The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-07-24

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there. The troops then shut UP the
Moravians in two houses some dis.
tance apart. and had them well
guarded. -s< f
1t may be necessary here to explain
to the reader that owing to the dis
turbed condition OF the country al
this time on account of the French
and Indian war, In order to save the
Moravians from assault by their enc
mics, they had been induced by the
Huron Half King Pomoacon, who was
interested In their preservation, being
the chief of the Delawares, to leave
their homes on the Tuscarawas the
preceding autumn, and part of them
mad gone to Sandusky and later 9TH
ers had been sent to Fort Pitt. From
King Pomoacons address to the Chris
tian Indians we may gather some idea
OF the position they occupied during
this series of wars against the from
tier.
HALF KINGS SPEECH.
In that speech to the Moravian In
dians the Half King said: Cousins:
Ye believing Indians of Gnadenhutten
Shoenbrun and Salem: | am mucn
concerned on your account. perceiying
that you live in dangerous spot. Two
powerful, angry and merciless Gods
stand ready, opening their Jaws wide
against each other; you are settling
down between both, and thus in dan
ger OF being devoured and ground to
powder by the teeth of either the one
or the other or of both. 1t is. there
lore not advisable for you to stay here
any longer. Consider your young
people, your wives and your children
and preserve their lives, for here they
must all perish. l therefore take vol,
by the hand lift you up and place
you In or near my dwelling. where
you Will be safe and dwell in peace.
DO not stand looking at your planta-
tions and houses, but arise and follow
me. Take also your teachers with
you, AS you have been accustomed TO
do. You shall likewise find provisions
and our father beyond the lake (the
governor of Detroit) will care for you.
Ihis is my message, and am come
purposely to deliver it."
Those who had gone to Fort PITT
had been treated with kindness by
the commander and they had now re-
turned. as we'll as part of those who
went to Sandusky, to their homes
again, to gather in their corn crop
which had been left standing in the
fl .lds when they went away.
having through deception and fair
promises got the Indians into their
power, and being under guard coun-
Gil OF war was then held to determine
the fate of the prisoners. After talk
ing vote, only eighteen out cf the
entire number Goo or more) were in
favor of sparing their lives: the rest
were unanimous in their desire to
have them murdered at once We will
not attempt to describe but pass over
the horrible scene when with toma-
hawk, knife and other instruments
OF death, ninety-six human beings. a
majority of them being women anu
children, were most barbarously ana
inhumanly butchered by those who
should have been their protectors.
only two Indian boys escaped, one of
them having been knocked down and
scalped but afterwards revived and
escaped under cover of darkness. The
other succeeded in crawling through
a hole in the floor of the building and
| out beneath, and so escaped the fate
of the rest.
When this expedition against the
Christian Indians was planned, it was
| well known to those who joined it
that the Indians had been removed
to the Sandusky country and Fort Pitt
and that they had returned. The OBJ
ject OF the raid was the Moravian vii
lage, and though there may not have
been any previous definite understand
ing as to the fate of the Indians if
captured, the determination to spare
none doubtless took possession of the
minds OF most of the men engaged in
1t. The expedition was deliberately
Planned, and the massacre deliber-
ately perpetrated, not in the sudden
heat of passion or flush of battle, for
not the slightest opposition was made
by the trusting guileless Indians, but
their submission was attended with
such surrounding extenuating circum-
stances calling for mercy and forbear-
ance that nothing but deep-seated
blood-seeking disposition could have
permitted the men to consent to the
terrible tragedy. 1t must ever be re-
garded as one of the most atrocious
acts that has disgraced the American
name. Thus was consummatcd one of
the foulest deeds that has ever stain
ed American history"
After committing this barbarous act,