Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-07-27
Pioneer Life and History OF
WyatidUt County.
BIT A. W. BRfNKERuoFF-
CHAPT. IL V-No. II.

revolutionary contest OF the Americans
and the mother country. 1t was under
| taken with the very worst OF views. those
of plumber and murder; il was conducted
without sufficient means to encounter
with any prospect ofSuccess. the large
forces OF Indians opposed TO our men in
the plains of San!usky.
1T was conditctp,l without that Suhortli-
nation and disciplin" so requisite to in
sure success 5 in any hazardous enterprise.
md it eide'i in Il total discontinue.
Never did an enterprise more completely
fail of attaining its oljrrt. Never. on
nv occasion. had the ferocious savayrs
mere ample revenge tor the murder oi
their pcific friends. than that which
they obtained on this occasion. Shoul,
1t be asked what considerations led so
| great a nttmber OF people into this le>-
perate enterprise? Why with so small Il
:orce and such slender means they push
ell on so far as the plains of 5anllsky y
1.-The answer Ia. that many believed
that tie Moravian Indians. taking no
mrt in the war, and having given offence
TO the wal riorS on several occasions. theI
belligerrnt friends would not tIke u j
arms in their behalf. In rhi> onjrcture
they were sadly mistaken. They did de-
cnd them with all the force at their
,.omnlai.tl. and no wonder. for notwitii-
standing their christian an,i pacific prin-
ripies. the warriors Still regarded tue
| NOravianS as their relations, whom ii
Na~ their duty To defend"
| The foregoing, no Doubt is rs nearly
correct Us anything we will ever get al
ohat event whiCl makes historic the
Ila ins OF ) inttuSAy. ami t!Ie T. 'unty 0l
] Nyandot. AMI which reaches DIca. very
ar. in the history of the great west. and
covers the first bloody contest between
| irIuc,i u,t. SO tar from civilization, west
..l.
history.
Coivllel John johnson saws The Spot
where Crawford su lrre,l was Il few miles
vest OF Upper Saniushy. Oh the Old trace
| lea'iing to I'll" Big Spring. Nyundot
5Uwn." the Big Spring. WyandOt town
| l. distant from the present Upper SAN
| n>kt about fifteen miieS-I little wesi
| IT norti, and near Il Z South West corner
| It ~ nrra County. AMI i'll said County
| The spot where Crawford Suffered was
| ~, esC OF l. pper oIn,lisky, but nearl,
! North and distant about Ell siIu miles. Col
| Johnson Sav> tine precise Spot" is now
owned by the heirs of Daniel Hodge. anu
| > Il beautiful ere en- With sn.ne tine Oak
recs in the vicinity" That the precise
| spot i, on the farm referred to bY Col.
| Juln>,II there. Is but little doubt. bu,
| just Uhere on saiu farn the precise Spot j.,
-tt... We Bcfi.ve. Il matt. T. of consider
a.
50 cJlletl--alongthe TYmoclitcc. and There
1t WAS they burnt Craw wtord in satisfaction
II the iiii>>..crc vi their people ut tue
MOravian towns on the MuskiHssilm.
The following. describing an interview
Which Crawford hat with tHe lnlitn
CnIef. Wiugenund. Just previous to his
death, Is from Heckewel,ici. SOM
,uut.ts or its liutil. have been cXpra-sei
IS the historian uccncwelder has often
tn, ,lft
but Col. johnson, (guod authurIty here
cX presses the opiuion that lit is doubt
ie>S in the main correct.
We again select from the "lIiStory Oi
OnIu."
..Ningenund. an In lin Chiet. ha an
interview with Col. CriwtDri just brfur,
MS execution. lie II Ill been knowE tn
Craw lord so.nr time before. an nad been
on terms OF frIn isnip wiGu him. ana
kindly entertiin.,l ny him ut his own
uuuSc anu therefore felt much attacne,,
10 the Colonel. NinSenund had retired
70 his cabin that h mi-ht not see the
sentence executed, but Crawford sent TO"
MIN with the faint hope tait lie wOulu
interceuc for him. and save him. Win
genund accort Ing soon Appealed in e
presence OF Crawford. VINO was naked and
bon I'd to Stake. Ningenund com
menred the conversation win mmci,
WINGENUND.-'Are You hot CJl. Craw
furd:
CRAwFoRD.-''l am"
Winsenuiui, somewhat agitateu, I,
| calculates, 30 Yes .-indeed!'
CRAWFoRD.-"Do you not recollect the
| friendship THAT always existed between
| us. and that we were always glad TO see
| each Otner?
WINGENUND-Yesi l remember all
RI. "A n frnIl al ran tn
yethcr, and that YOU have Leen Kind to
me-"
CRAWFORD Then | hope the same
friendship still cohtluues.
WINGESUND.-"lt would. of course.
were you where you ought to be, and not
| here"
CRAWFORD why not here?
hope you would not dtserta friend III
| time of need. Now is the time for you
10 exert yourself in my behalf, as /
ehould ,!o iory, u were you in my place"
| NINGENUNU-.Culo Crawford you
| have placed yourself i'll IL situation tina,
| puts il gu, OF my power, ANA that OF Others
| of your friends To do amy thing for yoa'
LRAwFoRD-"HOw SO, Captain VIM
| geuund -
NINGENUND.-"By joining yourself to
! that eXeCraDle man, W llllaniSon. anu his
party. the man Vino. but the otner day.
|
| Indians. knowing tnem to be friends /;
| knowin. that lie ran no risk in murderin =
| Il people VINO would not tight and whose
only business was praying"
| CRAWFoRD.-"BuJl assure you, Win
yenund, tnaL hail been with him at the
| Time, this would not have happened. Not
| alone, but all your friends. and all Sood
men, whoever they are. reprobate acts oi
| this kind.
WINGENUND-"That may be; yet these
friends. these good men. did not prevent
| him from going out again to Kill the re-
mainder OF these inotft nSive, yet foolish
| Muravidn Indians. L say foolish BECAUSE
they believed the whites ia preference To
us. We mad often told them they would
one day be So treated by those people
| who called themselves their friends! We
told them there Was no faith TO be placed
in what the white man said; that theil
lair promises were only intended to al
lure Us, that they might the more easily
Kill Us, as they had done many Indians
before these Moravian5."
CRAWFoRD.-'.I am sorry to h ear yOr
speak thus aS to W illiamson going on
again. when it was known he WAS tie
lcr,nineu Oh it, went with him to pre-
vent his committing fresh murders"
WINGENUND.-''lhis his tile Indians woul;
not believe. were even to tell-them so.
CRAWFORD why would they no
believer!
: NINGENUND- D-"Because it would hav
been out OF your power to have prevent
ed his doing what he pleased"
CkAwFoRD-.'Out-oI nay power! Have
, any MoravIan Indians been killed u
: hurt since We came out
WINGENUND-"But You first went t.
their town and finding iG deserted, yo
turned on the path toward us. If yo
: mad been in search of warriors only. yO
q would not have gone ttither. Our spie
:, watched you clcseiy. They Saw yo
while yoa were emUodyinS yOurselve
On the other side of the Ohio. They Sd,
: you cross the eriver-they saw where yO
n encamped for the night-they saw yo
4 turn Off from the path to tue deserte