Norwich bulletin., 1921-08-23
ODD sNcEDEN1s EN AMERICAN x HISTORY
THE PAxrANG INDIAN OUTRAGE

THE PAxTANG INDIAN OUTRAGE i
 At one time the Susqueaanna were a very powerful tribe among the Am orleans aborigines It was to thls tfi5e that the great Indian chief, Logon be- ionged. They inhabited the middle sec ton of the Eastern tSates, ond were Ire aueatly at war with tge Five Aati9nS These nations entirely subdued them m the later quarter of the seventeeath cen tury They retreated into Aaryianu where they bNeame involved in a war with the eolonists and were almost com pletely destroyed.
 In 1763 the feeble remnant of the tribe became involve in the general suspicion entertained by the colenists against the Red Men, arising out of massacres on the borders. To escape danger the poor creatures took refuge in the Lancaster Pa- jail.
 These Indians had been residing on the Conestoga Manor in Lancaster Conn- ty and were Ieeegnized as peaceful ana often went to Lancaster to se.t ther ware and make purchases When lhe border massacres took place tae suspl- cion and enI1ity or the sufferers towards every Indian were aroused. Scouts traced some narauders to the Indian village on the Conestoga and the government was appealed to but no action was taken.
 Believing that the Indians, who were known as the Conestogas, would lessen one source of danger by breaking up place of refuge for the nlarauders, some men living principally in Donegal and Paxtang. Pa, attacked the village and killed all that were there, including old men. women and children. As many of the Indians were away, they escaped but their fate was not long delayed. The authorities of Lancaster learn ing of the massacre of the Indians as Conestoga, put the remainder in the work house for protection, but their Donegal and Paxtang enemies soon appeared burst open the door and notwithstand- ing their utter helplessness shot every Indian.
 When the news of this affair spread eostHar the Morayian Indians were TO longer deemed safe. It was feared that the Conestega destroyers would wreak their vengeance on thse unoffending ones
 so they were removed to Province Island in the Delaware near Philadelphia The Indians patitioned the legislature 1 to send them to England. The governor l furnished them an escort to New York hoping to put them under the protection l of Sir Wilaiam Johnson. The council of New York did not take kindly to Gevs ierner Penn's disposition of these Indians and Gen Gage directed two companies of the Royal Americans to escort them back to Philadelphia where they were secured in the barracks.
 1 On learning of the return to the city their enemies at Lancaster were aroused l and started for Philadelphia. Six corR- panies of foot, one of artillery an two l of horse, besides several thousands of the | 41aa Saf. 9f Indians. The barracks were fortified and l defended by regular troops; works wert thrown up around them and eight pieces ] of cannon were mounted
 1 Tire insurgents finding the the ferries were guarded went to Germantown where they learned of the large force that had been raised to oppose their march. Al Il o'clock the Governor learned that the insurgents were approaching ia two bodies on tbe Reading and Lancaster roads, { general alarm was ordered, one of ths field pieces at the barracks was dis charged, drums were beat, bells wer' 1 rnng, candles were placed in the windowI of the houses and volunteers hurried tc the State House to receive their arms. Soon a mass of people filed the streets especially near the barracks and thy rabE5le shouted exultantly. A number O. young Friends astonished the naultitud by shouldering muekets and joining tn, volunteers. Franklin and Hamilton were at she State House directing the troops Governor Penn having been taken i'll meanwhile ths Indians who had caused al this eoBa1aotiOn were asleep.
 Monday night passed without any dis
 turbaneas on Tuesday morning however aeoeher general alarm was sounded. Coy ] ernor Penn sent Benjamin Franklin t
 persuade the insurgents to disperse. H' promised than redress for their gTiev 1 anaes, and invited them to send some 0 their party unarHed to the city to iden tify the mnTderers that they claimed wer with the Morayiaa Indians The Indian
 were mustered but ezt not sipgle mur 1 deEer eassid be recognized.
 The hzsHTraction then speedily sub side. The NoFaFisn Indians became a 1 oSSsct of general curiosity and the bar \ racks were efEsn crowded with yisit0rs
 They begged GoVerInsr Penn to coRve
 them to their frontier where they ceui care for themselves but he would no consent to this as Iang as ths war lasted Many of them died later of an epiderni of srnaE5pex and dysentery and the
 eventually became assimilated with ethe
 tribes and the incident in which the figured was forgotten
 6TemorroY-The Mammoth Cheese-)
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