Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-06-07

blood they accused them OF aiding ant
abetting the crimes and determined t
make an example of them. DaviC
Williamson seemed to be the moving
spirit among them. He organized ,
band, and with craft in the head ant
and murder in the heart rode into th,
Tuscawaras Valley and surrounded
the Indians. With friendly smiles
and smooth promises they greeted theil
victims. Descending their true pur
pose they pretended that they were
sollcitous as to their safety and wish
them well They finally induced
them to give up what ever arms they
had under the pretence of taking care
of them, and promised to conduct
them to place where they would be
free to pursue their avocations with.
out molestation. The guilless In.
dians, to the number of ninety, were
completely deceived. They trusted
implicitly in the word of the white
men, and at their suggestion set fire to
a number of their houses in order to
prevent them becoming harboring
places for hostile and fighting Indians.
After they had surrendered their arms
the fell purpose of their captors soon
became manifest. They were made
prisoners, bound hand and foot and
confined in several of the houses.
DOOMED TO DEATH.
Then a council of war was held
and various methods of:puttiug them
to death were discussed. Their fate
was soon decided, but it took little
further time to determine the fttest
mode of butchery. One excited from
tiersman suggested that they should be
securely confined in two large houses
and burned alive. The idea was met
with shouts of approval, but one who
had an eye for future glory advised
that the victims should be tomahawk-
ed and scalped. He said that it was only
right and fair that they should have
some trophies of their campaign, and
what more appropriate than the bleed
ing scalps of the doomed Christian
Indians? Though approving cries
were accorded to the man who propos-
ed burning them to death it is written
hat the scalping and tomahawking
was received with even
l greater demonstration of delight.
It was at once adopted The follow
ng morning was appointed for the
bloody deed, and the Indians were
old that they must die on the NOR
'ow. AT first they were inclined to
reat the affair as joke. They
could not believe that the
whites were capable of such barbarity.
rhe demeanor of their captors, how
'ver, soon showed that it was no
aughiLg matter. They realized that
hey must die How did they behave
Never was truer heroism manifested
han by that band of unlettered In
lians who had nothing but faith to
'uoy them up. The night was pass
ID in prayer. Hymns Of praise were
hanted and each one We'd in encour-
lging the other to face death in Chris
ain fortitude They had previously
'een divided in two parties and i'm
,risoned in two large houses. The
nurderers kept watch outside. The
,laintive hymns of the doomed Indians
lscended heavenward, but produced
10 softening effect upon the hardened
hearts of the white savages.
THE SLAUGHTER.
AT sunrise preparations for the
rhine were made. Two buildings
we're selected, and were appropriately
.alled slaughter houses The men
md boys were to be killed in one,
md the women and babes in the
,ther. All being ready the slaughter
,egan. Never had the sun risen on a
more inhuman spectacle. The butch
RS were white men, presumably Chris
ians, the victims red men, women
md children who had done no wrong.
Babes were torn from their mothers
arms, Drained with tomahawks and
'calped in sight of their shrieking and
leart-broken parents. The slayers
almost waded in blood. After the
children had been dispatched came the
turn. Dragged one by one
1y their long dark bair in the centre
Of the shambles they were soon hur-
led into eternity by one quick and
blow from a tomatawk.
Their scalps were then cut off after
,he most approved Indian fashion.
The white men were intoxicated with
,he slaughter. While the women and
babes were being thus brutally slain
N one house the men and older boys
net with O similar fate in another.
1t is useless to dwell on the horrible
crime. After ninety victims had been
despatched, David Williamson and
his gang marched back to their homes.
David Zeisbcrger was horror-stricken
when he heard of the massacre. He
did not, however, relax his efforts to
convert and civilize the Indians 1t is
recorded that after lapse of sixteen
years some of his converts led by Zeis-
berger returned to the Tuscawaras
and settled there once more. Their
stay was short. The influx of the
whites was so great, the temptations
of rum so strong, the outrages SO fire.
quent that the fertile valley was soon
forsaken by the Indians, who retired
first to Canada and then to the Mora
vian mission station in Kansas. The
good and pious Zeisberger died in
1903, having labored for sixty years
among the red men.
Such then, is a brief story of the
massacre of Gnadenhutten. 1t is hard
in these days TO imagine such a state
of affairs that could lead to so heartless
slaughter. 1t is also pleasant to re-
fleet that repetition of so monstrous
crime would he impossible anywhere
in these days of civilization, the State of
Missouri not being excepted.
A cemetery for cats is about to be
opened near London, England. The
PROSPECTUS in which it is called "The