Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-09-16

1t was general custom amongst the ira.
ders to make friend of a leading man or
chief amongst the Indians. John Fraser
found such friend in leading Indian of
the Yamassee tribe, by the name Of Sanute.
Between these two individuals very great in
timacy existed. Sanute, together with his
warriors, was accustomed to make expeditions
into Florida. These expeditions sometimes
lasted for more than a year. At this time,
during one of Sanute's Southern strolls, John
Fraser married. So soon as Sanute returned,
he came to the house of his friend. No soon
er had he entered, than he called for basin
of water. This being brought, he took some
aromatic herbs which he said he had received
from St. Augustine, and began to bruise them
in the water. This accomplished, he asked
for the privilege of washing the face Of Mrs.
Fraser. After performing this ceremony,
Sanute placed his hands upon his breast and
declared that all thatwas in his bosom should
be revealed to her. No doubt this strange
conduct excited some misgivings in the breast
ofFraser. Mrs Fraser tremendously thanked
the chief for his kindness and proffered friend
ship, and gave him some presents. He de-
parted, and in about ten days, before the
savage war-whoop was raised, he returned.
True to his promise, he revealed the fact that
grand confederacy had been formed for the
utter determination of the English SETTLERS.
The bloody stick, he said, had been sent to the
various tribes, in the adj jacent region, and so
soon as it returned, the work would begin.
The English, he said, were all heretics; the
Governor at Charles Town was no longer their
King; and that the Governor ofSt. Augustine
was their King. Sanute revealed the fact
that the design of exterminating the English
had been formed more than year before hos.
tilities actually commenced. The Spanish
had selected warrior, by the name of lshia-
gaska, to visit the Creeks and inAame them
against the English. Fraser was urged to
make all haste to leave the region in which
he was, and make sure of his escape to Charles
Town. Sanute promised to assist him in ma
king good his escape by lending him his ca.
noe. Fraser hesitated, but his wife became
dreadfully alarmed, and he put his wife and
child, together with the most of his effects, into
the canoe and set out for Charles Town.
For some reason, Fraser failed to commu-
nicate the facts, which he had learned from
Sanute, to any one else Of the settlers. This,
as the sequel will show, was most unfortu.
nate neglect. 1t may be that Fraser did not
lay much stress upon the information receiv-
ed, and that he set out to Charles Town only
at the urgent request of his wife. The report
of Fraser was, perhaps, the first intimation
that Governor Craven and the citizens Of
Charles Town had of the intended hostilities
of the Indians. Notwithstanding this fact,
the settlers in the regions adjacent to Pocotal-
igo had, for long time seen many things
amongst the tribes which were mysterious.
So soon as the Governor heard of the hostile
designs of the Indians he sent Capt. Nairn
and John Cochran, in company with several
other individuals we'll known to the Indians,
to make inquiries respecting the difficulties.
The Indians were discovered to be very
gloomy. Capt. Nairu told them if they had
been injured in any particular that he came
for the purpose of making amends for any in
justice which they had suffered. They re-
piled that no one had injured them, and init
mated that the cause of their gloominess was
the fact that on the next morning, at an early
hour, they designed setting out on great
hunting expedition.
On the night of the 24th Of April, IT'S, as
a manifestation of friendship, the chief war
riors gave the English supper. The night
was spent as such occasions are usually spent.
The supper over, the warriors retired to their
tents and Capt. Nairn and his party retired to
sleep. At the break of day on the morning
of the 18th of April, IT'S, the warw-hoop
was raised. The council room in which the
English, the Yamassee King and war-chiefs
had spent the night, was surrounded. Capt.
Nairn, Thomas RuAiy and John Wright we're
instantly murdered. John Cochran, together
with his wife and four children, were taken
prisoners, but afterward they were quito death.
An athletic man by the name Of Seaman
Burroughs beat his way through the savages,
and although severely wounded in the cheek,
he, together with little boy, swan the river
and ran with all possible speed and warned
the settlers in the vicinity of Port Royal OF
what was going on and what they might ex-
pect. Around Pocotaligo ninety individuals
fell before the infuriated savages. Hideous
were the yells of the monsters as they rushed
from house to house killing all before them.
The scene was rendered more hideous by the
screams of the women ard children.
1t soon became evjien that all the tribes,
from Florida to Cape Fear, were combined
together. Desperate was the condition of the
inhabitants. The only place of safety in the
province was Charles Town. The Indians
divided into two parties. One party directed
its course toward the settlement in the neigh
borhood of Port Royal the other toward St.
Bartholomew's. A merchant ship lay at an
chor in the Port Royal river. The people
having been warned by Burroughs, of the
hostilties of the Indians, at once took refuge
on this ship. The Rev. Guy and about three
hundred Of the people of St. Helena were thus
providentially saved. A few families who,
from the great dispatch with which the In
dians acted, not having warning Of their sp-
proach, fell prey to their cruel hate. The
inhabitants of St. Bartholomew Jared worse.