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t ' OCT 4 i- 
 
 Gass 
 
 Book 
 
 f OP^-Rir.HT DF.POSIT 
 
TTHK 
 
 MORAVIAN MISSIONS 
 
 IN 
 
 OHIO. 
 
 BY 
 
 FRANCIS C. HUEBNER. 
 
 WASHINGTON, D. C. : 
 SIMMS & LEWIS, PRINTERS. 
 
 1898. 
 
E?1 
 
 Copyright, 1898, by 
 
 V H A N (' T S C . H I' E R N E K 
 
 Wasiiin<;ton, 1>. C. 
 
 1st 
 
 8EP2n898 )) 
 
 PRICK 7r, CKNT^>. 
 
F R 1: F A C E 
 
 The early life of the writer of this little 
 volume was spent on the banks of the 
 Tuscarawas River within a stone's throw 
 of the site of the old Indian town of 
 Gnadenhutten, and it was here that an 
 interest in the history of the missions w^as 
 first awakened. Two old apple trees 
 which had been planted by the Indian 
 converts, and depressions in the earth 
 caused by the "caving in" of the cellars 
 where stood the houses of the inhabitants, 
 outlined what had existed, while two 
 solemn mounds and a tall, grey monu- 
 ment bearing the inscription, "Here 
 triumphed in death ninety Christian 
 Indians, March S, 1782," told the story 
 of the end. The liiatus was supplied in 
 hiter years by reading such works as 
 lleckewehler's Narrative ; LoskiclV His- 
 
 VPr^ 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 t(»rv Ml the Indian Missions; Dodridge's 
 Notes ; Taylor's History of Ohio ; Zeis- 
 berirer's Diary (translated by Bliss) ; Life 
 and Times of David Zeisberger by De 
 Sfhweinitz, and other works, including 
 the Life of John Heckewelder, by Rond- 
 tiialcr. From the latter-named book was 
 obtainccl tlic pictureof John Heckewelder, 
 and from the iirst-named the picture of 
 Zi'isl)(,*rger which are reproduced for the 
 bem-tit of my readers, and to each of the 
 al»ovc Works I must give credit for the 
 historical information ol»tained and nar- 
 rated liei'ein. 
 
 The object of this little volume is to 
 give to those interested in the history of 
 Eastern Ohio a condensed l)iit full story 
 ot" the Moi-a\iaii missions in ()hio. 
 
 TiiK Arm OR. 
 Wa>hington, D. ("., 
 
 September 15, 1SJ)S. 
 
THE MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO, 
 
 For over ten years the history of the 
 now great Commonwealth of Ohio w^as 
 centered principally in two communities 
 in the Tuscarawas valley, named Schoen- 
 brunn and Gnadenhutten. The former 
 stood about one and one-half miles south 
 of the present county seat of Tuscarawas 
 county, while just beside the heaps of 
 ashes of old Gnadenhutten was built the 
 quiet little hamlet of the present day 
 bearing that name. 
 
 These two towns were inhabited by 
 
 Indians, but they were Indians in name 
 
 only, and did not exercise the savage 
 
 nature which the word 
 
 5 
 
r> 
 
 .M(»1:A\I AN .MI>>I<>NS IN OHIO. 
 
 plies. Tlicir aim \vii> towards civiliza- 
 tion ; they (k'.-ir("<l to live at ])ea('e with 
 Jill people, and their nuniher was large 
 ennUL:h, aii<l their intlueiice iH>tential 
 enough toeliect the history of the eastern 
 part of Ohio, if n<»t the history of the 
 I'nited States as a nation. 
 
 To ]>roperly present the liistory of these 
 two towns, it will he iH'cessary to give a 
 ]>rief review of the wanderings of the 
 j>eople who t"oripe<l the mudeiis of them. 
 These wanderers were Moravian eon- 
 verts from the Mohican, Dcdaware, and 
 (.►thcr Indian nations. Moi'axian mis- 
 sioiiario had heen preaching to t lie In- 
 dian> in the I^a>lerii States — lirst in New 
 York :in<l Coiniecticut, and then in Penn- 
 syhania at \ariou> ]»oints. A mi>>ion 
 would hr estahlished, a town regularly 
 lai<l out, a loL'" (diur(di constructed, and 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 7 
 
 ill a very short time the church would be 
 surrounded with log houses. While the 
 missions were prospering, how^ever, white 
 civilization was pushing rapidly to the 
 West, and wherever the whites and In- 
 dians met on the borders of civilization 
 there was contention. In case of war, 
 no discrimination was shown by the 
 border- whites generally, whether an In- 
 dian was disposed to do evil or not, but 
 every red skin was regarded as an enemy 
 to civilization. In all differences be- 
 tween Indians and whites, " might " was 
 considered " right," and the white race 
 being the superior, the final outcome in 
 each case was the retirement of the In- 
 dians to some land less desirable to the 
 whites at that time. For these reasons 
 the Moravian Indians had moved from 
 New York and Connecticut to the eastern 
 
8 Mt)RAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 part of Pennsylvania, then to the central 
 part ot* that State, and next to the still 
 wilder ]>nrtiniis. In the year ITTo we 
 tind a number of them at Friedenshntten, 
 in the northern part of Pennsylvania, on 
 the Susquehanna River. 
 
 When the Moravian converts wished 
 to huild a town they would obtain the 
 })ermission of the Indian tribe which 
 claimed the land oii which they desired 
 to settle. The land upon which Fried- 
 enshntten stood belonged to the Iroquois 
 Nation, and it was from their council the 
 ^I<»raviaii Indians obtained permission to 
 occupy that land. It w^as one of the 
 principles of Indian nations to give homes 
 and jtrotection to smaller and weaker 
 tribes with the intention of adopting 
 them in order to strengthen their own, 
 and no doubt this was the incentive 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. \) 
 
 which induced the Iroquois Nation to 
 give the Moravian Indians this land. 
 The Iroquois soon found, however, that 
 the principles of the Moravian Indians 
 would prevent their helping them in 
 time of war. When the Iroquois realized 
 this fact thev had no more use for the 
 Moravians, and the result was the land 
 upon which Friedenshutten stood was 
 sold by the Iroquois to the British. 
 "When this bargain passed, the Moravian 
 Indians were without a home they could 
 call their own Here we must leave our 
 friends, however, and take a view of the 
 land which was destined to be their future 
 home. 
 
 The Delaware Nation of Indians oc- 
 cupied the eastern portion of Ohio and 
 the Western part of Pennsylvania. They 
 had formerly lived east of the Allegheny 
 
In MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN oHK). 
 
 mountains and were in power there when 
 AVi Ilia 111 Vvuu made his famous treaty 
 with tilt- lii<liaii> ahtnit oiK' hundred years 
 het'ore, but the whites forced them to re- 
 tire to tlie West, and during the years 
 1T*>.") to ITl*."), the Delaware Nation was 
 at till* heiglit of it> power in the Tus- 
 carawas Valley. 
 
 Tn the >outli and west of the Dehi- 
 wares lived the Mingocs and Shawnees. 
 Tn the north and northwest lived tlie 
 Wyandnts. A number of ^Fohieans were 
 with the Dclawares after 177i\ but they 
 were i»rin(ii»ally those wlio emigrated to 
 tliat seeti(»n with tlie Moravian Indians, 
 and most ot" tlinn were settled in the 
 community of ( i nadcnhutteTi. This was 
 .-imply their home by a(k>ption. 
 
 The Delaware Nation was divided into 
 tlirei' tribes, the Turtle, the Turkey, and 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 11 
 
 the Wolf. Each of these tribes supposed 
 they were connected by some distant 
 relationship with the animal after which 
 their tribe was named. They supposed 
 that the earth was supported on the back 
 of an immense turtle, which was the 
 father of the Turtle tribe, and reasoning 
 in some manner not clear to me, they 
 based upon that supposition the idea that 
 the Turtle tribe was the superior one. 
 
 At the time of these events, 1770, Neta- 
 watwes was the peace chief or sachem of 
 the Turtle tribe. Being the sachem of 
 the most important tribe of the Dela- 
 wares he was regarded as the head man 
 in the Delaware Nation, and had charge 
 of the records and wampum of the nation, 
 among which were the wampum belts 
 given his ancestors by William Penn. 
 In Indian councils the sachem not onlv 
 
ll^ MoKAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 |.r('>i(K'(l ((VL-rtlie meetings, but if he was 
 :i man uf strong cliaracter lie would 
 decide many of the important questions 
 himself. Netawatwes was a man of this 
 character. In Indian councils he would 
 ask the opinions of all the leading 
 men of the tribes on the matter under 
 consideration, and after each had ex- 
 pressed himself Netawatwes would give 
 his decision on the question, after which 
 there would seldom be further contro- 
 versy. The whites called him '' King 
 Xewcomer " (wliidi name 1 will use 
 hereafter in this history*, and from that 
 name the town in which he resided was 
 called '* Xewcomcrstown." 
 
 NcwcoiiH-r^town was the ca]»ital of the 
 Delaware Nation and the meeting place 
 of their (Trand Council. The town con- 
 tained about one hundred log jionses, 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 13 
 
 many of which were well constructed, 
 and equal to those erected by the white 
 settlers. 
 
 The principal war chief of the Turtle 
 tribe and the confidential adviser of King 
 Newcomer was White Eyes. This posi- 
 tion was one of great importance, as the 
 head war chief had not only in charge the 
 conduct of the war when it existed, but 
 he in a manner declared when war should 
 exist. White Eyes Avas chosen for this 
 position on account of his statesmanship, 
 bravery, and patriotism, and the influence 
 he could exert on the warriors. He was 
 one the foremost men in the nation, and 
 his oratorical powers, logical conclusions, 
 and powers of persuasion were truly re- 
 markable for a man who is considered a 
 savage. 
 
 The Turkev tribe we do not hear so 
 
14 MUKAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 iiiucli :ili(»ut ill connection with the mis- 
 >i<.n>. At the time I have mentioned 
 Kiiii:- Heaver was tlie liead chief, and an 
 Indian wc shall hereafter know as Cap- 
 tain .lolinny was liis war cliief. The 
 capital of this tribe was southwest of 
 Xcwconicrstowii a niimher of miles on 
 rlic Ilnckliocking river. 
 
 The Wolf tri])e of tlie Delaware Nation 
 is soiiictinics callc*! the ^fonseys, and 
 you will fiiitl that name used more often 
 jirohalily than the Kiiu-lish interpretation 
 " Wolf." However, to avoid confusion, 
 wc will use the I'hiirli^h. and hence will 
 continue to call this the "-Wolf" trihe. 
 Their capital wa> at i\ askaskuiik, on the 
 lliii- r.ea\er Ki\cr, in Pennsylvania, just 
 across the ()liio line. Kini:- Pakanke 
 was the head chiet'ot' this trihe. ('a]>taiii 
 Pipe wa- hi- wai- cliiet", and later, became 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 15 
 
 the principal chief of that tribe. Captain 
 Pipe was the opposite of White Eyes in 
 many respects. While White Eyes was 
 patriotic, Captain Pipe was selfishly ambi- 
 tious. While White Eyes was striving 
 to remain at peace with other nations and 
 with the whites, Caytain Pipe, desiring 
 to get a reputation as the foremost war- 
 rior in the land, was in favor of w^ar on 
 the slightest pretext. 
 
 Just about six years before, almost all 
 the Indians east of the Mississippi were at 
 war with the whites under the leadership 
 of Pontiac. Captain Pipe was one of 
 the Delaware chiefs who fought in that 
 war. Before it ended. Colonel Boquet, 
 an English officer, witli an army of about 
 fifteen hundred men marched to the 
 Delaware country. The mere sight of 
 an army of that feize with glistening bay- 
 
IG MOliAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 onets and deadly guns had the desired 
 effect, and the Delawares were willing to 
 make a treaty of peace. But Colonel 
 Boquet feared treachery, and required a 
 number of chiefs to he sent to Pittsburg 
 with him as hostages. Captain Pipe and 
 Captain Johnny were two of those 
 selected. While White Eyes was willing 
 to put contidence in the Americans, Cap- 
 tain Pipe, from some experiences had in 
 Pittshui'L^ witli tlu' whites, while a hust- 
 a<. e, had his mind full of the wrongs the 
 Indians were suffering at the hands of 
 the white men, and mistrusted their 
 every action. 
 
 One othtT man who belonged to the 
 AVolf tribe, and to whom I want to in- 
 troduce V(»u, is (ilikkikin. P»efore 
 Ca]>t:iiii ri)>c had attained the a})point- 
 ment :i- war chief (»f the Wolf tribe. 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 17 
 
 Glikkikin held that position, and was the 
 confidential adviser of King Pakanke. 
 Glikkikin had not only the confidence of 
 Pakanke, but of all the warriors. Dur- 
 ing Pontiac's War to which I have re- 
 ferred, Glikkikin's daring brought him 
 fame which was spoken of in every Indian 
 tribe east of the Mississippi. Then, he 
 too, was not only a warrior, but an 
 orator, and could sway the minds of his 
 hearers in council, or change the opinion 
 of individuals in conversation by his per- 
 suasive eloquence. 
 
 Zeisberger, the white missionary at 
 Friedenshutten, and his helpers had been 
 preaching to the Indians in the country 
 a short distance from Kaskaskunk. 
 Many Indians attended his preaching, 
 and interest was awakened in the new 
 religion. But the Indians had a religion 
 
!>« ilUKAVIAN MliJSlU^'S IN OHIO. 
 
 of tlioir own. They Itelievcd in a liappy 
 liuiitinir «rr«>ini(l wliere tliev would ^o 
 wlii'ii tlR'V (lied, and believed that certain 
 r('«jiiir('ni('nt> were necessary on tlieir 
 part before they would be entitled to live 
 in that country after death. Some of 
 their relitrious practices seem foolish. 
 Hiir tcachinir ^vas that the more they 
 cniihl vomit, the purer» would be tlieir 
 snuls. This, of course, was not a very 
 healthful pi-actice, for some of them wlio 
 were n-liiiiously inclined toc.k emetics 
 enntinually, and nearly killed themselves 
 in thus ]»ra^ti(•inL^ their reliu'ion. 
 Ibit howcNrr t'nt.lish these practices 
 miLdit he, that \\a> what tlie\ wei'e 
 tauL'"ht, and that was the theory 
 many of them lu'lieved. Kini:- Pa- 
 kanke was a tiiMii helievi-r in this 
 Indian tlieorv of rellLiioii, and when he 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 19 
 
 lieard of this new prcMclier inducing the 
 Indians to forsake tlie Indian religion, 
 he thought such preaching should be 
 stopped. The old Indian was no doubt 
 honest in his belief, for he had the idea 
 that all other religions could be over- 
 thrown bv argument. Glikkikin had 
 never known defeat in debate. Frederick 
 Post, the Moravian missionary, who ac- 
 com])anied AA^ashington on his trip over 
 the Allegheny Mountains to Fort Du- 
 (|uesne (Pittsburg) just at the beginning 
 OT the French and Indian AVar, had made 
 a trip to the Tuscarawas Yalley eight 
 years before, and in his conversations 
 with the Indians he became involved 
 in a debate with Glikkikin. The 
 Indians regarded (Glikkikin a> tlu; 
 victor in this contest. A> ZeislxTgcr 
 was preaching the same doctrine tauglit 
 
2(» MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 l)v Post, Pakanki' requested Glikkikiu 
 to meet Zeisherger in debate and dis- 
 close tlie fallacies of the Christian 
 rt'liirioii. (ilikkikiii set out on this 
 mission full of contidence in his p(>wer 
 to combat any argument Zeisberger 
 might oti'er. As he a[>|)roa('hed the 
 hut in which Zeisberger was staying 
 he decided to hear the missionary's argu- 
 ment first so he could the better ]n-epare 
 hi> :in>wcr. AVheii he arrived at the 
 door of the cabin, Zeisberger was not 
 there, but the Indian Anthony, who had 
 previously acknowledged Christianity 
 received him. Tie gave him food as was 
 the cu>toin, and immediately began to 
 explaiu the (1iri>tian religion. Glik- 
 kikiu li>t.'ne.l lir>t with a feeling (.f con- 
 t«'iii|»l. .\nthony wa> telling him some- 
 tliinii- new, however, and lii> contem])t 
 
MORAVIAN MIS8I0NS IN 0*HIO. 21 
 
 soon turned to ii spirit of iiKj^uiry. When 
 this spirit is aroused in a man, there is 
 hope for a good cause. Glikkikin's 
 inquiries were being satisfied when Zeis- 
 berger entered and further explained 
 Christianity to him. His savage nature 
 softened. His argument, intended to 
 overthrow Christianity, could not an- 
 swer the story of love. All he could 
 say was " I believe your words," and 
 Glikkikin, the great war captain, whose 
 very name was a synonym of dan- 
 ger to his enemies, resolved to become 
 a Christian. The energy he had in- 
 tended to use against the gospel, he now 
 determined to use to promote it. 
 
 It was not an easy matter to make such 
 a decision and to carry it out. The 
 teachings of oner's fathers which have 
 been handed down from generation to 
 
M«»i:.\\ IAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 gLMicratioii arc hard t«) tV»rsake, and the 
 convictiun that it is one's duty to adopt 
 another systi'iii iiiii^t Ix' stronir indeed to 
 oNcrcoiiu' tlic tcacliinjj,- of diihlhood. A 
 irrcater o])sta('le to overeomt' is the in- 
 tluence exerted hy tlie livinu'. AVlieii a 
 man clianu'es ra<li('ally tlie hal)its of life, 
 tliosi' wlio were former associates gen- 
 erally look upon him as an o(ldity. This 
 i^ true in cixilizctl lit'c, and how much 
 more so in ravage life, whci'c pf'oplc are 
 inrinenced l>y >u])crstition. 
 
 (tlikkikin returnc(l to the capital. The 
 news of his conversion, and what Pa- 
 kanke thouii-ht wa> his defeat, precedecl 
 liim. When they nn't, Kini:- I*akanke 
 rehuked him >e\t'rcly tor >uch conduct, 
 hut Gh'kkikiii an>were<l in a mo>t deter- 
 nnned manner that hi> intention was to 
 tVdlow the mi>sionaric> and their tea(di- 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 23 
 
 ings, and urged all his people to hear the 
 gospel. In taking this stand he was 
 compelled to resign his position as war 
 chief, and Pakanke no longer regarded 
 him as his confidential adviser. Captain 
 Pipe succeeded him to these positions. 
 
 Glikkikin was a man who could be 
 trusted. The warriors he had led in 
 battle during Pontiac's War knew it. 
 Although he had now turned from his 
 former practices ; was no longer their 
 war chief, and was not now Pakanke's 
 principal adviser, yet many were his true 
 friends and loved him still. Then, too, 
 the preaching of the missionaries con- 
 tinued, and others were converted, among 
 them Captain Pipe's wife. The result 
 was that in a council shortly after Glik- 
 kikins conversion, the majority of the 
 councilors expressed a desire to have the 
 
24 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 gospel preached to their people, and later 
 their regard tor Zeisberger led to his 
 a(h»ption into their tribe. Captain Pipe, 
 however, from that time on was a leader 
 of a faction of tlie Delawares opposed to 
 the gospel. 
 
 Here we can take up the thread of our 
 story of tlic mission at Friedenshutten, 
 which wc IcariuMl was about to be aban- 
 doiKMl. Tlirough the influence of Glik- 
 kikin the entire body of Moravian In- 
 dians was invited by the Wolf tribe to 
 settle in tlieir country. Many of them 
 moved and built the town of Friedens- 
 stadt. '^lli^ town, it will l)e remembered, 
 was in Pennsylvania. 
 
 Zeisberger, however, desired to pen- 
 etrate farther into the inti'rior, so early 
 in the s])riiig of 1771 he, in c<)m]tany 
 
Rp:v. D. Zeisberger. 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 25 
 
 with Glikkikin and several other In- 
 dians, made his first visit to Ohio. 
 
 They stopped at Newcomerstown, and 
 in the house of King Newcomer at 
 this place, Zeisherger preached the 
 first Protestant sermon delivered in the 
 State of Ohio. Glikkikin also talked 
 with the warriors, and before they left 
 King Newcomer had invited them with 
 the Moravian Indians to make their 
 homes in the Tuscarawas Valley under 
 the protection of the Delaware Nation. 
 Our friends returned to Friedensstadt, 
 however, without accepting the invita- 
 tion. 
 
 At this time White Eyes was taking a 
 very extended trip. He had some time 
 before left Newcomerstown for New 
 Orleans, and from there he sailed to New 
 York, and then traveled across the 
 
•J»> .Mt>KAVIAX MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 coiiiitrv throiiL^li P]iila(lrl]>lna to ISTew- 
 c-onierstowii. Jii this trip he had seen 
 something of tlie worhl outside his little 
 savage circle, and his ideas of what con- 
 stituted a nation were modified from 
 wliat they liad l»een previously. His 
 i(h'as were l>roa(h'ned, and wlien tlie 
 matter of the removal of tlie Christian 
 Indians was presented to him on his 
 return, hoth he and Kinu" Newcomer in- 
 sisted that the missionaries move to their 
 country, and ^ent messengers to Fried- 
 ensstadt with renewed invitation>. 
 
 Captain Ti j»t' di>likcd to see the mis- 
 sions prosper. lli> amhition to hecome 
 a distinguislKMJ warrior liki* Pontiac was 
 himicrcd liy the teachings of the mis- 
 sionaries. The taction of which he was 
 the leader tric(l in every possihle wav to 
 nullilV the mis^ionarv intluence. The 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 27 
 
 Moravians appealed to Pakanke, but 
 Captain Pipe had gained so much in- 
 fluence in the tribe that the protection 
 was refused, and when the second invita- 
 tion came to move to the Tuscarawas 
 Yalley, the Moravian Indians determined 
 to accept it. 
 
 In March, 1TT2, Zeisberger and Glik- 
 kikin set out for the Tuscarawas Yalley 
 a second time, this time to select a home. 
 They reached the Tuscarawas River on 
 their westward journey near the northern 
 boundary of Tuscarawas County, and from 
 that point they floated down the Tusca- 
 rawas in a canoe. One morning they came 
 to a beautiful lake about a mile long, and 
 running their canoes into it they found 
 the location pleasing. They got out near 
 a spring and explored the surrounding 
 country more carefully. It was an ideal 
 
28 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 place, and here Zeisberger determined to 
 Tiiakc his future home. The spring at 
 \\ hicli thrv first stopped seemed to sug- 
 gest the name, so the future town was 
 christened " Schoeiihrunn/' 
 
 ZcislicriTcr and Glikkikin then visited 
 the Indian li-ovcrnnicnt at Xewcomers- 
 t(»wn again to converse witli the chiefs 
 about obtaining tlie land they had se- 
 lected. Tliey found that the tract wliich 
 Zeisberger tliought so suitable was the 
 one King Newcomer had also chosen for 
 thr >ite for a mission. On this occasion 
 nccnrrt'd a iiienit»ral»le meeting between 
 White Kyesand (ilikkikin. White Eyes, 
 a >avage, the war chief of tlie Turtle 
 tril)c and cuntidential adviser of King 
 Xcwcoiiicr. and ( i I i k k ik in, who had held 
 similar oHice> in the Wolf trihe under 
 Kiuij Pakanke, l»ut wh.. had resiirned 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 29 
 
 them to lead a Christian life. They 
 walked and talked alone together about 
 religion and the future of their nation. 
 Each found the other possessed the true 
 qualities of manhood, and a bond of 
 friendship was formed between them 
 which was never broken. 
 
 Everything being satisfactorily ar- 
 ranged, Zeisberger and Glikkikin hast- 
 ened back to Friedensstadt to bring the 
 first colony of Moravians to Ohio. A few 
 weeks later five families were on their 
 way to the West, and on the 3rd of May, 
 1772, the town of Schoenbrunn was start- 
 ed with twenty-eight inhabitants. This 
 band came earlier than their brethren to 
 plant crops and prepare for the coming 
 of those who had been left at home to 
 make arrangements for moving their 
 goods. They had many household arti- 
 
;^>n MnKAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 cles to transport, as they had the same con- 
 veniences used by other civilized people. 
 No household articles could be procured 
 ill tlic \vil(U*rness, for that term describes 
 the ct)untry they were going to, and all 
 the goods they desired were necessarily 
 transported on horst'l)a(;k or by hand. 
 Among the articles they desired to take 
 with rhein was the old church bell which 
 had >«> often called them to worship. It 
 liad biH'ii tlieir pleasure to hear its echo- 
 ing tones calling them to worship each 
 morning before they began their daily 
 \VM|-k, and the custom Ix'camc ]»art of 
 their lives. The bell was mounted on a 
 platform, and fonr men were detailed to 
 rai-ry tlii> <»nc ai-tide. They had seventy 
 head <»f cattle, and more than that num- 
 l>er of horses tn <lrive with them. The 
 woods through which they traveled were 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 31 
 
 dense and full of swamps and under- 
 growth and the air full of sand flies. 
 They started on the 11th of June and 
 arrived at Schoenbrunn the following 
 August. 
 
 Almost immediately after their arrival 
 at Schoenbrunn they had a conference and 
 drew up a set of rules for their govern- 
 ment. The building of the church was 
 next given special attention. It must be 
 remembered that at that time saw mills 
 were unknown in Ohio. If boards were 
 wanted the quickest way to procure them 
 was to roll a log on a platform and saw^ 
 it lengthw^ise with a crosscut saw. If 
 squared logs were wanted they were 
 squared with an ax. Kegardless of the 
 labor thus necessary to build, they put 
 special and first attention to their church 
 in order to make it tlie most pruminent 
 
:V2 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 ])\iil(liii<r ill the Town. It was of good 
 size, Imilt of squartMl l()ii->, tlie roof was 
 ()fs]»lit >]iinu-li'>, and tlie win(l(»ws made 
 of dt'or skins. Although this brief de- 
 scrij>ti<»n may picture a very crude struct- 
 ure, vet, comparing it with the wilder- 
 ness and hark huts and wigwams of the 
 uncivilized Indians, the church was a 
 }»rominent mark of civilization, and the 
 Indians so regarded it. The old church 
 hell which they had so cheerfully toiled 
 to hrini:- through the forest was hung in 
 a >niall cupola on the church. On Sep- 
 tcnihcr P.». lT7'-\ the chapel was dedi- 
 cate(j. ainl on that day the tirst church 
 hell e\ei- niiiii- in Ohio sent its musical 
 pcal> echoing among the hills of Tusca- 
 rawas \' alley. After the church, the 
 school house was constructed, and then 
 attention wa> juit to building their pri- 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 33 
 
 vate houses, so, in time, Schoenbrunn con- 
 tained more than sixty houses built of 
 squared timber, besides a number of huts 
 and lodges. 
 
 So far we have noted only two com- 
 panies of emigrants to the settlement of 
 Schoenbrunn. On the day before Schoen- 
 brunn chapel was dedicated, a third com- 
 pany arrived under the leadership of 
 Joshua, one of the earliest Indian con- 
 verts who had been chosen as a helper 
 to Zeisberger. These were Mohicans. 
 Immediately after their arrival they se- 
 lected a site near Canal Dover for their 
 mission. King Netawatwes was not 
 pleased with this selection, however, as 
 he desired them to build south of Schoen- 
 brunn at a place he and Zeisberger se- 
 lected. So the colony moved from their 
 their camp at Canal Dover, and on Octo- 
 
34 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 her 9, 1772, Joshua, the Moliioan, hegan 
 the coustnictioii of ohl Giiadeiiliutteii. 
 Here, too, their spirit of devotion was 
 slu)\vii h\ Imilding their eliapel first, 
 and then their lionies. Tliis colony 
 also knowinir that their settlement 
 Would l)e some distance from Schoen- 
 lirunii hronirht a hell for their own 
 cliai»('l. 
 
 In ])otli Schoeiihninn and Gnadenhiit- 
 tt'ii the inhahitants were all Christians. 
 Althouirh tile savaL^es were invited to visit 
 the nnssi<»iis, yt't it was one of their rules 
 that no unlx'licviui:- Indian and no whites- 
 except their ti'aciiers should make the 
 missions their reirular home. Their fel- 
 low-hip was >howiu not only l>y the fact 
 that they toiled in common and that the 
 income from llieii- industi-v went into a 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 35 
 
 coinmoii fniid, l)ut it wa^^ ^;howll in tlieir 
 dealings with all people. 
 
 When a traveler, white or Indian, 
 Christian or nnl)elieving, passed throngli 
 the missions, he was fed. Whenever 
 any one in trouble made a request, if the 
 circumstances would possibly permit, 
 such request would be granted. So it 
 was when war parties of Indians with 
 prisoners would pass through these towns, 
 every effort to secure their release, either 
 l)y petition or the payment of ransom, 
 would be niade. Every day the church 
 l)ell called them to morning prayers be- 
 fore the day's work began. Such was 
 the daily life of the Moravian Indians. 
 
 Order, neatness, and industry were 
 also required of all the inhabitants. 
 The towns were laid out with 
 broad streets, which were always ke])t 
 
36 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 clean. Each house was surrounded l>v 
 a }»icket fence. The gates and doors 
 hung on wooden hinges, and the old 
 time latcli strings hung through a hole 
 in the door, which when pulled inside 
 the ]i(»use answered all the requirements 
 of a lock. ]\rany of the inhabitants were 
 farmers, and they had cleared some of 
 the rich river bottoms on the western 
 side of the Tuscarawas River where 
 thev raised corn, potatoes, and other 
 cro}>s and vegetables. They had large 
 herds of hogs, cattle, and horses. 
 Not all were farmers, however, as it 
 was necessarv that the trades should 
 be represented also. Some were smiths, 
 some cai-peiiters, and some worked at 
 other trades, 'loshua, the Mohican who 
 fouiide<l (Tiiafli'iihutteii, was a cooper. 
 Il( e>peciall\ Was ingenious with tools. 
 
MOKAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 37 
 
 and had a reputation for building pretty 
 canoes and making handsome gun stocks. 
 At one time he made a spinnet for their 
 chapel and he was the musician. The re- 
 sults were apparent. These examples of 
 industry, order, happiness, and content- 
 ment were tlie silent forces which were 
 changing the lives of the Indians who 
 came in contact with the mission. 
 
 The principal trail used by the nations 
 and tribes of Southern Ohio and Ken- 
 tucky, in traveling north, passed through 
 the Tuscarawas Yalley. When the In- 
 dians made trips through this valley they 
 would always stop at N^ewcomerstown to 
 pay their respects to King Newcomer and 
 his council, and from the novelty of the 
 missions, and because the Moravian In- 
 dians had a reputation for hospitality, 
 thev would then visit Gnadenhutten and 
 
38 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 Scli(>c'iil»ruiiii. On such occasions tlic 
 ^loravian Indians \v<»ul(l not only show 
 by their examples their principles of 
 livin<^, but the missionaries or converts 
 Would >top tlicii' Work to |)ri'acli the 
 <;uspel. All who thus \isited these 
 settlements were (lonl)ly impressed with 
 ('hri>tianity, and the seeds were in 
 this nianncr sown broadcast throuu'h- 
 out tlu' Indian country. Many of" the 
 head men of the nation joine(l the 
 missions, anioni; them Captain Johnny, 
 who resigned his (diiet'ship in tlu' Turkey 
 tribe to live with the Christians. 
 
 The energy of Zeisberger and his tVd- 
 low workers was unbounded, liowever. 
 As if the living exam])h»s, and the tea(di- 
 ing those \vh»» came to the mi>sion> were 
 not enough, t"ret|Uent trip> wei-e made to 
 the Indian town> ot" the surroundini;- 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 39 
 
 country. INewcomerstown especially was 
 visited frequently, and here Glikkikin 
 used his natural powers of oratory in 
 discussing and explaining the religion he 
 had adopted. 
 
 Other nations were also visited, among 
 them the Shawnees. 
 
 As an item of interest in the history 
 of the missions it is related that on July 
 4, 1773, John Lewis Roth was born at 
 Gnadenhutten, of whom it is said that 
 he was the first white child born in Ohio. 
 
 When Gnadenhutten was about two 
 years old, a war occurred which tested 
 the missions. It may be proper to ex- 
 plain that at this time the present States 
 of Ohio, West Yirginia, Kentucky, In- 
 diana, Illinois, and the part of Pennsylva- 
 nia in which Pittsburg is situated, were 
 claimed by Yirginia, and went under the 
 
40 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 name of Augusta County. Kather a 
 modest name for such an extended terri- 
 tory we would now think. An English 
 Lord, Dumore, was governor of Virginia, 
 and was very anxious to colonize the 
 country along the Ohio River with Eng- 
 lish. As I have hefore suggested, there 
 was always contention on the borders of 
 civilization which generally led to war, 
 and it was so in this instance. The In- 
 dians along the Ohio, the Shawnees and 
 Mingoes, did not trust the whites, and 
 the whites mistrusted the Indians. Corn- 
 stalk was tlie licail r]\\vi' of tlic Sliawnees, 
 an<I Logan tlic war cliii't' of tlif "Mingoes. 
 luitli of these iiii'ii were ot" more than 
 or<liiiary foresiglit and statesmanship. 
 Both were fi-irn(l> of tlie white people, 
 and altliougli they were not Cliristians, 
 thev endeavored to keci* tlu'ir warriors 
 
MOEAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 41 
 
 at peace with their white neighbors. It 
 so happened, however, that two Chero- 
 kee Indians from the south came to visit 
 Schoenbriinn in the spring of 1774. When 
 they were returning to their home they 
 met two white traders with whom they 
 got into trouble, and the brawl ended in 
 the murder of the traders. This act 
 was the commencement of Diinmore's 
 war. TJie white settlers in the vicinity 
 in a spirit of revenge, made an attack on 
 a number of Indian families, and among 
 those killed was the entire family of the 
 Mingo Chief Logan. This act made 
 Logan's friendship for the whites turn to 
 hate, and with a man of such influence 
 in favor of war, the Indians could not be 
 restrained. The entire Shawnee tribe 
 and the greater part of the Mingo tribe 
 w^ent on the war path, and on October 
 
42 MUKAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 1<>, 1774, the famous l)attle of Point 
 Pleiisaiit was fought hy the Indians un- 
 der Cornstalk and Logan, and the Vir- 
 ginians under Colonel Lewis. It is stated 
 that this l)attle waged all day, and some 
 historians claim it was the fiercest Indian 
 hattlc ever fought. 
 
 Returning to tlie Tuscarawas Yalley, 
 the war spirit of the Delawares was 
 aroused by the knowledge that their 
 brothers were fighting in the south. 
 White Eyes, with the help of Glikkikin 
 and the missionaries, did all he could to 
 maintain jteace, and to keep his own 
 peojth' from engaging in tlie war. It 
 was rumored, liowever, tliat Lord Dun- 
 more intended to raid the Tuscarawas 
 \' alley and capture Xewcomerstown and 
 j)erlia}>s (inadenhutten and Schoenbrunn, 
 and the brave White Lves started for the 
 
MOKAVIAN MISSIONS IX OHIO. 43 
 
 seat of war alone, determined to prevent 
 such a move if possible. He met Lord 
 Dunmore, argued with him on his plan 
 of invading the Tuscarawas Valley^ and 
 finally persuaded him that such a pro- 
 ceeding would not result in good, so 
 Lord Dunmore ordered his men to return 
 to Virginia while he negotiated a treaty 
 of peace. All was confusion in the Tus- 
 carawas Y alley while White Eyes was 
 away. A large band of them were 
 preparing for war which they thought 
 was imminent, but when White Eyes 
 returned and told them the success of his 
 undertaking, quiet was again restored. 
 
 Zeisberger and Glikkikin had made 
 two visits to the Shawnees before the war 
 of 1774, but apparently no impression 
 had been made upon them. Early in the 
 spring of 1775 Chief Cornstalk, the leader 
 
44 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 in the war just closed, and the hero of the 
 battle of Point Pleasant, came to Gnaden- 
 lintten with thirty persons. The kird- 
 ness witli wliich lie was received, and tlie 
 object lesson of an Indian town advanced 
 in civilization as was Gnadenhutten, had 
 an effect on his mind, whic^^i it seems the 
 preaching in his own country did not 
 liave. He attended the chapel service 
 regularly, and although he is not classed 
 as one of the converts, probably because 
 he did not join the missions, yet, his subse- 
 (juent life shows a (diange in his char- 
 acter. A year later he called again, and 
 this time brought one luiiidrcd of his peo- 
 ]•!(' to hear the irospcl. I ii ]»arting he took 
 Mi-, and M r>. Sclimick, tlic resident mis- 
 sionaries at (inaib'nhutten, by the liand 
 and tV'cliiigly tliankt'd them for the great 
 kindness slntwii his people, and formally 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 45 
 
 adopted them in his tribe. This, perhaps, 
 was the last visit of the great Chief 
 Cornstalk to Gnadenhiitten, although the 
 following spring he came as far as New- 
 comerstown to consult with White Eyes 
 on the question of war. The Revolution- 
 ary War had begun. The English on 
 the one side were endeavoring to obtain 
 the Indians as allies, and the Americans 
 on the other side were endeavoring to 
 keep them at peace. Early in this struggle 
 the Iroquois I^ation joined the British, 
 and their influence spread towards the 
 West. The Shawnees, under Cornstalk, 
 and the Delawares, under the influence 
 of White Eyes, remained neutral. The 
 British agents were pressing the matter 
 very hard, and many of both tribes 
 desired to join in the conflict. In the 
 interests of peace. Cornstalk resolved to 
 
40 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 visit the garrison at Point Pleasant with 
 two or three of his friends. Tliey went. 
 Cornstalk, ill his straightforward manner 
 which had been strengthened at least by 
 liis visits to Gnadenlintten, told tne 
 American commander of the great desire 
 of his people to go to war again, and 
 asked for advice to keep them neutral. 
 The captain commanding, instead of giv- 
 ing Cornstalk the advice he sought, or at 
 least sending him back to his tribe to 
 continue to use his intiuence for peace, 
 :i<lo]»tcd the policy of making Cornstalk 
 a ]>risoner to be kept as a hostage for the 
 good l)ehavior of his tril)e. Very soon 
 after, a wliitc man was killed in the 
 \icinitv of tlu' fort, and mad with racre, 
 a party of men, friends of the untbrtnnate 
 one, rushed to the fort where they knew 
 Cornstalk was kept a ]»risoncr, and with- 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 47 
 
 out harrowing your minds with the man- 
 ner, they killed him. Cornstalk had 
 strong affection for a son who was visit- 
 ing him at the time, and they died side 
 ]»y side without making an effort at 
 self-defense. To show you the evident 
 change which his visits to Gnadenhutten 
 made, I quote his last words : " My son, 
 the Great Spirit has seen fit that we 
 should die together and has sent you here 
 to that end. It is his w^ill, let us sub- 
 mit — it is all for the best." To the credit 
 of the Americans it should be stated that 
 the Governor of Virginia offered a re- 
 ward for the apprehension of those who 
 murdered Cornstalk, but it availed noth- 
 ing, for they were never punished. 
 
 The Shawn ees, stung to the heart at 
 the death of their beloved chief in this 
 
48 MUKAVIAX MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 manner, joined the British ao^ainst the 
 Americans. 
 
 We will now return to the Tuscarawas 
 Valley. During these troubles the Dela- 
 wares continued at peace and the mis- 
 sions prospered. At the close of 1775 
 there were over four hundred converts. 
 The work being extended in this man- 
 ner other missionaries were needed. 
 John Heckewelder was sent to help in 
 the work even before the establish- 
 ment of (Tnadenhutten. Heckewelder 
 had visited tlie Tuscarawas Valley as 
 early as 17*)i^ with Post, l)ut on account 
 of Pontiac's war they were compelled 
 to leave. AVhile here, however, Hecke- 
 wt'ldcr found a fast friend in AVliite 
 Kycs. Later, Mv. and :\[iv. Roth, Mr. 
 and Mrs. Schmick, and Mr. and Mrs. 
 Jungman, moved to the mission. Kinir 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 49 
 
 Xewconier also was impressed with the 
 necessity of giving them more land. He 
 was a magnanimous old fellow, and sup- 
 ported by the equal magnanimity of 
 White Eyes, the Moravian Indians were 
 given the land along the Tuscarawas 
 River to below Xewcomerstown. In 
 making this gift it was necessary to re- 
 move the Delaware capital, which was 
 thereafter located at Coshocton. The 
 spring following this removal King New- 
 comer died. Kilbuck, his son, took his 
 father's position, but White Eyes re- 
 mained the head war chief and the con- 
 fidential adviser of Kilbuck, and was 
 regarded as the principal man in the 
 tribe. He was the chief in fact, if not in 
 name. 
 
 But we hasten on. This time we stop 
 at 1777. The Kevolutionarv war had 
 
50 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 progressed, and all the tribes surround- 
 ing the Delaware Nation had joined the 
 British, but the Delawares, influenced 
 by havinc the missions in their country, 
 and l)y the strong, peaceful, and Chris- 
 tianlike character of AYhite Eyes, re- 
 mained at peace, although the war had 
 now been waging for more than two 
 years. Opposed to White Eyes and the 
 missions we have Captain Pipe, wlioin 
 we know as the chief of the Wolf tribe. 
 He was a shrewd politician as well as a 
 warrior, and at tliis time the circum- 
 stances were peculiarly titting for him 
 to increase his following, and he was not 
 slow in making iix' of it. He used every 
 o].])ortuniry wliidi presented itself, and 
 the war and peace factions of the nation 
 grew to be so nearly equal in strength 
 and numbers rliat tlie victories of either 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 51 
 
 side were won by the smallest majorities, 
 and, sometimes, w^hen the question of 
 peace or war was }3resented, peace was 
 maintained by remarkable occurrences. 
 Zeisberger and others who were interested 
 in the missions knew if the Delaware 
 Nation joined in the war, the missions 
 would soon be broken up, the little band 
 of Christians scattered, and the work of 
 Christianizing the Delaw^are nation would 
 be practically terminated. The princi- 
 pal fear of the savage Dela wares, and the 
 argument which seemed to have the 
 greatest influence upon them, was that 
 the Americans would not be successful, 
 and for their own protection they desired 
 to be with the winning side at the close 
 of the conflict. They knew the British 
 were the stronger, and naturally thouglit 
 it probable the stronger would win. 
 
52 MORAVIA^' MISSION'S IN OHIO. 
 
 There were no telephones, telegraphs, 
 or railroads in those days, and the stage 
 lines were not in existence west of the 
 AlU'irlieny mountains. All news was 
 necessarily brought by private carrier, 
 generally on horseback, l^o news of the 
 war in the East had been heard for some 
 time, and the condition of affairs in the 
 Tuscarawas Valley was getting somewhat 
 critical from this circumstance of uncer- 
 tainty. It was therefore determined to 
 send a messenger t«> tlic East. It was 
 now August, lTTT,and it was not proba- 
 bK> tliat a messenger ('(Mild make the trip 
 and return to ( Hia<lciiliut tm before fall, 
 flolin Shebosli, who was connected with 
 the (inadenhuttcn Mis^ion, was selected 
 to make the trip, and-Inlm 1 1 eckewelder 
 went with him to pay a visit to his 
 friends in the Ki\>\. lleekeweldcr in- 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 53 
 
 tended to return tlie following spring 
 and bring the news of wliat had tran- 
 spired during the winter. 
 
 Captain AVhite Eyes, who at this time 
 lived in his little cabin at White Eves 
 Plains, a short distance below Newcomers- 
 town, heard of the intention of Hecke- 
 welder and Shebosh to make this journey. 
 Immediately on' receiving this informa- 
 tion he hurried to Heckewelder to oifer 
 the services of himself and some of his 
 Indian friends to escort him safely as far 
 as Pittsburg, " For," he said, " The 
 Wyandots are at war and scouring the 
 country between here and Pittsburg, and 
 it is not safe for you two white men to 
 travel alone." The escort was accepted. 
 So Heckewelder, Shebosh, AVhite Eyes, 
 and several other Indians started through 
 tlie dismal forest for Pittsburg, and from 
 
r)4 MoKAVIAN MISSIONS IN Ollld 
 
 there Heckewelder and Shebosh contin- 
 ued their journey alone, over the mount- 
 ains towards the east. 
 
 In the meantime the war faction did 
 not cease its clamorings. Captain Pipe, 
 with his gift of eloquence, was on every 
 opportune occasion advancing the British 
 cause, while White Eyes favored the 
 Americans, or rather, faVored neutrality. 
 It is true AVliite Eyes was su})ported l»y 
 the missionaries, hy Glikkikin, and others 
 of the Christian Indians in this stand, 
 hut with all that there was room for fear 
 as to the final outcome, as tlieir neiirh- 
 bors had all gone on the war path, and 
 tlieir influence was assisting Captain 
 Pipe. Events luid reachcMJ sucli a crisis 
 tliat peace was kept only by the ]>ower 
 of persuasion on the ]tart (►f White Eyes. 
 
 The fall of 1 777 came and }»a>sed away. 
 
MOKAVIAN MISSIONS IX OHIO. 00 
 
 The winter of 1777-78 came, and also 
 was drawing to its close, but neither 
 Shebosh nor Heckewelder had returned. 
 
 Although the war chiefs usually de- 
 cided whether or not war should be de- 
 clared, yet as is done by officials of the 
 present day, they desired to take no 
 action disapproved by a majority of 
 the people. Councils were called to 
 determine the state of feeling existing in 
 the tribe on certain subjects so the head 
 men could act accordingly. 
 
 It was the custom of all Indian tribes 
 to choose the spring for beginning war. 
 The near approach of spring was in Cap- 
 tain Pipe's favor, and as the messengers 
 did not return he determined to push the 
 question of war to the front once more 
 and make his best efforts, and through 
 his influence the great council of the 
 
56 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 Delaware I^ation was summoned to meet 
 at Coshocton, the new capital, in Feb- 
 ruary, 1778. The Indians of this nation 
 gathered from far and near. The object 
 of the council was known, and the ques- 
 tion of war or peace was of the utmost 
 importance. 
 
 On the day appointed they gatliered 
 around the council lire, and Captain Pipe, 
 as the leader of the war movement ad- 
 dressed them. He recited the wrongs 
 they had sustained at the hands of the 
 whites. He reminded them of the fact 
 that all the surrounding nations were 
 at war witli tlie Americans, even their old 
 friends, the Sliawnees, and explained the 
 position they occupied in tlie midst of na- 
 tions in conflict, not only liearing tlie bnint 
 of the battle and having their motives dis- 
 credited by other tril)es, but that at any 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 57 
 
 time, either the British or the Americans 
 were liable to capture them and destroy 
 their nation. There seemed to be so 
 much truth in what Captain Pipe was 
 saying that regardless of the fact that 
 behind it all his object was the gratifica- 
 tion of a selfish ambition, his hearers 
 were in sympathy with his eftort. He 
 noted that fact and gained confidence as 
 he proceeded, and in his final appeal he 
 denounced every person who opposed 
 immediate war as an enemy of the nation, 
 and declared that every such person 
 should be branded as a coward. 
 
 Every Indian in that council knew the 
 opinion White Eyes held on that subject, 
 and every man knew that White Eyes, 
 as leader of the peace faction would 
 make a defense if one were possible, and 
 the vast majority of those present deter- 
 
58 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 iiiiiitMl t(» follow the leader who won in 
 this contest of debate. 
 
 AVhite Eyes was equal to the occasion. 
 He had studied the interests of the nation 
 from his youth, and the laws of cause and 
 eti'ect were as clear to him as to many 
 statesmen of the present day. He wanted 
 to see his people prosper, and he knew 
 the only way to accomplish that end was 
 to adopt civilization, and to avoid war 
 except in case of self defense, which he 
 tlioiiu-ht had not yet arrived. He arose 
 to his feet. All was quiet in expectancy. 
 Xo doubt many Christians in that council 
 were treniblino- for him. The faithful 
 Glikkikin was there, and I can imagine 
 him uttering a silent prayer for White 
 Eyes' success. But nature had favored 
 White Eyes. There he stood, calm, 
 dignified, self-possessed, a savage Indian, 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 59 
 
 and yet, one of nature's noblemen, plead- 
 ing for the cause of American independ- 
 ence, for the welfare of his nation, and 
 for the safety of the missions. He began 
 where Captain Pipe had finished, and 
 referred to the charge of cowardice 
 which was intended for him in taking 
 the stand he did. He recalled the past, 
 when he had led many of them in battle, 
 and although he was not in favor of war 
 now, yet, if war was the will of the 
 council, he would go, and he would chal- 
 lenge any of them to dare follow where 
 he led. He referred to the kind treat- 
 ment the commandant at Pittsburg had 
 given them in times past, to the self-sacri- 
 ficing labors of the missionaries in their 
 midst, which was only for the good of the 
 Indians, and with an argument whicli 
 might have done credit to a Webster or 
 
()0 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 a Pitt, he exposed the fallacies indulged 
 in by his opponent, Captain Pipe, and 
 awakened in the savage breasts a desire 
 for peace. The friends of the peace policy 
 were so numerous after White Eyes' 
 speech that Captain Pipe was again in 
 despair. 
 
 But, although the victory seemed to 
 belong to AVhite Eyes in this instance, 
 the contest was not linally won. Captain 
 Pipe was defeated in argument, it is true, 
 but at that juncture, Simon Girty ar- 
 rived. Simon Girty was a white man 
 He had been taken captive among tlie In- 
 dians with his two brothers when a child, 
 and had grown up with the savages. He 
 was ciiiining, naturally, and sad to say, 
 he di<l ii(»t have much moral principle. 
 He was adopted by the Seneca tribe in 
 New York. He soon became a leader 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. CA 
 
 among the Indians, grew to love war, 
 and when he conld induce them to plun- 
 der and murder, he would do so. At the 
 beginning of the Revolutionary war he 
 was undecided as to which side he would 
 join. The American commandant at 
 Pittsburg was in need of an Indian in- 
 terpreter, and Girty was pursuaded to 
 join the Americans in that capacity. 
 This work was not bloody enough for him, 
 however, and in the spring of 1778 he 
 turned traitor to the Americans, and with 
 a small body of Indians left Pittsburg, 
 going towards the Tuscarawas Yalley. 
 He arrived in Gnadenhutten, and hear- 
 ing of the council in session at Coshocton 
 he went to that place. Captain Pipe 
 told him of his defeat. The designing 
 minds of these two evil men then began 
 anew to work. A report was started 
 
♦ '.2 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 that the British had won victory after 
 victory over the Americans who had 
 been driven over the mountains, and 
 were on their way to drive the Indians 
 from the Ohio country. This report was 
 not in accord with wliat AYhite Eyes had 
 tuhl them in council, and here was a 
 messenger, Simon Girty, who came direct 
 from Pittsburg, who affirmed its truth. 
 Under such a state of facts it seemed the 
 Delaware Nation must go to war to ])r(»- 
 tect itself, and the war spirit was again 
 aroused. 
 
 AVliite Eyes did not believe Girty's 
 statement. He affirmed this belief to his 
 followers again and again, Init he had no 
 j)roof to ofier. Argument could not save 
 them this time, it must be prctof. If 
 Shebosh or Ileckewelder would only ar- 
 rive all might be well, but, suppose 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 63 
 
 Girty's story was true. Then Hecke- 
 welder and Shebosli might be captured 
 and never come. They had been gone 
 six months already, and may have been 
 captured or killed. The Delawares might 
 be surprised by a night attack by the 
 Americans and their villages destroyed 
 before they could assume the defensiv^e. 
 These were the thoughts in the minds of 
 the Indians. White Eyes realized the 
 position. His lasting faith in the Amer- 
 icans, with all these surmises, was strong, 
 and his love for his nation and the mis- 
 sions showed the highest patriotism. 
 AYhen the war spirit reached the point 
 where he saw it could no longer be re- 
 strained, he asked that ten days be al- 
 lowed for preparation before starting the 
 war parties. The council agreed. Ten 
 days, no more, in whicli to hope for news 
 
64 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 from the east, and if it did not come there 
 was to ])e war. 
 
 AVliile these days are passing, let us 
 leave the scenes in Ohio and note the 
 events in the East which had just trans- 
 pired. The year 1777 had been a most 
 eventful one in the history of the Kevolu- 
 tion. On January 3d of that year Wasli- 
 ington- s forces, with the victory of Trenton 
 of ten days before fresh in their minds, 
 met the British at Princeton, and gained 
 another victory. General Lafayette 
 from France, Baron de Kail), a military 
 leader from (TeriiiaTiy,an(l Baron Steuben, 
 a military engineer from Prussia had 
 joined the American army and lent their 
 experience and energy to the cause of 
 American independence. At Benning- 
 ton, in August, the British, two thousand 
 strong, were met ])y a small body ot 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 65 
 
 Green Mountain boys under Colonel John 
 Stark, and after the battle the army of 
 the British numbered less than two hun- 
 dred, and the Americans held the field. 
 The greatest victory of all was the sur- 
 render of Burgoyne. His grand army of 
 fourteen thousand strong had dwindled 
 down to six thousand by the skirmishing 
 tactics of the Americans, and these sur- 
 rendered to General Gates at Saratoga. 
 In these battles I have mentioned, the 
 number of British who were captured or 
 surrendered were about one-third of the 
 entire British army in America. This 
 was the news in the East. • This was the 
 information Shebosh was to carry to the 
 waiting warriors on the banks of the 
 Tuscarawas, which if brought in time 
 would mean peace. If not, it would 
 mean war for the Delaware Kation, loss 
 
()() MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 of life for an imagined wrong, the aban- 
 donment of the missions in the Tuscara- 
 was Valley, and another strong enemy 
 for our fathers, struggling for their in- 
 dependence, to overcome. 
 
 But Shebosh was delayed and could 
 not start in the fall as he intended. Then 
 the winter of 1777-78 came on in all its 
 severity. That was the winter AYash- 
 ington's army spent at Valley Forge, and 
 to describe the extreme cold would sim- 
 ply be repeating to you a known fact of 
 history which all historians of the Rev- 
 ohitioiiarv war dwell u]>«»ii. Sheb(>>h 
 was c()m])elled to remain in the East un- 
 til spring, and it seemed spring would 
 never come. 
 
 AV inter l)egan to break the lattt-r part 
 of February so a journey could be at- 
 tcin}>te(l. It was then full six months 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. G7 
 
 since Heckewelder and Shebosh had 
 left Gnadenhutten. The tribes of 
 New York and Pennsylvania were on 
 the war path, and the trip must be 
 made under the greatest danger. No 
 news had reached Gnadenhutten for so 
 long, and the importance of the trip was 
 so evident that the patriotism of Heck- 
 ewelder, and his self-sacrificing love 
 for the missions induced him to volunteer 
 for the trip. Shebosh determined to go 
 with him. His wife and children were 
 in Gnadenhutten, and the ties of liome 
 and dear ones were incentive enough for 
 him to face the dangers, so they set out 
 towards Pittsburg. 
 
 On their way they saw signs of de- 
 struction everywhere. Severe as tlie 
 winter had been, the AVyandots liad 
 made attacks on the lonelv settlers, and 
 
6S MORAVIxlN MISSIONS IX OHIO. 
 
 those tliey did not kill they had driven 
 from home. On many a deserted cal)in 
 door was written witli clialk or charcoal, 
 '* Travelers, avoid this road, tlie Indians 
 are out murdering ns.'' 
 
 1 will not dwell longer on this trip to 
 Pittsl)urg. The fort was reached in 
 safety. Colonel Hand, the commandant, 
 greeted them kindly, and in exchange 
 for the news they hrouglit, told them of 
 the desertion of Girty and his band, and 
 of their going in the direction of Gnad- 
 denlnitten. Colonel Hand anticipated 
 (iirty's (.1)j(,'ct to ]>eto stir up tlie Indians 
 Throughout the AVest, and feared the 
 Delawares were already on the war path. 
 If they were Hot, tliere was one hope 
 left, and TJiat Was to send a messenger 
 will. Would give the true story of tlie con-' 
 ditioH of alfair? to the Indians, for it was 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. ()9 
 
 rightfully presumed that Girty would 
 misrepresent the condition to suit his 
 purpose. Not one of the garrison at the 
 fort would volunteer for the trip, as it 
 was so full of danger, and Colonel Hand 
 Avould not draft a man for such an un- 
 dea'taking. Heckewelder and Shebosh 
 declared their intention of going to 
 Gnadenhutten. Colonel Hand, moved 
 with sympathy for what he thought a 
 sacrifice of their lives, told them not to 
 venture. Heckewelder, with his love for 
 Zeisberger and the other missionaries ; 
 Shebosh, with his love for his family, 
 and both with a love for the missions and 
 a desire to do anything in their power 
 to protect them, expressed their calm de- 
 termination to undertake the trip. Girty, 
 however, had been gone about two weeks 
 and he was a man of action. So Hecke- 
 
To MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 welder and Shebosh were supplied with 
 fresh horses, and started. You have read 
 of famous rides. The ride of Paul Re- 
 vere wlien warning the people of the ap- 
 proach of the Britisii was heroic, but he 
 was riding through a community of 
 friends. Sheridan's ride has been im- 
 mortalized, but there was no enemy be- 
 tween him and his army. But here are 
 two riders on whose skill and success de- 
 pended the peace or war of a nation. 
 They were to ride through a country in- 
 fested with Indians who were killing the 
 whites wherever they met them. Their 
 ride was through a wilderness, and in- 
 stead of being only twenty miles away 
 from their intended destination, they 
 were over one hundred mile> away. Their 
 ride has not been commemorated in verse, 
 and possibly some of you have never 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 71 
 
 heard of it before, even in prose. Xot 
 that I would detract from the fame of 
 Paul Eevere or Phil Sheridan by the 
 comparison, for they deserve the credit 
 they receive, but I would that my readers 
 should know of the heroic riders of the 
 Tuscarawas Yalley. 
 
 At Coshocton the first day after the 
 agreement to wait ten days passed, but 
 no news came. The second day passed, 
 still no news. The third day passed, the 
 fourth day, the fifth, the sixth, and the 
 seventh arrired, but still no news. The 
 Wyandot warriors, under their head 
 chief. Half King, knew of the situation 
 of afiairs, and wanted the Delawares to 
 join them in a body so they could march 
 against the Americans in force. They 
 desired also to impress the Moravian In- 
 dians of their strength and purpose, and 
 
72 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 60 they selected as the site for their en- 
 campment a hill, northwest of Gnaden- 
 hutten, known since as '' Bluff Hill," 
 where they, too, were waiting for the 
 morning of the tenth day. Captain 
 Pipe was rejoicing. He pictured to him- 
 self his future. If he overcame AYhite 
 Eyes in this contest, w^iich seemed 
 probable, he would be recognized as the 
 leading war chief of the Delaware tribe — 
 an honor which among the Indians was 
 the height of their ambition to attain. 
 Among his men and those who had for- 
 saken the hope of peace, all was activity. 
 Tomahawks were sharpened, and they 
 were painting themselves for the final 
 dance, whicli was to take place before 
 tlie marcli. Zeisberger and the faithful 
 Glikkikin were on the ground to hold 
 back, if possible, the onrushing tide of 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 16 
 
 war and to uphold White Eyes with their 
 prayers and presence. But now, even 
 AYhite Eyes was beginning to lose hope. 
 His love for his nation was true patriot- 
 ism. His motto was : " My country, may 
 she ever be right, but right or wrong, my 
 country forever." 
 
 The seventh day passed without news, 
 the eighth was fast passing, the last dance 
 was ready to proceed, and every sound 
 seemed to proclaim AYar ! War I War ! 
 Was all lost ? Were the prayers of Glik- 
 kikin to be of no avail, and the plans 
 and hopes of White Eyes and the life 
 work of Zeisberger and his fellow mis- 
 sionaries to be destroyed in one brief 
 day ? It seemed so. Zeisberger, sick 
 wnth anxiety for the future of his beloved 
 missions retired from the scene to 
 Lichtenau, a branch mission about two 
 
Trt MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 miles from Coshocton, which was estab- 
 lished shortly after the Delaware capital 
 was moved. Glikkikin, who immediately 
 after he was converted answered his king 
 that where the brethren go, there will I 
 go, was as determined as ever in that 
 course, and intended to follow Zeisber- 
 ger to the last. Zeisberger retired in 
 secret to pray, and Glikkikin, hardly 
 knowing where he was going, probably 
 strolled towards the road which led from 
 Gnadenhutten to Coshocton. Other 
 Indians were along the road, a? that was 
 the one over which the warriors would 
 no doubt start. Suddenly the keen ear 
 of the Indian caught a sound like 
 that nf a horse on a gallop. He 
 listened. It became more and more dis- 
 tinct, and now he saw a man coming 
 on horseback. He came closer. It was 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. lo 
 
 John Heckewelder with the messages of 
 victory. He had ridden since leaving 
 Pittsburg for three days and two nights. 
 When he arrived at Gnadenhntten he 
 saw the Wyandots camped on " Bluff 
 Hill." He learned from the Moravian 
 Indians the state of affairs at Coshocton, 
 and leaving Shebosh at home with his 
 family he took for his escort John Martin, 
 one of the Indian helpers, rode on to 
 Coshocton and arrived there just on 
 the eve of the departure of tlie warriors. 
 Iso time was to be lost, and Hecke- 
 welder knew it, for merely giving a 
 passing greeting he hurried on towards 
 the town. When he arrived there he met 
 White Eyes and greeted him, but AVhite 
 Eyes did not answer. Anticipating from 
 what he had heard at Pittslmrg and 
 Gnadenhutten as to what was on their 
 
<b MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 minds he stood up in his stirrups and 
 addressed them. He told them of the 
 American victories, of the good will the 
 Americans retained for them, and of the 
 papers he had brought as evidence. AVliite 
 Eyes' faith in his American brothers im- 
 mediately returned. A council was sum- 
 moned. The war beat of the drum which 
 for the past twenty-four hours had not 
 ceased, making the hearts of the Indians 
 throb witli thoughts of valor, was now 
 clianged to summoning a council. The 
 warriors gathered. To iiitroduce the 
 matter to the council White Eyes arose, 
 and in a speecli in which he searched the 
 very hearts of his hearers, he closed by 
 asking, " Sliall we, my friends and rela- 
 tives, listen once more to those who call 
 us bretliren i '' A general shout of ap- 
 proval arose and Ileckewelder was called 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 77 
 
 upon to address them. He took the 
 papers from his saddle bag, read the let- 
 ters from the American officers giving 
 assurances of good will towards them, 
 and ended his talk by translating an 
 account of Burgoyne's surrender. 
 
 Then White Eyes, filled with emotion 
 at the occurronce, jumped to his feet again, 
 and called attention to the evident object 
 of Girty's deception, and that the English, 
 knowing the destructful character of war 
 were continually pressing upon them to 
 fight, while the Americans advised them 
 not to take up the hatchet against either 
 side, but to remain at peace, and waving 
 aloft the paper containing the account of 
 Burgoyne's surrender he exclaimed, 
 " See, my friends, this paper contains the 
 truth." Ere this the warriors recognized 
 Girty's trickerv, and manv of the war 
 
78 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 party, so numerous before, chagrined at 
 being thus deceived, were in favor of 
 maintaining peace. Heckewelder was 
 the hero of the hour. White Eyes stepped 
 up and shaking hands with him said, 
 '' you are welcome with us, brother," and 
 the vast majority of the councilors fol- 
 lowed the example. Girty and Half King 
 saw the course events had taken against 
 them, and with their bands, left on 
 marauding expeditions. Captain Pipe 
 with his disgruntled followers retired 
 from the scene. He did not at that time 
 go on the war ])ath, but lie continued 
 secretly to oppose the Americans. 
 
 Colonel Hand, the commandant at 
 Pittsburg at tliis time, desired to follow 
 up the victorv tliu> won by AVliite Eyes, 
 Heckewelder and Zeisljerger by making 
 a treaty of peace with the Delawares, so 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 79 
 
 ^lie sent dispatches to Zeisberger, White 
 Eyes and other leaders among the In- 
 dians regarding the matter. Zeisberger 
 and White Eves were in favor of the 
 project, so a number of prominent chiefs 
 went to Pittsburg where they met An- 
 drew and Thomas Lewis, the commis- 
 sioners appointed by Congress to nego- 
 tiate with them. On September 17, 1778, 
 the treaty was prepared and signed. 
 This was the first treaty made by the 
 United States as a nation with any In- 
 dian nation or tribe. White Eyes, who 
 was considered the leader of the Dela- 
 wares had the honor of being the first to 
 sign it. The only other signatures on 
 the part of the Indians are those of Kil- 
 buck, the son of King Newcomer, wlio 
 succeeded his father as sachem of the 
 Delawares, and Captain Pipe. Although 
 
80 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 Captain Pipe's name appears on . the 
 treaty, it is very evident his true senti- 
 ments were not expressed in it, for his 
 subsequent acts show that lie still re- 
 mained an enemy to the Americans. 
 
 The treaty tirst recited the fact of the 
 mutual forgiveness of all offenses com- 
 mitted by either party in the past, and 
 that its object was a perpetual peace. 
 During the war then in progress, the 
 United States was to have the privilege of 
 free passage through the Delaware coun- 
 try to forts or towns of their enemies, and 
 to be allowed to construct a fort in the 
 Delaware country. The United States 
 was to guarantee to the Delawares 
 till' ]>rivilege of keeping the land 
 they then possessed, and the Delaware 
 Nation was to invite other tril)es to join 
 them ami fr(»iii a State which >hould have 
 
■-.^g^^^Si 
 
 John Heckewelder. 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 81 
 
 representatives in Congress when the 
 latter body approved of the step. This 
 had been one of the dreams of White 
 Eyes, as he desired to see his people 
 grow into a great nation like the one 
 he had seen in his travels, and it was 
 his ambition to be at the head of it. 
 This, it seemed, was never to be. 
 
 Although peace was maintained so long 
 by the force of character of White Eyes, 
 it could not last. After the treaty at 
 Pittsburg, while White Eyes was with 
 General Mcintosh at Bolivar (the Ameri- 
 cans were building Fort Laurens at tliat 
 place in accordance with the treaty). 
 White Eyes took the small pox, and just 
 two months after the treaty was signed, 
 he died. The leadership of the peace 
 faction fell upon Kilbuck. He did 
 not possess the powerful magnetism and 
 
82 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 influence of either his father or of AYhite 
 Eyes, and the first storm of war whicli 
 broke, swept the Delaware Nation into 
 the conflict as an enemy of the Ameri- 
 cans. The Moravian Indians and a small 
 remnant of the peace faction of the Dela- 
 wares which remained loyal to Killnick, 
 and which moved from Coshocton back 
 to Kewcomerstown where Kilbuck made 
 his headquarters, were alone in the great 
 AVest in their ]>olicy for peace. 
 
 From the death of White Eyes dates 
 the ])ersecution of the missionaries and 
 converts at the Moravian missions. Bands 
 of Shawnees, AVyandots and Delawares 
 in their marauding expeditions would 
 make it an object to pass through Gnad- 
 enhutteii and to eneam}» for a time at 
 that place. They would demand sup- 
 ]»lies for their warriors, and tlie converts 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. ' 83 
 
 were compelled to fiirnisli them for fear 
 of loosing their lives. ISTot content with 
 having their wants supplied, the warriors 
 would destroy property for the mere grati- 
 fication of their own sensual pleasure^ 
 and annoy the converts in every possible 
 manner. The worst enemies of the mis- 
 sions seemed to be their own country- 
 man, Captain Pipe and the trio of rene- 
 gades, Simon Girty, Elliott and McKee, 
 all three white men who were more than 
 " Indian " in their savage nature. In 
 one instance Girty, with a party of nine 
 Mingo warriors, waylaid Zeisberger with 
 an intention to capture or kill him, but 
 as they were in the act of committing 
 the deed, two Delaware Indians, who 
 knew Zeisberger well, saw what was 
 about to take place, and interfered, thus 
 saving his life. On another occasion 
 
84: MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 Heckewelder ^Yas on his way to Salem 
 where he was to hold a meeting, when 
 one of Captain Pipe's band attempted 
 to take his life, but the sexton of the 
 church, an old Indian named Tobias, 
 came at that moment to call Heckewelder 
 to the chapel, and frightened the would- 
 be-murderer away. 
 
 The Americans observed the fact that 
 many Indians made the Tuscarawas Yal- 
 ley tlieir rendezvous, and planned to send 
 an expeditien there under Colonel Broad- 
 head. Colonel Broadhead centered his 
 army at Wheeling, West Virginia, and 
 by a >udden maneuver pushed into the 
 interior and captured and destroyed the 
 Indian cai)ital at Coshocton. He then 
 iiiarclu'd to Xewconierstown. The mis- 
 sionaries, who were further up the river 
 lieard of his coming, and went to New- 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 85 
 
 comerstown, where they met Colonel 
 Broadhead. The situation was explained 
 and he recognized the fact that the 
 inhabitants of Newcomerstown, Gnaden- 
 hutten, and Schoenbrnnn were not ene- 
 mies of the Americans. He had no 
 desire to interfere with them, so he left. 
 Immediately after he left, however, a 
 large army of Delaware Indians, under 
 chief Pachgantschihilas, arrived at Gnad- 
 enhutten and demanded its surrender. 
 Just then a rumor spread that the Ameri- 
 cans knew of their presence at Gnaden- 
 hutten and were returning to capture 
 them, so the Delawares hastily left the 
 town. 
 
 The Tuscarawas Yalley thus becoming 
 fighting ground, and the Moravian In- 
 dians and tlieir friends refusing allegiance 
 to the British cause when all otlier In- 
 
86 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 dians were their allies, and the presence 
 of the Americans at Fort Laurens and 
 elsewhere led the commandant in charge 
 of the British post at Detroit to consider 
 the Moravian Indians as American spies, 
 and he determined to have the missions 
 broken up. He called the Iroquois Na- 
 tion into council and expressed his desire 
 of having the missions destroyed, and 
 placed the matter into their hands to he 
 performed in any way they chose. The 
 Iroquois Nation desired to obey the 
 British, but they knew of no cause for such 
 action, and desiring to shift the responsi- 
 bility for the crime, they directed the 
 Chip]»ew;i and Ottawa tribes to do the 
 work. I'ut they, althougli allies of the 
 r)ritisli, warriors and savages, declined. 
 They dechired that they would fight their 
 enemies but not their friends, and that 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 87 
 
 the Moravian Indians had always be- 
 friended them. The Iroquois next re- 
 quested the Wyandots to dispose of them. 
 Half King, their leader, at first refused 
 to be connected with any such scheme. 
 Captain Pipe aad Captain Elliott were 
 with him, however, and they insisted on 
 accepting the proposition of the Iroquois, 
 and " doing away " with the missions. 
 At last Half King consented to remove 
 them peaceably to his own country which 
 would satisfy the British, no doubt, and 
 would save the Moravian Indians proba- 
 bly from a worse fate. 
 
 The p]an was to be put into effect in 
 the fall of 1781, and in August of that 
 year an army of about three hundred 
 Indians marched to Gnadenhutten and 
 encamped at that town. This army was 
 composed principally of Wyandot war- 
 
88 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 riors under Half King and a number of 
 dissatisfied Delawares under Captain 
 Pipe. Captain Elliott, one of the trio of 
 renegades, was also with them to make 
 suggestions as to what he thought proper 
 movements. 
 
 Half King at first determined to use 
 peaceful measures in accomplishing the 
 removal of the Moravian Indians, and 
 called them into council to have them 
 determine the advisability of leaving. 
 Arguments were advanced by Half King, 
 Captain Pipe and Elliott, but the con- 
 verts refused to leave. Their corn was 
 ripening, and their vegetables would 
 soon be ready to gather. They had 
 everytliiiig in ]>lcnty at Gnadenhutten, 
 and they thought it meant starvation to 
 go into an entirely new country, which 
 was probably barren and cold, to spend 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 89 
 
 the winter. They pleaded for just time 
 to gather their crops, and promised that 
 when winter came they would consider 
 more favorably the proposition of moving. 
 
 Half King saw the reasonableness of 
 such a request and was willing to grant 
 the favor. Captain Pipe and Captain 
 Elliott, however, did not view the matter 
 with regard to the welfare of the Mo- 
 ravian Indians, and urged Half King to 
 insist on their leaving. Their influence 
 was not confined to merely persuading 
 Half King to take peremptory measures, 
 but it extended to the warriors as well, 
 and the destruction of property, and 
 cruelties practiced on the Moravians by 
 these savages was in eflect forcing them 
 to submit. 
 
 At this time a niece of Glikkikin was 
 visitincr her mother and relatives at 
 
90 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 Gnadenliutteii. She saw the danger the 
 Moravian Indians were in, and although 
 she had come with the warriors and 
 seemed to be their friend, she now de- 
 termined to go to Pittsburg to inform 
 the Americans of what was transpiring. 
 She was a good rider, so unnoticed, she 
 took Captain Pipe's favorite horse, the 
 fleetest in the valley, and started for 
 Pittsburg. She was not gone long be- 
 fore Captain Pipe missed his horse, and 
 then her absence was discovered. These 
 two facts were immediately connected, 
 and it was presumed that she had 
 left to notify the Americans. Swift 
 riders were sent after her, and Captain 
 Pipe, whose hatred towards Glikkikin 
 was still active, directed twelve of his 
 men to l)rinij: Glikkikin to him, dead or 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 91 
 
 alive. He blamed Glikkikin for the 
 work of his niece. 
 
 Heckewelder had started a little set- 
 tlement called Salem near the present 
 town of Port Washington, the year be- 
 fore, and there they found Glikkikin. 
 They made him a prisoner, and brought 
 him to Gnadenhutten. 
 
 Our rider to Pittsburg was overtaken 
 and captured, but by her prowess she 
 escaped a second time and made her way 
 to Pittsburg. This unsuccessful attempt 
 to keep the news from the Americans at 
 Pittsburg was another argument for 
 speedy action on the part of the Wyandots. 
 They were now in danger of being cap- 
 tured themselves, and desired to retire 
 north to their own country as speeily as 
 possible to avoid any such results. 
 Goaded with the taunts of Captain Pipe 
 
92 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 and Captain Elliott that if his army re- 
 treated without capturing the Moravian 
 Indians, they would become the laughing 
 stock of other nations, Half King directed 
 that the missionaries and converts be 
 made prisoners, and that the march to- 
 ward the north should take place as soon 
 as possible. The order was put into 
 effect on September 11, 17S1, and the 
 Wyandot and Delaware armies started 
 north with the Moravian Indians as pris- 
 oners of war, and they were thus com- 
 pelled to turn their backs to their ow^n 
 homes. In speaking of this occurrence 
 Heckewelder says : '* Never did the 
 diristian Indians leave a country with 
 more regret. Three beautiful settlements, 
 Gnadenhutten, Schoenbrunn, and Salem, 
 were now to be forsaken, together with 
 many of their young cattle that were in 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 93 
 
 the woods, with some hundred head of 
 hogs, and at least three hundred acres of 
 corn, potatoes, turnips, cabbage, etc , 
 were now lost to them, together with 
 books that were burnt, many of which 
 were for the instruction of the youth." 
 
 I will not relate the sufferings of the 
 march, but suffice to say that just one 
 month after starting we find our Moravian 
 friends in the wilderness near Sandusky. 
 Here the Wyandot army disbanded, the 
 warriors returned to their homes, and the 
 leaders of the expedition to Detroit to 
 spend the winter. The few supplies the 
 Moravian Indians brought were soon ex- 
 hausted. There was no game in the 
 country and no other means of support 
 for them. The settlers who had corn for 
 sale asked a dollar for three or four 
 quarts, but the Indians had no money 
 
1)4 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 with which to buy. The women en- 
 deavored to dig edible roots, but the 
 ground was frozen, and, if they expected 
 to find a barren wilderness, their expecta- 
 tions were more than realized. From 
 this necessity some of the Indians were 
 sent back to Schoenbrunn and Gnaden- 
 hutten to obtain corn, but the road was a 
 hard, dangerous, and long one. To travel 
 one way required from five to six days, 
 and the meager facilities for transporta- 
 tion prevented them from bringing a 
 sufficient supply. The diary of Zeisber- 
 ger is full of the sufterings of tliis winter. 
 The savages seemed pleased at the state 
 of afiairs, for tliey said, '' Now you are 
 cm a level with us." In this condition 
 they wandered from one place to another 
 trying to find a location for tlie winter 
 where they might at least have wood for 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 95 
 
 fires. They finally settled at a place we 
 now knoAV as Captive's Town. Here 
 they built another church and a few huts 
 for the winter. 
 
 Time passed on with scant food, scant 
 clothing, far away from w^iere they could 
 obtain either, and in a strange country 
 and with a cold w^inter, until February, 
 1782, when a number resolved once 
 more to visit their old homes to get 
 corn. Following out this resolution a 
 band of about one hundred and fifty 
 under the leadership of John Shebosh 
 started. They took all their h-orses along 
 so they could carry as much corn back 
 with them as possible. 
 
 The trip to the old settlements was 
 made without any special event of in- 
 terest. On arrival, the band divided into 
 detachments, one going to Schoenbrunn, 
 
96 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 one to Salem, and the other remained at 
 Gnadenhutten, all working toward the 
 common end of ]>rocuring corn to carry 
 back to Captive's Town. 
 
 Early in March, after this band had 
 started for the Tuscarawas Valley, plans 
 were arranged for the removal of the 
 camp or settlement at Captive's Town 
 to Fremont, then known as Lower San- 
 dusky. 
 
 Those remaining at Captive's Town 
 were glad and ready to make the change 
 excepting for the fact that their people at 
 the oh] settlements had their horses, and 
 there was no way to move the few goods 
 brought with them when they left the 
 Tuscarawas YaHey the fall before. They 
 also desired tliar all the Moravian In- 
 dians go with them. Messengers were 
 sent to the Tuscarawas Valley to hasten 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. \) i 
 
 their return, but as these messengers were 
 gone for some days and did not return, 
 still others were sent. 
 
 The savage Indians during the winter 
 of 1781-'S2 had committed many depre- 
 dations, and the boarder settlements •in 
 Pennsylvania and Virginia were in con- 
 tinual danger. The occupants of the 
 lonely cabins which formed the outposts 
 of civilization were compelled to leave 
 their homes, and many of them were 
 murdered. Among the latter was Mrs. 
 Wallace and her child, who were at that 
 time living near the Ohio River. While 
 her husband was absent the horrible deed 
 was committed. This condition of aftairs 
 called for severe measures on the part of 
 the settlers, and the knowledge that a 
 near friend or relative had been killed 
 by the Indians worked the spirit of re- 
 
98 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 venge to a frenzy. After the murders 
 were committed the savages would re- 
 treat towards the West, and a wrong idea 
 prevailed among some that the Moravian 
 Indians were the principal actors in 
 these outrages, and others believed their 
 settlements in the Tuscarawas Valley to 
 be the starting point of these expeditions, 
 and that those Indians, if not the prin- 
 cipals in such affairs, were at least re- 
 sponsible for them. Tlie frontier settlers 
 in Pennsylvania and Virginia determined 
 to break up these missions, and to pro- 
 ceed as far as Sandusky, if necessary, to 
 destroy the entire band of ^loravian 
 Indians. 
 
 This company of men who took the 
 matter in liand is sometimes known as 
 Pennsylvania militia, but it is proper to 
 say til at there was no regularly organ- 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 99 
 
 ized company which derived authority 
 from the United States, or the States of 
 Pennsylvania or Virginia. On tlie other 
 hand, the United States officials had al- 
 ways been friendly to the Moravians. 
 In the fall of 1781, at the time when the 
 first journey was made from Captive's 
 Town to the Tuscarawas Yalley for corn, 
 Shebosh and five Moravian Indians were 
 captured by whites and taken to Pitts- 
 burg as prisoners of war. Colonel Gib- 
 son, the commandant at that post at that 
 time, promptly released them. 
 
 The resolution to destroy the Moravian 
 settlements originated in a little frontier 
 town in Pennsylvania, and immediately 
 upon the suggestion a number of men 
 decided to go. Colonel David William- 
 son was chosen the commander of the 
 expedition, and immediately after the 
 
100 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 plan was formed, those favoring it took 
 up their march towards Gnadenhutten. 
 On the march, a number of adventurers 
 wlio enjoyed killing Indians simply for 
 sport joined them. In this manner the 
 company increased to about two hundred 
 men. It is stated that many who joined 
 this expedition did not tell their own 
 family of the purpose of the trip, or 
 where they were going. As it was purely 
 a volunteer company, each man furnished 
 his own ammunition, arms, and provis- 
 ions, and those who were mounted fur- 
 nished their own horses. 
 
 The Indians at Gnadenhutten had some 
 knowledge of the temper of the frontier 
 settlers. They were aware of the fact 
 that tlie savage Indians liad begun their 
 marauding expeditions early in February, 
 or in fact, had not ceased them during 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 101 
 
 tlie entire winter just passed. Early in 
 March a white man coming throngli 
 Gnadenhntten told them of the murder 
 of Mrs. AVallace and her child, and that 
 a company of whites was forming to re- 
 venge these deaths, and that their inten- 
 tion was to kill every Indian they met, 
 whether savage or Christian . This aroused 
 some fear, and a meeting of the leading 
 Moravian Indians then in the Tuscarawas 
 Yalley was called to determine what 
 should be done in case the whites came 
 upon them. Some thought they should 
 scatter through the woods, and others 
 thought they should place enough faith 
 in the Americans to disbelieve any re- 
 ports that the Americars intended harm, 
 and should treat them as friends. 
 It was finally settled that each person 
 should act in accordance with liis senti- 
 
102 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 ments. If he felt fearful, he might run 
 away, and if not, he might do otherwise. 
 It was decided, however, to complete 
 their work the following day, and leav.e 
 Captive's Town on March 7. 
 
 Colonel Gibson at Pittsburg heard of 
 the gathering of Williamson's company, 
 and immediately sent messengers to the 
 Tuscarawas Yalley to warn the Moravian 
 settlements of their danger, but by that 
 time Williamson and his men were Hear- 
 ing the towns. 
 
 On March 5, 1782, the same day the 
 Moravian Indians had their council to 
 determine the action they should take in 
 case the wliites approached them, this 
 CDinpany arriv('<l witliiii a mile of Gnad- 
 enhutten wlicre they encamped for the 
 niglit. Tlie fuHowing murniug they re- 
 connoitert'd, and limlini:- a imiiiber uf In- 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 103 
 
 dians were in the vicinity, they deter- 
 mined upon the plan of attack. The 
 entire command was formed into two 
 divisions. One was to cross to the west- 
 ern side of tlie river and attack the 
 Indians there, while the other division 
 was to be divided into three detachments 
 which w^ere to attack the town from dif- 
 ferent points simultaneously. 
 
 The first division found difficulty in 
 crossing the river, as it was full of float- 
 ing ice, but by the use of a large sap 
 trough w^hich answered the purposes of a 
 canoe, and by swimming, sixteen of them 
 managed to cross. 
 
 The first person they met was Joseph 
 Shebosh, the son of one of the heroes of 
 the ride from Pittsburg to Gnadenhutten 
 w^liich I have related. He was endeavor- 
 ing to catch his horse which had strayed 
 
lOtt MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 away from him along the river bank, 
 when one of Williamson's men observed 
 him and shot, breaking his arm. A num- 
 ber of Williamson's men then gathered 
 aronnd him. He plead for his life, but 
 in vain. The thirst for blood was aroused, 
 and, regardless of the fact that the father 
 of Shebosh was a white man, and had 
 served the Americans so nobly, and with 
 so much danger to himself, they killed 
 him with their hatchets. Another Indian 
 named Jacob was working close to the 
 place where tlie whites were crossing, 
 and was about to make his presence 
 known when he saw one of the 
 wliites on the eastern bank lire at an 
 Tiidian some distance down the river who 
 was getting into a canoe. The Indian 
 fell, a]>parently dead. Jacob was so 
 frightened at the occurrence that he ran 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 105 
 
 into the woods and hid himself for a day 
 and a lialf before he ventured to o^ive the 
 alarm. 
 
 Quite a number of the Moravian In- 
 dians were at work in the fields tying up 
 corn preparatory to starting for Captive's 
 Town on the morrow. Most of them 
 had their guns with them. So few of 
 the whites got across the river that 
 they found themselves greatly out num- 
 bered, and they quickly adopted another 
 plan. Jacob was the only Indian who 
 knew the probable intention of the whites, 
 and he was too frightened to give the 
 alarm. Shebosh was not yet missed, and 
 it was probable that they could gain a great 
 advantage by acting as friends and thus 
 gain the Indians' confidence. So, ap- 
 proaching to where they were working, 
 the whites aacosted them in a friendlv 
 
1()6 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO 
 
 manner, and in conversation sympathized 
 with them in their troubles with the 
 Wjandots. They tokl them the object 
 of their coming to Gnadenhutten was to 
 take them back to Pittsburg as friends, 
 and not as prisoners, and their wants 
 would be supplied until after the war. 
 At the mention of Pittsburg, no doubt, 
 they recalled the kind treatment extended 
 by Colonel Gibson to some of their num- 
 ber who had been taken there as pris- 
 oners but a few months before, and from 
 the fact that the men to whom they were 
 speaking were Americans, in whom the 
 Moravians had the utmost confidence, 
 there was very little persuasion needed 
 to induce tliem to accept the proposition 
 of going to Pittslnirg, and they agreed to 
 go to Gnadenhutten immediately to make 
 preparations for the proposed journey. 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OI}IO. 107 
 
 The mask of friendship of the whites was 
 perfect, and the confidence placed in 
 them by the Indians was sincere. All 
 requests made by the whites were cheer- 
 fully complied with, and upon the repre- 
 sentation that all things would be re- 
 turned on arrival at Pittsburg, even their 
 guns and other weapons of defense were 
 surrendered. 
 
 The division which intended to attack 
 the town of Gnadenhutten carried out 
 the project. The attack was made, but 
 they found only one defenseless woman 
 there, whom they killed, and so had pos- 
 session of the town when they saw the 
 other division approaching, peaceably 
 conversing witli the Indians they had 
 crossed the river to murder. This may 
 have caused some surprise to those who 
 had taken possession of Gnadenhutten, 
 
lOS MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 but, quickly grasping the situation they 
 also acted the part of friends. They 
 spent tlie remainder of the day gathering 
 articles that had heen hidden by the 
 Moravian Indians when the Wyandots 
 visited them the fall before and forced 
 their removal. That night, the 6th of 
 March, they all lay down to sleep to- 
 gether, as it has been said : " The one 
 dreaming of scalps, the other of happy 
 homes." On the morning of March 7 
 Williamson sent an escort with several 
 of the Indians from Gnadenhutten to 
 bring those from Salem. This was ac- 
 complished in the same gtiise of friend- 
 ship and Christianity. The Indians at 
 Salem were asked to give up their arms, 
 which they did, and thus helpless, though 
 with cheerful hearts they trudged along 
 with the escort until they came to a pool 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 1<>0 
 
 of blood and a bloody canoe at the place 
 where Jacob had witnessed the shooting. 
 The confidence of the Indians fled, but 
 they saw they were helpless in the hands 
 of their enemies. Their captors, fearing 
 their escape, bonnd them and brought 
 them also to Gnadenhutten. 
 
 On their arrival they found the Gnad- 
 enhutten Indians had been imprisoned in 
 two houses, the women and children in 
 one, and the men in the other, and the 
 Moravians from Salem were soon with 
 them. The true character of their sup- 
 posed friends was thus disclosed. Instead 
 of the kind words the Indians had heard 
 a few hours before, were the curses and 
 taunts of their captors. Their sympathy 
 for suffering was changed to thoughts of 
 murder. 
 
 !N"ot all were murderers, however. 
 
110 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 Some of Williamson's men realized the 
 crime which their companions in arms 
 wished to commit, and were in favor of 
 releasing the Indians, or at the ^\orst 
 taking them captive to Pittsburg where 
 the United States authorities could deal 
 with them as was thought proper. Seeing 
 the difference of opinion, Williamson 
 resolved to leave the question to a vote 
 of his men, and a consultation was held. 
 Those in favor of sparing tlieir lives de- 
 clared that the Indians were innocent of 
 any crime, while those in favor of death 
 pointed to the fact that they had articles 
 of household goods and clothing which 
 the Indians in their savage state could 
 not make. One of the band identilied 
 a garment worn by an Indian woman as 
 belontrincr to Mrs. Wallace who had been 
 murdered a few davs before. The con- 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. Ill 
 
 elusion the whites deducted was that the 
 Moravian Indians assisted in that murder. 
 The facts were, that the garment of 
 Mrs. "Wallace had been sold at an auction 
 with other goods a few days before, and 
 not then knowing of the crime, or how 
 the garment was obtained by the person 
 selling it, one of the Moravian Indians 
 bought it for his wife. Her clothes had 
 been stolen by the Wyandots the fall be- 
 fore, and this garmxcnt was bought proba- 
 bly to supply an actual need, not realiz- 
 ing that it would be used as an evidence 
 of murder against the entire Moravian 
 band. 
 
 These facts, however, could not at that 
 time be presented for the company of 
 whites were of the nature of a mob, and 
 those who ruled had their opinions 
 formed before starting on the expedition, 
 
112 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 and did not desire to consider any facts 
 in favor of the Indians. Colonel "Wil- 
 liamson did not desire to take the re- 
 sponsibility of action upon himself, how- 
 ever, determined to have his men decide 
 as to what should be done with them. 
 He ordered his men to " fall in,'' and 
 after explaining the situation he put the 
 question : '' Shall the ^Eoravian Indians 
 be taken prisoners to Pittsburg or put to 
 death ( All those in favor of sparing 
 their lives step one pace forward and 
 form a second rank." Eighteen stepped 
 forward to the line of mercy. About 
 eighty remained on the line of murder, 
 and the question was thus decided that 
 the ^loraviaii Indians should die. 
 
 This intelligence was quickly commu- 
 nicated to the Indians where they were 
 prisoners in the houses built for their own 
 
Monument at Gnadenhutten, Ohio. 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 113 
 
 protection. They were told they had 
 only one night more to prepare for death 
 and that they should make use of it and 
 die as Christians. At first this news 
 almost crushed them. That Americans 
 whom they had helped whenever they 
 could do so without voilatins; their 
 Christian principles ; Americans, whom 
 they looked upon as friends, and who 
 had but a few hours before talked with 
 them about Christianity and compli- 
 mented them on their piety should take 
 them prisoners, and go so far as to 
 murder them without even permission to 
 make a defense or explanation was too 
 much for the innocent mind of a Cliristian 
 to bear, even though an Indian, 
 
 They had been taught to overcome dis- 
 appointments, however, and as night 
 came on and they realized it was their 
 
114 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 last one on earth, they spent it in sing- 
 ing and praying. One old Mohican In- 
 dian, Abraham, who had folloAved the 
 Moravians from New York, had in his 
 later days, become a backslider. He was 
 one of the unfortunates, and to prepare 
 for death he asked forgiveness of all whom 
 he had wronged, and then joined in the 
 singing and prayers also. While this 
 last prayer meeting was being held in 
 tlie prison house, the captors on the out- 
 side were discussing the method of exe- 
 cution. Some wanted to burn them. 
 Others favored a different plan as tliey 
 wanted scalps. It seemed AVilliamson's 
 men were not only blood thirsty, but 
 their desire for crime was a mania, and 
 tlic W(.>r>t form which could be devised 
 was the preferable. They tin ally decided 
 to kill them se})arately in almost any man- 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 115 
 
 ner, one bj one, but to make the work 
 complete. Those who had stepped to the 
 line of mercy pleaded that they be taken 
 prisoners instead of killed, but all 
 in vain, and then as Pilot of old, they 
 washed their hands of the matter and 
 called upon God to witness that the 
 crime was not upon them. 
 
 The morning of the 8tli of March 
 dawned. The murderers began their 
 preparations. The cooper shop, in which 
 no doubt old Joshua had honestly toiled 
 many a day, w^as chosen as one of tlie 
 slaughter houses. A cooper's mallet lay- 
 ing there, wdiich had so often been used 
 as a tool for works of mercy, was selected 
 as the instrument of death. The man 
 who picked it up remarked, " How ex- 
 actly will this answer the purpose," and 
 stood ready to begin the execution. Tlie 
 
116 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 whites then went to the prison houses 
 and inquired whether they were not soon 
 ready for the work, to which the inno- 
 cent Moravians replied, " We are ready." 
 
 The bloody work began. The Indians 
 were led out two by two. Old A])raham 
 was the first to be taken, and as the self 
 chosen executioner seized him by his 
 long flowing white hair he said to one of 
 his fellow criminals, " See what a fine 
 scalp this will make," and knocked him 
 in the head with the mallet. He kept 
 on with the work in this manner until 
 he had fourteen dead and dying at his 
 feet when lie handed the mallet to an- 
 other, saying, '' I think I have done 
 ])retty well, go on with the work." 
 
 Tlie work did continue until, to the 
 knowledge of the whites, not one Indian 
 of that band remained alive, and among 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 117 
 
 the dead were Captain Johnny, the chief 
 of the Turtle tribe, who had resigned his 
 position to follow the Moravians ; Old 
 Tobias, the sexton of the church at Salem, 
 who had saved Hecke welder's life ; Glik- 
 kikin, the former war chieT of the Wolf 
 tribe whose faithfulness to the missions 
 and to the Americans was always prom- 
 inent, and John Martin, who had ridden 
 with John Heckew elder from Gnaden- 
 hutten to Coshocton on that day when the 
 tide of war was turned. 
 
 The "ouse which was occupied by the 
 women and children was also made a 
 slaughter house, and among those who 
 perished there were the two young 
 daughters of Joshua the cooper, the wife 
 of Glikkikin, and Christiana, a well edu- 
 cated woman who had lived among the 
 Americans in the East and could speak 
 
118 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 three languages. Christiana fell upon 
 her knees before Williamson and begged 
 that her life be spared, but he replied 
 that he could do nothing for her. So 
 passed the day, and as the sun was sink- 
 ing in the West, ninety-six of the Mo- 
 ravian Indians had passed l)y the hands 
 of the Americans into the future state. 
 
 Only two persons escaped. Jacob, a 
 young boy who was imprisoned in the 
 house with the women and children, got 
 through a trap door into the cellar. The 
 massacre just over his head was proceed- 
 ing and the whites were so engaged in 
 their horrid work that he crept out of 
 the cellar window unobserved, and hid 
 in a clump of hazel bushes. Abel and 
 Thomas, two other boys, were not killed 
 by the blow from tlie mallet and by being 
 scalped, but lay as if dead. When Able 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 119 
 
 thought the murderers had left, he raised 
 slightly to see his surroundings. Just 
 then one of Williamson's men came into 
 the slaughter house, and seeing an In- 
 dian still alive, he crushed him under his 
 heels. Thomas observed this and lay 
 perfectly quiet until it became dark, when 
 he cautiously slipped out of the building 
 and escaped. By a coincidence he found 
 Jacob, and they two watched the mur- 
 derers set fire to the houses and make 
 merry over the result of their work, and 
 then with savage shouts, and oaths, start 
 for Schoenbrunn, where they expected to 
 repeat the crime committed at Gnaden- 
 hutten. 
 
 The messenger which Zeisberger sent 
 from Captive's Town to ask the Indians 
 to return, arrived at Schoenbrunn about 
 the time Williamson's party arrived at 
 
120 MOKAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 Gnadenhutten. Having given the mes- 
 sage to the Indians there, messengers 
 proceeded towards Gnadenhutten. When 
 within a short distance of the town, they 
 found the body of their own country- 
 man, Shebosh, lying by tlie river bank, 
 dead and scalped. Tracks of horses were 
 also noticed in the vicinity, and they 
 then saw a number of whites across the 
 river at Gnadenhutten. Hastily taking 
 note of these facts the messengers retraced 
 their steps to Schoenbrunn and told what 
 they had seen. The Moravian Indians 
 there, thinking these visitors might mean 
 harm, dispersed through the woods where 
 they could observe what was taking place 
 in their town without being seen. 
 
 Soon Williamson's band appeared and 
 seeing the town deserted, they satisfied 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 121 
 
 themselves by looting the houses and 
 setting the town on lire. 
 
 The whites then made their way to- 
 wards the east, as it was learned that a 
 number of the Moravian Indians had 
 gone in that direction. Later they went 
 to Pittsburg with their stolen goods, 
 which were put up at auction and sold. 
 
 The missionaries at Captive's Town, 
 not hearing from those who went to the 
 Tuscarawas Yalley, were compelled to 
 start on their journey to Fremont with 
 the limited accommodations they could 
 procure at Sandusky. The trip took 
 them through marshes. The weather was 
 still cold, and other hardships were to be 
 borne. When they arrived at Fremont 
 they found true friends among the whites. 
 Here they heard the news of the massacre 
 of their people at Gnadenhutten. 
 
122 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 The remaining history of the Moravian 
 Missions is soon told. The few converts 
 who had not relapsed into heathen- 
 ism or been killed were gathered to- 
 gether, and a new mission called New 
 Gnadenhutten was started in the present 
 State of Michigan, where they lived until 
 four years after the Revolutionary War. 
 The desire to return to their beloved 
 Tuscarawas Yalley was still uppermost 
 in the minds of many of them, and es- 
 pecially was this the case with Zeisberger, 
 Heckewelder and Edwards, the only 
 missionaries left to care for the Indians. 
 New Gnadenhutten was a long distance 
 from Detroit, the nearest settlement, and 
 the road to that }>ost lay partly tlirouii-h 
 a forest, and partly through a dense 
 swamp, so they were cut off from com- 
 munication with the outside world. From 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 123 
 
 the disadvantages of this position the 
 little flock was diminishing instead of 
 increasing, and it could not be otherwise 
 while thej remained there. The day 
 came when they started on their home- 
 ward journey. On April 20, 1786, the 
 congregation met for the last time in 
 their chapel at New Gnadenhutten and 
 offered thanks to God for His care and 
 protection. They went to Detroit, crossed 
 Lake Erie, and on June S, arrived at 
 the mouth of the Cuyahoga Eiver, at the 
 present site of Cleveland. Their inten- 
 tion was to go direct from here to the 
 Tuscarawas Y alley, but they were again 
 doomed to disappointment. They were 
 informed that but recently the whites 
 had murdered some Indians there, and 
 that the savage Indians had not yet ac- 
 cepted peace. For this reason they re- 
 
124 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 mained for a time on the Cuyahoga at a 
 place named Pilgrims Rest. 
 
 Here Heckewelder also left the band 
 for other fields, and the remainder of 
 them moved back to the Huron River, 
 where New Salem was built, and later 
 we find them at Fairfield, Canada. 
 
 The savage Indians in Ohio kept up 
 the war spirit even after the Revolu- 
 tionary War was over. In 1790 hostili- 
 ties in an aggravated form began again. 
 St. Clair was sent to Ohio with an army to 
 preserve peace, but in a battle in 1791 he 
 was defeated Then General Anthony 
 Wayne was sent, and the result of his 
 campaign was the treaty of peace made 
 in 1795 which forever ended Indian wars 
 in Ohio. 
 
 In 1785, Congress granted tnree large 
 tracts of land in which Schoenbrunn, 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 125 
 
 Gnadenhutten and Salem had been lo- 
 cated for the use of the Moravian Indians. 
 These grants were renewed in June, 1790, 
 and the remnant of the Moravian Indians 
 was invited to take possession of their 
 old homes. It was not, however, until 
 1798 that their desire to return could be 
 satisfied. That year, however, on May 
 31, Hecke welder, who was again with 
 the Moravian Indians, Edwards, another 
 missionary, and six of the Indians who had 
 been members of the missions for years, 
 started for the Tuscarawas Yalley. 
 On August 15, Zeisberger with thirty- 
 three of the Indian converts followed. 
 About the 1st of October this little 
 band floated down the Tuscarawas 
 Eiver in canoes as Zeisberger and 
 Glikkikin had done over twenty-seven 
 years before, and then they paddled 
 
126 MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 into the lake and to the landing at the 
 beautiful spring, where they arrived Oc- 
 tober 4, 1798. 
 
 Near by the town of Goshen was built, 
 and a mission started. Here the first 
 convert was the widow of Captain White 
 Eyes. AYhite Eyes' sons also became 
 members of the mission. 
 
 The mission at Goshen prospered until 
 about 1800, when it too began to decline, 
 and at the death of Zeisberger in 1808, 
 the missions in the Tuscarawas Valley 
 may be looked upon as abandoned. 
 
 •K- Tf * ~ -if 
 
 To-day as we pass over the site of these 
 communities we note the changes. All 
 traces of Schoenbrunn are effaced. The 
 original beauty of the location is gone. 
 The beautiful spring is dry. The clear 
 lake has become a marsh by absorT)ing the 
 decay of generations. The virgin forest 
 has fallen, and tlie noble race which oc- 
 ('U])ied its hanks, liave, like the forest, dis- 
 
MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 12? 
 
 appeared before the destructive elements 
 of civilization. 
 
 The site of Old Gnadenhutten is a 
 pretty grove. One mound near the site 
 of the massacre is the last resting place 
 of the bones of the unfortunates, which 
 were gathered up and buried there by 
 their former teacher and faithful friend, 
 John Heckewelder, and David Peter, 
 about eighteen years after the massacre. 
 Another mound marks the site of the 
 Mission House, and the plot made sacred 
 by the presence of the church in which 
 so many prayers and exhortations were 
 uttered, is marked by a limestone shaft 
 bearing the inscription. " Here tri- 
 umphed in death ninety Christian In- 
 dians, March S, 17S2." 
 
 But, although the physical features are 
 thus changed and these events are looked 
 upon as matters of history, the results 
 still live. The moral influence exerted 
 by these faithful followers of Christianity 
 on not onlv those who came in contact 
 
128 MOKAVIAN MISSIONS IN OHIO. 
 
 with them, but on tho^e who read about 
 them, can not be measured, and tliat in- 
 tiuence is with us to-day. 
 
 The effect of their actions on the 
 political history of the United fStates 
 can only be conjectured, Init their 
 policy for peace during the Revolu- 
 tionary war was at least instrumental 
 in helping our fathers secure their 
 Independence. On this one feature Gen- 
 eral Butler says : '' Had the chiefs of 
 the Delaware Nation, together with tlie 
 Christian Indians, pursued a different 
 course than that which they adopted, all 
 joined the enemy and taken up the 
 hatchet against the American people, it 
 would have cost the United States much 
 blood and treasure, to have withstood 
 them and checked their progress, besides 
 weakening our already feel)le armies on 
 the sea board l)y draining tliem of troops 
 for the Western service, and this might 
 have proved fatal to the cause.'' 
 
 THE END. 
 
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