The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1928-11-09

French and Indians was burning and
scalping within forty miles Of the.
ferry. Settlers were frantically fee:
ing to the east, or doggedly forting.
themselves on learning that escape
was cut off. went out with forty
Eve men from the ferry and helped
bury fourteen mangled bodies. Great
cove was destroyed.
By December, the indians were on
the Lehigh behind the Blue noun
tains, where they killed a hundred
people and burned many cabins Beth.
lehem prepared to resist an attack.
At about the same time another band
penetrated to the Schuylkill in Berks
county and did devils work. For fifty
miles around Easton the country was
devastated. So widespread were the
activities of the savages that hun
dreds of people fed into the Jerseys.
some carrying their household goods
and driving their cattle; others vain.
ly offering half of all they possessed
In an effort to save something.
It was a characteristic of this IN
equal fighting that the Indians took
but few prisoners. Thirty-six houses
and the church at Gnadenhutten were
burned. although Lieutenant Brown
and a company of rangers forted
themselves In the church and held u
until It was fred, The Juniata was
visited early In January and many
people were murdered within two or
three miles of Fort Patterson
Even the back districts of Chester
and Philadelphia counties were en-
dangered. and four hundred German
farmers from the latter county
marched into Philadelphia city and
demanded that the assembly grant
them some protection. These settlers
should have remembered how men of
their race defeated Joseph Seely
Berks county candidate for sheriff. in
the October election, because he
favored military training. it
Throughout the winter, the savages
continued very active. which was un
usual. as during the snow months the
frontier always had experienced a re-
lief from attacks and had slept sound
ly. The woods from the Juniata to
ShamOkin were filed with ferocious
red men, who killed and burned. In
the latter part of the month hun
dred Indians at Kittanning, includ
ing not few who had been loyal to
England until the defeat on the Mon
Ongahela, left to raid the COUcoche
ague settlements and forts Shirley
and Littleton. was one of these
who rode ahead TO spread the alarm.
and | experienced enough thrills to
last me several lifetimes.
And so the bloody story might go
on through volumes. Settlements in
flames and the rough roads crowded
with terrified families Scarcely a
night could one scan the horizons and
not see the red flares that told of
some cabin or hamlet being wiped
out. Not until Gen. John Forbes ex.
petition in the summer of 1853. when
he marched to Duquesne with fifty
eight hundred men and a thousand
wagons did we begin to have q rest
from the butcheries But General
Forbes would have nothing to do with
the Inflated Bradd0ck road and wise.
ly followed the central path through
Carlisle. Shippensburg, and over
Laurel mountain. The long rifles were
proving their worth and were soon
to take Canada from the French
During, all this strife and these mis-
cradle scenes, ! endeavored to DO my
share in exacting penalty from the
red men. For two weeks | worked
with Captain Jack. the Black Hunter
of the Juniata But when that river
was harried he became such a mad
man and would take such fo0lhardy
risks that | left his band Yet we
made some rare killings In the short
time we were together.
The danger was never so great,
however, as to cause me to forget,
the Dinwold girl. In my dreams
and In my waking hours could see
her Juggling at young Morgan's hand
and striving to come back and face
the trouble out in my company. at
night | would awake with her voice