The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1883-09-14
The Seventeenth Not q Humane
Century.

Mr.. Edward Esgleston's "Indian Wars
IN the Colonies is continued in late
magazine and the following striking ex.
tract is taken from it:
"It is to be remembered that the sew.
enteenth was not humane century in
Europe or America; nor was the first
half of the eighteenth much better. And
even in our own time, sudden massacrel
and scenes of savage cruelty have ten
dency to extinguish pity in the bosoms
of people on an exposed frontier. The
slaughter at tn 9 Pequot fort had some
extenuation in the dangerous situation
of the feeble settlements and the horri.
BILE outrages Of the Pequot tribe. 1,
is more difficult to excuse the destruc-
ton by fire of the innocent and helpless
in the Narragansett stronghold. Policy as
we'll as humanity should have suggested
more lenient course in this Gaze. The
apologetical tone of the narratives of the
Pequot affair shows that there was an ad-
verse public opinion which even the ci-
tation of Joshua's destruction ofthe Ca
NANTES could not allay; and some of the
soldiers of the Narragansett fight, were
III uuCu AOuDI Iucu, dlu dltcIW WdIu So
riously inquired whether burning their
humanity and the benevolent principles
ofthe Gospel But the Elders whose
voice had SO much weight, spoke no word
against these cruelties; and for the most
part, the old New-England histories oil
The affair, though written by clergymen,
are perfectly ruthless. We learn that, aft
er the Narragansett breast-work was car
ried, the Indians, in most abiect terms,
begged for quarter which the English
refused. The troops had nothing to do
but to load and fire upon a despairing
mass of human beings of all ages, the
enemy being penned up and huddled
together in such manner that scarcely
shot twas lost, says DR.. Trumbull
Hubbard tells the story Of the burning
women and children without qualm.
we have heard of two and seventy In
dian captives slain and brought down to
bell, all of them, in one day. exults DR.
Increase Mather in a sermon on the pre-.
valency of prayer. The horrors of con.
tinued war had infuriated New England
against the whole red race. The Chris
tian Indians were in imminent danger
and Gookins and Danford, their friends,
were threatened by placards in publ,
upon the same current of angry pas
sion. The serious formality of Massa
chusetts laws was broken by the ho
lava of wrath against the tbarbarous
crew. and week after week captive In
dians were executed, the hanging taking
place at the time of the weekly lecture
in order to augment the solemnity o
the occasion, perhaps. The historian
Hubbard, calls Canonche5 a danned
wretch;' but as the young sachem was
already dead, this is to be taken in
pulpit rather than in profane, sense
Because Henchman. did not favor 8
massacre of friendly Indians the Boston
soldiers refused to march under him
and demanded the bloody -nindac
Thomas Oliver for their leader. The
suspected Christian Indian was rather
sacrificed to the fury of Boston mol
than executed; and the circumstances O
his execution were most revolving, but
they were surpassed in similar crue
execution that occurred in New-Amster
dam at an earlier period. In the rough
seafaring town of Marblehead the peo.
pie were yet more uncomfortable taan in
Boston. The women coming out ol
meeting OF Sunday, seeing two Indixr
prisoners led through the streets, fel
upon them and beat them to DEATH