Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1862-02-20

COLONEL CRAWEORD'S DISASTER
A. HISTORICAL SKETCH.
BY EMERSON BENNETT.

AS early rs the year l7Gl and 1862, II
few pious, undetermined men conceived
the idea of @ivilizing, humanizing, and
ChristaniHlng tho barbarous savagcs OF
the Wes,, and two noble disciples Of the
Great Maslrr--Frcdcrick Post and John
llcckewcldcr-wcnt among them for the
purpose. Others followed these glorious
pioneers, aud three regular stations ON
the Tuscarawas river, in the eastern part
Of Ohio, with quite II number Of Indian
converts Of both sexes, were the result
Of their hbo s. These stations, besides
their distinctive titles Of Shoenbrun,
Gnadcnhuttcn and Salem, were more
generally known as the Moravian Miss
ions or Towns, and their converted in
habitants rs the Moravian Indians. These
wilderness natives, from different tribes,
under the teachings, prcachings and prac,
tees of the good missionaries. Strovc to
become learned and exemplary Christians,
and 10 carry cut their new doctrine and
faith, they became, like the Quahers, non
rcsistants. When the war Of the Rev
olu,ion broke out, these poor Indians
were pIaccl between two fires. The war
like whites abused them because they
were Indians, and the war-likc savagcs
called them squaws and towards because
they would not take up arms against the
Americans, while both parties alike rob
beA aud pluudered them with impunity.
But, oh ! Il thousand timcs worse than
| thi,--and to the shame Of civilization be
it spokcn-a band of white wrctches-n
band Of ungodly robbers, cut-throats and
assassins-wc can find no mlIdcr eplthct
to suit the runians--a band OF white
wrctchcs, we say, numbering hundred,
diguiicd by thenamc of volunteer militia,
and commanded by Colonel Wllliam-
son, boldly marched against these few
piuus, unrcsisting red men, and after de-
cciying them with the most damnable
lies, telling them they were there friends,
who had come to conduct them to Fort
Pitt, (now Pittsburgh, Pa, where they
would in future be protected and cared
for, aud having by thi, means got them
collected together to the number of nine
/ ty-lour men, women and children, did
then and there--What? We blush t,
record it, for this company Of volunteer
MALTA were American settlers of western
Pennsylvania and western Virginia, an,
God forgive us as II nation if we have
many such licndish bands among us
But what did they do? We shall tel
; you.
They fist disarmcd the unSuspcctin,
victimcs, then bound them, then pcnnc,
] =, Ia 4 h,n.,. aud il,nn 1nli
atcly, in cold blood, with guns, spears
tomahawks and ScoIping-kuiveS. buch
cred them in detail-shot, stabbed am
Drained them enc by one--men, wome
and children-.-the poor Indians the Will
singing the Christians hymns, and pray
ing to the Christians God, rs they ha
been taught by the Christian missionaries
OF the ninety yfour poor, iuoilenSive In
dians thus seized by tho most Internal
lying tcachery, onl y two--two littl
boys--cscaped from the horrid scene q
massacre, and these not by any favor q
the white iends, but solely by God
Providence
We may find the parallel of this at
rocity in savage life, but rarely in civil
lzed. And il we condemn S0DageS 70
such acts, what language should expires
our adherence of our enlightened citizens
A palliation Of the enormous crime ha
been attempted. on the ground that sav
ages had committed fearful depreciation
on their white neighbors in Pennsylvania
and Virginia. Then why not retaliat
on the agSressors Why seek out an,
wantonly mrder these poor, innocen
Moravians, who were known to be boll
. religious and friendly? Oh, shame, wher
' is thy blush? oh, inlamy, where is tn,
sting?
But was this massacre sufficient to glu
the vengeance of these human fends?-
Nd No the DEVILS work was not yet finished
They next robbed and plundered all the
= could, and then set fire to the house,
l. entirely consuming the little village, an