Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-09-02

resided. In 1891 or - there was a
party of Cornplanter Indians came TO
the house of a family by the name of
Michel, consisting of mother daughter
and son, who resided about two miles
up the Loyalhanna above where La
trobe now stands, in Westmoreland
county. The daughter and son, Charles
and Susannah, were in the stable loft
when the Indians came in sight Chas.
who was about seventeen years of age,
undertook to make his escape by rum
ing away but was captured while cross
ing the Loyalhanna creek. While the
Indians We're engaged capturing Chas.
Susannah had the presence of mind to
go into the horse stable and turn the
horse trough over herself.
When the Indians returned after cap
turing Charles, Susan was not TO be
found. They then went to the house
and took Mrs. Michel prisoner and made
their retreat northward BY evening
of the same day they found that Mrs.
Michel was unable to travel, so a part
of the Indians fell back with Mrs. Mich
el and part continued the march, and
when night overlook them kindled a fire.
The balance of the company came up
and had the scalp of Mrs. Michel and
dried it before the fire in the presence
of her son Charles
They continued their march next
morning and when they got near Ma
honing creek in Armstrong county they
came on two white mems tracks, where
their course led them across a low, wet
piece of ground. At this point the two
tracks of the white men led off along
the side of the ridge. Charles Michel
and the Indians saw those two white
men at a distance Charles knew them
to be Captain Sloan and Ardy Hill, be
ing his neighbors. There was snow on
the ground and being soft and Captain
| Sloan being large man six feet and
| three inches, with moccasins pretty well
| packed, made large track. One of the
Indians pulled out his ramrod and mea-
sured the moccasin track and held it up
| and said, Great Sawarick, great Saw
arick. Yes" says Michel, that's big
| Captain Sloan. and great Indian
| fighter" II appears that the Indians
had thought of attacking them and
| Michel knew what his fate would be il
they did. So it appears that the big
moccasin track prevented an attack
| When Captain Sloan and Hill came
down off the side of the ridge they came
| onto The Indian tracks, and concluded
| that by getting ahead of them from tn,
| trail they were on knew where they
could cross Mahoning creek and prob
| ably could defeat the Indians, but upoI
examining the tracks discovered whit,
mans track in company Knowing il
they would attack them that the Ind
ians would kill the prisoner, they CAV,
it up, not knowing that the white MAJ
with the Indians was Michel, theil
neighbor. Here | may remark tina
Captain Sloan after returning from
| Fort Hamilton was appointed captain
of the rangers, or spies, and was out al
this time making discoveries with regarC
to guarding off the Indians AT the tim,
of the Michel capture the writer wal
the youngest of five small children re
siding with their mother about three
fourths of mile north of the Niche
family Had the Indians come to oul
place instead of Michel's there would o.
could not have been any resistance
made, as father was out on the frontier
1t is well known that Simon Girty wa!
with the Cornplanter Indians givinl
them directions. Girty knew Captain
Sloan and that it would not be advisabl,
to go to his place if he was at home, ant
perhaps this circumstance saved th'
writer's scalp. In conclusion | ma.
say that Captain Sloan was the writer
father and John Wallace my cousin
JOHN SLOAN.