Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-07-06
Pioneer Life and History OF
Wyand0t County.
u n " . D4N4 y A Z 1s''1 .
CHAPTER iN-No. Il.

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| greatest degree OF cruelty. and no pun
| ishment. in its eyes. is too bar5arous,
| as penalty for crime. So in this in
| stance. There sat. in the power of saVa-
IeS. five white laen-scldierS once-uow
| captives; near them sat their chief COM
mandcr. Ills earnest friend had Just lett
| him. guarded by other barbarians, never,
| probably to be seen again. Tie bloody
| work was soon to commence. Warriors
| had done their work. Squaws and boys
must now be the instruments Of butciI-
cry! Cold blooded murderi
The touahawk and scaipinr-kaife gilt
ter in the sunlight--are raised above the
heads Of the five doomed men. and COM
ing down, crash through the skulls OF
their Victims. Five men sleep in death
five spirits have returned to God WI o
gave them. During all this there sat.
wondering how am | to die?" the conf
mander Of that fatcd army. .ind well
we'll might he wonder; for If such WAS
the fate Of the soldier, what must be that
of the commander in like hands?
Amongst those thus slain was Captain
Mckinley who had long and well served
in the Revolutionary war. an Old Squaw,
iU is said. seized him by t. .iaii'. AID
with Il long knife Instantly cut OF Il s
head and kicked it nearly to where CrI'
ford sat in expectation OF 4 similar fate.
drove Crawford before them to the vii
lage.
Grty soon appeared, mounted, coming
from Sandusky. He stopped for few
moments. and spoke to Crawford, and,
then, passing to the rear of the party.
addressed knight-'.Is this the doctor -
lie asked, with an insulting smile. Yes!
Mr.. Gifty, / am glad to sec yoa !, re-
piled poor Knight, advancing toward
a; 4 hand tEjrI,
curses, Girty turned away. scOrnfully.
The Shawanee warrior who had charge
of him, now dragged him along with a
rope. Girty. following on hOrscb tc K ,
informed the Dr. that he Id be tax, II
to Chiilicothe. Soon they arrived at Il
spot where was Il large fire, around
which were assembled about thirty war
riors and many squaws and boys.
As soon us the Colonel arrived at this
spot he was surrounded. stripped OF asi
his apparel, and compelled to sit on the
ground near the fire, after which, they
at once beat him most severely. Soon
after Il large stake was driven, or fixed
in the ground and piles OF small poles
about twelve feet long We're spread
around CraTfords hands were then tied
behind his back, and one end Of Il strong
rope was fastened to the ligature, be-
tween his wrists, anu the other end tieC
to the bottom of the stake, and left OF
such length as to permit him to walk
around the stake several times in one
direction and then the same in an oppo
site direction. Fire was then applied to
the center OF the poles several yards dis
tant from the stake.
1t now became painfully evident to
Crawford that he was To die by fire! The
quick, bloody work of the tOmaha VIZ,
was not to end his career. ReSerYed for
him-the leader OF the invaders baud
was more barbarous, cruel an terrib
death 0, what must have been the te1
ings OF that man, cha ined as lie was TO
the stake of death; with the horriI in
strumentS OF savage torture OH The fire
preparing for the cruel work; with not
only DAYS but hours mum bereG, and with
the coming hour such Suffering is only
barbarians could invent and inilict, and
of the exact character OF which even
Crawford could not tell-but OF ore thing
he now was certain, and that was that
he Was to be burned Again the thought
CT home. friends, and all dear ON earth
to him filled his soul! His earthly ca
rcer was behind him; eternity, with ali
lis uncertainty, before, and in the very
near future. and the burning faggU5s near
by, and already preparing for the cruel
work In view OF all this, and now with
the almost certain knowledge of what
awaited him, Crawford called to q irty,
who sat on horse but a few yards from
him. and asked if the Indians were going
to burn him. Girty very cooilV replied
that they were. Calmly and firmly the
Colonel received the reply OF Girty,
merely remarliing that he would bear il
with fortitude.
The poles now being burned in sunder.
in the middle, Captain Pipe arose and
addressed the crowd, in an energetic.
manner, and with earnest gestures, poiLt-
ing often to the Colonel, who regard, d
him with an appearance OF compOSure.
At the close of Pipes address, Il loud
whOop rent the air, an all rushed upon
the defenseleSS and p0WerIeSS CraW ford
For Il brief period the mass was so
dense that Knight could net discover the
| character of their operations.
When the tiends had fallen back so
| that Knight could again look upon Craw..
| ford. he beheld iIiin with his ears cut oil
and blood aiming down over his face.
| Aud now commenced the scene OF tor
| ture. too horrible to describe, and under
| which Craw ford soon closed his eyes up
on the world forever. Charges OF pow
der were shot into his naked body by tie
| WarriOrS-cOmmenci with the caiyt 5
| his legs and continuing upward to the
neck. The boys applied the burning
| ends of the poles to the tender flesh; and
as he ran around tha stake to escape the
| fury of Savages a5 one side, he was
promptly met by the tormenters ut the
other side with burning poles. hot irons,
| and charges of powder. Which, with
| yells and tauntS, were constantly being
shot into his blistered and lacerated
flesh! The squaws, more devIlish than
the men, were engaged in throwing hot
ashes and embers upon his body, by
which he soon was compelled to walk
on bed OF fire. In the extremity of
his agony, the suffering mortal. called.
| impiorin9iy to GirtY, in tones which
rang. maGdenin2ly through the brain OF
| Knight" Girty Girty!! Shoot me
through the heart! Quick! Quick,, Do
not refuse me!H' Indiiferentiy, coldiy
and as if satisfied with the manner in
which Cra v ford was being treated this
enemy of his own race, replied. Don't
you see | have no gun. ColOnel:' Then
bursting into a loud laugh he turned to
an Indian beside him and uttered some
brutal jests upon the naked and misera-
bic appearance of the suffering man.
For nearly two hours had the suffer-
ings of this fated man, and the horrors o
this scene lasted, and Crawford was
much exhausted. Slowly he still Wake d
around the stake-spokc in low and
plaintive tones-bese eching God to look
with compassion upon hini, and forgive
! his sins
His nerves having lost much of their
sensibility. he shrank no longer from
the burning brands with which they still
continued to probe him.
At last, faint, weary and exhausted
he sank upon his face, and lay as if dead
Instantly an Indian sprang upon hi;
back, and With the terrible knife Gu