The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-06-23

/ deceived They trusted implicitly h. the
word Of the white men, and at their sugges-
tions set fire tC a number of their houses in
order to prevent them becoming harb0ring
. places for the hostile and hChting Indians.
After they had surrendered their arms, the
fen purpose of their captors soon became
manifest. They were made prisoners, bound
hand and foot, and confined to several Of the
houses.
Then council Of war was held and vari-
Gus methods of putting them 70 death were
discussed Their fate was soon decided, sut
it took a little further time to determine the
fittest mode Of butcnery. One excited from
tiersman suggested that they should be Sc
curely confined in two large houses and
burned alive. The idea was met with shouts
Of approval, but one who had an eve for fu-
ture glory advised that the victims be toma-
hawked 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 bleeding scalps Of
the doomed Christian Indians? Though ap-
proving cries were accorded to the man who
proposed burning them to death it is written
that the scalping and tomahawking sugges
tion was received with even a greater dem
onstration of delight. 1t was at once adopt
ed. The following morning was appointed
for the bloody deed, and the Indians were
told that they must die on the morrow. At
first they were inclined to treat the affair as
a joke. They could not believe that the
whites were capable Of such barbarity. The
demeanoI Of their captsrs, however, soon
showed that it was no laughing matter
They realized that they must die. How did
they behave Never was truer heroism
manifested than by that band Of unlettered
Indians who had nothing but faith to buoy
them up. The night was passed i'm prayer
H1 mns Of praise were ch-nted and each one
We'd i'm encouraging the other to face death
with Christian fdrtftude Thev had been
divided in two parties and imprisoned iu two
large hoRes. Tie muraerers kept watch
outside The Plaintiye hymns or the DOOM
ed Indians asceuded heavenvard, but pro-
duced no softeniug effect upon the hardened
hearts Of the white savages.
At sunrise preparations for the crime
were made. Two buildings were selected,
and We're most apprOpriateiycalle "slauEl-
ter houses" The men and bows were to be
killed in one, and the women and babes 81
the other All being ready the slaughter be-
gan. Never had the sun risen on a more In
human spectacle. The butchers were while
men, presumably Christians the victims red
men, women and children, who had done no
wrong. Babes were torn from their moth
ers' arms, Drained with tomahawks and
scalped i'm sight of their sh1ieking and heart.
broken parents. Tie slayers almost waded
IN blood. After the children had been dis
patched came the wOmen's turn Dragged
one by one by their long dark hair in the
centre Of the shambles they were soon hur-
ried into eternity by one quick and stunning
blow from "A tomahawk Their scalps wer8
then cut off after the most approved Indian
fashion. The white men were intoxicated
with the slaughter. While the women and
babes were being thus brutaIv slain in one
house, the men and older boys met with a
similar fate in another. II is useless to
dwell on the horrible crime. After ninety
victims had been dispatched, David William
son and his gang marched back 10 their
homes David ZrisbergeT was herror strfcl--
en- when De heard Of the massacre. He did
not, however, E-'a- his efforts to convert and
civilize the Indians. 1t is recorded that af-
ter lapse of sixteen years some Of his. con-
verts led by ZeisbeIger returned to the Tus-
carawas and settled there one more. Their
stay was short. The influx of the whites
was so great, the temptation of 1um so
strong. the ouUrages so frequent that the
fertile valley was soon Torsaken bv the In
dians, who retired first to Canada, and then
to the M0rayian mission station I'm Kansas.
The good and pious Zeisberger died in 1903.
having labored foT sixty years among the
red men.