Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-05-20
A STRANGE BIRD.BOX.
story OF an Indians Skull, now utilized
by Birds and Squirrels.

living on Baldwin's creek, n. Y, near
the scene of the bloody and decisive
battle between the American forces
under Gen. Sullivan and the Six Nations
under Brant and other great chiefs, in
1779, a curious relic of that battle,
which has tragic story of its own. 1t
is the skull of an Indian with bullet
hole in the center of the forehead. The
ancestor of the present owner settled
on the farm still occupied by the fami-
ly just after the revolutionary war.
The story that has been handed down
with the skull is as follows:
The Indian to whom the skull be-
Ionged was one of Brants bloodeSt
and bravest warriors. lie participated
in the Wyoming brutalities. the horrors
at Minisink, and the bloody Cherry
Valley massacre. He was the leader
of the marauding band that burned the
settlement at Harpersfeld, Delaware
county, and murdered the settlers there.
An act of his at that massacre is alleged
to have led to his own death at the
hands of an Indian enemy, an adopted
son of the peaceable chief, Cornplanter.
Young Cornplanter, who was friendly
to the whites, hearing that an attack
on the Harpersfeld settlement was con-
templated sent a squaw of his tribe
clear from the shores of the Allegheny
river to warn the settlers. She arrived
too late to perform the service, as the
Savages had reached there first and ac-
complished their work. She was cap
tured, and, known to be Cornplanter
squaw and her errand suspected, she
was killed and scalped by the leader of
the hostile band.
When this became known to young
Cornplanter he swore vengeance against
The murderer of his squaw. When
Sullivan was sent into the Susque-
hanna country on his errand of de-
struction, Cornplanter was employed
as scout to precede the army and
keep the general informed as to the
plans and strength of the Indians. In
the performance of this duty he was
creeping through the woods near the
present village of Wellsburg, when
suddenly he saw an Indian also steal
ing along. Cornplanter stopped
behind chestnut tree. The other In
dian was a Seneca and hid himself
behind fallen tree. Cornplanter, un-
certain whether the Seneca had seen
him, remained motionless behind the
chestnut, but peered around the trunk
with one eye, bringing the hiding-place
of the other Indian in view. Present.
ly the head of the Seneca rose STEALTH
ly above the fallen trunk, and a
moment later the Indian rose TO his
feet and glanced cautiously about.
Cornplanter recognized his bitter enc
my, the slayer of his squaw, and the
Indian he had sworn to kill. The next
instant his rifle covered the Se.zeea
brave, and the report that followed
was the bloody warriors death knel-
Cornplanter scalped the chief and left
him lying where he fell. The next
day the battle of Baldwin's Creek was
fought and the Indians were routed.
Twenty years later young Corn
planter, who had gone to the west, re-
turned to the vicinity of Baldwin's
Creek. One day he was walking in
the woods with the grandfather of the
present owner of the Indian skull,
whose guest he was, and, stopping
suddenly and looking about him on
every side, said to his host that it was
on this spot that he had killed Brant's
warrior in 1779 Cornplanter went to
certain spot. and, digging away a
deep layer of leaves. uncovered the
fnoldering bones Of the Seneca brave
The skull was as sound as ever. Corn
planter kicked it spitefully away from
i'm into the woods. His companion
ricked it up, and taking it home put it
! n tall pole, and the bluebirds nested
IN it for years. 1t now serves as re-
ireat for two pet ground squirrels.