The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-09-15
THE MASSACRE AT CHICAGO.

Chicago was Jean Baptisto Point.au
Sable, a native ofSt Domingo, who mad
his way to the vicinity of Chicago, abou
1896, aud began a life among the re,
men. He tried to make them bcliev
that he had been the great chief anon
his own people, in the hope that the Pot
towattamies would elevate him to simi
lar position among them. This, however
they failed to do, and he became disgust
ed and left, and finally died at Peoria, il
.he house of friend from the same islam,
as himself.
John Kinzie, a native of Quebec, wa
for twenty years the first white inhabi
tant of Northern Illinois, with the excep
tion of the military. In 1904, he mad
his home at Chicago, which was the yea
that the first fort was built Here b
settled with his family, and engaged il
trading with the Indians. lie was
man of judgment and shrewdness, an,
busines. prospercd with him. Every
thing went well until the calamity u
1912.
1t was on the evening of the seventl
of April that Mr.. Kinzie sat by the fir
in his house, playing the violin, while hi
happy children were dancing about tn
room to the music.
The tea.tabe was spread and the,
were waiting the return of the mother
who had gone to visit a sick neighbor
living quarter of a mile up the river
Matters within the building were il
this pleasant shape, when suddenly tn,
door WINS burst open, and Mrs Kinzit
white with terror dashed into the room
with barely strength enough to ar,iulatc
The Indians the Indians =
The Indians Where . eagerly de
manded her family.
They are killing and scalping at Lee
place
And then becoming more composed
she stated that while she was at thu
neighbor's, man and n boy were seer
running in great haste along the opposite
side Of the river. AS they were going
by, they called out for the people to save
themselves for the Indians we're at Lee.
massacring tho people, and they had JUS
succeeded in making their escape there
from. Scarcely pausing to give the
dreadful intelligence. they hurried or
down the river to the fort, which wa.
on the same side Of the river as themselves
Lees place, known in after years ai
Hard Scrabble, was farm ;n,ersected
by the Chicago river. about four mile.
from its mouth.
On the same side Of the uain stream
close to its junction with Lake Michigan
stood the dwelling.house and trading es
tablishment of Mr.. Kinzie. The fort with
a garrison numbering nearly eighty men
was on the southern side, directly opposite
these buildings
OF course the mothers alarming in,e.
ligeDce created the greatest CONSERVATION
in the Kinaic family
The old gentleman didn't want to finish
the tune upon which he was engaged. bu,
called to them all to maSe ready ut once
to accompany him to the fort
There was no time TO gather their
valuables and household effects, and they
hurried out Of the house almost in the
same minute the peril was announced to
them.
1t was dark, but the way was SO famil
lar that the river bank was reached few
minutes later. Here a couple of old pi.
rogues were moorcd, into which they oil
huddled, and few minutes later they
reached the fort, where for the present
they were safe
The Indians who had descended upon
Lees place where dozen Winnebagoes
A man and boy. who suspected them
from the first got away by little strate.
gy, but the other two were killed and
scalped
Although the garrison at the tort was
large in point Of numbers, yet few of the
men were effective.
The inhabitants inside the fort includ.
ed few discharged soldiers and families
OF half-breeds; and as the danger of an
attack was believed to be imminent, these
people intrenched themselves in the agen.
cy.house, which sto,d on the esplanade
west of the fort, between the pickets and
the river, and about twenty rods away
from the former.
Occasional alarms occurred until the
seventh of August following, when Cat.
fish, Pottowattamie chief, came into
the fort, bringing dispatches from General
Hull. These contained the important
news that war had been declared between
the United States and Great Britain, AND
that Hull, at the head of the army of the
Northwest, had arrived at Detroit aud
furthermore the island of Mackinac had
fallen into the hands of the British.
Captain Head, who had command OF
the fort, was ordered to evacuate it, il
practicable, aud distribute all the United
States property in it, and in the agency
among the Indians of the neighborhood
Catfish, the Pottowattamie chief, wa.
not only friendly Indian, but he was
one possessing great deal of shrewdnes.
and common sense. Having delivered
the dispatches, he sought out Mr.. Kinzie
telling him that he was acquainted with
their purport, and begged him to do what
he could to prevent the carrying out Of
the instructions, as they could safely
wait where they were until reinforcement,
were forwarded If tho captain should
decide upon evacuation, however, it should
be done Immediately The Pottowatta.
mie, through whose country it was nee.
essary to pass, having no suspicion oI
Catfsh's mission. forced march would
probably carry them beyond danger be-
fore they could be intercepted.
The officers did their utmost TO dissuade
the captain from the step but he replied
that he should carry out his instruction,
to the letter. In this determination h,
remained firm, and the soldiers aad officer,
became so impatient that they almost re
yolted. Everything was in confusi N
The Indians came around the fort, deian,
and insolent, and it was evident that 4
crisis was close at hand.
Captain Head called the leaders 20
eether, and informed them that he mean
IN trth th.,t Al