Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1881-03-30
SIMON GIRTY.
Sketch Of the Life Of the Notorious
Tory Outldw.

Tory OutldT.
/ Simon Girtv, senior, was as early a
174O licensed trader on the frontier!
of the provinces of Pennsylvania
About that period he located on o
near Sherman's creek, and here hi
son Simon Girty who figures so con
spicuously in the annals of border lif'
was born in January, l744. There
were three brothers, Thomas, George
and James. In 1850 the father and sun
dry other "squatters" ca Sherman's
creek were dispossessed of their set
Elements by the sheriff of Cumberland
county and his posse, by direction o
the provincial authorities. For sever
al years previous the Shawanese In
dians OH the Juniata demanded theiI
removal, but warning was Of no use
and at last the strong arm of the law
was invoked, the settlers taken into
custody and their cabins burned.
Girty aud his family removed to tie
Conococheague settlement, where, it il
said, he was killed in drunken bont
Tn 1856 his widow was killed, and
Simon, George ana james were taken
captives by the Indians. Thomas,
the eldest, being absent at his mater.
nal uncle's on the Antictam. was the
only one who escaped.
Simon Girty was adopted by the
Senecas under the name of Katepa.
comen, became an expert hunter, and
in dress, language and other habits q
thorough Indian. The author ot
"Crawford's Campaign" says that "ii
must be passed to his credit that bis
early training as savage was COM
pulsory, not voluntary, as has genel-
ally been supposed" George Girty
was adopted by the Delawares, became
a fierce and ferCcious savage; while
James, taken into the Shawanese tribe
became no less famous as cruel and
blood-hirsty raider on the Kentucky
border, "sparing not even women and
children from the hogrid torture"
AS to Simon Girty, his tribe, al
though baving their homes in southern
New York, roamed the wilderness
northwest of the Ohio; and when the
expedition under Colonel Bouquet, at
the close of the Pontiac war OF 1854,
on the Muskingum, dictated peace TO
the Indian tribes, one of the hostages
given up Ly the Ohio Indians was tie
subject of our sketch. Preferring the
wild life of the savage, Simon Girty
escaped and returned to his home
among the Seneca Indians. One OF
the conditions, however, of the treaty
referred to was the yielding up by the
Ohio Indians of all their captives wil-
ling or unuiiing. This being the
case, Girty was returned to the settle
ments, aud took up his home near
Fort Pitt, on little run emptying in
to the Allegheny and now known as
"Girty's run"
In the controversy with the Virgil
MIA authorities Girty espoused their
cause, and he figures quite conspieu-
ously in the ffculties of DR.. John
Connolly aad bis party with the gov
ernn.eEt Of Pennsylvania. In the un-
provoked war # Lord Dunmorc, in
company with S'mcn Kenton, he serv-
ed as Luntcr and scout. He subse-
quently acted as Indian agent, and be-
came intimately acquainted with Col.
William Crawford, at whose cabin on
the Youghoglsny he was frequent
guest, ard 1t is stated was suitcr for
the hand of ore Of his daughters. but
was rejected.
At the outst of the evolution
Simon Giriy was q commissioned officer
of the militia Al Fort Pitt, took the
test oath as required by the committee
of safety, but il. March, 1778, deserted
to the enemy il. Company with the no.
torious Alexander Mckee and Mat
thew Elliott L. is not known what
was the real cause of the detection of
Girty, but it IS more than probable
that not being fully trusted by the
authorities, oil application for cap
taincy in the Eighth regiment of the
Pennsylvania ne in the Continental
ser. ice having proved unsuccessful,
led him to add treason and disloyalty
to bis long catalogue of misdeeds
Well skilled in Indian lore, he had
frequently act, q as interpreter at In
dian treaties and was therefore known
to the British Ulcers in command on
the lakes, wh. were well acquainted
with bis cour &c, shrewdness, and
above all, his savage ferocity. The
deserters wer. warmly welcomed by
the enemy vi le at Pittsburgh the
little band Of ardent patriots were
thrown into c as'crnation by the sud-
den and uncailci for treacher,. The
perfidious DelGwarcs on the Musking-
um who were va,.llating in their neu-
trality, were almost persuaded by
Girty to becon,, hostile to the colonies
while some OF TIC Sha wanese actually
'took up the Lac! et' and began their
marauds upon i.r remote frontier set
Elements. Simon Girty himself now
commenced HI wild career by sudden
forays against H., bordcrers, and in his
ferceness and ucltv out-did the In
dians them:e'sos Hence the sobri-
quet Of "Girty he White Savage"
Hcckwe!deI. 10 his most interesting
narrative Of hi, missionary life, does
not give very pleasing picture of
Girty The liicr bad planned the
destruction o! he Moravians, owing to
their powerful influence with the In
dians and IT,, ir Efforts to preserve
peace to the fsont;ors, and in July,
lf79, made a &. lc attempt on the life
of that "Apost'c to the Indians" the
Rev. David u, sbergcr He caused,
however, tue hrc, king up of the mis-
sionary estab' shment on the Musk
ingum, thus eff, ciualIy destroying the
influence cf th' VI ravians
On the 10th of August, 1881, Girty
led a strong FIRE of Indians against
Bryants Station, five miles from Lex
In utnp Kcpf, 1 The Kany,,oIx;o,.