Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1883-04-04
NEAR FORTY YEARS AGO.
TRIAL OF THE INDIAN
Samuel Mohawk.

of Mr.. James Wigton, IN Slippery
rock twp, this county, July l, lS43,
and having made a public request tor
copy of an old Butler paper containing
an account of the case, friend sent US
copy of the Democratic Heratd OF
December 30, 1913. This copy, al
though much dilapidated and torn,
contains the trial of Mohawk. While
it is not just the paper we desire to
have, yet it is of great interest, the
more so as there appears to have been no
file kept at that time by the publishers
of the Herald of their paper. The
paper that is really desired is one that
contains an article written and publish
ed by the late Rev. G.. Bassler, on the
conversion of said Indian to Christani-
ty, through Mr.. Bassler's influence
and work with him while he lay in
the jail here, and published at or
about the time of his execution. vi
this event, or act in the case, strange
as it may appear, there is no record OF
it to be found about our Court House
at present But the execution and
burial of Mohawk must haYe been in
the spring of 1914, probably in the
month of either March, April or May.
So if any person in the county has
kept, or knows of copy of Butler
paper, containing said article of Rev.
Bassler, published about that time,
spring of 1874, we will be greatly
obliged to them for the loan or use of it
for short time.
From the account of the trial, found
in the paper sent US, we find the. fol-
lowing facts:
From the testimony of Col. Jacob
Brinker, given on the trial, it appears
Mohawk was at his public house in
Butler on the 29th day of June, 1S43-
Col. Brinker kept the house in the
south end of Butler, now kept by Mr..
Geo. w. Campbell. From his testi-
mony it seems Mohawk came there
sick, evidently made so by strong
drink. He was about Butler it seems
for some DAYS, and left in the stage
going northward in the evening. Col.
Brinker was OF the opinion that he
was crazy from strong drink.
From the testimony of Mr.. John
Sill, who then kept the well known
and far-famed STONE HOUSE, twelve
miles northward from Butler, on the
old Mercer pike, and yet standing,
it appears that Mohawk reached there
with others in the stage, on the last
night of June lS43, about L o'clock.
1t seems, for some cause or other. the
stage went off and left him ut the
Stone House. Mohawk seems to have
been much displeased at the stage leav-
ing him there. Sill bad good deal OF
trouble with him during the part of
the night he was at his house, but
finally got him out of the house and
saw him run up the Franklin road.
This was the last seen of him until
after the murder of the Wigton family
the next morning.
James Wigton lived up above,
about mile and half, on the Slip
peryrock creek, short distance south
of the old Kiester place, where we be-
lieye Nr. Paul Kiester now lives. On
the morning of the lst of July, lS43,
he arose early III the morning to go to
his fathers, about two miles distant, to
borrow horse to plow his corn. lie
states in his testimony that he left his
family, wife and five children, all in
bed and sleeping lie got back about
8 o'clock to find his family all dead.
Mohawk had wandered there-how he
came, what all be said or did, and
what all took place in that family On
that morning, no one was living to
tell, and nGrer has or will be fully
known. But surroundings, and the
marks in the house, and the cuts and
wounds upon Mrs. Wigton showed
she had struggled hard and bravely for
the life of her family and htF own. A
stone, clotted with blood and hair, was
found near, which showed the instru-
men. of death the savage had used.
The heads of the children were all
struck and crushed, it was supposed
with that stone, as they lay dead in
the beds they were found in. Mrs.
Wigton's name was Margaret and
aged "a years; Almira, the oldest chiid,
was about 8 years of age; Peninah
Nancy about years; Perry about 5
years; Amanda about years, and the
youngest, John WALLACE, about 10
months old.
Mohawk was captured during the day
in the upper story ofthe Kiester house.
into which he fled when pursued.
There was quite difficulty in secur-
ing him. The whole neighborhood,
having heard the terrible news, turned
out and the excitement was greet.
When secured he was taken to his
victims and did not deny, but said
"white women saucy." He was
brought to Butler and lodged in Jail.
We will here have to pass over mach
that took place between then and the
trial, the principal occurrence being the
coming to Butler Of large body of cit
liens of the upper end of the county to
see that Mohawk was either safely
confined or else to take him out Of
prison and hang him. Rumors had
prevailed that the Jail was unsafe for
his keeping. The men coming to see
after this were headed by the late Capt.
Samuel Louden. They were Het,
however, up at the tavern house then
kept by Mr.. Jacob Sloppy, about a
mile north of town and the same place
now owned by Mr.. John Berg.
Speeches were made to them by the then
Judge of our Courts. the Hon. John
Bredin, Samuel A. Gilmore, Esq, and
perhaps other prominent citizens, all
to the effect that Mohawk should be
safely and securely confined, be tried
according to law and punished This
had the effect of quieting the people
and they returned to their homes.
A bill of Indictment, or rather six
bills, were found against Mohawk at Sep
tember Sessions, i843, for the murder of
his six victims. John Murrin, Esq,