Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-30
Euftttrtg Gfrat

Conrad weiser and Shikilliny. to
whom Is dedicated the fountain
which was located in the River
Park Just below Market street until
the city fathers sent 1t away for
some repairs and seem to have for
gotten the place, were two of the
big figures in the history OF the
lower Susquehanna and 1t ~ re-
grettable that even the small me-
mortal provided by the will of the
late William A. Kellker should not
be given better consideration in this
/ city where Weiser held important
conferences for the pacifcation OF
the colony. AS records of Colonial
times come to light these figures.
assume place in Pennsylvania his
tory which is deserving of far more
recognition than ever bestowed 1t
was We!ser who prevented worse
horrors in the French and Indian
war and it was the Indian chief
who helped him. Weiser lived in
Berks county and Shikillimy at Sha-
mokin. Both were friends of John
Harris and labored with him to
Keep things quiet along the river.
| There is no record of any formal
visit paid to Harris Ferry by the
indian chief, but he is much mem
toned in Harris letters and was
here many times on trading trips,
probably a couple of times q year
and the presents sent to him Just
before he died in 1749 are said to
nave been sent from the Ferry.
Conrad Weiser averted famine
among the Indians in 1855 by a dis
I tribution of food and presents with
!
which made much stir in Colonial
records of the time. He was fre.
quently in conference with John
/ Harris in his mansion in South Front
street and the influence he had with
the Indians, much of it through
/ Shikillimy was very strong. One OF
the interesting stories told is that
Shikillimy prevented Maryland from
claiming a good part of what is now
4 the southern tier of counties by re-
fusing to sign an Indian deed Weia
ser was made a colonel for his serG
vices, but neither he nor the Indian
were ever given sufficient recognt.
/ ton for what they did for the peo,
pie of the lower Susquehanna valler.
And it is all the more reason thaa
the sole memorial to these two
giants of Colonial days in Pennsyt-
vania should be put back where ic
/ belongs and not be given the treat
ment accorded to the Donate statu-
airy which seems to be appreciated
more in other places than the city
to which it was given.
|
In this connection there is an ia
teresting story about Weiser and
Shilillimy and the Isle of Que
where n number of Harrisburgers
have gone annually to camp. This
island is we'll known to many living
in this city and it has an odd name.
q queer coniguration and some his
tory as we'll as fine location. ShilSil-
limy, who owned most of Northum-
berland county, or at least decided
good bit of it, owned this island.
Weiser liked it and what happened
showed that in spite of their friend
ship the two were pretty sharp.
Joseph S. Walton, who wrote n life
of Weiser says that one day the In
dian, according to q rumor started
by enemies of Weiser, told Conrad
that he had dreamed that Weiser
had given him a rifle. Weiser had
fine gun in his hands and at once
told the Indian that his dream was
true. Then says Walton, Some
days later Weiser had his dream.
He took it to the old chief, saying,
| L dreamed that Shikillimy presented
me with the large and beautiful is
land nestled in the Susquehanna
river The chief, we are told, decided
over the land and then said, Conrad,
let us never dream again."
Plans for the visit of the Cham
ber of Commerce to the Army's re-
serve aviation depot at Middletown
tonight call to mind the fact that
Middletown which is the oldest place
in Dauphin county, was an army de-
pot in the days of the Revolution.
Harris Ferry and Middletown Ferry
were two points of crossing lhe
/ Susquehanna and York and cum
berland counties brought their sup
plies across by boat. The fact that
Harris Ferry was at the junction
point of the Susquehanna with the
| Cumberland and Lebanon valleys
gave it the prestige which it is said
| Conrad Weiser hoped that Middle
town would have. Weiser refers to
sunplies stored at Middletown and
revolutionary Army records tell or
accumuIations of provisions and ma
terial at Middletown for the Army,
while some of the food gather ed Tor
Sullivan's expedition against the In
dians and for the American Army IN
the winter Of Valley Forge was as
sembled at Middletown and sent
across country by wagons or mules.
These repetitions of history are not
only gratifying to patriotic Pennsyl-
vanians, but indicate that our county
has borne it's part in every struggle
from the earliest days or the COM
monwealth.
Some of the machine gun presents
that were so much in vogue for
Youngsters this Christmas seem to
have had a hard effect on tree deco
rations. The glittering. balls and
other ornaments are tempting tar
get for the juvenile gunners anu
eor,e Allison Hill homes have had
\ 70 repair trees several times, accord
Ing to reports.
/