the last she bore a
( character which the public here viii say. Mr..
CHARLES MINER and WILLIAM Penn MINER
might be proud 70 eujoy, even with their proud
breasts Of which they beast. is pratt and
. strange Inconsistency In the same para
graph, and with types from the same font which
I they 80 freely use in hlackening hers.
Sooa after her settlement in the toNn Of
TTo-a. an incident occurred which was not In
. corInrated into heF narrative az published Ii
was not then deemed important. II is BOW,
give II in her precise words - One Cole
was 4 Tory in the time Of the war He came
10 our house 4 surveying party was there
Surveyor PIxLEY among the rest CorE boSs-
ted tha; az Such and such places he had led
the enemy. Mv blood boiled when recolec-
ted how much we had all suffered | said TO
him. " walk out OF the door He hesitated
my husband was away, bat ColE obeved me
and went and took Seat in front Of the house
and the men went out and sat around him and
= IL Il. I