The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-09-14
THE PAINTED POST.
A HUMBLE MONUMENT IN NEW YORK
OF THE OLD INDIAN WARS.

How Town In the Empire State Came nv
Its Peculiar Name-The Legend of the
Origin Of the Post-some Conflicting
Stories Of the Indians.
The first permanent white settlement in
Steuben county was made at the Painted
Post I'm 1855 by Samuel Harris, an Indian
trader There wss at that time an impor-
tant village of Seneca Indians established
on the banks of the Conhocton river, near
the junction of the waters of the Tioga,
Canisteo and Conhocton rivers, which here
form the Chemung and pass on to the Sus-
ouehanna. Beyond a doubt the Six Ma
tions apureciated the strategic importance
of the Painted Post, where three long val
leys came together, bringing water, which
leaves no trail. Through this gateway the
war cloud from the Geneshago, or Shining
valley, descended In July, l77s, upon an
errand Of savage vengeance to the Wyom-
ing. BY the same route, as well as by the
waters Of the Conhocton, the former lords
Of the soil retreated from the battlefield OF
Newtown. where General Sullivan and his
yeomanry on Aug. %, l779, dealt death
blow IN the power Of the great Indian con-
federacy.
The first white man found name made
TO order for the place, and that name still
remains the most interesting feature Of the
locality. The advantages of river and val
lev have dwindled away before the superior
enterprise and courage of men who many
wears later settled In the narrow bottoms
at Corning. two miles distant. The latter
is now a city of 1900 inhabitants, while
Painted Post has been Incorporated a viii
LACE with population OF 800 persons.
The present painted post stands at the
southeast corner of the cross roads. 1t is
about IS feet high and octagonal In shape
painted red. II is inches In diameter.
tapers 40 the top and is surmounted by
sheet iron Indian chief grasping a toma-
hawk and bow and dressed In red jacket
and buckskin trousers. The original post
stood near the center Of the present high
way leading from Painted Post to Corning
and few rods cast Of the -Four Corners"
and the sight Of the present post. 1t was
an oak post 10 or IL feet above the ground
and from 10 TO IA inches In diameter. 1t
was square to height OF four feet above
the ground and then octagonal TO the top.
Samuel Cook of Lindley thus described
IL to the late Charles H. Erwin Of Painted
Post, as detailed by the latter In his manu-
script "a History Of Painted Post and
Other Towns" now in the hands Of his ex-
ecutors: "When In 1893 / saw it for the
| first time IL had no marks or paint upon It,
and it had the color Of a weather beaten
| oaken rail. There was neither mark nor
carving upon it. l have many a time sat
near It and with Others talked about 1t and
| speculated about its history" 1t stood on
| the banks of the Conhocton river at the
| side OF we'll beaten trail from the village
10 Tioga Point athens, Pa.
This post remained until 1901 or 1902,
| when II Is said TO have been dug up and
carried down The Chemung river two miles
| TO Knoxville, whether for the purpose of
! founding a museum or for the more seri-
GUS object Of purloining the fame which
encircied the oak post is not clear. 1t was
afterward returned. but in the meantime
a new oak post had been erected by the
whites in the settlement near the original
site. What became Of the old post is not
| known for certain. It is said to have re-
maiued in the garnet Of the first log tavern,
and chips from it were furnished to relic
hunters until one day in moment of i'm
patience Colonel Erwin, the landlord OF
the tavern, adjudged IL a nuisance and or
| dered il thrown into thc river.
In the course Of the next 20 years the new
post, which was much larger than the old
one, was Clipped to pieces by relic fends,
and few years later a new post was raised
NTH a ghaaf iron Indian Of fha ton
The generally accepted legend concerning
| the post makes "a very pretty story. II IS
said that Captain Roland Montour, half
breed and a son Of Queen Catharine Of Wy
oming fame, was seriously wounded in the
| fight at Newtown and died on the retreat
up the Couhocton. He was buried under a
| large elm tree, and the "Te-can-nes-to" as
the post was called by the Delawares, was
/ set up as an imposing monument 10 his
memory. This legend was confirmed by
the statement made by the Seneca Chief
| Cornplanter to Captain Samuel Adams in
| an interview had at Cornplanter's eddy on
the Allegheny river in 1883.
Cornplanter, being asked about the post
said through his interpreter, as related by
l Captain Adams, that "a great chief and
brave was there taken sick, died and was
| buried under the shade Of an elm on the
north side Of the CONNECTION river (at the
same time mapping it out on the ground
! floor and marking with his knife the place
Of the grave), and that he (Cornplanter)
was one Of the council that placed over the
grave a post, stained with the juice Of the
wild strawberry, to mark the spot. He
would not state the name Or tribe OF this
| great chief.
1t was not Captain Montour, for he, with
his brother John, appeared at the military
post of Major Taylor, near Pittsburg, in
December Of the same year. Two years
| later the two brothers were with Colonel
BrOadhead on the Muskingum, In Ohio.
Charles H. Erwin, In a pamphlet pub
| lished as late as 1874, accepts Captain Mon
tour as the hero and martyr, but in his more
recently prepared manuscripts cites the
facts which show that the captain and his
brother were active IN the flesh fof several
| years later at least.
Mr.. Erwin in his latest work scouts the
idea that the post was intended as a monu-
ment at all. Such tribute TO the dead was
| contrary to Indian nature and 70 any known
custom among them. 1t seems highly I'M
probable that so unusual an exception
should be made very shortly after battle
in which the Indians had been worsted and
| when their white enemy might be expected
TO appear among them at any time. III Is
true however, that excavations for cellars
or wells In the neighborhoOd OF the post
have frequently unearthed Indian bones
and relics.-New York Times.