Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-03-05

talncu aDu supporter Dy Tue EnB
Iish government, at the price OF no
small amount Of blood and treasure.
In the neighborhood of this place,
as well as in the war.wOrn regions
of the old world, the plowshare Of
the farmer turns up from beneath
the surface Of the earth, the broken
and rusty implements of war, and
the bones Of the slain in battle.
1t was in the course of this war
that the dreadful massacre at
Wyoming took place, and desolated
the fine settlements Of the New
England people along the Susque-
hanna.
The extensive and indiscriminate
slaughter of both sexes and all
ages by the Indians, at Wyoming
and other places, so exasperated a
large number of men, denOminated
the "Paxton boys" that they
rivalled the most ferocious of the
Indians themselves in deeds Of
cruelty. which have dishonored the
history of our country, by the
record OF the shedding Of innocent
blood without the slightest provo
cation deeds of the most afro
ciOus barbarity.
The Conestoga Indians had lived
in peace for more than a century in
the neighborhood of Lancaster,
Pa. Their number did not ex-
ceed forty. Against these un.
offending descendants of the first
friends of the famous William
Penn, the Paxton boys first direct
ed their more than savage ven
geance. I'ifty-seven of them, in
military array, poured into their
little village, and instantly muir
dered all whom they found at
home, to the number OF fourteen
men, women and children. Those
of them who did not happen to be
at home at the massacre, were
lodged in the Jail of Lancaster
for safety. But alas this pre-
caution was unavalling. The Pax
ton boys broke open the Jail door,
and murdered the whole Of them,
in number about fifteen to twenty.
1t was in vain that these poor de-
fenseless people protested their
innocence and begged for mercy on
their knees. Blood was the order
of the day with those ferOcious
Paxton boys. The death of the
victims of their cruelties did not
satisfy their rage for slaughter; (;
they mangled the dead bodies of
the Indians with their scalping
knives and tomahawks in the most
shocking and brutal manner, scalp
ing even the children aud chopplng
off tho bands and feet of most of
them.
The next object of those Paxton
BOYS was the murder OF the chris
tian Indians of the villages of
Wequetank and Main. From the
execution of this Internal design
they were prevented by the hu-
name interference of the govern
ment of Pennsylvania, which re-
moved the inhabitants OF both
places under a strong guard to
Philadelphia for protection. They
remained under guard from No
vember, 1863, until the close OF
the war in December, 1904 the
greater part of this time they occu-
pied the barracks of that CITY,
The Paxton boys twice assembled
in great force, at no great distance
from the city, with view to as
sault the barracks and murder the
Indians ; but owing TO the military
preparations made for their recep-
ton, they at last reluctantly desist-
ed from the enterprise.
While we read, with feelings Of
the deepest horror, the record of
the murders which have at different
periods been inflicted on the un-
offending christian Indians OF the
Moravian profession, it is some
consolation to reflect, that our gov
ernment has had no participation
in those murders but on the con-
trary, has at all times afforded
them all the protection which
circumstances allowed.
The principal settlements in
Greenbrier were those of Muddy
Creek and the Big Levels, distant
about fifteen or twenty miles from
each other. Before these settlers
were aware of the existence of the
war, and supposing that the peace
made with the French comprehend
ed their Indian allies also, about
sixty Indians visited the settle.
ment on Muddy Creek. They made
the visit under the mask Of friend
ship. They were cordially received
and treated with all the hospitality
which it was in the power of
these new settlers to bostow upon
them; but on a sudden, and with
out any previous intimatiOn Of any
thing like an hostile intention, the
Indians murdered, in cold blood,
all the men belonging to the settle
ment, and made prisoners of the
women and children,
Leaving a guard with their
prisoners, they then marched to
the settlements in the Levels, be-
fore the fate of the Muddy Creek
settlement was known. Here, as
l.