Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1881-03-30

4 y
as it was, to be false, of his own accord
an. wered him: You need not be SO
particular to tell US your name; we
know your name, and you, too. I've
had a vilanious, untrustworthy cur
dog this long while, named Simon
Girty, in compliment to you; he's SO
like you-just as ugly and just as wick
ed As to the cannon, let them come
on the couDtry's reused and the scalps
of your read cut-throats, and your own
too, will be drying on our cabins in
'wenty-four hours This spirited re-
ply produced good results. Girty in
turn was disheartened, and with his
Indians soon withdrew
Passing over further detailed ac-
counts of the numerous murderous forays
against the Americans, we come to
that noted campaign against the San
dusky Indian towns in 1882, led by
Col. William Crawford Girty's bru-
tality reached its climax when be
viewed with apparent satisfaction the
most horrible and excruciating tortures
| which that ill-fated but brave and gal
land officer was doomed to undergo !;
and this episode in his career has placed
his name among the most infam3 Jus,
whose long catalogue Of crimes causes
shudder as the details are penred,
even after the lapse of century.
During the next seven years little is
recorded of this desperate, save that
he married year after Crawford's de-
feat, Catharinc Malptt, captive
among the Shawanese. They had
several children. She survived her
husband many years, and died at an
advance age.
Notwithstanding Girty's brutality,
depravity and wickedness, he never
lost the confidence and esteem of the
Indians. During the several cam
paigns which resulted so disastrously
to tie Americans, the advice of Simon
Girty was conslusive. 1t is stated
that after St. Clar's defeat "a grand
council was held at the confluence of
the Maumee and the Auglaize by
nearly all the Northwestern tribes, to
take into consideration the situation of
affairs; and Simon Girty was the only
white man permitted to be present :
and as in the subsequent conference of
1898, it was determined mainly
through the exertions of Girty to con-
tinuc hostilities.
The same year, while commissioners
On the part of the United States at
tempted to negotiate with the colfed
crate nations for an adjustment of our
difficulties with Indians, Girty acted
as Interpreter. His conduct was ex-
ceodingiy inso,cnt; and it is related
that he was not only false in his duty
as interpreter, but that he run quill
or long feather through the cartila &c Of
his nose cross-wise, to show his con-
tempt for the American gentleman
present
At the defeat of General. St. Clair
Girty was present on the British side,
and saw and knew General Richard
Butler, second in com nand, who lay
upon the field wr;thing from the agony
Of his wounds. The traitor told saw
age warrier that the wounded man
was q high officer whereupon the In
dian buried his tomahawk in General
Buffers head, whose scalp was imme-
diatcly torn eff and Whose heart was
taken out and divided into as many
pieces as there were tribes engaged in
the battle.
With the victory of Wayne in 1895,
which forever destroyed the power OF
the Indians o. the northwest, and
which resulted in the famous treaty Of
Greenville, Girty sold his trading es-
tablishment and removed to Canada,
where he settled ON farm just below
Maiden on the Detroit river, the re-
cipient of pension from the English
government. Here he resided until
the war of 1912, undisturbed, and al
most blind and incapacitated for active
service. After the capture of the
British feet on Lake Erie, and the re-
treat of the British army from the cas-
tern bank of the Detroit river, Girty
followed, remaining away from his
home unit! after the proclamation Of
peace, when he returned to his farm at
Maiden, where be died in the autumn
of 1918, aged over seventy years.
1t is difficult matter at this re-
mote day to give a correct estimate of
the character CT Simon Girty, yet
enough has been said to show that he
was a heartless villain, and no bra
very, courage, or semng compassion for
Kenton, or one or two others whose
lives he interceded for and saved, can
compensate for that one hellish deed
which be could have prevented, the
burning of Colonel Crawford. lie
seemed to revel in the very excess of
malignity, and above all in his hatred
to his countrymen The recent at
tempt to make hero of him has prov
ed furtil. Without one redeeming
quantity, a parsonage with call the
vices of civilization ergrafted upon
those of a savage state" we have a
hidcous picture for all time-that of
Simon Girty.
A man being asked about the trust
worthiness Of certain person who was
in search Of situation said: There
are, doubtless, vocations in which he
could bc trusted There's real estate,
for example If that was put in his
care, think the owner would find his
property where he left it, | shouldn't
care to speak as to any other kind of
property
A little Democratic weekly in the
State of New York prints an editorial
headed Advice to Garfield If the
President doesn't both and heed it, he
will be pretty mean; because the edi-
4ou ,,-o, - .,1,,-l ~. "a l.xo.