Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1886-07-31
DUTCH INDIANS.
Their Attack Upon q Hcnnery Two
Centuries Ago-A Demor-
allied Band.


Among the archives of the Long
Island Historical society, says writer
in The Brooklyn Eagle, an account OF a
lndicrous incident is to be found, which.
meager as it is, exhibits our forefathers
on the Dutch side of the house in q
humorous vein that We are hardly ac-
customed to accredit them with. Dur
ing the troublous days of 1855, while
old, one-legged Peter Stuyvesant was
absent in Delaware, in the forlorn hope
of driving the Swedes away from their
settlements, the enthusiastic red men
INDUCED in little diversion, and some
nineteen hundred strong swooped
down upon New Amsterdam. They
had lots of fun, and many Mohawks.
and not few Dutchmen. went to their
last account. The Indians had much
provocation and were particularly
hostile to the Dutch. Toward the
English they professed warm friend
ship, but they sent out word to the
Dutch farmers on Long island and IN
New Jersey that they proposed to boy
colt them in a manner so thorough that
no descendant of theirs should remain
to dispute possession with their English
neighbors. The isolated farmers ON
the sound side of the island were greatly
terrified at these threats, and when
three canoes full of hostile savages
came bobbing through He'll gate one
autumn afternoon and the Indians gath
cred in PETER Andriessen de Schoor-
steenveger, who was moving on his
plantation, adjoining Annette JAMS
farm at Dominies Hook, their democrat
ization was complete. What became OF
PETER Andriessen de SchoOrsteenveger.
beyond the fact that he never more was
seen. is not known, but perhaps his
neighbors concluded that man with
such a name did not deserve to have
his fate investigated. The farmers bar
red their log cabins at night. and
dreaded lest the dark forest which sur
rounded their clearing hid the forms of
their dusky foes. The old matchbox
blunderbusses were kept loaded so that
they were as dangerous at one end as
the other, and the women and children
were huddled together in places of safe
ty where they were less exposed to the
attacks of the savages. The honest
Dutch farmer moved with his gun
standing in the corner of the fence, or
hanging from the limb of tree within
easy reach. Harrassing rumors of In
dian depredations kept the settlers in
state of nervous terror, and they were
ready to credit every sound after night
fall to the merciless foe.
1t was during this narrowing period
that honest Joris de Caper, the honored
ancestor of the Van Alsts, met with
the following experience, which, while
it provokes a smile at this date, 230
years later, was anything but laugh
ing matter to the principals. Joris was
thrifty, and he had harvested goodly
crop, notwithstanding the unfavorable
times, and it behooved him to thrash his
grain and garner it. He therefore re-
sorted to the neat little device of
thrashing bee, invited his neighbors,
killed pig The fails few about lus-
tly, and at the end of the first day half
the grain had been thrashed. Among
the farmers who assisted De Caper
We're his father-in-law, Harmon Hend-
ricksen, a young man named Teunis
Jansen Van Commel. and another
young fellow whom history treats ano-
nymously. These three agreed to keep
De Caper company all night, and to
that end the little party took possession
of the barn, sleeping in the hayloft.
The young farmer whom history treats
SO unkindly was as much in love as a
phlegmatic Dutchman could get to be,
and the fair object of his affections
was Wilhelmina. the youngest daughter
of Herr Hendricksen. On the night in
question the lovesick swain repaired to
the stronghold where the fair VIII
helmina was stopping with her mother
and sisters, and it was pretty well on
toward the small hours when the young
PATRON retraced his steps toward De
Caper's plantation. where his prospec-
tive fathcr-in-law and his companions
were sleeping. He was trifle nervous
and dared not revive his spirits BY
whistling for fear of attracting the In
dams if any should be lurking about.
The young settlers pace would'probably
have filled a modern six-day promen-
ader with envy. He reached the barn
yard without mishap, and was con-
graduating himself upon his good for
tune when he heard commotion
among the hens. Thinking a skunk or
weasel was at work among the poultry
the young PATRON started toward the
hennery. He had taken hardly half
dozen steps when his blood froze with
horror. Dark forms were fitting about
the poultry yard. There was no mis-
taking the character of the marauders,
for their heads were ornamented with
feathers. The farmers knees smote to-
gether and he dared not stir.
just then De Csper opened the barn
door. and, followed closely by his
friends, stepped out. The robbers see
ing that they could remain no longer
undiscovered set up the terrible war
who0p of the Mohawks. At the first
"hol no! hol" the young PATRON fed,
making bee line for his sweetheart $
refuge, where he gave the alarm and
promised to do prodigies of valor for
defense of the fair Wilhelmina The
others were as badly frightened, and
thinking that they would be massacred
If they tarried, they broke and ran,
taking different directions, in the hope
that the dense woods would
cover their retreat Fortune favored
them, for none were pursued and they
made good their escape. After wan
dering about In the darkness
Hendricksen came out of the
woods on the border of Schoor-