The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1865-11-17


Desperate condition of the settlers: !:
Massacre by The Indians i'm MOrriSOn's
Cove: kings Shin&aS and Beaver: John
Martin; Bedford troops succOr Fort Lig-
OEier.
| Some time subsequent to Forbes eX-
petition against Fort Duquesne, there
were small stockades at Juniata Cross
ings and at Stony Greek NOW in Som
erset county,. When the Indians began
| to be troublesome in 1862 and 1863, these
| stOckades were abandoned and their
| garrisOns concentrated at Fort Bedford.
Two full companies We're thus raised as
a garrison for that fort, which was a
place of refuge for the families of all
the settlers living within distance Of
| fifteen or twenty miles. These troops
were all volunteers. During the year
1863, Col. BOquet halted Lat Fort Bedford,
having been sent, with two regiments
of regulars and a large quantity of mil
itary stores, to relieve Fort Pitt, then
in state Of siege. The Colonel writes
that thefound matters in a desperate con-
ditiOn at Fort Bedford. The Indians
had attacked the families living on the
| frontierand had killed or captured some
eighteen persons, whilst all who had
not fallen into their hands, had escaped
only by fight. The country was in a
| state Of intense alarm, and the troops
in the fort feared greatly for its safety.
| To remedy this condition of affairs. Col.
BOquet strengthened the garrison by
| adding to its number two companies Of
his army, which saved the fort from at
| tack. 1t was during this outbreak of
the Indians, that terrible massacre
took place in Morrison's Cove. The
savages under the lead Of King Shingas
| lapOwerful chief of the Delawares) and
King Beaver, attacked the settlements
in that country with great fury. Near
| ly all the inhabitants were ''non-resist-
| ants" from religious convictions, and
many Of them fell beneath the ruthless
tOmahawk and scalping knife, without
| liftinga hand in seIf-defence. Numbers
We're taken prisoners, among them the
family Of one John Martin, who follow
ed the Indians on their retreat to their
town Of Tuscarawas, beyond the Ohio
river, with the hope Of recovering his
wife and children from captivity. He
succeeded in seeing his daughter, who
was in possession Of King Shingas, but
the latter refused to give her up to the
father, promising, however, that he
would surrender her and the rest of the
| captives to the provincial authorities.
Mr.. Martin then drew up and sent to
the Council, the following petition, but
whether his family was ever restored
| to him, we are not informed:
AUGUST 13, 1852.
The Humble Petition of Your Most
| Obedient Servant SheWeth, Sir, may it
pleas Your EXceliancy, Hearing me in
| Your Ciemancy few Words. /, One
| of the Bereaved of my Wife and five
| Children, by Savage War at the Captiv-
| ity of the Great Cove, after Many &
| Long Journeys, Il lLateIy went to- an In
| dian Town, viz, TuskarOWays, l50mileS
/ Beyond Fort Pitts. d EntreSted in Co.
| Bucquits d Co. Croghan's favor, So far
| as to bear their Letters to King Beaver
| Il Capt. Shingas, Desiring them to Give
up One of my Daughters to me, Whites
| Ihave Yet Sons & One Other Daugh-
ter, if Alive, Among them-and after
Seeing my Daughter with Shingas he
| Refused to Give her up, and after some
ExpOstulating with him, but all in vain,
he promised to Deliver her up with the
Other Captives to yr EXcellency.
Sir, yr Excellency's Most Humble
| Servt, Humbly and Passionately Be
| seeches Yr Benign Compassion to inter
pose Yr Excellencies Benefcent infiu-
| ence in favor of Yr EXcellencies Most
| Obedient and Dutiful Servt.
JOHN MARTIN.
From letter written at Carlisle, da-
ted August II, 1868, it would appear
that this John Martin did not belong
to the ''nOn-resistant" religionists, but
thought it quite proper to shoot at an
| Indian. He was one of the first of the
inhabitants of the Cove who detected
| the presence of the savages. The letter
| lust referred to, states that he discover
ed an Indian coming toward him, and
that he fired upon the savage immedi-
ately, whereupOn the latter uttered a
yell and "toOk to tree;" but, Martin,
supp0sing that there were more Indians
near at hand, alarmed theneighbOrhOOd
and followed the one he had fired at tC
bottom, "where they found the tracks
of six or seven more"
A letter from Gen. Henry BOquet
dated at Carlisle, July 3, 1868, states
that the militia of Bedford reinforced
Fort Ligonier, which was vigorously
but unsuccessfully attacked by the In.
| J;o1g Coz, pooy1a+ o++rib brItas tho SIlc.