The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-06-23
NUMBER %.
GNADENHUTTEN.
STORY OF THE MASSACRE OF THE MoRAvIAN
INDIANS.

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holy name was perpetTated wholesale
butchery of innocent people which will al
ways remain foul blot on the early history
of Ohio. Twenty nine men, twenty seven
women and thirty-fou children were slaueh-
tered. Two buildings were selected for the
horrible purpose, the women and babes be
ing killed in one, the men and BOYS in the
other. 1t is recorded that they died almost
cheerfully the hymns and prayers Of those
about TO perish mingling with the death
eroans of their unhappy companions. The
story of the crime and the circumstances
which led up to it form an interesting but
awful chapter in the chronicles of the time.
In order that our readers may thoroughly
comprehend The significance of the event it
is necessary to 90 back to the year 1850. 1t
was then that David Zeisberger, the Mora
Wan missionary, man Of rare piety, faith
and purity, was pursuing his great work
among the Indian tribes. He suffered har6-
ships in the wilderness he endured iIl-treat-
ment at the hands of the savage tribes whom
he had resolved to convert, and never was
heard to murmur complaint He worked
wonders. Going among the heather he found
them demoralized BY whisky sold to them bv
white traders, wicked and unscrupulous. He
gently persuaded them to relinquish liquor,
and pointed out its evil effects so forcibly
that whole tribes yielded to the fascination
of his eloqueEce and the weight of his argu-
ments. From being frenzied brutes they
became sober and reasonable people. His
influence spread rapidly from nation to ma
ton. Thousands, in fact, embraced Christi
anity Zeisberger's enthusiasm and pietv
carried all before them. In 1760 great pro-
gress had been made and the missions were
fiourishing. But that same year events oc-
CURED which greatly put back the work Of
conversion The Morayian indians were
accused of being concerned in Pontiac's con
spiracy. He was a brave and famous Ottawa
chieftain, who organized a plot among the
various Indian tribes to murder at given
time the English parrisons at all points
This was discovered, and, though it was new
er proved that the Morayian Indians took
the slightest part in the conspiracy, they
were prosecuted as much as if they had
The ScotchIrish settlers on the Pennsylva-
mia frontier treated them with great harsh
ness and severity. They pretended to believe
or perhaps were, in fac,, so ignorant and
bigoted TO believe-tfat the Indians were
the Cauaanites of the New World, and that
the existing war had come upon the colonies
as a judgment for failing TO totally extermi-
nate the native tribes. The Moravian In
diaus. being kind and gentle, were very ma
turally fit aud fair quarry for these highly
civilized white settlers.
An Interesting chapter in the history of
their early prosecutions is that which treats
of the narrow escape from determination of
a considerable body of the Moravian Indians.
The threats against those who had settled on
the Pennsylvania frontier were Of so deadly
a nature that David Zeisberger advised them
to denver up their arms and march to Phila-
deIphia. They sought refuge in the military
quarters there, but the soldiers threatened
to kill them if they did not 90 away. The
poor refugees were mObBed by an excited
and angry rabble, aud the streets rang with
wells and shouts which sounded as fierce as
the warwhoop Of the savages. Zeisberger
was with them all the time, standing by
them and encouraging them. \ gOodly
number of Quakers, who had suffered their
share of cruelty and persecution not so long
before, also took the poor Indians by the
hand, needless of the gToans and curses of
the mob. They were finally removed to an
island in the river as a measure Of precau-
tion. Their lives were pToviden.ially pre-
served A body of Scotch-Irish, several hun
dred strong, from Lancaster, calling them
selves the Paxton Boys" after butchering
number of Conestoga Indians, who had
sought protection in a jail, marched toward
Philadelphia with the avowed object of kill
ing all the Moravian refugees. Zeisberger
and others prevailed upon them to relinquish
their murderous designs, and so the poor In
dians escaped with their lives on that occa-
sion. Some of them, it is true, were reserv-
ed for worse fate and were brutallv killed
in the Tuscarawas Valley. Meanwhile the
Indians were taken off the island and con-
veyed to the upper Susquehanna region, be-
yond the Wyoming Valley, where they built
the hamlet of FTiedenshutten, or TENTS of
Peace" About 176s Zeisberger established
stations on the Allegheny and Beaver rivers
1t was in 1850 that a number Of Moravian
Indians settled in the Tuscarawas Valley
They worked hard tilling the fertile soil and
living lives of exemplary frugality and indus
try. The settlement f1ourished, and Indians
fiocked from the extreme West to the pleas
ant tract in eastern Ohio. For ten years all
Went we'll ut SbuuLlg duuulucu III IlCli
fields OF waving corn. Each house had its
garden and orchard peace and prosperity
prevailed. In 1870 the British melted a
body of Delawares, commanded by Captain
Pipe, against the Htsle colony Of Gnaden-
hutten, They were Joined by a party of
Wyaudottes, and they broke mp the settle
ment, carrying the Indians TO Sandusky, and
their teachers to Detroit, the seat of the
British headquarters. It was in the follow
ing year that the slaughter took place, and
this was how it came about. The poor peo-
pie, who mad been so cruelty kidnapped
from their homes at Gnadeuhutten, left
acres and acres of corn standing in the
fields A party was chosen 10 return to har-
vest it. and they accordingly took up their
quarters in their old houses which had not
been destroyed. just at the time of their
return some hostile Indians murdered a white
settler and all his family. The frontiersmen
were Immediately mp in arms. Although
the Moravian Indians were guiltless Of blood,
they accused them OF aiding and abetting
the crime and determined to make an exam
pie OF them David Williamson seemed to
be the moving spirit among them. He or
ganized a band, and with craft in the head
and murder in the heart rode into the Tus-
carawas Valley and surrounded the Indians.
With friendly smiles and smooth promises
they greeted their victims. Descending
their true purposes they pretended that they
were solicitous as to their safety and wished
them well. They finally induced them to