Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-06-05

To one walking the streets of sedate Ian
caster on a Sabbath, the quietness and good
order of the staid old city would scarcely
call up tho TACT that little more than century
ago most atrocious murder of deienseless
Indians was committed whero Fulton hall
now stands That was tho location OF the
workhouse (old jaiD.
CIVILIZATION, with its improvements, has
| wrought many changes so that occurrences
| oil colonial times exist only in annals, and i'm
| inc minds OF the oldest citizens have resolved
| themselves into faintest traditions The
while important events in country's his
tory are kept prominently before succeeding
| generations, deeds OF lesser importance fall
out of mind aud by subsequent resurrection
assume a rare interest The Indians char
acter aud disposition are mysterious az his
origin is obscure. The industrious husband
mon are now peacefully tiling the rolling
acres Of fertile soil where erst the skulking
red man may have lain concealed in thickets
TO attack the unwary settler Thus arose
many prejudices against the red man of the
for sst on account of his barbarity and many
injustices done him which, have never been
| told.
1t may be of interest TO recall a brief ac-
count OF the murder of the Indians at Cones
toga, but more especially of those confined
| or sheltered in the workhouse at Lancaster.
THE PAXTON RANGERS.
The Paxton Boys, as they were called after
the deed which is to be related, were COM
posed of number of men from
the settlement at Paxton, Lancaster county,
Pa. Paxton was within or near the precincts
were all the Indians dwelling therein were
supposed to be friendly, aud even harbored
them. So also at Conestoga, Lancaster, and
Reading, Indians were received with i'm
plicit confidence under the protection of tho
white settlers. But on the northern and
western borders of the frontier, depredations
and hostilities by the Indians were
incessanL Every species of cruelty
was practlced by them with fire,
| At dead of night or in broad daylight, at
| their meals or in the field, the people, while
least suspecting an attack, were pounced
upon and generally suffered a horrible death
at the hands of the red tiends. Treaties were
violated with the most shameful disregard (;
the ancient chain OF friendship, in the tigura-
tive language OF the savage, was seemingly Y
as brittle as glass-broken by the slightest
provocation. Under these circumstances, it
was natural for men to mistrust even the
neutral Indians, notwithstanding their pro-
testations of attachment and friendship for
the whites.
Nor were such Indians always unjustly sus-
pected. The Paxton boys were mostly young,
hot-blooded menbelonging to Rev. Colonel
Elders corps of Rangers, led by Lazarus
Stewart Stewart was man of considerable
influence in the Paxton settlement
SMITHS STORY OF 1T.
The cause, or at any rate, the ieigned cause
that melted the men to the murder at Con-
estoga, Manor township, was the killing of
some of the settlers at Paxton, among whom
were the mother of one OF the Paxton boys,
aud other relatives of them. Smith, one OF
"a p. VT ,,;u ual N ma tiyya in i,,b
he says: - was an early settler in Paxton,
member of the congregation of the Rev.
Mr. Elder | was one of the chief actors in
the destruction OF Conestoga, and i'll Storm
ing the work house at Lancaster. | have
been stigmatized as murderer. No man,
unless he were living at that time in Paxton,
could have an idea of the sutferings and
auxie;ies of tho people. For years the In
dians had been on the most friendly terms
but some OF the traders were bought by the
French these corrupted the Indians The
savages UNEXPECTEDLY destroyed our dwell
ings, and murdered the uususpicious
When we visited the wigwams in the
neighbOrhOOd, we found the Indians occu-
pied in harmless sports or domestic work.
There appeared no evidence that they were
i'll any way instrumental in the bloody acts
perpetrated on the frontiers"
LOWdOU'S NdrrdftUe notes that May 10th,
1867, eleven persons were killed at Paxton,
Lancaster county. While these and other
atrocities undoubtedly engendered the ma
lignant hatred of the Paxton boys, but by
no means justified their subsequent actions,
this is in all probability partial cause OF the
murder.
SACEING THE VILLAGE.
Driven to desperation by the repeated
murders of Indians and having their suspi-
| cions fed by reports from scouts to the effect
| that they had traced strange Indians to the
| lines of a settlement, the Paxton men re,
| solved to eNtricate the Indians. Under cover
| of night, Dec II, 1868, they stole to the settle
| ment On approaching they were discovered
| by an Indian, who fired at them and BRAN
| dished his tomahawk. Mark him." cried
| one of the party, and the Indian Immediately
| fell riddled with bullets Reducing the set
| tlement to ashes occupied but a brief period
| OF time. In the general destruction five
| other Indians were killed. Immediately
| upon receiving intelligence OF the outrage,
| Governor John Penn issued proclamation
| for the apprehension of the murderers. The
| proclamation, however, did not have the de-
| sired effect.
The bloody work begun at Conestoga, in
| famed still more the passions of the Paxton
| men. Hearing that the Indians who had es-
| capped the knife and tomahawk at Conestoga
| were secured in the work. house at Lancas'
| ter, the Paxton boys, thlrsting for slaughter
| made preparations TO continue their criminal
| intentions. On the evening OF December
Goth, 1868, they drew near Lancaster, and on
the following day galloped into town, while
the greater part of the inhabitants wert
| wOrshpping in the churches. They turned
their horses into the yard of Slough's inn
aud then precipitately rushed towards thu
work house.
| The efforts of the sheriff and the coroner Il
dissuade them of their intentions proved o
| no avail. Three of them torcibly gained al
entrance ; five took charge of the keepers
while Captain Stewart, with about twelV
men, remained outside. When the helpless
| Indians saw that there were no means OF es
| cape or defense, they fell ON their knees pro
| testing their innocence and declaring thel
| love for the English. But their pleading
| were unheeded by the infuriated men
They were mercilesSly butchered. The
| scene was horrible. Near the dooi
of the prison lay an old Indian and BIZ
squaw, and across them their two children
with scalps taken oil and heads split open
| One Indian lying near the wall, was she
| through the breast, his limbs hacked to piece
| and his head CuShcd, the wall near hif
being bespattered with brain.
THE DISTURBED CONGREGATION.
At the time services were In progress at til
, Episcopal churSh, Rev. Mr.. Barton oiiiciat
lug the doors were violently thrown opens
the same time several persons exclaimed
"Paxton Boys ~ " Murder ~ The priso
Is attacked ~ "They are numbering the Ii
dians," sc. The chief magistrate immediatel
hastened from the church and sought II
j. services of Captain Robin son, who with
. party of Highlanders was present O
his way from Pittsburg. He refuse
according to some reports; accordin