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HISTORY J21^ 
 
 EARLY SETTLEMENT 
 
 JUNIATA VALLEY: 
 
 EMBRACING AN 
 
 AND THE TRIALS AND PRIVATIONS INCIDENT TO THE 
 SETTLEMENT OF THE VALLEY, 
 
 PREDATORY INCURSIONS, MASSACRES, AND ABDUCTIONS BY 
 
 THE INDIANS DURING THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS, 
 
 AND THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION, &c. 
 
 By U. J. JONES. 
 
 HARRISBURG, PA.: 
 
 HARRISBURG PUBLISHING COMPANY. 
 
 1889. 
 
F'/ST 
 
 Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1889, by 
 
 THE HARRISBURG PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
 
 In the Ofi&ce of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 
 
 
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J^Jtuation 
 
 TO 
 
 MAJOR B. F. BELL, 
 
 BELL'S MILLS, BLAIR COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA. 
 
 Dear Sir: — I hope your well-known modesty will not be 
 shocked when your eyes encounter this notice. In dedicating 
 to you the fruits of my first historical labors in the field of litera- 
 ture, allow me to say that I am governed by reasons that will 
 justify me. In the first place, I may cite your well-known and 
 often-expressed veneration and esteem for the memory of the 
 brave old Pioneers of our Valley, their heroic deeds, and their 
 indomitable energy and perseverance, under the most discourag- 
 ing circumstances, in turning the unbroken wilderness into " a 
 land flowing with milk and honey." Secondly, you are the son 
 of one of those self-same old pioneers, (now in his grave,) who, if 
 not a direct actor in some of the scenes portrayed in the pages 
 following, lived while they were enacted, and trod upon the 
 ground where many of them occurred, while the actors in them 
 were his friends and his neighbors. Manifold, indeed, were the 
 changes he witnessed during a long and useful career ; but the 
 common lot of humanity was his, and he now " sleeps the sleep 
 that knows no waking," where once the lordly savage roamed, 
 and made the dim old woods echo with his whoop, many, many 
 years ago. 
 
 Lastly, it was through your encouragement that I undertook 
 
b DEDICATION. 
 
 the task ; and it was through your kind and Hberal spirit that I 
 was enabled to make it any thing more than an unpublished his- 
 tory, unless I chose to let others reap the benefit of my labors. 
 These things, sir, you may look upon as private, but I cannot re- 
 frain from giving them publicity, since I acknowledge that your 
 liberality has entailed upon me a deeper debt of gratitude than 
 I can repay by merely dedicating my work to you. 
 
 Allow me, therefore, to dedicate to you, as a small token of my 
 esteem for you, the " History of the Early Settlement of the 
 Juniata Valley." If there is any thing in it to interest the pres- 
 ent generation and enlighten posterity, I am willing to divide 
 the honor and glory of its paternity with you, for I am neither 
 afraid nor ashamed to confess that, although I wrote the history, 
 it was through your generosity that I was enabled to publish the 
 book. 
 
 A careful perusal of the work will, no doubt, convince you 
 that I have labored studiously to make it interesting, not only 
 to the resident of the Valley, but to the general reader, who 
 must admit that, if I have failed, it has not been for lack of the 
 best exertions on my part. 
 
 In conclusion, should the book prove a failure, and not come 
 up to the expectations of my friends, you can console yourself 
 with the reflection that you made a mistake by inciting the 
 wrong man to an undertaking for which he was unqualified. A 
 pleasant reflection ! I have said, that, as you were the originator 
 of the book, you should share all the honor that might arise from 
 it. I will be more magnanimous still; if the History proves a 
 mere catchpenny swindle, let the odium and execrations of a 
 humbugged public fall upon 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 Hollidaysburg, Pa., Nov. 1855. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 j-^^HE design, object, and aim of the following pages can 
 ^1 . be summed up without any circumlocution. Some 
 ♦^ ten or twelve years ago, a large volume of "Historical 
 Collections of Pennsylvania" was published by Sherman 
 Day, which gave a brief history, among others, of the coun- 
 ties composing the Valley of the Juniata. This work was 
 followed by a compilation, by I. D. Rupp, Esq., entitled " A 
 History of Northumberland, Huntingdon, Mifflin, Centre, 
 Union, Clinton, Juniata, and Columbia counties." The last, 
 as far as our valley was concerned, was almost a reprint of 
 the first, with some few additions gleaned from the Colonial 
 Records and the Archives of the State. Both these works 
 were most liberally subscribed for; in fact, the compilation 
 of the counties had upwards of a thoiisand subscribers in 
 Huntingdon county (Blair not then formed) alone ! The 
 inducements held out, in order to gain such an extensive 
 list, were, that the works would be graphic histories of the 
 early settlement of this country. In this they signally, 
 failed. True, here and there they gave an account of some 
 early occurrence ; but they were exceedingly brief, lacked 
 detail, and in many instances were found grossly inaccurate. 
 Of course, they gave universal dissatisfaction, because the 
 subscribers looked for a faithful record of the stirring events 
 which occurred when this portion of the land of Penn was 
 
8 . PREFACE. 
 
 "the dark and bloody ground." The descendants of many 
 who figured in the trials incident to the settlement of the 
 valley are still living. The fireside recitals of these events 
 made them " as familiar as household words" among those 
 who are now fast passing away ; but they search all histories 
 in vain to find a faithful account of more than a moiety of 
 the struggles, trials, and personal adventures of the pioneers, 
 as well as the many cold-blooded Indian massacres and 
 depredations which spread desolation through the land, and 
 laid waste the homes and firesides of so many who located in 
 what was then a wilderness. Let me not be understood as 
 attempting to deny the merits of the works of which I have 
 spoken. As modern histories, giving accounts, or rather de- 
 scriptions, of the country as it was at the time they were 
 issued, they were faithful records. Indeed, I will do Mr. 
 Rupp the justice to say that I consider his compilation all 
 it professes to be, according to his preface, in which he says : 
 " A full and minute history of these counties can only be 
 expected after a greater accumulation of historical facts is 
 extant for that purpose." 
 
 The facts necessary to give a minute history of the early 
 settlement of the Juniata have been accessible, although it 
 must be admitted that those who could give them from 
 reliable personal recollections have nearly all passed into 
 " the valley and the shadow of death." 
 
 Some ten or twelve years ago, Judge M'Cune, Judge 
 Adams, Michael Maguire, and Edward Bell, Esq., met at 
 the residence of the latter gentleman, in Antes township, 
 Blair county, by invitation. These were all old settlers, 
 whose memories dated back to the struggle of the infant 
 colonies for freedom ; and most vividly did they recollect 
 the Indian butcheries when brave Old England paid a 
 
PREFACE. y 
 
 stipulated price for rebel scalps. The reunion of these vet- 
 erans was an epoch in their lives, for they had been children 
 together, had travelled the same rugged path, and, with 
 stalwart frames, sinewy arms, and willing hearts, had earned 
 for themselves names, reputation, and earthly competence. 
 Well may we conjecture that, in fighting the battle of life 
 over again in story, some interesting incidents were related. 
 During this reunion, a history of the early settlement of the 
 upper end of the valley was written, and the manuscript 
 transmitted to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, in 
 the expectation that it would be published in some of their 
 works. This, however, never was done ; and when applica- 
 tion was made to the society for a return of the manuscript, 
 it was either lost or mislaid. 
 
 Since then, one by one, these old patriots have passed 
 from time to eternity, and the woods and valleys that knew 
 them for three-quarters of a century shall know them no 
 more. With them would, in all probability, have been 
 buried many important facts, had not the author of these 
 pages called upon the last survivor, Michael Maguire, in 
 October last, and taken down, at length, all his early recol- 
 lections. The time was most opportune, for he was even 
 then upon his deathbed. The sands of a long life were 
 evidently ebbing fast, and he knew it, for he gave it as his 
 solemn conviction that the proposed recital of the past was 
 the last he should ever make to mortal man. Although 
 enfeebled by age, and his body wasting away, his intellect 
 was vigorous and unclouded, and his memory fresh as it was 
 fourscore years ago. Indeed, I soon found that he had the 
 most retentive memory of any man I ever knew, because, 
 in narrating incidents, he gave days, dates, and names, with 
 such ease as almost to stagger belief. Of course, to him I 
 
10 PREFACE. 
 
 am mainly indebted for the material of that part of the 
 History treating of the upper end hi the valley, especially 
 the occurrences between 1776 and 1782. Mr. M. died on the 
 17th inst. 
 
 From a manuscript memoir of E. Bell, Esq., I have also 
 been enabled to glean some useful information. He com- 
 menced it a short time before his death, and it is to be deeply 
 regretted that a violent attack of rheumatism in the hand 
 compelled him to abandon the work after writing some six 
 or eight pages. 
 
 I am also indebted to a number of persons for information 
 that has been of value to me, whose names will be mentioned 
 in another place in the work. 
 
 If this volume fails to meet the expectations of those kind 
 friends who have interested themselves in my behalf, it will 
 not be for lack of zeal or perseverance on my part. I am 
 free to confess that the language of the book is not clothed 
 in that attractive garb which makes books popular in the 
 age we live in ; but then it must be remembered that I am 
 not, worthy reader, submitting to your judgment a romance, 
 but a History, based upon immutable and undying Truths. 
 
 U. J. Jones. 
 
 HOLLIDAYSBURG, NoV. 1855. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 The Aborigines of the Valley — Their Habits and Customs, . 17 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 History of Early Settlers, 37 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Juniata Island — An Indian Paradise — Rev. David Brainerd 
 — The Early Settlers, Hulings, Watts, and Baskins — In- 
 dian Battles — Remarkable Escape of Mrs. Hulings, ... 52 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Indian Towns along the Juniata — Lost Creek Valley dis- 
 covered — Mexico first settled by Capt. James Patterson, 
 in 1751 — Indian Attack upon Settlers at the House of Wil- 
 liam White — Massacre of White — Capture of John Riddle 
 — His Release from Captivity, etc., 63 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Early Settlers at Licking Creek — Relics of an Indian Battle 
 — House of Robert Campbell attacked — James Campbell 
 wounded and taken prisoner — Scout sent from Shearman's 
 Creek — Encounter with the Indians at Buffalo Creek — 
 Five of the Scout killed, etc., 70 
 
12 * CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Tuscarora Valley — Its Early Settlement — Its Mounds and 
 its Forts, Massacres, etc., 76 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Fort Granville — Old Indian Town — Early Settlers — Captain 
 Jacobs — Assault and Capture of the Fort, etc., 82 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Organization of Mifflin County — Dispute with Huntingdon 
 County about the Boundary Line — Riot at Lewistown, 
 etc., 88 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Kishicoquillas Valley — The Shawnee Chief Kishicokelas — 
 The Mingo Chief Logan, 102 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Colonel John Armstrong's Expedition against Kittaning — 
 List of the Killed and Wounded — Delaware Chiefs, Cap- 
 tain Jacobs and Shingas, etc., 112 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Old Indian Town — Indian Paths — Aughwick — Murder of 
 John Armstrong and Party — Captain Jack, the Wild 
 Hunter of the Juniata — George Crogan, etc., 123 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Raystown Branch — Early Settlement of Raystown — General 
 Forbes's Expedition — Colonels Washington and Boquet — 
 Colonel Armstrong's Letter — Smith and his "Black 
 Boys" — Bloody Run — Robbery — Indian Massacres — Rev- 
 olutionary Lieutenants of Bedford County, etc., .... 148 
 
CONTENTS. 13 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Raystown Branch, continued — Murder of Sanders and his 
 Family — Englishman and his Wife taken Prisoners — 
 Felix Skelly and Mrs. Elder taken Captives — Their Re- 
 turn, etc., 160 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Standing Stone, ancient and modern — Murder of Felix Don- 
 nelly and his son Francis, etc., 167 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Trials of the Early Settlers — Their Forts and other Means of 
 Defence, etc., 177 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 The Early Settlers— Old Hart, the Indian Trader, .... 183 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 The Continental Mills of the Valley, 189 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 The Cove — Early Settlement by Dunkards — Indian Massa- 
 cres and Captivities — Massacre of Ullery and Hammond — 
 A Resistant Dunkard, etc., 192 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Tommy Coleman, the Indian-Fighter — Surprise of the Dunk- 
 ard Murderers, etc., 201 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Sinking Valley — The Lead Mines — Fort Roberdeau — Indian 
 Murder and Heroic conduct of a Woman — Encounter with 
 a Savage — Massacre of Roller and Bebault, etc., .... 211 
 
14 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 Tories of the Valley — Their Unfortunate Expedition to Join 
 the Indians at Kittaning — Captain John Weston, the Tory- 
 Leader — Captain Thomas Blair — Capture of the Broth- 
 ers Hicks — Hanging a Tory — Narrow Escape of two of 
 Weston's men, etc., 232 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 The Tory Hare — Murder of Loudenslager — Abduction and 
 Murder of Mrs, Eaton and Children — Treatment of Hare 
 by the Settlers, etc., 240 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 Moses Donaldson — Capture and Murder of his Wife and two 
 Children, 247 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Depredatations at the Mouth of Spruce Creek — Murder of 
 Levi Hicks — Scalping of his Child, 253 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 Stone Valley — McCormick's Fort — Murder of Mrs. Houston 
 and James McClees — A Dealer in Grain in the Olden 
 Time, • 257 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 Tuckahoe — Murder of John Guilliford, 261 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIL 
 
 Early Settlement of Scotch Valley— The Moore Family- 
 Massacre of William Moore — Indian shot by a Boy, etc., 263 
 
 CHA.PTER XXVIII. 
 
 Woodcock Valley— Massacre of Elder— The Breckenridge 
 Family— Fight with, and Destruction of. Captain Phil- 
 lips's Scout by the Indians — Cruel Massacre of ten Men, 268 
 
CONTENTS. 15 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Water Street — The Beatty Family — Captain Simonton — 
 Massacre of the Dean Family — Captivity of John Simon- 
 ton, etc., . . 278 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Hollidaysburg — The Holliday Family — Death of Lieuten- 
 ant Holliday at the Battle of Brandy wine — Massacre of a 
 portion of William Holliday 's Family — John Holliday, 
 etc.,. 287 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 Old Indian Town of Frankstown — Indian Burial-Places — 
 Massacre of the Bedford Scout, etc., 298 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 Shaver's Creek — Mysterious Death of old Shaver — Heroic 
 Conduct of two Children — Abduction of Miss Ewing and 
 Miss McCormick — Peter Crum, the last Victim of the 
 Savages, etc., 313 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 Warrior Ridge — Warrior's Mark — Job Chillaway, Shaney 
 John, and Captain Logan, the last Red Men in the Juniata 
 Valley, 323 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 Conclusion, 329 
 
 The Valley as it is, 332 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 The Author of the History of the Juniata Valley, .... 353 
 
 The Pattersons of Juniata, 356 
 
 Indian Massacres in 1763, 369 
 
16 CONTENTS. 
 
 Narrative of Robert Robinson, 375 
 
 The Murder of Jack Armstrong, 384 
 
 Armstrong's Resting Place, 386 
 
 Jack's Narrows, 388 
 
 Indian Massacre at Shaver's Creek, 393 
 
 Simon Girty the Outlaw, 396 
 
 Marcus Hulings of Duncan's Island, 401 
 
 The Thompsons of Juniata Valley, 407 
 
 Forts in the Juniata Valley, 411 
 
EARLY SETTLEMENT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 JUN^IATA VALLEY 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE ABORIGINES OF THE VALLEY — THEIR HABITS AND THEIR CUS- 
 TOMS. 
 
 4. 4 
 
 [HEN the persevering and adventurous Anglo Saxon 
 first entered the wilds of the Juniata, his eye, as far 
 as it could reach, beheld nothing but a dense forest; 
 but his quick penetration observed its natural beauties, its 
 advantages, and the fertility ^f its soil. Hence he did not 
 long stand upon the crest of the Tuscarora Mountain, debat- 
 ing the advantages to be derived from making it his home, 
 or the risk he was taking upon himself in doing so, but 
 plunged boldly down into the valley and called it his own. 
 He found it peopled with dusky warriors and their families, 
 who received him with open arms; and the golden hues of 
 hope for the future lightened his cares, and made his priva- 
 tions no longer a burden. On the banks of the beautiful 
 river the majestic stag trod, a very monarch ; and the pellu- 
 cid stream, from the bubbling brooks that formed it, to its 
 mouth, was filled with the noble salmon and sportive trout, 
 with little to molest them; for the Indians did not possess 
 2 17 
 
18 HISTORY OF THE JUXIATA VALLEY. 
 
 the penchant for indiscriminate slaughter of game which 
 characterized their successors. They held that the land was 
 given to human beings by the good Manitou for a dwelling- 
 place, and not for the purpose of being broken up and cul- 
 tivated for game. The fish and game were also a free gift 
 from the same spirit, for the support of his people. Hence 
 hunting and fishing for more than what would supply im- 
 mediate and absolute wants were held in supreme contempt 
 by the red man. 
 
 The Indians found in the valley, when the whites first 
 invaded it, belonged to three or four tribes — the Delawares, 
 Monseys, Shawnees, and probably the Tuscaroras; all of 
 whom, with the exception of the latter, belonged to one of 
 the eight great Indian confederations scattered over the 
 land, from the Rocky Mountains to what they called, in their 
 figurative language, the rising of the sun. These Indians 
 called themselves the Lenni Lenape, or "original people," of 
 which the Delawares and Monseys were by far the most 
 numerous of the tribes settled in the valley. The Shawnees, 
 a restless, lawless, and ferocious band, were threatened with 
 extermination by a powerful foe in Florida, when they came 
 to Pennsylvania and craved the protection of the Lenapes, 
 which was granted to them, and they were permitted to 
 settle upon the lands of the Delawares. The Delaware In- 
 dians soon discovered that the Shawnees were quarrelsome 
 and treacherous neighbors, and their company not desirable. 
 Notice was given them to quit, and they settled upon the 
 flats of the Susquehanna, near Wilkesbarre, and from thence 
 they found their way to the Juniata; and there is little doubt 
 but that tliey were first and foremost in the depredations 
 committed during the French and Indian wars, as well as 
 during the American Revolution. The Tuscaroras did not 
 claim to belong to the Lenape tribes, yet a large portion of 
 them lived in their territory. They came from the South, 
 and joined the Aquanuschioni, or "united people," known in 
 history as the Six Nations. As they did not speak the lan- 
 guage of either the "united people" or the "original people," 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 19 
 
 it would appear that they were people on their own account, 
 enjoying a sort of roving commission to hunt the lands and 
 fish the streams of any of "their cousins," as they styled all 
 other tribes. 
 
 The Conoy Indians settled in the valley in 1748. They 
 left the Delaware on the strength of a promise made them 
 by the proprietary government that they should be remu- 
 nerated.. The debt, however, we presume, must have been 
 repudiated, for we find that an Indian orator named Arrueh- 
 quay, of the Six Nations, made application to Governor 
 Hamilton, during a "talk" in Philadelphia on the 1st of 
 July, 1749, for something for them. The governor, quite as 
 much of an adept at wheedling the savages as the proprietors 
 themselves, returned the Conoy wampum, and "talked" the 
 Seneca orator out of the belief that they owed the Conoys a 
 single farthing, in consequence of their having left their 
 land and settled among the nations of the Juniata of their 
 own free will and accord. He ruled out the Conoy claim, 
 and confirmed his opinion by sending them a string of gov- 
 ernment wampum. Whether this satisfied the Conoys or 
 not does not appear upon the record. We think not — at 
 least we should not suppose that they were half as well sat- 
 isfied as the Six Nation deputies, who carried away, among 
 other plunder, a quantity of tobacco and pipes, fifty ruffled 
 shirts, and a gross and a half of brass jewsharps! 
 
 The Nanti cokes settled about the mouth of the Juniata in 
 1748 or 1749, and in after years spread westward toward the 
 Ohio. This portion of the tribe, when it first came to the 
 Juniata, was not very formidable ; but it increased and be- 
 came powerful. 
 
 A number of Mengues, Mingoes, or Iroquois, of the Six 
 Nations, settled a few years afterward in Kishacoquillas 
 Valley, now Mifflin county. 
 
 Of all the savages in the valley, the Mingoes were proba- 
 bly the most peaceably disposed, although it is a well-attested 
 fact that they were a brave and warlike band. The fathers 
 of the principal chiefs of the Mingoes, settled in the Juniata 
 
20 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 Valley, had been partially (if we may use the term) Christ- 
 ianized by the teachings of the Moravian missionaries, 
 Heckwelder, Zinzendorf, and Loskiel ; and this may account 
 for their desire to live on terms of amity and friendship 
 with their pale-faced brethren. 
 
 As the Delawares, or Lenapes, claimed to be the original 
 people, we must come to the conclusion that they came to- 
 ward the east before the Iroquois. They probably came 
 from a northern direction, while the united people worked 
 their way from the northwest to the northeast. To call these 
 men original people, in the sense in which they applied it, 
 may have been right enough ; but to apply the term to them 
 of original, as occupants of the country, is a misnomer, not 
 only according to their own oral traditions, but according 
 to the most indubitable evidence of antiquarians and geol- 
 ogists. 
 
 The traditions of the Lenapes were, in effect, that their 
 ancestors were a mighty band of fierce warriors, who came 
 from the setting of the sun, part of the way by canoes, and 
 the balance of the way over land, — through dense forests, 
 beautiful valleys, over lofty mountains. In their triumphant 
 march they met but one foe, whom they trampled under 
 their feet as the buffalo does the grass under his hoofs, and 
 that this weak and effeminate foe was entirely exterminated. 
 
 These traditions, vague as they are, and as all oral tradi- 
 tions forever must be, have certainly a foundation in fact. 
 Drake, whose Indian history is regarded as the most reliable, 
 gives it as his opinion, formed only after all the facts could . 
 be collected and all the traditions fully digested, that the 
 Indians originally came from Asia, by way of Beh ring's 
 Straits. 
 
 The patient investigations made bj' antiquarians have 
 long since settled the fact, to the entire satisfaction of most 
 people, that a race did exist in this country prior to the ad- 
 vent and on the arrival of the Indians. The relics of this 
 race, consisting of vases, pipes, earthenware, etc., found dur- 
 ing the last century, indicate not only a race entirely differ- 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 21 
 
 ent from the Indians, but one much farther advanced in 
 civilization. The Indians, however, it would appear, eitlier 
 scorned their handicraft, or never took time to examine 
 thoroughly the habits of these people before they extermi- 
 nated them in order to possess their country. These relics 
 bear a marked resemblance to those dug from ruins in Egypt, 
 ,as well as those found in Peru. In fact, the vases, and some 
 of the earthenware, bear such a strong resemblance to the 
 Peruvian antiquities, that it is the settled conviction of some 
 that the earlier settlers of both North and South America 
 were identical, and that the original stock was a tribe of 
 Egyptians. 
 
 Some writers have asserted that these early inhabitants 
 were non-resistants. This is most unquestionably an error. 
 The traditions of the Indians say that their ancestors fought 
 many battles before they conquered the country; but that 
 they ahvays were victorious. Of course, this might be mere 
 vain boasting by the Indians of their ancestors' prowess and 
 skill in war, and such we would look upon it, if their oral 
 history was not strengthened by the fact that, on the banks 
 of the Miama, Muskingum, Kanawha, and Ohio Rivers, 
 ancient fortifications, or at least well-defined traces of them, 
 have been found. Nor is this all; tolerably well-executed 
 implements, evidently intended for warlike purposes, have 
 been taken from mounds, as well as many unmistakable 
 stone arrow heads. 
 
 Whether this anterior race existed to any considerable ex- 
 tent along the Juniata we are not prepared to say ; but that 
 some of them once lived here is more than probable, although 
 antiquarians have failed to extend their researches to the 
 valley. Among the evidences to induce the belief that these 
 ancients once occupied our land, we shall refer to the most 
 prominent, leaving the reader to make his own deductions. 
 
 When the excavation for the Pennsylvania Canal was 
 going on, a laborer dug up, near Newport, a stone shaped 
 like a Greek Cross. The formation of the stone bore un- 
 mistakable evidence that it was not a mere freak of nature. 
 
22 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY, 
 
 This attracted attention, and the stone was thoroughly- 
 cleansed, when the transverse was found to contain hiero- 
 glyphics, plainly marked with some sharp pointed instru- 
 ment. Persons who saw it supposed that the French might 
 have given it to the Indians, and that they used it for a 
 purpose similar to that for which the Standing Stone was 
 used, and that they brought it from Canada to the Juniata. 
 This supposition was based upon the formation of the stone ; 
 but, strange to say, the hieroglyphics bore no resemblance to 
 any thing pertaining to the modern Indians. It may, there- 
 fore, have belonged to the anterior race, and the person 
 who shaped it may have been utterly ignorant of the fact 
 that it was the symbol of the Christian religion. The cross 
 was sent to Philadelphia to be submitted to the inspection 
 of the savans of the Historical Society, but was lost on the 
 way ; at all events, it never reached its intended destination. 
 
 Speaking on the subject of antiquities with a physician 
 some years ago, — probably tJie late Dr. Coffey, — he informed 
 us that a skeleton was dug up near Franktown, which he 
 did not believe belonged to any of the tribes of Indians 
 whose mounds are scattered so profusely along the Juniata. 
 He arrived at this conclusion from numerous personal ob- 
 servations he made. In the first place, the body retained a 
 portion of dried withered flesh, and portion of papyrus or 
 bark-cloth enveloped the body, so that it must have under- 
 gone some species of embalming before sepulture. Em- 
 balming was unknown to the Indians. Secondly, the body 
 was in a horizontal position, north and south, whereas the 
 Indians always buried in a sitting posture, with the face to 
 the east. And, finally, the body was buried alone, while the 
 Indian method was to have one common grave for all who 
 died for years. Some articles were found when the skeleton 
 was exhumed; but they were so much corroded as to be use- 
 less even for scientific investigation. 
 
 In breaking up a piece of new ground in Kishacoquillas 
 Valley some twenty -five, or probably tliirty, years ago, traces 
 of a well-defined wall were discovered, which was traced and 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 23 
 
 found to enclose about an acre of ground. Although the 
 stones that formed this wall were the ordinary stones found 
 along the stream, fashioned and shaped by the great Architect 
 of the world himself, it is certain that human hands placed 
 them in the position in which they were found. The whole 
 thing was destroyed before any mention was made of it. 
 
 In addition to these evidences, we have heard of arrow- 
 heads and pottery being dug up in other sections of the val- 
 ley; but, taking it for granted that they were all Indian 
 relics, no effort was ever made to have a thorough investiga- 
 tion of their origin. 
 
 How long this continent was occupied by the Indians 
 found here on the arrival of the Northmen is a mooted 
 point, on which no two historians can agree. The Indian 
 method of computing time by moons is rather vague to base 
 a calculation upon. Those who contend that they originated 
 from one of the lost tribes of Israel, endeavor to prove that 
 they have been here for many centuries; while others, bas- 
 ing their calculations upon the usual increase of the human 
 family, think that the numbers found here on the discovery 
 of the continent would indicate that they had been here but 
 three or four centuries. This we think a reasonable conclu- 
 sion, for it is an undisputed fact that the Indians, previous 
 to the advent of the whites, multiplied quite as rapidly as 
 their civilized brethren ; while the tender care and solicitude 
 they evinced for children and aged people induces the belief 
 that the deaths among them were not in proportion as one 
 to six to the births. 
 
 We now come to the religious belief of the savages found 
 in .Juniata Valle3^ The general impression of persons who 
 have not read Indian history is that they were idolaters. 
 Such, however, is not the fact. They worshipped no "graven 
 image." Their belief was based upon a supreme good and 
 an evil 3Ianitou or spirit, and their subordinates, — the former 
 of which they worshipped, while the anger of the latter was 
 appeased by proj^iitiatory offerings or sacrifices. It is true 
 they had images, in the form of a head carved out of wood, 
 
24 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 which represented the good Manitou, and which they wore 
 around their necks as a tahsman against disease and to in- 
 sure success in great undertakings ; but even Loskiel, who 
 spent a long time among them as a missionary, makes no 
 mention of their worshipping their inanimate gods. Their 
 worship generally consisted of sacrificial feasts, sometimes by 
 the entire tribe, and at other times by single families. In 
 the fall they invariblj^ had a sort of general harvest-home 
 gathering, when bear's-meat and venison were served up, — 
 the universal custom being to eat all prepared. When pro- 
 visions were scarce, such an arrangement was no doubt sat- 
 isfactory ; but we can well imagine that when there was an 
 undue proportion of meats to guests the custom must have 
 proved exceedingly irksome. After the meal, the monoton- 
 ous drum and the calabash with pebbles were brought out, 
 and those who had not gorged themselves to repletion joined 
 in the dance. One of the chiefs usually chanted a hymn, 
 or rather song, of irregular measure, in praise of the Manitous, 
 and extolling the heroic deeds of the ancestors of the tribes. 
 A second religious performance consisted of a sacred dance, 
 in which the men alone appeared, in almost a state of nudity, 
 with their bodies covered with pipe-clay. This was probably 
 a dance of humble contrition. A third feast, or religious 
 observance, consisted of some ten or a dozen of the oldest 
 men and women of a tribe enveloping themselves in deer- 
 skins, standing with their faces to the east, and petitioning 
 the good Manitou to bless all their benefactors. There were 
 other religious rites and sacrifices, which can be of little 
 general interest to the reader, such as a sacrificial feast in 
 honor of fire, another to propitiate the Manitou before going 
 to war, &c. We shall, therefore, conclude this part of the 
 subject by giving the story of an old trader who traded 
 through the valley in 1750. Of course we did not get it di- 
 rect from his own lips, for he has been dead and in his grave 
 for many years; but, even if we did get it second-hand it is 
 nevertheless true. 
 
 Some time in the spring of 1750, the old trader, whose 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 25 
 
 name has now escaped our memory, received a pressing 
 invitation to visit Standing Stone a day or two before the 
 first full moon in September, as a grand feast was to come 
 off at that time, which would be attended by six or eight 
 tribes. The trader, forseeing the chance of brisk barter, 
 brought a large quantity of goods from Lancaster, on pack- 
 horses, and arrived a day or two before the sports commenced. 
 He found preparations made for a large company ; and he 
 accordingly pitched his tent on the hill, while the wigwams 
 of the Indians stood upon the flat near the mouth of Stone 
 Creek. On the day on which the feast was to commence, 
 the trader was awakened at an early hour by the loud whoops 
 of the savages already arriving to take part in the cere- 
 monies. The day wore on; and when the sun reached the 
 zenith a thousand warriors and their squaws, in their best 
 attire, had gathered upon the greensward. At the hour of 
 twelve o'clock precisely, a chief, whom the trader supposed 
 to be at least a hundred years of age, arose from the ground, 
 while all the rest retained a cross-legged, sitting posture. 
 The trader understood enough of the Delaware language to 
 ascertain that the feast was one which took place every hun- 
 dred moons, to render thanks to the Manitou for preserving 
 them a great people. After congratulating the different 
 tribes, and welcoming them to this friendly reunion, an im- 
 mense pipe was brought into the arena, which passed from 
 mouth to mouth, each man taking but a single whiff. Of 
 course the women formed the outer circle, and took no fur- 
 ther part in the proceedings than merely looking on. Two 
 half-grown lads followed the big pipe with a small bag of 
 Kinnikinique, and ever and anon replenished the bowl. 
 This consumed an hour, during which time there was pro- 
 found silence. The old sachem then arose, and said the 
 balance of the day would be given up to festivities. The 
 assemblage broke up into small parties, and as each tribe 
 had their medicine-men, musicians, and prophets along, the 
 turn tum of the drum and the wild chant were soon heard, 
 and the dusky sons and daughters of the forest went into 
 
26 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 the dance of the gay and light-hearted with a thousand 
 times more vigor than the beau and belle of the modern 
 ball-room. 
 
 Many of the Indians called upon the trader, and were 
 anxious to barter for "lum;^' but, notwithstanding that he 
 had five kegs of rum, and the most friendly feeling existed 
 between himself and the tribes, he refused to deal. In fact, 
 he was a prudent man, and did not consider it altogether 
 safe. The festivities of the da}'^ and part of the night were 
 kept up with dancing, singing, and howling. The next day, 
 religious exercises followed ; and on the third a very solemn 
 and impressive ceremony was to take place, to wind. up the 
 meeting, at which the trader was urgently invited to be 
 present, and in an evil moment gave his consent to do so. 
 Accordingly he sold all of his barrels or kegs of rum, packed 
 up the balance of his goods, and started his pack-horse train 
 to Aughwick, himself and horse alone remaining behind. 
 
 At the appointed time in the evening for the feast, a large 
 fire of dry wood was built, and the savages commenced 
 dancing around it, howling and throwing their bodies into 
 the most violent contortions, first stepping three or four feet 
 forward, with the body inclined in the same direction; then 
 throwing the body backward, moved on, keeping time with 
 the drum and the chant. As one party got tired, or probably 
 roasted out, they danced away, and another set took their 
 places. M^hen the fire burnt fiercest, and the lurid flame lit 
 the surrounding hills, a wild chorus was sung in unison that 
 might have been heard for miles. This, the trader was told, 
 was the loud hymn of adoration. He did not dispute the as- 
 sertion. The rum he had sold the Indians began to work, and 
 the old fox was enjoying some funny scenes not set down in the 
 bills of the day. Occasionally a chief, under the wild influ- 
 ence of iho fire-ivatcr, would make a misstep and tramp upon 
 the burning coals. To see him quitting in a hurry afforded 
 the trader an infinite deal of amusement. At length the pile 
 was reduced to coals, when an Indian brought ibrth from 
 a wigwam a live dog, and threw him upon the burning em- 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 27 
 
 bers. Another and another followed, until ten dogs were 
 thrown upon the fire. Of course they tried to escape, but 
 the Indians hemmed them in so completely that this was a 
 matter of impossibility. They set up a dreadful howl, but 
 the Indians drowned the canine noise by another stave of 
 their loud chorus. The odor of the roasting dogs did not 
 sit well upon the trader's stomach, and, bidding adieu to his 
 immediate acquaintances, he expressed a determination to 
 leave for Aughwick. This his friends would not permit, and 
 insisted most vehemently that he should see the end of it. 
 As he had seen considerable fun, he thought he might wait 
 and see it out, as the carcasses of the dogs would soon be 
 consumed. In this, however, he was mistaken, for the 
 medicine-men drew them from the fire, placed them upon 
 w^ooden platters, and cut them into pieces. Five or six of 
 them carried them around among the auditory, offering to 
 each chief a piece, who not only took it, but eagerly ate it. 
 The conclusion of this feast we give in the trader's own 
 words : — 
 
 "At last t^ey came where I was sitting, among the only sober 
 chiefs in the party. The stench of the half-roasted dogs was 
 awful. One of them came with his trencher to me, and offered 
 me a piece, — a choice piece, too, as I was an invited guest, being 
 a piece of the most unclean part of the entrails. 'Thank'ee,' 
 said I ; ' never dine on dog.' But this did not satisfy them. 
 One of the prophets, laboring under the effects of about a quart 
 of my rum, insisted on me eating what was offered me. I again 
 declined, when one of the chiefs informed me that it was a very 
 sacred feast, and unless I partook of my allotted portion I would 
 highly insult the Indians, and some of those intoxicated might 
 deprive me of my scalp. The thing was no longer a joke, and 
 I seized the piece of dog entrail and put it in my mouth, in 
 hopes of spitting it out; but they watched me so close that by 
 one mighty effort I managed to swallow it. I did not wait to 
 see the end of the feast; I had my portion and thought I might 
 as well retire. I started in the direction of Aughwick, and every 
 half mile the nauseous dog served every purpose of a powerful 
 emetic. I was a much sicker man next day than if I had drank 
 
28 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 a gallon of my own rum ; and, in all my dealings with the red 
 men, I took particular care never again to be present at any dog 
 feast !" 
 
 Of the social and general character of the savages we 
 have many contradictions. Heckwelder, the old Moravian 
 Missionary, whose innate goodness found 
 
 " Tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, 
 Sermons in stones, and God in every thing," 
 
 intimated that some of their social habits, such as their 
 tender solicitude for infants and the great deference and 
 respect they paid to the aged, were noble traits in their 
 character. Loskiel says that "in common life and con- 
 versation, the Indians observe great decency. They usually 
 treated one another, and strangers, with kindness and civility, 
 and without empty compliments. In the converse of both 
 sexes, the greatest decency and propriety were observed. 
 They were sociable and friendly. Difference of rank, with 
 all its consequences, was not to be found among the Indians. 
 They were equally noble and free. The only difference 
 consisted in wealth, age, dexterity, courage, and office." 
 
 Their hospitality to strangers knew no bounds. In some 
 instances it was carried to extremes. An Indian who would 
 not hospitably entertain a stranger under his roof, and attend 
 to all his wants as far as lay within his power, was held in 
 supreme contempt by all his acquaintances. Indeed, the 
 offence was deemed so grievous, that the offender was not 
 only detested and abhorred by all, but liable to revenge from 
 the person to whom the common and acknowleged rights of 
 hospitality were denied. 
 
 Lying, cheating, and stealing, as well as adultery and 
 fornication, were deemed scandalous offences, and were pun- 
 ished. They did not exist to an}^ great extent until the 
 parent of them — drunkenness — was introduced by the white 
 man. 
 
 To these commendable traits in a savage people there were 
 sad offsets. The savage was cruel and exceedingl}^ blood- 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 29 
 
 thirsty. He never forgave a premeditated injur}' ; and if no 
 opportunity offered to avenge himself, he enjoined upon his 
 descendants, "even to the third and fourth generation," to 
 revenge him. A hatred once formed against an enemy 
 could only be quenched with his blood. He would treasure 
 up a wrong for years, and it would rankle in his heart until 
 he got his enemy into his power, when flaying, roasting, or 
 killing by inches, was not too cruel a death to mete out to 
 him. Nay, more than this, — in their wars, neither age, sex, 
 nor condition, were taken into consideration ; and the proud 
 warrior who sang the great and heroic deeds of his ancestors 
 for a thousand moons was not too proud to carry in his belt 
 the scalp of an innocent babe ! But then the savage was 
 untutored, and it unquestionably was a part of religion to 
 put to death an enemy by the most cruel torture; neither 
 did he expect any other treatment if he fell into the hands 
 of a foe. 
 
 In ordinary* life, there undoubtedly was some honor in 
 the Indian, but in war no trait of it was perceptible in his 
 composition. To slay an enemy while asleep, or destroy 
 him by any strategem, was a feat to boast of, and claimed 
 quite as much glory as if it had been accomplished by the 
 prowess of arms. To shoot an enemj^ from ambuscade, or 
 lure him to destruction by treachery that would be branded 
 as most infamous among civilized nations, were looked upon 
 as exceedingly cunning by the Indians. 
 
 As a general thing, they professed to abhor war among 
 themselves, and only declared it when aggravating circum- 
 stances absolutely demanded ; — that thf* question was delib- 
 erately debated by the tribe, and if, after mature delibera- 
 tion, a majority of the chiefs and captains favored a war, 
 speedy preparation was made for it ; a red hatchet or club 
 was sent to the offending tribe, or one of them was caught, 
 scalped, and a war-club, painted red, laid by his side. Hos- 
 tilities were then commenced, and the war waged with the 
 greatest fury until one or the other party succumbed. 
 
 Now it happens that 'professions do^not always accord with 
 
30 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 practice, and in this case we are quite sure they did not. 
 The whole tenor and bearing of the savages must lead us to 
 believe that there was no avenue open to the aspiring Indian 
 to attain honor and distinction, except through feats of arms 
 and daring: and it is only too true that he shared the com- 
 mon weakness of humanity in loving the "pride, pomp, and 
 circumstance of glorious warfare." The proof of this is 
 that some of their most bloody conflicts were caused by the 
 most trivial circumstances. 
 
 That they had many fierce and sanguinary struggles 
 among themselves is well authenticated. A battle almost 
 of extermination was once fought between two tribes at Ju- 
 niata, — now^ known as Duncan's Island, — within the memory 
 of many Indians who were living when the whites settled 
 among them. This island must have been a famous battle- 
 ground — a very Waterloo, — in its day. When the canal was 
 in progress of construction, hundreds of skeletons were ex- 
 humed; and to this day stone arrow-heads can be found 
 upon almost any part of the island. 
 
 The Indian traditions also chronicle a fierce battle between 
 two tribes near Millerstown ; another in Tuscarora, and 
 another at Standing Stone. The truth on which these tradi- 
 tions are based is made evident by the fact that at those 
 places, for years, Indian war-relics have been found. 
 
 There ex'isted for years the most intense and bitter feuds 
 between the Six Nations and the Lenape Indians, commonly 
 called the Delawares. How long the feud existed, or how 
 many bloody conflicts they had to gain the ascendency, can- 
 not now, either by tradition or record, be made reliable his- 
 tory. From the best information we can gather, it is highly 
 probable that these confederations had buried the hatchet a 
 short time previous to the landing of Penn. And we may 
 also readily assume that the final declaration of peace was 
 sued for by the Delawares; for the Iroquois always boasted 
 that they had reduced them to the condition of ivomen by 
 their superior bravery and skill in war. This the Delawares 
 denied, and declared that " by treaty and voluntary consent 
 
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HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 33 
 
 they had agreed to act as mediators and peacemakers among 
 the other great nations ; and to this end they had consented 
 to lay aside entirely the implements of war, and to hold and 
 to keep bright the chain of peace. This, among individual 
 tribes, was the usual province of women. The Delawares, 
 therefore, alleged that they were figuratively termed women 
 on this account." This cunningly-devised story the Dela- 
 wares palmed upon the missionary Heckwelder while he la- 
 bored among them, and he was disposed to give them great 
 credit. The Iroquois, having formed an early alliance with 
 the Dutch on the Hudson, received fire-arms, and by the 
 liberal use of them soon brought refractory tribes out of 
 their confederation to terms, and reduced others to vassalage, 
 and exacted from them an annual tribute or an acknowl- 
 edgement of fealty, permitting them, on such conditions, to 
 occupy certain hunting-grounds ; and there must, therefore, 
 have been at least some truth in the allegation of the Iro- 
 quois that the Delawares were " conquered by their arms, 
 and were compelled to this humiliating concession as the 
 only means of averting impending destruction." It is said, 
 however, that the Delawares were finally enabled to throw 
 off this galling yoke, through the influence of Zeedyusung, 
 a powerful chief, who extorted from the Iroquois an acknowl- 
 edgment of their independence at a treaty held at Tioga in 
 1756. 
 
 "The humiliation of tributary nations was, however, tem- 
 pered with a parental regard for their interests in all negotia- 
 tions with the whites ; and care was taken that no trespasses 
 should be committed on their rights, and that they should be 
 justly dealt with." 
 
 So says the record ; and yet we find that the sachems of 
 the Six Nations, who had evidently learned from the whites 
 both the use and abuse of money, in July, 1754, at Albany, 
 sold all the lands in the State, not previously purchased, 
 " lying southwest of a line beginning one mile above the 
 mouth of Penn's Creek, and running northwest-by-west to 
 8 
 
34 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 the western boundary of the State." This sold the land from 
 under the feet of the Delawares, Shawnees, and Monseys, 
 of the Juniata Valley, notwithstanding the Six Nations had 
 guaranteed it to them forever as a sacred hunting-ground. 
 This act of treachery on the part of the Iroquois, and the 
 insatiate appetite of the proprietors to add broad acres to 
 their extensive domain, caused many of these homeless 
 tribes to go over tp the French, and, as a writer truly adds, 
 " the blood of Braddock's soldiers was added to the price of 
 the land." 
 
 But to return to the original settlement of the valley. 
 The Indians unquestionably received the white adventurers 
 with open arms, and extended to them such a hearty wel- 
 come as must have banished all fears for the future. The 
 savages looked upon the death-dealing rifle with supersti- 
 tious awe; and the saw, the axe, the plane, and other imple- 
 ments of handicraft in the possession of the whites, made 
 them a high order of beings, endowed with peculiar gifts by 
 the Great Spirit, in the eyes of the Indians, and their per- 
 sons were regarded as sacred. They shared with them their 
 rude huts, and left nothing undone within their power to 
 render them comfortable. 
 
 And for this noble and magnanimous conduct on the part 
 of the Indian, what return did the white man make? Such 
 a one only, we regret to say, as makes no bright page in their 
 history. They were taught all the vices of civilization, but 
 to teach them its virtues was deemed a work of supereroga- 
 tion. The ignorant Indian and his primitive habits were 
 treated with disdain, and he was deemed a fit subject for 
 robbery wherever opportunity offered — this more especially 
 by the lawless, who considered themselves out of the reach 
 of the government and its officers. A gradual encroach- 
 ment upon the Indian's sacred hunting-grounds, and the re- 
 fusal of the white man to look upon him as any thing but a 
 degraded being or to associate with him on an equality, soon 
 taught the Indian that he had taken into fellowship the 
 crafty white man only to enable him to suck out his exist- 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 60 
 
 ence by his superior skill and his subtle cunning. The keen 
 penetration of the savage soon discovered the position he 
 occupied by the side of his white brother. Smarting under 
 the indignities offered, and foreseeing the degradation to 
 which he would be subjected in time, the red man and the 
 white man did^not long dwell together in unity. While the 
 latter commenced tilling the land and surrounding himself 
 with the comforts of civilization, the former fled before him 
 to the mountains and valleys where he was monarch of the 
 land, — where the council-fire could blaze, the green-corn 
 dance and song be heard, and the calumet of peace be 
 smoked without the presence of the white man. 
 
 Yet, with all the encroachments upon their rights by the 
 settlers, the Indians exercised great forebearance. They 
 knew the warlike appliances in the power of the proprietary 
 government ; hence they repeatedly declared their wish to 
 "keep bright the claim of friendship ;" — in less figurative 
 language, they did not want to go to war. No depredations 
 were committed upon the whites, of any consequence, before 
 the French tampered with them and the Six Nations per- 
 fidiously sold the land they had given "their cousins" as a 
 sacred hunting-ground. Nor even then, although the ag- 
 gravation was great, did all the Indians leave the valley 
 to join the French. Many who were friendly toward the 
 proprietary government remained until war broke out be- 
 tween the colonies and Great Britain ; and some few peace- 
 ably-disposed fragments of tribes even lingered in the valley 
 until the close of the Revolutionary war. 
 
 During the French and Indian war, and at its close, many 
 of the Indians returned, and lived for some years in the 
 valle}' unmolested. But in 1761-62 the footprints of the 
 white man were seen in their paths, and civilization began 
 to crowd them. The white adventurers crowded so thick 
 upon them, that, after the war of 1764, the greater portion 
 of them left ; nor did they return again until 1777, when 
 they appeared as allies to the British crown, to massacre and 
 scalp the unprotected frontiermen. To stimulate them to 
 
36 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 I 
 
 this inhuman warfare, the British not only impressed it 
 upon them that they were redressing grievances, but they 
 actually paid them a stipulated price for every scalp, of 
 child as well as adult, brought to the Canadian frontier. 
 
 The Indians who figured in the predatory incursions from 
 1776 to 1781 were probably Delawares, Monseys, Nanticokes, 
 Shawnees, and Tuscaroras ; but they were then only known 
 as Delawares, all other titles having been merged into that 
 of the most powerful tribe. That these tribes were the ones 
 who committed most of the depredations, we judge from the 
 fact that the elder chiefs and captains emigrated to the 
 Canadian frontier from the Juniata Valley, and consequently 
 knew every foot of the valley, from the base of the Alleghany 
 Mountains to the very mouth of the river. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 37 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 HISTORY OF THE EARLY SETTLERS, 
 
 k. 
 
 (T appears from all authentic evidence that white traders 
 ventured' into the. valley as early as 1740, but always 
 left again after transacting their business. It was about 
 the year 1741 that bold and daring men pushed into the 
 valley with the evident determination of making it their 
 home. They were nearly all Scotch-Irish — a hardy race of 
 devout Christians, whose ancestors had been persecuted in 
 the north of Scotland, b}' Charles I., and driven to the north 
 of Ireland, and who, fearful of the provisions of the Schism 
 Bill, in their turn fled from Ireland to America, between 
 the years 1714 and 1720. The first of them located near or 
 about the line (then in dispute) between Maryland and 
 Pennsylvania. Logan, the secretary of the province, who 
 was probably an adherent to the religion professed by the 
 proprietors, was very much annoyed at the Scotch-Irish as- 
 sumption and maintenance of "squatter's rights." In a let- 
 ter to the Provincial Government, in 1 724, he said, " They 
 (the Scotch-Irish and Scotch) have generally taken up the 
 western lands ; and as they rarely approach me to j)ropose to 
 purchase, I look upon them as bold and indigent strangers, 
 giving as their excuse, when challenged for titles, that we 
 had solicited for colonists, and they had come accordingly." 
 
 Notwithstanding this, they were not molested, for they 
 were exempted from the payment of rents by an ordinance 
 passed in 1720, in consequence of their being frontier-men, 
 and forming a cordon of defence to the colony. 
 
 Logan, it must be admitted, had no friendly feeling to- 
 ward the new comers. In 1725 he stated that they had 
 taken possession of one thousand acres of land, resolutely 
 sat down and improved it without having any right to it, 
 
38 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 and he expressed himself much at a loss to determine how 
 to disjDOSsess them. On this occasion he admitted that 
 among them were a number of Germans. 
 
 In 1730, Logan wrote to the government, or probably the 
 proprietors, complaining of the Scotch-Irish, in an audacious 
 and disorderly manner, possessing themselves of the whole 
 of Conestoga Man8r, of fifteen thousand acres, being the 
 best land in the country. In doing this by force, they al- 
 leged that it was against the law^s of God and nature that so 
 much land should be idle Mobile so many Christians wanted 
 it to labor on and raise their bread. They were finally dis- 
 possessed by the sheriff and his posse, and their cabins, to 
 the number of thirty, w^ere burned. 
 
 These men apparently held in contempt the sham pur- 
 chases of Penn from the Indians; asserted that the treaties 
 by wdiich the lands w^ere secured to the proprietors were 
 nothing more than downright farces ; and they justified their 
 course by assuming that if the Penn family had a right to 
 "jillibiister^' on an extensive scale, the same right to enjoy 
 enough land to support their families should not be denied 
 them. If the disciples of George Fox, by craft and cunning, 
 could obtain from the Indians thousands upon thousands of 
 acres of land by a royal grant and the presentation of bau- 
 bles that shamed the idea of a purchase, the disciples of 
 John Calvin thought they had an equal right to possess 
 themselves of at least a portion of the acres wrested by strat- 
 agem from the Indians. They considered the Penns usurp- 
 ers and pretenders, and despised their feudal prerogatives 
 which gave them pomp and circumstance, and refused to 
 pay them the quit-rent^, which enabled them to rule by 
 deputy, and riot in the luxury of aristocratic life in Eng- 
 land, rather than adopt the unostentatious manners of the 
 new world. 
 
 Logan's successor was Richard Peters. He, too, was deeply 
 devoted to the proprietors, and used his utmost exertions to 
 get quit-rents out of the squatters. Failing to do so peace- 
 ably, he went to Marsh Creek, then in Lancaster county, for 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 39 
 
 the express purpose of dispossessing them, and measuring 
 the lands of the manor. This occurred in 1743. The squat- 
 ters assembled in great force, notwithstanding the secretary- 
 was accompanied b}'' the sheriff and a magistrate, and for- 
 bade Peters to proceed. On his refusal, the chain was broken, 
 and demonstrations of a riot made, whereupon the survey- 
 ing party retired. The settlers were afterward indicted, but 
 the matter was compromised by the secretary granting them 
 leases on very favorable terms. 
 
 From the counties of Chester and Lancaster, these settlers 
 gradually worked their way to the west, and about 1748 the 
 Kittochtinny Valley was tolerably well settled. The influx 
 of emigrants from Europe — embracing Irish, Scotch, Scotch- 
 Irish, German, and a few English — was so great, that it fol- 
 lowed, as a matter of course, that the Juniata Valley was in 
 its turn soon invaded. 
 
 There, in all probability, the j^roprietors would have suf- 
 fered them to remain, as they knew little of, and cared less, 
 about the land ; but the Indians made complaint of the ag- 
 gressions. The Six Nations took the matter in hand, and 
 declared that usurping the lands they had guaranteed to 
 their cousins, the Delawares, as a sacred , hunting-ground, 
 was a breach of faith, and that the settlers must be removed ; 
 or, if the settlers persisted in their encroachments, the Dela- 
 wares would take up the hatchet against them. Only too 
 glad to get rid of their settlers in the lower counties, the 
 government made little etfort to remove them from the In- 
 dian lands. True, to satisfy the Indians, they issued procla- 
 mations warning squatters to keep off these lands, under 
 certain penalties which they knew could not be executed. 
 
 These usurpations of land, and the contumely with which 
 the settlers treated the Indians, at length threatened serious 
 consequences. The Delawares, as well as the Six Nations, 
 made complaints such as could not be misunderstood. The 
 proprietors, at length alarmed at the probable consequences 
 of letting their squatters usurp the lands or hunting-grounds 
 of the Indians, sent Peters and others to dispossess them. 
 
40 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 The following is Secretary Peter's report, sent to Governor 
 Hamilton in 1750 : 
 
 TO JAMES HAMILTON, ESQ., GOVERNOR OF PENNSYLVANIA. 
 
 May it please your honor, Mr. Weiser and I having received 
 your honor's orders to give information to the proper magistrates 
 against all such as had presumed to settle on the lands beyond 
 the Kittochtinny Mountains not purchased of the Indians, in 
 contempt of the laws repeatedly signified by proclamations, and 
 particularly your honor's last one, and to bring them to a legal 
 conviction, lest for want of their removal a breach should ensue 
 between the Six Nations of Indians and this province, we set out 
 on Tuesday, the 15th of May, 1750, for the new county of Cum- 
 berland, where the places on which the tresspassers had settled 
 lay. 
 
 At Mr. Croghan's we met with five Indians, — three from Sha- 
 mokin, two of which were sons of the late Shickcalamy, who 
 transact the business of the Six Nations with this government ; 
 two were just arrived from Alleghany, viz., one of the Mohawk's 
 nation, called Aaron, and Andrew Montour, the interpreter at 
 Ohio. Mr. Montour telling us he had a message from the Ohio 
 Indians and Twightwees to this government, and desiring a con- 
 ference, one was held on the 18th of May last, in the presence of 
 James Galbreath, George Croghan, William Wilson, and Her- 
 manns Alricks, Esqrs., justices of the county of Cumberland; 
 and when Mr. Montour's business was done, we, with the advice 
 of the other justices, imparted to the Indians the design we were 
 assembled upon ; at which they expressed great satisfaction. 
 
 Another conference was held, at the instance of the Indians, 
 in the presence of Mr. Galbreath and Mr. Croghan, before men- 
 tioned, wherein they expressed themselves as follows : — 
 
 " Brethren, — We have thought a great deal of what you im- 
 parted to us, that ye were come to turn the people oif who are 
 settled over the hills; we are pleased to see you on this occasion; 
 and, as the council of Onondago has this affair exceedingly at 
 heart, and it was particularly recommended to us by the depu- 
 ties of the Six Nations when they parted from us last summer, 
 we desire to accompany you. But we are afraid, notwithstand- 
 ing the care of the governor, that this may prove like many for- 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 41 
 
 mer attempts. The people will be put off now and next year 
 come again ; and if so, the Six Nations will no longer bear it, 
 but do themselves justice. To prevent this, therefore, when you 
 shall have turned the people off, we recommend it to the gov- 
 ernor to place two or three faithful persons over the mountains 
 who may be agreeable to him and us, with commissions em- 
 powering them immediately to remove every one who may pre- 
 sume after this to settle themselves, until the Six Nations shall 
 agree to make sale of their land." 
 
 To enforce this they gave a string of wampum, and received 
 one in return from the magistrates, with the strongest assurances 
 that they would do their duty. 
 
 On Tuesday, the twenty-second of May, Matthew Dill, George 
 Croghan, Benjamin Chambers, Thomas Wilson, John Finley, 
 and James Galbreath, Esqrs., justices of the said county of 
 Cumberland, attended by the under-sheriff, came to Big Juniata, 
 situate at the distance of twenty miles from the mouth thereof, 
 and about ten miles from the Blue Hills — a place much esteemed 
 by the Indians for some of their best hunting-ground ; and 
 there they found five cabins or log-houses ; one possessed by 
 William White, another by George Cahoon, another not quite 
 yet finished, in possession of David Hiddleston, another pos- 
 sessed by George and William Galloway, and another by An- 
 drew Lycon. Of these persons, William White and George and 
 William Galloway, David Hiddleston, and George Cahoon, ap- 
 peared before the magistrates, and, being asked by what right or 
 authority they had possessed themselves of those lands and erected 
 cabins thereon, they replied, by no right or authority, but that 
 the land belonged to the proprietaries of Pennsylvania. They 
 then were asked whether they did not know that they were act- 
 ing against the law, and in contempt of frequent notices given 
 them by the governor's proclamation? They said they had seen 
 one such proclamation, and had nothing to say for themselves, 
 but craved mercy. Hereupon the said William White, George 
 and William Galloway, David Hiddleston, and George Cahoon, 
 being convicted by said justices on their view, the under-sheriff, 
 was charged with them, and he took William White, David Hid- 
 dleston, and George Cahoon into custody ; but George and Wil- 
 liam Galloway resisted, and having got at some distance from the 
 under-sheriff, they called to us, "You may take our lands and 
 
42 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 houses, and do what you please with them ; we deliver them to 
 you with all our hearts, but we will not be carried to jail! " 
 
 The next morning, being Wednesday, the twenty-third of May, 
 the said justices went to the log-house or cabin of Andrew Lycon, 
 and finding none there but children, and hearing that the father 
 and mother were expected soon, and William White and others 
 offering to become security jointly and severally, and to enter 
 into recognisance as well for Andrew's appearance at court and 
 immediate removal as for their own, this proposal was accepted, 
 and William White, David Hiddleston, and George Gaboon en- 
 tered into a recognisance of one hundred pounds, and executed 
 bonds to the proprietaries in the sum of five hundred pounds, 
 reciting that they were trespassers, and had no manner of right, 
 and had delivered possession to me for the proprietaries. When 
 the magistrates went to the cabin or log-house of George and 
 William Galloway, (which they had delivered up as aforesaid 
 the day before, after tbey were convicted, and were flying from 
 the sheriff,) all the goods belonging to the said George and Wil- 
 liam were taken out, and the cabin being quite empty, I took 
 possession thereof for the proprietaries; and then a conference 
 was held what should be done with the empty cabin ; and after 
 great deliberation, all agreed that if some empty cabins were 
 not destroyed, they would tempt the trespassers to return again, 
 or encourage others to come there should these trespassers go 
 away ; and so what was doing would signify nothing, since the 
 possession of them was at such a distance from the inhabitants, 
 could not be kept for the proprietaries ; and Mr. Weiser also giv- 
 ing it as his opinion that, if all the cabins were left standing, the 
 Indians would conceive such a contemptible opinion of the gov- 
 ernment that they would come themselves in the winter, murder 
 the people, and set their houses on fire. On these considerations 
 the cabin, by my order, was burnt by the under-sheriff and com- 
 pany. 
 
 Then the company went to the house possessed by David 
 Hiddleston, who had entered into bond as aforesaid; and he 
 having voluntarily taken out all the things which were in the 
 cabin, and left me in possession, that empty and unfurnished 
 cabin was likewise set on fire by the under-sheriff, by my order. 
 
 The next day, being the twenty-fourth of May, Mr. Weiser 
 and Mr. Galbreath, with the under-sheriff and myself, on our 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 43 
 
 way to the mouth of the Juniata called at Andrew Lycon's, with 
 intent only to inform him that his neighbors were bound for his 
 appearance and immediate removal, and to caution him not to 
 bring him or them into trouble by a refusal; but he presented a 
 loaded gun to the magistrates and sheriff; said he would shoot 
 the first man that dared to come nigher. On this he was dis- 
 armed, convicted, and committea to the custody of the sheriff. 
 This whole transaction happened in the sight of a tribe of Indians 
 who had by accident in the night time fixed their tent on that 
 plantation ; and Lycon's behavior giving them great offence, the 
 Shickcalamies insisted on our burning the cabin, or they would 
 do it themselves. Whereupon every thing was taken out of it, 
 (Andrew Lycon all the while assisting,) and, possession being 
 delivered to me, the empty cabin was set on fire by the under- 
 sheriff, and Lycon was carried to jail. 
 
 Mr. Benjamin Chambers and Mr. George Croghan had about 
 an hour before separated from us ; and on meeting them again 
 in Cumberland county, they reported to me that they had been 
 at Sheerman's creek, or little Juniata, situate about six miles over 
 the Blue Mountain, and found there James Parker, Thomas 
 Parker, Owen McKeib, John McClare, Richard Kirkpatrick, 
 James Murray, John Scott, Henry Gass, John Cowan, Simon 
 Girtee, and John Kilough, who had settled lands and erected 
 cabins or log-houses thereon; and having convicted them of the 
 trespass on their view, they had bound them, in recognisances 
 of the penalty of one hundred pounds, to appear and answer 
 for their trespasses on the first day of the next county court of 
 Cumberland, to be held at Shippensburgh ; and that the said 
 trespassers had likewise entered into bonds to the proprietaries,' 
 in five hundred pounds penalty, to remove oflf immediately, with 
 all their servants, cattle, and effects, and had delivered possession 
 of their houses to Mr. George Stevenson for the proprietaries' 
 use; and that Mr. Stevenson had ordered some the meanest of 
 those cabins to be set on fire, where the families were not large 
 nor the improvements considerable. 
 
 On Monday, the twenty-eight of Ma}^, we were met at Ship- 
 pensburgh by Samuel Smith, William Maxwell, George Croghan, 
 Benjamin Chambers, William Allison, William Trent, John 
 Finley, John Miller, Hermanus Alricks, and James Galbreath, 
 Esquires, justices of Cumberland county, who informed us that 
 
44 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 the people in the Tuscarora Path, in Big Cove, and at Aucquick, 
 would submit. Mr. Weiser most earnestly pressed that he might 
 be excused any further attendance, having abundance of neces- 
 sary business to do at home; and the other magistrates, though 
 with much reluctance, at last consenting, he left us. 
 
 On Wednesday, the thirtieth of May, the magistrates and 
 company being detained two days by rain, proceeded over the 
 Kittochtinny Mountains and entered into the Tuscarora Path or 
 Path Valley, through which the road to Alleghany lies. Many 
 settlements were formed in this valle}', and all the people were 
 sent for, and the following persons appeared, viz : Abraham Slach, 
 James Blair, Moses Moore, Arthur Dunlap, Alexander McCartie, 
 David Lewis, Adam McCartie, Felix Doyle, Andrew Dunlap, 
 Robert Wilson, Jacob Pyatt, Jr., William Ramage, Reynolds 
 Alexander, Robert Baker, John Armstrong, and John Potts; who 
 were all convicted by their own confession to the magistrates of 
 the like trespasses with those at Sheerman's Creek and were 
 bound in the like recognisances to appear at court, and bonds to 
 the proprietaries to remove with all their families, servants, 
 cattle, and effects ; and having voluntarily given possession of 
 their houses to me, some ordinary log-houses, to the number of 
 eleven, were burnt to the ground ; the trespassers, most of 
 them cheerfully, and a very few of them with reluctance, carry- 
 ing out all their goods. Some had been deserted before, and lay 
 waste. 
 
 At Aucquick, Peter Falconer, Nicholas De Long, Samuel Perry, 
 and John Charleton, were convicted on the view of the magistrates, 
 and having entered into like recognisances and executed the like 
 bonds, Charleton's cabin was burnt, and fire set to another that 
 was just begun, consisting only of a few logs piled and fastened 
 to one another. 
 
 The like proceedings at Big Cove (now within Bedford county) 
 against Andrew Donnaldson, John MacClelland, Charles Stewart, 
 James Downy, John MacMean, Robert Kendell, Samuel Brown, 
 William Shepperd, Roger Murphy, Robert Smith, William 
 Dickey, William Millican, William MacConnell, James Campbell, 
 William Carrell, John Martin, John Jamison, Hans Patter, 
 John MacCollin, James Wilson, and John Wilson ; who coming 
 before the magistrates, were convicted on their own confession 
 of tlie like trespasses, as in former cases, and were all bound 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 45 
 
 over in like recognisances and executed the like bond to the 
 proprietaries. Three waste cabins of no value were burnt at 
 the north end of the Cove by the persons who claimed a right 
 to them. 
 
 The Little Cove (in Franklin county) and the Big and Little 
 Conolloways being the only places remaining to be visited, as 
 this was on the borders of Maryland, the magistrates declined 
 going there, and departed for their homes. 
 
 About the year 1740 or 1741, one Frederick Star, a German, 
 with two or- three more of his countrymen, made some settle- 
 ments at the place where we found William White, the Gallo- 
 ways, and Andrew Lycon, on Big Juniata, situate at the distance 
 of twenty miles from the mouth thereof, and about ten miles 
 north of the Blue Hills, — a place much esteemed by the Indians 
 for some of their best hunting ground; which (German settlers) 
 were discovered by the Delawares at Shamokin to the deputies 
 of the Six Nations as they came down to Philadelphia in the 
 year 1742, to hold a treaty with this government ; and they were 
 disturbed at, as to inquire with a peculiar warmth of Gover- 
 nor Thomas if these people had come there by the orders or 
 with the privilege of the government; alleging that, if it was so, 
 this was a breach of the treaties subsisting between the Six Na- 
 tions and the proprietor, William Penn, who in the most solemn 
 manner engaged to them not to suffer any of the people to 
 settle lands till they had purchased from the Council of the Six 
 Nations. The governor, as he might with great truth, disowned 
 any knowledge of these persons' settlements ; and on the Indians 
 insisting that they should be immediately thrown over the 
 mountains, he promised to issue his proclamation, and, if this 
 had no effect, to put the laws in execution against them. The 
 Indians, in the same treaty, publicly expressed very severe 
 threats against the inhabitants of Maryland for settling lands 
 for which they had received no satisfaction, and said that if 
 they would not do them justice they would do justice to, them- 
 selves, and would certainly have committed hostilities if a treaty 
 had not been under foot between Maryland and the Six Nations, 
 under the meditation of Governor Thomas ; at which the Indians 
 consented to sell lands and receive a valuable consideration for 
 them, which put an end to the danger. 
 
 The proprietaries were then in England ; but observing, on 
 
46 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 perusing the treaty, with what asperity they had expressed 
 themselves against Maryland, and that the Indians had just 
 cause to complain of the settlements at Juniata, so near Sha- 
 mokin, they wrote to their governor, in very pressing terms, to 
 cause those trespassers to be immediately removed ; and both 
 the proprietaries and governor laid these commands on me to 
 see this done, which I accordingly did in June, 1743, the Gover- 
 nor having first given them notice by a proclamation served on 
 them. 
 
 At that time none had presumed to settle at a pla'ce called the 
 Big Cove — having this name from its being enclosed in the form 
 of a basin by the southernmost range of the Kittochtinny Hills 
 and Tuscarora Hills ; which last end here, and lose themselves 
 in other hills. This Big Cove is about five miles north of the 
 temporary line, and not far west of the place where the line ter- 
 minated. Between the Big Cove and the temporary line lies the 
 Little Cove, — so called from being likewise encircled with hills ; 
 and to the west of the Little Cove, toward Potowmec, lie two 
 other places, called the Big and Little Conollaways, all of them 
 situate on the temporary line, and all of them extended toward 
 the Potowmec. 
 
 In the year 1741 or 1742 information was likewise given that 
 people were beginning to settle in those places, some from Mary- 
 land and some from this province. But as the two governments 
 were not then on very good terms, the governor did not think 
 proper to take any other notice of these settlements than to send 
 the sherifi' to serve his proclamation on them, though they had 
 ample occasion to lament the vast inconvenience which attend 
 unsettled boundaries. After this the French war came on, and 
 the people in those parts, taking advantage of the confusion of 
 the times, by little and little stole into the Great Cove; so that 
 at the end of the war it was said thirty families had settled 
 there; not, however, without frequent prohibitions on the part 
 of the government, and admonitions of the great danger they 
 run of being cut off by the Indians, as these settlements were 
 on lands not purchased of them. At the close of the war, Mr. 
 Maxwell, one of the justices of Lancaster county, delivered a 
 particular message from this government to them, ordering their 
 removal, that they might not occasion a breach with the Indians, 
 but it had no effect. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 47 
 
 These were, to the best of my remembrance, all the places 
 settled by Pennsylvanians in the unpurchased part of the prov- 
 ince, till about three years ago, when some persons had the 
 presumption to go into Path Valley or Tuscarora Gap, lying to 
 the east of the Big Cove, and into a place called Aucquick, lying 
 to the northward of it; and likewise into a place called Sheer- 
 man's creek, lying along the waters of Juniata, and is situate 
 east of the Path Valley, through which the present road goes 
 from Harris's Ferry to Alleghany ; and lastly, they extended 
 their settlements to Big Juniata; the Indians all this while re- 
 peatedly complaining that their hunting-ground was every day 
 more and more taken from them ; and that there must infallibly 
 arise quarrels between their warriors and these settlers, which 
 would in the end break the chain of friendship, and pressing in 
 the most importunate terms their speedy removal. The govern- 
 ment in 1748 sent the sheriff and three magistrates, with Mr. 
 Weiser, into these places to warn the people ; but they, notwith- 
 standing, continued their settlements in opposition to all this; 
 and, as if those people were prompted by a desire to make mis- 
 chief, settled lands no better, nay not so good, as many vacant 
 lands within the purchased parts of the province. 
 
 The bulk of these settlements were made during the adminis- 
 tration of President Palmer; and it is well known to your honor, 
 though then in England, that his attention to the safety of the 
 city and the lower counties would not permit him to extend more 
 care to places so remote. 
 
 Finding such a general submission, except the two Galloways 
 and Andrew Lycon, and vainly believing the evil would be 
 effectually taken away, there was no kindness in my power 
 which I did not do for the offenders. 'I gave them money where 
 they were poor, and telling them they might go directly on any 
 part of the two million of acres lately purchased of the Indians; 
 and where the families were large, as I happened to have several 
 of my own plantations vacant, I offered them to stay on them 
 rent free, till they could provide for themselves : then I told them 
 that if after all this lenity and good usage they would dare to 
 stay after the time limited for their departure, no mercy would 
 be shown them, but that they would feel the rigor of the law. 
 
 It may be proper to add that the cabins or log-houses which 
 
48 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 were burnt were of no considerable value; being such as the 
 country people erect in a day or two, and cost only the charge 
 of an entertainment. Richard Peters. 
 
 July 2, 1750. 
 
 From this summary proceeding originated the name of 
 the place called the Burnt Cabins, the locality of which is 
 pointed out to the traveller to this day. 
 
 That these ejected tenants at will did not remain perma- 
 nently ejected from the fertile valley of the Juniata is 
 evident from the fact that their descendants, or many of 
 them, of the third and fourth generations, are now occupying 
 the ver}^ lands they were driven from. 
 
 In July, 1750, the government was thrown into alarm by 
 the rumor that a Mr. Delany, had, while speaking of the 
 removal of the tres2:)assers on the unpurchased lands north- 
 west of the Kittochtinny Hills, said, " that if the people of 
 the Great and Little Coves would apply to Maryland they 
 might have warrants for their lands; and if those of the 
 Tuscarora Path Valley w^ould apply to Virginia, he did not 
 doubt but they might obtain rights there." 
 
 Petitions were sent to the Council from the residents of the 
 Coves, in which it was set forth that they did not wish to be 
 either in the province of Maryland or Virginia, and prayed 
 permission to remain, until the boundary of the provinces 
 was determined, on the lands purchased from the Indians. 
 
 This proposition was not accepted, and was only followed 
 up by proclamations injposing severe penalties upon tres- 
 passers. This was deemed absolutely necessary by Governor 
 Hamilton, for the French were assuming a menacing attitude 
 along the frontier, and it was necessary at all hazards, to 
 preserve the alliance of the Indians. 
 
 The Provincial Government was strong enough to drive 
 the settlers out of the valley, but immeasurably too weak to 
 keep them out. This brought about the treaty at Albany 
 in 1754, to which we have previously alluded. Thomas and 
 Richard Penn, seeing the government unable to remove the 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 49 
 
 squatters permanently, in consequence of the feelings of the 
 people being with the latter, bought from the sachems the very 
 considerable slice of land in which was included the Valley 
 of the Juniata, for the trifling consideration of £400. This 
 w^as supposed to act as a healing balm for the trespasses upon 
 their hunting-grounds, and at the same time the Penns un- 
 doubtedly entertained the idea that they could realize a 
 handsome profit in re-selling the lands at an advanced price 
 to those who occupied them, as well as to European emi- 
 grants constantly arriving and anxious to purchase. 
 
 The Indian chiefs and sachems who were not present at 
 this treat}^ were highly indignant, and pronounced the whole 
 transaction a gross fraud ; and those who were present at the 
 treaty declared they were outwitted by misrepresentations, 
 and grossly defrauded. Conrad Weiser, the Indian inter- 
 preter, in his journal of a conference at Aughwick, stated 
 that the dissatisfaction with the purchase of 1754 was general. 
 The Indians said the}^ did not understand the points of the 
 compass, and if the line was so run as to include the west 
 branch of Susquehanna, they would never agree to it. Ac- 
 cording to Smith's Laws, vol. xxi., p. 120, "the land where 
 the Shawnee and Ohio Indians lived, and the hunting- 
 grounds of the Delawares, the Nanticokes, and the Tutelos^ 
 were all included." 
 
 So decided and general was the dissatisfaction of the 
 Indians, that, in order to keep what few remained from being 
 alienated, the proprietors found it necessary to cede back to 
 them, at a treaty held in Easton, in October, 1758, all the 
 land lying north and w^est of the Alleghany Mountains within 
 the province. The restoration, however, came too late to 
 effect much good. 
 
 But even the lands west of the Alleghan}^ Mountains were 
 not sacred to the Indians, mountainous as they were and 
 unfertile as they were deemed; for westward the squatter 
 went, gradually encroaching upon the red men's last reserve,, 
 until he finally settled in their midst. These aggressions 
 were followed by the usual proclamations from the govern- 
 4 
 
50 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 ment, but they had little or no effect in preventing the bold 
 adventurers from crossing the Alleghany Mountains and 
 staking out farms in the valley of the Conemaugh. This 
 continued for a number of years, until the government, 
 wearied by unavailing efforts to keep settlers from Indian 
 lands, caused a stringent ■ law to be passed by Council in 
 February, 1768, when it was enacted " that if any person 
 settled upon the unpurchased land neglected or refused to 
 remove from the same within thirty days after they were re- 
 quired to do so by persons to be aj)pointed for that purpose 
 by the governor or his proclamation, or, having so removed, 
 should return to such settlement, or the settlement of any 
 other person, with or without a family, to remain and settle 
 on such lands, or if any person after such notice resided and 
 settled on such lands, every such person so neglecting or re- 
 fusing to remove, or returning to settle as aforesaid, or that 
 should settle after the requisition or notice aforesaid, being 
 legally convicted, was to he punished with death without the ben- 
 efit of clergy." 
 
 There is no evidence on record that the provision of this 
 act was ever enforced, although it was openly violated. It 
 was succeeded by laws a little more lenient, making fine 
 and imprisonmont the punishment in lieu of the death-pen- 
 alty "without the benefit of clergy," Neither does the re- 
 cord say that the coffers of the provincial treasury ever be- 
 came plethoric with the collection of fines paid by trespassers. 
 
 During the Indian wars of 1762-63, many of the inhabi- 
 tants of the valley fled to the more densely populated dis- 
 tricts for safety. Up to this time few forts were built for de- 
 fense, and the settlers dreaded the merciless warfare of the 
 savages. The restoration of peace in the latter year brought 
 a considerable degree of repose to the long harassed colonies. 
 The turbulent Indians of the Ohio buried the hatchet in 
 October, 1764, on the plains of Muskingum, which enabled 
 the husbandman to reassume his labors and to extend his 
 cultivation and improvements. The prosperity of Pennsyl- 
 vania increased rapidly; and those who were compelled by 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 51 
 
 Indian warfare to abandon their settlements rapidly returned 
 to them. The Juniata Valley, and especially the lower part 
 of it, gained a considerable accession of inhabitants in the 
 shape of sturdy tillers of the soil and well-disposed Christian 
 people. 
 
 For a time the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians maintained rule 
 in religion; but, about 1767, German Lutherans, Irish Cath- 
 olics, and some few Dunkards and other denominations, 
 found their way to the valley. Meeting-houses were built, 
 stockade forts erected, and communities of neighbors formed 
 for mutual protection, without regard to religious distinctions. 
 
 The first settlements of the upper portion of the valley 
 were not effected until between 1765 and 1770. True, there 
 was here and there an isolated family, but the danger of 
 being so near the Kittaning Path was deemed too hazardous. 
 It was in the upper part of the valley, too, that most of the 
 massacres took place between 1776 and 1782, as the lower 
 end of it was too thickly populated and too well prepared 
 for the marauders to permit them to make incursions or 
 commit depredations. 
 
52 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 JUNIATA ISLAND — AN INDIAN PARADISE — REV. DAVID BRAINERD 
 AMONG THE SAVAGES — THE EARLY SETTLERS, HULINGS, WATTS, 
 AND BASKINS — INDIAN BATTLES — REMARKABLE ESCAPE OP MRS. 
 HULINGS, ETC. 
 
 <?^|UNIATA ISLAND— now called Duncan's Island, in 
 fli consequence of the Duncan family being the propri- 
 ^r etors for many years — is formed by the confluence of 
 the Juniata and Susquehanna. Stretching northward, it 
 presents a lovely and fertile plain, surrounded by gorgeous 
 and romantic scenery, surpassed by few places iA the State. 
 This must have been a very paradise for the sons of the 
 forest. Facing to the west, before them lay their beautiful 
 hunting-grounds; facing to the south, the eye rested upon 
 the " long crooked river," over whose rippling bosom danced 
 the light bark canoe, and whose waters were filled with the 
 choicest of fish. With such blessings within their reach, the 
 inhabitants of the Juniata Island should have been superla- 
 tively happy, and probably would, had it not been for the 
 internal feuds which existed among the tribes. Although 
 the wigwams of two distinct tribes dotted the island on the 
 arrival of the white man, social intercourse and the most 
 friendly terms of intimacy existed between them. They 
 were the Shawnees and the Conoys. Then, too, it betokened 
 a peaceable spot, and yet it had been a famous Indian battle- 
 ground in its day. The traditions speak of a battle fought 
 many years ago, between the Delawares and Cayugas, on 
 this island, when the gullies ran red with blood of mighty 
 warriors, and the bones of a thousand of them were en- 
 tombed in one common grave upon the battle-field. Both 
 tribes suffered severely. The Delawares, although they lost 
 the most braves, and were ultimately driven from the field, 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 53 
 
 fought with the most savage desperation ; but the Cayugas 
 had the advantage in point of numbers, and some of them 
 used fire-arms, then totally unknown to the Delawares. 
 
 The first adventurers who went up the Susquehanna were 
 Indian traders, who took up articles for traffic in canoes. 
 Fascinated by the beautiful scenery of the country, and im- 
 pressed with the idea that corn and fruits grew upon the 
 island spontaneously, these traders did not fail to give it a 
 name and reputation ; and curiosity soon prompted others 
 to visit the "Big Island," as they called it. Some of them 
 soon went so far as to contemplate a settlement upon it. 
 This, however, the Indians would not permit ; they were 
 willing to trade at all times with them, but the island was 
 a kind of reservation, and on no condition would they per- 
 mit the pale-faces to share it with them. Even had they 
 suffered white m.en to settle among them, none would have 
 repented the act, as a rash step, more bitterly than the white 
 men themselves; for the Shawnees were a treacherous nation, 
 and exceedingly jealous of any innovations upon their rights 
 or the customs of their fathers. 
 
 Still, the island became settled at an early day. The 
 roving Shawnees pushed their way westward, and the pre- 
 judices of those who took their place were probably over- 
 come by presents of guns, ammunition, tobacco, and fir e-ivater. 
 
 The Rev. David Brainerd, a devout and pious missionary, 
 visited the island in 1745, in the spring while going up the 
 river, and in the fall while returning. His object was to 
 convert the Indians, which he found quite as hopeless a task 
 as did Heckwelder and Loskiel, who preceded him with the 
 same object in view. During his peregrinations Brainerd 
 kept a journal, which, together with his life, was published 
 by the American Tract Society. From this journal we ex- 
 tract the following, in order to give his view of savage life, 
 as well as an interesting account of what he saw and heard 
 at the island : — 
 
 Sept. 20. — Visited the Indians again at Juneauta Island, and 
 found them almost universally busy in making preparations 
 
54 HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 for a great sacrifice and dance. Had no opportunity to get them 
 together in order to discourse with them about Christianity, by 
 reason of their being so much engaged about their sacrifice. My 
 spirits were much sunk with a prospect so very discouraging, and 
 specially seeing I had this day no interpreter but a pagan, who 
 was as much attached to idolatry as any of them, and who could 
 neither speak nor understand the language of these Indians ; so 
 that I was under the greatest disadvantages imaginable. How- 
 ever, I attempted to discourse privately with some of them, but 
 without any appearance of success ; notwithstanding, I still 
 tarried with them. 
 
 The valuable interpreter was probably a Delaware Indian, 
 who was a visitor to take part in the dance and sacrifice, 
 while the inhabitants of the island were Shawnees, who 
 originally came from the south, and their language was en- 
 tirely dissimilar. Brainerd calls them "pagans" and "idol- 
 aters." This is a charge the Indians used to combat most 
 vehemently. They most unquestionably had small images 
 carved out of wood to represent the Diety ; yet they repu- 
 diated the idea of worshi^tping the wood, or the wooden 
 image, merely using it as a symbol through which to W' orship 
 the Unseen Spirit. If such was the fact, they could not well 
 be called pagans in the common acceptation of the term. 
 The journal goes on to say: — 
 
 In the evening they met together, nearly one hundred of them, 
 and danced around a large fire, having prepared ten fat deer for 
 the sacrifice. The fat of the inwards they burnt in the fire while 
 they were dancing, which sometimes raised the flame to a pro- 
 digious height, at the same time yelling and shouting in such a 
 manner that they might easily have been heard two miles or 
 more. They continued their sacred dance nearly all night; after 
 which they ate the flesh of the sacrifice, and so retired each one 
 to his own lodging. 
 
 Making a burnt-offering t>f deer-fat to illuminate the dance 
 and to make a meat-offering to the insatiate Indian appetite' 
 after undergoing such fatigues, of the roasted venison, had 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 55 
 
 not much idolatry in it. Unconnected with any rehgious 
 ceremony, such a proceeding might have been considered 
 rational, and coming altogether within the meaning of the 
 Masonic principle which recognises "refreshment after labor." 
 Mr. Brainerd continues: — 
 
 Lord's-day, Sep, 21. — Spent the day with the Indians on the 
 island. As soon as they were well up in the morning, I attempted 
 to instruct them, and labored for that purpose to get them to- 
 gether, but soon found they had something else to do; for near 
 noon they gathered together all their powaws, or conjurors, and 
 set about half a dozen of them playing their juggling tricks and 
 acting their frantic, distracted postures, in order to find out why 
 they were then so sickly upon the island, numbers of them being 
 at that time disordered with a fever and a bloody flux. In this 
 exercise they were engaged for several hours, making all the wild, 
 ridiculous, and distracted motions imaginable ; sometimes singing, 
 sometimes howling, sometimes extending their hands to the 
 utmost stretch and spreading all their fingers: they seem to push 
 with them as if they designed to push something away, or at 
 least to keep it off at arm's-end ; sometimes stroking their faces 
 with their hands, then spouting water as fine as mist; sometimes 
 sitting flat on the earth, then bowing their faces to the ground; 
 then wringing their sides as if in pain and anguish, twisting 
 their faces, turning up their eyes, grunting, pufiing, &c. 
 
 This looks more like idolatry than sacrificing ten fat deer 
 and dancing by the light of their burning fat. Yet, if cur- 
 ing disease b}^ powwowing, incantation, or the utterance of 
 charms, can be considered idolatry, we. are not without it 
 even at this late day. We need not go out of the Juniata 
 Valley to find professing Christians who believe as much in 
 cures wrought by charms as they do in Holy Writ itself. 
 
 " Their monstrous actions tended to excite ideas of horror, and 
 seemed to have something in them, as I thought, peculiarly 
 suited to raise the devil, if he could be raised by anything odd, 
 ridiculous, and frightful. Some of them, I could observe, were 
 much more fervent and devout in the business than others, and 
 seemed to chant, whoop, and mutter, with a degree of warmth 
 
56 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 and vigor as if determined to awaken and engage the powers 
 below. I sat at a small distance, not more than thirty feet from 
 them, though undiscovered, with my Bible in my hand, resolving) 
 if possible, to spoil their sport and prevent their receiving any 
 answers from the infernal world, and there viewed the whole 
 scene. They continued their hideous charms and incantations 
 for more than three hours, until they had all wearied themselves 
 out, although they had in that space of time taken several 
 intervals of rest; and at length broke up, I apprehend, without 
 receiving any answer at all." 
 
 Very likely they did not; but is it not most singular that 
 a man with the reputation for piety and learning that Brain- 
 erd left behind him should arm himself with a Bible to spoil 
 the spirit of the Indians, in case their incantations should 
 raise the demon of darkness, which, it would really appear, 
 he apprehended? In speaking of the Shawnee Indians, or 
 "Shawanose," as they were then called, he stigmatizes them 
 as "drunken, vicious, and profane." What their profanity 
 consisted of he does not say. According to all Indian his- 
 torians, the Indians had nothing in their language that rep- 
 resented an oath. Brainerd goes on to say of the Shawnees : — 
 
 Their customs, in various other respects, differ from those of 
 the other Indians upon this river. They do not bury their dead 
 in a common form, but let their flesh consume above the ground, 
 in close cribs made for that purpose. At the end of a year, or 
 sometimes a longer space of time, they take the bones, when the 
 flesh is atl consumed, and wash and scrape them, and afterward 
 bury them with some ceremony. Their method of charming or 
 conjuring over the sick seems somewhat different from that of 
 the other Indians, though in substance the same. The whole of 
 it, among these and others, perhaps, is an imitation of what 
 seems, by Naaman's expression, (2 Kings v. 11,) to have been 
 the custom of the ancient heathen. It seems chiefly to consist 
 of their "striking their hands over the deceased," repeatedly 
 stroking them, "and calling upon their God," except the spurt- 
 ing of water like a mist, and some other frantic ceremonies com- 
 mon to the other conjurations which I have already mentioned. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 57 
 
 In order to give Mr. Brainerd's impression of their cus- 
 toms, as well as an interesting account of a " medicine-man" 
 who possessed rather singular religious opinions, we shall 
 close with his journal, with another paragraph : — 
 
 When I was in this region in May last, I had an opportunity 
 of learning many of the notions and customs of the Indians, as 
 well as observing many of their practices. I then travelled more 
 than one hundred and thirty miles upon the river, above the 
 English settlements, and in that journey met with individuals 
 of seven or eight distinct tribes, speaking as many different lan- 
 guages. But of all the sights I ever saw among them, or indeed 
 anywh'fe else, none appeared so frightful or so near akin to 
 what is usually imagined of infernal powers^ none ever excited 
 such images of terror in my mind, as the appearance of one who 
 was a devout and zealous reformer, or rather restorer of what he 
 supposed was the ancient religion of the Indians. He made his 
 appearance in his pontifical garb, which was a coat of bear-skins^ 
 dried with the hair on, and hanging down to his toes; a pair of 
 bear-skin stockings, and a great wooden face, painted, the one 
 half black, the other half tawny, about the color of an Indian's 
 skin, with an extravagant mouth, but very much awry ; the face 
 fastened to a bear-skin cap, which was drawn over his head. He 
 advanced towards me with the instrument in his hand which he 
 used for music in his idolatrous worship, which was a dry tor- 
 toise-shell with some corn in it, and the neck of it drawn on to 
 a piece of wood, which made a very convenient handle. As he 
 came forward, he beat his tune with the rattle, and danced with 
 all his might, but did not suffer any part of his body, not so 
 much as his fingers, to be seen. No one would have imagined, 
 from his appearance or actions, that he could have been a human 
 creature, if they had not had some intimation of it otherwise* 
 When he came near me, I could not but shrink away from him, 
 although it was then noonday, and I knew who it was, his appear- 
 ance and gestures were so prodigiously frightful. He had a 
 house consecrated to religious uses, with divers images cut upon 
 the several parts of it. I went in, and found the ground beaten 
 almost as hard as a rock with their frequent dancing upon it. 
 I discoursed with him about Christianity. Some of my dis- 
 course he seemed to like, but some of it he disliked extremely. 
 
58 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 He told me that God had taught him his religion, and that he 
 never would turn from it, but wanted to find some one who 
 would join heartily with him in it; for the Indians, he said, 
 were grown very degenerate and corrupt. He had thoughts, he 
 said, of leaving all his friends, and travelling abroad, in order 
 to find some who would join with him ; for he believed that God 
 had some good people somewhere, who felt as he did. He had 
 not always, he said, felt as he now did ; but had formerly been 
 like the rest of the Indians, until about four or five years before 
 that time. Then, he said, his heart was very much distressed, 
 so that he could not live among the Indians, but got away into 
 the woods, and lived alone for some months. At length, he 
 said, God comforted his heart, and showed him what he should 
 do; and since that time he had known God and tried to serve 
 him, and loved all men, be they who they would, so as he never 
 did before. He treated me with uncommon courtesy, and seemed 
 to be hearty in it. I was told by the Indians that he opposed 
 their drinking strong liquor with all his power; and that if at 
 any time he could not dissuade them from it by all he could 
 say, he would leave them, and go crying into the woods. It 
 was manifest that he had a set of religious notions, which he 
 had examined for himself and not taken for granted upon bare 
 tradition; and he relished or disrelished whatever was spoken 
 of a religious nature, as it either agreed or disagreed with his 
 standard. While I was discoursing, he would sometimes say, 
 "Now that I like; so God has taught me," &c.; and some of his 
 sentiments seemed very just. Yet he utterly denied the exist- 
 ence of a devil, and declared there was no such creature known 
 among the Indians of old times, whose religion he supposed he 
 was attempting to revive. He likewise told me that departed 
 souls went southward^ and that the difference between the good 
 and bad was this : that the former were admitted into a beautiful 
 town with spiritual walls, and that the latter would forever 
 hover around these walls in vain attempts to get in. He seemed 
 to be sincere, honest, and conscientious, in his own way, and 
 according to his own religious notions, which was more than 
 ever I saw in any other pagan. I perceived that he was looked 
 upon and derided among most of the Indians as a precise zealot, 
 who made a needless noise about religious matters ; but I must 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 59 
 
 say that there was something in his temper and disposition 
 which looked more like true religion than any thing I ever ob- 
 served among other heathens. 
 
 If Brainerd was not grossly imposed upon, the Indian 
 was a remarkable man, and his code of ethics might be used 
 with profit by a great many persons now treading the paths 
 of civilization and refinement. But it is more than probable 
 that he had based the groundwork of his religion on what 
 he had learned from the Moravian missionaries. In the en- 
 suing summer Brainerd again ascended the Susquehanna, 
 where he contracted disease by exposure, and died in the fall. 
 
 The earliest permanent white settler upon the island was 
 a gentleman named Hulings, who located near the mouth 
 of the Juniata, over which, in after years, he established a 
 ferry; and, after travel increased and the traders took their 
 goods up the rivers on pack-horses, he built a sort of cause- 
 way, or bridge, for the passage of horses, at the upper end of 
 the island. He settled on the island in 1746. He was fol- 
 lowed by another adventurer, named Watts, who staked out 
 a small j)atch of land, with the view of farming it. It was 
 already cleared, and he purchased it from the Indians. The 
 children of these families intermarried, and their descend- 
 ants to this day own the greater portion of the island. A 
 few years after the settlement of Watts and Hulings, a gen- 
 tleman named Baskin came from below, and settled near the 
 point of the island. He was an enterprising man, and had 
 no sooner erected himself a temporary shelter than he estab- 
 lished a ferry across the Susquehanna. The ferry became 
 profitable, and Baskin realized a fortune out of it. It was a 
 sort of heirloom in the family for several generations, until 
 the State improvements were built, when a bridge was erected. 
 Baskin's Ferry w^as known far and wide; and there are still 
 some descendants of the name residing, or who did reside a 
 few years ago, where the ferry crossed. 
 
 Shortly after Braddock's defeat, the country was greatly 
 alarmed by rumors that the French and Indians were com- 
 
 !.i 
 
60 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 ing down the Susquehanna in great numbers, with the 
 avowed intention of slaughtering the British colonists and 
 laying waste all their habitations. Nor was this rumor 
 without foundation; for the massacres already committed 
 up the Susquehanna seemed fully to justify the apprehension. 
 Travel along the river was suspended, and a portion of the 
 settlers fled to Paxton. Hulings abandoned his ferry, and, 
 with a convoy of friendly Delaware Indians, he went to 
 Fort Duquesne, where he immediately purchased land, with 
 the view of settling permanently. There, however, he found 
 little more peace and quiet than he enjoyed at the island. 
 The country was rife with alarms of Indian depredations, 
 and the settlers were in constant dread of an attack which 
 they could not repel. Hulings became dissatisfied, because 
 the exchange had disajipointed all his reasonable expecta- 
 tions and he determined to return. To this end he disposed 
 of his land for £200 — land which now composes the heart 
 of the city of Pittsburg, and could not be purchased for 
 £2,000,000. In company with another party of friendly 
 Indians on their way to the east, he returned to the island, 
 re-established his ferr}^, built himself a house at the bridge, 
 and for some years lived in security. 
 
 About 1761, accounts of Indian depredations above again 
 alarmed the lower settlements; but Mr. Hulings paid no 
 attention to them, until a large number of them were seen 
 but a short distance above the island, encamped upon a 
 piece of table-land. In great haste he packed up a few of 
 his most valable articles, and, putting his wife and child 
 upon a large black horse, took them to the Point, so as to be 
 ready to fly the moment the savages made their appearance. 
 At this place there was a half-fallen tree, from the branches 
 of w^hich an excellent view of his house, as well as of the 
 path beyond it, could be obtained. Here Hulings watched 
 for some time, hoping that if the Indians did come down, 
 and find his house abandoned, they would go up the Juniata. 
 Suddenly it occurred to Hulings that in his haste he had 
 left some valuable keepsakes, and he returned forthwith 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 61 
 
 alone. After reconnoitering for some time, he entered the 
 house, and was somewhat surprised to find an Indian tinker- 
 ing at his gun-lock. The savage was unable to shoot, and, 
 as Hulings was a man of powerful frame, he feared to make 
 a personal attack upon him. Both appeared to be ready to 
 act upon the defensive, but neither was willing to risk an 
 attack. 
 
 In the mean time, the reconnoitering and parleying of 
 Hulings had taken up so much time that Mrs. Hulings be- 
 came alarmed, and concluded that her husband had been 
 murdered. Without a thought of the danger, she took her 
 child upon the horse before her, plunged him into tlie 
 Susquehanna, and the noble charger carried them safely to 
 the other shore — a distance of nearly a mile, and at a time, 
 too, when the river was unusually high ! Such an achieve- 
 ment in modern times would make a woman a heroine, 
 whose daring would be extolled from one end of the land to 
 the other. 
 
 Soon after this extraordinary feat, Mr. Hulings arrived, 
 and he, in turn, became alarmed at the absence of his wife ; 
 but he soon saw her making a signal on the other side, 
 and, immediately unmooring a canoe at the mouth of the 
 Juniata, he got into it and paddled it over. It was the only 
 canoe in the neighborhood, — an old one left by Baskin when 
 he fled. Hulings had scarcely rejoined his wife before he 
 saw the flames shooting up from the old log ferry-house, and 
 the savages dancing around it, brandishing their weapons; 
 but they were out of harm's way, and succeeded in reaching 
 Paxton the same day. In a year or so they returned, and 
 ended their days on the island. 
 
 Reference is made by historians to a battle fought between 
 the whites and Indians on the island in 1760. The old in- 
 habitants, too, spoke of one, but we could ascertain nothing 
 definite on the subject. No mention whatever is made of it 
 in the Colonial Records. 
 
 After this period but a few of the roving bands of war- 
 parties ever came down either the Susquehanna or the Juni- 
 
62 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 ata as far as the island. The massacre of the Conestoga In- 
 dians inspired the up-country savages with so much terror 
 that they deemed it certain death to go near the settlement 
 of the Paxton boys. 
 
 By the time the revolution commenced, the neighborhood 
 of the mouth of the Juniata was thickly populated, and the 
 inhabitants had within their reach ample means of defense; 
 so that the savages in the employ of the British prudently 
 confined their operations to the thickly-settled frontier. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 63 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 INDIAN TOWNS ALONG THE JUNIATA — LOST CREEK VALLEY DISCOV- 
 ERED — MEXICO FIRST SETTLED BY CAPTAIN JAMES PATTERSON IN 
 1751 — INDIAN ATTACK UPON SETTLERS AT THE HOUSE OF WILLIAM 
 WHITE — MASSACRE OF WHITE — CAPTURE OP A LAD NAMED JOHN 
 RIDDLE — HIS RELEASE FROM CAPTIVITY, ETC. 
 
 [For the facts on which the two chapters following are based 
 we are indebted to a gentleman named Andrew Banks, an old 
 resident of Lost Creek Valley, Juniata county. He was born 
 near York, and settled near his late place of residence in 1773, 
 and was nearly eighty -nine years of age when we called upon 
 him early in December, 1855. We found him enjoying the even- 
 ing of a long and well-spent life, with his sense of hearing some- 
 what impaired, but his intellect and memory both good. He 
 was a man of considerable intelligence, and we found him quite 
 willing to give all he knew of the past worthy of record. He 
 died about the last of the same month.] 
 
 % 
 
 HE river, from the island to Newport, is hemmed in 
 , by mountains ; and while it afforded excellent territory 
 for hunting, fishing, and trapping, it held out no in- 
 ducements for the Indians to erect their lodges along it. The 
 first Indian village above the mouth of the river was located 
 on a flat, a short distance above where the town of Newport 
 now is. Another was located at the mouth of a ravine a lit- 
 tle west of Millerstown. At a former place the Cahoons, 
 Hiddlestons, and others were settled, who were ejected, and 
 had their cabins burnt by Secretary Peters. After the pur- 
 chase of tltese lands at Albany, in 1754, both these towns 
 were destroyed, and the Indians went to Ohio. 
 
 Lost Creek Valley, unquestionably one of the most beau- 
 tiful valleys in the Juniata region, was entered by some In- 
 dian traders as early as 1740. They found it occupied by 
 two or three Indian settlements, and they made a successful 
 
64 HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 barter with the aborigines. The next year they essayed to 
 revisit the place, but were unable to find it. The following 
 summer they found it again ; hence arose the name of the 
 lost cf-eek. There is no record of any massacres by the In- 
 dians in this valle}^, and the impression is that they left it 
 about 1754, some going toward the frontier, and others to 
 the head of Tuscarora Valley. 
 
 The first settlement on the river, in what now constitutes 
 Juniata county, was made in 1751, by an adventurous 
 Scotch-Irishman known as Captain James Patterson. He 
 came across the countr}^ from Cumberland county, accom- 
 panied by some five or six others, most of whom settled 
 very near to where Mexico now stands. Patterson was a 
 bold and fearless man; and he had not long resided in his 
 new location before the Indians of the neighborhood both 
 hated and feared him. He and his companions cleared the 
 land on both sides of the river, built two large log-houses, 
 and pierced them with loopholes, so that they might defend 
 themselves from any attacks the savages might make. Pat- 
 terson soon became aware of the fact that his reckless daring, 
 especially in braving the proclamations of the proprietors in 
 settling upon unpurchased Indian lands, had inspired the 
 Indians with fear ; hence he did not condescend to make an 
 effort to purchase from the Indians, or even build a fort for 
 the protection of his little colony. In addition to his reck- 
 lessness, he possessed a good share of cunning, that on many 
 occasions served his purpose. For instance, he used to keep 
 a target, the center of which was riddled with bullets, lean- 
 ing against a tree. Whenever ho found a party of friendly 
 Indians api)roaching, he used to stand under his door and 
 blaze away at the target, but always stop when the Indians 
 were near the house. The Indians would invariably ex- 
 amine the target, measure the distance — about four hundred 
 feet — with the eye, and conclude among themselves that 
 Patterson would be an exceedingly tough customer in a 
 fight ! His reputation for shooting obtained for him among 
 the Delawares the name of " Big Shot." 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 65 
 
 Patterson was a very bold squatter, and staked of for him- 
 self a large body of land, declaring that Providence had de- 
 signed it for the use of Christian people to raise food upon, 
 and not for Indian war-dances. But, with all his fancied 
 security and his contemptuous opinion of the "cowardly 
 red-skins," they put him to his trumps at last. In the year 
 1755 they no longer visited his settlement on the friendly 
 mission of bartering furs and venison for rum and tobacco, 
 but they commenced prowling about in small parties, painted 
 for war, armed with the rifle — the use of which they had 
 already acquired — and exceedingly dangerous-looking knives 
 and tomahawks. Patterson became alarmed, and, actuated 
 by a settled conviction that " discretion " was the better part 
 of valor, himself and his companions crossed the Tuscarora 
 Mountain and took refuge in Sherman's Valley. A few 
 years after he returned, but he found his land parcelled, and 
 occupied by others, who held deeds of purchase for it from 
 the proprietory government. Nothing daunted, however, he 
 took possession of another piece of land, and commenced 
 cultivating it, without going through the land-office fomula 
 of obtaining a legal title for it. He was a man of some in- 
 telligence, and held in supreme contempt the Penn family 
 and their treaties with the Indians. He declared that the 
 Albany treaty did not give them a shadow of right to the 
 land ; and, as it was not considered morall}^ wrong for the 
 Penns to wheedle the Indians out of millions of acres of 
 land for the paltry sum of £400, he did not see any wrong 
 in his cheating the Penn family out of a farm. 
 
 For some years peace and quiet reigned in the neighbor- 
 hood; but in the spring of 1763 the red men again lifted 
 the hatchet, and the settlers were thrown into awe and con- 
 sternation. Constant rumors were afloat of their depreda- 
 tions, and at length a scouting party returned with the un- 
 welcome intelligence that a body of Shawnees were en- 
 camped in Tuscarora Valley. As speedily as possible, all the 
 movable effects were placed upon pack-horses, and the settlers, 
 by extremely cautious manoeuvering, succeeded in escaping 
 5 
 
66 HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 safely, and again took up their residence in Sherman's 
 Valley. 
 
 The spring having been exceedingly favorable, the grain 
 crop was ready to cut early in July, and a party was 
 formed by the settlers, and some few others, to go back and 
 assist each other in getting in their harvest. On their ar- 
 rival they set vigorously to work ; and, no traces of savages 
 being perceptible, in their anxiety to get in the grain they 
 appeared to forget them, notwithstanding each man carried 
 with him his trusty rifle wheresoever he went. On Sunday, 
 while resting from their labors, some ten or twelve Shawnee 
 Indians approached the house of William White, where all 
 the settlers were spending the Sabbath. They crawled up to 
 the house unperceived, and fired a volley through the open 
 door, killing Mr. White and wounding some of his family. 
 The wildest consternation seized upon the party within, and, 
 in the great confusion which followed, all escaped by the 
 back-door except William Riddle. Some swam the river ; 
 others escaped in diff"erent directions. Riddle did not see a 
 son of his, aged about twelve years, escape ; and, without 
 probably being conscious of what he was doing, walked to- 
 ward the front-door, where a savage fired at him. The 
 muzzle of the gun was so near Riddle's face that the dis- 
 charge literally filled it with gunpowder. The ball grazed, 
 but did not injure him. At the moment the savage dis- 
 charged his rifle. Riddle was tripped by something on the 
 floor, and fell. The Indians took it for granted they both 
 were killed, and set up a loud shout of victory. While 
 holding a consultation about their future movements. Riddle 
 jumped up suddenly and ran. Several Indians fired, and 
 for a short distance pursued him ; but he soon distanced the 
 fleetest runner among them. The marauders then returned, 
 and, after scalping Mr. White, plundered the house of all 
 the ammunition they could find, some few other trifling 
 articles, and then set fire to it. 
 
 On taking their departure from the place, from a high 
 bluff" near the house they discovered Riddle's son, who was 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 67 
 
 trying to conceal himself in a rye-field. They captured him 
 andtook him along with them. In order to give an account 
 of his captivity, we shall be compelled to defer an account of 
 the further depredations of the same band until the next 
 chapter. 
 
 Some years after peace was restored — the precise year not 
 known, but supposed to have been in 1767, — Riddle started 
 for the frontier in search of his son. This was a time of 
 almost profound peace, which followed the numerous massa- 
 cres of the few preceding years, and a time, too, when the 
 Indians had been taught some severe lessons, and were dis- 
 posed to act friendly toward the whites. Riddle travelled 
 on horseback, and passed numerous Indian villages, but 
 could hear no tidings of his son until he came upon an en- 
 campment of Shawnee Indians near Lake Erie. As he 
 neared the village, he saw the warriors returning from the 
 chase, and among them a youthful-looking brave with an 
 eagle-feather waving on his cap, and all the paraphernalia 
 of a young chief decorating his person. His bearing erect, 
 his step firm, he trod the path with a proud and haughty 
 air. But a single glance sufficed for Riddle to recognise in 
 the youthful warrior his son John. Dismounting from his 
 horse, he sprang forward and attempted to throw himself 
 into his arms; but, strange to say, his advances were repulsed! 
 Even when the lad was convinced that he was Riddle's off- 
 spring, he refused to go with him, but declared his deter- 
 mination to remain with the tribe. 
 
 During the few years that he had been among the sons of 
 the forest, he had most thoroughly imbibed their habits and 
 a strong love for their wild and romantic life. The chase, 
 the woods, the council-fires and the wigwams, the canoe and 
 the dance of the squaws, were enchantment to him, in the 
 enjoyment of which he lost all recollections of home or his 
 parents; and when his father declared that he would use a 
 parent's prerogative to force him to accompany him, young 
 Riddle, almost frantic with despair, called upon his warrior 
 friends to interfere in his behalf. But the Indians, fearful 
 
68 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 of the consequences that might result from any interference 
 of the kind, acknowledged Riddle's right to reclaim his son, 
 since the red man and the white man had smoked the pipe 
 of peace. It was, therefore, with great reluctance that John 
 Riddle prepared to depart immediately. He took a hasty 
 farewell of his warrior companions, and, mounting behind 
 his father, they turned their faces toward the valley of the 
 Juniata. Mr. Riddle, with commendable zeal and a great 
 deal of prudence, put as much ground between him and the 
 Shawnee village, before nightfall, as possible. He pitched 
 his tent for the night on the edge of a thicket, and partook 
 of some provisions which he had in his saddle-bag; and, 
 after talking for an hour or two, they stretched themselves 
 before the fire to sleep. Young Riddle appeared resigned, 
 and had even conversed gayly and cheerfully with his 
 father; but the old man had his misgivings, and he feared 
 that treachery was hidden beneath this semblance of cheer- 
 fulness. The consequence was that he lay awake for hours; 
 but at length the fatigues of the day overcame him, and he 
 sank into a deep sleep, from which he did not awake until 
 the sun was up, and then only to find that his son had fled! 
 The emotions of a father under such circumstances may be 
 imagined, but certainly they cannot well be described. A 
 man of less energy would have given up the object of his 
 mission as hopeless, and returned home. 
 
 Not so, however, with Riddle, for he hastened back to the 
 Indian village, and asked the Indians sternly for his son. 
 Unused or unwilling to dissemble, they frankly told him 
 that he was in the council-house, and demanded their pro- 
 tection ; that he had eaten, drank, and smoked, with the red 
 man, and that he was unwilling to acknowledge a pale-face 
 as a father or a brother. This highly incensed Riddle, and 
 he declared that if his son were not delivered up to him, 
 he would bring the forces from the nearest fort and extermi- 
 nate them; and, further, that, if any injury befell him, his 
 friends, who knew his mission, would follow and avenge 
 him. A council was immediately called, and the subject de- 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 69 
 
 bated. The young warriors of the village were determined 
 that young Riddle should remain among them at all haz- 
 ards ; but the counsel of the older chiefs, who evidently fore- 
 saw what would follow, prevailed, and young Riddle was 
 again placed in charge of -his father. The old man, profit- 
 ing by experience, took his son to a frontier fort, and from 
 thence home, reasoning with him all the way on the folly of 
 adopting the life of a savage. 
 
 Riddle grew to manhood, and reared a large family in 
 Walker township, all of whom many years ago went to the 
 West. He is represented by Mr. Banks as having been a 
 quiet and inoffensive man, except when he accidentally in- 
 dulged in the too free use of ^^fire-watery It was then that 
 all the characteristics of the red man manifested themselves. 
 " On such occasions his eye flashed, and all his actions be- 
 tokened the wily savage." 
 
70 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 EARLY SETTLERS AT LICKING CREEK — RELICS OF AN INDIAN BATTLE 
 — HOUSE OF ROBERT CAMPBELL ATTACKED — JAMES CAMPBELL 
 WOUNDED AND TAKEN PRISONER — SCOUT SENT FROM SHERMAN's 
 CREEK — ENCOUNTERED INDIANS AT BUFFALO CREEK — FIVE OF THE 
 SCOUT KILLED, ETC. 
 
 (^^^jLHE neighborhood of the mouth of Licking Creek was 
 ^1 , settled about 1 750. The first settler was Hugh Hardy, 
 ^T a Scotch-Irishman, who located about a mile from the 
 mouth of the creek. He was followed by families named 
 Castner, Wilson, Law, Scott, Grimes, and Sterrit, all Scotch- 
 Irish, and the last two traders in Indians goods. 
 
 At the time of their advent at Licking Creek, the Indians 
 were exceedingly friendly, and pointed out to them a famous 
 battle-ground near the creek. The oral traditions of the 
 battle preserved by them was as follows : — On one side of the 
 creek was a village of the Delawares, on the other a village 
 of the Tuscaroras. Both tribes lived in harmony — hunted 
 on the same grounds, seated themselves around the same 
 council-fires, and smoked in common the pipe of peace, and 
 danced the green-corn dance together beneath the pale rays 
 of the mellow harvest-moon. These amicable relations 
 might have existed for years, had not a trivial incident brought 
 about a sad rupture. Some Indian children at play on the 
 bank of the creek commenced quarreling about a grass-hop- 
 per. High words led to blows. The women of the respect- 
 ive tribes took up their children's quarrel, and in turn the 
 wives' quarrel was taken up by the men. A bloody and 
 most sanguinary battle was the result. The struggle was 
 long and fierce, and hundreds of warriors, women, and 
 children, fell beneath the deadly tomahawk or by the unerr- 
 ing arrow. To this day, relics, such as arrow-heads, pipes, 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 71 
 
 and human bones, are found upon the spot where tradition 
 says the battle occurred. The "grasshopper war" was long 
 held up by the sachems as a terrible warning to any tribe 
 about to embroil itself in a bootless war. 
 
 Some historians assert that there was once a fort at the 
 mouth of Licking Creek, called Fort Campbell, all traces of 
 which are now obliterated. Such was not the case. Robert 
 Campbell owned the largest house in the settlement, which 
 was pierced with loopholes for defense similar to that belong- 
 ing to Patterson. The settlers had also been driven away, 
 and had returned to reap their harvest. On the Sabbath re- 
 ferred to in the preceding chapter, while the harvesters were 
 gathered in the house of Campbell, and immediately after the 
 massacre at Patterson's, the same band of Indians stealthily 
 approached the house of Campbell and fired a volley at the 
 inmates. Several persons were wounded, but there is no 
 authentic record of any one being killed. 
 
 James Campbell was shot through the wrist, and taken 
 prisoner. He was taken to the frontier, probably to Lake 
 Erie, and returned in a year or eighteen months afterward. 
 But the particulars attending his captivity were never pub- 
 lished, neither could we find any person who knew any thing 
 about the matter further than that he was captured, and re- 
 turned again to his home. 
 
 Immediately after the Indians had discharged their rifles, 
 one of them sprang into the house, and with uplifted toma- 
 hawk approached a bed on which a man named George 
 Dodds was resting. Fortunately for Dodds, his rifle was 
 within reach, which he immediately grasped and fired at the 
 savage, wounding him in the groin. The Indian retreated, 
 and Dodds made his way up-stairs, and through an opening 
 in the roof he escaped, went direct to Sherman's Valley, and 
 spread the alarm. 
 
 This same band of marauders proceeded up Tuscarora 
 Valley, laying waste the country as they went. In the dusk 
 of the evening, they came to the house of William Anderson. 
 They shot down the old man, who was seated by the table 
 
72 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 with the open Bible on his lap, and also killed and scalped 
 his son and a young woman — an adopted daughter of Mr. 
 Anderson. Two brothers named Christy, and a man named 
 Graham, neighbors of Mr. Anderson, hearing the guns firing, 
 conjectured that the Indians had attacked him ; and their 
 own means of defense being inadequate, they fled, and 
 reached Sherman's Valley about midnight. Their arrival 
 spread new terror, and a volunteer force of twelve men was 
 soon raised to go over to the valley to succor the settlers. 
 This force consisted of three brothers named Robinson, John 
 Graham, Charles Elliot, William and James Christy, Daniel 
 Miller, John Elliot, Edward McConnel, William McCallister, 
 and John Nicholson. 
 
 Fearing that the savages would murder men engaged in 
 harvesting farther up the valley, they endeavored to inter- 
 cept them by crossing through Bigham's Gap early on 
 Monday morning. They had no sooner entered the valley 
 than they discovered traces of the enemy. Houses were 
 pillaged, and some razed to the ground. At one place they 
 had killed four hogs and a number of fowls, which they had 
 roasted by a fire, fared sumptuously and dined leisurely. 
 At Graham's there were unmistakable signs that the}' had 
 been joined by another party, and that the entire force must 
 number at least twenty -five Indians. From their tracks, too, 
 it was evident that they had crossed the Tuscarora Mount- 
 ain by way of Run Gap. The dread to encounter such a 
 force would have deterred almost any small body of men ; 
 but the Robinsons, who appeared to be leaders of the party, 
 were bold, resolute backwoodsmen, inured to hardships, toil, 
 and danger, and, without taking time to reflect, or even de- 
 bate, upon the probability of being attacked by the enemy 
 from ambuscade, they pushed forward rapidly to overtake 
 the savages. 
 
 At the cross-roads, near Buffalo Creek, the savages fired 
 upon the party from an ambuscade of brush, and killed 
 five. William Robinson was shot in the abdomen with 
 buckshot ; still he managed to follow Buffalo Creek for half 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY, 76 
 
 a mile. John Elliot, a mere lad of seventeen, discharged 
 his rifle at an Indian, and then ran. The Indian pursued 
 him, but, fearing the boy would get off, he dropped his rifle, 
 and followed with tomahawk alone. Elliot, perceiving this, 
 threw some powder into his rifle at random, inserted a ball 
 in the muzzle, and pushed it in as far as he could with his 
 finger ; then, suddenly turning around, he shot the Indian 
 in the breast. The Indian gave a prolonged scream, and 
 returned in the direction of his band. There is little doubt 
 but that the Indian was killed; but, agreeably to their cus- 
 tom, his companions either concealed the body or took it 
 with them. 
 
 Elliot went but a short distance before he overtook William 
 Robinson, who was weltering in his blood upon the ground, 
 and evidently in the agonies of death. He begged Elliot 
 to carry him off, as he had a great horror of being scalped. 
 Elliot told him it was utterly impossible for him to lift him 
 off the ground, much less carry him. Robinson then said — 
 
 "Take my gun, and save yourself. And if ever you have 
 an opportunity to shoot an Indian with it, in ivar or peace, 
 do so, for my sake." 
 
 There is no record of the fact that he obeyed the dying 
 injunction of his friend ; but he did with the rifle what was 
 more glorious than killing ignorant savages; he carried it 
 for five years in the Continental army, and battled" with it 
 for the freedom of his country. How many of his Majesty's 
 red-coats it riddled before the flag of freedom floated over 
 the land, is only known to the God of battles. The body of 
 Robinson was not found by the Indians. 
 
 During the action Thomas Robinson stood still, sheltered 
 by a tree, until all his companions had fled. He fired a 
 third time, in the act of which two or three Indians fired, 
 and a bullet shattered his right arm. He then attempted 
 to escape, but was hotly pursued by the Indians, one of 
 whom shot him through the side while in the act of stooping 
 to pass a log. He was found scalped and most shockingly 
 mutilated. John Graham died while sitting upon a log, a 
 
74 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 short distance from the scene of action. Charles Elliot and 
 McConnel escaped, and crossed Buffalo Creek, but they were 
 overtaken and shot just as they were in the act of ascending 
 the bank. Their bodies were found in the creek. 
 
 These bloody murders caused the greatest alarm in the 
 neighborhood. The Indians, flushed with success, mani- 
 fested no disposition to leave ; and the inhabitants of the 
 sparsely-settled country fled toward the lower end of Sher- 
 man's Valley, leaving all behind them. A party of forty 
 men, armed and organized and well-disciplined, marched 
 in the direction of the Juniata for the purpose of burying 
 the dead and slaying the Indians ; but when they came to 
 Buffalo Creek, they were so terrified at the sight of the 
 slaughtered whites and probably exaggerated stories of the 
 strength of the enemy, that the commander ordered a re- 
 turn. He called it 'prudent to retire ; some of his men called 
 it cowardly. The name of the valiant captain could not be 
 ascertained. 
 
 Captain Dunning went up the valley from Carlisle with 
 a posse, determined to overtake and punish the savages if 
 possible. Before his arrival, however, some five or six men 
 conceived the rash idea of giving the Indians battle, and 
 attacked them while in a barn. The attack was an ex- 
 ceedingly ill-judged affair, for but few Indians were wound- 
 ed, and none killed. They bounded out with great fury, 
 and shot the entire party but one, who managed to escape. 
 Those who were killed were Alexander Logan and his son 
 John, Charles Coyle, and William Hamilton. Bartholomew 
 Davis made his escape, and at Logan's house overtook Cap- 
 tain Dunning and his command. Judging that the Indians 
 would visit Logan's for plunder. Captain Dunning ambus- 
 caded his men, and in a very short time the savages came, 
 boldly, and entirely unconscious of impending danger. They 
 were greeted by a volley from Dunning's men, and but a 
 short engagement followed. Three or four Indians fell at 
 the first fire; and the rest, dismayed, fled in consternation 
 toward the mountain, and were not pursued. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 75 
 
 Thus it will be perceived that a large number of most 
 cruel and cold-blooded murders were committed by these 
 marauders before they were checked, simply because in 
 treachery and cunning the white men could not cope with 
 them. 
 
76 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 TUSCAEORA VALLEY — ITS EARLY SETTLERS — ITS MOUNDS AND ITS 
 FORTS — MASSACRES, ETC. 
 
 ^USCARORA PATH VALLEY, as it was formerly 
 ^J , called, is one of the most fertile and beautifnl within 
 ^^ the Juniata range. It embraces an extent of probably 
 thirty miles in length, beginning in Franklin county, and 
 ending at the river at Perrysville, in Juniata county. The 
 name of " Path " was given to it in consequence of the old 
 western Indian path running through it nearly its entire 
 length. 
 
 Tuscarora, in its day, must have been a famous place for 
 the Indians. Its great natural advantages, and the abun- 
 dance of game it contained, must alone have rendered it an 
 attractive place, independent of the fact that it was the regu- 
 lar highway between the East and the West, where the war- 
 rior, the politician, and the loafer, could lie in the 
 
 " Umbrageous grots and caves of cool recess," 
 before the wigwam door, and hear from travellers all the 
 news astir M^orthy of their profound attention. 
 
 Tradition, however, speaks of battles among them; for 
 they would fight among themselves, and that, too, with all 
 the relentless fury that characterized their warfare with the 
 whites. But of these battles said to be fought in the valley 
 the tradition is so vague and unsatisfactory that we omit any 
 further mention of them. 
 
 There are two mounds in the valley, — one of them near 
 its head, tlie other some twelve or fourteen miles from its 
 mouth, at or near a place, we believe, now called Academia. 
 Some persons who examined this mound about twenty years 
 ago tried to make it appear that it had been enclosed in a 
 fortification, as they averred that they had discovered frag- 
 
HISTOKY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 77 
 
 ments of a wall. This was probably a wrong conclusion, as 
 a burial-place would not likelj^ bo within a fortification. If 
 the mound was once enclosed within a wall for protection, it 
 was an act that stands without a parallel in Indian history. 
 
 Near the lower mound is an academy; and during the 
 last ten years the students used their leisure hours in ex- 
 huming the bones and searching for relics, so that by this 
 time, probably, but a mere visible trace of it is left. 
 
 The first settlers in Tuscarora were Samuel Bigham, Rob- 
 ert Hagg, and James and John Grey, — all Scotch. They 
 came from Cumberland county about the year 1749, or prob- 
 ably 1750. They were in search of a location for permanent 
 settlement. The valley pleased them so well that they im- 
 mediately staked out farms; and, notwithstanding the In- 
 dians of the valley treated them with apparent hospitality, 
 they took the precaution to build themselves a fort for de- 
 fence, which was named Bigham's Fort. By the year 1754 
 several other persons had settled in Tuscarora, among them 
 George Woods and a man named Innis. 
 
 Some time in the spring of 1756, John Grey and Innis 
 went to Carlisle with pack-horses, for the purpose of pro- 
 curing groceries. On their return, while descending the 
 mountain, in a very narrow defile, Grey's horse, frightened 
 at a bear which crossed the road, became unmanageable and 
 threw him off". Innis, anxious to see his wife and family, 
 went on ; but Grey was detained for nearly two hours in 
 righting his pack. As far as his own personal safety was 
 concerned, the detention was a providential one, for he just 
 reached the fort in time to see the last of it consumed. Every 
 person in it had either been massacred or taken prisoners 
 by the Indians. He examined the charred remains of the 
 bodies inside of the fort, but he could find none that he 
 could bring himself to believe were those of his family. It 
 subsequently appeared that his wife and his only daughter, 
 three years of age, George Woods, Innis's wife and three 
 children, and a number of others, had been carried into 
 captivity. They were taken across the Alleghany to the 
 
78 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 old Indian town of Kittaning, and from thence to Fort Du- 
 quesne, where they were delivered over to the French. 
 
 Woods was a remarkable man, and lived to a good old 
 age, and figured somewhat extensively afterward in the his- 
 tory of both Bedford and Alleghany counties. He took his 
 captivity very little to heart, and even went so far as to pro- 
 pose marriage to Mrs. Grey while they were both prisoners 
 in the fort. 
 
 The French commander, in apportioning out the prison- 
 ers, gave AVoods to an old Indian named John Hutson, who 
 removed him to his own wigwam. But George proving 
 neither useful nor ornamental to Hutson's establishment^ 
 and as there was no probability of any of his friends paying 
 a ransom for him — inasmuch as he had neither kith nor kin 
 — he opened negotiations with George to let him off. The 
 conditions made and entered into between the two were that 
 the aforesaid George Woods should give to the aforesaid John 
 Hutson an annuity of ten pounds of tobacco, until death 
 should terminate the existence of either of the parties named. 
 This contract was fulfilled until the massacre of the Bedford 
 scout, when Harry Woods, a lieutenant of the scout, and son 
 of George Woods, recognised among the most active of the 
 savages the son of John Hutson, who used to accompany 
 his father to Bedford, where Harry Woods had often seen 
 him. It is hardly necessary to add that old Hutson never 
 called upon Woods after that for his ransom annuity. 
 
 Woods was a surveyor by profession, and assisted in lay- 
 ing out the city of Pittsburg, one of the principal streets of 
 which bears his name, or, at least, was named after him, 
 notwithstanding it is called "Wood" instead of Woods 
 street. 
 
 Mr. AVoods, after he removed to Bedford, became a useful 
 and influential citizen. He followed his profession, and most 
 of the original surveys in the upper end of the Juniata Val- 
 ley were made by him. He reared a large family, and his 
 descendants are still living. One of his daughters was mar- 
 ried to Ross, who was once a candidate for the office of gov- 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 79 
 
 ernor of the State. He lived to a good old age, and died 
 amid the deep regrets of a most extended circle of acquaint- 
 ances. 
 
 Mrs. Grey and her daughter were given to some Indians, 
 who took them to Canada. In the ensuing fall John Grey 
 joined Colonel Armstrong's expedition against Kittaning, in 
 hopes of recapturing, or at least gaining some intelligence 
 of, his family. Failing to do this, he returned home, broken 
 in health and spirits, made his will, and died. The will 
 divided the farm between his wife and daughter, in case 
 they returned from captivity. If the daughter did not re- 
 turn, a sister was to have her half. 
 
 About a year after the fort was burnt, Mrs. Grey, through 
 the connivance of some traders, managed to escape from 
 bondage, and reached her home in safet}^, but, unfortunately, 
 was compelled to leave her daughter behind her. She proved 
 her husband's will and took charge of the property. The 
 treaty of 1764 brought a large number of captive children 
 to Philadelphia to be recognized and claimed by their friends. 
 Mrs. Grey attended, in hopes of finding her child ; but she 
 was unsuccessful. There remained one child unclaimed, 
 about the same age as Mrs. Grey's; and some person, who 
 evidently knew the provisions of the will, hinted to her the 
 propriety of taking the child to save the property. She did 
 so, and in the year 1789, the heirs of the sister, having re- 
 ceived some information as to the identity of the child, 
 brought suit for the land. The trial was a novel one, and 
 lasted from 1789 to 1834, a period of forty-five years, wdien 
 it was decided in favor of the heirs and against the captive. 
 Innis remained among the Indians until the treaty. His 
 wife escaped a short time previous. Two of her children 
 she recovered in Philadelphia, but a third had been drowned 
 by the savages on their way to some place in Canada. By 
 the exposure it became sick and very weak, and, to rid 
 themselves of any further trouble with it, they put it under 
 the ice. When the captive children were at Philadelphia, 
 some person had taken one of Innis's, and he had consider- 
 
80 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 able difficulty to recover it. Had it not been for a private 
 mark by which he proved it, the person who had it in charge 
 would probably never have surrendered it. 
 
 The Indians of Tuscarora, before the French war, were on 
 terms of great intimacy with the whites. They used to meet 
 at the fort, and shoot mark, and, when out of lead, would go 
 to the mouth of the valley, and return with lead ore, almost 
 pure. Lead was a valuable article, and difficult to transport; 
 hence the settlers were anxious to discover the location of the 
 mine. Many a warrior was feasted and liquored until he 
 was blind drunk, under a promise of divulging the precise 
 whereabouts of the lead mine. Its discovery, if it contained 
 any quantity of ore, would have realized any man a sj^eedy 
 fortune in those days ; but, in spite of Indian promises and 
 the most thorough search for years, the lead mines of Tus- 
 carora were never found, and probably never will be until it 
 is occupied by another race of cunning Indians. 
 
 The fort burnt down in 1756 was rebuilt some four years 
 afterward, through the exertions of Ralph Sterrit, an old 
 Indian trader. His son William was born in Bigham's 
 Fort, and was the first white child born in Tuscarora Valley. 
 At the time of burning the first fort, Sterrit was absent with 
 his family. 
 
 It is related of Ralph Sterrit, that, one day, while sitting 
 outside of the second fort, a wayworn Indian came along, 
 who was hungry, thirsty, and fatigued. Sterrit was a hu- 
 mane man, and called the savage in, gave him bread and 
 meat, a drink of rum, and some tobacco, and sent him on 
 his way rejoicing. 
 
 The circumstance had entirely passed out of Sterrit's 
 mind, when, one night in the spring of 1703, when the In- 
 dians had again commenced hostilities, the inmates of the 
 fort were alarmed by a noise at the gate. Sterrit looked out, 
 and by the light of the moon discovered that it was an In- 
 dian. The alarm was spread, and some of the more impetu- 
 ous were for shooting him down as a spy. Sterrit, more 
 cool than the others, demanded of the Indian his business. 
 
HISTOKY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 81 
 
 The Indian, in few words, reminded him of the circumstance 
 above narrated, and for the hospitality extended to him he 
 had come to warn the white man of impending danger. He 
 said that the Indians were as "plenty as pigeons in the 
 woods," and that even then they had entered the valley, and, 
 before another moon, would be at the fort, carrying with 
 them the firm determination to murder, scalp, and burn all 
 the whites in their path. The alarm was sounded, and it 
 was soon determined, in consequence of the weakness of 
 the fort, to abandon it. Nearly all the settlers of the valley 
 were in it; but the number stated by the savage completely 
 overaw^ed them, so that they set to work immediately pack- 
 ing upon horses their most valuable effects, and long before 
 daylight were on their way to Cumberland county. 
 
 The Indians came next night, and, after reconnoitering 
 for a long time, approached the fort, which, much to their 
 astonishment, they found evacuated. However, to show the 
 settlers that they had been there, they burnt down the 
 fort, and, on a cleared piece of ground in front of it, they 
 laid across the path a war-club painted red — a declaration 
 of war to the death against the whites. 
 
 The benevolent act of Sterrit, in relieving the weary and 
 hungry Indian, was the means of saving the lives of eighty 
 persons. 
 
82 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY, 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 FORT GRANVILLE — OLD INDIAN TOWN — THE EARLY SETTLERS — CAP- 
 TAIN JACOBS ASSAULT ON AND CAPTURE OF THE FORT. 
 
 PREVIOUS to the settlement by the whites, the flat on 
 which the eastern part of Lewistown now stands was 
 an Indian town of considerable importance. It was 
 the outlet of a large and fertile valley, through^ which ran 
 a northwestern Indian path, and in which dwelt five or six 
 tribes, who found this the natural outlet to the Juniata. The 
 council-house stood upon the east side of the creek, near its 
 mouth, and the line of wigwams stretched toward the north. 
 
 The first white settlers in this neighborhood came from 
 the Conecocheague, by way of Aughwick. They consisted 
 of Arthur Buchanan and his two sons, and three other fam- 
 ilies, all Scotch-Irish. Buchanan was a man of great energy, 
 and very fond of roving in the woods, far from the haunts 
 of men. He was the master-spirit of the party, and with 
 great self-reliance pitched his tent opposite the Indian village, 
 on the west bank of the creek. He then called upon the 
 Indians, and signified his intention to purchase land. They 
 were at first unwilling to sell ; but Captain Jacobs, (as 
 Buchanan christened the chief, in consequence of his close 
 resemblance to a burly German in Cumberland county,) who 
 was the head chief, having been liberally plied with liquor, 
 decided that Buchanan should have the much-coveted land. 
 What was paid for it never transpired, but it is more than 
 probable that the remainder of the contents of Buchanan's 
 rum-keg, a few trinkets, and some tobacco, made him owner 
 of the soil. This was in 1754. 
 
 Captain Jacobs had always professed great friendship to- 
 ward the British colonists; but he was among the very first 
 won over by the French. He became very much dissatisfied 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 83 
 
 with Buchanan, more especially as the latter had induced a 
 number of his friends and acquaintances to come there and 
 settle. By this means the lands of Jacobs were encroached 
 upon, which greatly roused his temper; and one day, with- 
 out deigning to give an explanation of any kind, the In- 
 dians destroyed their town and left. This was a movement 
 the settlers did not understand ; neither did they like it, for 
 it seemed to forbode no good. After a very brief consulta- 
 tion among them, they resolved forthwith to build a fort for 
 protection. They had for a time noticed a growing coldness 
 on the part Jacobs and his warriors, and, fearful that they 
 might come down the valley, joined by other bands, and mas- 
 sacre the people, Fort Granville was erected with as much des- 
 patch as possible. It was located about a mile above Lewis- 
 town, in order to be near a large spring. Contrary to ex- 
 pectations, the Indians did not come, and things generally 
 prospered about Fort Granville settlement during the sum- 
 mer and winter of 1755. In the spring of 1756 the Indians 
 made their appearance in Kishicoquillas Valley, in consid- 
 erable numbers ; and parties of roving tribes in search of 
 scalps and plunder, emboldened by the success of the French 
 and Indians the years previous, sometimes came down to 
 the mouth of the creek, but, unable to ascertain the power 
 of resistance concentrated within the fort, they never made 
 an attack upon it. These incursions, however, became so 
 frequent, that in the summer of 1756 the settlers only left 
 the fort when necessity demanded it. Finally, succor reached 
 them in July. The government dispatched Lieutenant 
 Armstrong from Cumberland county with a militia force to 
 protect them while engaged in taking in their harvest, and, 
 directly after his arrival, hearing of the exposed condition 
 of the people in Tuscarora, Armstrong sent a portion of his 
 command, with- Lieutenant Faulkner, in order to guard them 
 while reaping their grain. 
 
 In the absence of the latter, on or about the 22d of July, 
 (the Indians having ascertained the strength of the garrison,) 
 some sixty or seventy warriors, painted and equipped for 
 
84 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 battle, appeared before the fort and insolently challenged the 
 settlers to combat. The commander pretended to treat the 
 challenge with contempt, though in truth he was consider- 
 ably alarmed at the prospect of an attack. The Indians 
 fired at one man, and wounded him. He happened to be 
 outside, but got into the fort without sustaining any serious 
 injury. The Indians divided themselves into small parties 
 and started off in different directions. One of these parties 
 killed a man named Baskins, a short distance from the river, 
 burnt his house, and carried his wife and children into cap- 
 tivity. Another party took Hugh Carrol and his family 
 prisoners. 
 
 On the 30th of July, Captain Edward Ward had command 
 of Fort Granville, with a company regularly enlisted and in 
 the pay of tlie province. He went, with all his men but 
 twenty-four, to Sherman's A^alley, to protect the settlers 
 while harvesting. The enemy soon ascertained this, and on 
 the first of August, according to the afiidavit of John Hogan, 
 then and there taken prisoner, (Colonial Records, vol. vii. p. 
 561,) one hundred Indians and fifty Frenchmen made an 
 attack upon the fort. They assaulted the works during the 
 entire afternoon and part of the night without gaining any 
 advantage. About midnight the enemy got below the bank 
 of the river, and by a deep ravine they approached close 
 enough to the fort to set fire to it before they were observed. 
 The fire soon spread, and through an aperture made the 
 Indians shot Lieutenant Armstrong, and wounded some two 
 or three others who were endeavoring to put out the fire. 
 The French commander ordered a suspension of hostilities, 
 and offered quarter to all who would surrender, on several 
 occasions ; but Armstrong would not surrender on any con- 
 dition. He was certainly a brave man, and held out nobly 
 almost against hope. Peter Walker, who was in the fort at 
 the time and taken prisoner, after his escape from Kittaning 
 gave an account of the capture of the fort to General John 
 Armstrong. He said that "of the enemy not less than one 
 hundred and twenty returned, all in health, except one 
 
HISTORY OF THE JJJNIATA VALLEY. 85 
 
 Frenchman, shot through the shoulder by Lieutenant Arm- 
 strong, a little before his death, as the Frenchman was 
 erecting his body out of the hollow to throw pine-knots on 
 the fire made against the fort ; and of this number there 
 were about a dozen of French, who had for their interpreter 
 one McDowell, a Scotchman." 
 
 There appears to be a discrepancy between the statements 
 of Hogan and Walker in regard to the number engaged in 
 the assault, but it is quite likely that the latter's estimate is 
 correct. 
 
 General Armstrong, in his letter to Robert Hunter Morris, 
 goes on to say : — 
 
 This McDowell told Walker they designed ver}^ soon to attack 
 Fort Shirley with four hundred men. Captain Jacobs said he 
 could take any fort that would catch fire, and would make peace 
 with the English when they had learned him to make gunpowder. 
 McDowell told Walker they had two Indians killed in the en- 
 gagement; but Captains Armstrong and Ward, whom I ordered 
 on their march to Fort Shirley to examine every thing at Gran- 
 ville and send a list of what remained among the ruins, assure 
 me that they found some parts of eight of the enemy burnt, in 
 two different places, the joints of them being scarcely separated; 
 and part of their shirts found, through which there were bullet- 
 holes. To secrete these from the prisoners was doubtless the 
 reason why the French officer marched our people some distance 
 from the fort before he gave orders to burn the barracks, &c. 
 Walker says that some of the Germans flagged very much on 
 the second day, and that the lieutenant behaved with the great- 
 est bravery to the last, despising all the terrors and threats of 
 the enemy whereby they often urged him to surrender. Though 
 he had been near two days without water, but little ammunition 
 left, the fort on fire, and the enemy situate within twelve or four- 
 teen yards of the fort, under the natural bank, he was as far from 
 yielding as when at first attacked. A Frenchman in our service, 
 fearful of being burned up, asked leave of the lieutenant to treat 
 with his countrymen in the French language. The lieutenant 
 answered, " The first word of French you speak in this engage- 
 ment, I'll blow your brains out ! " telling his men to hold out 
 
86 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 bravely, for the flame was falling, and he would soon have it ex- 
 tinguished; but he soon after received the fatal ball. Col. Rec, 
 vol. vii. p. 232. , 
 
 Directly after Armstrong fell, a man named Turner opened 
 the gates and admitted the enemy. A soldier named Bran- 
 don, who had been shot through the knee, approached the 
 French, told them he was a Roman Catholic, and would go 
 with them. His faith, how^ever, availed him little; for, as 
 soon as it w^as discovered that he was not in marching con- 
 dition, one of the Indians clove his skull with a tomahawk. 
 
 The soldiers, who loved their lieutenant, asked permission 
 to bury him ; but the inhuman French officer refused, al- 
 though they offered to do it in a very few minutes where 
 they had raised clay to stay the progress of the flames. 
 
 The Indians were under the command of Captain Jacobs 
 and Shingas, but the name of the gallant French officer has 
 not been preserved. 
 
 The prisoners taken were twenty-two soldiers, three women, 
 and several children. For fear of being overtaken by the 
 provincial forces, they made forced marches to Kittaning. 
 When they arrived there, they pitched upon Turner to make 
 a terrible example of. In front of the council-house they 
 planted a stake painted black, and to this they tied him; 
 and, after having heated several old gun-barrels red-hot, 
 they danced around him, and, every minute or two, seared 
 and burned his flesh. Without knowing but what such 
 might be their own fate, the prisoners were compelled to 
 look at the heart-rending sight, and listen to the shrieks and 
 groans of the victim, without daring to utter a word. After 
 tormenting him almost to death, the Indians scalped him, 
 and then held up an Indian lad, who ended his sufferings 
 by laying open his skull with a hatchet. 
 
 Some of the prisoners made their escape, and others were 
 restored to their friends ; but some few of the soldiers were 
 never heard of again, having probably shared the fate of 
 Turner. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY, 87 
 
 One of the prisoners, named Girty, returned in a wounded 
 condition. When he escaped, he was followed by two In- 
 dians to the head-quarters of Blacklick, where they attempted 
 to re-capture him ; but in the fight that followed he slew one 
 of the Indians, and the other ran. He scalped the one he 
 killed, and took his scalp to Aughwick. The women and 
 children were recovered, by the first exchange of prisoners 
 that took place, in 1757. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 ORGANIZATION OF MIFFLIN COUNTY — DISPUTE WITH HUNTINGDON 
 COUNTY ABOUT THE BOUNDARY LINE — RIOT IN LEWISTOWN, ETC 
 
 [Note. — It was not the author's original intention to publish 
 anything of modern occurrence in the Juniata Valley, but to con- 
 fine himself exclusively to its early history; but several friends 
 in Lewistown made a particular request that we should insert 
 an account of the dispute arising from the boundary question, 
 and the riot of 1791. The latter has been repeatedly published. 
 Still, as it occurred sixty-four years ago, and few, if any, living 
 witnesses of the occurrence are to be found, it may be as well to 
 preserve the record.] 
 
 HORTLY after Mifflin count}^ w\as formed, in 1789, an 
 attempt was made to run the boundary line, — a pro- 
 ceeding which gave rise to great excitement and came 
 very near ending in riot and bloodshed. The bone of con- 
 tention was a strip of disputed territory claimed by both 
 Huntingdon and Mifflin counties ; and ^XG are under the im- 
 pression that a majority of those residing in the territory in 
 dispute favored the Mifflin county cause. They were mostly 
 Irish; and, since the wars were over and no enemy to fight, 
 were ever ready, w^th true Irish hospitality, to take a brush 
 with their neighbors. Accordingly, when the sheriff of 
 Huntingdon came into the disputed territory to serve a pro- 
 cess upon a man, a party congregated at an Irish tavern, and 
 lying in wait for the sheriff, arrested and carried him to 
 Lewistown and committed him to jail. He sued out a habeas 
 corpus, and the judge discharged him. Filled Avith wrath, 
 the sheriff went liome swearing vengeance. He soon sum- 
 moned a posse in Huntingdon, for the avowed purpose of 
 taking his man at all hazards, and proceeded to the disputed 
 territory. The people, aware of his coming, fired signal 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 91 
 
 guns, and soon met in great numbers. The sheriff and his 
 posse fortunately took a different route, which alone pre- 
 vented riot and bloodshed. The boundary question was soon 
 after settled amicably. 
 
 The riot of 1791, however, was a more serious affair. It 
 will be remembered that in those days the military spirit 
 in the Juniata Valley ran very high, though we are free to 
 acknowledge that it has sadly degenerated since then. A 
 gentleman named Bryson had been appointed an Associate 
 Judge by the governor. Previous to his appointment, he 
 held the office of Brigade Inspector ; and, in his official 
 capacity, refused to commission two colonels elected by their 
 regiments, but in their stead commissioned two men of his 
 own selection. This he had a right to do under the existing 
 militia law; nevertheless, the men composing the regiments 
 looked upon it as a most unwarranted assumption of power 
 in thus setting at defiance the expressed will of the majority, 
 and they resolved that Judge Bryson should not enjoy his 
 office. The following copy of a letter published in a paper 
 in York, Pennsylvania, from the district attorney, is a full 
 history of the case : 
 
 On Monday, the 12th of September, 1791, the Hon, W. Brown, 
 James Bryson, and James Armstrong, Esquires, met in the fore- 
 noon, in order to open the court and proceed to business ; but 
 Thomas Beale, Esq., one of the associate judges, not having ar- 
 rived, their honors waited until three o'clock in the afternoon; 
 at which time he arrived, and was requested to proceed with 
 them and the officers of the court to the court-house. He de- 
 clined going, and the procession moved on to the court-house, 
 where the judges' commissions were read, the court opened, and 
 the officers and the attorneys of the court sworn in, and the 
 court adjourned till ten o'clock next morning. 
 
 About nine o'clock, while preparing business to lay before the 
 grand-jury, I received information that a large body of men were 
 assembled below the Long Narrows, at David Jordan's tavern, 
 on the Juniata, and were armed with guns, swords, and pistols, 
 with an avowed intention to proceed to Lewistown, and seize 
 Judge Bryson on the bench, and drag him from his seat, and 
 
92 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 march him off before them, and otherwise ill-treat him. This 
 information was instantly communicated to Messrs. Brown, 
 Bryson, and Armstrong, the judges, who agreed with me that 
 
 Samuel Edminton, Esq., the prothonotary, Judge Beale, 
 
 Stewart, Esq., Bell, Esq., should, with George Wilson, 
 
 Esq., the sheriff of Mifflin county, proceed and meet the rioters. 
 And the sheriff was commanded to inquire of them their object 
 and intention; and, if hostile, to order them to disperse, and tell 
 them that the court was not alarmed at their proceedings. 
 
 Two hours after this the court opened, and a grand-jury was 
 impannelled. A fife was heard playing, and some guns fired, 
 and immediately the mob appeared, marching toward the court- 
 house, with three men on horseback in front, having the gentle- 
 men that had been sent to meet them under guard in the rear; 
 all of whom, on their arrival at Lewistown, they permitted to 
 go at large, except the sheriff, whom four of their number kept 
 a guard over. The court ordered me, as the representative of 
 the commonwealth, to go and meet them, remonstrate against 
 their proceedings, and warn them of their danger; which order 
 was obeyed. But all endeavors were in vain, the mob crying 
 out, " March on ! march on ! draw your sword on him! ride over 
 him !" I seized the reins of the bridle that the principal com- 
 mander held, viz., Wilson, Esq., brother of the sheriflf 
 
 aforesaid, who was well mounted and well dressed, with a sword, 
 and, I think, two pistols belted around him; a cocked-hat, and 
 one or two feathers in it. He said he would not desist, but at 
 all events proceed and take Judge Bryson off the bench, and 
 march him down to the Narrows, to the judge's farm, and make 
 him sign a written paper that he would never sit there as a judge 
 again. 
 
 The mob still crying out, "March on ! march on !" he drew his 
 sword, and told me he must hurt me unless I would let go the 
 reins. The crowd pushed forward and nearly pressed me down ; 
 one of them, as I learned afterward, a nephew of Judge Beale, 
 presented his pistol at my breast, with a full determination to shoot 
 me. I let the reins go, and walked before them until I arrived 
 at the stairs on the outside of the court-house, when Judge Arm- 
 strong met me, and said, "Since nothing else will do, let us de- 
 fend the stairs." We instantly ascended, and Mr. Hamilton, and 
 the gentlemen of the bar, and many citizens ; and the rioters, 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 93 
 
 headed by William Wilson, Colonel Walker, and Colonel Holt, 
 came forward, and the general cry was, "March on, damn you ; 
 proceed and take him !" Judge Armstrong replied, "You damned 
 rascals, come on ; we will defend the court and ourselves ; and 
 before you shall take Judge Bryson you shall kill me and many 
 others, which seems to be your intention, and which you may 
 do !" At this awful moment, one Holt seized Judge Armstrong 
 by the arm with intent to pull him down the stairs, but he extri- 
 cated himself. Holt's brother then got a drawn sword and put 
 it into his hands, and damned him to run the rascal through ; 
 and Wilson drew his sword on me with great rage, and young 
 Beale his sword, and cocked his pistol, and presented it. I told 
 them they might kill me, but the judge they could not, nor should 
 they take him ; and the words "fire away !" shouted through the 
 mob. I put my hand on his shoulder, and begged him to con- 
 sider where he was, who I was, and reflect for a moment. I told 
 him to withdraw the men, and appoint any two or three of the 
 most respectable of his people to meet me in half an hour and 
 try to settle the dispute. He agreed, and with difficulty got 
 them away from the court-housfe. Mr. Hamilton then went with 
 me to Mr. Alexander's tavern, and in Wilson and Walker came, 
 and also Sterrett ; who I soon discovered to be their chief coun- 
 sellor. 
 
 Proposals were made by me that they should return home, 
 offer no insult to Judge Bryson or the court, and prefer to the 
 governor a decent petition, stating their grievances, (if they had 
 any,) that might be laid before the legislature ; and that, in the 
 mean time, the judge should not sit on the bench in this court. 
 They seemed agreed, and our mutual honor to be pledged ; but 
 Sterrett, who pretended not to be concerned, stated that great de- 
 lay would take place, that injuries had been received which de- 
 manded instant redress, and objected to the power of the 
 governor as to certain points proposed. At this moment young 
 Beale and Holt came up, the former with arms, and insisted on 
 Wilson's joining them, and broke up the conference. I followed, 
 and on the field, among the rioters, told Wilson, "Your object 
 is that Judge Bryson leave the bench and not sit on it this 
 court." He and Walker said "Yes." "Will j'ou promise to 
 disperse and go home, and offer him no insult ?" He said, "Yes ;" 
 
94 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 and our mutual honor was then pledged for the performance of 
 this agreement. 
 
 Mr. Hamilton proceeded to the court, told the judge, and he 
 left his seat and retired. I scarce had arrived until the fife be- 
 gan to play, and the whole of the rioters came on to the court- 
 house, then headed by Wilson. I met them at the foot of the 
 stairs, and told them the judge was gone, in pursuance of the 
 agreement, and charged them with a breach of the word and 
 forfeiture of honor ; and Walker said it was so, but he could not 
 prevail on them. Wilson said he would have the judge, and 
 attempted going up the stairs. I prevented him, and told him 
 he should not, unless he took off his military accoutrements. 
 He said he had an address to present, and complied with my re- 
 quest, and presented it, signed "The People." Young Beale, at 
 the moment I was contending with Wilson, cocked and pre- 
 sented his pistol at my breast, and insisted that Wilson and all 
 of them should go ; but on my offering to decide it by combat 
 with him, he declined it ; and by this means they went off swear- 
 ing, and said that they were out-generalled. 
 
 The next day. Colonel M'Farland, with his regiment, came 
 down and offered to defend the court, and addressed it; the 
 court answered, and stated that there was no occasion, and 
 thanked him. 
 
 Judge Bryson read a paper, stating the ill-treatment he received, 
 and mentioned that no fear of danger prevented him from taking 
 and keeping his seat ; but that he understood an engagement had 
 been entered into by his friends that he should not, and on that 
 account only he was prevented. The court adjourned until two 
 o'clock that day, and were proceeding to open it, with the sheriff, 
 coroner, and constable in front, when they observed that Judge 
 Beale was at the house of one Con. They halted, and requested 
 the sheriff to wait on him and request him to walk with them. 
 He returned, and said the judge would not walk or sit with 
 Bryson, and addressed Judge Bryson with warmth, who replied 
 to it in a becoming manner. The sheriff struck at him, and 
 kicked also. Judge Armstrong seized the sheriff, and commanded 
 the peace, and took the sheriff's rod from him; the coroner took 
 his place, and the sheriff was brought up before the court. I 
 moved he might be committed to gaol; and his mittimus being 
 written and signed, the court ordered the coroner and gaoler to 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 95 
 
 take him, and he submitted. The court adjourned. After night 
 the drum beat, and Holt collected about seventy men, who re- 
 peatedly huzzaed, crying out "liberty or death;" and he offered 
 to rescue the sheriff, but the sheriff refused. At ten o'clock at 
 night I was informed expresses were sent down the Narrows, to 
 collect men to rescue the sheriff, and Major Edmiston informed 
 me he was sorry for his conduct, and offered to beg the court's 
 pardon and to enter into recognisance. I communicated this to 
 Judges Brown and Armstrong, and requested they would write 
 to the gaoler to permit him to come down. They did, and the 
 sheriff came with Major Edmiston, begged pardon of every 
 member of the court but Judge Bryson, who was not present, 
 and entered into recognisance to appear at next sessions. 
 
 The next day near three hundred were assembled below the 
 Narrows, and I prevailed on some gentlemen to go down and 
 disperse them ; and upon being assured the sheriff was out of 
 gaol, they returned to their respective homes, and the court have 
 finished all business. Nothing further requiring the attendance 
 of the grand-jury, the court dismissed them and broke up. I 
 must not omit to inform that Judge Beale had declared, during 
 the riot, in court, that he would not sit on the bench with Judge 
 Bryson, and that both he and said Stewart appeared to counte- 
 nance the rioters, and are deeply concerned. 
 
 I must now close the narrative with saying that, owing to the 
 spirit and firmness of Judge Armstrong and the whole of the 
 bar, I was enabled to avert the dreadful blow aimed at Judge 
 Bryson, and to keep order and subordination in court; and un- 
 less the most vigorous measures are exerted soon, it will be im- 
 possible ever to support the laws of the State in that county, or 
 punish those who dare transgress. 
 
 The exise law is execrated by the banditti; and, from every 
 information, I expect the collection of the revenue will be op- 
 posed. 
 
 I am happy to add, the dispute, which originated by a mis- 
 take, between Huntingdon and Mifflin counties, is happily 
 closed in the most amicable manner, without any posecution in 
 Mifflin. 
 
 I am, sir, your most obedient, 
 
 John Clark, Dy. St. Attorney. 
 
 To Thomas Smith, Esq., President of the Court of Mifflin county. 
 
96 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 The following is another account of the affair, and evi- 
 dently written by a friend of the offending judge: — 
 
 Carlisle, September 21. 
 
 At a period when the general voice of the people proclaims 
 the excellence of the Federal Government, and the State of Penn- 
 sylvania in particular is anticipating every blessing from a Con- 
 stitution so conformable to it, an alarming sedition, together with 
 a most daring turbulent temper, has unhappily manifested itself 
 in the county of Mifflin. 
 
 The Governor has lately appointed Samuel Bryson, Esquire, 
 second Associate Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of that 
 county. This gentleman, having been Lieutenant of the county 
 of Mifflin, had excited the determined enmity of two men who 
 were ambitious of being colonels of militia, and against the 
 commissioning of whom (as unfit persons) Mr. Bryson, as County 
 Lieutentant, had made representations. Enraged at the pro- 
 motion of Judge Bryson, and unhappily yielding to the impulse 
 of the most unjustifiable passions, one William Wilson, brother 
 to the sheriff of MifSin county, and one David Walker, levied a 
 considerable force, and marched at the head of about forty armed 
 men, with a fife playing, to Lewistown, with the avowed determ- 
 ination to seize upon the person of Judge Bryson whilst on the 
 bench, drag him from thence, oblige him to resign his commis- 
 sion, and compel him to march many miles along the rugged 
 Narrows of Juniata River. 
 
 Secresy marked this unexampled treasonable riot. It was not 
 known at Lewistown until about an hour before the insurgents 
 appeared. Justice Stuart, who had been lately commissioned, 
 and who is a ver}'- worthy man, had been imprisoned in the 
 morning by four men who belonged to the party of rioters. They 
 attempted to make him engage his word that he would not give 
 information; but he refused. Ignorant of the private movers of 
 this daring and turbulent procedure, it was agreed by Judges 
 Brown and Armstrong, and other gentlemen, to request the sheriff 
 of the county and Judge Beale, who were presumed to have in- 
 fluence over them, together with the prothonotary of the county, 
 to represent the illegality and imprudence of their conduct, 
 and prevail on them if possible, to return. No advantage has 
 been derived from this step. Mr. Edmiston, the prothonotary, 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 97 
 
 was insulted; the sheriff was taken into a mock imprisonment; 
 and Judge Beale soon after adopted a part which evinced that 
 little real exertion could have been expected from him in quiet- 
 ing this disturbance. 
 
 The court was sitting when this armed force, levying war against 
 the State, with a fife playing, marched resolutely forward. At 
 this juncture Judge Bryson asked Judge Beale if it was not likely 
 they would stop ; to which the other replied that they never 
 would whilst such a rascal sat upon the bench. 
 
 Mr. Clark and Mr. Hamilton, two attorneys of the court, at 
 the desire of some of the judges, remonstrated with Mr. Wilson, 
 who was on horse-back and within a few paces of the court- 
 house, at the head of the troops, respecting his conduct. Mr. 
 Wilson was dressed in a military style, with a cockade in his hat, 
 and was armed with a horseman's sword and pistols. He de- 
 clared his intention was to oblige Mr. Bryson to resign his com- 
 mission and go down the Narrows with him and his men. He 
 was warned by the gentlemen of the danger of the attempt; he 
 observed that nothing would divert him from his purpose, and 
 immediately drew his sword and marched to storm the court- 
 room, where Judge Armstrong and others were stationed at the 
 door. The two gentlemen who had addressed Wilson ran to 
 the steps in front of the force, where they found a number of 
 persons on the stairs. The rioters followed, with a cry of " Lib- 
 erty or Death!" Mr. Armstrong halloed out repeatedly, " Vil- 
 lians, come on, but you shall first march over my dead body be- 
 fore you enter." This resolution, seconded by the circumstance 
 of the gentlemen above mentioned, and a number of other per- 
 sons, keeping their ground on the stairs, (although once or twice 
 some called to the rioters to fire,) seemed to stagger the resolu- 
 tion of Wilson. At this moment a gentleman proposed to him 
 that if he would disarm, he might have admittance into the 
 court-room. To this he seemed immediately to accede. The 
 troops were filed off a short distance. It was then agreed that 
 a meeting should take place in half an hour with the leaders of 
 the party. Messrs. Clark and Hamilton, with the assent of some 
 members of the court, met Messrs. William Wilson, David Wal- 
 ker, and W^illiam Sterrett, who appeared on behalf of the rioters. 
 Entertaining hopes of preserving the person of Mr. Bryson from 
 injury, it was thought prudent to promise, if the party would 
 7 
 
98 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 disperse, that Mr. Bryson would not sit during that week on the 
 bench. During this conference, Mr. Wilson offered no other 
 charge against Mr. Bryson but what respected the militia com- 
 missions for him and Mr. Walker; but it was not until after 
 much discourse that the leaders of the troops could be convinced 
 that an extorted resignation would not avail. When they saw 
 the futility of this idea, it was long insisted that Mr. Bryson 
 should go with them down the Narrows. 
 
 Mr. Wilson, in contravention of the agreement, marched the 
 troops to the court-house. In the meantime. Judge Bryson had 
 sent for a horse and effected his escape. It was then Mr. Wil- 
 liam Sterrett exclaimed, with an oath, " We are out-geueralled!" 
 
 An address was presented by Mr. Wilson to the court, who 
 went in unarmed, signed " The People." It was in the hand- 
 writing, as is supposed, of Mr. Sterrett. It congratulated the 
 other judges upon their appointments, but mentioned and avowed 
 their design in coining armed to the court to force the dismission 
 of Judge Bryson. Mr. Beale, one of the most active of the 
 rioters, armed with a sword and pistols slung around him, wished 
 to force his way into the court-room, but was prevented by Mr. 
 Clark. Four armed men surrounded the person of the sheriff. 
 Under this delusive imprisonment, all intercourse of conversa- 
 tion with him was prohibited. In the evening, the rioters de- 
 parted in a turbulent, straggling manner, generally intoxicated. 
 At night, one Corran, who had been active in raising men, 
 was drowned, together with his horse, in a mill-dam, about one 
 mile and a half from the town. 
 
 About twelve or one o'clock the next day, Judge Bryson re- 
 turned. Soon afterward. Col. James McFarland, with about 
 seventy militia on horseback, appeared in support of the court 
 and the laws. At three o'clock, Judges Brown, Bryson, and 
 Armstrong, preceded by the sheriff, prepared to open the court. 
 The sheriff was sent with a message to Judge Beale, informing 
 him that the judges waited for him to join them in proceed- 
 ing to the court-house. His reply was that he would not go 
 whilst Mr. Bryson was with them. The judges had not walked 
 more than a few paces, followed by the attorneys and citizens, 
 when the sheriff, with his rod of office in his liand, suddenly 
 stopped, and demanded of Mr. Bryson if he had said any thing 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 99 
 
 injurious of him. Mr. Bryson made a very moderate reply; 
 notwithstanding, he was immediately assaulted by the sherifif, 
 and received a kick in the same leg which had been shattered 
 by a ball at the battle of Germantown. The sheriff was imme- 
 diately taken into custody. The coroner received the sheriff's 
 rod, and undertook to go before the judges to court. There the 
 sheriff refused to give any recognisance for his appearance at the 
 next court, and was therefore committed to jail. 
 
 Colonel McFarland presented an address to the judges on be- 
 half of himself and the militia under his command, mentioning 
 his abhorrence of the proceedings which had taken place, and 
 offering, at the hazard of their lives, to protect the court. To 
 which the following answer was returned : — 
 
 "The judges of the Court of Common Pleas of the county of 
 Mifflin are very sensible of the laudable zeal of Colonel McFar- 
 land and the militia now under arms, subject to his command, 
 in support of the laws and government of Pennsylvania, and 
 particularly for the purpose of protecting this court from injury 
 and insult. They trust that the daring mob who, being armed, 
 assembled yesterday and assaulted the court, threatening the 
 lives of the members, are now too conscious of the magnitude 
 of their offence and the spirit of the citizens of this county to 
 repeat their attack. Measures are preparing to vindicate the 
 dignity of our insulted laws, and to bring to a just punishment 
 the atrocious offenders, and their abettors, who have brought 
 disgrace upon the county and trampled upon the most sacred 
 rights of the community. The court, therefore, sir, return you 
 thanks for the support which you and the militia under your 
 command have with so much alacrity brought to the aid of the 
 administration of justice in this county ; but being of opinion 
 that all danger from these infatuated men has ceased, we do not 
 think it necessary that your attendance should be longer con- 
 tinued." 
 
 After which Judge Bryson, standing at the bar, spoke the fol- 
 lowing words: — 
 
 " Fellow-citizens : — It is not my intention to resume my seat 
 on the bench during this term. I do not decline it from any 
 apprehension of the mob who yesterday assaulted the court and 
 marked me for their vengeance. Supported by my country, by 
 every virtuous citizen, and a consciousness of my integrity, I 
 
100 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 have nothing to fear; but understanding that some gentlemen, 
 anxious for my personal safety, entered into an engagement with 
 the leaders of the banditti that I should not sit as judge during 
 this court, my respect for these gentlemen is my sole and only 
 motive for making this declaration." 
 
 Colonel McFarland, after this, thanked the militia in the fol- 
 lowing terms : — 
 
 " Colonel McFarland returns his thanks to the militia of his 
 regiments who now attend in support of the laws of their coun- 
 try. He is particularly indebted to Captain Robert Johnston 
 and Captain John Brown, for their extraordinary vigilance in 
 collecting the men of their respective companies upon a notice 
 given to them so late as last night after twelve o'clock. He has 
 no doubt but that the same zeal which has distinguished the 
 militia under his command upon this occasion will always be as 
 honorably manifested, should this county ever be so unhappy 
 as to be disgraced by a similar necessity." 
 
 Soon after which, the militia, having been discharged by the 
 court, returned home. 
 
 The evening of the day was replete with alarms. One Holt, 
 who thought he had cause of complaint respecting a militia 
 commission, assembled a body of men to the amount of about 
 forty. They paraded a considerable time with sound of drum. 
 At length, at eight o'clock, they appeared before the prison-door, 
 with an intention to break it and enlarge the sheriff. Mr. Ster- 
 rett then appeared, and informed them that the sheriff thanked 
 his friends for their intention to serve him, but this is not a 
 proper period ; or words to that effect. 
 
 About nine o'clock, several persons, having long applied to 
 the sheriff without success, prevailed on him at length to give a 
 recognisance to appear at the next court to answer for the assault 
 and battery on Judge Bryson. Happily, the sheriff, in this in- 
 stance, relinquished a system which was collecting new horrors 
 and threatened to involve in new scenes of guilt a number of 
 the inhabitants. Great numbers in Tuscarora Valley and its 
 ' vicinity prepared the following day to march and liberate the 
 sheriff, and probably to demolish the court-house and jDrison. 
 The news of his release arrived in time to stop the progress of 
 those infatuated men, who appear to have lost sight of the social 
 compact, and whose felicity seems to lie in scenes of tumult, 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 101 
 
 disorder, and licentiousness. It is to be hoped, however, that 
 government, when it comes to enforce the laws, will contemplate 
 the ignorance and delusion of these unfortunate men, and that 
 mercy will so far temper the prosecution as that it will not be 
 extended to a capital charge; yet it is indispensably necessary 
 that they be taught that genuine liberty consists in the power of 
 doing every thing which is not prohibited by the laws, and that 
 the exercise of an unbounded licentiousness which threatens the 
 dissolution of society itself must receive a punishment in some 
 degree commensurate to the greatness of the offence. 
 
 How far Mr. Br^^son's representations to the governor against 
 Messrs. Wilson, Walker, and Holt, have been founded in a just 
 estimate of the characters of these men, cannot be elucidated 
 here; but it would appear to afford the highest evidence of its 
 propriety that they were the principals in this most unexampled 
 riot. 
 
102 HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 KISHICOQUILLAS VALLEY — THE SHAWNEE CHIEF KISHICOKELAS — 
 THE MINGO CHIEF LOGAN. 
 
 (^ MONG the many valley's composing the Juniata Val- 
 7pk ley, or, indeed, among all the fine and productive 
 ^i valleys of the State, few, if any, can surpass Kishico- 
 quillas. Its outlet is at Lewistown, from whence it stretches 
 west a distance of nearly thirty miles, varying in breadth 
 from two to four miles. 
 
 After the treaty of Fort Stanwix, the whites returned to 
 the neighborhood of Granville, and some of them commenced 
 exploring the valley. The land was then included in what 
 was termed the new purchase, and was in the market. The 
 land-office was opened in 1709, and the first actual settler in 
 the valley was Judge Brown. 
 
 Old Kishicokelas was a Shawnee chief, on terms of friend- 
 ship with the whites. With the Buchanans he was very in- 
 timate, and gave them early intimation of the impending 
 danger, which enabled them to escape. While the Dela- 
 wares and most of his own tribe went over to the French in 
 a body, Kishicokelas remained loyal to the proprietary gov- 
 ernment; and, although they made him splendid offers at 
 the time they corrupted Jacobs, he rejected them all, and 
 declared that no earthly consideration could induce him to 
 lift the hatchet against the sons of Onas. 
 
 It is to be regretted that historians never made mention 
 of Kishicokelas, except incidentally. He was the fast 
 friend of the old chief Shickalemy, who resided at Fort 
 Augusta, and it is probable that he was converted by some 
 of the Moravian missionaries. He died in 1756, as appears 
 by a letter directed to his sons, as follows : — 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 103 
 
 " Philadelphia, June 13, 1756. 
 
 "I am obliged to you for your letter by our good friend, John 
 Shickcalamy. Your father's letter and present were received by 
 the late Governor Hamilton, who acquainted me with it; and I 
 intended, at a time when less engaged by public business, to have 
 sent you my acknowledgments and answer. 
 
 "I heartily condole with you on the loss of your aged father, 
 and mingle my tears with yours, which however I would now 
 have you wipe away with the handkerchief herewith sent. 
 
 "As a testimony of love the proprietors and this government 
 retain for the family of Kishycoquillas, you will be pleased to 
 accept of the present which is delivered to John Shickcalamyfor /^^ <t 
 your use. ' 
 
 "May the Great Spirit confer on you health and every other , / 
 blessing. Continue your afiection for the English and the good > 
 people of this province, and you will always find them grateful jhiM^ 
 
 "I am your assured friend, ^ / y (< 
 
 "Robert H. Morris." 
 
 Soon after the treaty at Alabama, — prol^ably in 1755, — 
 settlers, who had heard of tlie beauty and fertility of Kishi- 
 coquillas Valley, flocked fhither for the purpose of locating 
 lands. Few locations, however, were effected, for the In- 
 dians of the valley, with the exception of the chief Kishi- 
 cokelas, and his immediate followers, were opposed to it, and 
 threw every obstacle, short of downright murder, in the 
 way of the new-comers. There is no positive evidence that 
 any murders were committed in Kishicoquillas at that period, 
 but the savages certainly did everything in their power to 
 menace and harass the settlers, in order to induce them to 
 relinquish the design of settling upon what they still con- 
 sidered their lands. The following letter from Colonel 
 Armstrong to Governor Morris gives some information of 
 the trials these early settlers were subjected to : 
 
 " Carlisle, May 26, 1755. 
 
 " This day I received a letter from my brother, who is laying 
 
 out lands for the settlers in the new purchase, giving an account 
 
 of three Indians, very much painted, who last week robbed and 
 
 drove off several settlers from the Valley of Kishicoquillas. 
 
104 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 One of the Indians, by his skulking position, seemed as if he 
 designed secretly to have shot, but, the white man, discovering 
 him, escaped. They took three horses, three or four guns, and 
 some cash. 'Tis said they robbed another man up Juniata. 
 
 " To-morrow I am to set out for Kishicoquillas, there to decide 
 some controversies, and thence to proceed to Susquehanna, near 
 Shamokin, where I expect to meet Conrad Weiser. If he is 
 there, he may, by the assistance of the Shickcalamies, be of use 
 in regard to those robberies. I am, sir, yours, &c., 
 
 "John Armstrong." 
 
 f Colonel Armstrong did go to Shamokin, v^^liere he met 
 
 A — Shickalemy, and induced him to use his influence in behalf 
 . of the settlers in the new purchase ; but Shickalemy's labors 
 
 ■ were lost, for he could effect nothing among the savages of 
 Kishicoquillas, and the settlers were forced to fly for protec- 
 tion to Fort Granville ; nor did they or any other whites 
 venture into the valley until some time in 1765. 
 
 Shickalemy, or Shickellimus, as he was sometimes called, 
 was a Cayuga chief, of the Six Nations, and for many years 
 resided at Fort Augusta, on the Susquehanna, where Sun- 
 bury now stands. He was converted to Christianity by the 
 Moravian missionaries about 1742, and was, to the day of 
 his death, the firm and steadfast friend of the English colo- 
 nists. To his exertions, in a great measure, may be traced 
 the cause why none of the Six Nations on the Susquehanna 
 ^ ,:' joined the French, and why a portion of the Delawares 
 L^^^' spurned the most tempting off'ers of the French agents and 
 ^Vv»A remained loyal to the colonists. 
 
 lijty^ Shickalemy attended numerous treaties in Philadelphia, 
 -^' during which he was kindly entertained by James Logan, 
 the secretary of the province. The chief esteemed him so 
 highly that he named his second son after him, on his re- 
 turn from one of these treaties, and immediately had him, as 
 well as two other sons, baptized with Christian rites by the 
 Moravians. 
 
 In 17^, Shickalemy paid a visit to the old chief Kishi- 
 cokelas, for the purpose of adopting some conciliatory meas- 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 105 
 
 ures to prevent the Indians of the valley from committing 
 depredations upon the settlers. On this occasion he was ac- 
 companied by his sons, John and James Logan. The latter, 
 probably charmed with the beauty of the valley, soon after 
 the demise of Kishicokelas settled in the valley which bore 
 the name of his father's friend. He built himself a cabin 
 (not a wigwam) by the side of a fine limestone spring, whose 
 waters gushed out of a small hill-side in the very heart of 
 the valley, where his sole pursuit was hunting. This was 
 Logan, the Mingo chief, whose name is perpetuated by 
 counties, towns, townships, valleys, paths, mountains, and 
 even hotels, and which will live in history, probably to the 
 end of time. 
 
 There is no evidence that he had a family at the time 
 he resided in Kishicoquillas ; neither was he a chief at that 
 time, for he lived away from his tribe, and what little inter- 
 course he had with his fellow-men was with the whites, to 
 whom he bartered venison and deer-skins for such articles 
 as he stood in need of. He maintained himself solely by 
 hunting, and was passionately fond of it. A gentleman who 
 saw Logan at Standing Stone, in 1771 or 1772, described him 
 to Mr. Maguire as " a fine-looking, muscular fellow, appa- 
 rently about twenty-eight years of age. He weighed about two 
 hundred pounds, had a full chest, and prominent and en- 
 pansive features. His complexion was not so dark as that 
 of the Juniata Indians, and his whole actions showed that 
 he had had some intercourse with the whites." This noble 
 specimen of the red men, unfortunately, had the failing 
 common to his kind: he would indulge in intoxicating 
 liquors to excess on nearly every occasion that offered. 
 When sober, he was dignified and reserved, but frank and 
 honest; when intoxicated, he was vain, boastful, and ex- 
 tremely foolish. 
 
 Judge Brown, a short time previous to his death, in the 
 course of a conversation with R. P. Maclay, Esq., about 
 Logan, said : — 
 
106 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 "The first time I ever saw that spring, (Logan's,) my brother, 
 James Reed, and myself, had wondered out qf the valley in 
 search of land, and, finding it very good, we were looking about 
 for springs. About a mile from this we started a bear, and sep- 
 arated to get a shot at him. I was travelling along, looking 
 about on the rising ground for the bear, when I came suddenly 
 upon the spring ; and being dry, and more rejoiced to find so 
 fine a spring than to have killed a dozen bears, I set my rifle 
 against a bush, and rushed down the bank, and laid down to 
 drink. Upon putting my head down, I saw reflected in the water, 
 on the opposite side, the shadow of a tall Indian. I sprang to my 
 rifle, when the Indian gave a yell, whether for peace or war I 
 was not just then sufficiently master of my faculties to deter- 
 mine ; but upon my seizing my rifle and facing him, he 
 knocked up the pan of his gun, threw out the priming, and 
 extended his open palm toward me in token of friendship. After 
 putting down our guns, we again met at the spring, and shook 
 hands. This was Logan — the best specimen of humanity I ever 
 met with, either whhe or red. He could speak a little English, 
 and told me there was another white hunter a little way down 
 the stream, and offered to guide me to his camp. There I first 
 met your father, (Samuel Maclay.) We remained together in 
 the valley for a week, looking for springs and selecting lands, 
 and laid the foundation of a friendship which never has had the 
 slightest interruption. 
 
 " We visited Logan at his camp, at Logan's Spring, and your 
 father and he shot at a mark, for a dollar a shot. Logan lost 
 four or five rounds, and acknowledged himself beaten. When 
 we were about to leave him, he went into his hut and brought 
 out as many deer-skins as he had lost dollars, and handed them 
 to Mr. Maclay, who refused to take them, alleging that he had 
 been his guest, and did not come to rob him ; that the shooting 
 had only been a trial of skill, and the bet merely nominal. 
 Logan drew himself up with great dignity, and said, ' Me bet to 
 make you shoot your best; me gentleman, and me take your 
 dollar if me beat.' So he was obliged to take the skins, or af- 
 front our friend, whose nice sense of honor would not permit 
 him to receive even a horn of powder in return. 
 
 *' The next year,' said Judge Brown, " I brought my wife up, 
 and camped under a big walnut-tree on the bank of Tea Creek, 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 107 
 
 until I had built a cabin near where the mill now stands, and I 
 have lived in the valley ever since. Poor Logan " (and the tears 
 chased each other down his cheeks) " soon after went into the 
 Alleghany, and I never saw him again." 
 
 Many other characteristic anecdotes are given of Logan, 
 the publication of which in these pages would answer no 
 very desirable end. 
 
 In looking over the few pages of manuscripts left by the 
 late Edw'ard Bell, Esq., we find mention made of " Captain 
 Logan, an Indian friendly to the whites." This confirmed 
 us in the belief that there were two Logans. "Logan, the 
 Mingo chief," left Kishicoquillas Valley in 1.771 ; while Cap- 
 tain Logan resided in the upper end of Huntingdon county 
 at that time, and a few years afterward in Logan's Valley, in 
 Blair county. When the Revolution broke out, he moved 
 toward the mountain, in the neighborhood of Chickalaca- 
 moose, near what is now Clearfield. He served as a spy for 
 the settlers, and rendered them valuable service. He was 
 an Iroquois or Mingo Indian, too, and a chief; whereas 
 Logan, the Mingo, was no chief until he removed to 'Ohio 
 after his relatives were murdered and he took up the hatchet 
 against the whites. This explanation is necessary, because 
 many people of Huntingdon and Blair counties are under 
 the impression that the Captain Logan who resided in Tuck- 
 ahoe as late as 1785, and Logan, the Mingo chief, were one 
 and the same person. 
 
 Logan, in consequence of Kishicoquillas becoming too 
 thickly populated, and the game becoming proportionately 
 scarce, emigrated to Ohio, where he settled at the mouth of 
 Yellow^ Creek, thirty miles above Wheeling. There he was 
 joined by his surviving relatives and some Cayugas from 
 Fort Augusta, and a small Indian village of log-huts was 
 built up. 
 
 Heckwelder, who must have seen him previous to settling 
 at Yellow Creek, sj)eaks of him as follows : — 
 
 About the year 1772, Logan was introduced to me by an In- 
 dian friend, as son of the late reputable chief Shikelemus, and 
 
108 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 as a friend to the white people. In the course of conversation^ 
 I thought him a man of superior talents than Indians generally 
 were. The subject turning on vice and immorality, he confessed 
 his too great share of this, especially his fondness for liquor.. 
 He exclaimed against the white people for imposing liquors 
 upon the Indians. He otherwise admired their ingenuity ; 
 spoke of gentlemen, but observed the Indians unfortunately 
 had but few of these neighbors, &c. He spoke of his friendship 
 to the white people, wished always to be a neighbor to them, in- 
 tended to settle on the Ohio, below Big Beaver; was (to the best 
 of my recollection) then encamped at the mouth of this river, 
 (Beaver;) urged me to pay him a visit. I was then living at the 
 Moravian town on this river, in the neighborhood of Cuskuskee. 
 In April, 1773, while on my passage down the Ohio for Musk- 
 ingum, I called at Logan's settlement, where I received every 
 civility I could expect from such of the family as were at home. 
 Indian reports concerning Logan, after the death of his family, 
 ran to this : that he exerted himself during the Shawnees war 
 (then so called) to take all the revenge he could, declaring he 
 had lost all confidence in the white people. At the time of ne- 
 gotiation, he declared his reluctance to lay down the hatchet, not 
 having (in his opinion) yet taken ample satisfaction ; yet, for 
 the sake of the nation, he would do it. His expression, from 
 time to time, denoted a deep melancholy. Life, said he, had be- 
 come a torment to him ; he knew no more what pleasure was ; 
 he thought it had been better if he had never existed. Report 
 further states that he became in some measure delirious; de- 
 clared he would kill himself; went to Detroit, and, on his way 
 between that place and Miami, was murdered. In October, 1781, 
 while a prisoner, on my way to Detroit, I was shown the spot 
 where this was said to have happened. 
 
 That Logan's temper should have soured on the murder 
 of his relatives and friends, after the friendship he had al- 
 ways extended to the whites, is not at all strange. These 
 murders changed his nature from a peaceable Indian to a 
 most cruel and bloodthirsty savage. Revenge stimulated 
 him to the most daring deeds; and how many innocent 
 white men, women, and children, he ushered into eternity to 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 109 
 
 appease his wrath, is only known to Him "whose eye seeth 
 all things." 
 
 His people — some say his family, but it never was ascer- 
 tained that he had any — were murdered in May, 1774. 
 Some roving Indians had committed depredations in the 
 neighborhood, and the settlers, highly incensed, determined 
 to drive them out of the neighborhood. To this end, about 
 thirty men, completely armed, and under the command of 
 Daniel Greathouse, without knowing the character and dis- 
 position of Logan and his friends, made a descent upon the 
 village and destroyed it, and killed twelve and wounded six 
 or eight of the Indians. Among the former was Logan's 
 sister and a son of Kishicokelas. Logan was absent, at the 
 time of the occurrence, on a hunting expedition. On his 
 return, as soon as he saw the extent of the injury done him, 
 he buried the dead, and cared for the wounded, and, with 
 the remnant of his band, went into Ohio, joined the Shaw- 
 nees, and fought during their war against the whites with 
 the most bitter and relentless fury. 
 
 In the autumn of 1774, the Indians, getting some very 
 rough usage, and fearing that the powerful army of Lord 
 Dunmore would march upon and exterminate them, sued 
 for peace. Lord Dunmore sent a belt of wampum to all the 
 principal chiefs, and among the rest, one to Logan, inviting 
 them to a treaty. Logan refused to attend the council, but 
 sent the following speech by an interjDreter, in a belt of 
 wampum. The treaty was held under an oak-tree, near 
 Circleville, Ohio, and it was there that the eloquent and 
 purely Indian speech which rendered Logan's name immor- 
 tal was read, and brought tears to the eyes of many of the 
 sturdy pioneers assembled : — 
 
 " I appeal," says Logan, " to any white man to say if he ever 
 ■entered Logan's cabin hungry, and he gave him not meat; if he 
 came naked and cold, and I clothed him not. During the last 
 long and bloody war, Logan remained idle in his cabin, an ad- 
 vocate of peace. Such was my love for the whites that my 
 countrymen, as they passed, said, ' Logan is the friend of the 
 
110 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 whites.' I had thought of living among you, but for the in- 
 juries of one man. Captain Cressap, last spring, in cold blood, 
 and unprovoked, murdered all the relations of Logan, not spar- 
 ing even my women and children. There runs not one drop of 
 my blood in any living creature. This called on me for revenge. 
 I have sought it ; I have killed many ; I have fully glutted my 
 vengeance. For my country, I rejoice in the beams of peace. 
 But do not harbor the thought that mine is the joy of fear. 
 Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to save his 
 life. Who is there to mourn for Logan ? Not one ! " 
 
 The authorship of this speech was attributed to Thomas 
 Jefferson, but he most emphatically denied it, as did others 
 who were present at the treaty. 
 
 With respect to Captain Cressap, Logan was doubtless mis- 
 informed. It is true Captain Cressap was a daring frontier- 
 man, who considered it an obligation imposed upon him by 
 the Creator to slay Indians, but he was altogether innocent 
 of the charge made against him by Logan. The massacre 
 in question, when the facts were known after Dunmore's 
 treaty, was deeply deplored, and the wanton butchery of 
 Cressap execrated. Cressap's friends, however, would not 
 suffer the stigma of an inhuman act, of which he was not 
 guilty, to be fixed upon him ; so they procured all the evi- 
 dence to be had in the case, and fixed the disreputable deed 
 upon Daniel Greathouse and his followers. A number of 
 affidavits to that effect were made by men who accompanied 
 Greathouse, and published a year or two after the treaty ; 
 others in 1799, when the subject was revived and freely dis- 
 cussed. 
 
 Seeing the great disadvantages the Indians labored under 
 in trying to cope with well-armed and disciplined troops, 
 and believing that his revenge was far from being satiated, 
 it is cjuite likely that Logan became partially insane, as 
 Heckwelder avers ; but it is quite certain that he became a 
 misanthrope, and for a long time refused to mingle with 
 human beings. At length he plunged into deep excesses, 
 and all he could earn, by the most skilful use of the rifle. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. Ill 
 
 went to gratify his inordinate thrist for strong drink. The 
 once proud and noble Mingo chief gradually descended the 
 scale of dignified manhood, outlived his greatness, and was 
 killed in a drunked brawl. Sorry are we to say this, in the 
 face of the romance of history ; nevertheless it is true. We 
 had the statement from an old Ohio pioneer, nearly twenty 
 years ago. 
 
112 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 COL. JOHN Armstrong's expedition against kittaning — list of 
 
 THE KILLED AND WOUNDED — DELAWARE CHIEFS, CAPTAIN JACOBS 
 AND SHINGAS. 
 
 -fttjTTI^ following account of the famous expedition against 
 Jl 11 the Indian town of Kittaning we deem worthy of be- 
 
 ^4^ ing recorded, not only because the companies of Cap- 
 tains Potter and Steele belonged to the Juniata Valley, but 
 on account of its being an interesting detail of an important 
 event in the early settlement of the country. 
 
 The expedition was planned and carried out with great 
 secresy, for the sole purpose of punishing the Indians en- 
 gaged in the Juniata Valley massacres, and who it was 
 known had their head-quarters at Kittaning, where the 
 chief instigators of all the mischief, Shingas and Captain 
 Jacobs, lived. The command was intrusted to Colonel John 
 Armstrong, a brave and prudent officer, and the forces con- 
 sisted of seven companies. He left Fort Shirley (Aughwick, 
 Huntingdon county) on the 30th of August, 1756, and on 
 the 3d of September came up with the advanced party at 
 "Beaver Dams, a few miles south of Frankstown, on the 
 north branch of the Juniata." This junction of the forces 
 occurred on the flat where Gaysport now stands, where the 
 little army struck the celebrated trail known as the Kittan- 
 ing Path. In his official account of the expedition, dated 
 at Fort Littletown, September 14, 1756, Colonel Armstrong 
 says : — 
 
 We were there [at the Beaver Dams] informed that some of 
 our men, having been out upon a scout, had discovered the 
 tracks of two Indians about three miles this side of the Alle- 
 ghany Mountain and but a few miles from the camp. From 
 the freshness of the tracks, their killing of a cub bear, and the 
 marks of their fires, it seemed evident they were not twenty-four 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 113 
 
 hours before us, which might be looked upon as a particular 
 providence in our favor that we were not discovered. Next 
 morning we decamped, and in two days came within fifty miles 
 of the Kittaning. It was then adjudged necessary to send some 
 persons to reconnoiter the town, and to get the best intelligence 
 they could concerning the situation and position of the enemy ; 
 whereupon an officer, with one of the pilots and two soldiers, 
 were sent off for that purpose. The day following we met them 
 on their return, and they informed us that the roads were en- 
 tirely clear of the enemy, and that they had the greatest reason 
 to believe they were not discovered ; but from the rest of the in- 
 telligence they gave it appeared they had not been nigh enough 
 the town, either to perceive the true situation of it, the number 
 of the enemy, or in what way it might most advantageously be 
 attacked. We continued our march, in order to get as near the 
 town as possible that night, so as to be able to attack it next 
 morning about daylight; but, to our great dissatisfaction, about 
 nine or ten o'clock at night one of our guides came and told us 
 that he perceived a fire by the road-side, at which he saw two 
 or three Indians, a few perches distant from our front; where- 
 upon, with all possible silence, I ordered the rear to retreat 
 about one hundred perches, in order to make way for the front 
 that we might consult how we could best proceed without being 
 discovered by the enemy. Soon after, the pilot returned a second 
 time, and assured us, from the best observations he could make, 
 there were not above three or four Indians at the fire, on which 
 it was proposed that we should immediately surround and cut 
 them off; but this was thought too hazardous, for, if but one of 
 the enemy had escaped, it would have been the means of dis- 
 covering the whole design ; and the light of the moon, on which 
 depended our advantageously posting our men and attacking the 
 town, would not admit of our staying until the Indians fell 
 asleep ; on which it was agreed to leave Lieutenant Hogg, with 
 twelve men and the person who first discovered the fire with 
 orders to watch the enemy, but not to attack them, till break of 
 day, and then, if possible, to cut them off. It was also agreed 
 (we believing ourselves to be but about six miles from the town) 
 to leave the horses, many of them being tired, with what blank- 
 ets and other baggage we then had, and to take a circuit off the 
 8 
 
114 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 road, which was very rough and incomnaodious on account of 
 the stones and fallen timber, in order to prevent our being heard 
 by the enemy at the fire place. This interruption much re- 
 tarded our march, but a still greater loss arose from the igno- 
 rance of our pilot, who neither knew the true situation of the 
 town nor the best paths that led thereto ; by which means, after 
 crossing a number of hills and valleys, our front reached the 
 river Ohio [Alleghany] about one hundred perches below the 
 main body of the town, a little before the setting of the moon, 
 to which place, rather than by the pilot, we were guided by the 
 beating of the drum and the whooping of the warriors at their 
 dance. It then became us to make the best use of the remain- 
 ing moonlight ; but, ere we were aware, an Indian whistled in a 
 very singular manner, about thirty perches from our front, in 
 the foot of a corn-field; upon which we immediately sat down, 
 and, after passing silence to the rear, I asked one Baker, a sol- 
 dier, who was our best assistant, whether that was not a signal 
 to the warriors of our approach. He answered " No," and said 
 it was the manner of a young fellow's calling a squaw after he 
 had done his dance, who accordingly kindled a fire, cleaned his 
 gun, and shot it off before he went to sleep. All this time we 
 were obliged to lie quiet and lurk, till the moon was fairly set. 
 Immediately after, a number of fires appeared in different places 
 in the corn-field, by which Baker said the Indians lay, the night 
 being warm, and that these fires would immediately be out, as 
 they were only designed to disperse the gnats. By this time it 
 was break of day, and the men, having marched thirty miles, 
 were mostly asleep. The time being long, the three companies 
 of the rear were not yet brought over the last precipice. For 
 these some proper hands were immediately dispatched ; and the 
 weary soldiers being roused to their feet, a proper number, un- 
 der sundry officers, were ordered to take the end of the hill at 
 which we then lay, and march along the top of the said hill 
 at least one hundred perches, and so much farther (it then being 
 daylight) as would carry them opposite the upper part, or at 
 least the body, of the town. For the lower part thereof and the 
 corn-field, presuming the warriors were there, I kept rather the 
 larger number of men, promising to postpone the attack in that 
 part for eighteen or twenty minutes, until the detachment along 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 115 
 
 the hill should have time to advance to the place assigned them 
 — in doing of which they were a little unfortunate. The time 
 being elapsed, the attack was begun in the corn-field, and the 
 men, with all expedition possible, despatched through the sev- 
 eral parts thereof, a party being also despatched to the houses, 
 which were then discovered by the light of the day. Captain 
 Jacobs immediately then gave the war-whoop, and, with sundry 
 other Indians, as the English prisoners afterward told, cried the 
 white men were at last come, they would then have scalps 
 enough ; but, at the same time, ordered their squaws and child- 
 ren to flee to the woods. Our men, with great eagerness, passed 
 through and fired in the corn-field, where they had several re- 
 turns from the enemy, as they also had from the opposite side 
 of the river. Presently after, a brisk fire began among the 
 houses, which from the house of Captain Jacobs was returned 
 with a great deal of resolution, to which place I immediately 
 repaired, and found that from the advantage of the house and 
 portholes sundry of our people were wounded and some killed; 
 and, finding that returning the fire upon the house was ineflfect- 
 ual, I ordered the contiguous houses to be set on fire, which was 
 performed by sundry of the officers and soldiers with a great 
 deal of activity, the Indians always firing whenever an object 
 presented itself, and seldom missing of wounding or killing some 
 of our people — from which house, on moving about to give the 
 necessary orders and directions, I received a wound with a large 
 musket-ball in the shoulders. Sundry persons, during the action, 
 were ordered to tell the Indians to surrender themselves prison- 
 ers, but one of the Indians in particular answered and said he 
 was a man, and would not be a prisoner ; upon which he was 
 told, in Indian, he would be burnt. To this he answered he did 
 not care, for he would kill four or five before he died ; and, had 
 we not desisted from exposing ourselves, they would have killed 
 a great many more, they having a number of loaded guns by 
 them. As the fire began to approach and the smoke grew thick, 
 one of the Indian fellows, to show his manhood, began to sing. 
 A squaw in the same house, and at the same time, was heard to 
 cry and make a noise, but for so doing was severely rebuked by 
 the man; but by-and-by, the fire being too hot for them, two 
 Indian fellows and a squaw sprang out and made for the corn- 
 
•116 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 field, who were immediately shot down by our people then sur- 
 rounding the houses. It was thought Captain Jacobs tumbled 
 himself out at a garret or cockloft window at which he was shot 
 — our prisoners offering to be qualified to the powder-horn and 
 pouch there taken oflf him, which they say he had lately got 
 from a French officer in exchange for Lieutenant Armstrong's 
 boots, which he carried from Fort Granville, where the lieutenant 
 was killed. The same prisoners say they are perfectly assured 
 of his scalp, as no other Indians there wore their hair in the 
 same manner. They also say they know his squaw's scalp by a 
 particular 606, and also know the scalp of a young Indian called 
 the King's Son. Before this time, Captain Hugh Mercer, who, 
 early in the action, was wounded in the arm, had been taken to 
 the top of a hill above the town, — to whom a number of the 
 men and some of the officers were gathered, from whence they 
 had discovered some Indians pass the river and take the hill, 
 with an intention, as they thought, to surround us and cut off 
 our retreat, from whom I had sundry pressing messages to leave 
 the houses and retreat to the hills, or we should all be cut ofif. 
 But to this I would by no means consent until all the houses 
 were set on fire. Though our spreading upon the hills appeared 
 very necessary, yet did it prevent our researches of the corn-field 
 and riverside, by which means sundry scalps were left behind, 
 and doubtless some squaws, children, and English prisoners, that 
 otherwise might have been got. During the burning of the 
 houses, which were near thirty in number, we were agreeably 
 entertained with a quick succession of charged guns gradually 
 firing ofif as reached by the fire, but much more so with the vast 
 explosion of sundry bags and large kegs of gunpowder, where- 
 with almost every house abounded; the prisoners afterward in- 
 forming us that the Indians had frequently said they had a 
 sufficient stock of ammunition for ten years' war with the Eng- 
 lish. With the roof of Captain Jacobs's house, when the powder 
 blew up, was thrown the leg and thigh of an Indian, with a child 
 of three or four years old, to such a height that they appeared 
 as nothing, and fell in an adjoining corn-field. There was also a 
 great quantity of goods burnt, which the Indians had received 
 in a present but ten days before from the French. By this time 
 I had proceeded to the hill, to have my wound tied up and the 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 117 
 
 blood stopped, where the prisoners which in the morning had 
 come to our people informed me that that very day two bateaux 
 of Frenchmen, with a large party of Delaware and French In- 
 dians, were to join Captain Jacobs at the Kittaning, and to set 
 out early the next morning to take Fort Shirley, or, as they 
 called it, George Crogan's Fort; and that twenty-four warriors, 
 who had lately come to the town, were set out the evening be- 
 fore, for what purpose they did not know, — whether to prepare 
 meat, to spy the fort, or to make an attack on some of our back 
 inhabitants. Soon after, upon a little reflection, we were con- 
 vinced these warriors were all at the fire we had discovered but 
 the night before, and began to doubt the fate of Lieutenant 
 Hogg and his party. From this intelligence of the prisoners, — 
 our provisions being scaffolded some thirty miles back, except 
 what were in the men's haversacks, which were left, with the 
 horses and blankets, with Lieutenant Hogg and his party, — and 
 having a number of wounded people then on hand, by the ad- 
 vice of the officers it was thought imprudent then to wait for 
 the cutting down the corn-field, (which was before designed,) 
 but immediately to collect our wounded and force our march 
 back in the best manner we could ; which we did, by collecting 
 a few Indian horses to carry off our wounded. From the appre- 
 hension of being waylaid and surrounded, (especially by some 
 of the woodsmen,) it was difficult to keep the men together, our 
 march, for sundry miles, not exceeding two miles an hour; which 
 apprehensions were heightened by the attempt of a few Indians, 
 who, for some time after the march, fired upon each wing and 
 immediately ran off; from whom we received no other damage 
 but one of our men being wounded through both legs. Captain 
 Mercer — being wounded, was induced, as we have every reason 
 to believe, by some of his men, to leave the main body, with his 
 ensign, John Scott, and ten or twelve men, they being heard to 
 tell him that we were in great danger, and that they could take 
 him into the road a nigh way — is probably lost, there being yet 
 no account of him, and the most of the men come in. A de- 
 tachment was sent back to bring him, but could not find him ; 
 and upon the return of the detachment it was generally reported 
 he was seen, with the above number of men, to take a different 
 road. Upon our return to the place where the Indian fire had 
 
118 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 been discovered the night before, we met with a sergeant of Cap- 
 tain Mercer's company, and two or three other of his men, who 
 had deserted us that morning, immediately after the action at 
 the Kittaning. These men, on running away, had met with 
 Lieutenant Hogg, who lay wounded in two different parts of his 
 body Jay the road-side. He there told them of the fatal mistake 
 of the pilot, who had assured us there were but three Indians, at 
 the most, at the fire place; but when he came to attack them 
 that morning, according to orders, he found a number considera- 
 bly superior to his, and believes they killed or mortally wounded 
 three of them the first fire, after which a warm engagement be- 
 gan, and continued for above an hour, when three of his best 
 men were killed and himself twice wounded. The residue flee- 
 ing off, he was obliged to squat in a thicket, where he might 
 have lain securely until the main body had come up, if this 
 cowardly sergeant and others that fled with him had not taken 
 him away. 
 
 They had marched but a short space when four Indians ap- 
 peared, on which these deserters began to flee. The lieutenant 
 then, notwithstanding his wounds, as a brave soldier, urged and 
 commanded them to stand and fight, which they all refused. 
 The Indians pursued, killing one man and wounding the lieu- 
 tenant a third time through the belly, of which he died in a few 
 hours, but, having sometime before been put on horseback, rode 
 some miles from the place of action. This last attack of the 
 Indians upon Lieutenant Hogg and the deserters was by the 
 before-mentioned sergeant represented to us quite in a difi"erent 
 light, he telling us that there was a far larger number of Indians 
 there than appeared to them, and that he and the men with him 
 had fought five rounds; that he had there seen the lieutenant 
 and sundry others killed and scalped, and had also discovered 
 a number of Indians throwing themselves before us, and insin- 
 uated a great deal of such stuff" as threw us into much confusion; 
 so that the officers had a great deal to do to keep the men to- 
 gether, but could not prevail upon them to collect what horses 
 and other baggage the Indians had left after the conquest of 
 Lieutenant Hogg and the party under his command in the morn- 
 ing, except a few of the horses, which some of the bravest of 
 the men were prevailed on to collect; so that from the mistakes 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 119 
 
 of the pilot who spied the Indians at the fire, and the cowardice 
 of the said sergeant and other deserters, we here sustained a 
 considerable loss of our horses and baggage. It is impossible to 
 ascertain the exact number of the enemy killed in the action, 
 as some were destroyed by fire, and others in different parts of 
 the cornfield ; but, upon a moderate computation, it is generally 
 believed there cannot be less than thirty or forty killed and 
 mortally wounded, as much blood was found in sundry parts of 
 the corn-field ; and Indians seen in several places crawl into the 
 woods on hands and feet, — whom the soldiers in pursuit of others 
 then overlooked, expecting to find and scalp them afterward, — 
 and also several killed and wounded in crossing the river. On 
 beginning our march back, we had about a dozen of scalps and 
 eleven English prisoners ; but now we find that four or five of 
 the scalps are missing, part of which were lost on the road, and 
 part in possession of those men who, with Captain Mercer, sep- 
 arated from the main body, with whom went also four of the 
 prisoners, the other seven being now at this place, where we ar- 
 rived on Sunday night, not being separated or attacked through 
 our whole march by the enemy, though we expected it every 
 day. Upon the whole, had our pilots understood the true situa- 
 tion of the town and the paths leading to it, so as to have posted 
 us at a convenient place where the disposition of the men and 
 the duty assigned to them could have been performed with 
 greater advantage, we had, by divine assistance, destroyed a 
 much greater number of the enemy, recovered more prisoners, 
 and sustained less damage, than what we at present have. But 
 though the advantage gained over this our common enemy 
 is far from being satisfactory to us, yet we must not despise 
 the smallest degrees of success that God is pleased to give, 
 especially at a time of such general calamity, when the attempts 
 of our enemies have been so prevalent and successful. I am 
 sure there was the greatest inclination to do more' had it been 
 in our power, as the officers and most of the soldiers, throughout 
 the whole action, exerted themselves with as much activity and 
 resolution as could be expected. Our prisoners inform us the 
 Indians have for some time past talked of fortifying at the 
 Kittaning and other towns. 
 
 The following is a list of the killed and wounded, re- 
 
120 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 turned in Colonel Armstrong's official report of the expe- 
 dition : — 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel John Armstrong's Company. — 
 Killed — Thomas Power, John M'Cormick. Wounded — Lieu- 
 tenant-Colonel Armstrong, James Caruthers, James Strick- 
 land, Thomas Foster. 
 
 Captain Hamilton's Company. — Killed — John Kelly. 
 
 Captain Mercer's Company. — Killed — John Baker, John 
 McCartney, Patrick Mullen, Cornelius McGinnis, Theophilus 
 Thompson, Dennis Kilpatrick, Biyan Carrigan. Wounded 
 — Richard Fitzgibbons. Missing — Captain Hugh Mercer, 
 Ensign John Scott, Emanuel Minskey, John Taylor, John 
 Francis Phillips, Robert Morrow, Thomas Burk, Philip Pen- 
 dergrass. 
 
 Captain Armstrong's Company. — Killed — Lieutenant 
 James Hogg, James Anderson, Holdcraft Stringer, Edward 
 Obrians, James Higgins, John Lassen. Wounded — William 
 Findley, Robert Robinson, John Ferrol, Thomas Camplin, 
 Charles O'Neal. Missing — John Lewis, William Hunter, 
 William Barker, George Appleby, Anthony Grissy, Thomas 
 Swan. 
 
 Captain Ward's Company. — Killed — William Welch. 
 Wounded — Ephriam Bratton. Missing — Patrick M3'-ers, Law- 
 rence Dannahow, Samuel Chambers. 
 
 Captain Potter's Company. — Wounded — Ensign James 
 Potter, Andrew Douglass. 
 
 Captain Steel's Company. — Missing — Terence Canna- 
 herry. 
 
 Total killed, 17; wounded, 13; missing, 19. All the miss- 
 ing, with one or two exceptions, reached their homes, and 
 nearly all of the wounded recovered. 
 
 The loss on the part of the colonists was severe, when we 
 consider that they had three hundred and fifty men en- 
 gaged in the action, while the Indian force did not consist 
 of over one hundred warriors. The ignorance of the pilot, 
 and the great error of some of the officers in persisting in 
 trying to dislodge the enemy from the houses by discharge 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 121 
 
 of fire-arms, was no doubt the direct cause of the death of 
 many of the brave men ; for all admit that the expedition 
 was well planned, and admirably carried out, as far as cir- 
 cumstances would permit. 
 
 In speaking of the horrible Indian massacres which fol- 
 lowed the defeat of Braddock, Drake, in his Indian his- 
 tory, says: — 
 
 Shingas and Captain Jacobs were supposed to have been the 
 principal instigators of them, and a reward of seven hundred 
 dollars was offered for their heads. It was at this period that 
 the dead bodies of some of the murdered and mangled were 
 sent from the frontiers to Philadelphia, and hauled about the 
 streets, to inflame the people against the Indians, and also against 
 the Quakers, to whose mild forbearance was attributed a laxity 
 in sending out troops. The mob surrounded the House of As- 
 sembly, having placed the dead bodies at its entrance, and de- 
 manded immediate succor. At this time, the above reward was 
 offered. 
 
 King Shingas, as he was called by the whites, (who is 
 noticed in the preceding paragragh,) but whose proper name 
 was Shingask, which is interpreted Bog-meadoiv, was the 
 greatest Delaware warrior at that time. Heckwelder, who 
 knew him personally, says, " Were his war exploits all on 
 record, they would form an interresting document, though a 
 shocking one." Conococheague, Big Cove, Sherman's Valley, 
 and other settlements along the frontier, felt his strong arm 
 sufficiently to attest that he was a " bloody warrior," — cruel 
 his treatment, relentless his fury. His person was small, 
 but in point of courage, activity, and savage prowess, he 
 was said to have never been exceeded by any one. In 1753, 
 when Washington was on his expedition to fight the French 
 on the Ohio, (Allegheny,) Shingas had his house at Kittaning. 
 
 King Shingas was at Fort Duquesne when Lieutenant 
 Armstrong destroyed Kittaning ; but there is no doubt what- 
 ever that Captain Jacobs fell in the engagement, notwith- 
 standing Hans Hamilton, in a letter to the council, dated at 
 Fort Lyttleton, April 4, 1756, said, "Indian Isaac hath 
 
122 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 brought in the scalp of Captain Jacobs." This Indian Isaac 
 claimed, and we believe received, the reward offered for 
 killing and scalping Captain Jacobs, and yet Captain Jacobs 
 lived to do a great deal of mischief before his scalp fell into 
 the hands of the English colonists. 
 
 Not only was Captain Jacobs a great warrior, but it 
 would appear that all his family connections were Indians 
 of note. In a letter from Colonel Stephen to Colonel Arm- 
 strong, it is stated, on authority of a returned captive from 
 Muskingum, that 
 
 A son of Captain Jacobs is killed, and a cousin of his, about 
 seven feet high, called Young Jacobs, at the destroying of Kit- 
 taning, and it is thought a noted warrior by the name of The 
 Sunfish, as many of them were killed that we know nothing of. 
 
 There is no doubt that Armstrong's return did not em- 
 brace half the actual loss of the enemy, including women 
 and children ; but it was a mistake in Stejohen or his infor- 
 mant to include the warrior Sunfish among the slain, for he 
 was a hale old chief in 1781. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 123 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 OLD INDIAN TOWN — INDIAN PATHS — AUGHWICK — MURDER OF JOHN 
 ARMSTRONG AND PARTY — CAPTAIN JACK, THE WILD HUNTER OF 
 THE JUNIATA — GEORGE CROGAN, ETC. 
 
 ^ S we ascend the river, the nearer we approach the base 
 7\ of the Alleghany Mountains the fewer places we find 
 (^fV even mentioned in quite early history. On the flat 
 eight or nine miles west of Lewistown, near a large spring, 
 stood an old Shawnee town. It is mentioned as early as 
 1731, in a report of the number of Indians accompanying 
 the deposition of some traders. The town w^as called Ohesson, 
 on the " Choniata," and supposed to be sixty miles distant 
 from the Susquehanna. As this is Indian computation, 
 some allowance must be made, for in some connection we 
 notice the Indian town of Assunnepachla set down as being 
 distant one hundred miles from Ohesson by water and fifty 
 miles by land. Assunnepachla was the Indian name of 
 Franktown; and no person, by following the most sinuous 
 windings of the river, can make the distance to Lewistown 
 over eighty miles. 
 
 These places were probably never visited by any but 
 Indian traders previous to Braddock's defeat, and the con- 
 sequence is that we are without any record of Ohesson, 
 which was evidently destroyed and abandoned at an early 
 day. Assunnepachla, however, stood for many years, but it 
 lost its name before it became a place of importance to the 
 whites. 
 
 Aughwick, it is said, had the honor of receiving the first 
 white settlers, in 1749, that came within the present limits 
 of Huntingdon county. Of course, they were in search of 
 choice lands, and there is reason to believe they found them, 
 too, notwithstanding the proprietors and their man Peters, 
 in a year thereafter, ousted them by burning their cabins 
 
124 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 over their heads. Aughwick Valley is in the extreme south- 
 ern part of Huntingdon county, and, if not a regular con- 
 tinuation of the Tuscarora Valley, is at least one of the 
 chain of valleys through whose entire length ran the cele- 
 brated path from Kittaning to Philadelphia, — the great 
 western highway for footmen and pack-horses. 
 
 This path, traces of which can yet be plainly seen in 
 various places, and especially in the wilds of the mountains,, 
 must have been a famous road in its day. It commenced at 
 Kittaning, on the Alleghany River, and crossed the Allghany 
 Mountains in a southeastern direction, the descent on the 
 eastern slope being through a gorge, the mouth of Avhich is 
 five or six miles west of Hollidaysburg, at what is well 
 known as Kittaning Point. From this it diverged in a 
 southern direction until it led to the flat immediately back 
 of Holidaysburg, from th-ence east, wound round the gorge' 
 back of the Presbyterian graveyard, and led into Frank's old 
 town. From thence it went through what is now called 
 Scotch Valley, Canoe Valley, and struck the river at Water 
 street. From thence it led to Alexandria, crossed the river 
 and went into Hartsog Valley ; from thence to Woodcock 
 Valley; from Woodcock Valley, across the Broadtop mount- 
 ain, into Aughwick ; from thence into the Tuscarora Valley, 
 and from thence into Sherman's Valley, by Sterritt's Gap. 
 
 At Kittaning Point, this path, although it is seldom that 
 the foot of any one but an occasional hunter or fisher treads 
 it, is still the same path it was when the last dusky warrior 
 who visited the Juniata Valley turned his face to the west, 
 and traversed it for the last time. True, it is filled up with 
 weeds in summer-time, but the indentation made by the feet 
 of thousands upon thousands of warriors and pack-horses- 
 which traveled it for an unknown number of years are still 
 plainly visible. We have gone up the Kittaning gorge two- 
 or three miles, repeatedly, and looked upon the ruins of old 
 huts, and the road, which evidently never received the im- 
 pression of a wagon-wheel, and were forcibly struck with 
 the idea that it must once have been traversed, without 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 125 
 
 inowing- at the time that it was the famous Kittaning trail. 
 In some places, where the ground was marshy, close to the 
 run, the path is at least twelve inches deep, and the very- 
 stones along the road bear the marks of the iron-shod horses 
 of the Indian traders. Two years ago, we picked up, at the 
 edge of the run, a mile up the gorge, two gun-flints, — now 
 rated as relics of a past age. At the time we supposed that 
 some modern Nimrod lost them. Now, however, we incline 
 to the belief that they fell from the pocket of some weary 
 soldier in Armstrong's battalion, who lay down upon the 
 bank of the brook to slake his thirst, nearly a hundred years 
 ago. The path can be traced in various other places, but 
 nowhere so plain as in the Kittaning gorge. This is owing 
 to the fact that one or two other paths led into it, and no im- 
 provement has been made in the gorge east of " Hart's Sleep- 
 ing Place," along the line of the path. 
 
 Aughwick was an Indian town, located probably near 
 where Shirleysburg now stands, and for a long time was an 
 important frontier post. The name of the place figures ex- 
 tensively in the Colonial Records, first as a place where 
 many conferences were held, and afterwards as Fort Shirley. 
 
 Previous to actual settlers coming into the Juniata Valley, 
 every inch of it was known to the traders — or, at least, every 
 Indian town in it ; and how long they trafficked with the 
 red men before actual settlers came is unknown. Thus, for 
 instance, six or seven years before the settlement of Augh- 
 wick, a trader named John Armstrong, and his two servant- 
 men, were murdered at what is now Jack's Narrows, in 
 Huntingdon county. As there are several narrows along the 
 Juniata, we should have been at a loss to locate the scene of 
 the murder, had we not accidentally noticed in the Archives 
 a calculation of distances by John Harris, wherein he says 
 — " From Aughwick to John Armstrong's Narrows — so called 
 from his being there murdered, — eight miles." At the time 
 of the massacre, the British colonists and the Indians were 
 on friendly terms of intimacy, and Armstrong was a man of 
 some standing and influence, so that the murder (the first 
 
126 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY, 
 
 one of so atrocious a nature in that region) created the most 
 intense excitement. Along with Armstrong his servant-men, 
 James Smith and Woodward Arnold, were also murdered. 
 The charge was laid to a Delaware Indian, named Muse- 
 meelin, and two companions. Seven white men and five In- 
 dians searched for the bodies, found and buried them. The 
 Indian was arrested and taken to Lancaster, and from there 
 removed to Philadelphia for trial, but whether convicted or 
 not the record does not say. Allumoppies, King of the Dela- 
 wares, Shickallemy, and a number of other Indians of stand- 
 ing and influence, were brought before the council in Phila- 
 delphia, when the friends of Armstrong produced the fol- 
 lowing affidavit of those who searched for the bodies: — 
 
 Paxton, April 19^ 174-Jf.. 
 The deposition of the subscribers testifieth and saith, that the 
 subscribers, having a suspicion that John Armstrong, trader, to- 
 gether with his men, James Smith and Woodward Arnold, were 
 murdered by the Indians, they met at the house of Joseph 
 Chambers, in Paxton, and there consulted to go to Shamokin, to 
 consult with the Delaware king and Shickcalimy, and there 
 council what they should do concerning the affair. Whereupon 
 the king and council ordered eight of their men to go with the 
 deponents to the house of James Berry, in order to go in quest 
 of the murdered persons ; but that night they came to the said 
 Berry's house three of the eight Indians ran away ; and the next 
 morning these deponents, with the five Indians that remained, 
 set out on their journey, peaceably, to the last supposed sleep- 
 ing-place of the deceased; and upon their arrival, these depo- 
 nents dispersed themselves, in order to find out the corpse of 
 the deceased ; and one of the deponents, named James Berry, a 
 small distance from the aforesaid sleeping-place, came to a white- 
 oak tree, which had three notches on it, and close by said tree 
 he found a shoulder-bone, which the deponent does suppose to 
 be John Armstrong's, — and that he himself was eaten by the 
 Indians, — which he carried to the aforesaid sleeping-place, and 
 showed it to his companions, one of whom handed it to the said 
 five Indians to know what bone it was; and they, after passing 
 different sentiments upon it, handed it to a Delaware Indian, 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 127 
 
 who was suspected by the deponents; and they testify and say 
 that as soon as the Indian took the bone in his hand his nose 
 gushed out with blood, and he directly handed it to another. 
 From whence these deponents steered along a path, about three 
 or four miles, to the Narrows of Juniata, where they suspected 
 the murder to have been committed; and where the Alleghany 
 Road crosses the creek these deponents sat down, in order to 
 consult on what measures to take to proceed on a discovery. 
 Whereupon most of the white men, these deponents, crossed the 
 creek again, and went down the creek, and crossed into an island, 
 where these deponents had intelligence the corpse had been 
 thrown; and there they met the rest of the white men and In- 
 dians who were in company, and there consulted to go farther 
 down the creek in quest of the corpse. And these deponents 
 further say, they ordered the Indians to go down the creek on 
 the other side; but they all followed these deponents at a small 
 distance, except one Indian, who crossed the creek again; and 
 soon after these deponents, seeing some bald eagles and other 
 fowls, suspected the corpse to be thereabouts, and then lost sight 
 of the Indians, and immediately found one of the corpses, 
 which these deponents say was the corpse of James Smith, one 
 of said Armstrong's men ; and directly upon finding the corpse 
 these deponents heard three shots of guns, which they had great 
 reason to think were the Indians their companions, who had 
 deserted from them ; and in order to let them know that they 
 had found the corpse these deponents fired three guns, but to 
 no 'purpose, for they never saw the Indians any more. And 
 about a quarter of a mile down the creek they saw more bald 
 eagles, whereupon they made down toward the place, where 
 they found another corpse (being the corpse of Woodworth 
 Arnold, the other servant of said Armstrong) lying on a rock, 
 and then went to the former sleeping-place, where they had ap- 
 pointed to meet the Indians; but saw no Indians, only that the 
 Indians had been there, and cooked some victuals for themselves 
 and had gone ofi". 
 
 And that night, the deponents further say, they had great 
 reason to suspect that the Indians were then thereabouts, and 
 intended to do them some damage, for a dog these deponents 
 had with them barked that night, which was remarkable, for 
 the said dog had not barked all the time they were out till that 
 
128 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 night, nor ever since, which occasioned these deponents to stand 
 upon their guard behind the trees, with their guns cocked, that 
 night. Next morning these deponents went back to the corpses, 
 which they found to be barbarously and inhumanly murdered 
 by very gashed, deep cuts on their hands with a tomahawk, or 
 such like weapon, which had sunk into their skulls and brains; 
 and in one of the corpses there appeared a hole in his skull near 
 the cut, which was supposed to be with a tomahawk, which hole 
 these deponents do believe to be a bullet-hole. And these de- 
 ponents, after taking as particular view of the corpses as their 
 melancholy condition would admit, they buried them as decently 
 as their circumstances would allow, and returned home to Pax- 
 ton, — the Alleghany Road to John Harris's, thinking it danger- 
 ous to return the same way they went. And further these de- 
 ponents say not. 
 
 These same deponents, being legally qualified before me, James 
 Armstrong, one of his majesty's justices of the peace for the 
 county of Lancaster, have hereunto set their hands in testimony 
 thereof. 
 
 James Armstrong. 
 
 Alexander Armstrong, Thomas McKee, Francis Ellis, John 
 Florster, William Baskins, James Berry, John Watt, James 
 Armstrong, David Denny. 
 
 After the foregoing facts had been elicited, a regular 
 Indian talk was had upon the matter, when Shickallemy 
 gave the following as a true version of every thing connected 
 with the massacre : — 
 
 Brother the Governor : 
 
 We have been all misinformed on both sides about the un- 
 happy accident. Musemeelin has certainly murdered the three 
 white men himself, and, upon the bare accusation of Neshaleeny's 
 son, was seized and made a prisoner. Our cousins, the Delaware 
 Indians, being then drunk, in particular Allumoppies, never ex- 
 amined things, but made an innocent person prisoner, which 
 gave a great deal of disturbance among us. , However, the two 
 prisoners were sent, and by the way, in going down the river, 
 they stopped at the house of James Berry. James told the 
 young man, "I am sorry to see you in such a condition ; I have 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 129 
 
 known you from a boy, and always loved you." Then the young 
 man seemed to be very much struck to the heart, and said, " I have 
 said nothing yet, but I will tell all ; let all the Indians come up, 
 and the white people also; they shall hear it;" and then told 
 Musemeelin, in the presence of the people, "Now I am going to die 
 for your wickedness ; you have killed all the three white men. 
 I never did intend to kill any of them." Then Musemeelin, 
 in anger, said, " It is true, I have killed them.' I am a man, 
 you are a coward. It is a great satisfaction to me to have killed 
 them ; I will die for joy for having killed a great rogue and his 
 companions." Upon which the young man was set at liberty by 
 the Indians. 
 
 We desire therefore our brother the governor will not insist to 
 have either of the two young men in prison or condemned to 
 die; it is not with Indians as with white people, to put people 
 in prison on suspicion or trifles. Indians must first be found 
 guilty of a cause; then judgment is given and immediately exe- 
 cuted. We will give you faithfully all the particulars, and at 
 the ensuing treaty entirely satisfy you ; in the mean time, we 
 desire that good friendship and harmony continue, and that we 
 may live long together is the hearty desire of your brethren the 
 Indians of the United Six Nations present at Shamokin. 
 
 The following is what Shickcalamy declared to be the truth of 
 the story concerning the murder of John Armstrong, Woodworth 
 Arnold, and James Smith, from the beginning to the end, to wit: 
 
 That Musemeelin owing some skins to John Armstrong, the 
 said Armstrong seized a horse of the said Musemeelin and a rifle- 
 gun; the gun was taken by James Smith, deceased. Some time 
 last winter Musemeelin met Armstrong on the river Juniata, and 
 paid all but twenty shillings, for which he offered a neck-belt in 
 pawn to Armstrong, and demanded his horse, and James Arm- 
 strong refused it, and would not deliver up the horse, but en- 
 larged the debt, as his usual custom was ; and after some quarrel 
 the Indian went away in great anger, without his horse, to his 
 hunting-cabin. Some time after this, Armstrong, with his two 
 companions, on their way to Ohio, passed by the said Muse- 
 meelin's hunting-cabin; his wife only being at home, she de- 
 manded the horse of Armstrong, because he was her proper 
 goods, but did not get him. Armstrong had by this time sold 
 9 
 
130 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 or lent the horse to James Berry. After Musemeelin came from 
 hunting, his wife told him that Armstrong was gone by, and 
 that she had demanded the horse of him, but did not get him; 
 and, as is thought, pressed him to pursue and take revenge of 
 Armstrong. The third day, in the morning, after James Arm- 
 strong was gone by, Musemeelin said to the two young men that 
 hunted with him, " Come, let us go toward the Great Hills to 
 hunt bears; " accordingly they went all three in company. After 
 they had gone a good way,. Musemeelin, who was foremost, was 
 told by the two young men that they were out of their course. 
 "Come you along," said Musemeelin; and they accordingly fol- 
 lowed him till they came to the path that leads to the Ohio. 
 Then Musemeelin told them he had a good mind to go and fetch 
 his horse back from Armstrong, and desired the two young men 
 to come along. Accordingly they went. It was then almost 
 night, and they travelled till next morning. Musemeelin said, 
 " Now they are not far off. We will make ourselves black; then 
 they will.be frightened, and will deliver up the horse immedi- 
 ately; and I will tell Jack that if he don't give me the horse I 
 will kill him;" and when he said so, he laughed. The young 
 men thought he joked, as he used to do. They did not blacken 
 themselves, but he did. When the sun was above the trees, or 
 about an hour high, they all came to the fire, where they found 
 James Smith sitting; and they also sat down. Musemeelin 
 asked where Jack was. Smith told him that he was gone to 
 clear the road 9, little. Musemeelin said he wanted to speak with 
 him, and went that way, and after he had gone a little distance 
 from the fire, he said something, and looked back laughing, but, 
 he having a thick throat, and his speech being very bad, and 
 their talking with Smith hindering them from understanding 
 what he said, they did not mind it. They being hungry. Smith 
 told them to kill some turtles, of which there were plenty, and 
 they would make some bread by-and-by, and would all eat to- 
 gether. While they were talking, they heard a gun go off, at 
 which time Woodworth Arnold was killed, as they learned after- 
 ward. Soon after, Musemeelin came back and said, " Why did 
 you not kill that white man, according as I bid you? I have 
 laid the other two down." At this they were surprised ; and 
 one of the "young men, commonly called Jimmy, ran away to 
 the river-side. Musemeelin said to the other, " How will you do 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 13^ 
 
 to kill Catawbas, if you cannot kill white men ? You cowards t 
 I'll show you how you must do ; " and then, taking up the En- 
 glish axe that lay there, he struck it three times into Smith's, 
 head before he died. Smith never stirred. Then he told the 
 young Indian to call the other, but he was so terrified he could 
 not call. Musemeelin then went and fetched him, and said that 
 two of the white men were killed, he must now go and kill the 
 third ; then each of them would have killed one. But neither of 
 them dared venture to talk any thing about it. Then he pressed 
 them to go along with him; he went foremost. Then one of the 
 young men told the other, as they went along, " My friend, don't 
 you kill any of the white people, let him do what he will; I have 
 not killed Smith; he has done it himself; we have no need to 
 do such a barbarous thing." Musemeelin being then a good 
 way before them, in a hurry, they soon saw John Armstrong 
 sitting upon an old log. Musemeelin spoke to him and saidy 
 " Where is my horse? " Armstrong made answer and said, " He 
 will come by-and-by ; you shall have him." " I want him now,'^ 
 said Musemeelin. Armstrong answered, " You shall have him. 
 Come, let us go to that fire," (which was at some distance from 
 the place where Armstrong sat,) "and let us talk and smoke to- 
 gether." "Go along, then," said Musemeelin. " I am coming,'^ 
 said Armstrong, "do you go before, Musemeelin; do you go 
 foremost." Armstrong looked then like a dead man, and went 
 toward the fire, and was immediately shot in his back by Muse- 
 meelin, and fell. Musemeelin then took his hatchet and struck 
 it into Armstrong's head, and said, "Give me my horse, I tell 
 you." By this time one of the young men had fled again that 
 had gone away before, but he returned in a short time. Muse- 
 meelin then told the young men they must not offer to discover 
 or tell a word about what had been done, for their lives ; but 
 they must help him to bury Jack, and the other two were to be 
 thrown into the river. After that was done, Musemeelin ordered 
 them to load the horses and follow toward the hill, where they 
 intended to hide the goods. Accordingly they did; and, as they 
 were going, Musemeelin told them that, as there were a great 
 many Indians hunting about that place, if they should happen 
 to meet with any they must be killed to prevent betraying them.. 
 As they went along, Musemeelin going before, the two young 
 men agreed to run away as soon as they could meet with any 
 
132 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 Indians, and not to hurt anybody. They came to the desired 
 place; the horses were unloaded, and Musemeelin opened the 
 bundles, and offered the two young men each a parcel of goods. 
 They told him that as they had already sold their skins, and 
 everybody knew they had nothing, they would certainly be 
 charged with a black action were they to bring any goods to the 
 town, and therefore would not accept of any, but promised never- 
 theless not to betray him. " Now," says Musemeelin, '' I know 
 what you were talking about when you stayed so far behind." 
 The two young men being in great danger of losing their lives 
 — of which they had been much afraid all that day — accepted 
 of what he offered to them, and the rest of the goods they put 
 in a heap and covered them from the rain, and then went to 
 their hunting-cabin. Musemeelin, unexpectedly finding two or 
 three more Indians there, laid down his goods, and said he had 
 killed Jack Armstrong and taken pay for his horse, and should 
 any of them discover it, that person he would likewise kill, but 
 otherwise they might all take a part of the goods. The young 
 man called Jimmy went to Shamokin, after Musemeelin was 
 gone to bury the goods, with three more Indians, with whom he 
 had prevailed ; one of them was Neshaleeny's son, whom he had 
 ordered to kill James Smith ; but these Indians would not have 
 any of the goods. Some time after the young Indian had been 
 in Shamokin, it was whispered about that some of the Delaware 
 Indians had killed Armstrong and his men. A drunken Indian 
 came to one of the Tudolous houses at night and told the man 
 of the house that he could tell him a piece of bad news. " What 
 is that?" said the other. The drunken man said, "Some of our 
 Delaware Indians have killed Armstrong and his men, which if 
 our chiefs should not resent, and take them up, I will kill them 
 myself, to prevent a disturbance between us and the white peo- 
 ple, our brethren." Next morning Shickcalamy and some other 
 Indians of the Delawares were called to assist Allumoppies in 
 council; when Shickcalamy and Allumoppies got one of the 
 Tudolous Indians to write a letter to me, to desire me to come 
 to Shamokin in all haste — that the Indians were very much dis- 
 satisfied in mind. This letter was brought to my house by four 
 Delaware Indians, sent express; but I was then in Philadelphia, 
 and when I came home and found all particulars mentioned in 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 133 
 
 this letter, and that none of the Indians of the Six Nations had 
 been down, I did not care to meddle with Delaware Indian 
 affairs, and stayed at home till I received the governor's orders 
 to go, which was about two weeks after. Allumoppies was ad- 
 vised by his council to employ a conjuror, or prophet, as they 
 call it, to find out the murderer. Accordingly he did, and the 
 Indians met. The seer, being busy all night, told them in the 
 morning to examine such and such a one that was present when 
 Armstrong was killed, naming the two young men. Musemeelin 
 was present. Accordingly, Allumoppies, Quitheyquent, and 
 Thomas Green, an Indian, went to him that had fled first, and 
 examined him. He told the whole story very freely. Then 
 they went to the other, but he would not say a word, and they 
 went away and left him. The three Indians returned to Shick- 
 calamy and informed them of what discovery they had made, 
 when it was agreed to secure the murderers and deliver them up 
 to the white people. Then a great noise arose among the Dela- 
 ware Indians, and some were afraid of their lives and went into 
 the woods. Not one cared to meddle with Musemeelin and the 
 other that could not be prevailed on to discover any thing, be- 
 cause of the resentment of their families ; but they being pressed 
 by Shickcalamy's son to secure the murderers, otherwise they 
 would be cut off from the chain of friendship, four or five of the 
 Delawares made Musemeelin and the other young man prisoners, 
 and tied them both. They lay twenty-four hours, and none 
 would venture to conduct them down, because of the great divi- 
 sion among the Delaware Indians ; and Allumoppies, in danger 
 of being killed, fled to Shickcalamy and begged his protection. 
 At last Shickcalamy's son. Jack, went to the Delawares, — most 
 of them being drunk, as they had been for several days, — and 
 told them to deliver the prisoners to Alexander Armstrong, and 
 they were afraid to do it ; they might separate their heads from 
 their bodies and lay them in the canoe, and carry them to Alex- 
 ander to roast and eat them ; that would satisfy his revenge, as 
 he wants to eat Indians. They prevailed with the said Jack to 
 assist them ; and accordingly he and his brother, and some of 
 the Delawares, went with two canoes and carried them off. 
 
 Conrad Weiser, in a letter to a friend, dated Heidelberg, 1746, 
 adverts to an interesting incident which occurred at the conclu- 
 
134 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 sion of this interview at Shamokin. He says, " Two years ago 
 I was sent by the governor to Shamokin, on account of the un- 
 happy death of John Armstrong, the Indian trader, (1744.) 
 After I had performed my errand, there was a feast prepared, to 
 which the governor's messengers were invited. There were about 
 •one hundred persons present, to whom, after we had in great 
 silence devoured a fat bear, the eldest of the chiefs made a 
 speech, in which he said, that by a great misfortune three of the 
 brethren, the white men, had been killed by an Indian; that, 
 nevertheless, the sun was not set, (meaning there was no war ;) 
 it had only been somewhat darkened by a small cloud, which 
 was now done away. He that had done evil was like to be 
 punished, and the land remain in peace ; therefore he exhorted 
 his people to thankfulness to God ; and thereupon he began to 
 sing with an awful solemnity, but without expressing any words ; 
 the others accompanying him with great earnestness of fervor, 
 spoke these words: ' Thanks, thanks be to thee, thou great Lord 
 of the world, in that thou hast again caused the sun to shine, 
 and hast dispersed the dark cloud ! The Indians are thine.' "* 
 
 Among the first settlers in Aughwick Valley was Captain 
 Jack, certainly one of the most noted characters of his day. 
 He flourished about Augliwick between 1750 and 1755, 
 when, with two or three companions, he went to the Juniata 
 and built himself a cabin near a beautiful spring. His sole 
 pursuit it would appear, was hunting and fishing; by which 
 he procured the means of subsistence for his family. There 
 was a mystery about him which no person ever succeeded in 
 fathoming, and even his companions never learned his history 
 or his real name. 
 
 He was a man of almost Herculean proportions, with ex- 
 tremely swarthy complexion. In fact, he was supposed by 
 some to be a half-breed and by otliers a quadroon. Colonel 
 Armstrong, in a letter to the governor, called liim the "Half- 
 Indian." The truth of it, however^ is that he was a white 
 man, possessing a more than ordinary share of intelligence 
 for a backwoodsman, but his early history is altogether 
 
 * See note A Appendix. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 135 
 
 shrouded in mystery. It appears that in the summer of 
 1752 Captain Jack and his companions were on a fishing 
 excursion. Returning late in the evening, Jack found his 
 cabin in ruins and his wife and two children murdered. 
 From that moment he became an altered man, quit the 
 haunts of men, and roamed the woods alone, sleeping in 
 caves, hollow logs, or wherever he could find a shelter. The 
 loss of his family, no doubt, crazed him for a time, as he did 
 not appear among the settlers until the fall of 1753. In the 
 interim, however, he was frequently seen, and, we may add, 
 frequently /c^i, by the savages, but he studiously avoided all 
 intercourse with his fellow-men. If we may judge of his 
 subsequent career, there is every reason to believe that on 
 the discovery of the wrongs done him by the savages he 
 made a vow to devote the balance of his life to slaying In- 
 dians. If he did, right faithfully was his vow kept, for his 
 fame spread far and wide among the red-skins, and many a 
 one bit the dust by his trusty rifle and unerring aim. The 
 settlers about Aughwick, as well as those in Path Valley and 
 along the river, frequently found dead savages, some in a 
 state of partial decay, and others with their flesh stripped by 
 the bald-eagles and their bones bleaching in the sun on the 
 spot where Jack's rifle had laid them low. 
 
 On one occasion Captain Jack had concealed himself in 
 the woods by the side of the Aughwick Path, where he lay 
 in wait for a stray Indian. Presently a painted warrior, 
 with a red feather waving from his head and his body be- 
 dizened with gewgaws recently purchased from a trader, 
 came down the path. A crack from Captain Jack's rifle and 
 the savage bounded into the air and fell dead without a groan 
 in the path. It appears that three others were in company, 
 but had tarried at a spring, who, on hearing the discharge 
 of the rifle, under the impression that their companion had 
 shot a deer or bear, gave a loud " whoop." Captain Jack 
 immediately loaded, and when the Indians came up to the 
 dead body Jack again shot, and killed a second one. The 
 Indians then rushed into the thicket, and one of them, get- 
 
136 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 ting a glimpse of Jack, shot at him, but missed liim. The 
 wild hunter, seeing that the chances were desperate, jumped 
 out and engaged in a hand-to-hand encounter — the fourth 
 savage being only armed with a tomahawk. He soon dis- 
 patched the third one by beating his brains out with his rifle; 
 but the fourth one, an athletic fellow, grappled, and a long 
 and bloody fight with knives followed, and only ceased when 
 both were exhausted by the loss of blood. The Indian 
 managed to get away, and left the Black Hunter the victor 
 on the field of battle. Weak and faint as Jack was, he 
 scalped the three savages, fixed their scalps upon bushes 
 overhanging the path, and then, without deigning to touch 
 their gewgaws or their arms, he managed to work his way 
 to the settlement, where his wounds, consisting of eight or 
 ten stabs, were dressed. The settlers, then squatters, cared 
 little about the loss of the Indians, since they deemed it right 
 for Captain Jack to wreak his vengeance on any and every 
 savage whom chance should throw in his way; and so little 
 did they care about the proprietors knowing their where- 
 abouts tliat no report of the case was ever made to the gov- 
 ernment of this combat. 
 
 It is said that one night the family of an Irishman named 
 Moore, residing in Aughwick, was suddenly awakened by the 
 report of a gun. This unusual circumstance at such a late 
 hour in the night caused them to get up to discover the 
 cause; and on opening the door they found a dead Indian 
 lying upon the very threshold. By the feeble light which 
 shone through the door they discovered the dim outline of 
 the wild hunter, who merely said "I have saved your lives," 
 and then plunged into the dark ravine and disappeared." 
 
 With an eye like the eagle, an aim that was unerring, 
 daring intrepidity, and a constitution that could brave the 
 heat of summer as well as the frosts of winter, he roamed 
 the valley like an uncaged tiger, the most formidable foe 
 that ever crossed the red man's path. Various were the 
 plans and stratagems resorted to by the Indians to capture 
 him, but they all proved unavailing. He fought them upon 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 137 
 
 their own ground, with their own weapons, and against them 
 adopted their own merciless and savage mode of warfare. 
 In stratagem he was an adept, and in the skillful use of the 
 rifle his superior probably did not exist in his day or gener- 
 ation. 
 
 These qualifications not only made him a terror to the In- 
 dians, but made him famous among the settlers, who for their 
 own protectipn formed a scout, or company of rangers, and 
 tendered to Captain Jack the command, which he accepted. 
 This company was uniformed like Indians, with hunting- 
 shirts, leather leggings, and moccasins, and, as they were not 
 acting under sanction of government, styled themselves " Cap- 
 tain Jack's Hunters." All the hunting done, however, after se- 
 curing game to supply their wants, was probably confined to 
 hunting for scalps of Indians; and, as it was a penal offence 
 then to occupy the hunting-grounds of the Juniata Valley, 
 much more so to shed the blood of any of the savages, it is 
 not likely that the hunters ever funished the Quaker proprie- 
 tors with an official list of the " killed and wounded." These 
 exploits gave Captain Jack a number of names or sobriquets 
 in the absence of his real name ; he was known as the " Black 
 Rifle," '' Black Hunter," " Wild Hunter of the Juniata," &c. 
 On one occasion, with his band, he followed a party of ma- 
 rauding Indians to the Conococheague, and put them to 
 rout. This act reached the authorities in Philadelphia, arid 
 Governor Hamilton granted him a sort of irregular roving 
 commission to hold in check the unfriendly Indians of the 
 frontier. With this authority he routed the savages from the 
 Cove and several other places, and the general fear he in- 
 spired among them no doubt prevented a deal of mischief 
 in the Juniata Valley. 
 
 Early in June, Captain Jack offered the services of him- 
 self and his band of hunters to government to accompany 
 Braddock on his expedition against Fort Duquesne. His 
 merits were explained to Braddock by George Crogan, who 
 said, " They are well armed, and are equally regardless of 
 heat or cold. They require no shelter for the night, and ask 
 
138 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 710 payy This generous offer on the part of Captain Jack 
 was not accepted by Braddock, because, as he alleged, " the 
 proffered services were coupled with certain stipulations to 
 which he could not consent." What these stipulations were 
 was not mentioned. It is presumed, however, that Captain 
 Jack wished his company to go as a volunteer force, free 
 from the restraints of a camp life which a rigid disciplinarian 
 like Braddock would be likely to adopt. Braddock had al- 
 ready accepted the services of a company of Indians under 
 George Crogan, and, as he wished to gain laurels for himself 
 and his troops by achieving a victory over the French and 
 Indians by open European fighting, his own selfishness 
 prompted him to refuse the assistance of any more who 
 adopted the skulking Indian mode of warfare. He did not 
 live, however, to discover his error. Hazzard, in his Penn- 
 sylvania Register, in speaking of the non-acceptance of Cap- 
 tain Jack's offer, says, " It was a great misfortune for Brad- 
 dock that he neglected to secure the services of such an aux- 
 iliary." Very true ; for such men as Jack's Hunters would 
 never have suffered themselves to be fired upon by an am- 
 buscaded enemy or an enemy hid away in a ravine. They 
 would not have marched over the hill with drums beating 
 and colors flying, in pride and pomp, as if enjoying a vic- 
 tory not yet won ; but they would have had their scouts out, 
 the enemy and his position known, and the battle fought 
 without any advantages on either side ; and in such an event 
 it is more than probable that victory would have crowned 
 the expedition. 
 
 Of the final end of Captain Jack we have nothing definite. 
 One account says he went to the West ; another that he died 
 an old man in 1772, havine; lived the life of a hermit after 
 the end of the war of 1763. It is said that his bones rest 
 near the spring, at the base of the mountain bearing his 
 name ; and this we are inclined to believe. The early set- 
 tlers of the neighborhood believed that Captain Jack came 
 down from the mountain every night at twelve o'clock to 
 slake his thirst at his favorite spring ; and half a century 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 139 
 
 ago we might readily have produced the affidavits of twenty 
 respectable men who had seen the Black Hunter in the spirit 
 roaming over the land that was his in the flesh. The pres- 
 ent generation, however, knows little about the wild hunter. 
 Still, though he sleeps the sleep that knows no waking, and 
 no human being who ever saw him is above the sod now, the 
 towering mountain, a hundred miles in length, bearing his 
 name, will stand as an indistructable monument to his 
 memory until time shall be no more. 
 
 George Crogan figured extensively about Augliwick for 
 many years, both before and after Fort Shirley was built. 
 He was an Irishman by birth, and came to the colony pro- 
 bably as early as 1742, and soon after took up the business 
 of an Indian trader. At first he located at Harris's trading- 
 house, on the Susquehanna, and from thence moved over the 
 river into Cumberland county, some eight miles from his 
 first place of abode. From there he made excursions to 
 Path Valley and Aughwick, and finally to the Ohio River 
 by way of the old Bedford trail. His long residence among 
 the Indians not onl}^ enabled him to study Indian character 
 thoroughly, but he acquired the language of both the Dela- 
 ware and Shawnee tribes, and was of great use to the pro- 
 prietary government ; but we incline to the opinion that his 
 services were illy requited. 
 
 His first letter, published in the Colonial Records, is dated 
 "May y^ 26th, 1747," and is directed to Richard Peters. It 
 was accompanied by a letter from the Six Nations, some 
 wampum, and a French scalp, taken somewhere on Lake 
 Erie. 
 
 In a letter from Governor Hamilton to Governor Hardy, 
 dated 5th July, 1756, in speaking of Crogan, who was at one 
 time suspected of being a spy in the pay of the French, 
 Hamilton says: — "There were many Indian traders with 
 Brad dock — Crogan among others, who acted as a captain of 
 the Indians under a warrant from General Braddock, and I 
 never heard of any objections to his conduct in that capac- 
 ity. For many years he had been very largely concerned 
 
140 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 in the Ohio trade, was upon that river frequently, and had 
 a considerable influence among the Indians, speaking the 
 language of several nations, and being very liberal, or rather 
 profuse, in his gifts to them, which, with the losses he sus- 
 tained by the French, who seized great quantities of his 
 goods, and by not getting the debts due to him from the 
 Indians, he became bankrupt, and has since lived at a place 
 called Aughwick, in the back parts of this province, where 
 he generally had a number of Indians with him, for the 
 maintenance of whom the province allowed him sums of 
 money from time to time, but not to his satisfaction. After 
 this he went, by my order, with these Indians, and joined 
 General Braddock,who gave the warrant I have mentioned. 
 Since Braddock's defeat, he returned to x4.ughwick, where he 
 remained till an act of assembl}'^ was passed here granting 
 him freedom from arrest for ten years. This was done that 
 the province might have the benefit of his knowledge of the 
 woods and his influence among the Indians; and imme- 
 diately thereupon, while I was last at York, a captain's com- 
 mission was given to him, and he was ordered to raise men 
 for the defence of the western frontier, which he did in a 
 very expeditious manner, but not so frugally as the com- 
 missioners for disposing of the public money thought he 
 might have done. He continued in the command of one 
 of the companies he had raised, and of Fort Shirley, on the 
 western frontier, about three months; during which time he 
 sent, by my direction, Indian messengers to the Ohio for in- 
 telligence, but never produced me any that was very mate- 
 rial; and, having a dispute with the commissioners about 
 some accounts between them, in which he thought himself 
 ill-used, he resigned his commission, and about a month ago 
 informed me that he had not received pay upon General 
 Braddock's warrant, and desired my recommendation to 
 General Shirley; which I gave him, and he set ofl' directly 
 for Albany; and I hear he is now at Onondago with Sir 
 William Johnston." 
 
 Crogan settled permanently in Aughwick in 1754, and 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 141 
 
 built a stockade fort, and must have been some kind of an 
 agent among the Indians, disbursing presents to them for 
 the government. In December of that year he wrote to 
 Secretary Peters, stating the wants of his Indians, and at 
 the same time wrote to Governor Morris as follows: — 
 
 ''May it please your honor: — 
 
 " I am Oblig** to advertize the Inhabitance of Cumberland 
 county in y"" honour's Name, nott to barter or Sell Spiretus Li- 
 quers to the Indians or any person to bring amongst them, to 
 prevent y° Indians from Spending there Cloase, tho' I am 
 oblig*^ to give them a kag Now and then my self for a frolick, 
 but that is Atended with no Expence to y' Government, nor no 
 bad consequences to y^ Indians as I do itt butt onst a Month. 
 I hope your honour will approve of this Proceeding, as I have 
 Don itt to Prevent ill consequences atending y' Indians if they 
 should be Kept always Infleam*^ with Liquors." 
 
 In September, 1754, notwithstanding the precautions taken 
 by the government to conciliate the Indians by profuse pres- 
 ents, and immediately after Conrad Weiser, the Indian inter- 
 preter, and Crogan, had held a conference at Aughwick, 
 which it was supposed had terminated satisfactorily to all 
 parties concerned, an Indian, named Israel, of the Six Na- 
 tions, after leaving the conference, perpetrated a brutal mur- 
 der in Tuscarora Valley. The following is Crogan's report 
 of it to government : — 
 
 Aughwick, September 17, 175If. 
 May it please Your Honor : — 
 
 Since Mr. Weiser left this, an Indian of the Six Nations, named 
 Israel, killed one Joseph Cample, an Indian trader, at the house 
 of one Anthony Thompson, at the foot of the Tuscarora Valley, 
 near Parnall's Knob. As soon as I heard it I went down to 
 Thompson's, and took several of the chiefs of the Indians with 
 me, when I met William Maxwell, Esq. The Indian made his 
 escape before I got there. I took the qualification of the per- 
 sons who were present at the murder, and delivered them to Mr. 
 Maxwell, to be sent to your honor, with the speech made by the 
 
142 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 chiefs of the Indians on that occasion, which I suppose your 
 honor has received. 
 
 I have heard many accounts from Ohio since Mr. Weiser left 
 this, all of which agree that the French have received a rein- 
 forcement of men and provision from Canada to the fort. An 
 Indian returned yesterday to this place whom I had sent to the 
 fort for intelligence; he confirms the above accounts, and further 
 says there were about sixty French Indians had come while he 
 stayed there, and that they expected better than two hundred 
 more every day. He says that the French design to send those 
 Indians with some French, in several parties, to annoy the back 
 settlements, which the French say will put a stop to any English 
 forces marching out this fall to attack them. The Indian like- 
 wise says that the French will do their endeavor to have the 
 half-king Scarrayooday, Captain Montour, and myself, killed 
 this fall. This Indian, I think, is to be believed, if there can be 
 any credit given to what an Indian says. He presses me strongly 
 to leave this place, and not live in any of the back parts. The 
 scheme of sending several parties to annoy the back settlements 
 seems so much like French policy that I can't help thinking it 
 true. 
 
 I hear from Colonel Innes that there certainly have been some 
 French Indians at the camp at Will's Creek, who fired on the 
 sentry in the dead of night. If the French prosecute this 
 scheme, I don't know what will become of the back parts of 
 Cumberland county, which is much exposed. The back parts 
 of Virginia and Maryland are covered by the English Camp, so 
 that most of the inhabitants are safe. 
 
 I would have written to yoilr honor before now on this head; 
 I only waited the return of this Indian messenger, whose account 
 I really think is to be depended on. The Indians here seem 
 very uneasy at their long stay, as they have heard nothing from 
 the Governor of Virginia nor of your honor since Mr. Weiser 
 went away ; nor do they see the English making any preparations 
 to attack the French, which seems to give them a great deal of 
 concern. I believe several of the Indians will soon go to the 
 Six Nation country, and then, I suppose, the rest will be obliged 
 to fall in with the French. If this happens, then all the back 
 settlements will be left to the mercy of an outrageous enemy. 
 
HISTOKY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 143 
 
 I beg your honor's pardon for mentioning the consequences 
 which must certainly attend the slow motion of the English 
 government, as they are well known to your honor, and I am 
 sensible your honor had done all in your power for the security 
 of those parts. I hope as soon as his honor, Governor Morris, 
 is arrived, I shall hear what is to be done with those Indians. 
 I assure your honor it will not be in my power to keep them 
 together much longer. 
 
 I am your honor's most humble and most obedient servant, 
 
 Geo. Crogan. 
 
 The Indian Israel was arrested, taken to Philadelphia, 
 and tried, but, in consequence of the critical situation of 
 affairs, the French having tampered with the Six Nations 
 until they were wavering, he was let off, returned to his 
 tribe, and the matter smoothed over as best it could under 
 the circumstances. 
 
 The number of Indians under Crogan at Braddock's de- 
 feat was thirty ; but what part they performed on that event- 
 ful day was not recorded. That Crogan and his Indians 
 were of some service would appear from the fact that the 
 Assembly passed a law exempting him from arrests — for 
 debt, it is supposed — for ten years, and commissioned him a 
 captain in the colonial service. 
 
 The supposition that Crogan was a spy in the pay of the 
 French was based upon the idea that he was a Roman Cath- 
 olic, inasmuch as he was born in Dublin. His loyalty w^as 
 first brought into question by Governor Sharpe, in Decem- 
 ber, 1753, who wrote to Governor Hamilton, informing him 
 that the French knew every move for defence made in the 
 colonies, and asked his opinion of Crogan. In answer, Gov- 
 ernor Hamilton said : — 
 
 I observe what you say of Mr. Crogan; and, though the sev- 
 eral matters of which you have received information carry in 
 them a good deal of suspicion, and it may be highly necessary 
 to keep a watchful eye upon him, yet I hope they will not turn 
 out to be any thing very material, or that will effect his faithful- 
 ness to the trust reposed in him, which, at this time, is of great 
 
144 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 importance and a very considerable one. At present I have no 
 one to inquire of as to the truth of the particulars mentioned in 
 yours but Mr. Peters, who assures me that Mr. Crogan has never 
 been deemed a Roman Catholic, nor does he believe that he is 
 one, though he knows not his education, which was in Dublin, 
 nor his religious profession. 
 
 Whatever Mr. Crogan's religious faith may have been, he 
 paid much less attention to it than he did to Indian affairs; 
 and that he was deeply devoted to the proprietary govern- 
 ment is evident from his subsequent career. To keep the 
 Indians loyal, he advanced many presents to them, as ap- 
 pears by Governor Morris's letter to Governor Hardy, for 
 which he never was reimbursed ; and the company of Indians 
 he commanded was fitted out at his own expense; and it 
 was the attempt to get what he advanced on that occasion 
 that led to his quarrel with the commissioners and his resig- 
 nation. 
 
 From Philadelphia he went to Onondago, in September, 
 1756, and soon after was appointed deputy-agent of Indian 
 affairs by Sir William Johnston. On his arrival in Phila- 
 delphia, his appointment was announced to the council by 
 Governor Denny. 
 
 "The council, knowing Mr. Crogan's circumstances, was 
 not a little surprised at the appointment, and desired to see 
 his credentials;" which he produced, and again took an ac- 
 tive part in Indian affairs. 
 
 After the French had evacuated Fort Duquesne, in 1758, 
 Crogan resided for a time at Fort Pitt. From there he went 
 down the river, and was taken prisoner by the French, and 
 taken to Detroit. From thence he returned to New York, 
 where he died in 1782. 
 
 On the 6th of October, 1754, the reigning chief of Augh- 
 wick, called Tanacharrisan, or Half-King, died at Paxton. 
 In communicating his death to the governor, John Harris 
 said : — 
 
 Those Indians that are here blame the French for his death by 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 145 
 
 bewitching him, as they had a conjurer to inquire into the cause 
 a few days before he died ; and it is his opinion, together with 
 his relation, that the French have been the cause of their great 
 man's death, by reason of his striking them lately; for which 
 they seem to threaten immediate revenge, and desire me to let it 
 be known. 
 
 The loss of the Half-King must have been a severe afflic- 
 tion to his tribe, for it appears by a letter of Crogan's that 
 he was compelled to " wipe away their tears to the amount 
 of thirty pounds fourteen shillings." 
 
 Scarroyady* succeeded the Half-King in the administra- 
 tion of affairs at Aughwick. He was a brave and powerful 
 chief, and possessed the most unbounded influence among 
 the Indians. Governor Morris, in a speech, previously ap- 
 proved by council, made to Scarroyady and some Indians 
 accompanying him, said : — 
 
 " Brethren : — For the encouragement of you and all who will 
 join you in the destruction of our enemies, I propose to give the 
 following bounties or rewards, viz : for every male Indian prisoner 
 above twelve years old that shall be delivered at any of the 
 government's forts or towns, one hundred and fifty dollars. 
 
 "For every female Indian prisoner or male prisoner of twelve 
 years old and under, delivered as above, one hundred and thirty 
 dollars. 
 
 "For the scalp of every male Indian of above twelve years 
 old one hundred and thirty dollars. 
 
 "For the scalp of every Indian woman, fifty dollars." 
 
 Let this fixed price for scalps not stand upon the pages of 
 history as a stigma against the peaceable and non-resistant 
 Quakers of the province ; for, at the time these bounties were 
 offered, John and Thomas Penn had adjured the habits, cus- 
 toms, and religion of that people. 
 
 Fort Shirley was built in Aughwick Valley in the fall of 
 
 *As the Indians could not pronounce the letter r, it is probable that the 
 names having such letters in were bestowed by the whites, or corrupted bj 
 them. 
 
 10 
 
146 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 1755, and the winter following Crogan resigned his commis- 
 sion, afier which the command was given to Captain Hugh 
 Mercer. 
 
 Tradition says that one or two very serious battles were 
 fought in Aughwick, after Fort Shirley was erected; but 
 the accounts of them are so vague that we can give nothing 
 like reliable information touching them. 
 
 In January, 1756, two Indians named Lackin, brothers, 
 who professed to be friendly, came to what was then still 
 called Crogan's Fort. The commander of the fort made 
 them some few trifling presents, and plied them well with 
 rum, when they promised to bring in a large number of 
 prisoners and scalps. On leaving the fort, they fell in with 
 a soldier, whom they invited to accompany them a short dis- 
 tance and they would give him some rum. To this the sol- 
 dier assented, and, after getting out of sight of the fort, one 
 of them suddenly turned and stabbed the soldier in the side 
 with a scalping-knife. A man passing at the time of the 
 occurrence immediately alarmed the garrison, and a posse 
 of thirteen men sallied out ; but when they came up near the 
 Indians the latter suddenly turned and fired upon the sol- 
 diers, wounding one of them in the thigh. The savages 
 were then surrounded, and one of them shot; the other they 
 attempted to take to the fort alive, but he acted so outrage- 
 ously that one of the soldiers beat his brains out with the 
 stock of his musket. The Lackins were rather worthless 
 fellows, and it required no wampum, or even coin, to dry 
 up the tears of their friends. 
 
 Fort Shirley was abandoned for a while after the burning 
 of Fort Granville, by order of Governor Morris, but the 
 importance of the point prevented it from standing idle 
 long. We hear of some few murders committed near the 
 Three Springs of the valley at a later day, but no attack was 
 made in the neighborhood during the second Indian war, as 
 the entire valley was well protected by the friendly Indians 
 of the Six Nations. 
 
 The Delawares and Shawnees, or at least a great portion of 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 147 
 
 them, left the valley in 1754-55-56, and before 1761 all 
 had disappeared. But to the friendly Indian the beautiful 
 Aughwick was a favorite haunt until the Anglo-Saxon fairly 
 ploughed and harro.wed him out of his home and his hunt- 
 ing-grounds. The last of the Six Nations left Aughwick for 
 Cattaraugus in 1771. 
 
148 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 RAYSTOWN BRANCH — EARLY SETTLEMENT OF RAYSTOWN — GENERAL 
 FORBES'S EXPEDITION — COLONELS WASHINGTON AND BOQUET — COLO- 
 NEL Armstrong's letter — smith and his black boys — bloody 
 
 BUN — robbery — INDIAN MASSACRES — REVOLUTIONARY LIEUTEN- 
 ANTS OF BEDFORD COUNTY, ETC. 
 
 /-^LHE earliest settlement on the Raystown Branch of the 
 Mm Juniata was made by a man named Ray, in 1751, who 
 ^"P built three cabins near where Bedford now stands. In 
 1755 the province agreed to open a wagon-road from Fort 
 Louden, in Cumberland county, to the forks of the Yough- 
 iogheny River. For this purpose three hundred men were 
 sent up, but for some cause or other the project was aban- 
 doned. 
 
 This road was completed in 1758, when the allied forces of 
 Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania marched against Fort 
 Duquesne, under General John Forbes. About the same year 
 the fort was built at Raystown, and called Fort Bedford. Colo- 
 nels Boquet and Washington first marched to Bedford with 
 the advance, and were followed by General Forbes, who had 
 been detained by illness at Carlisle. The successful troops 
 that put to rout the French without striking a blow, amount- 
 ing to 7,850 men, were reviewed, where Bedford now stands, 
 a little ever ninety-seven years ago. Of the triumphant march 
 and the bloodless victory of General Forbes and Colonels 
 Boquet and Washington there is little use in speaking here, 
 more than incidentally mentioning that, profiting by the 
 dear-bought experience at Braddock's defeat, the suggestion 
 of Washington to fight the savages after their own manner 
 was adopted, and, after defeating them in several skirmishes, 
 the Indians fled before them like chaff before the wind, and 
 when they reached Fort Duquesne the name and the fort 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 149 
 
 alone remained. The latter was preserved, but the former 
 was speedily changed to Fort Pitt. 
 
 Colonel Armstrong, whose name has already frequently 
 appeared, served as a captain in the expedition under Gen- 
 eral Forbes against Fort Duquesne. It may also be as well 
 to remember that Colonel Washington, as well as the Virgin- 
 ians generally, jealous of the Pennsylvanians gaining a foot- 
 ing in the Monongahela country, violently opposed the cut- 
 ting of the road from Raystown to the mouth of the Yough, 
 and urged strongly upon Forbes the propriety of using the 
 old Braddock trail. The decision of General Forbes pro- 
 cured for the people of Pennsylvania a wagon-road over the 
 Alleghany at least twenty years before the inhabitants would 
 have entertained the idea of so formidable an undertaking. 
 Armstrong wrote to Richard Peters, under date of " Rays- 
 town, October 3, 1758," from whose letter we extract the fol- 
 lowing : — 
 
 Since our Quixotic expedition you will, no doubt, be greatly 
 perplexed about our fate. God knows what it may be ; but, I 
 assure you, the better part of the troops are not at all dismayed. 
 The general came here at a critical and seasonable juncture ; he is 
 weak, but his spirit is good and his head clear, firmly determined 
 to proceed as far as force and provisions will admit, which, through 
 divine favor, will be far enough. The road to be opened from 
 our advanced post is not yet fully determined, and must be fur- 
 ther reconnoitered ; 'tis yet a query whether the artillery will be 
 carried forward with the army when within fifteen or twenty 
 miles of the fort or not. The order of march and line of battle 
 is under consideration, and there are many difi'erent opinions 
 respecting it. Upon this the general will have a conference with 
 the commanders of the sundry corps. About four thousand five 
 hundred are yet fit for duty, five or six hundred of which may 
 yet be laid to the account of keeping of different posts, sickness, 
 accidents, &c. We know not the number of the enemy, but they 
 are greatly magnified, by report of sundry of the people with Ma- 
 jor Grant, to what we formerly expected. The Virginians are 
 much chagrined at the opening of the road through this govern- 
 ment, and Colonel Washington has been a good deal sanguine 
 
150 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 and obstinate upon the occasion ; but the presence of the gen- 
 eral has been of great use on this as well as other accounts. We 
 hear that three hundred wagons are on the road. If this month 
 happens to be dry weather, it will be greatly in our favor. My 
 people are in general healthy, and are to be CDllected together 
 immediately, except such as are posted on the communication 
 and in the artillery. Many of them w^ill be naked by the end of 
 the campaign, but I dare not enter upon clothing them, not know- 
 ing who or how many of the troops may be continued. Colonel 
 
 B 1 is a very sensible and useful man; notwithstanding, 
 
 had not the general come up, the consequences would have 
 been dangerous. Please to make my compliments to Mr. Allen, 
 and, if you please, show him this letter, as I have not a moment 
 longer to write. About the last of this month will be the crit- 
 ical hour. Every thing is vastly dear with us, and the mon- 
 ey goes like old boots. The enemy are beginning to kill and 
 carry off horses, and every now and then they scalp a wandering 
 person. 
 
 I leave this place to-day, as does Colonel Boquet and some 
 pieces of the artillery. 
 
 In 1763, Fort Bedford was the principal depot for military 
 stores between Carlisle and Fort Pitt. In order to strengthen 
 it, the command was given to Captain Ourry, and the small 
 stockades at the Juniata Crossing and Stony Creek were 
 abandoned and the force concentrated at Bedford. By this 
 means two volunteer companies were formed to guard the 
 fort, which, besides being a refuge for the distressed families 
 for ten or fifteen miles around, contained vast quantities of 
 ammunition and other government stores. 
 
 In 17G3, Colonel Boquet again passed up the Raystown 
 Branch with two regiments of regulars and a large convoy 
 of military stores, to relieve the beleaguered garrison at Fort 
 Pitt. He found matters in a deplorable condition at Fort 
 Bedford. The Indians, although they had never made an 
 attack upon the fort, had for weeks been hovering around 
 the frontier settlements, and had killed, scalped, or taken 
 prisoner, no less than eighteen persons. This induced Colo- 
 nel Boquet to leave two companies of his army at Bedford. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 151 
 
 The names of the persons killed or taken prisoners at that 
 time are not recorded, and, we regret to say, few of any of 
 the particulars connected therewith have been preserved. 
 
 The town of Bedford was laid out by John Lukens, the 
 surveyor-general, in 1766, and took its name (in honor of 
 the Duke of Bedford) from the fort. The town for many 
 years was the most prominent point between Carlisle and 
 Pittsburg. The county was formed out of Cumberland, in 
 1771, and embraced a vast extent of territory, from which 
 Huntingdon, Mifflin, Cambria, Somerset, Westmoreland, 
 Fulton, and Indiana, were subsequently taken. 
 
 During the Revolutionary war, the town of Bedford proper, 
 as well as the surrounding country, was so well settled that 
 the Indians kept a respectful distance. On Yellow Creek, 
 one of the tributaries of Raystown Branch, settlements were 
 made at an early day ; also in the Great Cove. During the 
 Revolution, Colonel John Piper, of Yellow Creek, was the 
 lieutenant-colonel of the county, and George Ashman lieu- 
 tenant, and James Martin, Edward Combs, and Robert Cul- 
 bertson, were sub-lieutenants. 
 
 Colonel James Smith, whose narrative has been published 
 in several works, was taken by the Indians in 1755, near 
 Bedford. . He was taken to Fort Duquesne, and was there 
 when the victorious Frenchmen and savages returned with 
 the scalps and plunder taken from Braddock's vanquished 
 army. After undergoing some severe trials, such as running 
 the gauntlet, &c., Smith was taken to Ohio, and, after a cer- 
 emony of baptising, painting, and hair-pulling, he was 
 adopted, as a warrior "in good standing," into the Conowago 
 tribe. No other resort being left, as a measure of self-defence 
 he adopted the manners and customs of the tribe, and wan- 
 dered over the West with them until an opportunity offered 
 to escape ; which did not occur until he reached Montreal, 
 in 1760, when he obtained his freedom in the general ex- 
 change of prisoners which took place. 
 
 In 1765, Smith figured conspicuously in Bedford county, 
 as the leader of the celebrated band of " Black Boys" whose 
 
152 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 singular and summary administration of justice bore a 
 marked affinity to the code sometimes adopted by that 
 worthy disseminator of criminal jurisprudence in the West, 
 " Judge Lynch." Of the exploits of the famous Black Boys 
 Smith speaks as follows: — 
 
 Shortly after this (1764) the Indians stole horses and killed 
 some people on the frontiers. The king's proclamation was then 
 circulating, and set up in various public places, prohibiting any 
 person from trading with the Indians until further orders. 
 
 Notwithstanding all this, about the first of March, 1765, a 
 number of wagons loaded with Indian goods and warlike stores, 
 were sent from Philadelphia to Henry Pollens, Conococheague ; 
 and from thence seventy pack-horses were loaded with these 
 goods, in order to carry them to Fort Pitt. This alarmed the 
 country, and Mr. William Duffield raised about fifty armed men, 
 and met the pack-hoises at the place where Mercersburg now 
 stands. Mr. Duffield desired the employers to store up their 
 goods and not proceed until further orders. They made light of 
 this, and went over to North Mountain, where they lodged in a 
 small valley called the Great Cove. Mr. Duffield and his party 
 followed after, and came to their lodging, and again urged them 
 to store up their goods. He reasoned with them on the impro- 
 priety of their proceedings and the great danger the frontier in- 
 habitants would be exposed to if the Indians should now get a 
 supply. He said as it was well known that they had scarcely 
 any ammunition, and were almost naked, to supply them now 
 would be a kind of murder, and would be illegally trading at 
 the expense of the blood and treasure of the frontiers. Not- 
 withstanding his powerful reasoning, these traders made game 
 of what he said, and would only answer him by ludicrous bur- 
 lesque. 
 
 When I beheld this, and found that Mr. Duffield could not 
 compel them to store up their goods, I collected ten of my old 
 warriors that I had formerly disciplined in the Indian way, went 
 off privately in the night, and encamped in the woods. The 
 next day, as usual, we blacked and painted, and waylaid them 
 near Sideling Hill. I scattered my men about forty rods along the 
 side of the road, and ordered every two to take a tree, and about 
 eight or ten rods between each couple, with orders to keep a re- 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 153 
 
 serve fire — one not to fire until his comrade had loaded his gun. 
 By this means we kept a constant slow fire upon them, from 
 front to rear. We then heard nothing of these traders' merri- 
 ment or burlesque. When they saw their pack-horses falling 
 close by them, they called out, " Pray, gentlemen, what would 
 you have us to do?" The reply was, " Collect all your loads to 
 the front, and unload them in one place ; take your private prop- 
 erty, and immediately retire." When they were gone, we burnt 
 what they left, which consisted of blankets, shirts, vermilion, 
 lead, beads, wampum, tomahawks, scalping-knives, &c. 
 
 The traders went back to Fort Louden, and applied to the 
 commanding officer there, and got a party of Highland soldiers, 
 and went with them in quest of the robbers, as they called us; 
 and, without applying to a magistrate or obtaining any civil au- 
 thority, but purely upon suspicion, they took a number of cred- 
 itable persons, (who were chiefly not anyway concerned in this 
 action,) and confined them in the guard-house in Fort Louden. 
 I then raised three hundred riflemen, marched to Fort Louden, 
 and encamped on a hill in sight of the fort. We were not long 
 there until we had more than double as many of the British 
 troops prisoners in our camp as they had of our people in the 
 guard-house. Captain Grant, a Highland officer who com- 
 manded Fort Louden, then sent a flag of truce to our camp, 
 where we settled a cartel and gave them above two for one 
 which enabled us to redeem all our men from the guard-house 
 without further difficulty. 
 
 This exploit of the Black Boys is supposed to have given 
 Bloody Run its name. Soon after, some British officer wrote 
 an account of the affair and transmitted it to London, where 
 it was published, and from which the following is an extract. 
 " The convoy of eighty horses, loaded with goods, chiefly on 
 His Majesty's account, as presents to the Indians, and part 
 on account of Indian traders, were surprised in a narrow 
 and dangerous defile in the mountains by a body of armed 
 men. A number of horses were killed, and the whole of the 
 goods were carried away by the plunderers. The rivulet was 
 dyed with blood, and ran into the settlement below, carrying with it 
 the stain of crime upon its surface." 
 
154 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 Notwithstanding Smith's narrative may have been read 
 by a majority of our readers, we cannot resist the temptation 
 of transferring another graphic picture of frontier life from 
 his work. He saj's : — 
 
 In the year 1769, the Indians again made incursions on the 
 frontiers; yet the traders continued carrying goods and warhke 
 stores to them. The frontiers took the alarm, and a number of 
 persons collected, destroyed, and plundered, a quantity of their 
 powder, lead, &c., in Bedford county. Shortly after this, some 
 of these persons, with others, were apprehended and laid in 
 irons in the guard-house in Fort Bedford, on suspicion of being 
 the perpetrators of this crime. 
 
 Though I did not altogether approve of the conduct of this 
 new club of Black Boys, yet I concluded that they should not 
 lie in irons in the guard-house or remain in confinement by ar- 
 bitrary or mihtary power. I resolved, therefore, if possible, to 
 release them, if they even should be tried by the civil law after- 
 ward. I collected eighteen of my old Black Boys that I had 
 seen tried in the Indian war, &c. I did not desire a large party, 
 lest they should be too much alarmed at Bedford, and accord- 
 ingly be prepared for us. We marched along the public road in 
 daylight, and made no secret of our design. We told those 
 whom we met that we were going to take Fort Bedford, which 
 appeared to them a very unlikely story. Before this, I made it 
 known to one William Thompson, a man whom I could trust, and 
 who lived there. Him I employed as a spy, and sent him along on 
 horseback before, with orders to meet me at a certain place near 
 Bedford one hour before day. The next day, a little before sun- 
 set, we encamped near the Crossings of Juniata, about fourteen 
 miles from Bedford, and erected tents, as though we intended 
 staying all night; and not a man in my company knew to the 
 contrary save myself. Knowing that they would hear this in 
 Bedford, and wishing it to be the case, I thought to surprise 
 them by stealing a march. 
 
 As the moon rose about eleven o'clock, I ordered my boys to 
 march, and we went on at the rate of five miles an hour, until 
 we met Thompson at the place appointed. He told us that the 
 commanding officer had frequently heard of us by travelers, and 
 had ordered thirty men upon guard. He said he knew our 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 155 
 
 number, and only made game of the notion of eighteen men 
 coming to rescue the prisoners ; but they did not expect us until 
 toward the middle of the day. I asked him if the gate was 
 open. He said it was then shut, but he expected they would 
 open it, as usual, at daylight, as they apprehended no danger. 
 I then moved my men privately up under the banks of the Ju 
 niata, where we lay concealed about one hundred yards from 
 the fort gate. I had ordered the men to keep a profound silence 
 until we got into it. I then sent off Thompson again to spy. 
 At daylight he returned and told us that the gate was open, and 
 three sentinels were standing upon the wall ; that the guards 
 were taking a morning dram, and the arms standing together in 
 one place. I then concluded to rush into the fort, and told 
 Thompson to run before me to the arms. We ran with all our 
 might ; and, as it was a misty morning, the sentinels scarcely 
 saw us until we were within the gate and took possession of the 
 arms. Just as we were entering, two of them discharged their 
 guns, though I do not believe they aimed at us. We then raised 
 a shout, which surprised the town, though some of them were 
 well pleased with the news. We compelled a blacksmith to take 
 the irons off the prisoners, and then we left the place. This, I 
 believe, was the first British fort in America that was taken by 
 what they call American rebels. 
 
 For this exploit Smith was arrested, and, in the scuffle 
 which attended the arrest — for he made a powerful resist- 
 ance, — one of his captors was shot. He was taken to Car- 
 lisle and tried for murder; but, having the sympathies of 
 the people with him, he was triumphantly acquitted. He 
 afterward filled several important stations, and for a time 
 served as a colonel in the Revolutionary army in New Jer- 
 sey. In 1778 he moved to Kentucky, and joined Mcintosh 
 in his efforts against the savages. He had evidently im- 
 bibed the habits of frontier life so thoroughly that the strict 
 routine of military discipline and its restraints were totally 
 unsuited to his ideas of fighting. 
 
 After the year 1769, numerous robberies were committed 
 near Bedford. The robbers taking the precaution to blacken 
 their faces, all their crimes, as well as many others, were 
 
156 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 charged upon Smith's Black Boys, until they were looked 
 upon as a band of outlaws. Under date of January 26, 1773> 
 John Frazer and George Woods wrote from Bedford to Gov- 
 ernor Penn, as follows : — 
 
 May it "please Your Honor : — 
 
 The many robberies that have lately been committed in the 
 eastern parts of this county oblige us to trouble you with this 
 letter. 
 
 There are a number of people, who, we suspect, now reside at 
 or near the Sideling Hill, that have been guilty of several high- 
 way-robberies, and have taken from different people — travelling 
 on the public road between this place and Carlisle — considerable 
 sums of money; in particular, a certain James McCashlan, of 
 this place, hath made oath before us that he has been robbed of 
 twenty-two pounds and a silver watch. We have already done 
 our endeavor to apprehend the robbers, but have not succeeded, 
 as there can be no positive proof made who they are, on account 
 of their blacking themselves, which renders it impossible for any 
 person robbed to discover or know who are the perpetrators. 
 
 We, therefore, pray your honor would take this matter into 
 consideration, and grant us such relief as your honor may seem 
 most reasonable for the safety of the public in general, and in 
 particular for the inhabitants of this county. 
 
 These magistrates labored under the conviction that the 
 highwaymen were none else than a portion of Smith's gang 
 of Black Boys; or else why ask government for aid to dis- 
 perse a few robbers, when men, arms, and ammunition, were 
 plenty in Bedford? 
 
 The letter of Frazer and Woods was accompanied by an 
 affidavit from McCashlan, setting forth that he was robbed, 
 and that he had cause to suspect " a certain John Gibson and 
 William Paxton " of committing the robbery. These were 
 two of Smith's Black Boys ; but it subsequently appeared 
 that a couple of independent footpads had relieved Mr. Mc- 
 Cashlan of his pounds and M^atch, and not a party of the 
 regular Black Boys, who, no doubt, had sins enough of their 
 own to answer for, without having all the depredations com- 
 mitted in the county placed to their account. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 157 
 
 Although we spared no effort to get some account of the 
 Indian massacres near Bedford during the Revolution, we 
 failed, and must content ourself — if not our readers — by giv- 
 ing the two following, which we copy from Mr. Day's " His- 
 torical Collections : " — 
 
 About December, 1777, a number of families came into the 
 fort from the neighborhood of Johnstown. Among them were 
 Samuel Adams, one Thornton, and Bridges. After the alarm 
 had somewhat subsided, they agreed to return to their property. 
 A party started with pack-horses, reached the place, and, not 
 seeing any Indians, collected their property and commenced 
 their return. After proceeding some distance, a dog belonging 
 to one of the party showed signs of uneasiness and ran back. 
 Bridges and Thornton desired the others to wait while they would 
 go back for him. They went back, and had proceeded but two or 
 three hundred yards when a body of Indians, who had been 
 lying in wait on each side of the way, but who had been afraid 
 to fire on account of the number of the whites, suddenly rose up 
 and took them prisoners. The others, not knowing what de- 
 tained their companions, went back after them. When they 
 arrived near the spot the Indians fired on them, but without 
 doing any injury. The whites instantly turned and fled, except- 
 ing Samuel Adams, who took a tree, and began to fight in the 
 Indian style. In a few minutes, however, he was killed, but not 
 without doing the same fearful service for his adversary. He 
 and one of the Indians shot at and killed each other at the same 
 moment. When the news reached the fort a party volunteered 
 to visit the ground. When they reached it, although the snow 
 had fallen ankle-deep, they readily found the bodies of Adams 
 and the Indian, the face of the latter having been covered by his 
 companions with Adam's hunting-shirt. 
 
 A singular circumstance also occurred about that time in the 
 neighborhood of the Alleghany Mountain. A man named Wells 
 had made a very considerable improvement, and was esteemed 
 rather wealthy for that region. He, like others, had been forced 
 with his family from his house, and had gone for protection to 
 the fort. In the fall of the year, he concluded to return to his 
 place and dig his crop of potatoes. For that purpose, he took 
 with him six or seven men, an Irish servant girl to cook, and an 
 
158 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 old plough-horse. After they had finished their job, they made 
 preparations to return to the fort the next day. During the 
 night, Wells dreamed that on his way to his family he had been 
 attacked and gored by a bull ; and so strong an impression did 
 the dream make that he mentioned it to his companions, and 
 told them that he was sure some danger awaited them. He 
 slept again, and dreamed that he was about to shoot a deer, and, 
 when cocking his gun, the main-spring broke. In his dream he 
 thought he heard distinctly the crack of the spring when it 
 broke. He again awoke, and his fears were confirmed, and he 
 immediately urged his friends to rise and get ready to start. 
 Directly after he arose he went to his gun to examine it, and, in 
 cocking it, the main-spring snapped off". This circumstance 
 alarmed them, and they soon had breakfast, and were ready to 
 leave. To prevent delay, the girl was put on the horse and 
 started off", and, as soon as it was light enough, the rest followed. 
 Before they had gone far, a young dog, belonging to Wells, mani- 
 fested much alarm, and ran back to the house. Wells called 
 him, but, after going a short distance, he invariably ran back. 
 
 Not wishing to leave him, as he was valuable, he went after 
 him, but had gone only a short distance toward the house, when 
 five Indians rose from behind a large tree that had fallen, and 
 approached him with extended hands. The men who were with 
 him fled instantly, and he would have followed, but the Indians 
 were so close that he thought it useless. As they approached 
 him, however, he fancied the looks of a very powerful Indian, 
 who was nearest him, boded no good, and being a swift runner, 
 and thinking it " neck or nothing " at any rate, determined to 
 attempt an escape. As the Indian approached, he threw at him 
 his useless^rifle, and dashed off" toward the woods in the direc- 
 tion his companions had gone. Instead of firing, the Indians 
 commenced a pursuit, for the purpose of making him a prisoner, 
 but he outran them. After running some distance, and when 
 they thought he would escape, they all stopped and fired at 
 once, and every bullet struck hira, but without doing him much 
 injury or retarding his flight. Soon after this he saw where his 
 companions concealed themselves, and, as he passed, he begged 
 them to fire on the Indians, and save him ; but they were afraid, 
 and kept quiet. He continued his flight, and, after a short time, 
 overtook the girl with the horse. She quickly understood his 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 159 
 
 danger, and dismounted instantly, urging him to take her place^ 
 while she would save herself by concealment. He mounted, 
 but without a whip, and for want of one could not get the old 
 horse out of a trot. This delay brought the Indians upon him 
 again directly, and as soon as they were near enough they fired 
 — and this time with more effect, as one of the balls struck him 
 in the hip and lodged in his groin. But this saved his life; it 
 frightened the horse into a gallop, and he escaped, although he 
 suffered severely for several months afterward. 
 
 The Indians were afterward pursued, and surprised at their 
 morning meal; and, when fired on, four of them were killed, 
 but the other, though wounded, made his escape. Bridges, who 
 was taken a prisoner near Johnstown when Adams was mur- 
 dered, saw him come to his people, and describes him as having 
 been shot through the chest, with leaves stuffed in the bullet- 
 holes to stop the bleeding. 
 
 The first white child born in Raystown was William Fra- 
 zer. When the Revolution broke out, Bedford county fur- 
 nished two companies, a greater portion of one of the com- 
 panics being recruited in what now constitutes Huntingdon 
 and Blair counties. Among these were a man named Mc-^ 
 Donald, another named Fee, from the mouth of Raystown 
 Branch, and George Weston, a brother of the tory shot at 
 Kittaning, and a man named Cluggage. 
 
 The town of Bedford was for a long time the residence of 
 General A. St. Clair and a number of others who subse- 
 quently figured prominently in the affairs of the nation. 
 For pure patriotism and a willingness to spend their blood 
 and treasure for the cause of liberty, as well as the defence 
 of their brethren on the confines of the county, few towns 
 could excel Bedford, which reflected such credit upon them 
 as will be remembered by the grateful descendants of the 
 frontier-men when history fails to do them justice. 
 
160 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 EAYSTOWN BRANCH, CONTINUED — MURDER OF SANDERS AND HIS 
 FAMILY — ENGLISHMAN AND WIFE TAKEN PRISONERS — FELIX 
 SKELLY AND MRS. ELDER TAKEN CAPTIVES — THEIR RETURN, ETC. 
 
 ^ 
 
 (HE country between the mouth of the Raystown Branch 
 of the Juniata and what is called the Crossings was 
 thinly settled prior to the Revolution. The land, and 
 general appearance of things, did not strike settlers very 
 favorably; hence it may be assumed that it was only taken 
 up about 1772, when the new-comers from the eastern 
 counties had already taken up the choice tracts lying con- 
 tiguous to the river. 
 
 The first depredation committed on the Branch, near its 
 mouth, by the savages, occurred in May, 1780. A band of 
 roving Indians were known to be in the country, as several 
 robberies had occurred in Hartslog Valley, at houses belong- 
 ing to men who with their families were forted either at 
 Lytle's or at Huntingdon. A scout had ranged the entire 
 frontier in search of these depredators, but could not find 
 them. They were seen in Woodcock Valley, and informa- 
 tion immediately conveyed to the commander at the fort in 
 Huntingdon. A scout was sent to Woodcock Valley, but got 
 upon the wrong trail, as the Indians had crossed the Terrace 
 Mountain, where, it appears, they divided into two parties. 
 One of them went to the house of one Sanders, on the 
 Branch; and just as the family were seating themselves at 
 the table to eat dinner, five of the savages bounded in, and 
 killed Sanders, his wife, and three children. An English- 
 man and his wife, whose names are not recollected, were in 
 the house at the time, both of them begged for their lives, 
 declared they were loyal to the king, and would accompany 
 them. The Indians agreed to take them along as prisoners, 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 161 
 
 notwithstanding at that period scalps commanded nearly as 
 high a price as prisoners. The Englishman and his wife 
 were taken to Montreal. 
 
 The day following the above massacre, the other party of 
 savages, who it appears had taken the country nearer the 
 Juniata to range through, made their appearance at the 
 house of a Mrs. Skell}^ "who was sick in bed at the time, and 
 her nearest neighbor, Mrs. Elder, being there on a visit. It 
 was a beautiful May-day Sabbath afternoon, when Mrs. Elder 
 prepared to go home, and Felix Skelly, the son, agreed to 
 accompany her part of the w^ay. They had gone probably 
 a hundred rods through a meadow, when Mrs. Elder noticed 
 a savage, partly concealed behind some elder-bushes. She 
 stopped suddenly, and told Felix, who had got a little in ad- 
 vance, to return, as there were Indians about. Skelly said 
 he thought not, and advised her to come on, or it would be 
 night before he could return. Mrs. Elder stood still, how- 
 ever, and soon saw the figure of the Indian so plainly as not 
 to be mistaken, when she screamed to Felix to run, and, 
 when in the act of turning around, a savage sprang from be- 
 hind an elder bush into the path, and seized her by the hair. 
 Another seized Skelly, and in a moment the shout of victory 
 went up, and three or four more Indians came from their 
 places of concealment. Finding themselves captives, and 
 unable to remedy matters, they submitted with a good 
 grace. 
 
 Fortunately for them, the w^arrior who had command of 
 the party could speak a little English, and w^as a little more 
 humane than the generality of savages of the day. He gave 
 Mrs. Elder positive assurance that no harm should befall her. 
 He would not, however, give the same assurance to Skelly. 
 They took up their line of march over the Terrace Mount- 
 ain, crossed over to the base of the Alleghany, avoiding as 
 much as possible the white settlements, and crossed the 
 mountain by the Kittaning Path. 
 
 Skelly, although but seventeen years of age, was an ath- 
 letic fellow, well built, and weighed in the neighborhood of 
 11 
 
162 HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 one hundred and eighty pounds. The Indians, noticing his 
 apparent strength, and in order probably to tire him so that 
 he would make no effort to escape, loaded him down with 
 the plunder they had taken in Hartslog Valley. In addition 
 to this, they found on the Alleghany Mountains some excel- 
 lent wood for making bows and arrows, a quantity of which 
 they cut and bound together, and compelled Skelly to carry. 
 Mrs. Elder was obliged to carry a long-handled frying-pan, 
 which had been brought all the way from Germany by a 
 Dunkard family, and had, in all probability, done service 
 to three or four generations. Of course, Mrs. Elder, bur- 
 dened with this alone, made no complaint. 
 
 At length the party reached an Indian town on the Alle- 
 ghany River, where it was determined that a halt should 
 take place in order to recruit. One of the Indians was sent 
 forward to apprise the town of their coming ; and on their 
 entering the town they found a large number of savages 
 drawn up in two lines about six feet apart, all armed with 
 clubs or paddles. Skelly was relieved of his load and in- 
 formed that the performance would open by his being com- 
 pelled to run the gauntlet. Skelly, like a man without 
 money at one o'clock who has a note to meet in bank about 
 three, felt the importance and value of time; so, walking 
 leisurely between the lines, he bounded of at a speed that 
 would have done credit to a greyhound, and reached the far 
 end without receiving more than one or two light blows. 
 He was then exempt, as no prisoner was compelled to un- 
 dergo the same punishment twice. 
 
 The Indians, disappointed by the fleetness of Skelly, ex- 
 pected to more than make up for it in pummelling Mrs. 
 Elder; but in this they reckoned without their host. The 
 word was given for her to start, but the warrior who had 
 captured her demurred, and not from disinterested motives, 
 either, as will presently appear. His objections were over- 
 ruled, and it was plainly intimated that she must conform 
 to the custom. Seeing no method of avoiding it, Mrs. Elder, 
 armed with the long-handled pan, walked between the lines 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 163 
 
 with a determined look. The first savage stooped to strike 
 her, and in doing so his scant dress exposed his person, 
 which Mrs. Elder saw, and anticipated his intention by deal- 
 ing him a blow on the exposed part which sent him sprawl- 
 jng on all fours. The chiefs who were looking on laughed 
 immoderately, and the next four or five, intimidated by her 
 heroism, did not attempt to raise their clubs. Another of 
 them, determined to have a little fun, raised his club ; but 
 no sooner had he it fairly poised than she struck him upon 
 the head with the frying-pan in such a manner as in all 
 likelihood made him see more stars than ever lit the "welkin 
 dome." The Indians considered her an Amazon, and she 
 passed through the lines without further molestation ; but, 
 as she afterward said, she " did it in a hurry." 
 
 The squaws, as soon as she was released, commenced pelt- 
 ing her with sand, pulling her hair, and offering her other 
 indignities, which she would not put up with, and again had 
 recourse to her formidable weapon — the long-handled pan. 
 Lustily she plied it, right and left, until the squaws were 
 right glad to get out of her reach. 
 
 In a day or two the line of march for Detroit was resumed, 
 and for many weary days they plodded on their way. After 
 the first day's journey, the warrior who had captured Mrs. 
 Elder commenced making love to her. Her comely person 
 had smitten him ; her courage had absolutely fascinated 
 him, and he commenced wooing her in the most gentle man- 
 ner. She had good sense enough to appear to lend a willing 
 ear to his plaintive outpourings, and even went so far as to 
 intimate that she would become his squaw on their arrival 
 at Detroit. This music was of that kind which in reality 
 had " charms to soothe the savage," and matters progressed 
 finely. 
 
 One night they encamped at a small Indian village on 
 the bank of a stream in Ohio. Near the town was an old 
 deserted mill, in the upper story of which Skelly and the 
 rest of the male prisoners were placed and the door bolted. 
 That evening the Indians had a grand dance and'a drunken 
 
164 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY, 
 
 revel, which lasted until after midnight. When the revel 
 ended, Skelly said to his comrades in captivity that he meant 
 to escape if possible. He argued that if taken in the at- 
 tempt he could only be killed, and he thought a cruel death 
 by the savages would be his fate, at all events, at the end of 
 the journey. They all commenced searching for some means 
 of egress, but none offered, save a window. The sash was 
 removed, when, on looking out into the clear moonlight, to 
 their horror they discovered that they were immediately 
 Over a large body of water, which formed the mill-dam, the 
 distance to it being not less than sixty feet. They all started 
 back but Skelly. He, it appears, had set his heart upon a 
 determined effort to escape, and he stood for a while gazing 
 upon the water beneath him. Every thing was quiet; not 
 a breath of air was stirring. The sheet of water lay like a 
 large mirror, reflecting the pale rays of the moon. In a 
 minute Skelly formed the desperate determination of jump- 
 ing out of the mill-window. 
 
 " Boys," whispered he, " I am going to jump. The chances 
 are against me ; I may be killed by the fall, recaptured by 
 the savages and killed, or starve before I reach human hab- 
 itation ; but then I may escape, and, if I do, I will see my 
 poor mother, if she is still alive, in less than ten days. With 
 me, it is freedom from this captivity now, or death." So say- 
 ing, he sprang from the window-sill, and, before the affrighted 
 prisoners had time to shrink, they heard the heavy plunge 
 of Skelly into the mill-dam. They hastened to the window, 
 and in an instant saw him emerge from the water unharmed, 
 shake himself like a spaniel, and disappear in the shadow of 
 some tall trees. The wary savage sentinels, a few minutes 
 after the plunge, came down to ascertain the noise, but 
 Skelly had already escaped. They looked up at the window, 
 concluded that the prisoners had amused themselves by 
 throwing something out, and returned to their posts. 
 
 The sufferings of Skelly were probably among the most 
 extraordinary ever endured by any mortal man. He sup- 
 posed that he must have walked at least forty miles before 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 165 
 
 he stopped to rest. He was in a dense forest, and without 
 food. The morning was hazy, and the sun did not make 
 its appearance until about ten o'clock, when, to his dismay, 
 he found he was bearing nearly due south, which would 
 lead him right into the heart of a hostile savage country. 
 After resting a short time, he again started on his way, 
 shaping his course by the sun northeast, avoiding all places 
 which bore any resemblance to an Indian trail. That night 
 was one that he vividly remembered the balance of his life. 
 As soon as it was dark, the cowardly wolves that kept out of 
 sight during the day commenced howling, and soon got upon 
 his track. The fearful proximity of the ravenous beasts, and 
 he without even so much as a knife to defend himself, drove 
 him almost to despair, when he discovered a sort of cave 
 formed by a projecting rock. This evidently was a wolf's 
 den. The hole was quite small, but he forced his body 
 through it, and closed the aperture by rolling a heavy stone 
 against it. Soon the wolves came, and the hungry pack, 
 like a grand chorus of demons, kept up their infernal noise 
 all night. To add to the horrors of his situation, he began 
 to feel the pangs of both hunger and thirst. With the 
 break of day came relief, for his cowardly assailants fled at 
 dawn. He ventured out of the den, and soon resolved to 
 keep on the lowlands. After digging up some roots, which 
 he ate, and refreshing himself at a rivulet, he travelled on 
 until after nightfall, when he came upon the very edge of 
 a precipice, took a step, and fell among five Indians sitting 
 around the embers of a fire. Uninjured by the fall, he 
 sprang to his feet, bounded off in the darkness before the 
 Indians could recover from their surprise, and made good 
 his escape. 
 
 In this way he travelled on, enduring the most excru- 
 ciating pains from hunger and fatigue, until the fourth day, 
 when he struck the Alleghany River in sight of Fort Pitt ; 
 at which place he recruited for a week, and then returned 
 home by way of Bedford, in company with a body of troops 
 marching east. 
 
166 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 His return created unusual gladness and great rejoicing, 
 for his immediate friends mourned him as one dead. 
 
 Mrs. Elder gave a very interesting narrative on her return, 
 although she did not share in the sufferings of Skelly. She 
 was taken to Detroit, where she lived in the British garrison 
 in the capacity of a cook. From there she was taken to 
 Montreal and exchanged, and reached home by way of Phila- 
 delphia. 
 
 Felix Skelly afterward moved to the neighborhood of 
 Wilmore, in Cambria county, where he lived a long time, 
 and died full of years and honors. 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 167 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 STANDING STONE, ANCIENT AND MODERN — MURDER OF FELIX 
 DONNELLY AND HIS SON FRANCIS, ETC. 
 
 cm S an Indian post of ancient date, none is more univer- 
 j\ sally known than " Standing Stone," where Huntingdon 
 (^i now stands. The very earliest traders could never as- 
 certain by Indian tradition how long it had been a village, but 
 that it dated back to a very remote period may be judged from 
 the fact that the land on the fiat betweeen Stone Creek and 
 Huntingdon was under cultivation one hundred and five 
 years ago. It was used as one extensive corn-field, with the 
 exception of that portion lying near the mouth of the creek, 
 where the Indian town stood, and where also was the public 
 ground, used on great occasions for councils or dances. 
 
 The Standing Stone — that is, the original stone — was, ac- 
 cording to John Harris, fourteen feet high and six inches 
 square. It stood on the right bank of Stone Creek, near its 
 mouth, and in such a position as to enable persons to see it 
 at a considerable distance, either from up or down the river. 
 
 About the self-same Standing Stone there still exist con- 
 tradictory opinions. These we have endeavored to ascertain ; 
 and, after weighing them carefully, we have come to the con- 
 clusion that no person now living ever saw part or parcel of 
 the original stone, notwithstanding Dr. Henderson delivered 
 what some are disposed to believe a portion of it to the His- 
 torical Society of Pennsylvania. 
 
 The original Standing Stone, we are induced to believe, in 
 addition to serving a similar capacity to that of a guide- 
 board at a cross-road, was the official record of the tribe. 
 On it, no doubt, were engraved all the important epochs in 
 its history, — its wars, its mighty deeds, its prowess in battle, 
 and its skill in the chase. It might, too, have served as a 
 
168 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 sacred tablet to the memory of many a noble chief who fell 
 by the arrow of an enemy. These things were, no doubt, in 
 cabalistic characters ; and, although each inscription may 
 have been small, its meaning may have taken in almost an 
 unbounded scope, as Indian brevity generally does. 
 
 This stone was once the cause of a war. The Tuscaroras, 
 residing some thirty or forty miles down the river, — proba- 
 bly in Tuscarora Valley, — wished to declare war against the 
 tribe at Standing Stone, for some real or fancied insult, and 
 for this purpose sent them repeated war-messages, which the 
 tribe at the Stone refused to give ear to, knowing as they did 
 the strength and power of the enemy. Taking advantage 
 of the absence of a large part of the tribe on a hunt, the 
 Tuscaroras, in great force, came upon the village, captured 
 the stone, and carried it off. Immediately after the return 
 of the warriors, the entire available war-force was despatched 
 after the depredators, who were soon overtaken. A bloody 
 conflict ensued, and the trophy was recaptured and carried 
 back in triumph. 
 
 Dr. Barton, it is said, discovered that the word Oneida 
 meant "Standing Stone," in the language of the Southern 
 Indians.* The Oneida tribe of the Iroquois had a tradition 
 that their forefathers came from the South ; consequently, 
 the tribe at Standing Stone may have been part of the 
 Oneida tribe instead of Delawares, as was generally supposed. 
 The Tuscaroras, according to history, came from the South 
 and became one of the Iroquois confederation in 1712. The 
 language of the two tribes in question, although not identi- 
 cal, bore a strong affinity to each other. Hence we may 
 surmise that the characters upon the stone were understood 
 by the Tuscaroras, and that it possessed, in their eyes suf- 
 ficient value to move it some forty or fifty miles, under what 
 we should call disadvantageous circumstances, especially 
 when it is known that stones of a better finish could have 
 been found anywhere along the Juniata River. 
 
 * Morgan, in his " League of the Iroquois," gives it a different interpretation. 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. ISO* 
 
 There is no doubt at all but what the original stone was 
 removed by the Indians and taken with them in 1754 or 
 1755, for it is a well-ascertained fact that the Indians in the 
 valley, with some few exceptions, (Aughwick, for instance,) 
 joined the French in the above years. 
 
 The first survey of the land on which Huntingdon now 
 stands was made by Mr. Lukens, in behalf of a claimant 
 named Crawford, in 1756. It is therein named as "George 
 Crogan's improvement." It is not improbable that Crogan 
 may have claimed the improved fields and site of the de- 
 serted village, but that he ever made any improvement be- 
 yond probably erecting a trading-post there is a matter of 
 some doubt. His whole histor}^ proves that he was no im- 
 proving man. 
 
 On the second stone erected were found the names of John 
 and Charles Lukens, Thomas Smith, and a number of others,, 
 with dates varying from 1768 to 1770, cut or chiselled. This 
 stone was most unquestionably erected, by some of the men 
 whose names it bore, on the same spot where the original 
 stone stood, but was subsequently removed to or near where 
 the old court-house in Huntingdon formerly stood. This 
 position it occupied for many years, and might still stand as 
 a monument of the past, had not some Vandal taken it into 
 his head to destroy it. One piece of it still remains in a wall 
 of the foundation of a house in Huntingdon. 
 
 The old Indian graveyard (and an extensive one it must 
 have been) was on the high ground, near where the present 
 Presbyterian church stands. To the credit of the Hunting- 
 don folks be it said, they have never permitted a general ex- 
 humation of the bones of the Indians, to fill scientific cabi- 
 nets, gratify the morbid appetites of the curious, or even to 
 satisfy the less objectionable zeal of the antiquarian. 
 
 The few white settlers who lived at the Stone, in 1762, 
 partially erected a stockade fort; but before the spring of 
 1763 they were forced to abandon it, as well as their houses, 
 and fly to Carlisle for protection. When the settlers returned, 
 in 1770, the fort still stood, though partially decayed. Immei 
 
170 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 diately on the breaking out of the war of the Revolution, the 
 fort was rebuilt on a more extended scale by the few inhabi- 
 tants of the town and surrounding country. It was located 
 near where the court-house now stands, immediately on the 
 bluff, and, according to the traces of it discovered by the 
 present generation, must have covered ten acres of ground. 
 It was strongly built; and, when the savages were in the 
 midst of their depredations, it was the only reliable refuge — 
 before the erection of the Lead Mine Fort, in Sinking Val- 
 ley — for all the people residing as far west as the base of the 
 Alleghany Mountains. 
 
 No actual attempt was ever made against Standing Stone 
 Fort; neither were there ever any Indians seen, except on 
 two or three occasions, very close to it. A party of lurking 
 savages were once surprised and shot at by a number of 
 scouts on the hill where the graveyard now stands; but they 
 made good their escape without any injury being done. 
 
 At another time, by a display of cool courage, as well as 
 shrewdness, that would do any general credit, the com- 
 mander of the fort unquestionably saved the place from total 
 annihilation. One morning a large body of savages ap- 
 peared upon the ridge on the opposite side of the river, and, 
 by their manoeuvring, it was clearly evident that they medi- 
 tated an attack, which, under the circumstances, must have 
 proved disastrous to the settlers, for not more than ten men 
 able to bear arms were in the fort at the time — the majority 
 having left on a scouting expedition. The commander, with 
 judgment that did him infinite credit, marshalled his men, 
 and paraded them for half an hour in such a manner as to 
 enable the Indians to see a constant moving of the middle 
 of the column, but neither end of it, while the drums kept 
 up a constant clatter. In addition to this, he ordered all the 
 women out, armed them with frying-pans, brooms, or what- 
 ever he could lay his hands upon, and marched them about 
 the enclosure after the same manner in which he did the 
 men. The enemy could only make out the dim outlines of 
 the people and hear the noise. The stratagem succeeded, 
 
HISTOKY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 171 
 
 and, after a very short council of war, the Indians disap- 
 peared. 
 
 Among those who figured about Standing Stone, at the be- 
 ginning of the Revolution, were the Bradys. Hugh Brady's 
 name appears in some of the old title-deeds; and the father 
 of Sam. Brady (rendered famous by R. B. McCabe, Esq.) 
 lived at the mouth of the little run opposite Huntingdon. 
 Within the walls of Standing Stone Fort, General Hugh 
 Brady and a twin-sister were born. All the Bradys went to 
 the West Branch of the Susquehanna during the Revolu- 
 tion. Hugh entered the army at an early age, and, step by 
 step, rose from the ranks to the exalted position he occupied 
 at the time of his death. A characteristic anecdote is related 
 of him. At one time he was lying ill at Erie, and his phy- 
 sician told him he could not survive. " Let the drums beat," 
 said he; "my knapsack is swung, and Hugh Brady is ready 
 to march !" He recovered, however, and died only a few 
 years ago, at Sun bury. 
 
 The only massacre by Indians in the immediate vicinity 
 of Standing Stone occurred on the 19th of June, 1777, at 
 what was then known as the " Big Spring," two miles west 
 of the fort. In consequence of hostile bands of Indians 
 having been seen at a number of places in the neighbor- 
 hood, and the general alarm which followed, people com- 
 menced flocking to the forts from every direction. 
 
 On the day above named, Felix Donnelly and his son 
 Francis, and Bartholomew Maguire and his daughter, resid- 
 ing a short distance from the mouth of Shaver's Creek, 
 placed a number of their movable effects upon horses, and, 
 with a cow, went down the river, for the purpose of forting 
 at Standing Stone. Jane Maguire was in advance, driving 
 the cow, and the Donnellys and Maguire in the rear, on the 
 horses. When nearly opposite the Big Spring, an Indian 
 fired from ambuscade and killed young Donnelly. His 
 father, who was close to him, caught him, for the purpose of 
 keeping him upon the horse. Maguire urged the old man 
 to fly, but he refused to leave his son. Maguire then 
 
172 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 rode to his side, and the two held the dead body of Francis. 
 While in this position, three Indians rushed from their am- 
 buscades with terrific yells, and fired a volley, one bullet 
 striking Felix Donnelly, and the other grazing Maguire's. 
 ear, carrying away a portion of his hair. The bodies of both 
 the Donnellys fell to the ground, and Maguire rode forward, 
 passing (probably without noticing her) his daughter. The- 
 Indians, after scalping the murdered men, followed Jane, 
 evidently with the intention of making a prisoner of her.. 
 The fleetest of them overtook her, and grasped her by the 
 dress, and with uplifted tomahawk demanded her to surren- 
 der ; but she struggled heroically. The strings of her short 
 gown gave way, and by an extraordinary effort she freed 
 herself, leaving the garment in the hands of the savage;, 
 then, seizing the cow's tail, she gave it a twist, which started 
 the animal running, and gave her an impetus which soon 
 enabled her to pass her father. The savage still followed,, 
 but in the meantime Maguire had recovered from the con- 
 sternation caused by the massacre, and immediately aimed 
 his rifle at the Indian, when the latter took shelter behind a. 
 tree. At this juncture, a number of men who were pitching 
 quoits at Cryder's Mill, on the opposite side of the river, who 
 had heard the firing and the whoops of the savages, put off 
 in a canoe to engage the Indians; but they were soon dis- 
 covered, and the Indian, shaking Jane Maguire's short gowrt 
 derisively at them, disappeared. The men, doubtful as to- 
 the number of the enemy, returned to the mill, to await the 
 arrival of a greater force. 
 
 Maguire and his daughter reached the fort in a state better 
 imagined than described. The garrison was soon alarmed, 
 and a number of armed men started in pursuit of the sav- 
 ages. At the mill tljey were joined by the men previously 
 mentioned; and, although every exertion was made in their 
 power, they could not get upon their trail, and the pursuit 
 was abandoned. 
 
 The dead bodies of the Donnellys were taken to Standing 
 Stone, and buried upon what was then vacant ground ; but 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 173 
 
 the spot where they now rest is pointed out in a garden in 
 the heart of the borough of Huntingdon. 
 
 Jane Maguire, who certainly exhibited a very fair share 
 •of the heroism of the day in her escape from the savage, 
 -afterward married a man named Dowling, and moved to 
 Raystown Branch, where she reared a family of children, 
 some of whom are still living. 
 
 Opposite the mouth of the Raystown Branch lived Colonel 
 Fee, an active and energetic man during the Revolution. He 
 was in Captain Blair's expedition against the tories, and for 
 a while served as a private in the army. His widow (a sister 
 of the late Thomas Jackson, of Gaysport) is still living, at 
 the advanced age of eighty-seven years, -and to her we are 
 indebted for much valuable information in the construction 
 of these pages. 
 
 The Cryders, too, are worthy of a special notice. They 
 consisted of a father, mother, and seven sons. They built a 
 mill at the Big Spring, which served for the people of Stand- 
 ing Stone and the surrounding country. They were all men 
 suitable for the times — rugged and daring. A majority of 
 them were constantly in service during the war of the Revo- 
 lution, either as frontier-men, scouts, or fort guards. Michael 
 Cryder, the father, used to spend his days at his mill and 
 his nights at the fort during the troublesome times, and it 
 was himself and five of his sons who accomplished the then 
 extraordinary achievement of running the first ark-load of 
 flour down the Juniata River. 
 
 The Standing Stone is frequently mentioned in the Ar- 
 chives, but its name is mostl}^ coupled with rumors, grossly 
 ■exaggerated, of attacks by tories, &c. There is no doubt 
 whatever but that great distress, principally arising from a 
 want of provisions, prevailed there during the war. 
 
 When the alarms were most frequent, and Council had 
 been importuned time and again to send provisions to Stand- 
 ing Stone, as well as men for its defence, and munitions, a 
 circular was issued to the county lieutenants, dated July 16, 
 1778, from which we extract the following: — 
 
174 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 It is proper to acquaint you that Colonel Broadhead's regi- 
 ment, now on a march to Pittsburg, is ordered by the Board of 
 War to the Standing Stone; and we have ordered three hundred 
 militia from Cumberland, and two hundred from York, to join 
 them. 
 
 This promise to the ear of the affrighted settlers was broken 
 to the hope. Only seventy of the Cumberland militia were 
 taken to the Standing Stone, and thirty of them soon after 
 removed to garrison the Lead Mine Fort. 
 
 Huntingdon was laid out previous to the commencement 
 of hostilities — probably in 1775, — but it retained the name 
 of Stone Town for many years. With the exception of 
 Frankstown, it is the oldest town on the Juniata. On the 
 formation of the county, in 1787, it took the same name. 
 The county, during the late war with Great Britain, fur- 
 nished three full companies; and, although it once was the 
 stronghold of tories, we can now safely say that it stands 
 among the most patriotic in the State. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 177 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 « 
 
 TRIALS OF THE EAELY SETTLERS — THEIR FORTS, AND OTHER MEANS 
 
 OF DEFENCE. 
 
 ^*jUHE first outbreak of the war in 1775 found the frontier 
 ^J J inhabitants few in number and without arms. Living 
 ^^ in a remote part of the State, where no invading foe 
 would be likely to come, many young and vigorous men 
 went forward and joined the army. This fancied security, 
 however, proved a sad delusion to the frontier-men ; and the 
 absence of any regular means of defence was only severely 
 felt when the savages came down from the mountain, ripe 
 for rapine, blood, and theft. The fact that the northwestern 
 savages had allied themselves to the English was only fully 
 realized by the residents of the Juniata Valley when the 
 painted warriors came down the Kittaning War Path, and 
 commenced their infernal and atrocious work by scalping 
 women and innocent babes. 
 
 The first alarm and panic over, people collected together 
 and consulted about some means of defence. The more 
 prudent were in favor of abandoning their farms andtretir- 
 ing to some of the eastern settlements, which many did, es- 
 pecially after it was discovered that so many of the king's 
 subjects were likely to remain loyal instead of joining the 
 cause of the patriots. The more daring would not agree to 
 abandon their homes, but at once pledged themselves to de- 
 fend their firesides at the risk of their lives. 
 
 To this end, in the fall of 1777, and in the spring of 1778, 
 a number of fortifications were commenced, the farms aban- 
 doned, or partially so, and the inhabitants assumed an atti- 
 tude of defence. These forts were generally stockades, built 
 of logs or puncheons, with loop-holes made to flare on the 
 outside, in order to bring rifles to bear in several directions. 
 12 
 
178 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY, 
 
 The first of these fort was built near where McCahen's 
 Mill now stands, which was called Fetter's or Frankstown, 
 about a mile above Hollidaysburg. A barn on the flat op- 
 posite the second lock, a mile below Hollidaysburg, was 
 turned into a fort and called Holliday's. It was an old barn, 
 but very large, and belonged to one Peter Titus. Through 
 the energy of Mr. Holliday and a few others, it was made 
 comfortable, but not deemed very secure. These forts served 
 for the families in what was termed the Frankstown district, 
 comprising not only Frankstown, but all the surrounding 
 country. In Canoe Valley a fort was built, called Lowry's 
 Fort, but it was small and inconvenient; and the house of 
 Matthew Dean, a mile farther up, was also turned into a 
 temporary fortress in 1777. These served the people of Canoe 
 Valley and Water Street. The people of Hartslog Valley 
 erected a fort south of Alexandria, on Cannon's mill-run, 
 called Lytle's. A large and substantial garrison, called 
 Hartsock's Fort, was built in Woodcock Valley, which served 
 for the people of that valley and also for the residents of the 
 middle of the Cove. The inhabitants of the lower end of 
 the Cove, and along Clover Creek, forted at the house of 
 Captain Phillips, some two or three miles above where Wil- 
 liamsburg now stands, which was turned into a temporary 
 fortress. Anderson's Fort was erected where Petersburg now 
 stan(?fe, while along Shaver's Creek there were two others — 
 one at General McElery's, and the other at Alexander Mc- 
 Cormick's, toward Stone Creek. The latter was merely a 
 house fortified without additional buildings, as was- also the 
 house of Captain E. Rickets, in Warrior's Mark. Forts were 
 also built at Dunning's Creek, and on the Raystown Branch, 
 while the forts at Standing Stone and Bedford were enlarged 
 and improved. The year following, a very substantial fort 
 was built at the residence of Jacob Roller, in Sinking Valley, 
 to accommodate the large influx of people into the valley. 
 In the fall of 1778, Fort Roberdeau, or as it was better 
 known, the Lead Mine Fort, in Sinking Valley, was com- 
 pleted. It was the largest as well as the best-defended post on 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 179 
 
 the frontier. It was built under the superintendence of Gen- 
 eral Roberdeau, and occupied by Major Cluggage, with a 
 regular company from Cumberland county. On the ram- 
 parts two cannon were mounted, and in the fortress there 
 were plenty of small-arms and ammunition. This fort was 
 strengthened by government. Lead was exceedingly scarce, 
 and a high value was attached to it ; and, fearing that the 
 mines might fall into the hands of the enemy, the most vig- 
 ilant watch was kept and the most rigid military discipline 
 enforced. 
 
 During the summer of 1776, very few depredations were 
 committed ; but in the following year, as succeeding chapters 
 will show, the incursions and massacres of the Indians were 
 so bold and cruel that the utmost consternation prevailed, 
 and business was in a great measure suspended. The settlers 
 managed to get their sowing done in both fall and spring, 
 but much was sowed that never was reaped. To add to 
 their deplorable condition, the horrors of starvation were 
 constantly staring them in the face. 
 
 In order to get in crops, it was necessary to have the 
 reapers guarded and sentinels j^osted at each corner of a 
 field, while half-grown boys followed in the very footsteps of 
 the laborers, carrying their rifles loaded and primed for de- 
 fence. By such means they managed to get a scant supply 
 of grain. 
 
 The cattle were suflFered to graze at large, for seldom, if 
 ever, any of them were molested. Hogs, too, were suffered 
 to run at large in the woods, feeding upon roots and acorns. 
 When meat was wanted, a party ran down a hog or heifer, 
 butchered it, and took it to the fort. As for such luxuries 
 as coffee, tea, sugar, &c., they were among the missing, and 
 little cared for. 
 
 It is not, we hope, to the discredit of any of the best men 
 in the Juniata Valley now, to say that their fathers were 
 born in forts and rocked in sugar-troughs, and their grand- 
 fathers wore entire suits, including shoes, made of buckskin, 
 lived sometimes on poor fare, and short allowance at that. 
 
' 180 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 They were the men whose sinewy arms hewed down the 
 monarchs of the forest, and, with shovel, hoe, plough, and 
 pick, that we might enjoy the bounties of mother earth when 
 they were mouldering in the bosom thereof, made "waste 
 places glad " and the wilderness to blossom like the rose. 
 Hallowed be their names! But, while we raise the tuneful 
 lay to sing psalms of praise to the glorious old pioneers who 
 by hardship and toil have entailed such blessings upon us, 
 is it not a melancholy reflection to think that in but a few 
 succeeding generations the scanty pages of ancient histories 
 alone will be the monuments to chronicle their deeds? 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 183 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE EAKLY SETTLERS — OLD HART, THE INDIAN TRADER, ETC. 
 
 . + .T. 
 
 m 
 
 ^E have been unable to procure any thing like a full 
 and complete list of the early settlers of the entire 
 7^ valley ; yet we deem it necessary to give what we 
 have procured, as a necessary adjunct to our work. It will 
 be perceived that many of the names are familiar, and the 
 descendants are still scattered profusely over this section of 
 the country, as well as the Union. 
 
 Mr. Bell, in his Memoir, states that, at the time of his 
 earliest recollection, between the Stone (Huntingdon) and 
 the mountain, the pioneers had principally settled along the 
 streams. The prevailing religion was the Presbyterian, al- 
 though there were Lutherans and Roman Catholics, " and 
 probably as many who professed no religion at all as all the 
 other denominations put together." 
 
 In addition to those whose names have already appeared, 
 or will appear hereafter, we may incidentally mention, as 
 early settlers about Lewistown, the McClays, McNitts, and 
 Millikin ; west of Lewistown, along the river, the Junkins, 
 Wilsons, Bratton, and Stackpoles. 
 
 At Huntingdon, Ludwig Sills, Benjamin Elliot, Abraham 
 Haynes, Frank Cluggage, Mr. Allabaugh, and Mr. McMur- 
 trie ; west of Huntingdon, in the neighborhood of Shaver's 
 Creek, Samuel Anderson, Bartholomew Maguire, General 
 McElevy, McCormick, and Donnelly. Of course, this place 
 was settled at a later day than the country farthest east. 
 
 The first house erected where Alexandria now stands was 
 located near a spring, and was built and occupied by two 
 young Scotchmen, named Matthew Neal and Hugh Glover, 
 as a kind of trading-post. They dealt in goods generally, 
 and in whiskey particularly. The natural consequences of 
 
184 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 a free indulgence in the latter were fights innumerable, 
 " even in them days," and the place received the euphonious 
 title of " Battle Swamp," which clung to it for many years. 
 Near that place, at what was called " Charles's Fording of the 
 Big Juniata," was the celebrated log which gave rise to the 
 name of the valley. Charles Caldwell lived in the neighbor- 
 hood — was the oldest settler, and the only one residing within 
 two miles of " Battle Swamp." In what then constituted the 
 valley — say in 1776 — lived John Tussey, Robert Caldwell, and 
 Edward Rickets, on the banks of the Little Juniata. On the 
 main stream, or what was then termed the Frankstown 
 Branch, on the northwest side, resided John Bell, William 
 Travis, James Dean, Moses Donaldson, and Thomas Johnston. 
 On the southwest bank resided John Mitchell and Peter 
 Grafius. George Jackson lived on the banks of the Little 
 Juniata, probably a mile from the mouth of Shaver's Creek ; 
 and a mile further up lived Jacob and Josiah Minor. In 
 the neighborhood of Water Street and Canoe Valley, John 
 and Matthew Dean, Jacob Roller, John Bell, Lowry, Beattys^ 
 Moreheads, Simonton, Vanzant, John Sanders, Samuel Davis, 
 Edward Milligan. Near Frankstown, and in it, Lazarus 
 Lowry, the Moores, Alexander McDowell. West of Franks- 
 town, Joseph McCune, Mclntyre, John McKillip, McRoberts, 
 and John Crouse. Most of the latter lived along where 
 the Reservoir now is — the building of which destroyed the 
 old McCune and McRoberts farms. On the flat, west of 
 Frankstown, lived Peter Titus and John Carr; in the Loop, 
 A. Robinson and W. Divinny; John Long, near where Jack- 
 son's farm now is; Foster, where McCahen's Mill now stands; 
 and a little distance farther west, David Bard, a Presbyterian 
 preacher ; Thomas and Michael Coleman, Michael Wallack, 
 James Hardin, a Mr. Hileman, and David Torrcnce, in the 
 neighborhood of where Altoona now stands. Of course, this 
 list does not comprise all the old settlers, nor probably even 
 a majority of them, but we copy a portion of the names from 
 Mr. Bell's Memoir. A number of them were given to us by 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 185 
 
 Maguire, and some were found in an old ledger, belonging 
 to Lazarus Lowry when he kept store in Frankstown in 1790. 
 
 The man Hart, whose name is perpetuated, in connection 
 with his log, by the valley we have spoken of, was an old 
 German, who followed the occupation of trading among the 
 Indians. He was probably the first permanent white settler 
 along the Juniata west of the Standing Stone; and, long be- 
 fore he settled, he crossed and recrossed the Alleghany 
 Mountains, by the old war-path, with his pack-horses. "John 
 Hart's Sleeping Place " is mentioned, in 1756, by John 
 Harris, in making an estimate of the distance between the 
 rivers Susquehanna and Alleghany. Hart's Sleeping Place 
 is about twelve miles from the junction of the Burgoon and 
 Kittaning Runs, and still retains its name. When he took 
 Ml) his residence along the river, he hewed down an immense 
 tree, and turned it into a trough, out of which he fed his 
 horses and cattle; hence the name, " Hart's Log." 
 
 It is stated that upon one occasion, when Hart was an old 
 man, some savages came into his settlement on a pillaging 
 excursion. They knew Hart, and went to his cabin, but he 
 happened to be from home. On his log they left a toma- 
 hawk, painted red, and a small piece of slate upon which 
 rude hieroglyphics were drawn — one resembling an Indian 
 with a bundle ujDon his back, over whose head were seven 
 strokes and whose belt was filled with scalps. In front of 
 this drawing was the sun rising, and behind them a picture 
 of the moon. 
 
 On Hart's return, he soon found that Indians had been 
 about. The meaning of the articles left he could readily de- 
 cipher. The red hatchet upon the log signified that Indians 
 were about, but to him they laid down the hatchet. The 
 picture of the rising sun signified that they were going to 
 the east. The strokes indicated the number of warriors, and 
 the bundle and scalps intimated that they would both 
 plunder and murder. The moon signified that they would 
 return at night. 
 
 Hart, although he felt safe under such an assurance, had 
 
186 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 no desire to encounter the red-skins; so he scratched upon 
 the reverse of the slate the outline of a heart, and laid by the 
 side of it a pipe — which, interpreted, meant, "Hart smokes 
 with you the pipe of peace," and left. 
 
 On his return next day he found the Indians had returned, 
 and passed the night at his log, where they had left a quantity 
 of pewter platters, mugs, &c. It afterward appeared that they 
 had been at several houses, but the inmates had fled. From 
 one they stole a quantity of silver money, and at the house 
 of a Dunkard they stole the pewter-ware. At the log they 
 attempted to run the metal into bullets, but, finding it a fail- 
 ure, they probably left the heavy load in disgust. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 189 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE CONTINENTAL MILLS OF THE VALLEY. 
 
 /^ MONG the vicissitudes incident to the settlement of the 
 TlI valley was a very serious one, in the shape of some. 
 ^1 ^ times an absolute want of flour — not always owing to 
 a lack of grain, but the want of mills. Especially did this 
 operate seriously during the Revolution. The few mills at 
 such great distances apart rendered it necessary for parties 
 of neighbors to join in company, arm themselves, and go to 
 mill together — all waiting until the grain was turned into 
 flour. The want of adequate machinery prevented the erec- 
 tion of mills, and those that were built prior to the Revolu- 
 tion, and during the continuance of the war, could scarcely 
 do the requisite amount of work for the country, sparsely as 
 it was settled. To look at some of the old gearing and ma- 
 chinery in use then would only confirm the adage that " ne- 
 cessity is the mother of invention." 
 
 The late Edward Bell, of Blair county, who rose to com- 
 petence by his own indomitable energy and perseverance, 
 and commanded the esteem and respect of all who knew 
 him, once boasted to us that the first shoes he ever wore he 
 made for himself in Fort Lowry. 
 
 " And," said he " I made them so well that I soon became 
 shoemaker to the fort. There is no doubt but that I could 
 have followed the business to advantage; but I never liked 
 it, so I served a regular apprenticeship to the mill-wrighting." 
 
 It is to this circumstance, then, that we are indebted for the 
 following unique description of the old continental mill, 
 which still stands at J. Green & Company's (formerly Dor- 
 sey's) forge, on the Little Juniata, in Huntingdon county. 
 It was built before the Revolution, — as near as can be ascer- 
 tained in 1774, — by Jacob and Josiah Minor. Mr. Bell, 
 in his manuscript, says:— 
 
190 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 It was a curious piece of machinery when I first saw it. The 
 house was about twelve feet high, and about fourteen feet square, 
 made of small poles and covered with clapboards. There was 
 neither floor nor loft in it. The husk was made of round logs 
 built into the wall; the water or tub wheel was some three feet 
 in diameter, and split boards driven into the sides of the shaft 
 made the buckets. The shaft had a gudgeon in the lower end 
 and a thing they called a spindle in the upper end, and was not 
 dressed in any way between the claws. The stones were about 
 two feet four or six inches in diameter, and not thick, and in 
 place of a hoop they had cut a buttonwood-tree that was hollow 
 and large enough to admit the stones, and sawed or cut it ofi" to 
 make the hoop. The hopper was made of clapboards, and a 
 hole near the eye of the stone answered for the dampsil, with a 
 pin driven in it, which struck the shoe every time the stone re- 
 volved. The meal-trough, made out of part of a gun, completed 
 the grinding fixtures. The bolting-chest was about six feet long, 
 two and half feet wide, and four feet high, made of live-wood 
 puncheons, split, hewed, and jointed to hold flour, with a pair of 
 deer-skins sewed together to shut the door. There was not one 
 ounce of iron about the chest or bolting-reel. It had a crank or 
 handle on one end, made of wood — the shaft, ribs, and arms, of 
 the same material ; and the cloth was leona muslin, or lining 
 that looked like it. 
 
 Rather a one-horse concern for our day and generation ! 
 and its capacity must have been about as one to one thou- 
 sand, when compared with the mills of the present age. We 
 should like to see how some of the people of the valley now 
 would relish bread baked from flour bolted through Leona 
 muslin! It might do for dyspepsia; indeed, we doubt 
 whether such a disease was known in the valley at so early 
 a day. 
 
 The mill of which Mr. Bell speaks, although it may have 
 been the first in his neighborhood, was by no means the first 
 driven by the waters of the Juniata. William Patterson 
 erected a mill, where Millerstown now stands, as early as 
 1758, which, however, was carried off" by a flood a year or so 
 after it was in operation. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 191 
 
 The first mill in the Upper Valley was built on Yellow 
 Creek, by the squatters, previous to the edict of the Penn 
 family which destroyed the cabins ; but in what year, or by 
 whom built, or what its ultimate fate was, we are unable to 
 say. 
 
 The second mill in the valley was built where Spang's 
 Mill now stands, in Blair county, then considered a part of 
 the Cove. It was erected by a man named Jacob Neff, a 
 Dunkard. This mill was burned down during the Revolu- 
 tion by the Indians, but speedily rebuilt, and stood for many 
 years thereafter. 
 
 The third was the " Tub " Mill, of which Mr. Bell gives a 
 description. The term tub was applied to it in consequence 
 of the peculiar formation of the water-wheel. Nearly all the 
 mills of those days were worked with a tub-wheel. 
 
 Directly after, a mill was erected by a Mr. Fetter, near 
 where McCahen's Mill now stands, near Hollidaysburg. 
 No traces whatever are left of it. 
 
 About the same period, two brothers, named Beebault, 
 built a mill, almost the counterpart of the Minor Mill, at 
 the mouth of Spruce Creek. Relics of this mill stood until 
 within a few years. 
 
 The next was a small mill built by a man named Armi- 
 tage, at Mill Creek, below Huntingdon. 
 
 Nathaniel Garrard built one in Woodcock Valley, about 
 six miles from Huntingdon. 
 
 Another was built in the vicinity of Frankstown ; another 
 near where Martha Forge, in the Gap, now stands. 
 
 Cryder's Mill, above Huntingdon, was finished about 1776. 
 
 These were all the mills that existed in the upper end of 
 the valley prior to the Revolution. Although small, they 
 were evidently of immense value — people having sometimes 
 been compelled to travel some forty miles to obtain their 
 services. The vestiges of all are gone, like shadows that 
 have passed away, save the old Continentaller described by 
 Mr. Bell. It alone stands, a relic of the past. 
 
192 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE COVE — EARLY SETTLEMENT BY DUNKARDS — INDIAN MASSACRES 
 AND CAPTIVES — MASSACRE OF ULLERY — A RESISTANT DUNKARD, 
 ETC. 
 
 (-^LHE Great Cove, Little Cove, and Canolloways," are 
 a 1 mentioned frequently in government papers as far 
 ^^ back as 1749, -Indian traders having penetrated them 
 at a much earlier date than that; yet they only figure 
 prominently from that period. The Great Cove, now known 
 as Morrison's, commences at Pattonsville, in Bedford county, 
 and ends at Williamsburg, on the Juniata — bounded by 
 Dunning's and Lock Mountains on the west, and Tussey 
 Mountain on the east. For fertile limestone land, beautiful 
 scenery, and splendid farms, few valleys in the State equal 
 — none surpass — Morrison's Cove. 
 
 The earliest settlement of the cove was effected by Scotch- 
 Irish, as early as 1749; but they shared the fate of the burnt- 
 cabin folks when Secretary Peters answered the prayers of 
 the Indians, and were expelled. Nothing daunted, however, 
 many of them returned, and commenced improving; that, 
 too, before the scions of " Father Onus " had acquired the 
 right, title, and interest, to all and singular the fine lands, 
 for the munificent sum of £400 ! 
 
 The greater portion of the beautiful valley, however, was 
 almost unexplored until the Penns made the new purchase. 
 About 1755, a colony of Dunkards took up the southern 
 portion of the Cove, and their descendants hold possession 
 of it to this day. They have unquestionably the finest farms, 
 as well as the most fertile land, in the State ; and right glad 
 should we be to end their portion of the chapter by saying 
 so, or even by adding that for thrift and economy they stand 
 unsurpassed ; but a sense of candor compels us to speak of 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 193 
 
 them as they are, — " nothing extenuate, nor set down aught 
 in malice." 
 
 In the first place, let it be understood that we are in no 
 particle indebted to them for one iota of the blessings of 
 government we enjoy. They are strict non-resistants ; and 
 in the predatory incursions of the French and Indians, in 
 1756-63, and in fact, during all the savage warfare, they not 
 only refused to take up arms to repel the savage marauders 
 and prevent the inhuman slaughter of women and children, 
 but they refused in the most positive manner to pay a dol- 
 lar to support those who were willing to take up arms to 
 defend their homes and their firesides, until wrung from 
 them by the stern mandates of the law, from which there 
 was no appeal. 
 
 They did the same thing when the Revolution broke out. 
 There was a scarcity of men. Sixty able-bodied ones 
 among them might readily have formed a cordon of frontier 
 defence, which could have prevented many of the Indian 
 massacres which took place between 1777 and 1780, and 
 more especially among their own j)eople in the Cove. But 
 not a man would shoulder his rifle; they were non-resistants! 
 They might, at least, have furnished money, for they always 
 had an abundance of that, the hoarding of which seemed to 
 be the sole aim and object of life with them. But, no ; not 
 a dollar! The}^ occupied neutral ground, and wished to 
 make no resistance. Again; they might have furnished 
 supplies. And they did furnish supplies to those who were 
 risking their lives to repel the invaders, — but it was only 
 when the almighty dollar accompanied the demand. 
 
 After the massacre of thirty of them, in less than forty- 
 eight hours, Colonel Piper, the lieutenant-colonel of Bedford 
 county, made a stirring appeal to them. But it was of no 
 avail ; they were non-resistants, and evidently determined to 
 remain such. 
 
 Of the peculiar religious tenets of these primitive people 
 we do not profess to know anything; hence our remarks are 
 unbiassed. We are solely recording historical facts. 
 13 
 
194 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 As a curious anomaly in the history of the present gener- 
 ation, it may be stated that, although they perform that part 
 of the compact between government and a good citizen which 
 relates to paying taxes, they never vote, neither can the most 
 seductive persuasions of politicians bring them to the polls. 
 
 Like their forefathers, they are non-resistants — producers, 
 but non-consumers. 
 
 During the Indian wars of 1762, quite a number of mur- 
 ders were committed in the Cove, and many captives taken, 
 but the particulars were too vague for history. Although 
 we made every effort to ascertain the names of some of the 
 massacred and the circumstances attending their massacre, 
 we signally failed. It may, therefore, be supposed that, in 
 the absence of any record, there is no other method of ascer- 
 taining facts extant. 
 
 During the Great Cove massacre, among others carried 
 into captivity was the family of John Martin. This incur- 
 sion was indeed a most formidable one, led by the kings 
 Shingas and Beaver in person. How many were killed there 
 is no living witness to tell ; neither can we conjecture the 
 number of prisoners taken. The following petition was sent 
 
 by John Martin to council : — 
 
 August 13, 1762. 
 
 The Humble Petition of Your Most Obedient Servant Shew- 
 eth, Sir, may it pleas Your Excellancy, Hearing me in Your 
 Clemancy a few Words. I, One of the Bereaved of my Wife 
 and five Children, by Savage War at the Captivity of the Great 
 Cove, after Many & Long Journeys, I Lately went to an Indian 
 Town, viz., Tuskaroways, 150 miles Beyond Fort Pitts, & En- 
 treated in Co\ Bucquits & Co'. Croghan's favor, So as to bear 
 their Letters to King Beaver & Cap'. Shingas, Desiring them to 
 Give up One of my Daughters to me. Whiles I have Yet two 
 Sons & One Other Daughter, if Alive, Among them — and after 
 Seeing my Daughter with Shingas he Refused to Give her up, 
 and after some Expostulating with him, but all in vain, he 
 promised to Deliver her up with the Other Captives to y' Excel- 
 lency. 
 
 Sir, y' Excellency's Most Humble Serv*, Humbly & Passion- 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 195 
 
 ately Beseeches Y' Beningn Compassion to interpose Y' Excel- 
 lencies Beneficent influence in favor of Y' Excellencies Most 
 Obedient & Dutiful Serv*. 
 
 John Martin. 
 
 After the march of General Forbes from Raystown, and 
 immediately preceding it, no Indian depredations were com- 
 mitted in the Cove up to the commencement of hostilities 
 between the Colonies and Great Britain. The Indians in 
 the French interests were constantly on the alert ; and their 
 spies prowling on the outskirts did not fail to report at head- 
 quarters the arrival at Raystown of Colonel Boquet and his 
 army, the formidable bearing and arms of which convinced 
 the savages that it was prudent to keep within the bounds 
 of the French power. 
 
 The first Indian depredations of the Revolution in the 
 Juniata Valley were committed in November, 1777. A large 
 body of Indians — not less than thirty — armed with British 
 rifles, ammunition, tomahawks, scalping-knives, and all other 
 murderous appliances they were capable of using, came into 
 the settlement with the avowed intention of gathering scalps 
 for His Britannic Majesty's officers at Detroit. Their com- 
 ing was not unlooked-for, but the settlers were unprepared 
 for them. The constant rumors afloat that a large body of 
 savages, British, and tories, were coming, struck the people 
 with so much panic that there was no effort made to give 
 any such force as might come a warlike reception, but their 
 energies were concentrated in measures of defence. 
 
 The first Indian depredators, or at least the greater por- 
 tion of them, were seen at a camp-fire by a party of hunters; 
 and if the proper exertions had been made to cut them off, 
 few other outrages would have followed. The supposition is 
 that there were two parties of about fifteen each, who met at 
 or near Neff' s Mill in the Cove. On their way thither, the 
 one party killed a man named Hammond, who resided along 
 the Juniata, and the other party killed a man named Ullery, 
 who was returning from Nefif's Mill on horseback. Tliey 
 also took two children with them as prisoners. 
 
196 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 The alarm was spread among the inhabitants, and they 
 fled to the nearest forts with all despatch ; and on this first 
 expedition they would have had few scalps to grace their 
 belts, had the Dunkards taken the advice of more sagacious 
 people, and fled too; this, however, they would not do. They 
 would follow but half of Cromwell's advice: — they were 
 willing to put their "trust in God," but they would not "keep 
 their powder dry." In short, it was a compound they did 
 not use at all. 
 
 The savages swept down through the Cove with all the 
 ferocity with which a pack of wolves would descend from 
 the mountain upon a flock of sheep. Some few of the 
 Dunkards, who evidently had a latent spark of love of life, 
 hid themselves away; but by far the most of them stood 
 by and witnessed the butchery of their wives and children, 
 merely saying, " Goites wille sei gcthan.^' * How many Dunk- 
 ard scalps they carried to Detroit cannot now be, and proba- 
 bly never has been, clearly ascertained, — not less than thirty, 
 according to the best authority. In addition to this, they 
 loaded themselves with plunder, stole a number of horses, 
 and under cover of night the triumphant warriors marched 
 bravely away. 
 
 Thomas Smith and George Woods, both, we believe, jus- 
 tices of the peace at the time, wrote to President Wharton 
 as follows: — 
 
 November 27, 1777. 
 
 Gentlemen : — The present situation of this country is so truly 
 deplorable that we should be inexcusable if we delayed a mo- 
 ment in acquainting you with it. An Indian war is now raging 
 around us in its utmost fury. Before you went down they 
 killed one man at Stony Creek ; since that time they have killed 
 
 * ''God's will be done." This sentence was so frequently repeated by the 
 Dunkards during the massacre, that the Indians must have retained a vivid 
 recollection of it. ^During the late war with Great Britain, some of the older 
 Indiana on the frontier were anxious to know of the Huntingdon volunteers 
 whether the ^^Gotswiltahns^' still resided in the Cove. Of course our people 
 could not satisfy them on such a vague point. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 197 
 
 five on the mountain, over against the heads of Dunning's 
 Creek, killed or taken three at the Three Springs, wounded one, 
 and killed some children by Frankstown ; and had they not 
 providentially been discovered in the night, and a party gone 
 out and fired on them, they would, in all probability, have de- 
 stroyed a great part of that settlement in a few hours. A small 
 party went out into Morrison's Cove scouting, and unfortunately 
 divided; the Indians discovered one division, and out of eight 
 killed seven and wounded the other. In short, a day hardly 
 passes without our hearing of some new murder; and if the 
 people continue only a week longer to fly as they have done for 
 a week past, Cumberland county will be a frontier. From Mor- 
 rison's, Crayl's, and Friend's Coves, Dunning's Creek, and one- 
 half of the Glades, they are fled or forted ; and, for all the defense 
 that can be made here, the Indians may do almost what they 
 please. We keep out ranging-parties, in which we go out by 
 turns; but all that we can do in that way is but weak and in- 
 efiectual for our defense, because one-half of the people are fled : 
 those that remain are too busily employed in putting their fam- 
 ilies and the little of their efl"ects that they can save and take 
 into some place of safety, so that the whole burden falls upon 
 a few of the frontier inhabitants, for those who are at a distance 
 from danger have not as yet offered us any assistance. We are 
 far from blaming the officers of the militia because they have 
 not ordered them out, for if they had, they really can be of little 
 or no service, not only for the foregoing reasons, but also for 
 these : — Not one man in ten of them is armed. If they were 
 armed, you are sensible, take the country through, there is not 
 one fourth man that is fit to go against Indians, and it might 
 often happen that in a whole class there might not be a single 
 person who is acquainted with the Indians' ways of the woods; 
 and if there should be a few good men, and the rest unfit for 
 that service, those who are fit to take the Indians in their own 
 way could not act with the same resolution and spirit as if they 
 were sure of being properly supported by men like themselves. 
 The consequence would be that the Indians, after gaining an 
 advantage over them, would become much more daring and 
 fearless, and drive all before them. A small number of select 
 men would be of more real service to guard the frontiers than 
 six times that number of people unused to arms or the woods. 
 
198 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 It is not for us to dictate what steps ought to be taken, but some 
 steps ought to be taken without the loss of an hour. The safety 
 of your country, of your families, of your property, will, we are 
 convinced, urge you to do every thing in your power to put the 
 frontiers in some state of defence. Suppose there were orders 
 given to raise about one hundred rangers, under the command 
 of spirited officers, who were well acquainted with the woods 
 and the Indians and could take them in there own way. They 
 could be raised instantly, and we are informed there are a great 
 number of rifles lying in Carlisle useless, although the back 
 country is suffering for the want of arms. It was a fatal step that 
 was taken last winter in leaving so many guns when the militia 
 came from camp ; about this place, especially, and all the coun- 
 try near it, they are remarkably distressed for the want of guns, 
 for when the men were raised for the army you know we pro- 
 cured every gun that we could for their use. The country re- 
 flect hard on us now for our assiduity on those occasions, as it 
 now deprives them of the means of defence. But this is not 
 the only instance in which we hear reflections which are not 
 deserved. The safety of our country then loudly called on us 
 to send all the arms to the camp that could be procured, and it 
 now as loudly calls on us to entreat that we may be allowed 
 some as soon as possible, as also some ammunition; as that 
 which was intrusted to our care is now almost delivered out to 
 the officers who are fortifying, and what remains of it is not fit 
 for rifles.* We need not repeat our entreaties that whatever is 
 done may be done as soon as possible, as a day's delay may be 
 the destruction of hundreds. 
 
 We are, in haste, gentlemen. 
 
 Your most obedient, humble servants, 
 
 George Woods. 
 Thomas Smith. 
 Bedford, Noveviber 27, 1777. 
 
 The persons mentioned as having been killed belonged 
 mostly to the Cove; but the number was greatly exaggerated, 
 as ill fact but two were killed and one wounded. The other 
 five escaped, and did not return until after the report of their 
 death had gone abroad. The names of the killed we could 
 not ascertain. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 199 
 
 The band of Indians, after the Dunkard massacre, worked 
 their way toward the Kittaning war-path, leaving behind 
 them some few stragglers of their party whose appetite for 
 blood and treasure had not been satiated. Among others, 
 an old and a young Indian stopped at Neff' s Mill. Neflf was 
 a Dunkard; but he was a single exception so far as resist- 
 ance was concerned. He had constantly in his mill his 
 loaded rifle, and was ready for any emergency. He had gone 
 to his mill in the morning without any knowledge of Indians 
 being in the neighborhood, and had just set the water-wheel 
 in motion, when he discovered the two Indians lurking, 
 within a hundred yards, in a small wood below the mill. 
 Without taking much time to deliberate how to act, he 
 aimed through the window, and deliberatelj^ shot the old 
 Indian. In an instant the young Indian came toward the 
 mill, and Neff ran out of the back door and up the hill. 
 The quick eye of the savage detected him, and he fired, but 
 missed his aim. Nothing daunted by the mishap, the savage 
 followed up the cleared patch, when both, as if by instinct, 
 commenced reloading their rifles. They stood face to face, 
 not forty yards apart, on open ground, where there was no 
 possible chance of concealment. The chances were equal: 
 he that loaded first would be victor in the strife, the other 
 was doomed to certain death. They both rammed home the 
 bullet at the same time — with what haste ma}^ well be con- 
 jectured. This was a critical juncture, for, while loading, 
 neither took his eye off the other. They both drew their 
 ramrods at the same instant, but the intense excitement of 
 the moment caused the Indian to balk in drawing his, and 
 the error or mishap proved fatal, because Neff took advant- 
 age of it, and succeeded in priming and aiming before the In- 
 dian. The latter, now finding the muzzle of Neff 's rifle 
 bearing upon him, commenced a series of very cunning 
 gyrations and contortions to destroy his aim or confuse him, 
 so that he might jniss him or enable him to prime. To this 
 end, he first threw himself upon his face; then, suddenly 
 rising up again, he jumped first to the right, then to the left, 
 
200 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 then fell down again. NefF, not the least put off his guard, 
 waited until the Indian arose again, when he shot him 
 through the head. 
 
 NefF, fearing that others might be about, left the mill and 
 started to the nearest settlement. A force was raised and 
 the mill revisited ; but it was found a heap of smouldering 
 cinders and ashes, and the dead bodies of the Indians had 
 been removed. It is altogether likely that the rear of the 
 savage party came up shortly after NefF had left, fired the 
 mill, and carried away their slain companions. 
 
 For the part NefF took in the matter he was excommuni- 
 cated from the Dunkard society. Nevertheless, he rebuilt 
 his mill; but the Dunkards, who were his main support 
 previously, refused any longer to patronize him, and he was 
 eventually compelled to abandon the business. 
 
 On the 4th of May, 1781, a band of marauding savages 
 entered the Cove and murdered a man, woman, and two 
 children, and took one man prisoner, within a mile of the 
 fort of John Piper, who was then colonel of the county. 
 Names or particulars could not be ascertained. 
 
 At another time — period not remembered — several prison- 
 ers were taken. 
 
 The name of the Cove was changed from the " Great Cove " 
 to " Morrison's Cove," in honor of a Mr. Morris, as early as 
 1770. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 201 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 TOMMY COLEMAN, THE INDIAN FIGHTER — SURPRISE OF THE DUNKARD 
 MURDERERS, ETC. 
 
 ^ MONG all the early pioneers of the upper end of the 
 ^]\ Juniata Valley none was better known to the Indians 
 (T|^ than Thomas Coleman. His very name inspired them 
 with terror; and, in all their marauding, they carefully 
 avoided his neighborhood. He was, emphatically, an In- 
 dian-hater, — the great aim and object of whose life appeared 
 to be centred in the destruction of Indians. For this he had 
 a reason — a deep-seated revenge to gratify, a thirst that all 
 the savage blood in the land could not slake, — superinduced 
 by one of the most cruel acts of savage atrocity on record. 
 
 It appears that the Coleman family lived on the West 
 Branch of the Susquehanna at an early day. Their habita- 
 tion, it would also appear, was remote from the settlements; 
 and their principal occupation was hunting and trapping in 
 winter, boiling sugar in spring, and tilling some ground they 
 held during the summer. Where they originally came from 
 was rather a mystery; but they were evidently tolerably 
 well educated, and had seen more refined life than the forest 
 afforded. Nevertheless, they led an apparently happy life 
 in the woods. There were three brothers of them, and, what 
 is not very common nowadays, they were passionately at- 
 tached to each other. 
 
 Early in the spring, — probably in the year 1763, — while 
 employed in boiling sugar, one of the brothers discovered 
 the tracks of a bear, when it was resolved that the elder two 
 should follow and the younger remain to attend to the 
 sugar-boiling. The brothers followed the tracks of the bear 
 for several hours, but, not overtaking him, agreed to return 
 to the sugar-camp. On their arrival, they found the remains 
 
202 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 of their brother boiled to a jelly in the large iron kettle! A 
 sad and sickening sight, truly ; but the authors of the black- 
 hearted crime had left their sign-manual behind them, — 
 an old tomahawk, red with the gore of their victtm, sunk 
 into one of the props which supported the kettle. They 
 buried the remains as best they could, repaired to their 
 home, broke up their camp, abandoned their place a short 
 time after, and moved to the Juniata Valley. 
 
 Their first location was near the mouth of the river ; but 
 gradually they w^orked their way west, until they settled 
 somewhere in the neighborhood of the mouth of Spruce 
 Creek, on the Little Juniata, about the year 1770. A few 
 years after, the two brothers, Thomas and Michael, the sur- 
 vivors of the family, moved to the base of the mountain, in 
 what now constitutes Logan township, near where Altoona 
 stands, which then was included within the Frankstown 
 district. 
 
 These men w^ere fearless almost to a fault; and on the 
 commencement of hostilities, or after the first predatory in- 
 cursion of the savages, it appears that Thomas gave himself 
 up solely to hunting Indians. He was in all scouting parties 
 that were projected, and always leading the van when dan- 
 ger threatened ; and it has very aptly, and no doubt truly, 
 been said of Coleman, that when no parties were willing to 
 venture out he shouldered his rifle and ranged the w-oods 
 alone in hopes of occasionally picking up a stray savage or 
 two. That his trusty rifle sent many a savage to eternity 
 there is not a shadow of doubt. He, however, never said so. 
 He was never knowai to acknowledge to any of his most inti- 
 mate acquaintances that he had ever killed an Indian ; and 
 yet, strange as it may seem, he came to the fort on several 
 occasions wdth rather ugly wounds upon his body, and his 
 knife and tomahawk looked as if they had been used to some 
 purpose. Occasionally, too, a dead savage was found in his 
 tracks, but no one could tell who killed him. For such re- 
 serve Mr. Coleman probably had his own motives ; but that 
 his fights with the savages were many and bloody is sus- 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 203 
 
 ceptible of proof even at this late day. We may incidentally 
 mention that both the Colemans accompanied Captain Blair's 
 expedition to overtake the tories, and Thomas was one of 
 the unfortunate " Bedford Scout." 
 
 To show how well Thomas was known, and to demonstrate 
 clearly that he had on sundry occasions had dealings with 
 some of the savages without the knowledge of his friends, 
 we may state that during the late war with Great Britain, 
 on the Canadian frontier, a great many Indians made in- 
 quiries about " Old Coley;" and especially one, who repre- 
 sented himself as being a son of Shingas, pointed out to some 
 of Captain Allison's men, who were from Huntingdon county, 
 a severe gash on his forehead, by which he said he should be 
 likely to remember " Coley" for the balance of his life. 
 
 In the fall of 1777, Fetter's Fort was occupied by some 
 twenty-five men capable of bearing arms, belonging to the 
 Frankstown district. Among these were both the Colemans, 
 their own and a number of other settler's families. 
 
 The Indians who had murdered the Dunkards, it appears, 
 met about a mile east of Kittaning Point, where they en- 
 camped, (the horses and plunder having probably been sent 
 on across the mountain,) in order to await the arrival of the 
 scattered forces. Thomas and Michael Coleman and Michael 
 Wallack had left Fetter's Fort in the morning for the pur- 
 pose of hunting deer. During the day, snow fell to the 
 depth of some three or four inches; and in coming down 
 the Gap, Coleman and his party crossed the Indian trail, and 
 discovered the moccasin tracks, which they soon ascertained 
 to be fresh. It was soon determined to follow them, as- 
 certain their force, and then repair to the fort and give the 
 alarm. They had followed the trail scarcely half a mile be- 
 fore they saw the blaze of the fire and the dusky outlines of 
 the savages seated around it. Their number, of course, could 
 not be made out, but they conjectured that there must be in 
 the neighborhood of thirty ; but, in order to get a crack at 
 them, Thomas Coleman made his companions promise not 
 to reveal their actual strength to the men in the fort. Ac- 
 
204 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 cordingly they returned and made report — once, for a won- 
 der, not exaggerated, but rather underrated. The available 
 force, amounting to sixteen men, consisting of the three above 
 named, Edward Milligan, Samuel Jack, William Moore,. 
 George Fetter, John Fetter, William Holliday, Richard 
 Clausin, John McDonald, and others whose names are not 
 recollected, loaded their rifles and started in pursuit of the 
 savages. By the time they reached the encampment, it had 
 grown quite cold, and the night was considerably advanced; 
 still some ten or twelve Indians were seated around the fire. 
 Cautiously the men approached, and with such silence that 
 the very word of command was given in a whisper. When 
 within sixty yards, a halt was called. One Indian appeared 
 to be engaged in mixing paint in a pot over the fire, while 
 the remainder were talking, — probably relating to each other 
 the incidents attending their late foray. Their rifles were 
 all leaning against a large tree, and Thomas Coleman con- 
 ceived the bold design of approaching the tree, although it 
 stood but ten feet from the fire, and securing their arms be- 
 fore attacking them. The achievement would have been a 
 brilliant one, but the undertaking was deemed so hazardous 
 that not a man would agree to second him in so reckless and 
 daring an enterprise. It was then agreed that they all 
 should aim, and at the given word fire. Coleman suggested 
 that each man should single out a particular savage to fire 
 at; but his suggestion was lost upon men who were getting 
 nervous by beginning to think their situation somewhat 
 critical. Aim — we will not call it deliberate — was taken, the 
 word "fire!" was given, and the sharp report of the rifles 
 made the dim old woods echo. Some three or four of the 
 savages fell, and those who were sitting around the fire, as 
 well as those who were lying ui)on the ground, instantly 
 sprang to their feet and ran to the tree where their rifles 
 stood. In the mean time, Coleman said — 
 
 " Quick ! quick ! boys, load again ! we can give them an- 
 other fire before they know where we are !" 
 
 But, on looking around, he was surprised to find nobody 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 205 
 
 but Wallack and Holliday left to obey his order! The 
 number proving unexpectedly large, the majority became 
 frightened, and ran for the fort. 
 
 The Indians, in doubt as to the number of their assail- 
 ants, took an early opportunity to get out of the light caused 
 by the fire and concealed themselves behind trees, to 
 await the further operations of this sudden and unexpected 
 foe. 
 
 Coleman, Wallack, and Holliday, deeming themselves too 
 few in number to cope with the Indians, followed their friends 
 to Fetter's Fort. 
 
 Early the next morning, all the available force of the fort 
 started in pursuit of the Indians. Of course, they did not 
 expect to find them at the encampment of the night pre- 
 vious ; so they took provisions and ammunition along for 
 several days' scout, in order, if possible, to overtake the 
 savages before they reached their own country. To this 
 end, Coleman was appointed to the command, and the 
 march was among those denominated by military men as 
 forced. 
 
 When they reached the scene of the previous night's work, 
 the evidence was plain that the savages had departed in the 
 night. This the hunters detected by signs not to be mis- 
 taken by woodsmen ; there was not a particle of fire left, and 
 the coals retained no warmth. The tracks of the savages 
 west of the fire, too, showed that they conformed to those 
 east of the fire, in appearance, whereas, those made by the 
 hunters in the morning looked quite differently. It was 
 then evident that the Indians had a start of some six or 
 eight hours. 
 
 On the spot where the fire had been the small earthen 
 paint-j)ot was found, and in it a portion of mixed paint. Near 
 the fire, numerous articles were picked up : — several scaljDing- 
 knives, one of which the owner was evidently in the act of 
 sharpening when the volley was fired, as the whetstone was 
 lying by its side; several tomahawks, a powderhorn, and a 
 number of other trifling articles. The ground was dyed 
 
206 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLfiY. 
 
 with blood, leaving no doubt remaining in regard to their 
 execution the night previous. They had both killed and 
 wounded, — but what number was to remain to them forever 
 a mystery, for they carried both dead and wounded with 
 them. 
 
 This was a singular trait in savage character. They never 
 left the body of a dead or wounded warrior behind them, if 
 by any possible human agency it could be taken with them. 
 If impossible to move it far, they usually buried it, and con- 
 cealed the place of burial with leaves; if in an enemy's 
 country, they removed the remains, even if in a state of par- 
 tial decay, on the first opportunity that offered. To prevent 
 the dead body of a brave from falling into the hands of an 
 enemy appeared with them a religious duty paramount even 
 to sepulcher. As an evidence of this, Sam Brady, the cele- 
 brated Indian-fighter, once waylaid and shot an old Indian 
 on the Susquehanna who was accompanied by his two sons, 
 aged respectively sixteen and eighteen years. The young 
 Indians ran when their father fell, and Brady left the body 
 and returned home. Next morning, having occasion to 
 pass the place, he found the body gone, and by the tracks he 
 ascertained that it had been removed by the lads. He fol- 
 lowed them forty miles before he overtook them, bearing 
 their heavy burden with the will of sturdy work-horses. 
 Brady had set out with the determination of killing both, 
 but the sight so affected him that he left them to pursue 
 their way unharmed ; and he subsequently learned that they 
 had carried the dead body one hundred and sixty miles. 
 Brady said that was the only chance in his life to kill an 
 Indian which he did not improve. It may be that filial af- 
 fection prompted the young savages to carry home the re- 
 mains of their parents ; nevertheless, it is known that the dead 
 bodies of Indians — ordinary fighting-men — were carried, 
 without the aid of horses, from the Juniata Valley to the 
 Indian burial-ground at Kittaning, and that too in the same 
 time it occupied in making their rapid marches between the 
 two points. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 207 
 
 But to return to our party. After surveying the ground a 
 few moments, they followed the Indian trail — no difficult mat- 
 ter, seeing that it was filled with blood — until they reached 
 the summit of the mountain, some six or eight miles from 
 the mouth of the Gap. Here a consultation was held, and 
 a majority decided that there was no use in following them 
 farther. Coleman, however, was eager to continue the chase, 
 and declared his willingness to follow them to their strong- 
 hold, Kittaning. 
 
 This issue, successful though it was, did not fail to spread 
 alarm through the sparsely-settled country. People from 
 the neighborhood speedily gathered their families into the 
 fort, under the firm impression that they were to be harassed 
 by savage warfare not only during the winter, but as long 
 as the Revolutionary struggle was to continue. However, 
 no more Indians appeared; this little cloud of war was soon 
 dispelled, and the people betook themselves to their homes 
 before the holidays of 1777, where they remained during 
 the winter without molestation. 
 
 It is said of old Tommy Coleman — but with what degree 
 of truth we are unable to say — that, about twenty years ago, 
 hearing of a delegation of Indians on their way to Wash- 
 ington, he shouldered his trusty old rifle, and went to Holli- 
 daysburg. There, hearing that they had gone east on the 
 canal packet, he followed them some three miles down the 
 towing-path, for the express purpose of having a crack at one 
 of them. This story — which obtained currency at the time, 
 and is believed by many to this day — was probably put into 
 circulation by some one w^ho knew his inveterate hatred of 
 Indians. An acquaintance of his informs us that he had 
 business in town on the day on which the Indians passed 
 through ; hence his appearance there. His gun he always 
 carried with him, even on a visit to a near neighbor. That 
 he inquired about the Indians is true; but it was merely out 
 of an anxiety to see whether they looked as they did in days 
 of yore. His business led him to Frankstown, but that 
 
208 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 business was not to shoot Indians ; for, if he still cherished 
 any hatred toward the race, he had better sense than to show 
 it on such an occasion. 
 
 He died at his residence, of old age, about fifteen years 
 ago, beloved and respected by all. Peace to his ashes! 
 
ARCH SPRING. 
 
HISTOKY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 211 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 SINKING VALLEY — THE LEAD MINES — FORT ROBERDEAU — INDIAN 
 MURDER, AND HEROIC CONDUCT OF A WOMAN — ENCOUNTER WITH A 
 SAVAGE — MURDER OF ROLLER AND BEBAULT, ETC. 
 
 yjL NE of the most prominent points in Pennsylvania, 
 a|Ll during the Revolution, was Sinking Valley, owing, in 
 ^1 a great measure, to the fact that it had a fort, under 
 military discipline, — where the sentry marched upon ram- 
 parts, where the reveille aroused the inmates at the dawn of 
 day, and where people felt secure in the immediate presence 
 of muskets with bristling bayonets, a pair of cannon, and an 
 abundance of ammunition, and where, for a long time, the 
 greater part of the lead used by the Continental army was 
 procured. 
 
 There is eveiy reason to believe that the lead mines of 
 Sinking Valley were known to the French as early as 1750. 
 Although they searched extensively for minerals, it is not 
 probable that they ventured as far into the Penn lands as 
 Sinking Valley, unless the secret of the existence of the 
 mines had been imparted to them by the Indians. 
 
 The Indians of the Juniata, after they had acquired the 
 use of fire-arms, could always procure an abundance of lead. 
 This, they said, they procured — almost pure — on a ridge, 
 near where Mifflintown now stands, in Kishicoquillas Val- 
 ley; and also at the foot, or in one of the ravines, of the 
 mountain. With true Indian craft, the warriors kept the 
 precise location of the lead mines a secret. The scarcity of 
 lead, in early days, made it a valuable commodity to the 
 settlers; and many an Indian's jug was filled with whiskey 
 on promise of showing the lead mines — promises that were 
 always "kept to the ear, but broken to the hope." It is, 
 therefore, pretty evident that all the lead-ore the savages dis- 
 
212 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 played was procured in Sinking Valley ; if they obtained 
 any at other places along the Juniata, the mines have not 
 yet been discovered, and not for the lack of many thorough 
 searches for them, either. 
 
 The supposition that the French had been prospecting ex- 
 tensively in Sinking Valley many years ago is based upon 
 the fact that, previous to Roberdeau's erecting the fort, sev- 
 eral old drifts or openings were discovered, as well as an ir- 
 regular trench, extending from the upper to the lower lead 
 mines, — a distance of nearly six miles. The vestiges of this 
 trench are still visible, and there is no question but what the 
 digging of it and the immense amount of labor necessary 
 for its construction was performed in the full confidence that 
 they would be rewarded by the discovery of a silver mine, 
 or, at least, an inexhaustible bed of pure lead-ore. 
 
 The fact that lead-ore existed in Sinking Valley was as- 
 certained by the settlers about 1763, and the consequence 
 was that a number of persons took up their residence there, 
 but without purchasing lands. The certainty of the exist- 
 ence of lead, and the fabulous stories of the existence of vari- 
 ous other precious metals, induced the proprietary family to 
 reserve it to themselves, and to that end George Woods sur- 
 veyed it for them a short time previous to the Revolution. 
 
 The earliest accounts we have of any permanent settlers 
 in Sinking Valley bears date of 1760. There is a well- 
 authenticated story of an occurrence that once took place in 
 1763, but neither names nor dates have been transmitted. 
 Mr. Maguire had frequently heard the woman's name men- 
 tioned, who became quite a heroine, and lived in Sinking 
 Valley until some time during the Revolution; but it had 
 slipped his memory. 
 
 The story was that a man occupied a cabin in the upper 
 end of the valley, and one day left it to go to the mouth of 
 the Bald Eagle, leaving his wife and child at home. No 
 savages had been in the neighborhood for some time, and, 
 in fact, no friendly Indians either, except some few who re- 
 sided in what is now known as Tuckahoe Valley. Fortu- 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 213 
 
 nately, the man possessed two rifles, both of which he loaded, 
 placed one over the chimney-piece, the other upon his 
 shoulder, and departed on his errand. While the woman 
 was busy attending to her household affairs, she saw two 
 Indians, partly concealed by some bushes in front of the 
 house. In an instant she took down the loaded gun, and 
 watched their motions through the window. In a few min- 
 utes both of them stealthily approached the house, when she 
 pointed the gun at the foremost savage and fired ; the bullet 
 striking him in the breast, he fell to rise no more. The 
 other savage came directly toward the house, when the 
 woman, still retaining in her grasp the rifle, ascended a lad- 
 der to the loft, where she stood with the gun in an attitude 
 of defiance. The quick eye of the Indian detected her move- 
 ments, and he followed, but with the usual caution of a sav- 
 age ; and when his head reached the opening, he peered into 
 the dark garret to see his intended victim. Grasping one of 
 the puncheons which composed the floor with one hand, he 
 attempted to draw up his rifle with the other, when a dis- 
 charge followed, and he fell lifeless to the floor. The woman, 
 more dead than alive with fear, remained for a time in the 
 loft, but, hearing no noise, she at length ventured down- 
 stairs, and at the foot of the ladder found the savage perfectly 
 dead, lying in a pool of blood. She took her child out of the 
 cradle, and started for the mouth of the Bald Eagle, but for- 
 tunately met her husband but a few rods from the house. 
 
 All things taken into consideration, and especially the 
 fact that the woman had never pulled the trigger of a gun 
 before, this was probably one of the most heroic acts on 
 record. 
 
 The earnest neighbors were summoned, and, on examin- 
 ing into the matter, it was concluded that, after the flrst In- 
 dian had been shot, the second one immediately cocked his 
 rifle, and that while ascending the ladder the trigger must 
 have been touched by a twig on the hickory rung of the 
 ladder. The bullet had struck him under the chin, passed 
 through his tongue, and lodged in his brain. His death 
 
214 HISTORY OF THP: JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 was certainly an interposition of Providence in behalf of the 
 woman and her infant child. 
 
 Sinking Valley proper never could have been much of a 
 resort of the Indians, for no traces of the existence of any 
 villages in it have ever been discovered, neither have any 
 relics ever been found or exhumed in it, that we can hear of, 
 with the exception of some few arrow-heads and a skull, 
 found near the Arch Springs. 
 
 The attention of Council was called to the existence of 
 lead in Sinking Valley in a letter from Major-General John 
 Armstrong to President Wharton, dated Yorktown, 23d Feb- 
 ruary, 1778. He says : — 
 
 As at present there appears to be a scarcity of the important 
 article of lead, and it is certain a Mr. Harman Husbands, now a 
 member of Assembly for our State, has some knowledge of a 
 lead mine situate in a cerain tract of land not far from Franks- 
 town, formerly surveyed for the use of the proprietary family. 
 
 General Gates, President of the Board of War, having signi- 
 fied his earnest desire to see and converse with Mr. Husbands on 
 the subject of the mine, and being greatly hurried with business, 
 I have, at this instance, undertaken the present line, that you 
 would please to use your influence with the House of Assembly 
 and with Mr. Husbands, that he, as soon as possible, may be 
 spared to concert with the Board of War on the best measures 
 for making a trial of and deriving an early supply from that 
 source. 
 
 The general is of opinion with me, that the mine ought to — or 
 may at least for the present — be seized by and belong to the State ; 
 and that private persons, who, without right, may have sat down 
 on that reserved tract, should neither prevent the use of the lead 
 nor be admitted to make a monopoly of the mine. I am of 
 opinion that a few faithful laborers may be sufficient to make 
 the experiment, and that the lieutenant of the county, or some 
 other good man, may be serviceable in introducing the business- 
 
 I cannot doubt the compliance of the honorable Assembly 
 and Council. 
 
 P. S. — It may be proper that a summary consideration be first 
 taken, whether the State will make the effort alone or leave it to 
 
THE CAVE IN SINKING VALLEY. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 217 
 
 the conduct of the Board of War ; that, at any rate, the salutary 
 •effects, if any, may be gained to the public. The water-carriage 
 is a great thing. Query — Whether the ore should be run into 
 -portable bars at the bank, or at Middleton? 
 
 At the writing of the above, some few persons had found 
 their way to the mines, raised small quantities of ore, and 
 smelted it ; but their operations were contracted for want of 
 tools and the proper appliances for smelting. They confined 
 themselves to such ore as was on or near the surface, and 
 made small oven furnaces, and smelted with charcoal. 
 
 The Council soon took the suggestion of General Arm- 
 strong in hand; and it was resolved to give the general su- 
 perintendence of the mining operations to General Daniel 
 Koberdeau, then a member of Congress, who went forward 
 to Carlisle to make the necessary arrangements. From that 
 place he wrote to President Wharton, on the 1 7th of April, 
 1778, as follows:— 
 
 The confidence the honorable the representatives of our State 
 have placed in me by a resolve, together with the pressing and 
 dndispensible necessity of a speedy supply of lead for the public 
 service, induced me to ask leave of absence of Congress to pro- 
 -ceed with workmen to put their business into a proper train, and 
 have reached this place on that errand ; and, having collected 
 men and materials, and sent them forward this day, propose to 
 follow them to-morrow. My views have been greatly enlarged 
 since I left York on the importance of the undertaking and 
 hazard in prosecuting it, for the public works here are not fur- 
 nished with an ounce of lead but what is in fixed ammunition ; on 
 the other hand, the prevailing opinion of the people, as I advance 
 into the country, of Indian depredations shortly to commence, 
 might not only deter the workmen I stand in need of, but aff"right 
 the back settlers from their habitations, and leave the country 
 ■exposed and naked. To give confidence to one and the other, I 
 have drawn out of the public stores here twenty-five stand of 
 arms and a quantity of gunpowder, and intended to proceed this 
 morning, but was applied to by John Caruthers, Esq., Lieutenant 
 of the County, and William Brown, Commissary of Provisions 
 
218 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 for the Militia, who advised me on the subject of their respective- 
 departments, and, by the account they gave of the orders from 
 your honorable board to them as to calling out and supplying 
 the militia, I find the State is guarding against the incursions of 
 of the savages. This confirmed me in a preconceived intention 
 of erecting a stockade fort in the neighborhood of the mine I am 
 about to work, if I could stir up the inhabitants to give their 
 labor in furnishing an asylum for their families in case of im- 
 minent danger, and thus prevent the evacuation of the country. 
 Mr. Caruthers, convinced of the necessity of the work for the 
 above purposes, condescendingly off'ered one company of the 
 militia, which he expected would consist of about forty men, 
 under my command, to co-operate in so salutary a business, — 
 as it consisted with the orders of Council respecting the station, 
 being only a deviation of a very few miles, — and that one other 
 company, of about the same number, should also join me, for 
 the greater expedition, until the pleasure of Council was known, 
 which he presumed might coincide with such dispositions, other- 
 wise it might be deranged by an immediate express ; and, that 
 the pleasure of Council might be known without delay, I give 
 this intelligence. If these measures are for the good of the 
 public wheel, [weal,] I hope to be honored with a confirmation, 
 and orders to the militia to exert themselves in carrying the de- 
 sign into immediate execution ; if otherwise, I rely on the well- 
 known candor of Council that I shall not be suspected of any 
 sinister design in leaning to an offer freely made as above, from, 
 I believe, the best motives, much less that I have presumed to 
 interfere with the arrangements of Council, as this early notice 
 is full proof to the contrarj'-, as the whole is in their power as 
 much as if nothing had passed between the lieutenant and my- 
 self. I have only to add, on this subject, that your design of 
 patrolling-parties of good riflemen shall be encouraged by me. 
 The commissary, Mr. Brown, being destitute of money, I would 
 have spared it out of my small stock, but that, by my interfer- 
 ence 1200 dollars — all he asked — was supplied by a public offi- 
 cer here; but further sums will, he said, be soon necessary, and 
 he expressed much concern for the scarcity of provisions. I was 
 advised very lately, by Judge McKean, of a quantity of salted 
 beef in the neighborhood of Harris's Ferry ; and before I left 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 219 
 
 York, I applied to him by letter to advise me of the quantity 
 and quality, with a design to purchase, as I intended to employ 
 a much greater number of men than are already employed at the 
 lead mine, to carrry on the business with vigor. If Council 
 should think proper to order a quantity of said provisions up.the 
 Juniata for the militia, I should be glad of being favored with 
 what I want through the same channel. I intend to build such 
 a fort as, with sufficient provisions, under the smile of Providence, 
 would enable me to defend it against any number of Indians that 
 might presume to invest it. If I am not prevented, by an oppor- 
 tunity of serving the State eminently by a longer stay in the wilder- 
 ness, I purpose to return to my duty in Congress in about three 
 weeks. Will Council favor me with the exemption of a number 
 of men, not exceeding twenty, — if I cannot be supplied by the 
 adjutant-general, who has orders co- extensive with my want of 
 smelters and miners from deserters from the British army, — to suf- 
 fer such to come to this part of the country, contrary to a pre- 
 ceding order ? If Council should think such a measure of ex- 
 emption for the public good, I should be glad to receive their or- 
 ders on that head. I would not intrude my sentiments on 
 Council, but am of opinion that, besides the supplying of pro- 
 visions to the militia in Bedford, it is very important that the 
 intended stockade should be seasonably furnished with that ar- 
 ticle; therefore, if it should not be thought advisable to improve 
 the above hint, that the provisions already mentioned in the 
 neighborhood of Harris's should be left unnoticed until I shall 
 have an opportunity of furnishing my own supplies from that 
 stock. If I shall be advised by Mr. McKean, it is in my ofiFer. 
 My landing is at Water Street, in [on the] Juniata; but I could, 
 on notice, receive any supply from Standing Stone. 
 
 In the mean time, the persons employed went forward to 
 the mines, and, under the direction of a Scotch miner named 
 Lowrie, commenced sinking shafts and raising ore at the up- 
 per mine. General Roberdeau arrived at Standing Stone 
 after the tory expedition to Kittaning, being, as it would ap- 
 pear, his second visit ; the first was a mere tour of observa- 
 tion. From this point he wrote as follows to John Carothers : — 
 
220 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 Standing Stone, April 23, 1778. 
 Sir : — The enclosed was put into my hands, to be forwarded 
 to you by express. The intelHgence it contains is abundantly 
 confirmed by several persons I have examined, both fugitives 
 from the frontiers and some volunteers that have returned for 
 an immediate supply of ammunition and provisions, to be sent 
 forward to Sinking Spring Valley, as the troops will be obliged 
 to quit the service except they are supplied without delay. Want 
 of arms prevents those who would turn out. I shall furnish 
 what I brought from Carlisle as soon as they come forward ; but 
 it is very unfortunate that these arms, and the ammunition, 
 which is coming by water, have been retarded by contrary wind, 
 and probably the lowness of the water. To remedy this, I have 
 despatched two canoes this morning to meet them on the way. 
 I am giving Mr. Brown, who is here, every assistance in my 
 power ; but your aid is greatly wanted to stimulate the militia, 
 and furnish arms, ammunition, pack-horses, and every thing ne- 
 cessary in your line of duty. The insurgents from this neighbor- 
 hood, I am informed, are about thirty. One of them (Hess) has 
 been taken, and confession extorted, from which it appears that 
 this banditti expect to be joined by three hundred men from the 
 other side of the Alleghany ; reports more vague mention one 
 thousand whites and savages. The supply of provisions for so 
 great a number renders it improbable ; but, in answer to this, I 
 have been informed by the most credible in this neighborhood, 
 that strangers, supposed to be from Detroit, have been this winter 
 among the disaffected inhabitants, and have removed with them. 
 If you have authority to call out the militia, in proportion to 
 the exigence of the times, I think it of great importance that a 
 considerable number of men should be immediately embodied 
 and sent forward to meet the enemy ; for it cannot be expected 
 that the volunteers will long continue in the service, and I find 
 that the recruiting the three companies goes on too slowly to 
 expect a seasonable supply from them of any considerable num- 
 ber. If you have not authority to call the necessary aid of 
 militia, you, no doubt, will apply to the honorable the Council, 
 and may furnish them with my sentiments, and to the Board of 
 War for arms and ammunition. With ten men here, under the 
 command of Lieutenant Cluggage, in Continental service until 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 221 
 
 the Ist of December next, I intend to move forward as soon as 
 the arms, ammunition, and other things come forward, to aflford 
 an escort to Sinking Spring Valley, where I shall be glad to 
 meet as great a number of militia as you will station there, to 
 enable me to erect a stockade, to secure the works so necessary 
 to the public service and give confidence to the frontier inhabi- 
 tants, by aflFording an asylum for their women and children. 
 These objects, I doubt not, you will think worthy of your im- 
 mediate attention and utmost exertion, which, I can assure you, 
 — making the fullest allowance for the timidity of some and 
 credulity of others, — is a very serious matter ; for without im- 
 mediate aid the frontiers will be evacuated, for all that I have 
 been able to say has been of no avail with the fugitives I have 
 met on the roads, — a most distressing sight, of men, women, and 
 children, flying through fear of a cruel enemy. 
 
 I am, respectfully, sir, your most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 Daniel Roberdeau. 
 
 The enclosure spoken of in Roberbeau's letter was a note 
 from Robert Smith to Robert Cluggage, of which the follow- 
 ing is a copy : — 
 
 Sir : — Be pleased to send expresses to Lieutenant Carothers by 
 the first opportunity, to give him some account of insurrections 
 on the South Mountain, and likewise to inspect very closely into 
 who is abroad at this time and upon what occasion, as there is a 
 suspicion, by information, of other insurrections rising in other 
 parts of the county of Cumberland ; and that in so doing you 
 will oblige your friend to serve, Robert Smith. 
 
 April 23, 1778. 
 
 The letter of Gen. Roberdeau, as well as Smith's, were 
 sent to President Wharton by Lieutenant Carothers, en- 
 closed in another of his own dated at Carlisle, on the 27th 
 of April. 
 
 Previous to this, however, he sent a letter to the Council, 
 dated on the 24th, in which he speaks of the deplorable 
 condition of the frontier and the constant alarms from the 
 tories. He said : — 
 
222 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 The marching classes of the fifth battalion I have been 
 obliged to send up to Sinking Valley and Bald Eagle, which will 
 amount to near seventy privates. The frontiers in those parts 
 have been greatly alarmed of late by a number of tories who 
 have banded together, threatening vengeance to all who have 
 taken the oath of allegiance to the States. This moment I have 
 received an express from Kishicoquillas for a supply of arms, 
 and that Colonel McElevy, of Bedford county, came there express 
 himself, with an account that a body of tories, near three hun- 
 dred and twenty, in and above Standing Stone, had collected 
 themselves together and driven a number of the inhabitants from 
 Standing Stone Town. Immediately Colonel Buchanan and 
 Colonel Brown marched off with a few men who could be got 
 equipped, and we are waiting with patience the issue. 
 
 General Roberdeau wrote to Council on the 27th of April, 
 after Captain Blair's return, as follows: — 
 
 Sinking Spring Valley, April 27, 1778. 
 Sir: — I have little more time to refer you to the enclosed ex- 
 amination, taken in great haste, but correct as it respects the tes- 
 timony. The confiscation of the efiects of the disaffected in these 
 parts is very irregular, and the brutality offered to the wives and 
 children of some of them, as I have been informed, in taking 
 from them even their wearing apparel, is shocking. I wish the 
 magistrates were furnished with the late law respecting confisca- 
 tion, and that they were more capable ministers of justice; the 
 one I have seen is such a specimen of the popular election of 
 these officers as I expected. I am happy to inform you that a 
 very late discovery of a new vein promises the most ample sup- 
 ply ; but I am very deficient in workmen. Mr. Glen is with me, 
 to direct the making and burning of bricks, and is to come up 
 to build a furnace, by which time I expect to be in such forward- 
 ness as to afford an ample supply to the army. The want of 
 provision I dread notwithstanding the active endeavors of Mr. 
 Brown, for it is scarcely to be got ; therefore I beg leave to refer 
 you to a hint on this subject in my letter from Carlisle. Of forty 
 militia, I have, at most, seven with me, which retards building 
 a stockade to give confidence to the inhabitants, who were all on 
 the wing before I reached this. I send Richard Weston, under 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 223 
 
 guard, to Carlisle jail, to wait your orders. He is conducted by 
 Lieutenant John Means, of the militia. The inhabitants are 
 hunting the other insurgents, and hope they will all be taken, 
 but wish any other the trouble of examining them, as my hands 
 are full. I am, with respectful salutations to Council, sir, 
 
 Y' most ob*, humb' serv', 
 
 Dan'' Roberdeau. 
 
 The general speaks of the torj^ Hess (in his first letter) as 
 if he had been forced to confess. This is an error. Hess 
 made a voluntary confession after the return of Captain 
 Blair, and after some of Blair's men had partially hung him 
 and let him off. 
 
 The statement that McElevy reported at Kishicoquillas 
 that three hundred and twenty tories had driven off some of 
 the inhabitants of Standing Stone Town is no doubt true 
 enough, but no such occurrence ever took place. The fears 
 of the people no doubt prompted McElevy to exaggerate, in 
 order to get aid forthwith. Shortly after the arrival of Buch- 
 anan and Brown at Standing Stone, the Blair expedition re- 
 turned, so that their services were not required. 
 
 General Roberdeau complained of the manner in which 
 confiscations were conducted. He was grossly misinformed. 
 The facts in the case are simply these: — On the receipt of 
 the news of the disasters met by the tories at Kittaning, 
 many of the tory families fled, leaving everything behind 
 them. These articles, even if wearing apparel was included, 
 could not well escape confiscation unless they were pitched 
 into the street. There is no instance on record of the women 
 and children of tories having any thing like wearing-ap^^arel 
 taken from them. If such acts were committed, they were 
 without the sanction of the officers or the people, by outlaws 
 who lived by plunder, who may be found in any commu- 
 nity, and for whose acts most assuredly the patriots should 
 not have been held accountable. 
 
 General Roberdeau's stay at the mines must have been 
 brief. The next we hear of him is in a letter to Vice-Presi- 
 dent Bryan, dated at York, on the 30th of May of the same 
 
224 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 year. The direction of affairs at the mines was probably- 
 left in the hands of Lowrie and Cluggage. 
 
 It is altogether uncertain how long the mines were carried 
 on by government, but not longer, probably, than till the 
 fall of 1779; and what the total yield of lead was during 
 that time we cannot ascertain. In one place in the Records 
 we find an order forwarded to one of the sub-lieutenants of 
 the county for five hundred pounds; and we also hear that 
 quantities were issued to the militia at sundry times. There- 
 must have been some kind of a bargain existing between 
 government and Roberdeau for taking out the lead, for, in a 
 letter to Vice-President Bryan for some pay due him, he says^ 
 " My late engagement in the lead-works has proved a moth 
 to my circulating cash, and obliged me to make free with a 
 friend in borrowing." He also says, in a letter to President. 
 Reed, bearing date November 10, 1779: — 
 
 Sir: — Permit me to ask the favor of you to make my request 
 known to the honorable Board of your Presidence that they 
 would be pleased this day to order me payment for the ten hun- 
 dred pounds of lead delivered to your order some months ago. 
 The price of that article is so enormous that I should blush to 
 make a demand, but my necessity keeps equal pace with the 
 rapid depreciation of our money ; and particularly as I purpose 
 leaving the city to-morrow, dependence has been had on the 
 money in question, for my advances are insupportably great, for 
 my defected purpose of supplying lead to Continent, which, en- 
 tirely through default of Congress in not furnishing the necessary 
 defences, has been entirely stopped, as the honorable the Assem- 
 bly have been informed. After the most diligent inquiry, I can- 
 not find less than six dollars per pound demanded for lead by 
 the quantity, — a price which, Mr. Peters just now informed me, 
 the Board of War was willing to give. 
 
 This epistle near about fixes the time of the abandonment 
 of the mines ; and it also shows that lead commanded rather 
 an exhorbitant price at that time — payable of course, in 
 Continental funds. 
 
 In 1779, Sinking Spring Valley contained, according to 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 225 
 
 an anonymous writer, " sixty or seventy families, living in 
 log-houses." The principal portion of these were foreigners, 
 who were taken there to work the mines. After Roberdeau's 
 project had fallen to the ground, in consequence of the 
 scarcity of the ore and the immense expense of mining and 
 melting it, these miners attempted for a while to carry on 
 operations for themselves. Their close proximity to the In- 
 dians, and the fact that several incursions were made into 
 the valley by the savages in search of plunder and scalps, 
 made those men, unused to border life, quit, and seek refuge 
 in the Atlantic cities. The fort was evacuated by the gov- 
 ernment militia. Nevertheless it was still a place of refuge, 
 and was used by the settlers of Sinking Valley and Bald " 
 Eagle up to the close of the war. 
 
 In 1781, Jacob Roller, Jr., and a man named Bebault, 
 were massacred by Indians in Sinking Valley. Few particu- 
 lars of this massacre are known, and many contradictory 
 stories still exist in regard to it. We give Mr. Maguire's 
 version of it, but would at the same time state that he did 
 not vouch for the authenticity of it, as he gathered it from 
 the exaggerated rumors that in those days followed the re- 
 cital of current events. 
 
 Roller, it appears was an active and energetic frontier-man, 
 bold, fearless, and daring ; and the common belief was that 
 his unerring rifle had ended the days of many a red-skin. 
 Be that as it may, however, it is certain that the Indians knew 
 him, and marked him out for a victim long before they suc- 
 ceeded in despatching him. Several small roving bands 
 were in the habit of coming down into the valley after the 
 mines were abandoned ; but no favorable opportunity offered 
 for a long time to kill Roller. 
 
 On one occasion, four of the settlers had met at Roller's 
 house for the purpose of going on a hunt for deer. Early in 
 the morning, when just ready to start. Roller heard the 
 breaking of a twig near his cabin. He peered out into the 
 deep gloom of the misty morning, and discovered three In- 
 dians crouching near an oak tree. It was very evident that 
 15 
 
226 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY, 
 
 the Indians had not been close enough to the house to ascer- 
 tain the number within, and the inmates were in a state of 
 doubt as to the number of savages. Profound silence was 
 observed, and it was resolved to shoot from the window as 
 soon as the light was sufficiently strong to render their aim 
 certain. The Indians were evidently waiting for Roller to 
 come out of his house. At length, when they thought the 
 proper time had come, the settlers gathered at the window, 
 and thrust out their rifles as silently as possible. The quick 
 eyes of the savages saw, even by the hazy light, that there 
 were too many muzzles to belong to one man, and they took 
 to the woods with all the speed they could command, leav- 
 ing behind them a quantity of venison and dried corn, and 
 a British rifle. 
 
 On another occasion, Roller had an encounter with a sin- 
 gle Indian in the woods, which probably stands unparalleled 
 in the history of personal encounters between a savage and 
 a white man. Roller left home about seven o'clock in the 
 morning, in search of deer. He had ranged along the edge 
 of the mountain an hour or two when he heard a rifle-shot 
 but a short distance from him, and a minute had scarcely 
 elapsed before a wounded doe came in the direction where 
 he stood. To shoot it was but the work of an instant, be- 
 cause he supposed that one of his neighbors had wounded 
 It ; for the thought of the presence of Indians never entered 
 his head. Yet it appears that it was an Indian who fired. 
 The Indian mistook the crack of Roller's rifle for that of a 
 companion left at the base of the mountain. Under this im- 
 pression, the Indian, anxious to secure the doe, and Roller, in- 
 tent on bleeding her, both neglected one of the first precautions 
 of the day, — viz. : to reload their rifles. Roller was leaning 
 over the doe, when he heard the crust of snow breaking in 
 a thicket near him. He jumped to his feet, and was con- 
 fronted by the Indian, — a tall, muscular fellow, who was 
 quite as large as Roller. The savage, well aware of the fact 
 that neither of the rifles were loaded, and probably satisfied 
 in ; meeting " a foeman worthy of his steel," deliberately 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 227 
 
 placed his gun against a tree by the side of Roller's, and, 
 drawing his tomahawk, he cast a glance of savage delight at 
 the white man before him, which seemed to imply that he 
 would soon show him who was the better man of the two. 
 Roller, anticipating his intentions, drew his tomahawk and 
 stood on the defensive. The savage made a spring, when 
 Roller jumped aside, and the Indian passed. The latter 
 suddenly wheeled, when Roller struck him upon the elbow 
 of the uplifted hand, and the hatchet fell. Fearing to stoop 
 to regain it, the savage drew his knife, and turned upon 
 Roller. They clinched, and a fearful struggle ensued. Roller 
 held the savage's right arm, so as to render useless his knife, 
 while the Indian grasped firmly the hand in which Roller 
 held his hatchet, and in this manner they struggled until 
 they both were tripped by the carcass of the doe ; still both 
 retained their hold. Roller fortunately grasped his knife, 
 lying beside the doe, with his left hand, and thrust it into 
 the side of the Indian. The struggle now became terrible, 
 and by one powerful effort the savage loosened himself and 
 sprang to his feet ; but Roller was as quick as he was. In 
 attempting to close again, the savage' stabbed Roller in the 
 shoulder and in the arm. Roller had dropped his hatchet 
 in regaining his feet, and the combat was now a deadly one 
 with knives. They cut and thrust at each other until their 
 buckskin hunting-shirts were literally cut into ribbons and 
 the crusted snow was dyed with their blood. At length, faint 
 with the loss of blood, the combat ceased, by mutual consent, 
 as it were, and the Indian, loosening himself from Roller's 
 grasp, took his rifle and disappeared. Roller stanched, with 
 frozen snow and some tow, the only dangerous wound he had, 
 and managed to reach his home. He was stabbed in four or 
 five places, and it was some weeks before he fully recovered 
 from his wounds. The skeleton of the savage, with his rifle 
 by his side, was found the succeeding summer on the top of 
 Warrior Ridge. 
 
 The time of Roller's death is not positively known. Mr. 
 Maguire thought it was in the fall of 1781. From subse- 
 
228 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 quent evidences, three Indians came down from the mount- 
 ain, avoiding the fort of Jacob Roller, Sr., which was located 
 at the head of Sinking Valley, and passed on down through 
 the valley to the house of Bebault, whom they tomahawked 
 and scalped. 
 
 From thence they went to the house of Jacob Roller, Jr., 
 who was alone at the time, his family being at his father's 
 fort. He was murdered and scalped while at work in his 
 corn-field. His absence from the fort at night created alarm, 
 and early next morning a party went down to his house to 
 see if anything had befallen him. While searching for him, 
 one of the men discovered blood on the bars, which soon led 
 to the discovery of his body in the field. From the foot- 
 prints in the ground, it was plain that the murder had been 
 committed by two men and a boy between twelve and four- 
 teen years of age. Roller had been shot and scalped, his 
 head shockingly mangled with a tomahawk, and the region 
 of his heart was gashed with a dozen cuts and stabs made by 
 a sharp soalping-knife. The inference was that, after shoot- 
 ing Roller, the men induced the lad to tomahawk and stab 
 him. In other words, they gave him a lesson in butchery 
 and courage. 
 
 Bebault was found shot and scalped, although still alive, — 
 a shocking spectacle to look upon. He was so much ex- 
 hausted by the loss of blood as to be unable to give any ac- 
 count of the transaction. 
 
 The bodies of both were taken to the fort and buried, and, 
 as soon as possible, a large party, consisting of the Rollers, 
 Beattys, Rickets, &c., started in pursuit. They follow^ed the 
 trail for nearly fifty miles, but at last lost it, and were com- 
 pelled to return without overtaking the murderers. 
 
 Every settler knew Roller, and his death cast a universal 
 gloom over the valley. The manner of it alarmed the settle- 
 ment to such an extent that such fall crops as were still out 
 were suffered to rot upon the field, as no force could be 
 spared from the forts, and people would no longer risk their 
 lives to the mercy of the marauders. 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 229 
 
 Jacob Roller, Jr., was the oldest of seven brothers, all 
 powerful fellows, and active frontier-men. 
 
 There are quite a number of the decendants of the seven 
 brothers, who reside in various places, — some in the West, 
 but probably a majority of them at Williamsburg, or in the 
 neighborhood of Springfield Furnace, in Blair county. 
 
 Richard R. McCabe, Esq., in a series of reminiscences of 
 old times, published in 1832, while speaking of the lead 
 mines in Sinking Valley, said: — 
 
 The Upper Lead Mine, as it is called, on the lands now belong- 
 ing to a German family of the name of Crissman, exhibits but 
 the traces of former excavation, and trifling indications of ore. 
 The lower one, about a mile in direct distance from the Little 
 Juniata, was worked within my remembrance, under the super- 
 intendence of a Mr. Sinclair, a Scotch miner from the neighbor- 
 hood of Carron Ironworks, in the "land o' cakes." The mine 
 was then owned by two gentlemen named Musser and Wells. 
 The former, I think, lived and died in Lancaster county. Mr. 
 Wells was probably a Philadelphian. Three shafts were sunk 
 to a great depth on the side of a limestone-hill. A drift was 
 worked into the bowels of the hill, possibly a hundred yards, 
 six feet high, and about the same width. This was expensive. 
 No furnace or other device for melting the ore was ever erected 
 at this mine. Considerable quantities of the mineral still lie 
 
 about the pit's mouth. The late Mr. H , of Montgomery 
 
 county, who had read much and practised some in mining, (so 
 far as to sink some thousand dollars,) visited this mine in 1821, 
 in company with another gentleman and myself, and expressed 
 an opinion that the indications were favorable for a good vein 
 of the mineral. But the vast mines of lead in the West, such as 
 Mine a Barton and the Galena, where the manufacture of lead 
 can be so much more cheaply carried on, must forever prevent 
 a resumption of the business in Sinking Valley, unless, indeed, 
 some disinterested patriot shall procure the adoption of a tariff of 
 protection for the lead-manufacturer of the happy valley. 
 
 Notwithstanding Mr. McCabe's prediction implied that 
 the lead mines of Sinking Valley would in all probability 
 
230 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 never be worked again, some enterprising individuals from 
 New York prospected at the upper mine so late as 1852, and 
 soon found, as they supposed, sufficient encouragement to 
 sink shafts. Accordingly, several were sunk, the German 
 heirs agreeing to take a certain percentage on all ore raised. 
 A regular company was organized, and, for a while, the 
 "Sinking Valley Lead Mining Company" stock figured 
 among the bulls and bears of Wall Street, in New York. 
 Extensive furnaces for smelting, and other operations on a 
 large scale, were talked of; but suddenly, one very fine day, 
 the ore, like the Yankee's horse, "^m eout;" the superintend- 
 ent left, the miners followed, and the stock depreciated so 
 rapidly that it could have been purchased for about one cent 
 on the dollar. Latterly, we have heard nothing whatever of 
 the Lead Mining Company. There is unquestionably lead- 
 ore still left at the upper mine ; but, in order to make the 
 mining operations pay, foreign wars must create a demand 
 at increased prices. 
 
 The people of Sinking Valley long entertained the idea 
 that stores of mineral wealth still existed in it; and a legend 
 was current that a man from the city of Philadelphia, on 
 the strength of a letter from Amsterdam, came there to seek 
 for a portion of it in the shape of a canoe-load of bullion, 
 buried by two men many years ago. The person who 
 searched found some of the guide-marks pointed out to him, 
 but he did not reach the bullion. The treasure, it is gener- 
 ally believed to this day by the older residents, w^as found 
 by a Mr. Isett, while engaged in digging a mill-race. This 
 belief was based upon the fact that, previous to digging the 
 race, Mr. Isett was poor, but became wealth}^ and abandoned 
 the digging of the race before it was half completed. 
 
 We have incidentally mentioned the name of a Scotch 
 miner taken to Sinking Valley by General Roberdeau, named 
 Lowrie. He was the head of an illustrious line of descend- 
 ants, some of whom have figured in Congress, at the bar, on 
 the bench, and in the pulpit. One of tlie present Supreme 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY, 231 
 
 Judges of Pennsylvania is a grandson of the old Scotch 
 miner, and nearly all of the name in the Union are his lineal 
 descendants. 
 
 Truly may it be said that Sinking Valley was once a place 
 of note. 
 
232 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 TORIES OF THE VALLEY — THEIR UNFORTUNATE EXPEDITION TO JOIN 
 THE INDIANS AT KITTANING — CAPTAIN JOHN WESTON, THE TORY 
 LEADER — CAPTAIN THOMAS BLAIR — CAPTURE OF THE BROTHERS 
 HICKS — HANGING A TORY — NARROW ESCAPE OF TWO OF WESTON's 
 MEN, ETC. 
 
 (^ SUCCESSFUL rebellion is a revolution ; an unsuc- 
 Jj\ cessful attempt at revolution is a rebellion. Hence, 
 <^ had the Canadians been successful in their attempt to 
 throw off the British yoke in 1837, the names of the leaders 
 would have embellished the pages of history as heroes and 
 patriots, instead of going down to posterity as convicts trans- 
 ported to the penal colonies of England. Had the efforts of 
 the Cubanos to revolutionize the island of Cuba been crowned 
 with success, the cowardly " Jillibusteros " would have rated as 
 brave men, and, instead of perishing ignominiously by the 
 infamous garote and starving in the dismal dungeons of 
 Spain, they would now administer the affairs of state, and re- 
 ceive all the homage the world pays to great and successful 
 warriors. On the other hand, had the revolution in Texas 
 proved a failure, Burleson, Lamar, Houston, and others, who 
 carved their names upon the scroll of fame as generals, heroes, 
 and statesmen, would either have suffered the extreme pen- 
 alty of the Mexican law, or at least occupy the stations of 
 obscure adventurers, with all the odium which, like the 
 poisoned shirt of Nessus, clings to those who are unsuccess- 
 ful in great enterprises. 
 
 The same may be said of the American Revolution. If 
 those who pledged their "lives, their fortunes, and their 
 sacred honor," to make the colonics independent of all po- 
 tentates and powers on earth, had lost the stake, the infamy 
 which now clings to the memory of the tories would be at- 
 tached to that of the rebels, notwithstanding the latter 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 233 
 
 fought in a glorious cause, endured the heats of summer 
 and braved the peltings of the winter's storms, exhausted 
 their means, and shed their blood, for the sacred cause in 
 which they were engaged. For this reason, we should not 
 attach too much infamy to the tories merely because they took 
 sides with England ; but their subsequent acts, or at least a 
 portion of them, were such as to leave a foul blot upon their 
 names, even had victory perched upon the cross of St. George. 
 The American people, after the Revolution, while reposing 
 on the laurels they had won, might readily have overlooked 
 and forgiven the weak and timid men who favored the cause 
 of the crown under the firm conviction that the feeble colonies 
 could never sever themselves from the iron grasp of England ; 
 but when they remembered the savage barbarities of the 
 tories, they confiscated the lands of all who were attainted 
 with treason, drove them from the country, and attached 
 black and undying infamy to their names. 
 
 To some it may appear strange — nevertheless it is true — 
 that, in 1777, the upper end of the Juniata A^'alley con- 
 tained nearly as many tories as it did patriots. This is not 
 a very agreeable admission to make by one who has his 
 home in the valley; nevertheless, some of the acts of these 
 tories form a part of the history of the time of which we 
 write, and must be given with the rest. Let it be under- 
 stood, however, that as some of the descendants of those men, 
 who unfortunately embraced the wrong side, are still alive 
 and in our midst, we suppress names, because we not only 
 believe it to be unprincipled in the extreme to hold the son 
 responsible for the sins and errors of the fathers, but we 
 think there is not a man in the valley now who has not 
 patriotic blood enough in his veins to march in his country's 
 defence at a moment's warning, if occasion required it. 
 
 The great number of tories in what now constitutes Hun- 
 tingdon county, may, in a great measure, be attributed to 
 the fact, that, living as they did upon the frontier, they had 
 no idea of the strength or numbers composing the "rebel" 
 army, as they called it. They knew the king's name to be 
 
234 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 " a tower of strength ;" and they knew, too, the power and 
 resources of England. Their leaders were shrewd men, who 
 excited the fears of the king's followers by assuring them 
 that the rebels would soon be worsted, and all of them gib- 
 beted. 
 
 The most of these tories, according to Edward Bell, re- 
 sided in Aughwick, Hare's Valley, on the Raystown Branch 
 in Woodcock Valley, at Standing Stone, Shaver's Creek, 
 Warrior's Mark, and Canoe Creek. They held secret meet- 
 ings, generally at the house of John Weston, who resided a 
 mile and a half west of Water Street, in Canoe Valley. All 
 their business was transacted with the utmost secresy ; and 
 those who participated in their meetings did so under an 
 oath of " allegiance to the king and death to the rebels." 
 
 These meetings were frequently attended by tory emis- 
 saries from Detroit, who went there advised of all the move- 
 ments of the British about the lakes ; and it is thought that 
 one of these men at length gave them a piece of intelligence 
 that sealed the doom of a majority of them. 
 
 It appears that a general plan was formed to concentrate 
 a large force of Indians and tories at Kittaning, then cross 
 the mountain by the Indian Path, and at Burgoon's Gap di- 
 vide, — one party march through the Cove and Conoco- 
 cheague Valleys, the other to follow the Juniata Valley, and 
 form a junction at Lancaster, killing all the inhabitants on 
 their march. The tories were to have for their share in this 
 general massacre all the fine farms on the routes, and the 
 movable property was to be divided among the Indians. It 
 would seem, however, that Providence frustrated their plans. 
 They elected John Weston their captain, and marched away 
 in the dead of night, without drums or colors, to join the 
 savages in a general massacre of their neighbors, early in 
 the spring of 1778 — all being well armed with rifles fur- 
 nished by the British emissaries, and abundance of ammu- 
 nition. They took up the line of march — avoiding all set- 
 tlements — around Brush Mountain, and traveled through 
 the Path to Kittaning. When near the fort, Weston sent 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 235 
 
 forward two men to announce their coming. The savages, 
 to the number of ten or twelve, accompanied the messengers; 
 and when they met the tories, Weston ordered his men to 
 " present arms." The order proved a fatal one ; for the In- 
 dians, ever suspecting treachery, thought they had been en- 
 trapped, and, without any orders, fired a volley among the 
 tories, and killed Weston and some eight, or probably ten, of 
 his men, then turned and ran toward the town. The dis- 
 heartened tories fled in every direction as soon as their leader 
 fell. 
 
 Although these tories marched from the settlements under 
 cover of night, and with the greatest possible caution, all 
 their movements were watched by an Indian spy in the em- 
 ploy of Major Cluggage. This spy was a Cayuga chief, known 
 as Captain Logan, who resided in the valley at the time, — 
 subsequently at an Indian town called Chickalacamoose, 
 where the village of Clearfield now stands. He knew the 
 mission of the tories, and he soon reported their departure 
 through the settlements. Of course, the wildest and most 
 exaggerated stories were soon set afloat in regard to the 
 number constituting Weston's company, as well as those in 
 Kittaning ready to march. Colonel Piper, of Yellow Creek, 
 George Woods, of Bedford, and others, wrote to Philadelphia, 
 that two hundred and fifty tories had left Standing Stone, to 
 join the Indians, for the purpose of making a descent upon 
 the frontier, — a formidable number to magnify out of thirty- 
 four; yet such was the common rumor. 
 
 The greatest terror and alarm spread through the settle- 
 ments, and all the families, with their most valuable effects, 
 were taken to the best forts. General Roberdeau, who had 
 the command of the forces in the neighborhood, had left 
 Standing Stone a short time previous, leaving Major Clug- 
 gage in command. The latter was appealed to for a force to 
 march after Weston. This he could not do, because his 
 command was small, and he was engaged in superintending 
 the construction of the fort at Sinking Valley, the speedy 
 completion of which was not only demanded to afford pro- 
 
236 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 tection to the people, but to guard the miners, who were us- 
 ing their best exertions to fill the pressing orders of the Rev- 
 olutionary army for lead. 
 
 Cluggage was extremely anxious to have Weston and his 
 command overtaken and punished, and for this purpose he 
 tendered to Captain Thomas Blair, of Path Valley, the com- 
 mand of all who wished to volunteer to fight the tories. The 
 alarm was so general, that, in forty-eight hours after Wes- 
 ton''s departure, some thirtj^-five men were ready to march. 
 Twenty of them were from Path Valley, and the remainder 
 were gathered up between Huntingdon — or Standing Stone, 
 as it was then still called — and Frankstown.* At Canoe 
 Valley the company was joined by Gersham and Moses Hicks, 
 who went to act in the double capacity of scouts and inter- 
 preters. They were brothers, and had — together with the 
 entire family — been in captivity among the Indians for some 
 six or seven years. They were deemed a valuable acquisi- 
 tion. 
 
 Captain Blair pushed on his men with great vigor over the 
 mountain, by way of the Kittaning trail; and when he ar- 
 rived where the path crosses the head-waters of Blacklick, 
 they were suddenly confronted by two of Captain Weston's 
 tories, well known to some of Blair's men, who, on the im- 
 pulse of the moment, would have shot them down, had it 
 not been for the interference of Captain Blair, who evidently 
 was a very humane man. These men begged for their lives 
 most piteously, and declared that they had been grossly de- 
 ceived by Weston, and then gave Captain Blair a true state- 
 ment of what had occurred. 
 
 Finding that Providence had anticipated the object of 
 their mission, by destroying and dispersing the tories, Cap- 
 
 * It is to be regretted that Mr. Maguire was so feeble, when giving us an 
 account of this expedition, that we feared to ask him for a repetition of the 
 names of Captain Blair's command. He knew the names of all of them, but 
 he mentioned them in such rapid succession that we only remember Brother- 
 ton, Jones, Moore, Smith, two brothers named Hicks, Nelson, Coleman, Wal- 
 lack. Fee, Gano, Ricketts, Caldwell, Moore, Holliday, and one of the Rollers. 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 237 
 
 tain Blair ordered his men to retrace their steps for home. 
 Night coming upon them, they halted and encamped near 
 where Loretto now stands. Here it was found that the pro- 
 visions had nearly run out. The men, on the strength of 
 the reported destruction of Weston, were in high spirits, 
 built a large fire, and passed the night in hilarity, although 
 it was raining and exceedingly disagreeable. At the dawn 
 of day, Gersham and Moses Hicks started out in search of 
 game for breakfast, for some of the men were weak and dis- 
 heartened for the want of food. These wood-rangers trav- 
 elled three miles from the camp without anticipating any 
 danger whatever, when Gersham shot a fine elk, which, in 
 order to make the load as light as possible, the brothers 
 skinned and disemboweled, shouldered the hind-quarters, 
 and were ready to return to the camp, when five Indians 
 suddenly came upon them and took them prisoners. They 
 were again captives, and taken to Detroit, from which place 
 they did not return until after peace was declared. These 
 men unquestionably saw and experienced enough of Indian 
 life to fill an interesting volume. 
 
 In the mean time, the company becoming impatient at 
 the continued absence of the Hicks, several small parties 
 were formed to go in search of them. One of these parties 
 fell in with three Indians, and several shots were exchanged 
 without injuring any person. The Indians took to the woods,, 
 and the men returned to the camp. The other party found 
 the place where the elk had been skinned, and took the re- 
 mains to the camp; the meat was speedily roasted and di- 
 vided among the men, and the line of march again taken 
 up. The certain capture of the guides, and the Indians seen 
 by the party in search of them, induced the belief that a larger 
 body of them than they wished to encounter in their half- 
 famished condition was in the neighborhood, considerably 
 accelerated their march. 
 
 The sufferings endured by these men, who were drenched 
 by torrents of rain and suffered the pangs of hunger until 
 they reached the settlements on the east side of the mount- 
 
238 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 ain, were such as can be more readily imagined than de- 
 scribed. But they all returned, and, though a portion of 
 them took sick, they all eventually recovered, and probably 
 would have been ready at any time to volunteer for another 
 expedition, even with the terrors of starvation or the scalp- 
 ing-knife staring them in the face. 
 
 The tories who, through the clemency of Captain Blair, es- 
 caped shooting or hanging, did not, it seems, fare much bet- 
 ter; for they, too, reached the settlements in an almost fam- 
 ished condition. Fearing to enter any of the houses occupied, 
 they passed the Brush Mountain into Canoe Valley, where 
 they came to an untenanted cabin, the former occupants 
 having fled to the nearest fort. They incautiously set their 
 rifles against the cabin, entered it, and searched for food, 
 finding nothing, however, but part of a pot of boiled mush 
 and some lard. In their condition, any thing bearing re- 
 semblance to food was a god-send, and they fell vigorously 
 to work at it. While engaged in appeasing their appetite, 
 Samuel Moore and a companion, — probably Jacob Roller, 
 Sr., if we mistake not, — who were on a hunting expedition, 
 happened to pass the cabin, saw the rifles, and immediately 
 secured them, when Mr. Moore walked in with his gun cocked, 
 and called upon the tories to surrender ; which peremptory 
 order they cheerfully complied with, and were marched to 
 Holliday's Fort. On the way thither, one of them became 
 insolent, and informed Moore and his companion that in a 
 short time they would repent arresting them. This incensed 
 Roller, and, being an athletic man, when they arrived at the 
 fort he fixed a rope to the tory's neck, rove it over a beam, 
 and drew him up. Moore, fortunately, was a more human 
 man, and persuaded his companion to desist. They were 
 afterward taken to Bedford ; but whether ever tried or not, 
 we have not been able to ascertain. 
 
 Captain Blair's men, while passing through what is now 
 known as Pleasant Valley, or the upper end of Tuckahoe, 
 on their return, paid a visit to a tory named John Hess, who, 
 it is said, was armed, and waiting the return of Weston to 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 239 
 
 join his company. They found Hess in his house, from 
 which they took him to a neighboring wood, bent down a 
 hickory sapling and fastened the branches of it around his 
 neck, and, at a given signal, let him swing. The sight was 
 so shocking, and his struggles so violent, that the men soon 
 repented, and cut him down before he was injured to any 
 extent. It appears from that day he was a tory no longer, 
 joined the rangers, and did good service for his country. His 
 narrow escape must have wrought his conversion. 
 
 The tories who escaped the fatal error of the Indians at 
 Kittaning never returned to their former homes. It was 
 probably as well that they did not, for their coming was 
 anxiously look for, and their greeting would unquestionably 
 have been as warm a one as powder and ball could have been 
 ■capable of giving. Most of them made their way to Fort 
 Pitt, and from thence toward the South. They eventually 
 all sent for their families ; but " the land [of the Juniata Val- 
 ley] that knew them once knew them no more forever ! " 
 
 Captain Blair, whom we have frequently mentioned, soon 
 after or about the close of the war moved to what is known 
 as the mouth of Blair's Gap, west of Hollidaysburg, where 
 John Walker now lives. He was an energetic man, and, by 
 his untiring exertions, succeeded in getting a pack-horse 
 road cut through his gap at an early day. 
 
 His son. Captain John Blair, a prominent and useful citi- 
 zen, flourished for many years at the same place. His use- 
 fulness and standing in the community made him probably 
 the most conspicuous man of his day in this section; and, 
 when Huntingdon county was divided, his old friends paid 
 .a, tribute to his memory in giving the new county his name. 
 
240 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE TORY HARE — MURDER OF LOUDENSLAGER — ABDUCTION AND 
 MURDER OF MRS. EATON AND CHILDREN — TREATMENT OF HARE BY 
 THE SETTLERS, ETC. 
 
 ^L^URING the troubles which followed immediately after 
 9 ij the declaration of war, a great many depredations were 
 '^^ committed by the tories, that were invariably charged 
 to the Indians. As we have stated in the preceding chapter, 
 the patriots and the tories, in point of numbers, were about 
 equally divided in many of the settlements of what now 
 constitutes Huntingdon county; yet the victims of tory 
 wrongs could not for a long time bring themselves to believe 
 that they were inflicted by their neighbors. Barns and their 
 valuable contents were laid in ashes, cattle were shot or poi- 
 soned, and all charged to the Indians, although scouts were 
 constantly out, but seldom, if ever, got upon their trail. 
 
 In a small isolated valley, about a mile south of Jack's Nar- 
 rows, lived a notorious tory named Jacob Hare. We could 
 not ascertain what countryman Hare was, nor any thing of 
 his previous history. He owned a large tract of land, which 
 he was exceedingly fearful of losing. Hence he remained 
 loyal to the king, under the most solemn conviction, no 
 doubt, that the struggle would terminate in favor of the 
 crown. He is represented as having been a man of little in- 
 telligence, brutal and savage, and cowardly in the extreme. 
 Although he did not take up arms positively against the 
 Colonists, he certainly contributed largely to aid the British 
 in crushing them. 
 
 A short time previous to the Weston Tory Expedition, a 
 young man named Loudenslager, who resided in the upper 
 end of Kishicoquillas, left his home on horseback, to go to 
 Huntingdon, where Major Cluggage was enlisting men to 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 243 
 
 guard the lead mines of Sinking Valley. It was young 
 Loudenslager's intention to see how things looked, and, if 
 they suited, he would join Cluggage's command and send his 
 horse home. As he was riding leisurely along near the head 
 of the valley, some five or six Indians, accompanied by a 
 white man, appeared upon an eminence, and three of them, 
 including the white man, fired at him. Three buckshot and 
 a slug lodged in his thigh, and one bullet whistled past his 
 ear, while one of the buckshot struck the horse. The animal 
 took fright, and started of at a full gallop. Loudenslager, 
 although his thigh-bone was shattered and his wound bled 
 so profusely that he left a trail of blood in his wake, heroic- 
 ally clung to his horse until he carried him to the Standing 
 Stone Fort. 
 
 Weak and faint from the loss of blood, when he got there 
 he was unable to move, and some of the people carried him 
 in and cared for him as well as they could ; but he was too 
 much exhausted to give any account of the occurrence. 
 After some restoratives were applied, he rallied, and gave a 
 statement of the affair. His description of the white man 
 in company with the Indians was so accurate, that the peo- 
 ple knew at once that Hare, if not the direct author, was the 
 instigator, of this diabolical outrage. 
 
 Loudenslager, for want of good medical attendance or an 
 experienced surgeon, grew worse, and the commander, to 
 alleviate his sufferings if possible, placed him in a canoe, 
 and despatched him, accompanied by some men, on his way 
 to Middletown, — then the nearest point of any importance; 
 but he died after the canoe had descended the river but a 
 few miles. 
 
 The excitement occasioned by the shooting of young Lou- 
 denslager was just at its height when more bad news was 
 brought to Standing Stone Fort. 
 
 On the same day, the same party that shot Loudenslager 
 went to the house of Mr. Eaton, (though probably unaccom- 
 panied by Hare,) in the upper end of the same valley; but, 
 not finding any men about the house, — Mr. Eaton being 
 
244 HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 absent, — they took captives Mrs. Eaton and her two children, 
 and then set fire to all the buildings. The work of devasta- 
 tion was on the point of being completed when Mr. Eaton 
 reached his home. He did not wait to see his house entirely 
 reduced to ashes, but rode to Standing Stone as fast as his 
 horse could carry him, and spread the alarm. The exasper- 
 ated people could hardly muster sufRcient patience to hear 
 the particulars before they started in pursuit of the enemy. 
 They travelled with all the speed that energetic and deter- 
 mined men could command, scouring the country in every 
 direction for a period of nearly a week, but heard no tidings 
 of Mrs. Eaton and her children, and were forced to give her 
 up as lost. 
 
 This aroused the wrath of the settlers, and many of them 
 were for dealing out summary punishment to Hare as the 
 instigator; but, in the absence of proof, he was not even 
 brought to trial for the Loudenslager murder, of which he 
 was clearly guilty. The act, however, put people upon their 
 guard; the most notorious known tory in the county had 
 openly shown his hand, and they knew what to expect of 
 him. 
 
 Mr. Eaton — broken-hearted, and almost distracted — hunted 
 for years for his wife and children; and, as no tidings could 
 be had of them, he was at last reluctantly forced to believe 
 that the savages had murdered them. Nor was he wrong in 
 his conjecture. Some years afterward the blanched skeletons 
 of the three were found by some hunters in the neighbor- 
 hood of Warrior's Mark. The identity of the skeletons was 
 proved by some shreds of clothing — which were known to 
 belong to them — still clinging to their remains. 
 
 When Captain Blair's rangers, or that portion of them 
 raised in Path Valley, came across to the Juniata, they had 
 an old drum, and — it is fair to infer, inasmuch as the still- 
 house then seemed to be a necessary adjunct of civilization 
 — sundry jugs of whiskey accompanying them. At Jack's 
 Narrows lived a burly old German, named Peter Vandeven- 
 der, who, hearing the noise, came to his door in his shirt- 
 sleeves, with a pipe in his mouth. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 245 
 
 "Waas ter tuyfel ish ter meaning of all dish?" inquired 
 old Vandevender. 
 
 " We are going to hunt John Weston and his tories," said 
 one of the men. 
 
 " Hunt dories, eh ? Well, Captin Plair, chust you go 
 ant hunt Chack Hare. He ish te tamtest dor}^ in Bennsyl- 
 vania. He dold Weshton ash he would haff a gompany to 
 help him after he come mit ter Inchins." 
 
 What Vandevender told Blair was probably true to the 
 letter ; for one of the inducements held out to the tories to 
 accompany Weston was that they would be reinforced by all 
 the tories in the county as soon as the first blow was struck ; 
 but he was not raising a company. He was too cowardly 
 to expose himself to the danger of attending such a pro- 
 ■ceeding. 
 
 As soon as Vandevender had communicated the fore- 
 going, the company, with great unanimity, agreed to pay 
 Hare a visit forthwith. The drum was laid aside, and the 
 volunteers marched silently to his house. A portion of them 
 went into the house, and found Hare, while Blair and others 
 searched the barn and outbuildings to find more of the tories. 
 On the arrival of Captain Blair at the house, some of his 
 men, in a high state of excitement, had a rope around Hare's 
 neck, and the end of it thrown over a beam, preparatory to 
 hanging him. Blair interposed, and with great difficulty 
 prevented them from executing summary vengeance upon 
 the tory. In the mean time, one of the men sharpened his 
 scalping-knife upon an iron pot, walked deliberately up to 
 Hare, and, while two or three others held him, cut both his 
 ears off dose to liis head! The tory, during these proceedings, 
 begged most piteously for his life — made profuse promises to 
 surrender every thing he had to the cause of liberty ; but 
 the men regarded his pleadings as those of a coward, and 
 paid no attention to them, and, after cropping him, marched 
 back to Vandevender's on their route in search of Weston. 
 
 On their arrival at the Standing Stone, they communi- 
 cated to the people at the fort what they had done. The res- 
 
246 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 idents at the Stone only wanted a piece of information like 
 this to inflame them still more against Hare, and, expressing 
 regrets that he had not been killed, they immediately formed 
 a plot to go down and despatch him. But there were tories 
 at the Stone. Hare soon got wind of the affair, placed his 
 most valuable effects upon pack-horses and left the country. 
 
 The failure of Weston's expedition, and the treatment and 
 flight of Hare, compelled many tories, who had openly 
 avowed their sentiments, to leave this section of the country, 
 while those who were suspected were forced into silence and 
 inactivity, and many openly espoused the cause of the col- 
 onies. Still, many remained who refused to renounce their 
 allegiance to the king, and claimed to stand upon neutral 
 ground. Those who had taken up arms against Great 
 Britain, however, declared that there were but two sides to 
 the question, and no neutral ground ; — that those who were 
 not for them were against them. 
 
 Hare was declared and proclaimed an " attainted traitor," 
 and his property was confiscated and sold. Who became 
 the purchaser we could not ascertain ; but, after peace was 
 declared and the treaty between the United States and Great 
 Britain ratified. Hare returned, and claimed the benefit of 
 that part of the treaty which restored their possessions to all 
 those of his Majesty's subjects that had not taken up arms 
 against the colonists. As there was no direct evidence that 
 he killed Loudenslager, Congress was compelled to pur- 
 chase back and restore his property to him. 
 
 He lived and died on his farm. The venerable Mrs. Armi- 
 tage, the mother-in-law of Senator Cresswell, of Hollidaysburg, 
 remembers seeing him when she was quite young and he an 
 old man. She says he used to conceal the loss of his ears by 
 wearing his hair long. 
 
 During life he was shunned, and he died unregretted ; but, 
 we are sorry to say, his name is perpetuated : the place in 
 which he lived, was cropped, and died, is still called 
 Hare's Valley. The people of Huntingdon should long since 
 have changed it, and blotted from their memory a name 
 linked to infamy and crime. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 247 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 MOSES DONALDSON — CAPTURE AND MURDER OF HIS WIFE AND TWO 
 
 CHILDREN. 
 
 ^OSES DONALDSON lived in Hartslog settlement, 
 where Hatfield's iron-works are now located, near 
 Alexander. In 1777, after the first Indian outrages 
 had been committed, the neighboring settlers met, and re- 
 solved for their better protection to build a stockade fort 
 somewhere near the river. After the building was decided 
 upon, the location became a subject of contention — one party 
 wanting the fort at Lytle's, another at Donaldson's, and for 
 a while party strife ran high. Lytic, however, succeeded in 
 outgeneralling Donaldson, — not because his location was the 
 most eligible, but simply because he was the most popular 
 man. The fort was built at Lytle's, under Donaldson's pro- 
 test, who declared that he never would go into it, — that if 
 danger threatened he would fort at Standing Stone, — a vow 
 he religiously kept, at the expense of the loss of his wife and 
 two children, we regret to say. 
 
 He continued living at his own house until the spring of 
 1778, when Indian alarms became so frequent that he re- 
 moved his family to Huntingdon. In a short time the fears 
 of the people were somewhat lulled, and most of them re- 
 turned to their homes again. Mr. Donaldson, finding his 
 farm-work pressing, returned to his home about the first of 
 June, and prepared to make hay. 
 
 On the 11th of the month, a girl who was after cows dis- 
 covered in Anderson's bottom, near the mouth of Shaver's 
 Creek, an encampment of some five or six Indians. With- 
 out their discovering her, she made her way back and com- 
 municated the intelligence, and the news was soon circulated 
 among the settlers. The five Indians were considered the 
 advance of a large party ; otherwise they might readily have 
 
248 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 been cut off by a dozen resolute men. Instead of making 
 the least effort to ascertain the number of the savages, the 
 people fled to the forts in the utmost consternation. 
 
 On the same evening, a convoy of canoes landed at the 
 mouth of Shaver's Creek, and the soldiers stopped at an old 
 inn on the bank of the creek. They had taken a load of 
 supplies to Water Street Landing for the Lead Mine Fort, 
 and were returning with lead-ore, consigned to IMiddletown 
 for smelting. The state of affairs was laid before the com- 
 mander of the convoy, and Mr. Anderson prevailed upon 
 him to stay a day or two, until the alarm had subsided. 
 
 On the afternoon of the 12th, Donaldson was warned that 
 the Indians had been seen a second time, and advised to 
 fort at Lytle's without delay. This he refused to do point- 
 blank, but immediately packed up, put his family into a canoe, 
 and started for Huntingdon. When he reached the mouth 
 of Shaver's Creek, he tied the canoe to the root of a tree at 
 the creek, and went up to transact some business with Mr. 
 Anderson, accompanied b}'' his oldest child — a lad nine or 
 ten years of age, — leaving his wife and two younger children 
 in the canoe. 
 
 After an absence of half an hour, the boy returned to the 
 canoe; but, as he came in sight of it, he observed a number 
 of Indians taking his mother and the children out of it. He 
 hastened back to the inn and told the soldiers, but they con- 
 sidered it a fabrication, and paid no attention to what he 
 said. From thence he hastened to Anderson's and told his 
 father, who immediatel}^ followed him, and found it only too 
 true that his family had been a!bducted — that, too, within 
 the hearing, and almost within sight, of twelve soldiers. 
 Donaldson went to the inn, and appealed to the comman- 
 dant to start his force in immediate })ursuit. This, however, 
 was found totally impracticable, as they had been making a 
 sort of holiday by getting drunk, and were unfit for duty of 
 any kind; which was to be regretted, for the timely notice 
 of the outrage would easily have enabled them, had they 
 been in condition, to overtake the savages. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 249 
 
 Early next morning the soldiers started in pursuit in one 
 •direction, and the people of the settlement formed into a 
 strong party and went in another, and in this manner the 
 -entire country was scoured. Toward evening a bonnet be- 
 longing to one of the children was found in a rye-field, near 
 where the Maguire farm now stands, which indicated the 
 direction the savages had taken. 
 
 Next day the search was resumed and continued until 
 night ; but no tidings whatever could be obtained of the 
 route the savages had taken, and they were finally obliged to 
 give them up as lost. 
 
 Several years elapsed before their fate was known^ Thomas 
 Johnston and Peter Crum, while hunting up Spruce Creek, 
 probably a mile and a half from its mouth, came upon the 
 ■camp of a friendly Indian family, near whose wigwam an 
 an old woman was engaged in boiling sugar, and who in- 
 formed them that she had long been waiting for some white 
 hunters to come up, as she had something to show them. 
 She then led the way, and, half a mile off", showed them the 
 skeletons of a grown person and two children. This news 
 was communicated to Mr. Donaldson, and he had the skele- 
 tons taken to Shaver's Creek, with a view of interring them. 
 But here a new difficulty arose. Mr. Eaton had not yet re- 
 covered his family, abducted from Kishicoquillas Valley, 
 and there was no reason why these skeletons might not be 
 those of his family. The matter was finally determined by 
 a weaver, who testified to a piece of Mrs. Donaldson's short- 
 gown, found near her remains. 
 
 When we reflect over this act of savage atrocity, we are 
 free to confess that we look upon it as one of the most inhu- 
 man and revolting on record. The woman, with her two 
 children, taken to a neighboring wood, and there, in all 
 probability, tomahawked and scalped in succession, — the 
 children witnessing the agony of the dying mother, or per- 
 haps the mother a witness to the butchery of her helpless 
 offspring, — the very recital chills the blood. 
 
250 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 The son, who accompanied his father to Anderson's, died 
 at a very advanced age, at or near Lock Haven, a year or 
 two ago. 
 
 William Donaldson, of Hollidaysburg, is a son of Moses 
 Donaldson by a second wife. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY, 253 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 DEPREDATIONS AT THE MOUTH OF SPRUCE CREEK — MURDER OF LEVI 
 HICKS — SCALPING OF HIS CHILD. 
 
 
 ^E have already mentioned the Hicks family in a 
 preceding chapter, and incidentally mentioned their 
 "i^**^ captivity for a number of years among the Indians. 
 We have made the most unremitting exertions, yet we have 
 failed to ascertain any thing like a satisfactory account of 
 this remarkable family. The name of Gersham Hicks fig- 
 ures in l^Iiner's " History of Wyoming" as an Indian guide, 
 while in the Archives he is noticed as an Indian interpreter, 
 previous to the war of the Revolution. Where they were 
 taken, or when released, is not positively known. One thing, 
 however, is quite certain : that is, that they made themselves 
 masters of both the habits and language of many of the 
 Indians. 
 
 Mrs. Fee thinks they came to Water Street immediately 
 after their release from captivity, and settled there. During 
 their captivity they imbibed the Indian habit to such a de- 
 gree that they wore the Indian costume, even to the colored 
 eagle-feathers and little trinkets which savages seem to take 
 so much delight in. Gersham and Moses were unmarried, 
 but Levi, the elder, brought with him a half-breed as his 
 wife, by whom he had a number of children. They all set- 
 tled at Water Street, and commenced the occupation of farm- 
 ing. Subsequently, Levi rented from the Bebaults the tub- 
 mill at or near the mouth of Spruce Creek. 
 
 When the Indian troubles commenced in the spring of 
 1778, he was repeatedly urged to go either to Lytle's or 
 Lowry's Fort, and let the mill stand until the alarm had sub- 
 sided. Hicks, however, obstinately refused, declaring that 
 he was safe. It is thus apparent that he relied upon his in- 
 
254 HISTORY O-F THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 timate knowledge of the Indian character and language for 
 safety, in case any of the marauders should find their way 
 to what he looked upon as a sort of an out-of-the-way place, — 
 a fatal case of misplaced confidence, notwithstanding it was 
 asserted that the fall previous a party had attacked his 
 cabin, and that, on his addressing them in their own lan- 
 guage, they had desisted. 
 
 On the 12th of May, 1778, Hicks started his mill in the 
 morning, as was his usual custom, and then repaired to 
 breakfast. While in the house he procured a needle and 
 thread, returned to the mill, replenished the hopper, and 
 then seated himself near the door and commenced mending 
 a moccasin. He had been occupied at this but a minute or 
 two before he heard a rustling in the bushes some ten or 
 fifteen j^ards in front of him. The idea of there being In- 
 dians in the vicinity never entered his head; nobody had 
 seen or heard of any in the settlement. Consequently, in 
 direct violation of an established custom, he walked forward 
 to ascertain the cause of the commotion in the bushes, leav- 
 ing his rifle leaning against the mill. He advanced but 
 one or two steps before he was shot through the heart. 
 
 His wife, who was in the house at the time, hearing the 
 report, ran to the door, and in an instant comprehended how 
 matters stood. She opened the back door, ran down the 
 river to a fording, crossed over, and with all the speed she 
 could command, hastened over the mountain to Lytle's Fort. 
 Near Alexandria she met a man on horseback, who, noticing 
 her distracted condition, demanded what the matter was. 
 She explained as best she could, when the man turned back 
 and rode rapidly toward the fort to apprise the people of 
 what had occurred. It was then that the woman fairly re- 
 covered her senses, and, on looking around for the first time, 
 she noticed her little son, about ten years old, who had fol- 
 lowed her. The sight of him reminded her of her family of 
 children at home, at the mercy of the savages, and all the 
 mother's devotion was aroused within her. She picked up 
 her boy, and, exhausted as she wasy hastened toward the fort 
 with him. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 255 
 
 As it subsequently appeared, one of the children of Mrs. 
 Hicks, — a girl between three and four years of age, — directly 
 after her escape, went out to see her father, just while the 
 savages were in the act of scalping him. She was too young 
 to comprehend the act clearly, but, seeing the blood about 
 his head, she commenced crying, and screamed, " My pappy ! 
 my pappy! what are you doing to my poor pappy?" 
 
 One of the Indians drew his tomahawk from his belt and 
 knocked the child down, after which he scalped it ; and, 
 without venturing to the house, the savages departed. Mrs. 
 Hicks reached the fort, and the news of the murder soon 
 spread over the country, but the usual delays occurred in 
 getting up a scout to follow the marauders. Some declared 
 their unwillingness to go unless there was a large force, as 
 the depredators might only be some stragglers belonging to 
 a large party; others, that their rifles were out of order; and 
 others again pleaded sickness. In this way the day slipped 
 around, and in the mean time the savages got far beyond 
 their reach, even in case the scout could have been induced 
 to follow them. 
 
 Next morning, however, a party mustered courage and 
 went over to the mill, where they found Hicks scalped on 
 the spot where he fell, and his rifle gone. 
 
 The inside of the house presented one of the saddest spec- 
 tacles ever witnessed in the annals of savage atrocities. Two 
 of the children were lying upon the floor crying, and the 
 infant in the cradle, for the want of nourishment had appar- 
 ently cried until its crying had subsided into the most pitiful 
 meanings; while the little girl that had been scalped sat 
 crouched in a corner, gibbering like an idiot, her face and 
 head covered with dry clotted blood I 
 
 Of course, considering the start the Indians had, it was 
 deemed useless to follow them ; so they buried Hicks near 
 the mill, and removed the family to the fort. 
 
 It may seem a little singular, nevertheless it is true, that 
 the child, in spite of its fractured skull and the loss of its 
 scalp, actually recovered, and lived for a number of years 
 
256 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 after the outrage, although its wounds were never dressed 
 by a physician. It was feeble-minded, however, owing to 
 the fracture. 
 
 As no other family resided near the mill, no person could 
 be induced to take it after Hicks was murdered, and it stood 
 idle for years. 
 
 The murder of Hicks created the usual amount of alarm ^ 
 but no depredations followed in the immediate neighbor- 
 hood for some time after his death. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 2&f 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 STONE VALLEY — m'cORMICK's FORT — MURDER OF MRS. HOUSTON AND 
 JAMES m'cLEES — A DEALER IN GRAIN OF THE OLDEN TIME. 
 
 (N consequence of the rumors so rife in 1778 of the 
 country being filled with Indians, the people of Stone 
 Valley, north of Huntingdon, determined to build a 
 fort. While concerting the measures for its erection, a Mr.. 
 McCormick stated that, inasmuch as the population of the 
 valley was not very large, and the labor and expense attend-: 
 ing the erection of a fortress very great, he would agree that 
 his house should be put into repair, pierced for defence, and 
 that the people should fort with him. This proposition was; 
 eagerly accepted by the people, who went willingly to work ; 
 and in a very short time his house was converted into Fort 
 McCormick, into which nearly all the settlers of Stone Val-, 
 ley fled at once. 
 
 Among others who took up their residence there was an 
 old lady named Houston, who had resided some seven miles 
 up the valley. She was a very amiable old lady, though 
 somewhat garrulous, for which some of the settlers were dis- 
 posed to ridicule her. It appears she had a small patch of. 
 flax out, which gave her more trouble than a hundred acres 
 of wheat would occasion some men. She was constantly. 
 lamenting the certain loss of her flax, until the very word 
 flax got to be a byword. As the time for pulling the flax 
 approached, the old woman importuned every man in the 
 fort to accompany her to her house only for a day, but her 
 appeals were all in vain ; some declared they would not go 
 so far from the fort for a ten-acre field of flax, while an old , 
 soldier intimated that he would be pretty sure to heflaxed if 
 he went. In short, her request was treated as a jest. Never- 
 theless, the old woman indulged some sort of a vague hope , 
 17 
 
258 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 that somebody would help her out of her difficulty, and she 
 continued talking about the flax. 
 
 One morning, about the middle of August, a number of 
 men were seated in front of the fort, when some one started 
 the ever laughable theme of the old woman's flax -patch; 
 and, while conversing with the usual levity upon the old 
 woman's trials, a young man, named James McClees, joined 
 the party. After listening to them some time, he got up and 
 said — 
 
 " Boys, it is bad enough to be too cowardly to help the 
 old woman gather her flax; to ridicule her misfortune is a 
 shame." 
 
 '■If you think it is cowardly, why don't you go and help 
 her pull it?" said one of the men, who was evidently piqued 
 at what had been said. 
 
 "That is just my intention," said he. " Mrs. Houston, get 
 ready, and I'll go with you to pull your flax." 
 
 The dream was at last to be realized, and the old woman's 
 heart was overflowing with gratitude. In a few moments 
 she was ready. McClees shouldered his rifle, and the two 
 departed — alas! to return no more. 
 
 ■McClees was but eighteen years of age, but extremely 
 well-proportioned, and his vocabulary knew no such word 
 as fear. Sad fate, that his noble and generous impulses 
 should have been the means of cutting him ofl" in the very 
 flower of youth. 
 
 Of the manner of his death there was no living wit- 
 ness to speak ; but on and around his body, when found, 
 there were unmistakable signs of such actions as are sup- 
 posed to speak as plain as words. 
 
 Both had promised to return to the fort in the evening, 
 or the evening following at farthest. The first evening 
 passed, and they came not ; the second evening, and still 
 no sign of them. This created alarm, and the necessary 
 arrangements were made to go in search of them. 
 
 As soon as the ordinary duty of the morning was per- 
 forpied, as many armed men as it was deemed safe to 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 269 
 
 spare were sent up the Valley. When they arrived at 
 Mrs. Houston's house they found all quiet, and no signs 
 of either Mrs. Houston or Mr. McClees having been there. 
 They then started up the hill-side, toward the flax-patch ; 
 but before they reached it they found the dead body of 
 Mrs. Houston. She had been killed apparently by cuts 
 from a hatchet on the forehead, and her scalp was taken 
 off. The flax was untouched, which rendered it probable 
 that she was attacked and killed while on her way to the 
 patch. 
 
 A hundred yards farther on lay McClees, literally co- 
 vered with blood, and stabbed and cut in every part of his 
 body. As there were no bullet-wounds upon him, it was 
 evident that the fight was a hand-to-hand encounter, and 
 the struggle must have been a long, fearful, and bloody one. 
 That McClees had sold his life dearly was also very ap- 
 parent. His rifle was gone; but by his side lay his knife, 
 bloody, and the point broken off. Near him lay a toma- 
 hawk, also bloody, and the ground was clotted with blood 
 for a circuit of twenty yards. In addition to these, eagle- 
 feathers, beads, and shreds of buckskin, were found lying 
 about where the struggle had taken place. 
 
 The nature of this fearful fight could only be guessed 
 at by these tokens; but the true state of it was revealed 
 in a few years after; for within a mile of where the 
 struggle took place, on the bench of the mountain, two 
 hunters found the remains of three Indians covered with 
 bark. The supposition was that McClees had been at- 
 tacked by five of them, and killed two outright and 
 mortally wounded a third before the}' despatched him. 
 
 A hero such as this brave youth proved himself in that 
 desperate encounter certainly deserved a better fate. 
 
 In concluding our reminiscences of Stone Valley we 
 cannot omit giving an anecdote, characteristic of the times, 
 told us by an old friend. 
 
 Far up Stone Creek lived an old gentleman named 
 O'Burn. In 1777, being a thrifty farmer, he raised nearly 
 
260 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 a thousand bushels of wheat. The year following, times be- 
 came very hard — wheat was high, and commanded a price 
 which placed it almost beyond the reach of poor men. The 
 fact that O'Burn had a large quantity of wheat attracted to 
 his house numerous customers ; and the manner in which 
 he dealt with them may be inferred from the following : — 
 
 A man reputed to be rich rode up to his house, when Mr. 
 O'Burn made his appearance in the doorway. 
 
 " Mr. O'Burn, have you any wheat?" 
 
 " Plenty of it. Have you the money to pay for it?" 
 
 "Certainly." 
 
 " A horse to carry it, and bags to put it in, I see." 
 
 " Oh, yes ; every thing," said the stranger. 
 
 " Well, then," replied O'Burn, you can go to Big Valley 
 for your wheat ; mine is for people who have no money to 
 pay, no bags to put it in, and no horses to carry it off!" 
 
 We regret to say that the race of O'Burns became extinct 
 some years ago. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 2G1 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 TUCKAHOE — MURDER OF JOHN GUILLIFORD. 
 
 (N the Valley of Tuckahoe, stretching from Altoona to 
 the mouth of the Bald Eagle, there were some depreda- 
 tions committed, but never any of a very serious nature, 
 except upon one occasion. The cause of this can be 
 traced, in a great measure, to the fact that Thomas and 
 Michael Coleman and Michael Wallack lived in the upper 
 end of the valley. These men were so well known and so 
 much feared by the Indians, that, although the Kittaning 
 Path, leading to the Bald Eagle Valley, ran directly through 
 Tuckahoe, they always avoided it, for fear of finding those 
 old and experienced hunters ambuscaded along their route. 
 Besides, Captain Logan, a friendly chief, lived for some years 
 in what is known as Logan's Valley. He was also known 
 and feared, and he was constantly on the watch to guard 
 against the incursions of hostile savages. Add to this the 
 fact that the valley was thinly populated, and the risk at- 
 tending the hunting for scalps immeasurably great, small 
 roving parties, on but two or three occasions, made their ap- 
 pearance in Tuckahoe. 
 
 In the fall of 1777, two savages took captive two children 
 while at play, near a cabin located somewhere in the neigh- 
 borhood of where Mr. Hutchinson now lives. Thomas Cole- 
 man happened to be out hunting and saw them come up 
 the path. Each one was carrying a child, but neither of 
 them had fire-arms, so he felt quite at ease. From behind 
 the tree where he stood, he might easily have shot one of the 
 savages, but he would not run the risk for fear of hitting the 
 child ; so, waiting until they had passed him, he jumped 
 into the path, levelled his gun at them, and shouted "sur- 
 render!" The affrighted savages dropped .the children and 
 disappeared in the woods. 
 
262 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 On another occasion they entered the valley, stole three 
 horses, and set fire to a stable. A number of pioneers 
 tracked them through the old war-path to the top of the 
 mountain ; which was quite as far as it was prudent to ven- 
 ture, as that was considered the line dividing the white set- 
 tlements from the Indian country. 
 
 The only massacre in Tuckahoe ever committed by the 
 savages took place in the summer of 1778. A man named 
 John Guilliford cleared a small patch of land a short distance 
 south of where Blair Furnace now stands, and erected his 
 cabin near where John Trout's house is. In the spring of 
 1778, he abandoned his ground and cabin after the first 
 alarm of Indian depredations, and sought safety in Fetter's 
 Fort. In the course of the summer, after the alarm had 
 somewhat subsided, Guilliford went down to see how his 
 crops were progressing. His body was found the same day 
 by Coleman and Milligan. It was lying at the threshold of his 
 cabin door; so that, in all probability, he was shot just as he 
 was coming out of the house. Coleman and Milligan dug 
 a grave near the hut, and buried him as he was, without a 
 coffin. The most remarkable feature about this murder was 
 that Guilliford was not scalped. When we remember that 
 scalps were paid for at the British garrison at Detroit, the 
 omission to scalp Guilliford appears almost inexplicable. 
 Coleman and Milligan went in search of the Indians, but did 
 not succeed in getting upon their trail. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 263 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 EARLY SETTLEMENT OF SCOTCH VALLEY — THE MOORE FAMILY— i- 
 MASSACRE OF WILLIAM MOORE — INDIAN SHOT BY A BOY, ETC. " 
 
 ^JjUhE Moore family, whose name is identified with Scotch 
 ^J ; Valley as the original settlers, came to this countfy 
 ^T probably about the year 1768, from Scotland. It 
 consisted of Samuel Moore, his seven sons and two 
 daughters, — viz.: Daniel, William, John, Samuel, James, 
 David, Joseph, Elizabeth, and Jane. Their first stoppings 
 place in the interior was in Kishicoquillas Valley, where 
 the hard^' Scots commenced clearing land ; but the yield not 
 being such as they were led to expect, the two elder brothers, 
 Daniel and William, were sent abroad by the old patriarch 
 to look for better land and more of it. Accordingly, they 
 shaped their course westward, prospecting as they went, until 
 they reached what is now known as Scotch Valley. How 
 they found their way to that place, an unbroken wilderness, 
 five miles from the nearest human habitation, or what the 
 inducements were for stopping there, were puzzling questions 
 then. Let the reader now look at the fine farms of Scotch 
 Valley, and he will see that, in selecting the spot, the Moores 
 were actuated by a sagacity that enabled them to see those 
 fine lands blooming like the rose in the future. They im- 
 mediately occupied a large tract of land, built a cabin, and 
 commenced clearing. The year following they went to 
 Kishicoquillas, and brought on the father and the remainder 
 of the family. 
 
 Beneath their sturdy blows the giant oaks fell, and the 
 wilderness was turned into fields of waiving grain, and they 
 soon had a home that made them even forget the Highlands 
 of Scotland. 
 
 When the war broke out they were ah stanch republicaitts, 
 
264 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 active and energetic men, and were foremost in all measures 
 of defence for the frontier. 
 
 William Moore, second son of Samuel, a useful man, loved 
 and respected by all who knew him, met his death at the 
 hands of an Indian, in August, 1778. It appears that one 
 morning two of their horses were missing, when William 
 and a lad named George McCartney, about fourteen years of 
 age, started in pursuit of them — as a matter of course not 
 neglecting the caution of the day, to take their rifles with 
 them. At that time two paths led to Fetter's Fort from 
 Scotch Valley, — one by way of Frankstown, through Adam 
 Holliday's farm, fording the river near where the plank-road 
 bridge now crosses south of Hollidaysburg ; the other led 
 through the flat, back of the Presbyterian graveyard, and 
 north of Hollidaysburg. This was the most direct route ; 
 but, in order to make a thorough research, they went by way 
 of the river road, and reached Fetter's Fort without obtain- 
 ing any tidings of the missing animals. After remaining at 
 the fort a short time, they started on their way home by the back 
 or direct road. No Indians having been seen in the country 
 for. some time, they travelled on with a feeling of entire se- 
 curity, and never for a moment entertained the remotest idea 
 of coming in contact with savages. When they came to a 
 pile of driftwood, — in what is now known as McCahen's 
 Bottom, half a mile west of Hollidaysburg, — while Moore 
 was in the act of trying to get over the drift, he was shot by 
 an Indian from an ambuscade. The bullet entered his back, 
 passed through the left ventricle of the heart, and he fell 
 dead against the drift. 
 
 McCartney, who was some distance off", on the impulse of 
 the moment commenced running. In the mean time the 
 Indian had come from his place of concealment, and, seeing 
 him, drew his tomahawk and followed. McCartney soon 
 finding that the savage was the fleetest, and must overtake 
 hipi, cocked his gun while running, suddenly wheeled, and 
 aimed at the Indian. This unexpected defence from a mere 
 boy rather took the Indian by surprise, and he jumped be- 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 265 
 
 hind a tree, and McCartney did the same, still keeping the 
 mm ready to shoot in case the Indian moved from the cover 
 of the tree. While in this position, the Indian commenced 
 loading his rifle, and, after ramming home the powder, he 
 accidentally dropped his ramrod, which he stooped to pick 
 up ; in doing which he exposed his posterior, which McCart- 
 ney took advantage of, and fired. The Indian gave a scream 
 of mingled rage and pain, dropped his rifle, and ran, picking 
 up leaves on his way, which he endeavored to thrust into 
 the bullet-hole to stanch the blood. 
 
 Young McCartney, satisfied with the exploit, and thank- 
 ful that his life had been spared, did not pursue the savage. 
 His first impulse was to do so ; but fearing that the chase 
 might lead him into an encampment of the enemy, since it 
 invariably turned out that where there was one more were 
 not far off, he returned with all despatch to Fetter's Fort. 
 The men at the fort had heard both shots, but supposed that 
 Moore and McCartney had started game of some kind ; con- 
 sequently, they were unprepared for any news of the kind. 
 Fortunately, there happened to be a very large force at Fet- 
 ter's at the time, and, under the impression that there must 
 be more Indians in the neighborhood, a strong, experienced 
 force at once started out. 
 
 When they arrived at the drift, they found the body of 
 Moore, stark in death, leaning against it, with his rifle 
 grasped in his uplifted hands, as if in the very act of trying 
 to climb over. His body was removed to the fort by some 
 of the men, while the remainder commenced searching for 
 the Indian. By his blood they tracked him nearly a mile 
 up the run, and even found a place where he had evidently 
 stopped to the wash blood off; but at length they lost all 
 traces of his trail. They continued their march, however, 
 to Gap Run, in order to ascertain whether there was any 
 fresh Indian trail. In their conjectures that there were 
 other Indians near they were not mistaken. Half a mile 
 west of where Hutchinson's Mill now stands, they found 
 traces of a fresh encampment of a very large party, whose 
 
266 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 trail they followed several miles up the Kittaning War- 
 Path ; but they soon abandoned all hope of overtaking them, 
 and returned to the fort. 
 
 The dead body of the Indian shot by McCartney was 
 found, some time afterward, by a Mr. Hileman, up Kittan- 
 ing Run, where he had secreted himself by the side of a log, 
 under some bushes, and completely covered himself with 
 brush and leaves previous to giving up the ghost, in order 
 to prevent the whites from finding his body. The ruling 
 passion was strong even in death ! 
 
 His rifle, which was kept at Fetter's, as a trophy, was a 
 brass-barrelled smooth-bore, with the British coat of arms 
 stamped upon it, — conclusive evidence that the entire savage 
 band had been armed and equipped by his Majesty's officers 
 at Detroit, and were on a scalp-hunting expedition. 
 
 During the troubles of 1779-80, when the frontier-men fled 
 before the assaults and merciless massacres of the Indians, 
 the Moores returned to their former residence in Kishico- 
 quillas. But the restless Scots did not remain away from 
 their farm long. Some of them returned in a year ; but the 
 old patriarch, Samuel, did not return' until after the surren- 
 render of Cornwallis. He was then accompanied by a colony 
 of Scotchmen, consisting of the Crawford s, Irwins, Fraziers, 
 Stewarts, and Macphersons, and others, constituting from 
 twenty-five to thirty persons. 
 
 The late Mr. Maguire, then quite a lad, was at Shaver's 
 Creek when they passed on their way west. They were all 
 in full Highland costume, with bonnet and kilt, armed with 
 claymores and Queen Anne muskets. He had seen Indians 
 before, but never any Highlanders, and, while listening to 
 their Gaelic dialect, he wondered to himself what tribe they 
 belonged to. 
 
 These men settled in the upper end of the valley ; hence 
 the name — "Scotch Valley." By their sinewy arms and 
 sturdy blows the oaks of the forest fell, and by their unre- 
 mitting toil to gain a home in the New World they encoun- 
 tered and triumphed over the most formidable obstacles^ 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 267 
 
 untilthe valley — its natural soil taken into consideration — 
 became one of the finest of its size in the country. 
 
 The Moore family were the first persons who conceived 
 the idea of running arks down the river from Frankstown. 
 This they accomplished successfully before the close of the 
 last century, and afterward engaged in running flat-boats be- 
 tween Frankstown and Middletown. 
 
 Of the third generation of the Moore family but three re- 
 main in this vicinity, — viz.: T. B. Moore, in Hollidaysburg; 
 Jesse Moore, at the old homestead, in Scotch Valley; and 
 Johnston Moore, in Ebensburg. Others, however, live in the 
 West; and the fourth generation, whose number we are not 
 able to compute, are scattered over the Union. 
 
 The descendants of the men who wound their way up the 
 Juniata, in Highland costume, nearly three-quarters of a 
 century ago, with all their worldly possessions upon pack- 
 horses, are also numerous; and many of them have risen to 
 wealth and eminence by their own unaided exertions. 
 
268 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 WOODCOCK VALLEY — MASSACRE OF ELDER — THE BRECKENRIDGE 
 FAMILY — FIGHT WITH, AND DESTRUCTION OF, CAPTAIN PHILLIP's 
 SCOUT BY THE INDIANS — CRUEL MASSACRE OF TEN MEN. 
 
 4. J. 
 
 ,OODCOCK VALLEY, located north of Huntingdon, 
 is one of the oldest-settled valleys in the county. In 
 the days of Indian depredations, it was a favorite 
 haunt of the savage, whose great war-path from the West to 
 the East went through a part of it. 
 
 The first murder committed in it during the Revolutionary 
 struggle occurred at Coffey Run, near the present residence 
 of Mr. Entriken. The victim was a man named Elder, the 
 husband of the woman mentioned in a preceding chapter 
 as having been carried a captive to Detroit by the Indians. 
 As there is no living witness who was present, the circum- 
 stances connected with his massacre are merely traditionary. 
 He was on his way home in company with Richard Shirley, 
 when he was shot and scalped ; in which condition he was 
 found by a scouting party a day or two after the occurrence. 
 This was in 1778, and the same year a number of captives 
 were taken from the valley ; but the accounts are so vague 
 that we can give no reliable data. 
 
 The Breckenridge family lived about three miles south- 
 east of McConnelstown, on the road which now leads from 
 Huntingdon to Bedford, on the farm at present occupied by 
 Ludwig Hoover. The family consisted of the father, mother, 
 two sons, — John and James, aged respectively eighteen and 
 sixteen years, — a girl aged fourteen, another aged three years, 
 and an infant at the breast. They had, during the alarms 
 of massacres, forted at Hartsock's Fort, which was almost in 
 sight of their farm ; but in the spring of 1779, the alarm hav- 
 ing in a great measure subsided, they, as well as the rest of 
 the settlers, went home, and the fort was abandoned, under 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 269 
 
 the full impression that they would have no further use for 
 it, — that Indian depredations were ended. In this they were 
 most signally mistaken. 
 
 In July — probably about the middle of the month, — one 
 morning, directly after breakfast, the sons, John and Thomas, 
 started in search of a horse that had broken from his en- 
 closure the night previous. After they had gone, the old 
 lady occupied herself in her household duties, while the old- 
 est daughter repaired to the spring-house in the meadow, — a 
 distance of probably five hundred yards from the house, — 
 for the purpose of churning. While engaged in this occu- 
 pation, she was suddenly confronted by five Indians. Pro- 
 bably overcome by fright, she made no effort to escape, but 
 screamed at the top of her voice. The father without suspect- 
 ing the real cause of the difficulty, started, unarmed, in the 
 direction of the spring-house, and when within twenty yards 
 of it a bullet from one of the Indian rifles struck him and he 
 fell dead in the path. Mrs. Breckenridge was looking out of 
 the window at the time, and , fearing that their next move would 
 be in the direction of the house, she snatched the infant out 
 of the cradle, and, taking in her arms the other child, es- 
 caped. Instinctively she took the path toward Standing 
 Stone, — a direction in which the Indians were not likely to 
 follow. She pursued the path along Crooked Run for a few 
 miles, and then sank exhausted upon the ground. As soon 
 as she rallied, she endeavored to continue her way to the 
 Stone; but to her dismay she found that she had wandered 
 from the path and was lost. In this condition, she wandered 
 about the woods with her children the whole day and the 
 entire night. Next day, the oldest child complained bitterly 
 of hunger, when the mother fortunately came to a rye-field. 
 The rye was just beginning to head, in spots, and she gath- 
 ered a number of heads, rubbed out the kernels, and gave 
 them to the child. As the operation was a tedious one, in 
 consequence of the scarcity of the grain, she took off" her 
 under-garment, wrapped up the infant and laid it down, and 
 went to work to procure sufficient to appease the appetite of 
 
270 HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 the child, and while so engaged she unconsciously wandered 
 a considerable distance from the infant. 
 
 John and Thomas returned to the house with the horses 
 late in the afternoon ; and, seeing their father and sister mur- 
 dered, believed that the mother, with the other children, had 
 either met the same fate or been carried into captivity. They 
 lost no time in making their way to Standing Stone Fort, 
 where they communicated the sad intelligence. By that 
 time it was nearly dark, and entirely too late to make any 
 further effort ; but at the dawn of day, next morning, a posse 
 of men went to Breckenridge's house, where the murdered 
 father and daughter lay, and, while part of the people em- 
 ployed themselves in removing the bodies preparatory to 
 burial, another party scoured the country in search of the 
 mother, being encouraged to do so by seeing her tracks lead- 
 ing toward Crooked Run. Late in the afternoon they found 
 her, at the edge of the rye-field, leading her child ; but the 
 anguish she had endured had in a measure unsettled her 
 her mind and she was unable to tell where she had left the 
 infant. It was deemed advisable to remove her to the fort- 
 By next day, she had so far recovered as to be able to state 
 that she left the infant in the field ; whereupon a party set 
 out, and returned with it in the evening. 
 
 The infant had apparently not suffered a great deal, except 
 from the annoyance of flies. Its entire face was fly-blown; and 
 yet, strange to say, she recovered, grew to be a strong, healthy 
 woman, got married, and was the mother of Isaac B. Meek, 
 Esq., formerly a member of the legislature from Centre 
 count}^ and, we are told, died but a few years ago. 
 
 John Breckenridge became a distinguished Presbyterian 
 preacher. Mr. Maguire was under the impression that he 
 located among his relatives in Kentucky; but Dr. Junkin, 
 of Hollidaysburg, whose knowledge of church history can- 
 not be questioned, informs us that he officiated for many 
 years in the first Presbyterian church ever built in Wash- 
 ington City. 
 
 Woodcock Valley was the scene of the massacre of Captain 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 271 
 
 Phillips's scout, — one of the most cruel and cold-blooded 
 murders on record, — a massacre which hurried into eternity 
 ten as brave men as ever ranged the woods of the Juniata 
 Valley. 
 
 The following is Colonel Piper's official report of the mas- 
 sacre, made to President Reed. It contains no particulars, 
 and is also inaccurate ; nevertheless, we deem it worthy of 
 a place, as it bears an official stamp. We copy it from the 
 Archives of 1780: — 
 
 Bedford County, August 6, 1780. 
 
 Sir: — Your favor of the third of June, with the blank com- 
 missions, have been duly received ; since which we have been 
 anxiously employed in raising our quota of Pennsylvania volun- 
 teers, and at the same time defending our frontiers. But, in our 
 present shattered situation, a full company cannot be expected 
 from this county, when a number of our militia companies are 
 entirely broken up and whole townships laid waste, so that the 
 communication betwixt our upper and lower districts is entirely 
 broken, and our apprehensions of immediate danger are not less- 
 ened, but greatly aggravated by a most alarming stroke. Captain 
 Phillips, an experienced, good woodman, had engaged a company 
 of rangers for the space of two months, for the defence of our 
 frontiers, was surprised at his fort on Sunday, the 16th of July, 
 when the captain with eleven of his company were all taken and 
 killed. When I received the intelligence, which was the day 
 following, I marched, with only ten men, directly to the place, 
 where we found the house burnt to ashes, with sundry Indian 
 tomahawks that had been lost in the action, but found no person 
 killed at that place ; but, upon taking the Indian tracks, within 
 about one half-mile we found ten of Captain Phillips's com- 
 pany, with their hands tied, and murdered in the most cruel 
 manner. 
 
 This bold enterprise so alarmed the inhabitants that our whole 
 frontiers were upon the point of giving way ; but, upon applica- 
 tion to the Lieutenant of Cumberland county, he hath sent to 
 our assistance one company of the Pennsylvania volunteers, 
 which, with the volunteers raised in our own county, hath so 
 encouraged the inhabitants that they seem determined to stand 
 
272 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 it a little longer. We hope our conduct will receive your ap- 
 probation; and you'll please to approve it by sending your spe- 
 cial order to our county commissioner to furnish these men 
 with provisions and other necessaries until such times as other 
 provisions can be made for our defence. As Colonel Smith will 
 deliver this, I beg leave to recommend you to him, as he is very 
 capable to give full satisfaction to you, in every particular, of 
 our present circumstances. 
 
 I have the honor to be, 
 
 With all due respect, 
 
 Your Excellency's most ob't 
 
 And very humble servant, 
 John Piper. 
 
 Overlooking the fact that Colonel Piper, in this semi-offi- 
 cial statement, did not even condescend to mention the name 
 of a single one of the brave men who fell by the hands of 
 the ruthless savages, is it not a little strange that the whole 
 report should be filled with gross inaccuracies, not the least 
 of which is that Captain Phillips was killed, when it is no- 
 torious that he returned after the war — having been taken 
 prisoner, — and people are still living in the valley who saw 
 him many years after the massacre of his scout ? 
 
 Captain Phillips, previous to the disaster, resided near 
 what is now Williamsburg. He was a man of some energy, 
 and a skillful and experienced woodman. He had made a 
 temporary fortress of his house, to guard against savage in- 
 cursions, and his usefulness in protecting the frontier was 
 duly appreciated by the settlers. Through the influence of 
 some of the most prominent men about Clover Creek, Col- 
 onel Piper was induced to give Mr. Phillips a captain's com- 
 mission, with authority to raise a company of rangers to 
 serve for two months, as it was known that there was a 
 large body of savages somewhere in the valley, unmistakable 
 traces of their presence having been seen at many places 
 along the river. 
 
 Captain Phillips commenced recruiting men immediately 
 on the reception of his commission ; but, owing to the fact 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 278 
 
 that it was just the beginning of harvest, he met with very- 
 little success. By the 15th of July, 1780, he had but ten 
 men collected ; but with these he determined to scout through 
 Woodcock Valley and the Cove, in order to protect the farm- 
 ers in harvesting their grain. To this end he distributed 
 ammunition and provisions, and the party marched from 
 the Cove across the mountain. On entering the valley, they 
 found most of the houses abandoned, but no signs of Indians. 
 Late on Saturday evening they arrived at the house of one 
 Frederick Heater, which had been abandoned by its owner. 
 The house had been pierced with loopholes, to serve as a 
 temporary fortress in case of necessity, but the proprietor, 
 unable to find sufficient men to garrison it, had fled to Hart- 
 sock's Fort. At this house Captain Phillips determined to 
 remain over Sunday. The entire force consisted of Captain 
 Phillips, his son Elijah, aged fourteen years, Philip Skelly, 
 Hugh Skelly, P. and T. Sanders, Richard Shirley, M. Davis, 
 Thomas Gaitrell, Daniel Kelly, and two men whose names 
 are no longer remembered. After partaking of their supper 
 they all stretched themselves out on the floor and slept 
 soundly until morning. While preparing their morning 
 meal, one of the Skellys happened to open the door, when 
 he discovered that the house was surrounded by Indians. A 
 glance sufficed to show Captain Phillips how matters stood. 
 There were not less than sixty Indians, and among them two 
 white men, dressed, decorated, and painted, the same as the 
 savages. The captain at first supposed they were marauders, 
 and would probably not stop ; but the hope was most delu- 
 sive. A small shower of rain having fallen the day previous, 
 this savage war-party had tracked Phillips and his men to 
 the very door of Heater's house. Phillips commanded the 
 utmost silence, and awaited with breathless anxiety the fur- 
 ther movements of the enemy. Through the window he 
 discovered the savages grouped upon an eminence — some 
 ten of them armed with rifles, and the remainder with bows 
 and arrows — in consultation. Directly one of the savages 
 fired his rifle, which was evidently a ruse to draw the men 
 18 
 
274 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 from the house; but it did not succeed. At last one of the 
 Indians ventured within rifle-range of the house, when Gait- 
 rell, unable to resist the temptation, thrust the muzzle of 
 his rifle through one of the loopholes, fired, and shot him 
 through the left shoulder. The war-whoop was then raised, 
 and the savages ran to and fro for a while, concealing them- 
 selves behind trees, some seventy yards from the house, un- 
 der the impression probably that an immediate action would 
 take place. 
 
 No further demonstrations being made by the rangers, the 
 Indians waited but a short time until, at a preconcerted sig- 
 nal, they fired a volley at the door and window of the house, 
 both of which were riddled by the bullets, but no person 
 was injured. The scout, in this agony of suspense, sur- 
 rounded by a large bod}^ of savages, with the greatest bravery 
 stood at the loopholes, and whenever a savage showed him- 
 self within rifle-range he was shot at. In this manner two 
 were killed and two wounded. The Indians, in the mean 
 time, continued firing at the door and window ; and in this 
 way the fight continued until about the middle of the after- 
 noon, when Philip Skelly shot the chief through the left 
 cheek at a distance of nearly a hundred yards. This so ex- 
 asperated the Indians that they raised the war-whoop a 
 second time, loud and fierce, and appeared determined to 
 have vengeance. 
 
 At this juncture an occurrence took place which seems al- 
 most incredible; yet Captain Phillips, whose statement we 
 are giving, vouched for the truth of it, and he was unques- 
 tionably a man of veracity. Davis had the muzzle of his 
 rifle out of a loop-hole, and was intently watching for a 
 chance to shoot, when he felt a sudden jarring of the rifle. 
 He withdrew it, and found a sharp-pointed, tapering hickory 
 arrow driven into the muzzle so tight that it took the com- 
 bined efforts of four men to withdraw it. Whether this new 
 method of spiking a gun was intentional or not, it illustrated 
 most forcibly the wonderful power of the Indian over the 
 bow — whether he fired at the rifle or the loop-hole. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 275 
 
 The Indians, finding it impossible to dislodge the rangers 
 from what appeared a stronghold in every sense of the word, 
 by all stratagems yet used, affixed dry leaves and other com- 
 bustible matter to arrows, set fire to them, and lodged them 
 upon the roof of the house, which soon was on fire in two or 
 three places. The men carried up all the water in the house, 
 and subdued the flames from the inside; but the water was 
 soon exhausted, and a fresh volley of the fire-arrows set the 
 roof in a blaze, and there were no longer means within their 
 reach to quench the destructive element. Still the rangers 
 stood at the loop-holes, even when the upper part of the 
 house was all on fire. Certain death stared them in the 
 face; they dared not go out of the house, for they would ex- 
 pose the weakness of their force and meet instant destruction 
 as soon as they passed over the threshold ; on the other hand, 
 the fire above them was raging, and they did not know what 
 moment they would be buried beneath the burning timbers. 
 And yet the men never flinched. But, at last. Captain 
 Phillips, seeing the desperate strait to which they were re- 
 duced, cried for quarters, and told the savages that he would 
 surrender, on condition that his men should be treated as 
 prisoners and not injured. To this the Indians assented, 
 and the men escaped from the house just in time to save 
 their lives from fire, but only to meet a death equally shock- 
 ing. 
 
 The spokesman for the Indians — one of the white rene- 
 gades — demanded, in the first place, that all their arms should 
 be delivered up. To this the men readily agreed ; and they 
 handed their rifles and knives to the savages. The next de- 
 mand was that they should suffer themselves to be pinioned, 
 in order that none might escape. This degrading proposi- 
 tion met no favor with the men ; but they were compelled to 
 submit, and their hands were secured behind their backs by 
 strong thongs. In this condition they started — as the In- 
 dians said — for Kittaning ; but, after getting half a mile from 
 the house, some five or six of the Indians, who had Captain 
 Phillips and his son in charge, continued on their route, 
 
276 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 while the remainder ordered a halt. The ten men were then 
 tied to as many saplings, and two or three volleys of arrows 
 were fired into them. 
 
 The fate of the scout was not known until Tuesday. Some 
 persons passing Heater's house on Monday morning, seeing 
 it in ruins, carried the news to Hartsock's Fort. An express 
 was sent to Colonel Piper, who arrived on the ground with 
 a small force late on Tuesday. About the house they found 
 a number of tomahawks, knives, and other articles, which in- 
 dicated that an action had taken place ; but the fate of the 
 men could not be conjectured. 
 
 Finally, some one discovered the tracks, and proposed fol- 
 lowing them, which they did, and found the men at the place 
 designated, each man with from three to five arrows sticking 
 in him. Some of them had not been killed outright, and it 
 was apparent that their struggles to get loose must have been 
 most desperate. Kelly was one of these, who, in his efforts 
 to free himself, had buried the thong in the flesh of his arm. 
 All of the men were scalped. They were buried on the spot 
 where they appeased the savage appetite for blood ; and their 
 mouldering bones still repose there, without even the rudest 
 of stones to commemorate the sad event or perpetuate their 
 memory. 
 
 Phillips, in consequence of his rank, was taken prisoner, 
 as at that time officers brought to the British garrison com- 
 manded an excellent price. Himself and son were taken to 
 Detroit, and from thence to Montreal, and did not reach 
 their home until peace was declared. 
 
 Some of the friends of the persons massacred were disposed 
 to find fault with Captain Phillips, especially as the massacre 
 was so general and yet he and his son had escaped. Of 
 course, Phillips not being present to defend himself, the talk 
 was so much on one side that some went so far as to stigma- 
 tize him as a traitor and a coward. On his return, he gave 
 the true version of the affair ; and it must be admitted by all 
 that, under the circumstances, he did all that a brave 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 277 
 
 officer could do to save the lives of his men. Their fate 
 weighed heavily on his mind for the balance of his life ; and 
 in the thought of their untimely end he forgot all the suffer- 
 ings and privations he endured while a prisoner in the camp 
 of the enemy. 
 
278 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 WATER STREET — THE BEATTY FAMILY — CAPTAIN SIMONTON — MASSA- 
 CRE OF THE DEAN FAMILY — CAPTIVITY OF JOHN SIMONTON, ETC. 
 
 M 
 
 fATER STREET is an old place, and was settled prior 
 to the Revolution. A stream of water from the 
 
 7*^^ Canoe Mountain, supposed to be the Arch Spring of 
 Sinking Valley, passes down a ravine and empties into the 
 Juniata at this place. For some distance through a narrow 
 defile, the road passed directly through the bed of this 
 stream, — a circumstance which induced the settlers to call it 
 Water Street when the original settlement was made. 
 
 This for a long time was an important point, being the 
 canoe-landing for the interior country. Hence the name of 
 Canoe Valley, applied to the country now known as Catha- 
 rine township, in Blair county. At this place was General 
 Roberdeau's landing, where he received his stores for the 
 lead mines, and where he shipped the lead-ore to be taken 
 to Middletown for smelting. 
 
 The number of persons living about Water Street and in 
 the lower end of Canoe Valley, during the Revolution, was 
 fully as great as at the present day. 
 
 Among the first settlers was Patrick Beatty. He was the 
 father of seven sons, regular flowers of the forest, who never 
 would fort during all the troubles, and who cared no more 
 for an Indian than they did for a bear. They lived in a 
 cabin about a mile west of Water Street. 
 
 It is related of John, the oldest son, that, coming through 
 the woods one day, near his home, he met two Indians in • 
 his path. They both aimed at him, but by successful dodg- 
 ing he prevented them from shooting, and reached the 
 house. He found one of his brothers at home ; and the two, 
 seizing their rifles, started out after the Indians, and followed 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 279 
 
 them sixty miles, frequently getting sight of them, but never 
 within shooting distance. The Indians knew the Beattys, 
 and feared them, for a more daring and reckless party of 
 young fellows never existed in the valley. 
 
 It is a remarkable coincidence that of the Beattys there 
 were seven brothers, seven brothers of the Cryders, seven of 
 the Ricketts, seven of the Rollers, and seven of the Moores, — 
 constituting the most formidable force of active and daring 
 frontier-men to be found between Standing Stone and the 
 base of the mountain. 
 
 In the winter of 1778 or the spring of 1779, Lowry's Fort 
 was erected, about two and a half or three miles west of 
 Water Street, for the protection of the settlers of Water Street 
 and Canoe Valley. Although built upon Lowry's farm, 
 Captain Simonton was by unanimous consent elected the 
 commander. Thus, during the year 1779 and the greater 
 part of 1780, the people divided their time between the fort 
 and their farms, without any molestation from the savages. 
 Occasionally an alarm of Indian depredations sent the entire 
 neighborhood to the fort in great haste ; but just as soon as 
 the alarm had subsided they all went to their farms again. 
 
 Some few of the neighbors, for some reason or other, 
 would not fort at Lowry's; whether because they appre- 
 hended no danger, or because the}'^ felt quite as secure at 
 home, we have no means of knowing. Among these was 
 Matthew Dean, Esq., one of the most influential men in 
 Canoe Valley, who lived but half a mile from the fort. His 
 reason for not forting there, however, arose from an old per- 
 sonal animosity existing between himself and Lowry, and 
 not from any fancied security at his own house, for he had 
 several times, during the alarms of 1779, made preparations 
 to remove his family to Huntingdon. 
 
 In the fall of 1780, on a Sunday evening, Captain Simon- 
 ton and his wife, and his son John, a lad eight years of age, 
 paid a visit to Dean's house. They spent the evening in 
 conversation on the ordinary topics of the day, in the course 
 of which Captain Simontoii told Dean that he had heard of 
 
280 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 Indians having been seen in Sinking Valley, and that if any- 
 thing more of them was heard it would be advisable for 
 them to fort. Dean gave it as his opinion that the rumor 
 was false, and that there was no cause for alarm, much less 
 forting. 
 
 The family of Mr. Dean consisted of himself, his wife, and 
 eight children, with the prospect of another being added to 
 the family in a day or two. The last words Mrs. Dean spoke 
 to Mrs. Simonton were to have her shoes ready, as she might 
 send for her before morning. When the Simontons were 
 ready to start, the lad John was reluctant to go; and at the 
 request of Mrs. Dean he was allowed to stay with their chil- 
 dren until morning, at which time Mrs. Simonton promised 
 to visit her neighbor. 
 
 In the morning, as soon as breakfast was over. Dean, with 
 his two boys and two oldest girls, went to a corn-field for the 
 purpose of breaking it up preparatory to sowing rye in it. 
 The boys managed the plough, while the girls made what 
 was called " steps," or holes between the corn-hills, where the 
 plough could not be brought to bear. Mr. Dean had taken 
 his rifle with him, and, after directing the work for a while, 
 he saw large numbers of wild pigeons flying in the woods 
 adjoining the field, and he went to shoot some of them. He 
 had been in the woods but a short time when he happened 
 to look in the direction of his house, and saw smoke issuing 
 from it, when he immediately went to his children and in- 
 formed them of it. By that time the volume of smoke had 
 so increased that they were satisfied the house was on fire, 
 and they all started for home at their utmost speed. 
 
 In the mean time Mrs. Simonton, according to promise, 
 came over to Dean's house. She, too, saw the smoke some 
 distance off, and by the time she reached the gate, which 
 was simultaneously with the arrival of the family from the 
 corn-field, the house was in a sheet of flame. Up to this 
 time no one had supposed that the fire was the work of In- 
 dians. Mrs. Simonton saw a little girl, about eight years of 
 age, lying upon the steps, scalped ; but she did not notice its 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 281 
 
 being scalped, — merely supposing that the child had a red 
 handkerchief tied around its head, and had fallen asleep 
 where it lay. But when she went into the gate to get the 
 child out, and the blood gushed up between the boards on 
 which she trod, the fearful reality burst upon her mind; 
 then she thought about her own little son, and for a while 
 was almost frantic. 
 
 News of the disaster was conveyed to the fort, and in a 
 few hours the entire neighborhood was alarmed. A strong 
 force, headed by the Beattys, started in pursuit, and got upon 
 the track of the savages, but could not find them. They 
 even waylaid the gap through which the war-path ran ; but 
 all to no purpose, for they got clear of the settlements by 
 some other route. 
 
 Captain Simon ton, at the time of the outrage, was at Minor's 
 Mill, getting a grist ground. On his return, he heard the 
 news at Water Street, when he threw the bag of flour 
 from the horse, and rode as fast as the animal could carry 
 him to the scene of the disaster, where he arrived in a state 
 of mind bordering closely upon madness — for he passionately 
 loved his little boy — just as the neighbors were taking the 
 roasted and charred remains of Mrs. Dean and her three 
 children out of the ashes. One of the neighbors so engaged 
 was a daughter of Mr. Beatty, now Mrs. Adams, still living 
 in Gaysport, at a very advanced age, who gave us a graphic 
 account of the occurrence. 
 
 The remains taken out were joined together, and the skel- 
 etons of Mrs. Dean and her three children could be recog- 
 nised ; but no bones were found to conform to the size of 
 Simonton's son. The Dean girls then recollected that, when 
 last seen, he was playing near the front door with the little 
 girl. It was then suggested that he might be killed, and 
 that his body was perhaps lying somewhere near the house ; 
 but a most thorough search revealed nothing of the kind, 
 and it was only too evident that the Indians had carried the 
 child into captivity. 
 
 The murder of the Deans was the cause of universal regret, 
 
282 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 for they were known and respected by every person in the- 
 upper end of the Juniata Valley, and it did not fail to spread 
 consternation into every settlement, even where people 
 thought themselves beyond the reach of the merciless and 
 bloodthirsty savages. 
 
 The reason why Simonton's child was carried into cap- 
 tivity, instead of being murdered and scalped, was believed 
 to be because the Indians knew the child and expected that 
 Simonton would follow them and pay liberally for his 
 ransom. 
 
 The remains of the Deans were buried, and the family 
 bore up as well as they could under the sad infliction ; but 
 it was some years before Matthew Dean fairly recovered from^ 
 the blow. 
 
 The descendants of the Dean family are numerous — a 
 majority of them living in the neighborhood of Williams- 
 burg, Blair county. One of the young girls in the corn-field 
 at the time of the massacre married a Mr. Caldwell, and was 
 the mother of David Caldwell, at present one of the associate 
 judges of Blair county. 
 
 Captain Simonton never became reconciled to the loss of 
 his son. He made all the inquiries he could; wrote to gov- 
 ernment, and even went from his home as far as to Chilli- 
 cothe, Ohio, to attend a treaty; but all to no purpose: he' 
 could obtain no tidings of him. While there, he caused 
 proclamation to be made to the Indians, offering a reward of 
 £10 for any information as to his whereabouts, or £100 for 
 his recovery. This was a munificent sum for the ransom of 
 a mere boy, considering the financial condition of the coun- 
 try; and the Indians promised to find him, if possible. 
 
 A year after his return home, the final treaty for the de- 
 livery of prisoners was held in the Miami Valley. Again 
 Captain Simonton undertook the journey — then a more for- 
 midable undertaking than traversing half the Union would 
 be now. 
 
 But he was again doomed to bitter disappointment. The 
 children were brought forward, but none bore the slightest 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 283 
 
 resemblance to his lost boy. So the captain returned to his 
 home, bereft of all hope. The last feeble prop was gone, and 
 Simonton was as near being a broken-hearted man as any 
 one could well be without giving way entirely to despair. 
 
 When the late war with Great Britain broke out, Hunting- 
 don county, notwithstanding it had more than its proportion 
 of tories in the time of the Revolution, furnished three com- 
 panies to go to the Canadian frontier. In Captain Moses 
 Canan's company were two, probably three, of Captain 
 Simonton's sons. They knew they had a brother abducted 
 by the Indians, but it never occurred to either of them that 
 they should ever see him. 
 
 The companies of Captains Allison, Canan, and Vande- 
 vender, encamped in Cattaraugus, New York, — a country 
 then occupied by the Seneca Indians. 
 
 These Indians were neutral at that time, although they 
 favored the American cause and readily furnished supplies 
 to the soldiers. Among them was a white man, who ap- 
 peared to hold a very prominent position. He owned lands, 
 cattle, horses, lived in a well-constructed house, and was 
 married to a squaw, by whom he had several children. This 
 was the long-lost John Simonton. After Captain Canan's 
 company had left, two men belonging to Vandevender's 
 company, originally from Water Street, commenced talking 
 about this white man among the Indians ; and both of them 
 agreed that he bore a most striking resemblance to the Simon- 
 ton boys. 
 
 Next day, happening to meet him in front of his own house» 
 one of them accosted him with the somewhat abrupt ques- 
 tion of "What is your name?" 
 
 He answered, in broken English, " John Sims." 
 
 "Are you from the Juniata?" continued the man. 
 
 " I think I am," was Simonton's reply. 
 
 "Do you remember anything of the country?" 
 
 " I remember my father, who used to have two big fires, 
 and large barrels, in which he stirred with a long pole." 
 
 This answer satisfied them. Old Captain Simonton had a 
 
284 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 small distillery, and the man remembered the process of dis- 
 tilling very correctly. 
 
 " Wouldn't you like to go to your old house and see your 
 relatives?" inquired one of the men. 
 
 He answered that he should like very much to do so, but 
 that he was so much of an Indian that he doubted whether 
 his presence would afford much satisfaction to his friends. 
 
 On being told that some of his brothers were in one of the 
 companies, he was so much affected that he shed tears, and 
 expressed great anxiety to see them. He evidently felt him- 
 self degraded, and saw between himself and his brothers an 
 insurmountable barrier, built up by upwards of thirty years 
 of life among the savages ; and yet he longed to see them. 
 
 While talking to the men, his wife took him away, and he 
 was not seen again by them while they remained there. His 
 wife had a powerful influence over him, and she used it to 
 the best advantage; for she really began to suspect that the 
 men had traced his origin. 
 
 Poor old Captain Simonton ! — he never lived to learn the 
 fate of the boy he so much doated upon. 
 
 One of the sons of Captain Simonton — a very old man — 
 still lives several miles west of Hollidaysburg. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 287 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 HOLLIDAYSBURG — THE HOLLIDAY FAMILY — DEATH OF LIEUTENANT 
 HOLLIDAY AT THE BATTLE OF BRANDYWINE — MASSACRE OF A 
 PORTION OF WILLIAM HOLLIDAY's FAMILY — JOHN HOLLIDAY, ETC. 
 
 4> 4- 
 
 w 
 
 [ILLIAM and Adam Holliday, cousins, emigrated from 
 the North of Ireland about 1750, and settled in the 
 neighborhood of Manor, in Lancaster county. The 
 feuds which existed between the Irish and German emi- 
 grants, as well as the unceasing efforts of the proprietary 
 agents to keep emigrants from settling upon their lands, in- 
 duced the Hollidays to seek a location farther west. Cono- 
 ■cocheague suggested itself to them as a suitable place, because 
 it was so far removed from Philadelphia that the proprietors 
 could not well dispossess them ; and, the line never having 
 been established, it was altogether uncertain whether the set- 
 tlement was in Pennsylvania or Maryland. Besides, it pos- 
 sessed the advantages of being tolerably well populated. 
 Accordingly, they settled on the banks of the Conococheaguo, 
 and commenced clearing land, which they purchased and 
 paid for soon after the survey. During both the French and 
 Indian wars of 1755-56 and the war of 1762-63 the Hollidays 
 were in active service. At the destruction of Kittaning, Wil- 
 liam Hollida}^ was a lieutenant in Colonel Armstrong's com- 
 pany, and fought with great bravery in that conflict with the 
 savages. The Hollidays were emphatically frontier-men; 
 and on the restoration of peace in 1768, probably under the 
 impression that the Conococheague Valley was becoming too 
 thickly populated, they disposed of their land, placed their 
 families and effects upon pack-horses, and again turned their 
 faces toward the west. They passed through Aughwick, but 
 found no unappropriated lands there worthy of their atten- 
 tion. From thence they proceeded to the Standing Stone, 
 but nothing offered there ; nor even at Frankstown could 
 
288 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 they find any inducement to stop ; so they concluded to 
 cross the mountain by the Kittaning Path and settle on the 
 Alleghany at or near Kittaning. William knew the road^ 
 and had noticed fine lands in that direction. 
 
 However, when they reached the place where Hollidays- 
 burg now stands, and were just on the point of descending 
 the hill toward the river, Adam halted, and declared his in- 
 tention to pitch his tent and travel no farther. He argued 
 with his cousin that the Indian titles west of the mountains 
 were not extinguished ; and if they bought from the Indians, 
 they would be forced, on the extinguishment of their titles^ 
 to purchase a second time, or lose their lands and live in 
 constant dread of the savages. Although William had a 
 covetous eye on the fine lands of the Alleghany, the wise 
 counsel of Adam prevailed, and they dismounted and pre- 
 pared to build a temporary shelter. When Adam drove the 
 first stake into the ground he casually remarked to William, 
 " Whoever is alive a hundred years after this will see a tol- 
 erable-sized town here, and this will be near about the mid- 
 dle of it." This prediction has been verified to the letter 
 long before the expiration of the allotted time. 
 
 In a day or two after a shelter had been erected for the 
 families, William crossed the river to where Gaysport now 
 stands, for the purpose of locating. The land, however, was 
 too swampy, and he returned. Next day he crossed again, 
 and found a ravine, south of where he had been prospecting, 
 which appeared to possess the desired qualifications; and 
 there he staked out a farm, — the one now owned by Mr. J, 
 R. Crawford. Through this farm the old Frankstown and 
 Johnstown Road ran for many years, — the third road con- 
 structed in Pennsylvania crossing the Alleghany Mountains. 
 
 These lands belonged to the new purchase, and were in 
 the market at a very low price, in order to encourage settlers 
 on the frontier. Accordingly, Adam Holliday took out a 
 warrant for 1000 acres, comprising all the land upon which 
 Hollidaysburg now stands. The lower or southern part was 
 too marshy to work ; so Mr. Holliday erected his cabin near 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 289 
 
 where the American House now stands, and made a clearing 
 on the high ground stretching toward the east. 
 
 In the mean time, William Holliday purchased of Mr. 
 Peters 1000 acres of land, which embraced the present Craw- 
 ford and Jackson farms and a greater part of Gaysport. 
 Some years after, finding that he had more land than he 
 could conveniently cultivate, he disposed of nearly one-half 
 of his original purchase to his son-in-law, James Somerville. 
 
 Adam Holliday, too, having a large lot of land, disposed 
 of a portion of it to Lazarus Lowry. Thus matters pro- 
 gressed smoothly for a time, until, unfortunately, a Scotch- 
 man, named Henry Gordon, in search of lands, happened to 
 see and admire his farm. Gordon was a keen, shrewd fel- 
 low, and in looking over the records of the land- office he 
 discovered a flaw or informality in Adam's grant. He im- 
 mediately took advantage of his discovery, and took out a 
 patent for the land. Litigation followed, as a matter of 
 course. Gordon possessed considerable legal acumen, and 
 had withal money and a determined spirit. The case was 
 tried in the courts below and the courts above, — decided 
 sometimes in favor of one party and sometimes in favor of 
 the other, but eventually resulted in Gordon wresting from 
 Adam Holliday and Lazarus Lowry all their land. This 
 unfortunate circumstance deeply afflicted Mr. Holliday, for 
 he had undoubtedly been grossly wronged by the adroitness 
 and cunning of Gordon; but relief came to him when he 
 least expected it. When the war broke out, Gordon was among 
 the very first to sail for Europe ; and soon after the Council 
 proclaimed him an attainted traitor, and his property was 
 confiscated and brought under the hammer. The circum- 
 stances under which he had wrested the property from Holli- 
 day were known, so that no person would bid, which enabled 
 him to regain his land at a mere nominal price. He then 
 went on and improved, and built a house on the bank of 
 the river, near where the bridge connects the boroughs of 
 Hollidaysburg and Gaysport. The very locust-trees that he 
 
 19 
 
290 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY, 
 
 plante(^ seventy-eight years ago, in front of his door, are still 
 standing. 
 
 During the alarms and troubles which followed in the 
 course of the war, Adam Holliday took a conspicuous part 
 in defending the frontier. He aided, first, in erecting 
 Fetter's Fort, and afterwards expended his means in turning 
 Titus's stable into a fort. This fort was located on the flat, 
 nearly opposite the second lock below Hollidaysburg, and 
 the two served as a place of refuge for all the settlers of 
 what was then merely called the Upper End of Frankstown 
 District. He also, with his own money, purchased provisions, 
 and through his exertions arms and ammunition were 
 brought from the eastern counties. His courage and energy 
 inspired the settlers to make a stand at a time when they 
 were on the very point of flying to Cumberland county. In 
 December, 1777, Mr. Holliday visited Philadelphia for the 
 purpose of securing a part of the funds appropriated to 
 the defence of the frontier. The following letter to Presi- 
 dent Wharton was given to him by Colonel John Piper, of 
 Bedford county : — 
 
 Bedford County, December 19, 1777. 
 
 Sir : — Permit me, sir, to recommend to you, for counsel and 
 direction, the bearer, Mr. Holliday, an inhabitant of Frankstown, 
 one of the frontier settlements of our county, who has, at his 
 own risk, been extremely active in assembling the people of that 
 settlement together and in purchasing provisions to serve the 
 militia who came to their assistance. As there was no person 
 appointed either to purchase provisions or to serve them out, 
 necessity obliged the bearer, with the assistance of some neigh- 
 bors, to purchase a considerable quantity of provisions for that 
 purpose, by which the inhabitants have been enabled to make 
 a stand. His request is that he may be supplied with cash not 
 only to discharge the debts already contracted, but likewise to 
 enable him to lay up a store for future demand. I beg leave, 
 sir, to refer to the bearer for further information, in hopes you 
 will provide for their further support. Their situation requires 
 immediate assistance. 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 291 
 
 I am, sir, with all due respect, your Excellency's most obe- 
 dient humble servant, 
 
 John Piper. 
 
 Mr. Holliday's mission was successful; and he returned 
 with means to recruit the fort with provisions and ammuni- 
 tion, and continued to be an active and energetic frontier- 
 man during all the Indian troubles which followed. 
 
 Notwithstanding the distracted state of society during the 
 Revolution, William Holliday devoted much time and at- 
 tention to his farm. His family, consisting of his wife, his 
 sons John, William, Patrick, Adam, and a lunatic whose 
 name is not recollected, and his daughter Janet, were forted 
 at Holliday's Fort; and it was only when absolute necessity 
 demanded it that they ventured to the farm to attend to the 
 crops, after the savage marauders so boldly entered the set- 
 tlements. 
 
 James, who we believe was next to the eldest of William 
 Holliday's children, joined the Continental army soon after 
 the war broke out. He is represented as having been a 
 noble-looking fellow, filled with enthusiasm, who sought for, 
 and obtained without much difficulty, a lieutenant's com- 
 mission. He was engaged in several battles, and conducted 
 himself in such a manner as to merit the approbation of his 
 senior officers; but he fell gloriousl}'- at Brandy wine, while 
 the battle was raging, pierced through the heart by a musket- 
 ball. He was shot by a Hessian, who was under cover 
 and who had, from the same place, already dispatched a 
 number of persons. But this was his last shot; for ajyoung 
 Virginian, who stood by the side of Holliday when he fell, 
 rushed upon the Hessian, braving all danger, and hewed 
 him to pieces with his sword before any defence could be 
 made. 
 
 The death of young Holliday was deeply lamented by his 
 companions-in-arms, for he was brave and generous, and had 
 not a single enemy in the line. His friends, after the battle, 
 buried him near the spot w^here he fell ; and it is doubtful 
 
292 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 whether even now a hillock of greensward is raised to his 
 memory. 
 
 About the beginning of the year 1 779, the Indians along 
 the frontier, emboldened by numerous successful depreda- 
 tions, came into Bedford county — within the boundaries of 
 which Holliday's Fort then was — in such formidable bands 
 that many of the inhabitants fled to the eastern counties. 
 The Hollidays, however, and some few others, tarried, in the 
 hope that the Executive Council would render them aid. 
 The following petition, signed by William Holliday and 
 others, will give the reader some idea of the distress suffered 
 by the pioneers; it was drawn up on the 29th of May, 
 1779:— 
 To the Honorable President and Council : — 
 
 The Indians being now in the county, the frontier inhabitants 
 being generally fled, leaves the few that remains in such a dis- 
 tressed condition that pen can hardly describe, nor your honors 
 can only have a faint idea of ; nor can it be conceived properly 
 by any but such as are the subjects thereof; but, while we suf- 
 fer in the part of the county that is most frontier, the inhabitants 
 of the interior part of this county live at ease and safety. 
 
 And we humbly conceive that by some immediate instruction 
 from Council, to call them that are less exposed to our relief, we 
 shall be able, under God, to repulse our enemies, and put it in 
 the power of the distressed inhabitants to reap the fruits of their 
 industry. Therefore, we humbly pray you would grant us such 
 relief in the premises as you in your wisdom see meet. And 
 your petitioners shall pray, etc. 
 
 N. B. — There is a quantity of lead at the mines (Sinking Val- 
 ley) in this county Council may procure for the use of said 
 county, which will save carriage, and supply our wants with that 
 article, which we cannot exist without at this place; and our 
 flints are altogether expended. Therefore, we beg Council would 
 furnish us with those necessaries as they in their wisdom see cause. 
 
 P. S. — Please to supply us with powder to answer lead. 
 (Signed) William Holliday, P. M. 
 
 Thomas Coulter, Sheriff. 
 Richard J. Delapt, Captain. 
 Sam. Davidson. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 293 
 
 The prayer of these petitioners was not speedily answered, 
 and Holliday's Fort was evacuated soon after. The Council 
 undoubtedly did all in its power to give the frontiers sup- 
 port; but the tardy movements of the militia gave the sav- 
 ages confidence, and drove the few settlers that remained al- 
 most to despair. Eventually relief came, but not sufficient 
 to prevent Indian depredations. At length, when these 
 depredations and the dela3^s of the Council in furnishing suf- 
 ficient force to repel these savage invasions had brought 
 matters to such a crisis that forbearance ceased to be a virtue, 
 the people of the neighborhood moved their families to Fort 
 Roberdeau, in Sinking Valley, and Fetter's Fort, and formed 
 themselves into scouting parties, and by these means pro- 
 tected the frontier and enabled the settlers to gather in their 
 crops in 1780; still, notwithstanding their vigilance, small 
 bands of scalp-hunters occasionally invaded the county, and, 
 when no scalps were to be found, compromised by stealing; 
 horses, or by laying waste whatever fell in their way. 
 
 In 1781, when Continental money was so terribly depreci- 
 ated that it took, in the language of one of the old settlers, 
 " seventeen dollars of it to buy a quart of whiskey," govern- 
 ment was in too straitened a condition to furnish this frontier 
 guard with ammunition and provisions, so that the force was. 
 considerably reduced. Small scouting parties were still kept 
 up, however, to watch the savages, who again made their ap- 
 pearance in the neighborhood in the summer, retarding the. 
 harvest operations. 
 
 About the middle of July, the scouts reported every thing: 
 quiet and no traces of Indians in the county. Accordingly^ 
 Mr. Holliday proceeded to his farm, and, with the aid of his 
 sons, succeeded in getting off and housing his grain. Early 
 in August, Mr. Holliday, accompanied by his sons Patrick 
 and Adam and his daughter Janet, then about fourteen years 
 of age, left Fort Roberdeau for the purpose of taking off a. 
 second crop of hay. On their arrival at the farm they went 
 leisurely to work, and mowed the grass. The weather being 
 extremely fine, in a few days they began to haul it in on a 
 
294 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 rudely-constructed sled, for in those primitive days few 
 wagons were in use along the frontiers. They had taken in 
 one load, returned, and filled the sled again, when an ac- 
 quaintance named McDonald, a Scotchman, came along on 
 horseback. He stopped, and they commenced a conversa- 
 tion on the war. William Holliday was seated upon one of 
 the horses that were hitched to the sled, his two sons were 
 on one side of him, and his daughter on the opposite side- 
 All of the men, as was customary then, were armed with 
 rifles. While this conversation was going on, and without 
 the slightest previous intimation, a volley was suddenly fired 
 from a thicket some sixty or seventy yards off, by which 
 Patrick and Adam were instantly killed and the horse shot 
 from under Mr. Holliday. The attack was so sudden and 
 unexpected that a flash of lightning and a peal of thunder 
 from a cloudless sky could not have astonished him more. 
 The echoes of the Indian rifles had scarcely died away be- 
 fore the Indians themselves, to the number of eight or ten, 
 with a loud '' whoop f" jumped from their place of conceal- 
 ment, some brandishing their knives and hatchets and others 
 reloading their rifles. 
 
 Appalled at the shocking tragedy, and undecided for a 
 moment what course to pursue, Holliday was surprised to 
 see McDonald leap from his horse, throw away his rifle, run 
 toward the Indians, and, with outstretched arms, cry "Bro- 
 ther! Brother!" which it appears was a cry for quarter which 
 the savages respected. Holliday, however, knew too much of 
 the savage character to trust to their mercy — more especially 
 as rebel scalps commanded nearly as good a price in British 
 gold in Canada as prisoners ; so on the impulse of the mo- 
 ment he sprang upon McDonald's horse and made an effort 
 to get his daughter up behind him. But he was too late. 
 The Indians were upon him, and he turned into the path 
 which led down the ravine. The yells of the savages fright- 
 ened the horse, and he galloped down the path ; but even 
 the clattering of his hoofs did not drown the dying shrieks 
 of his daughter, who was most barbarously butchered with 
 a hatchet. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 295 
 
 In a state of mind bordering on distraction, Holliday 
 wandered about until nearly dark, when he got upon the 
 Brush Mountain trail, on his way to Sinking Valley. His 
 mind, however, was so deeply affected that he seemed to care 
 little whither he went ; and, the night being exceedingly 
 ■dark, the horse lost the trail and wandered about the mount- 
 ain for hours. Just at daybreak Mr. Holliday reached the 
 fort, haggard and careworn, without hat or shoes, his clothes 
 in tatters and his body lacerated and bleeding. He did not 
 recognize either the fort or the sentinel on duty. He was 
 taken in, and the fort alarmed, but it was some time before 
 he could make any thing like an intelligible statement of 
 what had occurred the day previous. Without waiting for 
 the particulars in detail, a command of fifteen men was de- 
 spatched to Holliday's farm. They found the bodies of 
 Patrick and Adam precisely where thej^ fell, and that of 
 Janet but a short distance from the sled, and all scalped. 
 As soon as the necessary arrangements could be made, the 
 bodies of the slain were interred on the farm ; and a rude 
 tombstone still marks the spot where the victims of savage 
 cruelty repose. 
 
 This was a sad blow to Mr. Holliday ; and it was long be- 
 fore he recovered from it effectually. But the times steeled 
 men to bear misfortunes that would now crush and annihi- 
 late the bravest. 
 
 The Scotchman McDonald, whom we have mentioned as 
 ibeing present at the Holliday massacre, accompanied the 
 savages, as he afterward stated, to the Miami Valley, where 
 he adopted their manners and customs, and remained with 
 them until the restoration of peace enabled him to escape. 
 He returned to the valley of the Juniata; but he soon found 
 that Holliday had prejudiced the public mind against him 
 by declaring the part he took at the time of the massacre to 
 have been cowardly in the extreme, notwithstanding that 
 the cowardice of McDonald actually saved Holliday's life, 
 by affording him means to escape. The people generally 
 shunned McDonald, and he led rather an unenviable life; 
 
296 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 yet we might suppose, taking all the circumstances into con- 
 sideration, that, in illustrating the axiom that "self-preser- 
 vation is the first law of nature," he did nothing more than 
 any man, with even less prudence than a canny Scotchman, 
 would have done. But any thing having the least squint- 
 ing toward cowardice was deemed a deadly sin by the pio- 
 neers, and McDonald soon found it necessary to seek a home 
 somewhere else. 
 
 After the declaration of peace, or, rather, after the ratifica- 
 tion of the treaty, Gordon came back to Pennsylvania and 
 claimed his land under its stipulation. He had no difficulty 
 in proving that he had never taken up arms against the 
 colonies, and Congress agreed to purchase back his lands. 
 
 The Commissioners to adjust claims, after examining the 
 lands, reported them worth sixteen dollars an acre ; and this 
 amount was paid to Adam HoUiday, who suddenly found 
 himself the greatest monied man in this county — having in 
 his possession sixteen or seventeen thousand dollars. 
 
 Adam Holliday lived to a good old age, and died at his 
 residence on the bank of the river, in 1801. He left two 
 heirs — his son John, and a daughter married to William 
 Reynolds. 
 
 After the estate was settled up, it was found that John 
 Holliday was the richest man in this county. He married 
 the daughter of Lazarus Lowry, of Frankstown, in 1803, 
 and in 1807 he left for Johnstown, where he purchased the 
 farm, and all the land upon which Johnstown now stands, 
 from a Dr. Anderson, of Bedford. Fearing the place would 
 never be one of any importance, John Holliday, in a few 
 years, sold out to Peter Livergood for eight dollars an acre, 
 returned to Hollidaysburg, and entered into mercantile pur- 
 suits. 
 
 William Holliday, too, died at a good old age, and lies 
 buried on his farm by the side of his children, who were 
 massacred by the Indians. 
 
 In the ordinary transmutation of worldly affairs, the lands 
 of both the old pioneers passed out of the hands of their de- 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 297 
 
 scendants ; yet a beautiful town stands as a lasting monu- 
 ment to the name, and the descendants have multiplied 
 until the name of Holliday is known not only in Pennsyl- 
 vania, but over the whole Union. 
 
 [Note. — There are several contradictory accounts in existence touching the 
 massacre of the Holliday children. Our account of it is evidently the true 
 version, for it was given to us by Mr. Maguire, who received it from Mr. Hol- 
 liday shortly after the occurrence of the tragedy. 
 
 It may be as well here to state that the original Hollidays were Irishmen 
 and Presbyterians. It is necessary to state this, because we have heard argu- 
 ments about their religious faith. Some avow that they were Catholics, and 
 as an evidence refer to the fact that William called one of his offspring "Pat- 
 rick." Without being able to account for the name of a saint so prominent 
 in the calendar as Patrick being found in a Presbyterian family, we can only 
 give the words of Mr. Maguire^ who said : — 
 
 "I was a Catholic, and old Billy and Adam Holliday were Presbyterians; 
 but in those days we found matters of more importance to attend to than 
 quarrelling about religion. We all worshipped the same God, and some of the 
 forms and ceremonies attending church were very much alike, especially in 
 1778, when the men of all denominations, in place of hymn-books, prayer- 
 books, and Bibles, carried to church with them loaded rifles !" 
 
 It may be as well to state here also that the McDonald mentioned had two 
 brothers — one a daring frontier-man, the other in the army, — so that the reader 
 will please not confound them.] 
 
298 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY, 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 OLD INDIAN TOWN OF FRANKSTOWN — INDIAN BURIAL-PLACES — 
 MASSACRE OF THE BEDFORD SCOUT, ETC. 
 
 4RANKST0WN is probably the oldest place on the 
 Juniata River — traders having mentioned it as early 
 as 1750. The Indian town was located at the mouth 
 of a small run, near where McCune's Mill now stands, and 
 at one time contained a considerable number of inhabitants. 
 The Indian name of the place was Assunepachla, which signi- 
 fies a meeting of many waters, or the place where the waters 
 join. This would seem to be an appropriate name, since, 
 within a short distance of the place, the river is formed by 
 what was then known as the Frankstown Branch, the Bea- 
 ver Dam Branch, the Brush Run, and the small run near 
 McCune's Mill. 
 
 The name of Frankstown was given it by the traders. 
 Harris, in his report of the distance between the Susquehanna 
 and the Alleghany, called it " Frank (Stephen's) Town." The 
 general impression is that the town was named by the traders 
 in honor of an old chief named Frank. This, however, is an 
 error. It was named after an old German Indian trader 
 named Stephen Franks, who lived cotemporaneously with 
 old Hart, and whose post was at this old Indian town. The 
 truth this becomes apparent when we remember that the 
 Indians could not pronounce the r in their language ; hence 
 no chief was likely to bear the name Frank at that early 
 day. Old Franks,' being a great friend of the Indians, lived 
 and died among them, and it w^as after his death that one 
 of the chiefs took his name ; hence arose the erroneous im- 
 pression that the name was given to the town in honor of 
 the chief. 
 
 How long Assunepachla was an Indian settlement cannot 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 301 
 
 be conjectured, but, unquestionably, long before the Indians 
 of the valley had any intercourse with the whites. This is 
 evidenced by the fact that where the town stood, as well as 
 on the flat west of the town, relics of rudely-constructed pot- 
 tery, stone arrow-heads, stone hatchets, &c., have repeatedly 
 been found until within the last few years. 
 
 The use of stone edge-tools was abandoned as soon as the 
 savages obtained a sight of a superior article, — probably as 
 early as 1730. The first were brought to the valley by 
 Indians who had received them as presents from the pro- 
 prietary family. 
 
 It is stated that the first brought to Assunepachla cost a 
 special trip to Philadelphia. Three chiefs, having seen 
 hatchets and knives at Standing Stone, were so fascinated 
 with their utility that they resolved to have some. Accord- 
 ingly they went to work at trapping ; and in the fall, each 
 with an immense load of skins, started on foot for Philadel- 
 phia, where they arrived after a long and fatiguing march. 
 They soon found what they wanted at the shop of an Eng- 
 lishman ; but, being unable to talk English, they merely 
 deposited their furs upon the counter and pointed to the 
 tomahawks and knives. This indicated trade ; and the 
 Englishman, after a critical examination of their skins, 
 which he found would yield him not less than £100, threw 
 them carelessly under the counter, and gave them a hatchet 
 and a knife each. With these the savages were about to 
 depart, well satisfied; but the trader suddenly bethinking 
 himself of the possibility of their falling in with the interpre- 
 ters, and their ascertaining the manner in which they had 
 been swindled, called them back, and very generously added 
 three clasp-knives and a quantity of brass jewelry. 
 
 With these they wended their way back, proud as em- 
 perors of their newly-acquired weapons. Never did chiefs 
 enter a place with more pomp and importance than our war- 
 riors. The very dogs barked a welcome, and the Indians 
 came forth from their wigwams to greet the great eastern 
 travellers. Their hatchets, knives and trinkets passed from 
 
302 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 hand to hand, and savage encomiums were lavished un- 
 sparingly upon them ; but when their practicability was 
 tested, the climax of savage enthusiasm was reached. The 
 envied possessors were lions : they cut, hewed, and scored, 
 just because they could. 
 
 But — alas for all things mutable! — their glory was not 
 destined to last long. The traders soon appeared with tho 
 same kind of articles, and readily exchanged for half a dozen 
 skins what the warriors had spent a season in trapping and 
 a long journey to procure. 
 
 On the point of Chimney Ridge, near Wert's farm, below 
 Hollidaysburg, was an Indian burial-place, and another on 
 the small piece of table-land near the mouth of Brush Run. 
 At both places skeletons of mighty chiefs and all-powerful 
 warriors have been ruthlessly torn from their places of 
 sepulture by the plough, and many other relics have been 
 exhumed. 
 
 The greater portion of the warriors residing at Franks- 
 town went to Ohio in 1755, and took iip the hatchet for 
 their " brothers," the French, and against Onus, or their 
 Father Penn. This act, the colonial government persuaded 
 itself to believe, was altogether mercenary on the part of the 
 savages. The real cause, as we have already stated, was the 
 dissatisfaction which followed the purchase of the Juniata 
 Valley by the Penns, for a few paltry pounds, from the Iro- 
 quois, at Albany, in 1754. 
 
 The town of Frankstown still continued to be a promi- 
 nent Indian settlement until the army of General Forbes 
 pacssed up the Raystown Branch, when the spies sent out 
 brought such exaggerated reports of the warlike appearance 
 and strength of the army that the settlement was en- 
 tirely broken up, and the warriors, with their squaws, 
 pappooses, and movable effects, crossed the Alleghany by 
 the Kittaning War-Path, and bade adieu to the valley 
 which they were only too well convinced was no longer 
 their own. 
 
 The remains of their bark huts, their old corn-fields, and 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 303 
 
 other indications of their presence, were in existence until 
 after the beginning of the present century. 
 
 On the flat several white settlers erected their cabins at an 
 early day, and a few near the old town, and others where 
 the town of Frankstown now stands. 
 
 During the Revolution, as we have stated, a stable erected 
 by Peter Titus was turned into a fortress. In summer, the 
 location of the fort can still be traced by the luxuriant 
 growth of vegetation upon it. This fort was called Holli- 
 day's Fort. The fort at Fetter's, a mile west of Hollidays- 
 burg, was known as the Frankstown garrison. In those days 
 there was no such place as Hollidaysburg, and the Franks- 
 town district took in a scope of country which now serves 
 for five or six very large townships ; in short, every place 
 was Frankstown within a radius of at least ten miles. 
 
 Holliday's Fort was a mere temporary affair ; while the 
 Frankstown garrison was a substantial stockade, manned 
 and provisioned in such a manner that a thousand savages 
 could by no possible means have taken it. It never was 
 assaulted except upon one occasion, and then the red-skins 
 were right glad to beat a retreat before they were able to 
 fire a gun. 
 
 Near this fort occurred the massacre of the Bedford scout. 
 This was unquestionably the most successful savage sortie 
 made upon the whites in the valley during the Revolution ; 
 and, as some of the bravest and best men of Bedford county 
 fell in this massacre, it did not fail to create an excitement 
 compared to which all other excitements that ever occurred 
 in the valley were perfect calms. 
 
 We shall, in the first place, proceed to give the first report 
 of the occurrence, sent by George Ashman, one of the sub- 
 lieutenants of the county, to Arthur Buchanan, at Kishico- 
 quillas. Ashman says: — 
 
 Sir : — By an express this moment from Frankstown, we have 
 the bad news. As a party of volunteers from Bedford was going 
 to Frankstown, a party of Indians fell in with them this morning 
 and killed thirty of them. Only seven made their escape to 
 
304 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 the garrison of Frankstown. I hope that you'll exert yourself in 
 getting men to go up to the Stone ; and pray let the river-people 
 know, as they may turn out. I am, in health, 
 
 Geo. Ashman. 
 
 Of course Colonel Ashman was not near the place, and his 
 dispatch to Buchanan is, as a natural consequence, made up 
 from the exaggerated reports that were carried to him at the 
 instance of the affrighted people residing in the vicinity 
 where the massacre occurred. The following is the official 
 report, transmitted by Ashman to President Reed : — 
 
 Bedford County, June 12, 1781. 
 Sir: — I have to inform you that on Sunday, the third of this 
 instant, a party of the rangers under Captain Boyd, eight in num- 
 ber, with twenty-five volunteers under Captain Moore and Lieu- 
 tenant Smith, of the militia of this county, had an engagement 
 with a party of Indians (said to be numerous) within three miles 
 of Frankstown, where seventy-five of the Cumberland militia 
 were stationed, commanded by Captain James Young. Some of 
 the party running into the garrison acquainting Captain Young 
 of what had happened, he issued out a party immediately, and 
 brought in seven more, five of whom are wounded, and two made 
 their escape to Bedford, — eight killed and scalped, — Captain 
 Boyd, Captain Moore, and Captain Dunlap missing. Captain 
 Young, expecting from the enemy's numbers that his garrison 
 would be surrounded, sent express to me immediately ; but, be- 
 fore I could collect as many volunteers as was sufficient to march 
 to Frankstown with, the enemy had returned over the Alleghany 
 Hill. The waters being high, occasioned by heavy rains, they 
 could not be pursued. This county, at this time, is in a deplora- 
 ble situation. A number of families are flying away daily ever 
 since the late damage was done. I can assure your Excellency 
 that if immediate assistance is not sent to this county that the 
 whole of the frontier inhabitants will move off in a few days. 
 Colonel Abraham Smith, of Cumberland, has just informed me 
 that he has no orders to send us any more militia from Cumber- 
 land county to our assistance, which I am much surprised to 
 hear. I shall move my family to Maryland in a few days, as I 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 305 
 
 am convinced that not any one settlement is able to make any 
 stand against such numbers of the enemy. If your Excellency 
 should please to order us any assistance, less than three hundred 
 will be of but little relief to this county. Ammunition we have 
 not any; and the Cumberland militia will be discharged in two 
 days. It is dreadful to think what the consequences of leaving 
 such a number of helpless inhabitants may be to the cruelties of 
 a savage enemy. 
 
 Please to send me by the first opportunity three hundred 
 pounds, as I cannot possibly do the business without money. 
 You may depend that nothing shall be wanting in me to serve 
 my country as far as my abilities. 
 I have the honor to be 
 
 Your Excellency's most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 George Ashman, Lieut. Bedford County. 
 
 It would appear that even a man holding an official station 
 is liable to gross mistakes. In this instance, Ashman, who 
 lived remote from the scene of the disaster, was evidently 
 misled by the current rumors, and such he transmitted; for 
 there are still persons alive, who lived at the time of the oc- 
 currence in the immediate vicinity, who pronounce Ashman's 
 statement as erroneous, and who give an entirely different 
 version of the affair. 
 
 The seventy Cumberland county militia, under strict mili- 
 tary discipline, were sent first to Standing Stone, and after- 
 ward to Frankstown, early in the spring of 1781. They were 
 under the command of Colonel Albright and Captain Young, 
 and were sent with a view to waylay the gaps of the Alle- 
 ghany Mountains, and preventing any savages from coming 
 into the valley. Instead of doing so, however, they proved 
 themselves an inefficient body of men, with dilatory officers, 
 who chose rather the idle life of the fort than scouting to in- 
 tercept the savages. In fact, these men, in the service and 
 pay of the Supreme Executive Council of the State to protect 
 the frontier, were never one solitary cent's worth of advan- 
 tage to the inhabitants. Such a force, one would suppose, 
 would have inspired the people with confidence, and been 
 20 
 
306 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 fully able to cope with or repel the largest war-party of sav- 
 ages that ever trod the Kittaning War-Path during the Revo- 
 lutionary struggle. 
 
 Notwithstanding the presence of this large body of men, 
 stationed as it were almost at the mouth of the gap through 
 which the Indians entered the valley, the depredations of 
 the savages were almost of daily occurrence. The ineffi- 
 ciency of the Cumberland militia, who either could not or 
 would not check the marauders, at length exasperated the 
 settlers to such an extent that they resolved to form them- 
 selves into a scouting party, and range through the county 
 for two months. 
 
 This project was favored by Colonel Ashman, and he 
 agreed to furnish a company of rangers to join them. The 
 enrolment of volunteers by Captain Moore, of Scotch Valley, 
 assisted by his lieutenant, a Mr. Smith, from the vicinity of 
 Frankstown, proceeded; and on the second of June, 1781, 
 these men met at Holliday's Fort, then abandoned for want 
 of provisions. There they were joined by the rangers, under 
 command of Captain Boyd and Lieutenant Harry Woods, 
 of Bedford, but, instead of there being a companj^, as the 
 volunteers were led to expect, there were but eight men and 
 the two officers above named. 
 
 From Holliday's Fort they marched to Fetter's, where 
 they contemplated spending the Sabbath. It was their in- 
 tention to march through the Kittaning Gap to an old State 
 road, (long since abandoned,) from thence to Pittsburg, and 
 home by way of Bedford. 
 
 While debating the matter and making the necessary ar- 
 rangements, two spies came in and reported that they had 
 come upon an Indian encampment near Hart's Sleeping Place, 
 which had apparently been just abandoned, as the fire was 
 still burning ; that, from the number of bark huts, the sav- 
 ages must number from twenty-five to thirty. 
 
 This raised quite a stir in the camp, as the scouts evidently 
 were eager for the fray. The officers, who were regular 
 woodsmen, and knew that the Indians would not venture 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 307 
 
 into the settlement until the day following, were confident of 
 meeting them near the mouth of the gap and giving them 
 battle. They at once tendered to Colonel Albright the com- 
 mand of the expedition; but he refused to accept it. They 
 then importuned him to let a portion of his men, who were 
 both anxious and willing, accompany them ; but this, too, 
 he refused. 
 
 Nothing daunted, however, the rangers and the volunteers 
 arose by daybreak on Sunday morning, put their rifles in 
 condition, eat their breakfast, and, with five days' provisions 
 in their knapsacks, started for the mountain. 
 
 We sincerely regret that the most strenuous effort on our 
 part to procure a list of this scout proved futile. Here and 
 there we picked up the names of a few who were in it; but 
 nothing would have given us greater pleasure than to insert 
 a full and correct list of these brave men. In addition to 
 the officers named, we may mention the following privates: 
 — James Somerville, two Coleman's, two Holliday's, two 
 brothers named Jones, a man named Grey, one of the Beattys, 
 Michael Wallack, and Edward Milligan. 
 
 The path led close along the river, and the men marched 
 in Indian file, as the path was narrow. When they reached 
 the flat above where Temperance Mill now stands, and within 
 thirty rods of the mouth of Sugar Run, the loud warwhoop 
 rang upon the stillness of the Sabbath morning ; a band of 
 savages rose from the bushes on the left-hand side of the 
 road, firing a volley at the same time, by which fifteen of 
 the brave scout were stretched dead in the path. The re- 
 mainder fled, in consternation, in every direction, — some 
 over the river in the direction of Frankstown, others toward 
 Fetter's Fort. A man named Jones, one of the fleetest run- 
 ners, reached the fort first. To screen the scout from the 
 odium of running, he reported the number of the enemy so 
 large that Albright refused to let any of his command go to 
 the relief of the unfortunate men. 
 
 As the Colemans were coming to the fort, they found the 
 other Jones lying behind a log for the purpose of resting, as 
 
308 HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 he said. Coleman advised him to push on to the fort, which 
 he promised to do. 
 
 Captain Young at length started out with a party to bring 
 in the wounded. The man Jones was found resting behind 
 the log, but the rest was a lasting one; he was killed and 
 scalped. Another man, who had been wounded, was also 
 followed a short distance and killed and scalped, — making, 
 in all, seventeen persons who fell by this sad and unlooked- 
 for event. In addition to the seventeen killed, five were 
 wounded, who were found concealed in various places in the 
 woods and removed to the fort. Some reached the fort in 
 safety, others were missing, — among the latter, Harry Woods, 
 James Somerville, and Michael Wallack. 
 
 It appears that these three men started over the river, and 
 ran up what is now known as O'Friel's Ridge, hotly pursued 
 by a single savage. Woods and Wallack were in front, and 
 Somerville behind, when the moccasin of the latter became 
 untied. He stooped down to fix it, as it was impossible to 
 ascend the steep hill with the loose moccasin retarding his 
 progress. While in this position, the Indian, with uplifted 
 tomahawk, was rapidly approaching him, when Woods 
 turned suddenly and aimed with his empty rifle* at the In- 
 dian. This caused the savage to jump behind a tree scarcely 
 large enough to cover his body, from which he peered, and 
 recognised Woods. 
 
 "No hurt Woods!" yelled the Indian; "no hurt Woods!" 
 
 This Indian happened to be the son of the old Indian 
 Hutson, to whom George Woods of Bedford paid a small 
 annual stipend in tobacco, for delivering him from bondage. 
 Hutson had frequently taken his son to Bedford, and it was 
 by this means that he had become acquainted with Harry 
 and readily recognised him. Woods, although he recog- 
 nised Hutson, had been quite as close to Indians as he cared 
 about getting ; so the three continued their route over the 
 
 * Woods shot an Indian. His rifle was the only one discharged in what 
 Colonel Ashman termed an "engagement." 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 309 
 
 ridge, and by a circuitous tramp reached the fort in the af- 
 ternoon. 
 
 Many years afterward, long after the war, when Woods 
 lived in Pittsburg, he went down to the Alleghany River to 
 see several canoe-loads of Indians that had just arrived from 
 above. He had scarcely reached the landing when one of 
 the chiefs jumped out, shook him warmly by the hand, and 
 said — 
 
 " Woods, you run like debble up Juniata Hill." 
 
 It was Hutson — by this time a distinguished chief in his 
 tribe. 
 
 The fate of the unfortunate scout was soon known all over 
 the country, expresses having been sent in every direction. 
 
 On Monday morning Captain Young again went out with 
 a small party to bury the dead, and many of them were in- 
 terred near the spot where they fell; while others, after the 
 men got tired of digging graves, were merely covered with 
 bark and leaves, and left on the spot to be food for the wolves, 
 which some of the bodies unquestionably became, as Jones 
 sought for that of his brother on Tuesday, and found noth- 
 ing but the crushed remains of some bones. 
 
 In 1852, a young man in the employ of Mr. Burns ex- 
 humed one of these skeletons with the plough. It was 
 found near the surface of the earth, on the bank of the river. 
 The skull was perforated with a bullet-hole, and was in a re- 
 markable state of preservation, although it had been in the 
 ground uncoffined for a period of seventy-one years ! It was 
 placed in the earth again. 
 
 Immediately after the news of the massacre was spread, the 
 people from Standing Stone and other places gathered at Fet- 
 ter's ; and on the Tuesday following a party of nearly one hun- 
 dred men started in pursuit of the Indians. Colonel Albright 
 was solicited to accompany this force with his command and 
 march until they overtook the enemy ; but he refused. The 
 men went as far as Hart's Sleeping Place, but they might 
 just as well have remained at home ; for the savages, with 
 the scalps of the scout dangling from their belts, were then 
 far on their wav to Detroit. 
 
310 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 When the firing took place, it was plainly heard at the 
 fort; and some of the men, fully convinced that the scout 
 had been attacked, asked Colonel Albright to go out with 
 his command to their relief He merely answered by say- 
 ing that he " knew his own business." 
 
 For his part in the matter, he gained the ill-will of the 
 settlers, and it was very fortunate that his time expired when 
 it did. The settlers were not much divided in opinion as to 
 whether he was a rigid disciplinarian or a coward. 
 
 Men, arms, and ammunition, in abundance followed this 
 last outrage; but it was the last formidable and warlike in- 
 cursion into the Juniata Valley. 
 
v 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. oil 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 shaver's creek — MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF OLD SHAVER — HEROIC 
 CONDUCT OF TWO CHILDREN^ABDUCTION OF MISS EWING AND MISS 
 m'cORMICK — PETER CRUM, THE LAST VICTIM OF THE SAVAGES, ETC. 
 
 ^-^LHE original settlement at Shaver's Creek was made in 
 a ll 1770, by an old gentleman named Shaver. He was 
 ^4'^ followed by Anderson, Maguire, the Donnelleys, and 
 some few others. Old Shaver met his death in a most singu- 
 lar manner. One evening he left his home just at twilight, 
 for the purpose of putting his horse into a pasture-field. He 
 -did not return ; but his absence created no special alarm, as 
 this was before the war, and before any savages had appeared 
 in the valley with murderous intent. Next morning, how- 
 ever, his family not finding him, a search was instituted, 
 and his body, minus the head, was found in a lane near the 
 pasture-field. This was regarded as a most mysterious mur- 
 der, and .would have been charged to the Indians at once, 
 had they ever been known to take a man's hfead off" on any 
 previous occasion. But as they always found the scalp to 
 answer their purpose, and never encumbered themselves 
 with the head, people shrewdly suspected that the Indians 
 had nothing to do with the murder. The family offered a 
 reward of £50 for the head ; and, although the country was 
 searched in every direction, it never was found. 
 
 The most active and energetic man in the Shaver's Creek 
 settlement during the Revolutionary war was Samuel An- 
 derson. He succeeded, mainly b}" his own exertions and 
 the aid of a few neighbors on the creek and the Little Juni- 
 ata, in erecting a block-house fort on the flat near the mouth 
 of the creek, which was more or less occupied while the war 
 continued ; and it is but a few years since the last vestiges of 
 this old fort were swept away by a freshet. 
 
 The fort itself never was assailed; and it just happens to 
 
314 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 strike us forcibly at this time as a singular fact that the In- 
 dians, during the Revolutionary war, always kept clear of 
 the forts. Whether they did not understand the nature of 
 them, or feared the numbers usually congregated in them, 
 we do not pretend to say ; but they always kept at a respect- 
 ful distance from them, Anderson's Fort, like the others, 
 was frequently disturbed by alarms — sometimes real and 
 sometimes false. 
 
 An amusing instance of a false alarm at Anderson's Fort 
 was given the wTiter. In 1779, all manner of rumors and 
 reports were afloat. Everybody was forted, and the Indians 
 formed the entire subject of conversation. One afternoon, a 
 half-witted, cowardly fellow was sent up the path to bring 
 the cows to the fort. He had been out about fifteen minutes 
 when he returned, looking wild and haggard, and almost 
 out of breath, declaring that the Indians were coming down 
 the creek in full force. In an instant the whole fort was in 
 commotion: men seized their rifles, dogs barked, children 
 screamed, and everybody swore that the audacious savages 
 should have a warm reception. The entire force of the gar- 
 rison rallied out to a hill, and, with cocked rifles, awaited 
 the appearance of the enemy on the brow. Lo ! he came ; 
 but, instead of Indians, the alarm was suddenly quieted by 
 the appearance of three coivs! A mock court-martial was 
 ordered to try the half-witted chap for raising a false alarm, 
 and the jokers of the fort convicted him and passed sentence 
 of death upon him. The joke came near proving fatal to 
 the poor fellow, who for a long time could not be divested of 
 the idea that he was to be shot. 
 
 In 1779, one of the most remarkable cases on record oc- 
 curred up Shaver's Creek. The particulars are vague ; but 
 of the actual occurrence of what we are about to relate there 
 is no doubt whatever — the circumstance having been men- 
 tioned to us by two or three persons. 
 
 Late in the fall of that year, two boys, aged respectively 
 eight and ten years, while engaged at play near a house in 
 the neighborhood of Manor Hill, were taken captive by two 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 315 
 
 lurking savages, who came suddenly upon them, and imme- 
 diately started in the direction of the mountain. After travel- 
 ling some eight miles, they halted, built a fire in the woods, 
 leaned their rifles against a tree, and cooked some dried veni- 
 son, of which they all partook. After the meal, one of them 
 drew from his pouch a canteen filled with whiskey, which 
 they drank at short intervals until it was entirely drained of 
 its contents. By that time they had become very garrulous 
 and very brave. They told war-stories, sang war-songs, 
 danced war-dances, and challenged the whole settlement to 
 mortal combat. The other Indian then pulled out his can- 
 teen, also filled with fire-water, which was consumed in like 
 manner ; but, by the time it was drank, their mirth and 
 boasting gave way to the stupor of inordinate intoxication, 
 and, wrapping their blankets around them, they stretched 
 themselves before the fire, and were soon in a deep sleep. 
 
 The oldest boy, who had feigned sleep some time previous, 
 now got up and shook the younger, who also got upon his 
 feet. He then took one of the rifles, cocked it, and rested it 
 on a log, with the muzzle within a few inches of the head of 
 one of the savages, then motioned the other boy to hold it. 
 He then got the other rifle, and in like manner placed its 
 muzzle near the head of the other savage. So far, the whole 
 proceeding had been carried on by pantomimic action, and 
 not a word spoken ; but, everything being now in readiness, 
 the boy whispered " Now f" and both rifles went off" at the 
 same time. The elder boy killed his man outright ; but the 
 weight of the butt of the rifle in the hands of the younger 
 threw the muzzle up, and he merely tore his face very badly. 
 The wounded savage attempted to rise, but, before he could 
 do so, the boys commenced running for home; nor did they 
 stop until they reached it, which was at two o'clock in the 
 morning and just as a party had assembled to go in search 
 of them. 
 
 Their story was soon told ; but so incredible did it appear 
 that no person believed them. Instead of giving credit to 
 their narrative of improbabilities, the parents were inclined 
 
316 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 to whip them and send them to bed, for getting lost in the 
 woods and then lying about it. Next day, however, they 
 persisted so strongly in their statement, and told such a 
 straightforward story, that at length a party of some six or 
 eight persons agreed to go to the place, providing the child- 
 ren accompanied them. To this they readily assented; and 
 the anxiety they manifested to go soon removed all doubt as 
 to the truth of their statement. 
 
 In due time they reached the spot, where they found a 
 dead Indian, the two rifles and canteens ; but the wounded 
 savage was missing. Where he had lain there was a pool of 
 blood ; and, as it was probable that he had not gone far, a 
 proposition was made to search for him, which was about 
 being acted upon, when one of the men noticed blood upon 
 the trunk of the tree under which they stood, which caused 
 him to look up, and among its top branches he saw the 
 wounded savage. The frightful w^ound upon his face 
 awakened the pity of some of the men, and they proposed 
 getting him down ; but an old ranger, who was in the party, 
 swore that he had never had a chance at an Indian in his life, 
 especially a treed one ; that he would rather lose his life than 
 miss the opportunity of shooting him ; and, before an effort 
 could be made to prevent it, the savage received a ball 
 through his brain, came crashing down through the limbs 
 of the tree, and fell by the side of his dead companion. 
 Their bodies were not disturbed ; but their rifles were car- 
 ried home, and given to the boys, who kept them as trophies 
 of the event. 
 
 This daring and heroic act on the part of children so young 
 illustrates most forcibly the kind of material people were 
 made of who flourished in "the days that tried men's souls." 
 
 In 1782, Miss Elizabeth Ewing and Miss McCormick were 
 abducted by the Indians, between Shaver's Creek and Stone 
 Valley. They had been to the former place, and were re- 
 turning home by a path, when they were surprised and 
 taken prisoners by a small band of roving Indians. It was 
 late in October, at a time when no suspicion w^as entertained 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 317 
 
 that the Indians would ever again enter the valley. None 
 had been seen or heard of for months, and all the alarms and 
 fears of savages had subsided ; hence their absence was little 
 thought of until they had been several days gone. It was 
 then deemed entirely too late to send a force to recapture 
 them. 
 
 When captured, they had some bread with them, which 
 they scattered along the path they took, in hopes that if their 
 friends followed it would give them a clue to the route they 
 took. The wily savages detected the stratagem, and took 
 the bread from them. They next broke the bushes along 
 the path ; but the Indians saw the object of this, too, and 
 compelled them to desist. They then travelled for seven 
 days, through sleet, rain, and snow, until they reached the 
 lake, where Miss McCormick was given as a present to an 
 old Indian woman who happened to take a fancy to her. 
 
 Miss Ewing was taken to Montreal, where, fortunately for 
 her, an exchange of prisoners took place soon after, and she 
 was sent to Philadelphia, and from thence made her way 
 home. From her Mr. McCormick learned the fate of his 
 daughter — her communication being the first word of intel- 
 ligence he had received concerning her. He soon made ar- 
 rangements to go after her. The journey was a long one, es- 
 pecially by the route he proposed to take, — by way of Phila- 
 delphia and New .York; nevertheless, the love he bore his 
 daughter prompted him to undertake it cheerfully. 
 
 After many days' travelling he arrived at the place where 
 Miss Ewing and Miss McCormick parted ; but, alas ! it was 
 only to realize painfully the restless and migratory character 
 of the Indians, who had abandoned the settlement and gone 
 into the interior of Canada. Again he journe3^ed on, until 
 he finally reached the place where the tribe was located, and 
 found his daughter in an Indian family, treated as one of the 
 family, and subject to no more menial employment than 
 Indian women generally. The meeting of father and daugh- 
 ter, which neither expected, must have been an affecting 
 one — a scene that may strike the imagination more vividly 
 than pen can depict it. 
 
318 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 Mr. McCormick made immediate arrangements to take his 
 daughter with him ; but, to his surprise, the Indians objected. 
 Alone, and, as it were, in their power, he was at a loss what 
 course to pursue, when he bethought himself of the power 
 of money. That was the proper chord to touch ; but the 
 ransom-money asked was exorbitantly large. The matter 
 was finally compromised by Mr. McCormick paying nearly 
 all the money in his possession, retaining barely enough to 
 defray their expenses ; after which they went on their way 
 rejoicing, and, after a weary journey, reached their home in 
 safety. 
 
 It may be as well to mention that Miss McCormick was a 
 sister to Robert McCormick, Sr., long a resident of Hollidays- 
 burg, who died a year or two ago in Altoona, and the aunt 
 of William, Robert, and Alexander McCormick, now resi- 
 dents of Altoona. 
 
 And now we come to the last Indian massacre in the 
 Valley of the Juniata. It occurred on the left bank of the 
 Little Juniata, near the farm of George Jackson, in the latter 
 part of August, 1781. 
 
 At that time there was a regular force of militia in the 
 garrison at Huntingdon, another at Shaver's Creek and an- 
 other at Fetter's. The Indians were well aware of this, for 
 they constantly kept themselves advised by spies of the pro- 
 gress of affairs in the valley. The settlers, feeling secure in 
 the presence of the militia, abandoned the forts and went to 
 their farms. During the summer of 1781, the alarms were 
 so few that people began to consider the days of their trials 
 and tribulations as passed away ; but it appears that it was 
 ordained that another black crime should be added to the 
 long catalogue of Indian cruelties. 
 
 One evening George Jackson, hearing a noise in a corn- 
 field adjoining his house, went to the door to ascertain the 
 cause. Dark as the night was, he made out the figures of 
 two men, who he thought were stealing corn, or at least 
 about no good ; so he let loose his dogs — a hound and a bull- 
 dog — upon them. The hound gave tongue, and both started 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 319 
 
 directly into the field, where they bayed for some time; but 
 the men did not quit the field. In ten minutes the dogs re- 
 turned, and Mr. Jackson found that the skull of the bull- 
 dog had been wounded with a tomahawk. This circum- 
 stance led him to suspect the real character of the intruders, 
 and he went into his house, took down his rifle, and returned 
 to the porch. The light which shone out of the door when 
 Jackson opened it revealed the position of affairs to the 
 Indians, and they ran to the other end of the corn-field, 
 closely pursued by the hound. 
 
 Peter Crum, a worthy man, well known and highly re- 
 spected by all the settlers in the neighborhood, was a near 
 neighbor of Jackson's. He had rented the Minor Tub 
 Mill, and on the morning after the above occurrence he went 
 to the mill a little before daylight and set it going, then 
 raised a net he had placed in the stream the night before ; 
 after which he started leisurely on his way home to get his 
 breakfast. In his left hand he carried a string of fish, and 
 over his right shoulder his rifle ; for, notwithstanding the 
 great security people felt, they were so much in the habit of 
 constantly having a rifle lor a travelling companion, that 
 many of the old pioneers carried it on all occasions during 
 "the remainder of their lives. 
 
 When Crum reached the bend of the river, a mile below 
 his mill, at a time when an attack from Indians would prob- 
 ably have been the last thing he would have thought of, he 
 heard the sharp crack of a rifle, and on looking around saw 
 two Indians on the hill-side. He dropped his fish, and 
 opened the pan of his rifle to look at the priming, when he 
 noticed that he was shot through the right thumb — at least 
 it was so conjectured. Catching a glimpse of one of the In- 
 dians, he attempted to fire, but the blood of his wound had 
 saturated the priming. The Indians noticed his unavailing 
 effort to shoot, and, probably thinking that he was trying to 
 intimidate them with an empty gun, jumped into the road. 
 One of them it appeared, was armed with a rifle, the other 
 with a heavy war-club. The latter, it is supposed, approached 
 
320 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 him from behind, and dealt him a blow upon the skull^ 
 which felled him, and the blow was evidently followed up 
 until the entire back part of his head was crushed in the 
 most shocking manner, after which they scalped him, and 
 disappeared. 
 
 When found, (which was supposed to be within two hours 
 after the murder,) Crum was lying with his face to the ground, 
 his rifle by his side, and the Indian war-club, clotted with 
 blood and brains, lying across his body, — a sad sight for his 
 wife, who was among the first on the spot after the tragedy. 
 
 This murder, committed in open daylight on a frequented 
 road, in the very heart of a thickly-populated country, did 
 not fail to produce the most intense excitement, and a party 
 of rangers started at once after the marauders. They soon 
 got upon their trail, and followed them to the top of the 
 mountain, getting sight of them several times ; but they 
 were always out of rifle-range. They knew they were pur- 
 sued, and took such a route as the rangers could not follow, 
 and so eluded them, and carried in triumph to the British 
 garrison at Detroit the last scalp taken by the red men in 
 the Juniata Valley. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 323 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIIT. 
 
 WARRIOR RIDGE — WARRIOR's MARK — JOB CHILLAWAY, SHANEY 
 JOHN, AND CAPTAIN LOGAN, THE LAST RED MEN IN THE JUNIATA 
 VALLEY. 
 
 
 ,ARRIOR'S RIDGE, between Alexandria and Hun- 
 tingdon, derives its name from an Indian path which 
 ran along the summit of it. The Pulpit Rocks, not 
 unlike the altars of the Druids, shaped into fantastic forms 
 by the hand of nature, as well as the wild romantic scenery 
 around them, at once suggest the idea of a place of meeting 
 of the warriors, — a spot where the councils of the brave were 
 held, with the greensward of the mountain for a carpet and 
 the blue vault of heaven for a canopy. Were we not so well 
 aware of the fact that the Indians preferred the lowlands of 
 the valleys for places of abode, we could almost fancy the 
 neighborhoood of Pulpit Rocks to have been a glorious 
 abiding-place ; but of the occurrences and events that took 
 place on the ridge we are in hopeless ignorance. Had some 
 Indian historian of an early day transmitted to posterity, 
 either by oral or written tradition, one-half the events of 
 Warrior Ridge, we might add considerable interest to these 
 pages ; but as it is, we must content ourself, if not our readers, 
 with this brief notice of the famous Warrior Rid^e. 
 
 Warrior's Mark was another celebrated place for the In- 
 dians. It lies upon a flat piece of table-land, and is just the 
 kind of a place where savages would be likely to meet to 
 debate measures of great importance and to concoct schemes 
 for their future movements. The name of the place origi- 
 nated from the fact of certain oak-trees in the vicinity hav- 
 ing a crescent or half-moon cut upon them with hatchets, so 
 deep that traces can still be seen of them, or at least could 
 be some years ago. The signification of them was known 
 
324 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 to the Indians alone ; but it is evident that some meaning 
 was attached to them, for, during the Revokition, every 
 time a band of savages came into the valley one or more 
 fresh warrior marks were put upon the trees. The Indian 
 town stood upon the highway or path leading from Kittan- 
 ing, through Penn's Valley, to the Susquehanna. It was 
 still considerable of a village when the white men first set- 
 tled in the neighborhood, but immediately on the breaking 
 out of the Revolution the Indians destroyed it, and moved to 
 Ohio, and at this day there is not a trace of its existence left. 
 
 The first white settlers in Warrior's Mark were the Rick- 
 etts family. They were all wild, roving fellows, who loved 
 the woods better than civilization; and their whole occupa- 
 tion, over and above tilling a verj- small patch of land, ap- 
 peared to be hunting for wild game. Their arrival was fol- 
 lowed by two or three other families ; and when the Indian 
 troubles commenced, the house of Ricketts was converted 
 into a fortress, and the men turned their attention to pro- 
 tecting the frontier. One of them — Captain Elijah Ricketts 
 — became quite an active and prominent man. 
 
 We have no record of any murder ever having been com- 
 mitted in the immediate vicinity of Warrior's Mark. Several 
 captives were taken from thence, either in 1777 or 1778, but 
 were exchanged and found their way back ; we are, how- 
 ever, without particulars, either as to their names, capture, 
 or release. 
 
 The three last Indians in the valley were Job Chillaway, 
 a Delaware, Shaney John, a Mingo, and Captain Logan, a 
 Cayuga. They were all friendly to the whites, and served 
 the cause of liberty in the capacity of spies. 
 
 Job Chillaway is represented by the late E. Bell, Esq., in 
 his MS. as a tall, muscular man, with his ears cut so as to 
 hang pendant like a pair of car-rings. He was employed as 
 early as 1759 by the Colonial Government as a spy, and his 
 name is frequently mentioned in the archives. Levi Trump, 
 in writing to Governor Denny, from Fort Augusta, on April 
 8, 1759, when the French were using their most powerful 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 325 
 
 exertions to swerve the Six Nations from their fealty to the 
 colony, says: — 
 
 Job Chillaway, a Delaware Indian, arrived here on the 5th 
 inst., and brought with him a message from a grand council of 
 the Six Nations held near Onondaga, to King Teedyuscung, in- 
 forming him that deputies from said council would soon be at 
 Wyoming. On what errand they did not say ; but Job says he 
 thinks it is his duty to inform his brothers what he knows of the 
 affair: — that he was present at the opening of this council; 
 which was by four chiefs, of different nations, singing the war 
 song and handing round an uncommonly large war-belt ; that 
 one of them, after some time, said : " What shall we do? Here 
 is a hatchet from our fathers, to strike our brothers ; and here is 
 another from our brothers to strike our fathers. I believe 'twill 
 be best for us to do as we have done heretofore : that is, cast 
 them both away." 
 
 In 1763, Chillaway still remairied loyal to the colon}'-, al- 
 though nearly all of his tribe had taken up the hatchet 
 against the English. Colonel James Irvine, under date of 
 November 23, 1763, writes from " Ensign Kerns," near Fort 
 Allen, to John Penn, as follows .• — 
 
 Sir: — On the 16th instant, Job Chillaway arrived here, being 
 sent by Papunchay* to inform us that he and about twenty-five 
 Indians (women and children included) were on their way from 
 Weyalusing. The day after Job's arrival he delivered a string 
 of wampum, and the following message in behalf of himself, Pa- 
 punchay, John Curtis, &c., which he desired might be transmitted 
 to your honor, viz : — 
 
 " Brother : — 
 
 " We are very glad that you have taken pity on us, according 
 to the promises you made us since we had any correspondence 
 together. 
 
 " Brother, — We are glad to hear you have pointed out two ways 
 to us, — one to our brother Sir William Johnson, the other to you. 
 Our hearts incline toward you, the Governor of Philadelphia. 
 
 * Papunchay was the chief of the last of the Delaware warriors who remained 
 loyal, — the great body having, in 1763, gone over to the French. 
 
326 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 " Brother, — Take pity on us, and keep the road open, that we 
 may pass without being hurt by your young men. 
 
 " Brother, — Point out the place where you intend to settle us, 
 and we shall be glad, let that be where it will." 
 
 Job informed us that there were fifteen Muncy warriors, who, 
 for three nights before he left Papunchay, encamped close by 
 their encampment. How far they intended to proceed, or what 
 were their intentions, he could not find out. As it was expected 
 that Papunchay was near the frontiers. Colonel Clayton marched 
 with fifty men, (mostly volunteers,) on the 20th inst., with Job 
 Chillaway, in hopes of surprising the warriors. We were out 
 three days without discovering either them or Papunchay. 
 What hath detained the latter we know not. Job hath desired 
 me to wait for them at this place a few days longer. On their 
 arrival here, I purpose to conduct them to Philadelphia, unless 
 I receive orders to the contrary from your honor. 
 
 Whether Papunchay continued loyal after 1763 is not 
 known ; but Chillaway was a spy, in the employ of Asher 
 Clayton, at Lehigh Gap, as late as May, 1764. 
 
 About 1768, he made his way to the Juniata Valley. He 
 first located near the mouth of the Little Juniata; but as 
 soon as settlements were made by the whites he went up 
 Spruce Creek ; but there, too, the footprints of the white in- 
 vader were soon seen, and he removed to the mountain, 
 where hunting was good. He continued for many years 
 after the Revolution to bring venison down into the settle- 
 ments to trade off for flour and bread, hi his old age he 
 exhibited a passion for strong drink, and by the white man's 
 baneful jire-ivater he fell. He was found dead in his cabin, 
 by some hunters, al^out the close of the last century. 
 
 Of Shaney John not much is known. He came to the 
 valley probably about the same time Chillaway did, and the 
 two were boon-companions for man}'- years. Shaney John 
 moved to the Indian town called the Bald Eagle's Nest, 
 nearly opposite Milesburg, Centre County, where he died. 
 
 The most prominent friendly Indian that ever resided in 
 the valley, however, was Captain Logan. This, of course, 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 327 
 
 was not his proper name, but a title bestowed upon him by 
 the settlers. He is represented as having been a noble and 
 honorable Indian, warm in his attachment to a friend, but, 
 like all Indians, revengeful in his character. A kindness 
 and an insult alike remained indelibly stamped upon the 
 book and page of his memory ; and to make a suitable re • 
 turn for the former he would have laid down his life — shed 
 the last drop of his heart's blood. He was a man of medium 
 height and heavy frame notwithstanding which he was 
 fleet of foot and ever on the move. 
 
 He came to the valley before Chillaway did, and settled 
 with his family in the little valley east of Martin Bell's Fur- 
 nace, which is still known as Logan's Valley. He had pre- 
 viously resided on the Susquehanna, where he was the cap- 
 tain of a brave band of warriors; but, unfortunately, in 
 some engagement with another tribe, he had an eye destroyed 
 by an arrow from the enemy. This was considered a mark 
 of disgrace, and he was deposed ; and it was owing to that 
 cause that he abandoned his tribe and took up his residence 
 in the Juniata Valley. 
 
 One day, while hunting, he happened to pass the beautiful 
 spring near the mouth of the Bald Eagle — now in the heart 
 of Tyrone City. The favorable location for both hunting 
 and fishing, as well as the charming scenery, fascinated Lo- 
 gan; and he built a wigwam, immediately above the spring, 
 to which he removed his family. 
 
 Here he lived during the Revolutionary war, not alto- 
 gether inactive, for his sympathies were on the side of liberty. 
 During that time he formed a strong attachment to captain 
 Ricketts, of Warrior's Mark, and they became fast friends. 
 It was to Ricketts that Captain Logan first disclosed the plot 
 of the tories under John Weston ; and Edward Bell gave it 
 as his firm conviction that Logan was among the Indians 
 who shot down Weston and his men on their arrival at Kit- 
 taning. 
 
 Although Logan had learned to read from the Moravian 
 missionaries when quite a lad, he knew very little of the 
 
328 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 formula of land purchases ; so he failed to make a regular 
 purchase of the spot on which his cabin stood, the conse- 
 quence of which was that, after the war, some envious white 
 man bought the land and warned the friendly savage off. 
 Logan was too proud and haughty to contest the matter, or 
 even bandy words with the intruder ; so he left, and located 
 at Chichalacamoose, where Clearfield now stands, on the 
 West Branch of the Susquehanna. 
 
 Captain Logan continued visiting the valley, and espe- 
 cially when any of his friends among the pioneers died. On 
 such occasions he generally discarded his red and blue 
 eagle-feathers, and appeared in a plain suit of citizen's 
 clothes. 
 
 But at length Logan came no more. The Great Spirit 
 called him to a happier hunting-ground ; and all that is 
 mortal of him — unless his remains have been ruthlessly 
 torn from the bosom of mother earth — lies beneath the sod, 
 near the mouth of Chichalacamoose Greek. 
 
 It is to be regretted that more of his history has not been 
 preserved, for, according to all accounts of him, he possessed 
 many noble traits of character. Unlike Logan the Mingo 
 chief. Captain Logan the Cayuga chief had no biographer 
 like Thomas Jefferson to embellish the pages of history with 
 his eloquence. Well may we say, " The evil that men do 
 lives after them, while the good is oft interred with their 
 bones." 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 329 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 USHING the light canoe on the lagoons in search of 
 fish and lassoing the wild horse on the pampas of the 
 South, chasing the buffalo on the boundless prairies 
 and hunting the antlered stag in the dense forest of the 
 West, is now the Indian's occupation ; and there he may be 
 found, ever shunning the haunts of civilization. 
 
 The Delaware Indians have been exterminated, and their 
 very name {Lenni Lenape) blotted from existence, save where 
 it appears upon the pages of history. 
 
 Of the Shawnees, once the powerful warlike tribe that was 
 known and feared from the seaboard to the lakes, but a few 
 degenerate families reside in the Far AVest. 
 
 Of the Great Confederation of the Iroquois but a remnant 
 exists to remind us of its former greatness, its councils, its 
 wars and its " talks." They reside in Western New York, in 
 a semi-civilized but degraded state, and are but sorry repre- 
 sentatives of the once proud and stately warriors, the crack 
 of whose sharp and unerring rifles made the woods ring, and 
 whose canoes danced upon the waves of the blue Juniata 
 more than a hundred years ago. 
 
 But they are all gone, and the bones of their ancestors are 
 the only relics which they have left behind them. The hand 
 of the same inscrutable Providence that suffered them to 
 march as mighty conquerors from the West to the East, 
 crushing out the existence of a weaker people in their trium- 
 phant march, stayed them, blighted them in the noonday 
 of their glory, and, like the receding waves of the sea, drove 
 them back in the direction whence they came, where they 
 scattered, and the ties which bound them together as tribes 
 dissolved even as would ice beneath the rays of a tropical 
 sun. 
 
330 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 The reader of the foregoing pages may sometimes think it 
 strange that the savages committed so many depredations, 
 with impunity, killed, scalped, or carried so many into cap- 
 tivity, while but comparatively few of the marauders were 
 destroyed. The cause of this can be easily explained. The sav- 
 ages always made covert attacks. As will be remembered, very 
 few massacres occured in the valley by open attack, — nearly 
 all their depredations being committed while in ambuscade 
 or when they had a foe completely in their power. Their 
 incursions were always conducted with great caution, and no 
 sooner did they strike a decisive blow than they disappeared. 
 To guard against their ferocity was impossible ; to follow 
 them was equally futile. The settlers were too few in num- 
 ber to leave one force at home to guard against them and to 
 send another in pursuit of them ; for, during the Revolution,, 
 the belief was prevalent that a large force was ever ready to 
 descend into the valley, and that the incursions of a few 
 were only stratagems to lure the settlers to destruction by 
 following them to where a large number were concealed. It 
 was frequently proposed to send a strong force to waylay them 
 in the gaps of the mountain ; but the settlers refused to trust 
 the protection of their families to the raw militia sent by 
 government to defend the frontier. 
 
 In extremely aggravating cases, men, driven to despera- 
 tion, followed the savages to the verge of the Indian settle- 
 ments ; but they never got beyond the summit of the Alle- 
 ghany Mountains without feeling as if they were walking 
 directly into the jaws of death, for no one could otherwise 
 than momentarily expect a shower of rifle-balls from the 
 enemy in ambuscade. The want of men, ammunition, and 
 other things, were known to and taken advantage of by the 
 Indians ; but when an abundance of these things was brought 
 to the frontier they prudently kept out of the way, for their 
 sagacity instinctively taught them what the}^ might expect 
 if they fell into the hands of the settlers. But it may here 
 be remarded that the savage mode of warfare, which by them 
 was deemed fair and honorable, — such as scalping or maim- 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 331 
 
 ing women and children, — was held in the utmost horror 
 and detestation by people who professed to be Christians; 
 and they equally detest shooting from ambuscade as an act 
 fit for savages alone to be guilty of. It was only the more 
 reckless and desperate of the community that would consent 
 to fight the savages after their own mode of warfare. 
 
 It is, therefore, but a simple act of justice to the memory 
 of the pioneers to say that the savages did not go unpunished 
 through any fear or lack of zeal on their part. Their con- 
 centrated energies were used to check the frequent invasions 
 and many of them spent their last dollar to protect the de- 
 fenceless frontier ; yet it is to be deeply regretted that in those 
 primitive days they lacked the knowledge of properly apply- 
 ing the power within their reach. 
 
 But they, too, are all gone ! " Each forever in his narrow 
 cell is laid." Beneath their kindred dust the rude forefathers 
 of the valley sleep. We have endeavored to give a succinct 
 account of the trials and sufferings of many of them ; but, 
 doubtless, much remains untold, which the recording angel 
 alone has possession of. While we reflect upon the fact that 
 it was through the privations and hardships they endured 
 that ^ve enjoy the rich blessings of the beautiful and teeming 
 valley, let us hope that they are enjoying a peace they knew 
 not on earth, in that valley " where the wicked cease from 
 troubling and the weary are at rest." 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 THE VALLEY AS IT IS. 
 
 (j ^»L HE preceding pages fulfil the original intention of present- 
 3 1 . ing to the public, as far as possible, a " History of the 
 ^Y Early Settlement of the Juniata Valley," Its modern 
 history, fraught with rare incidents, is left to the pen of some 
 future enterprising historian, who may collect the incidents ne- 
 cessary to construct it when but a moiety of the generation (still 
 numerous) who know the valley and its multifarious changes 
 for half a century past shall be dwellers in our midst. Still, 
 such prospect shall not deter us from giving a synopsis of the 
 history of the valley as it is, not promising, however, to make 
 the record complete, or even notice in detail the growth and 
 progress of the valley during the last thirty years. 
 
 When the early settlers were apprised of the fact that some 
 of the more enterprising contemplated cutting a pack-horse road 
 over the Alleghany mountains, through Blair's Gap, they shook 
 their heads ominously, and declared that the task was one which 
 could not be accomplished. But it was accomplished; and, 
 after its completion, it was not many years until the pack-horse 
 track was transformed into a wagon-road. People were well 
 satisfied with this arrangement; for no sooner was there a good 
 road along the river than some daring men commenced taking 
 produce to the East, by the use of arks, from the Frankstown 
 Branch, the Raystown Branch, and the Little Juniata. With 
 these advantages, a majority of the inhabitants labored under 
 the impression that they were keeping pace with the age; but 
 others, endowed with a fair share of that progressive spirit which 
 characterizes the American people, commenced agitating the 
 project of making a turnpike between Huntingdon and Blairs- 
 ville. The old fogies of the day gave this innovation the cold 
 shoulder, spoke of the immense cost, and did not fail to count 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 333 
 
 the expense of travelling upon such a road. But little were 
 their murmurings heeded by the enterprising men of the valley. 
 The fast friend of the turnpike was Mr. Blair, of Blair's Gap' 
 west of Hollidaysburg. His influence was used in the halls of 
 the Legislature until he injured his political standing; neverthe- 
 less, he persevered until the company was chartered, and he 
 soon had the satisfaction of seeing the turnpike road completed. 
 Once built, it was found to be rather a desirable institution, and 
 its value soon removed all opposition to it. 
 
 Anon came the startling proposition of building a canal along 
 the Juniata, and a railroad over the Alleghany Mountains, to 
 connect the waters of the Juniata and the Conemaugh. To 
 men of limited information the project seemed vague and ill- 
 defined ; while knowing old fogies shook their heads, and de- 
 clared that a canal and turnpike both could not be sustained, 
 and that, if the former could accomplish the wonders claimed 
 for it, the teams that carried goods between Philadelphia and 
 Pittsburg in the short space of from fifteen to twenty days 
 would be compelled to suspend operations ! But the opposition 
 to the canal was too insignificant to claim notice ; and when the 
 building of it was once commenced an improvement mania 
 raged. The stately and learned engineer, Moncure Robinson, 
 was brought all the way from England to survey the route for 
 the Portage Road. Like a very colossus of roads, he strode 
 about the mountain, and his nod and beck, like that of imperial 
 Csesar upon his throne, was the law, from which there was no 
 appeal. By dint of long labor, and at a vast expense to the 
 commonwealth, he demonstrated clearly that a road could be 
 built across the mountain, and rendered practicable by the use 
 of ten inclined planes. Alas ! for the perishable nature of glory ! 
 Moncure Robinson had hardly time to reach his home, and 
 boast of the honor and fame he achieved in the New World, 
 before a Yankee engineer discovered that a railroad could be 
 built across the Alleghany Mountain without the use of a single 
 plane ! Of course, then he was thought a visionary, and that 
 not a quarter of a century ago ; yet now we have two railroads 
 crossing the mountain without the use of a plane, and the cir- 
 cumstance appears to attract no other remark than that of in- 
 effable disgust at the old fogies who could not make a road to 
 
334 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 cross the Apalachian chain without the tedious operation of 
 being hoisted up and lowered down by stationary engines. 
 
 The era of " flush times'' in the valley must have been when 
 the canal was building. Splendid fortunes were made, and vast 
 sums of money sunk, by the wild speculations which followed 
 the advent of the contractors and the sudden rise of property 
 lying along the river. As an instance of the briskness of the 
 times in the valley when the canal was building, an old settler in- 
 forms us that Frankstown at that time contained fourteen stores, 
 five taverns, and four roulette tables. At present, we believe, it 
 contains but two or three stores, one tavern, and no gambling 
 apparatus to relieve the reckless of their surplus change. 
 
 The completion of the canal was the great event of the day, 
 and the enthusiasm of the people could scarcely be kept within 
 bounds when the ponderous boats commenced ploughing the 
 ditch. This will be readily believed by any who will read the 
 papers published at the time. From a paper printed in Lewis- 
 town on the 5th of November, 1829, we learn that a packet-boat 
 arrived at place from Mifflin on Thursday previous, and departed 
 again next day, having on board a number of the members of 
 the Legislature, as well as citizens and strangers. The editor, 
 in speaking of the departure, enthusiastically says : " The boat 
 was drawn by two white horses, when she set ofl" in fine style, 
 with the ' star spangled banner' flying at her head, and amid the 
 roar of cannon, the shouts of the populace, and the cheering 
 music of the band which was on board." Reader, this was a 
 little over twenty-six years ago ; and the jubilee was over a packet 
 capable of accomplishing the mighty task of carrying some forty 
 or fifty passengers at the rate of about four miles an hour. 
 
 The climax of joy, however, appears to have been reached by 
 the editor of the Huntingdon Gazette, on the 15th of July, 1831, 
 when he became jubilant over the launch of a canal boat, and 
 gave vent to the following outburst : — " What ! a canal boat 
 launched in the vicinity of Huntingdon ! Had any one predicted 
 an event of this kind some years back, he, in all probability, 
 would have been yclept a wizard, or set down as beside himself!" 
 
 These gushings of intensified joy, although they serve to amuse 
 now, do not fail to convey a useful lesson. Let us not glory too 
 much over the demon scream of the locomotive as it comes rat- 
 tling through the valley, belching forth fire and smoke, or the 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 335 
 
 miraculous telegraph which conveys messages from one end of 
 the Union to the other with the rapidity with which a lover s 
 sigh would be wafted from the Indies to the Pole ; for who knows 
 but that the succeeding generation, following in the footsteps 
 made by the universal law of progress, will astonish the world 
 with inventions not dreamed of in our philosophy, which will 
 throw our electric-telegraphs and railroads forever in the shade? 
 
 For eighteen years, with the exception of the winter months, 
 the canal packet held sway in the Juniata Valley, carrying its 
 average of about thirty passengers a day from the East to the 
 West, and vice versa. When hoar old winter placed an em- 
 bargo upon the canal craft, travel used to dwindle down to 
 such a mere circumstance that a rickety old two-horse coach 
 could easily carry all the passengers that offered. Who among 
 us that has arrived at the age of manhood does not recollect 
 the packet-boat, with its motley group of passengers, its snail 
 pace, its consequential captain, and its non-communicative 
 steersman, who used to wake the echoes with the " to-to-to-to- 
 toit " of his everlasting horn and his hoarse cry of " lock ready ?" 
 The canal-packet was unquestionably a great institution in its 
 day and generation, and we remember it with emotions almost 
 akin to veneration. Right well do we remamber, too, how con- 
 tentedly people sat beneath the scorching rays of a boiling sun 
 upon the packet, as it dragged its slow length along the sinuous 
 windings of the canal at an average speed of three and a half or 
 four miles an hour ; and yet the echo of the last packet-horn has 
 scarcely died away when we see the self-same people standing 
 upon a station-house platform, on the verge of despair because 
 the cars happened to be ten minutes behind time, or hear them 
 calling down maledictions dire upon the head of some offending 
 conductor who refuses to jeopardize the lives of his passengers by 
 running faster than thirty miles an hour ! 
 
 At length, after the canal had enjoyed a sixteen years' triumph, 
 people began to consider it a " slow coach ;" and without much 
 debate, the business-men of Philadelphia resolved upon a rail- 
 rord between Harrisburg and Pittsburg. The project had hardly 
 been fairly determined upon before the picks and shovels of the 
 " Corkonians " and " Fardowns " were brought into requisition ; 
 but, strange to say, this giant undertaking struck no one as being 
 any thing extraordinary. It was looked upon as a matter of 
 
336 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 course, and the most frequent remarks it gave rise to were com- 
 plaints that the making of the road did not progress rapidly 
 enough to keep pace with the progress of the age. And, at length 
 when it was completed, the citizens of Lewistown did not greet 
 the arrival of the first train with drums, trumpets, and the roar 
 of cannon ; neither did any Huntingdon editor exclaim, in a 
 burst of enthusiasm, on the arrival of the train, " What ! nine 
 railroad cars, with six hundred passengers, drawn through Hunt- 
 ingdon by a locomotive ! If any person had predicted such a 
 result some years ago, he would have been yclpet a wizard, or 
 set down as one beside himself.''^ 
 
 The Pennsylvania Railroad once finished, although it failed 
 to create the surprise and enthusiam excited by the canal, did 
 not fail to open up the valley and its vast resources. Independ- 
 ent of the great advantage of the road itself, let us see what fol- 
 lowed in the wake of this laudable enterprise. The railroad 
 created the towns of Altoona, Fostoria, Tipton, and Tyrone; 
 its presence caused the building of three plank roads, and the 
 opening of extensive coal and lumber operations in the valley 
 and kindred enterprises that might never have been thought 
 of. Nor is this all. A rage for travel by railroad has been 
 produced by the Pennsylvania Company ; and there is good 
 reason to believe that it will increase until at least three more 
 roads tap the main artery in the Juniata Valley, — the rail- 
 road from Tyrone to Clearfield, from the same place to Lock 
 Haven, and from Spruce Creek to Lewisburg. These roads 
 will unquestionably be built, and at no remote period. The 
 Pennsylvania Road has now facilities for doing business equal 
 to those of any road of the same-length in the world ; that, when 
 a second track is completed, it is destined, for some years at 
 least, to enjoy a monopoly of the carrying trade between Pitts- 
 burg and Philadelphia. Much as we regret it, for the sake 
 of the Commonwealth which expended her millions without any 
 thing like an adequate return, the canal is rapidly falling into 
 disuse, and we see, with deep regret, that it has become entirely 
 too slow for the age in which we live. With all the vitality 
 forced into it that can be, we confess we can see no opposition 
 in it to the road but such as is of the most feeble kind ; yet all 
 will agree that this opposition, trifling as it is, should continue 
 to exist until such a time as other routes shall be opened be- 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 337 
 
 tween these points, and healthy competion established. But let 
 us not dwell too much upon our modes of transit through the 
 valley, lest the historian of a hundred years hence will find our 
 remarks a fitting theme for ridicule, and laugh at us because we 
 speak in glowing terms of a single railroad, and that road with 
 but a single track for more than half its distance ! 
 
 In order to give the reader a little insight into the progress 
 which has been made in the valley, let us turn statistician for a 
 time, with the understanding, however, that we shall not be 
 held responsible for the accuracy of dates. 
 
 Less than twenty-six years ago, George Law sat upon the left 
 bank of the Juniata, two miles west of Williamsburg, cutting 
 stones for building two locks at that place. Now the aforesaid 
 Law is supposed to be worth the snug little sum of six millions 
 of dollars, and not long since was an aspirant for the presiden- 
 tial chair! 
 
 Thirty years ago, when Frankstown was a place of some note, 
 Hollidaysburg contained but a few scattered cabins. In fact, 
 twenty years ago it was " to fortune and to fame unknown ; yet 
 it now contains a population (including that of Gaysport) that 
 will not fall much short of four thousand. 
 
 Less than twenty-five years ago, Dr. P. Shoenberger, while re- 
 turning from Baltimore with $15,000 in cash, fell in with the 
 celebrated robber Lewis on the Broad Top Mountain. The in- 
 tention of Lewis, as he afterward acknowledged, was to rob him ; 
 but the doctor, although he was unacquainted with his fellow- 
 traveller, had his suspicions awakened, and, by shrewd manoeu- 
 vering, succeeded in giving him the slip. Had the $15,000 in 
 question fallen into the hands of the robber. Dr. Shoenberger 
 would have been bankrupt, and the probability is that he would 
 have lived and died an obscure individual. Instead of that, 
 however, the money freed him from his embarrassments, and he 
 died, but a few years ago, worth between four and five millions 
 of dollars — more than one-half of which he accumulated by 
 manufacturing iron in the Valley of the Juniata, 
 
 Less than sixteen years ago, a gentleman named Zimmerman 
 was a bar-keeper at the hotel of Walter Graham, Esq., at Yellow 
 Springs, in Blair county, afterward a "mud-boss" on the Penn- 
 sylvania Canal, and subsequently a teamster at Alleghany Fur- 
 
 22 
 
338 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 nace. At the present day the said Samuel Zimmerman owns 
 hotels, palaces, a bank of issue, farms, stocks, and other prop- 
 erty, at Niagara Falls, in Canada, which swell his income to 
 $150,000 per annum. He is but thirty-eight years of age. Should 
 he live the length of time allotted to man, and his wealth steadily 
 increase, at the end of three score-and-ten years he can look upon 
 ordinary capitalists, who have only a few millions at command, 
 as men of limited means. 
 
 Let it not be presumed, however, that we notice these capi- 
 talists from any adoration of their wealth or homage to the men, 
 but merely because their history is partially identified with the 
 valley, and to show in what a singular manner the blind god- 
 dess will sometimes lavish her favors ; for hundreds of men 
 without money, but with brighter intellects and nobler impulses 
 than ever were possessed by Zimmerman, Law, or Shoenberger, 
 have gone down to the grave ''unwept, unhonored, and unsung," 
 in the Juniata Valley. Neither will the soughing of the west 
 wind, as it sweeps through the valley, disturb their repose any 
 more than it will that of the millionaires when resting from "life's 
 fitful fever " in their splendid mausoleums. 
 
 Less than ten years ago a railroad from Huntingdon to Broad 
 Top was deemed impracticable. Since then, or, we may say, 
 within the last four years, a substantial railroad has been built, 
 reaching from the borough of Huntingdon to Hopewell, in Bed- 
 ford county, a distance of thirty-one miles ; and the cars are now 
 engaged in bringing coal from a region which, but a few years 
 ago, was unexplored. In addition to the main track, there is a 
 branch, six miles in length, extending to Shoup's Run. The 
 coal-field contains eighty square miles of territory ; and from the 
 openings made at Shoup's Run and Six Mile Run semi-bitumi- 
 nous coal has been taken, the quality of which cannot be surpassed 
 by any coal-field in the world. Along the line of the road quite 
 a number of villages have sprung up. The first is Worthington, 
 some thirteen miles from Huntingdon. The next is Saxton, 
 twenty-six miles from Huntingdon. Coalmont is the name of a 
 flourishing village growing up on Shoup's Run, about a mile 
 below the lowest coal-veins yet opened. Barret is located about 
 two miles farther up ; and Broad Top City is located upon the 
 summit of the mountain, at the terminus of the Shoup's Run 
 Branch, at which place a large three-story stone hotel has been 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 339 
 
 built, and a number of lots disposed of, on which purchasers are 
 bound to build during the summer of 1856. 
 
 Less than eight years ago the author of these pages, while on 
 a gunning expedition, travelled over the ground where Altoona 
 now stands. It was then almost a barren waste. A few fields, 
 a solitary log farm house and its out-buildings, and a school- 
 house, alone relieved the monotony of the scene ; yet now upon 
 this ground stands a town with between three and four thousand 
 inhabitants, where the screams of the engine is heard at all 
 hours of the day and night, — where the roar of fires, the clang 
 of machinery and the busy hum of industry never cease from 
 the rising to the setting of the sun, and where real estate com- 
 mands a price that would almost seem fabulous to those not 
 acquainted with the facts. But of this enough. 
 
 Let us now proceed to examine the products of the valley. 
 The lower end of it is a gain-growing region, the upper an iron 
 producing country ; and it is owing to the minerial resources 
 alone that the valley maintains the position it does and boasts 
 of the wealth and population it now possesses. The Juniata 
 iron has almost a worldwide reputation; yet we venture to say 
 that many of our own neighbors know little about the immense 
 amount of capital and labor employed in its manufacture. The 
 following is a list of the iron establishments in the valley: 
 
 BEDFORD COUNTY. 
 
 I>oeation. Owner. 
 
 . Middle Woodbury . . John W. Duncan. 
 . Hopewell John King & Co. 
 
 Name. 
 Bloomfield Furnace . 
 Lemnos " 
 
 Lemnos Forge " " " 
 
 Bedford " " " " 
 
 Bedford Foundry and Ma- 
 chine shop Bedford Michael Bannon. 
 
 Keagy's Foundry Woodbury Snowden & Blake. 
 
 West Providence Foundry . Bloody Run .... George Baughman. 
 
 
 BLAIR COUNTY. 
 
 
 Alleghany Furnace . . . 
 
 . Logan township . . 
 
 . Elias Baker. 
 
 Blair " . . . 
 
 i( It 
 
 . H. N. Burroughs. 
 
 Elizabeth '' . . . 
 
 . Antes " . . 
 
 . Martin Bell. 
 
 Bald Eagle " ... 
 
 . Snyder " . . 
 
 . Lyon, Shorb & Co. 
 
 Etna Furnace and Forge . 
 
 . Catharine " . . 
 
 . Isett, Keller & Co. 
 
 Springfield Furnace . . . 
 
 . Woodberry " 
 
 . D. Good & Co. 
 
340 
 
 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 Name. 
 Rebecca Furnace 
 Sarah " 
 
 Gap 
 
 Frankstowa '' 
 Harriet '' 
 
 HolUdaysburg Furnace 
 Chimney Rock " 
 Gaysport " 
 
 Portage Works (rolling-mill 
 
 &c.) 
 
 Maria Forges (two) 
 Lower Maria Forge 
 Gap " 
 
 Elizabeth " 
 
 Tyrone Forges (two) 
 Cove Forge . . . 
 Franklin Forge . . 
 Cold Spring Forge 
 Alleghany " 
 
 HoUidaysburg Foundry 
 
 Machine-shop 
 Gaysport Foundry and 
 
 chine-shop .... 
 Tyrone Foundry . . 
 Williamsburg Foundry 
 Martinsburg " 
 
 Penn'a Railroad " 
 Duncansville " 
 Axe and Pick factory 
 
 Location. Owner. 
 
 , Houston township . . E. H. Lytle. 
 , Greenfield " . . D. McCormick. 
 
 Juniata " . . E. F. Shoenberger. 
 
 Frankstown . . . . A. & D. Moore. 
 
 Alleghany township . Blair Co. Coal & Iron Co. 
 
 Gaysport Watson, White & Co. 
 
 HoUidaysburg . . . Gardener,Osterloh&Co. 
 
 Gaysport Smith & Caldwell. 
 
 Duncansville .... J. Higgins & Co. 
 
 Juniata township . . J. W. Duncan. 
 
 " " . . D. McCormick. 
 
 " " . . Mussleman & Co. 
 
 Antes " . . John Bell. 
 
 Snyder " . . Lyon, Shorb & Co. 
 
 Woodberry " . . J. Royer. 
 
 " " . . D. H. Royer. 
 
 Antes " . . Lsett & Co. 
 
 Alleghany " . . E. H. Lytle. 
 
 M&- 
 
 HoUidaysburg 
 
 J. R. McFarlane & Co. 
 
 Gaysport McLanahan,Watson&Co. 
 
 Tyrone City J. W. Mattern & Co. 
 
 Williamsburg .... Loncer & Hileman. 
 
 Martinsburg Crawford & Morrow. 
 
 Altooua Penna. Railroad Co. 
 
 Duncansville .... Mr. Gibboney. 
 Alleghany township J. Colclesser. 
 
 HUNTINGDON COUNTY. 
 
 . Franklin township . 
 . Jackson '' 
 
 Huntingdon Furnace 
 
 Monroe " 
 
 Greenwood " ... " 
 
 Rough and Ready Furnace . Hopewell 
 
 Paradise Furnace Tod 
 
 Mill Creek " Brady 
 
 Edward " Shirley 
 
 RockhiU " Cromwell 
 
 Matilda " and Forge. Springfield 
 Colcraine Forges (two) . . Franklin 
 Stockdale Forge " 
 
 Elizabeth 
 
 . G. K. «t J. H. Shoenberger. 
 
 . George W. Johnson & Co. 
 
 . A. & J. Wright. 
 
 . Wood, Watson & Co. 
 
 . Trexler & Co. 
 
 . Irvin, Green & Co. 
 
 . Beltzhoover & Co. 
 
 . lsett, Wigton &. Co. 
 
 . Shiffler & Son. 
 
 . Lyon, Shorb & Co. 
 
 . John S. Lsett. 
 
 . G. K. & J. H. Shoenberger. 
 
 . Martin Gates's heirs. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 341 
 
 Name. Location. 
 
 Rolling Mill and Puddling 
 
 Forge Porter township, 
 
 Juniata Rolling Mill and 
 
 Forge West " 
 
 Barre Forge Porter " 
 
 Alexandria Foundry J. Grafius. 
 
 Owner. 
 
 , S. Hatfield & Son. 
 
 B. Lorenz, (Lessee.) 
 Joseph Green & Co. 
 
 Water Street 
 
 Spruce Creek 
 
 Petersburg 
 
 Huntingdon 
 
 Shirlesyburg 
 
 Eagle 
 
 Job Plympton. 
 
 H. L. Trawly. 
 
 H. Orlady. 
 
 J. M. Cunningham & Co. 
 
 John Lutz. 
 
 Tod township . . . . J. & D. Hamilton. 
 
 MIFFLIN COUNTY. 
 
 Lewistown Furnace .... Lewistown .... Etting, Graff & Go. 
 Hope " .... Granville township . W. W. Happer & Co. 
 
 Matilda " .... Wayne " . W. Righter. 
 
 Brookland " ... . McVeytown . . . . Huntingdon, Robinson 4; Co. 
 " Rolling Mill . . " .... " " " 
 
 Freedom Forge Derry township ... J. A. Wright & Co. 
 
 Juniata Foundary and Ma- 
 chine-shop ...... Lewistown Zeigler & Willis. 
 
 Logan Foundry " A. Marks & Co. 
 
 McVeytown Foundry . • . McVeytown .... Faxon & Co. 
 
 Axe Factory Near Reedsville . . A. Mann. 
 
 Plough Foundry " " . . J. & M. Taylor. 
 
 In addition to these, there may be some few foundries in Juni- 
 ata and Perry counties, but no furnaces or forges in that portion 
 of them which lies in the valley proper. 
 
 It way be as well here to mention that the furnace of Wat- 
 son, White & Co. is just completed; the Chimney Rock Furnace 
 will be completed during the summer of 1856, as well as the 
 furnace of Messrs. Smith & Caldwell, in Gaysport. These three 
 furnaces follow the discovery of immense fossil ore-veins imme- 
 diately back of Hollidaysburg, which are supposed to extend, in 
 irregular strata, from the river east as far as the basin extends. 
 In addition to this, in the Loop, — a basin lying between points 
 of the Cove Mountain, south of Frankstown, — mines capable of 
 the most prolific yield have also been opened. The ore smelted 
 with coke, is said to produce the best iron in market, and com- 
 
342 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 mands a ready sale at excellent prices. From the discoveries 
 of ore deposits already raade, and those that will follow future 
 explorations, it is but reasonable to infer that, during the next 
 four or five years, the number of furnaces will be considerably 
 augmented ; and at this time there is a project on foot for build- 
 ing an extensive rolling-mill and nail-factory at Hollidaysburg. 
 
 The foregoing list of iron establishments numbers seventy- 
 three, (and we are by no means certain that we have enumerated 
 all,) and employ some six or seven thousand men, directly or 
 indirectly, and the capital invested cannot possibly fall far short 
 of five millions of dollars. And all this vast source of wealth 
 and happiness is drawn from the bosom of mother earth in a 
 valley a little over one hundred miles in length. We say it 
 boldly, and challenge contradiction, that the iron-mines of the 
 Juniata Valley have yielded more clear profit, and entailed more 
 blessings upon the human family, than ever the same extent of 
 territory did in the richest diggings of California. 
 
 But, great as the valley is, unquestionably half of its resources 
 have not yet been developed. Along the base of the mountain 
 are vast seams of coal that have never been opened, and forests 
 of the finest timber, which only await capital and enterprise to 
 show the real extent of our coal and lumber region. Of the ex- 
 tent of the ore-fields of the valley no man can form any concep- 
 tion. Time alone can tell. Yet we are not without hope that 
 ore will be found in such quantities, before the present genera- 
 tion shall have passed away, as shall make the valley a second 
 Wales in its iron operations. 
 
 From De Bow's Census Compendium of 1850 we copy the fol- 
 lowing, set down as an accurate statement of the amount of 
 capital, hands employed, and amount produced, in all the coun- 
 ties of the valley, by manufacturers, in that year : — 
 
 capital. Hands employed. Amount produced 
 
 Bedford $21-2,500 427 > $561,339 
 
 Blair, 1,0(55,730 1,383 1,385,526 
 
 Huntingdon, 1,335,525 1,218 1,029,860 
 
 Mifflin, 129,225 300 310,452 
 
 Juniata, 309,300 182 4()7,550 
 
 Perry 330,992 (i09 845,360 
 
 $3,389,282 4,119 $4,600,087 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 343 
 
 This is manifestly an error; for we are satisfied that more cap- 
 ital and hands were employed in the iron business alone in 1850, 
 leaving out Perry county, only a portion of which belongs to the 
 valley proper. The gatherers of the statistics evidently did not 
 enumerate the wood choppers, charcoal burners, teamsters, ore 
 diggers and others, who labor for furnaces. Yet, granting that 
 the statistics of the manufactures of the valley, as given in the 
 census report, are correct, and we deduct a tenth for manufac- 
 tures other than iron, we are still correct ; for since the new fur- 
 naces, forges, and foundries have been built, the capacity of old 
 ones greatly enlarged, and many that were standing idle in 1850 
 are now in successful operation. In Altoona alone, since then, 
 600 hands find steady employment in working up the Juniata 
 iron at the extensive machine-shops and foundries of the Penn- 
 sylvania Railroad Company. 
 
 The following shows the population in 1840 and in 1850, to- 
 gether with the number of dwellings : 
 
 Countiea. Pop. in 1840. Pop. in 1850. Dwellings. 
 
 Bedford 29,335 23,052 3,896 
 
 Blair, (formed out of 
 Huntingdon and Bed- 
 ford, 1846) 21,777 3,718 
 
 Huntingdon 35,484 24,786 4,298 
 
 Mifflin 13,092 14,980 2,591 
 
 Juniata 11,090 13,029 2,168 
 
 Perry 17,096 20,088 3,412 
 
 Total 106,085 117,712 20,083 
 
 If we add to Bedford the 7567 inhabitants taken from it to 
 form Fulton county, we shall find that the population increased 
 19,192 in the valley, between 1840 and 1850. This may be rated 
 as an ordinary increase. To the same increase, between 1850 
 and 1860, we may add the extraordinary increase caused by the 
 building of the Pennsylvania and the Broad Top Railroads, 
 which, we think, will increase the population to double what it 
 was in 1840 by the time the next census is taken. 
 
 The number of dwellings in the valley, it will be observed, 
 amounted, in 1850, to 20,083. Since then, five hundred build- 
 ings have been erected in Altoona, one hundred and fifty in 
 
344 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 Tyrone, five hundred in the towns and villages along the line of 
 the Broad Top Road, a hundred along the line of the Pennsyl- 
 vania Road, while the towns of Hollidaysburg, Huntingdon, 
 McVeytown, Lewistown, Mifflin and Newport, and, in fact, all 
 the villages in the valley, have had more or less buildings erected 
 during the past five years. A corresponding number erected 
 during the next five years will, we venture to predict, bring the 
 census return of buildings up to 40,000. 
 
 Let it also be remembered that the increase of population be- 
 tween 1840 and 1850 was made when the mania for moving to 
 the West was at its height ; when more people from the Juniata 
 located in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana, than will 
 leave us during the next twenty years, unless some unforeseen 
 cause should transpire that would start a fresh tide of western 
 emigration. The fact that many who have taken up their resi- 
 dences in the Far West would most willingly return, if they 
 could, has opened the eyes of the people, in a measure ; and 
 many have become convinced that a man who cannot live and 
 enjoy all the comforts of life on a fine Pennsylvania farm can do 
 little better upon the prairies of Iowa or the ague-shaking swamps 
 of Indiana. As an evidence that money may be made at home 
 here by almost any pursuit, attended with perseverance, we may 
 incidentally mention that a gentleman near Frankstown, 
 who owns a small farm, — probably one hundred and sixty 
 acres, — not only kept his family comfortably during the last 
 year, but netted $1400 clear profit, being half the amount of the 
 original purchase. Is there a farm of the same size in Iowa that 
 produced to its owner so large a sum over and above all expenses ? 
 But, m.ore than this, we can safely say, without fear of contradic- 
 tion, that every acre of cultivated land in the Juniata Valley has> 
 during the last two years, netted as much as the same amount of 
 land in the most fertile and productive Western State in the 
 Union. A large proportion of the people who have located in 
 the West, actuated by that ruling passion of the human family — 
 the accumulation of money, (mostly for dissipated heirs to 
 squander,) — arc engaged in speculating in lands. Now, we 
 venture to say that the increase in the price of some of the lands 
 of the Juniata Valley will vie with the rapid rise in the value of 
 Western lands ; and we are prepared to maintain our assertions 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 345 
 
 I 
 
 with the proof. Some years ago a gentleman in Huntingdon 
 county took a tract of timber-land, lying at the base of the 
 mountain in Blair county, for a debt of some four or five hun- 
 dred dollars. The debt was deemed hopelessly bad, and the 
 land little better than the debt itself. Right willingly would the 
 new owner have disposed of it for a trifle, but no purchaser 
 could be found. Anon the railroad was built, and a number of 
 steam saw-mills were erected on lands adjoining the tract in 
 question, when the owner found a ready purchaser at $2500 
 cash. A gentleman in Gaysport, in the summer of 1854, pur- 
 chased twelve acres of ground back of Hollidaysburg for seven 
 hundred dollars. This sum he netted by the sale of the timber 
 taken off it preparatory to breaking it for cultivation. After 
 owning it just one year, he disposed of it for $3000! A gentle- 
 man in Hollidaysburg, in the fall of 1854, bought three hundred 
 and eighty acres of ground, adjoining the Frankstown Ore Bank, 
 for three hundred and eighty dollars. The undivided half of 
 this land was sold on the 22d of February, 1856, for $2900, 
 showing an increase in value of about 1400 per cent, in fifteen 
 months ; and yet the other half could not be purchased for 
 $5000. By this the land speculator will see that it is not neces- 
 sary for him to go the Far West to pursue his calling while real 
 estate rises so rapidly in value at home. 
 
 Within a few years past, the Juniata country has been made 
 a summer resort by a portion of the denizens of Philadelphia, 
 Baltimore, and Pittsburg. From either city it is reached after 
 but a few hours' travel. The romantic scenery, the invigorating 
 air, and the pure water of the mountains, are attractions that 
 must eventually outweigh those of fashionable watering-places, 
 with their customary conventional restraints. The hotels erected 
 along the line of of the Pennsylvania Railroad are admirably 
 adapted, and have been built with a view to accommodate city- 
 folks who wish to ruralize during the summer months. Promi- 
 nent among them we may mention the Patterson House, kept 
 by General Bell ; the House, kept by Mrs. C. C. Hemphill, at the 
 Lewistown station ; the Keystone Hotel, at Spruce Creek, kept 
 by Colonel R. F. Haslett; the City Hotel, Tyrone City ; the large 
 hotel at Tipton ; the Logan House, in Altoona; the two large 
 hotels lately erected at Cfesson, by Dr. Jackson, (capable of ac- 
 
846 ■ HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 commodating five hundred guests;) and Riffle's Mansion House 
 at the Summit. In addition to these, all the larger towns con- 
 tain excellent hotels. In short, we may say that the hotels of 
 the valley, collectively, cannot be surpassed by country hotels 
 anywhere. 
 
 The valley is not without its natural curiosities to attract the 
 attention of the man of leisure. The Arch Spring and the Cave 
 in Sinking Valley are probably pmong the greatest curiosities to 
 be found in any country. The spring gushes from an opening 
 arched by nature in such force as to drive a mill, and then sinks 
 into the earth again. The subterranean passage of the water 
 can be traced for some distance by pits or openings, when it 
 again emerges, runs along the surface among rocky hills, until 
 it enters a large cave, having the appearance of an immense 
 tunnel. This cave has been explored as far as it will admit — 
 some four hundred feet, — where there is a large room, and where 
 the water falls into a chasm or vortex, and finds a subterranean 
 passage through Canoe Mountain, and emerges again at its 
 southern base, along which it winds down to Water Street and 
 empties into the river. 
 
 Another of these subterranean wonders is a run back of Ty- 
 rone City, where it sinks into the base of a limestone ridge, 
 passes beneath a hill, and makes its appearance again at the 
 edge of the town. 
 
 The most remarkable spring, however, is one located on the 
 right bank of the river, some seven miles below Hollidaysburg. 
 The peculiar feature about this spring is the fact that it ebbs 
 and flows with the same regularity the tides do. The admirer 
 of natural curiosities may arrive at it when it is brimming full 
 or running over with the purest of limestone water; yet in a 
 short time the water will commence receding, and within an 
 hour or two the hole in the ground alone remains. Then a 
 rumbling noise is heard up the hill-side, and soon the water 
 pours down until the spring is again overflowed. 
 
 In the town of Williamsburg, on the property of John K. NeflF, 
 Esq., there is a remarkable spring. It throws out a volume of 
 water capable of operating a first-class mill, together with other 
 machinery, although the distance from the spring to the river 
 does not exceed the eighth of a mile. 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 347 
 
 At Spang's Mill, in Blair county, is by far the largest spring 
 in the upper end of the valley. It has more the appearance of a 
 small subterranean river breaking out at the hill-side than that 
 of a spring. It is about three hundred yards long, varying in 
 width from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet. The 
 water has a bluish-green tinge, and is so exceedingly pure that a 
 drop of it placed under a microscope would show fewer animal- 
 culse than a drop of river-water would after being filtered. For- 
 merly it contained thousands upon thousands of the finest brook 
 trout ; but of late years the number has been considerably dimin- 
 ished by the sportsmen who could obtain permission from Mr. 
 Spang to entice them from their element with the tempting fly. 
 A hundred feet from what is considered the end of the spring, 
 there is a large grist-mill driven by its waters, which empty into 
 the eastern reservoir of the Pennsylvania Canal, after traversing 
 a distance of about three miles. Within two miles form the head 
 of the spring, its waters furnish motive-power to two grist-mills, 
 a saw-mill, and four forges. 
 
 As a singular circumstance in connection with this subject, we 
 may mention that, within the memory of some of the older in- 
 habitants, a considerable stream of water ran through the upper 
 end of Middle Woodbury township, Bedford county; but the 
 spring at the head of it gave out, as well as several other springs 
 which fed it, and now scarcely any traces of it remain. 
 
 In facilities for teaching the rising generation the counties 
 composing the valley are not behind any of their sister counties 
 in the State, as the Common School Report for 1855 proves. 
 
 Ever mindful of the Giver of all good and his manifold mercies 
 to mankind, the people of the Juniata region have reared fully as 
 many temples to the worship of Almighty God as the same num- 
 ber of inhabitants have done in any land where the light of the 
 gospel shines. The following table, compiled from the census 
 statistics, shows the number of churches in 1850: — 
 
348 
 
 HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 SECTS. 
 
 m 
 
 m 
 
 m 
 
 >> -; 
 
 (^ 
 
 Baptist 
 
 Christian .... 
 Congregational . . 
 Episcopal . . . . 
 Free . . . • ■ • 
 
 Friends 
 
 German Keformed 
 Lutheran .... 
 Mennonite .... 
 Methodist . . . . 
 Moravian .... 
 Presbyterian . . . 
 Roman Catholic . 
 
 Tanker 
 
 Union 
 
 Minor Sects . . . 
 
 2 
 
 7 
 14 
 
 10 
 
 2 
 6 
 1 
 
 Total 
 
 52 
 
 5 
 10 
 3 
 6 
 2 
 6 
 3 
 1 
 
 22 
 1 
 
 13 
 1 
 1 
 >2 
 
 42 
 
 60 
 
 1 
 
 11 
 
 1 
 
 9 
 
 7 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 14 
 1 
 
 32 
 
 27 
 
 47 
 
 21 
 1 
 1 
 3 
 3 
 2 
 
 27 
 
 51 
 3 
 
 67 
 7 
 
 54 
 6 
 2 
 9 
 3 
 
 260 
 
 During the six years that have elapsed since the above sta- 
 tistics were taken, quite a number of new churches have been 
 erected — probably not less than twenty. Of this number four 
 have been erected in Altoona and three in Tyrone City alone. 
 
 And now, worthy reader, our voluntarily-assumed task is 
 ended. As we glance over the pages of our work, we are made 
 painfully aware of the fact that many of the narratives given are 
 too brief to be very interesting. This is owing altogether to the 
 fact that we chose to give unvarnished accounts as we received 
 them, broken and unconnected, rather than a connected history 
 garnished with drafts from the imagination. In thus steering 
 clear of the shoals of fiction, — on which so many historians have 
 wrecked, — we conceive that we have only done our duty to those 
 who suggested to us this undertaking. 
 
 We are strongly impressed with the idea that a history of the 
 early settlement of the valley should have been written a quarter 
 of a century ago. Then it might have made a volume replete 
 with all the stirring incidents of the times, for at that period 
 many of the actors in the trials and struggles endured were still 
 among us, and could have given details ; while we were com- 
 pelled to glean our information from persons on the brink of the 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 349 
 
 grave, whose thoughts dwelt more upon the future than on the 
 past. 
 
 The modern history of the valley will be a subject for the pen 
 of the historian a quarter of a century hence. We have given 
 him a hint of some occurrences during the last half century ; 
 and for further particulars, during the next twenty-five years, 
 we would refer him to the twenty newspapers published in the 
 seven counties, from whose columns alone he will be able to 
 compile an interesting history, sparing himself the trouble of 
 searching among books, papers, and old inhabitants for incidents 
 that unfortunately, never were recorded. 
 
 The future of the valley no man knoweth. We even tax the 
 Yankee characteristic in vain when we attempt to guess its fu- 
 ture. Many yet unborn may live to see the fires of forges and 
 furnaces without number illuminating the rugged mountains, 
 and hear the screams of a thousand steam engines. They may 
 live, too, to see the day when population shall have so increased 
 that the noble stag dare no longer venture down from the mount- 
 ain to slake his thirst at the babbling brook, and when the golden- 
 hued trout, now sporting in every mountain stream shall be ex- 
 tinct. But, before that time, there is reason to believe that the 
 present generation, including your historian, will have strutted 
 upon the stage the brief hour allotted to them, performed life's 
 pilgrimage, and, finally, arrived at 
 
 THE END. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 PREPARED BY 
 
 WILLIAM H. EGLE, M. D., M. A. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 353 
 
 THE AUTHOR OF THE HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA 
 
 VALLEY. 
 
 Oi S preliminary in the appendix to the reprint of Mr. Jones' 
 Zpk History of the Early Settlement of the Juniata Valley, it 
 ^\ is eminently proper that a notice of the author be given 
 in this connection. 
 
 Uriah James Jones was born in New Berlin, Union county, 
 March 23, 1820, of humble parentage, and died in Harrisburg, 
 November 18, 1864. Unfortunately there are no records of his 
 ancestry, and while the writer has met many who knew him in 
 youth, yet none of them could give any information concerning 
 his parents, except that his father died when very young and 
 left him and a brother (Eli) to their mother's care. The lads 
 were brought up on a farm, and Mr. Jones, until the age of 16, 
 had no education whatever. At that age he was apprenticed to 
 learn the trade of printer on the Union Times, New Berlin, with 
 John M. Baum and Jacob Winich, serving his time out. He 
 was a remarkably bright lad, could always see the funny side of 
 an occurrence, and when he had mastered the language sufficient 
 to write for the press, he could tell it in an inimitable way. 
 
 Leaving New Berlin, he went to Lewisburg, where he worked 
 for some time, and finally drifted to Harrisburg, where he worked 
 on the Keystoneffanden Packer, Barrett and Parke. It was while 
 in Harrisburg, working at case, that he wrote his famous novel, 
 Simon Girty, a crude piece of liteYary work, but at that time re- 
 garded as a brilliant performance. It is related that the late 
 H. Frank McReynolds, of Harrisburg, another printer, was as- 
 sociated with him in printing and publishing the book. Mr. 
 Jones would write a chapter for McReynolds to "set," while he 
 went to the case and set the type, containing the thread of the 
 story, without copy. 
 
 In 1842 he took a tour of the States as a tramp printer to see 
 the country. It was an honorable thing in those days to be a 
 tramp printer, as they were a class of intelligent, active work- 
 
354 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 ingmen, who could find employment in any printing office they 
 came to. In the course of his travels, having a great love for 
 the histrionic art, he joined a traveling theatrical company and 
 traveled with them for almost a year. In this company was 
 Jonathan F. Kelley, who wrote the Humors of Falconbridge, and 
 other witty publications. He encouraged Mr. Jones to stick to 
 writing for his living, picturing the easy life it was for a man 
 with an active brain. 
 
 The season closed at New Orleans, and there Mr. Jones was 
 stricken with yellow fever. He recovered to find himself robbed 
 of all he possessed by his landlady, who had fled at the approach 
 of the fever and took his watch, money, and everything but the 
 clothes he had on. When he regained his strength he set out 
 on a Cramp to the North, reaching Harrisburg totally used up. 
 From there he went to Philadelphia and secured work as a 
 reporter on the Public Ledger. 
 
 While on his travels as a strolling actor he met in Berwick, 
 Columbia county, Miss Margaretta L. Traugh, sister of 0. A. 
 Traugh, at present publisher of the Hollidaysburg Standard. It 
 was a case of love at first sight, and all through his subsequent 
 rambles his one thought was of marrying and settling down. 
 In 1845 he left Philadelphia, where he was on intimate terms 
 with Edgar A. Poe and other famous authors, and went to Hol- 
 lidaysburg, where he was engaged by Mr, Traugh, as local editor 
 of the Standard. 
 
 In 1846 he married Miss Margaretta L. Traugh, and shortly 
 afterwards went to Pittsburg, where he published a paper called 
 the Keystone. It was a flat failure and he soon returned to Hol- 
 lidaysburg to take up local editing again. He Went at it with a 
 will and soon made the paper famous all over the United States. 
 He was as widely quoted as Burdette or Bill Nye to-day, Co- 
 temporaneous with George D. Prentice, of the Louisville Journal, 
 many were the keen thrusts they had at each other, and often 
 the whole nation roared at their bright wit and keen sarcasm. 
 It is the fate of the jester to write that which is soon forgotten, 
 and so it is with the fun 'these two men had. Who at this day, 
 quotes either of them? That which Mr. Jones took the greatest 
 trouble to polish is never flashed upon the public again, or, if it 
 is, it is claimed by some wit of the present day. 
 
 Mr. Jones could tell a local happening in a way that made 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 355 
 
 you read it despite yourself. It may be said here that he was 
 the first newspaper man in the United States to make a dis- 
 tinctively local department in his paper — that is, he put all the 
 locals together and classified them under the caption of " Local 
 News." This he did on the Standard. 
 
 In 1854 Mr. Jones began to gather materials for a '' History of 
 Juniata Valley," which he had been urged by B. Frank Bell, 
 Esq., of Bell's Mills, Blair county, to write. For one or two 
 years he collected facts concerning the early settlement of the 
 valley, gathering many narratives from the lips of old settlers 
 who entered the valley when the red man still claimed owner- 
 ship and disputed to the death the advance of civilization. In 
 1856 he published the history, but while it only added to his 
 fame it did not add materially to his bank account, and' he be- 
 gan a correspondence for various papers in Philadelphia, Pitts- 
 burg, and New York, writing sketches, stories, poems, and all 
 sorts of literary articles " to keep the pot a-boiling." 
 
 In 1858 he was local editor of the Lancaster Express, but soon 
 returned home, although Colonel Piersol made him a most lib- 
 eral offer to remain. In 1860 he was offered the place of city 
 editor of the Harrisburg Patriot and Union, then published by 
 Barrett & McDowell. This he accepted and with his family re- 
 moved to Harrisburg, where he undertook the local department 
 of this paper and acted as correspondent of several Philadelphia 
 newspapers. In 1864 came the sad tragedy of his death. In the 
 dusk of a November evening, while crossing the track at the 
 Pennsylvania station to meet a friend, he was run down by a 
 train of cars and instantly killed. Three days afterwards he was 
 buried in the Harrisburg cemetery. Mr. Jones left a wife and 
 four children — William T., a compositor on the Harrisburg lele- 
 graph; Thomas M., one of the editors of the Harrisburg Tele- 
 graph ; Gertrude L., now Mrs. Rush Jamison, of Philadelphia, 
 and Harry C, a compositor on the Harrisburg Telegraph — all of 
 whom are living. 
 
 Mr. Jones was a bright, keen, and accurate writer. His wit 
 was inimitable, while his pathos, as shown in some of his later 
 sketches, was of the tenderest kind. He did not love a quarrel, 
 but, being in, his opponent always found him a fair fighter and 
 an unmercifully hard hitter. He said a kind word wherever 
 he could, and it was this that made him many friends. Edu- 
 
356 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 cated entirely in a printing office, his command of language was 
 astonishing. He was never at a loss for a word. A high-toned, 
 honorable man, scorning to do that which would in the least re- 
 flect upon him, he died poor, leaving his children his good name 
 and bright, honorable record. On a small marble shaft in the 
 Harrisburg cemetery is cut this inscription : " U. J. Jones, Au- 
 thor and Journalist." And as such he was known to the world. 
 
 THE PATTERSONS OF JUNIATA. 
 
 In chapter four of the History of the Juniata Valley, refer- 
 ence is made to Captain James Patterson, of Mexico. Full 
 sketches of this brave pioneer of the valley and of his son, 
 Captain William Patterson, from the pen of Samuel Evans, Esq., 
 of Columbia, Pennsylvania, who has made extensive historical 
 researches into the family of Patterson, are given as valuable 
 information in connection with this history. 
 
 Capt. James Patterson. 
 
 James Patterson, son of James, was born on his father's plan- 
 tation, in Conestoga Manor, in 1715, where he remained assist- 
 ing his father in the Indian trade, and upholding his right to 
 property on the west side of the river with a vigorous hand 
 against the encroachments of Captain Cresap and his gang of 
 outlaws, who held him a prisoner several times in their fort. 
 He remained with his father until his death in October, 1735, 
 and very probably remained with his mother until she married 
 Thomas Ewing, of Donegal, in 1736. 
 
 In the same year he married Mary Stewart, youngest daugh- 
 ter of George Stewart, Esq., who settled upon land (now occupied 
 by the lower half of Marietta) in 1719. After his marriage he 
 removed to Donegal and probably resided with his mother-in- 
 law, who was then a widow, whose other daughters were mar- 
 ried and settled a few miles away from the homestead, for a few 
 years. 
 
 During Cresap's war he frequently shouldered his musket and 
 marched to the relief of the Pennsylvanians, who were sorely 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 357 
 
 pressed by superior numbers from Maryland. He established a 
 trading post upon James Le Tort's nine hundred acres tract, a 
 mile northeast of what is now known as Shock's Mills. Le Tort 
 conveyed this entire tract to James Logan in 1728, and the latter 
 owned it for twenty j^ears, when he divided the same and sold 
 it to actual settlers. In May, 1747, he conveyed one hundred 
 and fifty-two acres of this land to Peter Haig, who was then 
 conducting a farm at Cheltenham belonging to Logan. This 
 tract was given to him for long and faithful service. In May, 
 
 1748, Haig and his wife Elizabeth sold this farm to James Low- 
 rey, who married Mr. Patterson's sister Susanna. Mr. Patterson 
 was then residing upon the farm, and in the month of Septem- 
 ber, 1748, he purchased it, and sold it on the 10th day of April, 
 
 1749, to Lazarus Lowrey, the father of James. 
 
 Capt. James Lowrey sold his farm below Conoy creek, upon 
 which the Ganawese or Conoy Indians had their town, and 
 moved to the Juniata with his brother-in-law, Capt. James Pat- 
 terson, about the year 1754. He and his brother, Daniel Low- 
 rey, took up 2,000 acres of land at Frankstown on the Juniata. 
 Both were officers in the French and Indian wars. Capt. James 
 Lowrey died in 1761. Daniel Lowrey and the sons of the two 
 brothers built a fort below Frankstown in 1778 to prevent at- 
 tacks from the Indians. James Lowrey married a second time, 
 it is believed, to the daughter of Capt. James Smith, who also 
 moved to the Juniata in 1754. 
 
 In the years 1744-5 the Indians at Conoy, having moved to 
 Shamokin, (Sunbury,) there was no longer a necessity for an 
 Indian store, where he then lived, and like Le Tort and a few 
 other Indian traders, who also kept store, he concluded that he 
 would follow the receding tide of Indian occupation. In the 
 year 1750 he headed a company of pioneer settlers to the Valley 
 of the Juniata, where he took up a tract of several hundred 
 acres at a point where the present town of Mexico is in Juniata 
 county. 
 
 In the year 1751 he built a fort for the protection of the set- 
 tlers at the mouth of Tuscarora Valley, then the principal cross- 
 ing used by the Indians in traveling north to Shamokin, or 
 going south to Virginia. Mr. Patterson was not only in constant 
 danger from the attacks of the savages, but he occupied an un- 
 pleasant position .in relation to the Proprietaries of Pennsylva- 
 
358 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 nia, who refused to give him a patent for his land because the 
 Indian title to it had not been extinguished. In fact, all of the 
 settlers along the Juniata and in the valleys south of it, were 
 ordered by the Governor and Council to remove from these rich 
 valleys. Captain Patterson, unlike his father, became very 
 much embittered against the Penns, and refused to leave his set- 
 tlement. The impending conflict between the French and the 
 English soon gave the settlers plenty to do to save themselves, 
 and the authorities at Philadelphia and the Assembly, after 
 quarreling among themselves, and permitting hostile Indians to 
 roam at large along the frontier, without giving the settlers the 
 means to defend themselves, were brought to a realizing sense 
 of their danger by the defeat of Braddock in July, 1755. There 
 was no time then to be quarreling with the pioneer settlers about 
 their land titles. Captain Patterson probably commanded a 
 company of rangers during . the Braddock campaign, attached 
 to the Provincial forces under Captain James Burd, when they 
 were hewing a road through the forests and over mountains to 
 the Monongahela. After Braddock's defeat he did not flee, like 
 the coward Col. Dunbar, who did not stop with his army until 
 they arrived in Philadelphia, thus exposing the entire frontiers 
 to the attacks of the victorious savages. He hastened with his 
 brave followers to his fort, and prepared to defend the settlers. 
 He, and his gallant son William, then but a boy, struck back at 
 the Indians whenever they got a chance. On October 2d, 1755, 
 the savages suddenly appeared in Tuscarora Valley, the vicinity 
 of Patterson's Fort, and killed and captured forty persons. 
 Jenny McClane, a young girl then residing with a Mr. Frazer. 
 mounted a horse with a man and fled toward the Fort, and when 
 but a short distance from it, the Indians shot the horse through 
 the body, when Jenny fell off the horse and was taken prisoner. 
 The horse sprang forward and carried the man in safety to the 
 Fort. 
 
 The Indians surrounded the Fort, but the Pattersons defended 
 it bravely and drove them away. Other forts were surprised 
 and destroyed, but the savages were not able by strategem or 
 superior numbers, to capture this one, which stood for many 
 years and was the scene of bloody encounters with the Indians. 
 In 1756, Captain Patterson was under the command of Major 
 James Burd. He assisted in the erection and was in command 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY, 359 
 
 of Pomfret Castle in 1756. The following is a copy of an origi- 
 inal letter written to Major Burd: 
 
 " Fort Pomfret Castle, Feb. 5, 1766. 
 "Sir : Excuse my not sending a guard, according to your Re- 
 quest. I have to-morrow morning a detachment of 24 men to 
 Carlisle in order to Eschort Provisions from thence to my Fort. 
 I have sent you the Patren of two match coats. I have Pur- 
 chast two Beeves, one of which I send you. As for the milch 
 cow, you wrote for, I cannot purchase without cash. The nails 
 and axes I have sent by the men. The rest of the tools I have 
 I cannot spare. 
 
 "Yours, &c., 
 
 "James Patterson." 
 
 In the summer of 1756, Col. John Armstrong destroyed Kit- 
 tanning. The French threatened to retaliate upon the settlers, 
 and large bodies of Indians moved upon the West Branch of the 
 Susquehanna river, to be within striking distance of the English 
 settlements. The Governor took immediate measures to build 
 a fort at Shamokin, now Sunbury, which was called Fort Au- 
 gusta. Captain Patterson and his company, under direction 
 of Major Burd, marched to Shamokin and commenced its con- 
 struction. In the spring of 1757, Captain Patterson was detailed 
 and placed in command of Fort Hunter, five miles above Har- 
 ris' Ferry. In the fall of 1757 he was constantly sending out 
 ranging parties along the base of the mountains, toward Robin- 
 son's Fort, and up various creeks and across to the Juniata, 
 Lieutenant Allen was the only ofiicer he had at the fort, and he 
 was often compelled to range with a squad of men twenty-five 
 and thirty miles away from the fort. They frequently met 
 small bodies of Indians, who skulked or were driven away. 
 His company became greatly diminished on account of sick- 
 ness, and he commenced in January to recruit and fill up his 
 company. A roll of this company is given in Pennsylvania Ar- 
 chives, (N. S.,) vol, II, p. 549. 
 
 Captain Patterson continued in command at Fort Hunter, and 
 his company furnished ranging parties and guards for the bat- 
 teaux fleet under the command of Daniel Lowrey, brother of 
 James, who transported supplies from Harris' Ferry to Fort 
 Augusta. On Feb. 16, 1758, Colonel James Burd, accompanied 
 
360 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 by Captain Hambrigbt, of his regiment, set out from Lancaster 
 to inspect the forts from the Susquehanna to the Delaware river. 
 On the same evening they arrived at the Black Bear tavern, 
 owned and kept by Barnabas Hughes, an Indian trader, at 
 Elizabethtown, the farm now being owned by Henry Wade- 
 When here Captain Hambrigbt took suddenly ill, and an express 
 was sent to Lancaster for Dr. Thompson. Mr. Hughes was the 
 commissary for Fort Hunter and Fort Swatara, now Lebanon. 
 It was he who laid out Elizabethtown and named it after his 
 wife Elizabeth. 
 
 In the beginning of July, 1758, Captain Patterson and about 
 three-fourths of the command at Fort Augusta were ordered to 
 march to Raystown, (Fort Bedford,) and join Brigadier General 
 Forbes' army in their march to Fort DuQuesne. Their line of 
 march was probably via Fort Patterson and Tuscarora Valley, 
 or through Buffalo Valley, to Standing Stone, (Huntingdon.) 
 The following is a plan of the formation of the troops in their 
 line of march : 
 
 
 
 f/( 
 
 /•Sir 
 
 
 / 
 
 I 
 
 U-^^"^ (/i.u..,r 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 361 
 
 According to this plan there were on the march two hundred 
 and seventy-five privates. 
 
 In the latter part of July, 1758, Major George Armstrong took 
 one hundred pioneers and started from Raystovpn to hew a road 
 through the forests and over the mountains to DuQuesne. He 
 was closaly followed by Major Grant, who commanded the 
 Highlanders, and Colonel Lewis, of Virginia, who had command 
 of the Provincial troops, among which were a number of Penn- 
 sylvanians. They were followed by Colonel Bouquet, who was 
 in command of other troops as well as those under Grant and 
 Lewis. Although these troops were seen daily by the Indians 
 in their march from the time they left Raystown, Grant and 
 Lewis, who exceeded their orders, were successful in eluding 
 their vigilance, until within a day or two's march of the Ohio, 
 and actually arrived in front of the fort without being discov- 
 ered by the French. The fortification was too formidable-look- 
 ing to warrant an attack, and Major Grant and Colonel Lewis 
 <;oncluded that they would cause the drums to beat, which they 
 hoped would bring the French and Indians to the outside of the 
 fort. It had the desired effect, for they swarmed out, many of 
 them not taking time to dress themselves. Many of them ran 
 up the Allegheny river, and got in the rear of Grant and Lewis, 
 while others attacked them on all sides, when a most terrific 
 battle ensued. Grant and Lewis were defeated and terribly cut 
 up, losing nearly three hundred killed and wounded and taken 
 prisoners. One of the captains in charge of the baggage two 
 miles in the rear, and in command of some of the Highlanders, 
 as soon as he heard the firing, secured the baggage and marched 
 forward. His troops never wavered when they met the routed 
 forces, but attacked the Indians repeatedly, who had them sur- 
 rounded. His troops reversed arms, and going forward as if to 
 surrender, the Indians rushed at them, when they poured a 
 deadly volley after volley into their ranks, and forced them to 
 retreat. This battle was fought on September 14th. 
 
 General Forbes and Colonel Bouquet were very much cha- 
 grined when they heard of Grant's disobedience of orders, and 
 their defeat. Colonel Bouquet left Raystown on October 3d, and 
 hastened forward to Fort Ligonier, and when he arrived there 
 pushed on his troops nine miles further west, and selected a 
 camping ground at Loyal Hannon, Colonel Burd having com- 
 
362 
 
 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY 
 
 mand of the Second Battalion of the Pennsylvania regiment. 
 Colonel Joseph Shippen and Colonel Floyd probably com- 
 manded the Augusta regiment. The following is a copy of the 
 plan of Loyal Hannon camp. Colonel Washington had charge^ 
 of the Virginia troops : 
 
 
 
 
 /• ... y^V 4,.^/^^f^ ' 
 
 The French and Indians arrived at and made an attack upom 
 this camp on the 14th day of October, but were repulsed upon 
 every side, and driven out of the timber. Their loss was sup- 
 posed to be between two and three hundred, while the entire 
 loss of the Provincial troops was but sixty-seven, of whom twelve 
 were killed. Colonel Burd acquitted himself with great gal- 
 lantry, as did Captains Atlee, Shippen, Patterson, and Ludwig 
 Stone and other frontier county officers. 
 
 The defeat of Grant and Lewis did not check the onward 
 march of the army. Colonel Bouquet, a few days after the bat- 
 tle of Loyal Hannon, made a rapid advance towards Fort Du- 
 Quense. When but a few miles away the French blew up the 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 363 
 
 fort and retreated partly down the Ohio, and partly up the Alle- 
 gheny river. The fort was rebuilt and named after the great 
 statesman, Pitt, under whose management the British arms tri- 
 umphed everywhere. 
 
 In 1759, Colonel Burd erected Fort Burd (Redstone) and con- 
 veyed supplies from Fort Cumberland and Raystown to Fort 
 Pitt. Captain Atlee and several other Lancaster county officers 
 were in this command. Their plan of march is very much like 
 the one already given, with the addition that the wagons and 
 cattle are placed between sections of the column. It is true, 
 Braddock adopted the same plan, and was thus formed when the 
 head of his column struck the Indians, when he attempted to 
 form in line of battle on the front company, which he did not 
 succeed in doing, the Indians being on front and flanks, threw 
 the troops into disorder. 
 
 Captain Patterson returned to his own fort after the Indians 
 were whipped into subjection, and he turned his attention again 
 to the cultivation of his much neglected land. He did not, 
 however, omit the taking precautionary measures to keep his 
 fort in good repair, and provide it with the material for defense. 
 The Indians remained quiet until Pontiac's war broke out in 1763, 
 when the savage barbarities were fearful. Captain Patterson 
 and his son, Lieutenant William Patterson, were again on guard. 
 They followed them to their places of concealment, and gave 
 them many hard blows. When we come to write of Captain 
 William Patterson, we will give a sketch of his movements. 
 Captain James Patterson died at his fort and is buried in the 
 grave-yard on the present property of Jerome W. Thompson. 
 His wife, Mary, died at Middletown, probably when on a visit 
 to her son, who married Colonel Burd's daughter, and is buried 
 there. They left the following issue : 
 i. Captain William, 
 ii. Mary. 
 Hi. Elizabeth, 
 iv. Susan. 
 V. James, 
 vi. George. 
 
 Mary Patterson married, first, Thomas Chambers, who was 
 killed by the Indians on " Big Island," on the West Branch. 
 They had issue one son and one daughter. The son was in the 
 
864 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 army, and the daughter ran off with an officer of the army, at 
 Fort Potter. 
 
 Mrs. Chambers married the second time General James Potter, 
 of Revolutionary memory, and had the following children: 
 
 i. General James ; who married Miss Brown, daughter of 
 
 Judge Brown, of " Brown's Mills." 
 a. Martha; in. Andrew Gregg, of Penn's Valley, ancestor 
 
 of Governor Curtin. 
 Hi. Mary; m. first, Mr. Riddle, in 1783; she m. second 
 time George McClellan, of Lewistown. 
 Another daughter m. Captain James Poe, and another m. 
 Captain Crouch. 
 
 Elizabeth Patterson m, Robert Campbell, of Tuscarora Valley. 
 He was killed by the Indians and left no issue. 
 
 Susan m. Mr. Moore, of Cumberland county. Some of her 
 descendants live near Carlisle and Papertown. 
 James m. Jane Harris, of Mifflin, and had issue : 
 
 1. William, m. to Ann Riddle. 
 
 2. John, m. first, Ellen Moore, secondly, Mary Kenny. 
 
 3. Thomas. 
 
 4. Jaiie, died without issue. 
 
 George Patterson m. Jane Burd, daughter of Colonel James 
 Burd, of Tinian, and had issue: 
 
 1. Sarah, b. Nov. 18, 1784. 
 
 2. Mary, b. July 6, 1786. 
 
 3. James Burd, b. July 8, 1788. 
 
 4. Edward, b. Feb. 21, 1790. 
 
 .5. Joseph Shippen, b, July 10, 1791. 
 
 6. William- Augustus, b. Nov. 1, 1792. 
 
 7. Charlotte-Chambers, b. March 9,1794; d. at Marietta 
 
 Pa., March 20, 1863. 
 
 8. Elizabeth, b. Dec. 6, 1795. 
 
 9. George, b. Sept. 5, 1797. 
 10. Galbraith, d. in infancy. 
 
 James Burd Patterson m. Matilda Dowes and had James, who 
 m. Matilda Hubley, Mary, and Joseph, who m. Miss Weaver. 
 
 William Augustus Patterson m. Elizabeth Peale, who had 
 Sophanisha, who m. George Herkeseimer, and Charles. 
 
 Charlotte Chambers Patterson m. William Thompson, June 
 14, 1816, who had: 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 365 
 
 1. Edward P., who m. Matilda Snyder. 
 
 2. William S.^ m. Isabella H. Marr. 
 
 3. Maria. 
 
 4. George. 
 
 5. Lucian M., m, Kate U, Yuntman. 
 
 6. Mary. 
 
 7. Theophilus ; m. Mary E. Harrington. 
 
 8. Theodore S.; m. Annie E..Cassel, of Marietta, Pa. 
 
 9. Robert. 
 
 10. Josephine; m. Thomas Zell, of Reading, Pa. 
 
 Elizabeth Patterson m. Reubens Peale, and had seven children. 
 
 George Patterson m. first, Maria Shindle and had six children ; 
 m. secondly, Lydia Adams, and had nine children. 
 
 There are some of the descendants of Captain James Patterson 
 in Juniata Valley, who retain his name. 
 
 Captain William Patterson. 
 
 Captain William Patterson (James, James,) was born in 
 Donegal township, Lancaster county, in the year 1737, and went 
 with his father. Captain James Patterson, to the Juniata Valley 
 in 1749 or 1750. The first act of the old pioneer was to erect a 
 block-house, to protect his family from sudden attacks by the 
 Indians. To clear the land and till the soil, and make it capa- 
 ble of producing grain and vegetables, required a great deal of 
 time and labor, before the settlers were wholly able to make it 
 self-supporting : and hence we find these hardy pioneers depend- 
 ing very much upon their rifles for the means of procuring sub- 
 sistence. William Patterson, from the time he came to the Val- 
 ley, to the period of old age, was the most expert marksman 
 along the frontier. His father, who was an Indian Trader and 
 kept store at the crossing of the Juniata, in the direct line of 
 travel between the southern and northern Indians, often had 
 large numbers of savages about his store, and he knew from ex- 
 perience that nothing would elicit the admiration or wholesome 
 dread of the white man's power so much as being an expert 
 marksman, and he was certainly excusable for erecting a target 
 sixty odd yards from the door of his dwelling. Whenever the 
 Indians made their appearance old Captain James Patterson or 
 his son William leisurely took down their rifle from its resting 
 place, and stepping to the doorway, fired at the target, which 
 
366 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 they invariably hit in the center, or very close to it. The In- 
 dians would collect around and examine the target, and in their 
 lingo express their astonishment and admiration of the skill of 
 Captain Patterson or his son. By resorting to a trick cf this 
 kind, they were able to play upon the fears of the Indians for 
 several years, and to the period of Braddock's defeat, when the 
 Indians commenced a general slaughter of the frontier settlers. 
 It is probable that William was with his father, who commanded 
 a company of Rangers under Major James Burd, who had 
 charge of the pioneers when making a road over the mountains 
 for Braddock's army. 
 
 When his father raised a company and was regularly mus- 
 tered into the military service under Major afterwards Colonel 
 James Burd, William was appointed ensign, an officer on equal 
 footing to that of second lieutenant, and marched with his father 
 to Shamokin, where the troops commenced the erection of Fort 
 Augusta (now Sunbury) in 1756. For meritorious services, 
 William Patterson was promoted to a lieutenant December 12, 
 1757. He was still a minor (as was also Lieutenant Samuel 
 Atlee.) For many months he and his father, with details of pri- 
 vates, ranged the mountains and streams in search of Indians. 
 They resorted very often to the methods adopted by the Indians 
 to protect themselves or circumvent the cunning of the savages. 
 
 William Patterson not only displayed great capacity as a par- 
 tizan soldier, but was equally conspicuous in civil life. He 
 marched with the advance of General Forbes' Army to Fort 
 DuQuesne in 1758 and participated in the battle of Loyal Han- 
 non in October, 1758. He also served under Colonel Burd, in 
 conveying live stock and subsistence from Fort Cumberland to 
 Fort Burd (Brownsville) and Fort Pitt in 1759. 
 
 After his return from the army, Captain Patterson seems to 
 have devoted his time to land surveying, and the strengthening 
 of his block-house on the opposite side of the river to that of 
 his father's, where he located several hundred acres of land. 
 His fine presence and dashing character won the admiration and 
 esteem of the pioneer settlers, especially the young men, who 
 followed the chase and provided game for the large and growing 
 settlements in Tuscarora Valley and around Patterson's Fort. 
 
 Forbes' campaign was followed by a few years only of peace 
 with the Indians. Pontiac's war came upon the settlers in 1763. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 367 
 
 Suddenly, and without any previous warning, fort after fort and 
 many private block-houses were taken and destroyed, and their 
 feeble garrisons put to the hatchet or stake. The danger of anni- 
 hilation of the entire settlenaents west of the Cumberland Valley 
 was imminent, and there was a tremendous rush of men, women 
 and children to Lancaster and York counties to escape the fury 
 •of the savages. 
 
 Captain William Patterson called his young hunters around 
 him and bid defiance to the Indians. Pontiac had boasted that 
 no wooden fort or stockade could escape destruction if he desired 
 to destroy them. When they could not induce a garrison by 
 cunning and lying to surrender, they would load a wagon with 
 straw or hay and set it on fire, and back it against the timbers 
 and let the demon fire do the work. Although Patterson's Fort 
 was surrounded by savages repeatedly, they were driven away 
 or kept at a distance by the expert riflemen under the command 
 of Captain Patterson. 
 
 In December, 1767, Frederick Stump (who was born in Heid- 
 elberg township, then in Lancaster, now Berks, county) and his 
 hired man named Ironcutter, brutally murdered ten Indians, 
 composed of men, women, and children, when they were asleep, 
 near Gabriel's, on the west side of the Susquehanna, and only a few 
 miles from Fort Augusta. As soon as Captain William Patter- 
 son heard of this affair, he collected nineteen of his young rifle- 
 men, and mounting horses, rode rapidly to the scene of the 
 murder. They found Stump and Ironcutter at Gabriel's sur- 
 rounded by their friends, who were also armed, some of whom 
 were noted Indian fighters, and were determined to resist arrest. 
 It was but a short time before he captured and tied them upon 
 horses, and hastened with the prisoners to Carlisle jail. He had 
 no warrant for their arrest, nor did he wait to see the Governor's 
 proclamation offering a reward for their arrest. When he ar- 
 rived at Carlisle the sheriff had just received Governor Penn's 
 proclamation, and had collected a posse when Captain Patterson 
 arrived with his prisoners. The following is his own account of 
 the arrest. He also sent a message in writing to the Indians 
 living along the North and West Branches of the river, wherein 
 he assured them that Stump would be punished, &c. After he 
 delivered the prisoners to tie sheriff he started to Philadelphia, 
 to give the Governor and Council a full report of the affair. On 
 
368 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 the following day a large number of the border settlers effected 
 an entrance into the jail and rescued Stump and Ironcutter and 
 carried them off in triumph. Neither of them were ever re- 
 arrested. 
 
 " Carlisle, 23d January, 1768. 
 
 "Dear Sir: The 2l8t instant I marched a party of nineteen 
 men to George Gabriel's House at Penn's creek mouth, and made 
 prisoners of Frederick Stump and John Ironcutter, who were 
 suspected to have murdered Ten of our Friend Indians near 
 Fort Augusta, and I have this day delivered them to Mr. Holmes 
 at Carlisle Gaol. 
 
 "Yesterday I sent a person to the Great Island, that under- 
 stands the Indian Language, with a Talk, a copy of which is 
 enclosed. Myself and Party were exposed to great danger by 
 the desperate Resistance made by Stump, and his Friends who 
 sided with him. The steps I have taken, I flatter myself, will 
 not be disapproved of by the Gentlemen in Government, my 
 sole view being directed to the Service of the Frontiers before I 
 heard His Honour the Governor's Orders. The message I have 
 sent to the Indians I hope will not be deemed assuming any 
 authority of my own, as you are very sensible I am no stranger 
 to the Indians and their customs. 
 
 " I am with Respect 
 
 your most obedient 
 
 humble servant 
 
 "William Patterson. 
 
 " To Joseph Shippen, Esq.'''' 
 
 Joseph Shippen, Jr., was the Provincial Secretary and a fellow 
 officer at Fort Augusta, and in the campaigns against the French 
 and Indians. 
 
 The Governor was so highly pleased with the prompt action 
 of Captain Patterson, that he gave him a special commission as 
 Justice of the Peace, and judge of the Common Pleas Court of 
 Cumberland county. It is probable that Captain Patterson went 
 with Colonel Burd to Wyoming Valley in 1769, who was ap- 
 pointed a commissioner to ascertain the extent of the Connecticut 
 settlement, and the designs of the settlers. He was appointed 
 one of the commissioners to lay outJNorthumberland county in 
 1772. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 369 
 
 William Patterson married Mary Galbraith, a descendant of 
 the Galbraiths who settled in Donegal, Lancaster county, some 
 of whom moved to Cumberland county, and afterwards became 
 conspicuous in the military and civil history of the State and 
 Nation, 
 
 Captain William Patterson had but one child by his first wife, 
 Mary Galbraith, namely, Galbraith Patterson, who was born at 
 Patterson's Fort in the year 1767. He went to Lancaster and 
 was admitted to the Bar there in 1789. He moved to Harrisburg 
 in the year 1790, and from thence to Lycoming county, where 
 he died February 26, 1801, leaving a widow, Catharine, who 
 afterwards married James Orbison, of Chambersburg, where she 
 died February 24, 1811. She had a daughter, Isabella, by Mr. 
 Patterson, who married first time, David Maclay ; secondly, Hon. 
 Alex. L. Hays, who for forty years was judge of the circuit 
 court and of the common pleas court in Lancaster. 
 
 Captain William Patterson's second wife was Esther Findley, 
 a granddaughter of old John Harris, who settled in Paxtang 
 and established a ferry where Harrisburg now is. They had 
 issue : 
 
 i. Isabella, m. Mr. Hunter, of " White Deer Valley." 
 ii. William, who resided in White Deer Valley, where he 
 
 died in 1856. 
 Hi. John, 
 iv. Javies, who settled in Warren county, Ohio. 
 
 INDIAN MASSACRES IN 1763. 
 
 The contemporary account of the attack by the Indians upon 
 the family of William White, an early settler on the Juniata, 
 we glean from the Pewrisylvania Gazette, published at Philadel- 
 phia: 
 
 Carlisle, July 12, 1763. 
 
 I embrace this first leisure, since yesterday morning, to trans- 
 mit you a brief account of our present state of affairs here, 
 which indeed is very distressing ; every day almost afibrding 
 some fresh object to awaken the compassion, alarm the fears or 
 24 
 
370 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 kindle into resentment and vengeance every sensible breast, 
 while flying families, obliged to abandon house and possessions, 
 to save their lives by a hasty escape ; mourning widows bewail- 
 ing their husbands, surprised and massacred by savage rage ; 
 tender parents lamenting the fruit of their own bodies, cropt in 
 the very bloom of life by a barbarous hand ; with relations and 
 acquaintances pouring out sorrow for murdered neighbors and 
 friends, present a scene of mingled distress. 
 
 When, for some time, after striking at Bedford, the Indians 
 appeared quiet, nor struck any other part of our frontiers, it be- 
 came the prevailing opinion that our forts and communication 
 were so peculiarly the object of their attention, that till at least 
 after harvest, there was little prospect of danger to our inhabi- 
 tants over the hills ; and to dissent from this generally received 
 sentiment was political heresy, and attributed to timidity rather 
 than to judgment, till too early conviction has decided the point 
 in the following manner : 
 
 On Sunday morning, the 10th instant, about nine or ten 
 o'clock, at the house of one William White, on Juniata, between 
 thirty and forty miles hence, there being in said house four men 
 and a lad, the Indians came rushing upon them, and shot White, 
 at the door, just stepping out to see what the noise meant. Our 
 people then pulled in White and shut the door ; but observing, 
 through a window, the Indians setting fire to a house, they at- 
 tempted to force their way out at the door ; but the first that 
 stept out being shot down, they drew him in and again shut the 
 door, after which one, attempting to escape out of a window on 
 the loft, was shot through the head, and the lad wounded in the 
 arm. The only one now remaining, William Riddle, broke a 
 hole through the roof of the house, and an Indian, who saw him 
 looking out, alleged he was about to fire on him, withdrew, 
 which afforded Riddle an opportunity to make his escape. The 
 house, with the other four in it, was burned down, as one Mc- 
 Machen informs, who was coming to it, not suspecting Indians, 
 and was by them fired at and shot through the shoulder, but 
 made his escape. The same day, about dinner time, at about a 
 mile and a half from said White's house, at the house of Robert 
 Campbell, six men being in the house, as they were dining, three 
 Indians rushed in at the door, and, after firing among them and 
 wounding some, they tomahawked, in an instant, one of the men ; 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 371 
 
 whereupon one George Dodds, one of the company, sprang into 
 the room, took down a rifle, and shot an Indian through the 
 body who was presenting his piece to shoot him. The Indian 
 being mortally wounded, staggered, and, letting his gun fall, was 
 carried off by three more. Dodds, with one or two more, getting 
 upon the loft, broke the roof in in order to escape, and, looking 
 out, saw one of his company, Stephen Jeffries, running, but very 
 slowly, by reason of a wound in the breast, and an Indian pur- 
 suing ; and it was thought he could not escape, nor have we 
 heard of him since ; so that it is past dispute he also is mur- 
 dered. The first that attempted getting out of the loft was fired 
 at, and drew back ; another, attempting, was shot dead, and of 
 the six, Dodds was the only one that made his escape. The 
 same day, about dusk, about six or seven miles up Tuscarora, 
 and about twenty-eight or thirty miles hence, they murdered 
 one William Anderson, together with a boy and a girl, all in 
 one house. At White's were seen at least five, some say eight or 
 ten Indians, and at Campbell's about same number. On Mon- 
 day, the 11th, a party of about twenty-four went over from the 
 upper part of Shearman's Valley to see how matters were. An- 
 other party of twelve or thirteen went over from the upper part 
 of said valley ; and Colonel John Armstrong, with Thomas Wil- 
 son, Esq., and a party of between thirty and forty from this 
 town, to reconnoitre and assist in bringing the dead. 
 
 Of the first and third parties we have heard nothing yet; but 
 of the party of twelve, six are come in and inform that they 
 have passed through the several places in Tuscarora, and saw 
 the houses in flames or burned entirely down ; and the grain 
 that had been reaped the Indians burnt in shocks, and had set 
 the fences on fire where the grain was unreaped ; that the hogs 
 had fallen upon and mangled several of the dead bodies ; that 
 the said company of twelve, suspecting danger, durst not stay 
 to bury the dead ; that after they had returned over the Tusca- 
 rora mountain, about one or two miles on this side of it, and 
 about eighteen or twenty from hence, they were fired on by a 
 large party of Indians, supposed about thirty, and were obliged 
 to fly ; that two, viz. : William Robinson and John Graham, are 
 certainly killed, and four more are missing, who, it is thought, 
 have fallen into the hands of the enemy, as they appeared slow 
 in flight, most probably wounded, and the savages pursued with 
 
372 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 violence. What further mischief has been done we have not 
 heard, but expect every day and hour some more messages of 
 melancholy news. 
 
 In hearing of the above defeat, we sent out another party of 
 thirty or upwards, commanded by our high sheriff, Mr. Dun- 
 ning, and Mr. William Lyon, to go in quest of the enemy, or fall 
 in with and reinforce our other parties. There are also a num- 
 ber gone out from about three miles above this, so that we now 
 have over the hills upwards of eighty or ninety volunteers 
 scouring the woods. The inhabitants of Shearman's Valley, 
 Tuscarora, etc., are all come over, and the people of this valley, 
 near the mountain, are beginning to move in, so that in a few 
 days there will be scarcely a house inhabited north of Carlisle. 
 Many of our people are greatly distressed, through want of arms 
 and ammunition ; and numbers of those, beat off their places, 
 have hardly money enough to purchase a pound of powder. 
 
 Our women and children must move downwards, if the enemy 
 proceed. To-day a British vengeance begins to rise in the 
 breasts of our men. One of them, that fell from among the 
 twelve, as he was just expiring, said to one of his fellows : "Here, 
 take my gun and kill the first Indian you see and all shall be 
 well." 
 
 July 13, 1768. 
 
 Last night Colonel Armstrong returned. He left the party 
 who pursued further and found several dead, whom they buried 
 in the best manner they could, and are now all returned in. 
 From what appears, the Indians are traveling from one place to 
 another, along the valley, burning the farms and destroying all 
 the people they met with. This day gives an account of six 
 more being killed in the valley, so that, since last Sunday morn- 
 ing to this day, twelve o'clock, we have a pretty authentic ac- 
 count of the number slain, being twenty-five, and four or five 
 wounded. The Colonel, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Alricks are now on 
 the parade, endeavoring to raise another party to go out and 
 succor the Sheriff and his party, consisting of fifty men, which 
 marched yesterday, and I hope they will be able to send off 
 immediately twenty good men. The people here, I assure you, 
 want nothing but a good leader and a little encouragement to 
 make a very good defence. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 373 
 
 Our advices from Carlisle [says, the editor of the Pennsylvania 
 Gazette of July 28] are as follows, viz: That the party under the 
 sheriff, Mr. Dunning, mentioned in our last, fell in with the 
 enemy at the house of one Alexander Logan, in Shearman's Val- 
 ley, supposed to be about fifteen or upwards, who had murdered 
 the said Logan, his son, and another man about two miles from 
 said house, and mortally wounded a fourth, who is since dead, 
 and that, at the time of their being discovered, they were rifling 
 the house and shooting down the cattle, and, it is thought, about 
 to return home with the spoil they had got. 
 
 That our men, on seeing them, immediately spread themselves 
 from right to left with a design to surround >them, and engaged 
 the savages with great courage, but, from their eagerness, rather 
 too soon, as some of the party had not got up when the skirmish 
 began ; that the enemy returned our first fire very briskly, but 
 our people, regardless of that, rushed upon them, when they 
 fled and were pursued a considerable way, till thickets secured 
 their escape, four or five of them, it was thought, being mortally 
 wounded ; that our parties had brought in with them what cattle 
 they could collect, but that great numbers were killed by the 
 Indians, and many of the horses that were in the valleys carried 
 off; that on the 21st inst., [the morning] news was brought of 
 three Indians being seen about ten o'clock in the morning; one 
 Pomeroy and his wife and the wife of one Johnson were sur- 
 prised in a house between Shippensburg and the North Mount- 
 ain, and left there for dead; but that one of the women, when 
 found, showed some signs of life, was brought to Shippensburg, 
 where she lived some hours in a most miserable condition, being 
 scalped, one of her arms broken'and her skull fractured with the 
 stroke of a tomahawk ; and that, since the 10th inst., there was 
 an account of fifty-four persons being killed by the enemy. 
 
 That the Indians had set fire to the houses, barns, corn, wheat, 
 and rye, hay — in short, to everything combustible — so that the 
 whole country seemed to be one blaze ; that the miseries and 
 distresses of the poor people were really shocking to humanity 
 and beyond the power of language to describe; that Carlisle was 
 become the barrier, not a single inhabitant being beyond it; that 
 every stable and hovel in the town was crowded with miserable 
 refugees, who were reduced to a state of beggary and despair, 
 their houses, cattle, and harvest destroyed, and, from a plentiful, 
 
374 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 independent people, they were become real objects of charity 
 and commiseration; that it was dismal to see the streets filled 
 with people, in whose countenance might be discovered a mix- 
 ture of grief, madness, and despair, and to hear, now and then, 
 the sighs and groans of men, the disconsolate lamentations of 
 women, and the screams of children, who had lost their nearest 
 and dearest relatives ; and that, on both sides of the Susque- 
 hanna, for some miles, the woods were filled with poor families 
 and their cattle, who made fires and lived like savages, exposed 
 to the inclemencies of the weather. 
 
 Carlisle, July 30, 1763. 
 
 On the 25th, a considerable number of the inhabitant of Shear- 
 man's Valley went over with a party of soldiers to guard them, 
 to attempt saving as much of their grain as might be standing, 
 and it is hoped a considerable quantity will be preserved. A 
 party of volunteers (between twenty and thirty) went to the far- 
 ther side of the valley, next to the Tuscarora Mountain, to see 
 what appearance there might be of the Indians, as it was thought 
 they would most probably be there, if anywhere in the settle- 
 ment; to search for, and bury the dead at Buffalo Creek, and to 
 assist the inhabitants that lived along the foot of the mountain, 
 in bringing off" what they could, which services they accordingly 
 performed, burying the remains of three persons, but saw no 
 marks of Indians having lately been there, excepting one track 
 supposed about two or three days old, near the narrows of Buf- 
 falo Creek hill, and heard some hallooing and firing of a gun at 
 another place. A number of inhabitants of Tuscarora Valley go 
 over the mountain to-morrow, with a party of soldiers, to endeavor 
 to save part of the crops. Five Indians were seen last Sunday, 
 about sixteen or seventeen miles from Carlisle, up the valley 
 towards the North Mountain, and two the day before yesterday, 
 about five or six miles from Shippensburg, who fired at a young 
 man and missed him. 
 
 On the 25th July there were in Shippensburg 1384 of our poor, 
 distressed, back inhabitants, viz. : men, 301; women, 345; child- 
 ren, 738; many of whom were obliged to lie in barns, stables, 
 cellars, and under old, leaky sheds, the dwelling houses being, 
 all crowded. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 375 
 
 In a letter dated Carlisle, 13th August, 1763, it is said that 
 some Indians have lately been seen in Shearman's Valley, and 
 that on the 11th the tracks of a party were found, supposed to 
 consist of eight or ten, coming through Shearman's Valley towards 
 Carlisle, about twelve miles upward. In another letter, dated 
 August 17th, mention is made that one John Martin, in the 
 Great Cove, seeing an Indian coming up to a house where he wasj 
 fired at him, upon which the Indians raised a yell and took a 
 tree; that Martin, imagining there might be more Indians near 
 him, ran to a company at work and told what had happened, 
 when they went to the place, found some blood and excrements, 
 from which they concluded he was shot through the bowels. 
 
 They followed his track down to a bottom, where they saw the 
 tracks of six or seven more, but, being a small party, pursued no 
 farther. In the same letter it is also said that a young man, at 
 a plantation about nine miles from Carlisle, near the foot of the 
 mountain, saw an Indian and fired at him at about fifty yards 
 distance, but was not sure that he hit him. The Indian took a 
 tree and the lad went back a little way, in order to load again, 
 but on his return could not see the Indian. He then alarmed 
 the neighborhood, and, the soldiers being all out in parties cover- 
 ing the people gathering grain, upwards of twenty young men 
 turned out immediately, from Carlisle, to scour the woods. 
 
 NARRATIVE OF ROBERT ROBINSON. 
 
 The following narrative was furnished the editor of " Loudon's 
 Indian Narratives," by Robert Robinson, who was an eye-wit- 
 ness to many of the transactions related by him. He was wounded 
 at the Kittanning when it was taken by Col. afterwards Gen. John 
 Armstrong, and a second time at the skirmish at Buffalo Creek, 
 where two of his brothers fell victims to savage fury. (See also 
 Chapter V, History Juniata Valley.) He says. Sideling Hill was 
 the first fought battle after Braddock's defeat ; in the year 1756, 
 a party of Indians came out of Conococheague, to a garrison 
 named M'Cord's Fort, where they killed some and took a num- 
 ber prisoners. They then took their course near Fort Littleton. 
 Captain Hamilton being stationed there with a company, hearing 
 
376 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 of their route at M'Cord's Fort, marched with his company of men 
 having an Indian with them who was under pay ; this Indian led 
 the company, came to the tracks of the Indians, and followed 
 them to Sideling Hill, where they found them with their prison- 
 ers,-giving the first fire but without doing much damage; the 
 Indians returned the fire, defeated our men, and killed a num- 
 ber of them ; my brother, James Robinson, was among the slain. 
 The Indians had M'Cord's wife with them ; they cut off Mr. 
 James Blair's head, and threw it in Mrs. M'Cord's lap, saying 
 that was her husband's head ; but she knew it to be Blair's. 
 
 The next I remember of, was in the same year, the Woolcom- 
 ber family, on Shearman's Creek ; the whole of the inhabitants 
 of the valley were gathered to a fort at George Robinson's ; but 
 the Woolcomber would not leave home ; he said it was the Irish 
 who were killing one another ; these peaceable people, the In- 
 dians, would not hurt any person. Being at home and at dinner 
 the Indians came in, and the Quaker asked them to come and 
 eat dinner ; an Indian answered that he did not come to eat, but 
 for scalps ; the son, a boy of 14 or 15 years of age, when he heard 
 the Indian say so, repaired to a back door, and as he went out 
 he looked back and saw the Indian strike the tomahawk into 
 his father's head. The boy then ran over the creek which was 
 near to the house, and heard the screams of his mother, sisters, 
 and brothers. The boy came to our fort and gave us the alarm, 
 — about forty went to where the murder was done and buried 
 the dead. 
 
 In the month of September, 1757, Col. John Armstrong, with 
 307 men, went to Kittanning, undiscovered until we came to a 
 place called the Forty Mile Lick, where the Indians trimmed 
 the hair of their prisoners. We lay there on Saturday night ; the 
 next morning the Colonel ordered two of our guides to spy the 
 town ; they went, and brought back word that the Indians were 
 there. The names of the spies were Thomas Burke and James 
 Chalmers, both old traders. We marched from that place to the 
 town that day and night. 
 
 When we came within about six miles of the town, we ob- 
 served a fire; our Colonel ordered two men to go and spy how 
 many Indians there were at the fire ; accordingly they went, 
 but could see only four, the rest had lain down and could not be 
 seen. The Colonel left Lieut. Hoge, with twelve men, to fight 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 6i i 
 
 these supposed four; whereas the prisoners give the account, 
 that there was twenty-five Indians sent out to kill meat for the 
 company that was to be there next night, consisting of 150, 
 destined for Virginia. These twelve men and their officer, 
 crawled near the Indians before daybreak. An Indian c^me 
 toward them and was like to come too near, the Indian not 
 knowing any thing of them ; these men fired at this Indian, 
 but missed him, when all the Indians ran from the fire and left 
 their guns standing at a rack, which they commonly have. Our 
 men standing, and not laying hold of the Indians' guns, gave 
 them time to return for their guns, and commence a battle. Out 
 of which party the Indians killed the Lieutenant and five men, 
 and wounded two others. Shortly after they began, we began at 
 the town, and they heard our firing which discouraged the In- 
 dians greatly ; our people telling them, your town is on fire, you 
 dogs you : our people got off", and the Indians did not follow 
 them as they would have done. When the Indian magazine 
 blew up in the town, they ceased firing a considerable time, 
 which report was heard at Fort Pitt. A boy of the name of 
 Crawford, told afterwards, that he was up at the Kittanning the 
 next day, with some French and Indians, and found Captain 
 Jacobs, his squaw and son, with some others. 
 
 The form in which we made the attack was : our captains 
 stood all in rank, each company behind their captain ; the word 
 was given, every man do for himself; we rushed down to the 
 town, the Indians' dogs barked, and the first house we came to> 
 the Indian came out, and held his hand, as shading the light 
 from his eyes, looking towards us until there were five guns fired 
 -at him ; he then ran, and with a loud voice called shewanick^ 
 which signifies white men ; there was in the house a young 
 woman, a prisoner, who came out with both her hands raised 
 up, but the guns were firing so fast she got frightened, and ran 
 back to the house again, where she got a grain of swan shot 
 through her arm ; she then made out a second time and was re- 
 ceived b}^ us; the Indians being then alarmed, were running 
 through the cornfield; they fired on us, but to no purpose; we 
 rushed into the town, and they all left it except Captain Jacobs, 
 his squaw, son, and one called by traders Pisquetum, and some 
 others that were blown up with their magazine ; we relieved five 
 prisoners, besides the young woman which we first took, she was 
 
378 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 re-taken when Captain Mercer's company was broken, which I 
 shall give you an account of. 
 
 When we had ended our tragedy in the town, we then pre- 
 pared for the road; we had six killed, and six wounded, our 
 Colonel was among the wounded ; before the Indians gave up 
 the Colonel says, is there none of you lads, that will set fire to 
 these rascals that have wounded me, and killed so many of our 
 men ? John Ferguson, a soldier, swore that he would ; he goes 
 to a house covered with bark, and takes a slice of bark which 
 had fire on it, he rushes up to the cover of Jacobs' house, and 
 held it there until it had burned about one yard square, ^en he 
 ran, and the Indians fired at him — the smoke blew about his 
 legs but the shot missed him ; all eyes were upon the magazine, 
 watching when these fellows would come forth ; they remained 
 until their guns took fire, and went off like a platoon ; their 
 magazine blew up at the same time ; when Jacobs and those be- 
 fore mentioned sprang out, Jacobs' squaw wielded a tomahawk 
 round her head before she jumped the fence ; Jacobs fell first, 
 then his wife, and then his son, in proportion seven feet high. 
 We were then preparing to leave the town, when Captain Mer- 
 cer, who had his right arm broken in the town — his company 
 was chiefly composed of traders, who persuaded their captain 
 that there would not one living man of us ever get home, and if 
 he, Captain Mercer, would go with them, they would take him a 
 near cut — accordingly all his company went with him but Ser- 
 geant Brown, and twelve men ; the captain, however, and his 
 men, unfortunately fell in with the Indians that Lieut. Hoge had 
 been fighting with that morning ; they fell upon his company 
 and broke it, killing about twenty men ; Captain Mercer having 
 a horse, Thomas Burke, ensign Scott and he, drove to the road 
 that we had gone along ; there the Captain's arm broke loose, 
 and he was forced to stop and dress it; he became faint; in the 
 meantime they espied] an Indian coming from following us ; 
 Burke and Scott mounted Mercer's horse and rode off, leaving 
 him to his fate ; but Mercer lay down behind a log, it happening 
 to be thick of weeds, the Indian came about six from him, and 
 seeing Burke and Scott riding, he gave out a halloo and ran after ; 
 in a short time Mercer heard two guns gooff; he then went 
 down through a long plumb bottom, and lay there until night, 
 when he made the best of his way. It was at the time of the 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 379 
 
 plumbs being ripe, but they did not last long enough, for the 
 Captain had a month to struggle with, before he got home — all 
 the food he got after the plumbs were done, was one rattle-snake, 
 and had to eat that raw. On the north side of the Allegheny- 
 Mountain, he saw one day what he thought to be an Indian, 
 and the other saw him ; both took trees and stood a long time ; 
 at last the captain thought he would go forward and meet his fate^ 
 but when he came near, he found it to be one of his own men \ 
 both rejoiced to meet, and both in that situation scarce able to 
 walk ; they pushed over the mountain, and were not far from 
 Frankstown, when the soldier lay down, unable to go any fur- 
 ther, with the intention never more to rise. The captain went 
 about seven miles, when he also lay down, giving up all hopes 
 of ever getting home. At this time there was a company of 
 Cherokee Indians in king's pay, and being at Fort Littleton, 
 Captain Hamilton sent some of them to search along the foot of 
 the Allegheny Mountain to see if there were signs of Indians on 
 that route, and these Indians came upon Captain Mercer, unable to 
 rise ; they gave him food, and he told them of the other ; they 
 took the Captain's track and found him, and brought him ta 
 Fort Littlleton, carrying him on a bier of their own making. We 
 took fourteen scalps in this expedition. 
 
 As for our retreating from the Kittanning, we met with no op- 
 position, only a few Indians on this side of the town fired on us ; 
 they shot about two hundred yards, and shot Andrew Douglas 
 through both ancles. We had no more injury done until we 
 came to this side of the Allegheny mountain, when one Samuel 
 Chambers, having left his coat at Clear Fields, desired leave of 
 Colonel Armstrong to go back for his coat, and to bring three 
 horses which had given out ; Colonel Armstrong advised against 
 it, but Chambers insisted on going, and so went back ; when he 
 came to the top of the mountain, a party of Indians fired on him 
 but missed him ; Chambers then steered towards Big Island, the 
 Indians pursued and the third day killed him on French Mar- 
 garet's Island. So the Indians told old Captain Patterson. 
 
 The next was General Bouquet, the second war, when the In- 
 dians thought they were able to kill and take us all themselves, 
 the French being bound by the last treaty of peace not to sup- 
 ply the Indians with powder and lead, the Indians not knowing 
 this until they were in need of ammunition. They however did 
 
380 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 much mischief; they fought Bouquet at Bushy Run, but were 
 defeated. At this time Bouquet went down the Ohio seventy- 
 five miles below Fort Pitt, and sent one David Owens, who had 
 been married to an Indian woman, and had by her three chil- 
 dren, when taking a thought that he would advance himself, 
 killed and scalped his wife and children, and brought their scalps 
 to Philadelphia ; he received no reward, but was made ambas- 
 sador between General Bouquet and the Indians. 
 
 When Owens was sent to let the Indians know they might 
 have peace, they made a prisoner of him, for the murder he had 
 committed, two of his wife's brothers being there ; Owens gave 
 them to know, if they killed him they would never get peace. 
 
 The Indians held council three days upon him ; they then let 
 him go and came up themselves, agreeably to the invitation 
 which was sent to them, and agreed to give up the prisoners. 
 So ended that campaign. 
 
 In this second war, on the fifth day of July, 1763, the Indians 
 came to Juniata, it being harvest time, and the white people 
 were come back to reap their crops ; they came first to the house 
 of Wm. White ; it was on the Sabbath day ; the reapers were all 
 in the house ; the Indians crept up nigh to the door and shot the 
 people lying on the floor, and killed Wm. White, and all his 
 family that were there, excepting one boy, who, when he heard 
 the guns, leaped out of the window and made his escape. 
 
 This same party went to Robert Campbell's on the Tuscarora 
 creek, surprised them in the same way, shot them on the floor 
 where they were resting themselves ; one George Dodds being 
 there harvesting, had just risen, and gone into the room and lay 
 down on the bed, setting his gun beside him. When the Indians 
 fired, one of them sprung into the house with his tomahawk in 
 his hand, running up to where a man was standing in the cor- 
 ner ; Dodds fired at the Indian not six feet from him, the Indian 
 gave a halloo and ran out as fast as he could : there being an 
 open in the loft above the bed, Dodds sprang up there and 
 went out by the chimney, making his escape, and came to 
 Shearman's Valley; he came to William Dickson's and told 
 what had happened, there being a young man there which 
 brought the news to us, who were harvesting at Edward Elliott's 
 other intelligence we got in the night; John Graham, John 
 Christy, and James Christy, were alarmed in the evening by guns 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 381 
 
 firing at William Anderson's, where the old man was killed with 
 nis Bible in his hand; supposed he was about worship ; his son 
 also was killed, and a girl that had been brought up from a child 
 by the old people ; Graham and the Christys came about mid- 
 night; we hearing the Indians had got so far up the Tuscarora 
 Valley, and knowing Collins' family and Jances Scott's were 
 there about harvest, twelve of us concluded to go to over Big- 
 ham's gap and give those word that were there ; when we came 
 to Collins' we saw that the Indians had been there, had broke a 
 wheel, emptied a bed, and taken flour, of which they made some 
 water gruel ; we counted thirteen spoons made of bark ; we fol- 
 lowed the tracks down to James Scott's, where we found the 
 Indians had killed some fowls ; we pursued on to Graham's, 
 there the house was on fire, and burned down to the joists ; we 
 divided our men into two parties, six in each, my brother with 
 his party came in behind the barn, and myself with the other 
 party came down through an oats field ; I was to shoot first, the 
 Indians had hung a coat upon a post, on the other side of the 
 fire from us, I looked at it, and saw it immovable, and therefore 
 walked down to it and found that the Indians had just left it; 
 they had killed four hogs and had eaten at pleasure ; our com- 
 pany took their tracks, and found that two companies had met 
 at Graham's and had gone over the Tuscarora mountain. We 
 took the run gap ; the two roads meeting at Nicholson's, they 
 were there first, heard us coming and lay in ambush for us ; they 
 had the first fire ; being twenty-five in number, and only twelve* 
 
 *The uames of the twelve were William Eobinson, who acted as captain, 
 Robert Robinson, the relator of this narrative, Thomas Robinson, being three 
 brothers, John Graham, Charles Elliott, William Christy, James Christy, 
 David Miller, John Elliott, Edward M^Connel, William Minister, and 
 John Nicholson : the persons killed were William Robinson, who was shot in 
 the belly with buck shot and got about half a mile from the ground ; John 
 Elliot, then a boy about seventeen years of age ; having emptied his gun, he 
 was pursued by an Indian with his tomahawk, who was within a few perches 
 of him, when Elliot had poured some powder into his gun by random, out of 
 his powder horn, and having a bullet in his mouth, put it in the muzzle, but 
 had no time to ram it down; he turned and fired at his pursuer, who clapped 
 his hand on his stomach and cried, och! then turned and fled. Elliot had ran 
 but a few perches farther, when he overtook William Robinson, weltering in 
 his blood, in his last agonies; he requested Elliot to carry him off, who ex- 
 cused himself, by telling him of his inability to do so, and also of the danger 
 
382 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 of US ; they killed five, and wounded myself. They then went 
 to Alexander Logan's, where they emptied some beds, and passed 
 on to George M'Cord's. 
 
 A party of forty men came from Carlisle, in order to bury the 
 dead at Juniata, when they saw the dead at Bufifalo creek they 
 returned home ; then a party of men came with Captain Dun- 
 ning, but before they came to Alexander Logan, his son John, 
 Charles Coyle, William Hamilton, with Bartholomew Davis, 
 followed the Indians to George M'Cord's, where they were in the 
 barn ; Logan, and these with him were all killed, except Davis, 
 who made his escape. The Indians then returned to Logan's 
 house again, where Captain Dunning and his party came on 
 
 they were in; he said he knew it, but desired him to take his gun with him, 
 and, peace or war, if ever he had an opportunity of an Indian, to shoot him 
 for his sake. Elliot brought away the gun, and Robinson was not found by the 
 Indians- 
 Thomas Robinson stood on the ground until the whole of his people were 
 fled, nor did the Indians offer to pursue, until the last man left the field; 
 Thomas having fired and charged a second time, the Indians were prepared 
 for him, and when he took aim past the tree, a number fired at him at the 
 same time; one of his arms was broken, he took his gun in the other and fled, 
 going up a hill he came to a high log, and clapped his hand, in which was his 
 gun, on the log to assist in leaping over it, while in the attitude of stooping, a 
 bullet entered his side, going in a triangular course through his body, he sunk 
 down across the log; the Indians sunk the cock of his gun into his brains, and 
 mangled him very much. John Graham was seen by David Miller sitting on 
 a log, not far from the place of attack, with his hands on his face, and the 
 blood running through his fingers. Charles Elliot and Edward M'Connell 
 took a circle round where the Indians were lying, and made the best of their 
 way to Buffalo Creek, but they were pursued by the Indians, and where they 
 crossed the creek there was a high bank, and as they were endeavoring to as- 
 cend the bank they were both shot, and fell back into the water. 
 
 Thus ended this unfortunate affair to those engaged, but at the same time it 
 appears as if the hand of Providence had been in the whole transaction; for 
 there is every reason to believe, that spies had been viewing the place the 
 night before, and the Indians were within three-quarters of a mile of the place 
 from which the men had started, where there would have been from twenty 
 to thirty men, perhaps in the field reaping, and all the guns that could be de- 
 pended on were in this small company except one, so that they might have 
 become an easy prey, and instead of those five brave men, who lost their lives, 
 three times that number might have suffered. The two Christy's were out 
 about a week, before they could make their escape; the Indians one night 
 passed so nigh to them, that they could have touched them with their guns. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 383 
 
 them and they fired some time at each other; Dunning had one 
 man wounded. 
 
 I forgot to give you an account of a murder done at our own 
 fort in Shearman's Valley, in July 1756, the Indians waylaid the 
 fort in harvest time and kept quiet until the reapers were gone ; 
 James Wilson remaining some time behind the rest, and I not 
 being gone to my business, which was hunting deer, for the use 
 of the company, Wilson standing at the fort gate, I desired lib- 
 erty to shoot his gun at a mark, upon which he gave me the gun, 
 and I shot ; the Indians on the upper side of the fort, thinking 
 they were discovered, rushed on a daughter of Robert Miller, 
 and instantly killed her, and shot at John Simmeson ; they then 
 made the best of it that they could, and killed the wife of James 
 Wilson* and the widow Gibson, and took Hugh Gibson and 
 Betsy Henry prisoners ; the reapers, being forty in number, re- 
 turned to the fort and the Indians made off. 
 
 Sir, having gone through all I can remember, you will please 
 to take out what answers your purpose. 
 
 I shall relate an afiFair told me by James M'Clu^g, a man 
 whom I can confide in for truth, it being in his neighborhood. 
 An Indian came to a tavern, called for a gill of whiskey, drank 
 some out of it; when there came another Indian in, he called 
 for a gill also, and set it on the table, without drinking any of it, 
 and took out the first Indian, discoursing with him for some 
 time; the first Indian then stripped himself naked, and lay 
 down on the floor, and stretched himself, the other stood at the 
 door, and when he was ready, he stepped forward with his knife 
 in his hand, and stabbed the Indian who was lying down, to the 
 heart; he received the stab, jumped to his feet, drank both the 
 gills of whisky ofi", and dropped down dead ; the white people 
 made a prisoner of the other Indian, and sent to the heads of 
 the nation ; two of them came and examined the Indian, who 
 was prisoner, and told them to let him go, he had done right. 
 
 Sir, yours, &c., 
 
 ROBERT ROBINSON. 
 
 *While the Indian was scalping Mrs. Wilson, the relator shot at and 
 wounded him, but he made his escape. 
 
384 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 THE MURDER OF JACK ARMSTRONG. 
 
 In addition to what is given by Mr. Jones relating to this 
 affair, the following will add interest to the history of the trans- 
 action. 
 
 The first signer to the deposition as printed was a brother of 
 the murdered man, and resided on the river above Armstrong's 
 creek, in now Dauphin county. He addressed a letter to Allum- 
 mapees, king of the Delawares, then at Shamokin, touching the 
 death of his brother and some threats made by some Delaware 
 Indians upon his life : 
 
 " Paxtang, ye 25th April, 174-4-- 
 
 "To Allumoppies, King of the Delawares: Great Sir, as a 
 parcel of our men have murdered my brother and two of his 
 men, I wrote you, knowing you to be a king of justice, that you 
 will send us in all the murderers and the men that were with 
 them. As I looked for the corpse of my murdered brother ; 
 for that reason your men threaten my life, and I cannot live in 
 my house. Now, as we have no inclination or mind to go to 
 war with you, our friends, as a friend I desire that you will keep 
 your men from doing me harm, and also to send the murderers 
 and their companions. 
 
 '•I expect an answer; and am your much hurt friend and 
 brother, 
 
 " Alexander Armstrong." 
 
 The atrocity of this murder was so aggravating that a Pro- 
 vincial Council was held, and it was resolved that Conrad Weiser, 
 the Provincial Interpreter and Indian agent, should be sent to 
 Shamokin to make demands in the name of the Governor for 
 some others concerned in the murder. The following extracts 
 give a detailed account of all the circumstances : 
 
 "At a council held April 25, 1744, The Governor, George 
 Thomas, laid before the Board a letter dated April 22, 1744, from 
 Mr. Cookson, at Lancaster, purporting that John Armstrong, an 
 Indian trader, with his two servants, Woodworth Arnold and 
 James Smith, had been murdered at Juniata by three Delaware 
 Indians, and that John Musemeelin and Johnson, of Neshalleeny, 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 385 
 
 two of the Indians concerned in the murder, had been seized by 
 the order of Shickcalamy and the other Indian chiefs at Sha- 
 mokin and sent under a guard of Indians to be delivered up to 
 justice; that one was actually delivered up in jail at Lancaster, 
 but the other had made his escape from the persons to whose 
 care he was committed. 
 
 "His honor then sent to the Chief Justice to consult him 
 about the steps proper to be taken to bring the Indian to his 
 trial, but as he was absent at a Court of Oyer and Terminer in 
 Bucks county, it was the opinion of the Board that the Indian, 
 Musemeelin, should be immediately removed to Philadelphia 
 jail, and that Conrad Weiser should be immediately dispatched 
 to the chiefs of the Delaware Indians at Shamokin to make a 
 peremptory demand in his honor's name of the other murderers 
 concerned, and that Shickcalamy and the other Indians there do 
 order immediate search to be made for the goods of which the 
 deceased was robbed, in order to there being put into the hands 
 of his brother for the satisfaction of his creditors or the support 
 of his family. And at the same time to inform them that the 
 chiefs of the Indians which shall meet at Lancaster on the treaty 
 with our neighboring governments will be desired to depute 
 some of their number to be present at the trial and at the execu- 
 tion of such as shall be found guilty." 
 
 Conrad Weiser was accordingly sent to Shamokin. He writes 
 in his journal, Shamokin May 2, 1744 : 
 
 " This day I delivered the Governor's message to Allumoppies 
 the Delaware chief, and the rest of the Delaware Indians in the 
 presence of Shickalamy and a few more of the Six Nations. 
 The purport of which was, that I was sent express by the Gov- 
 ernor and Council to demand those that had been concerned 
 with Musemeelin in murdering John Armstrong, Woodworth 
 Arnold, and James Smith ; that their bodies might be searched 
 for, and decently buried ; that the goods be likewise found and 
 restored without fraud. It was delivered them by me in the 
 Mohawk language, and interpreted into Delaware by Andrew, 
 Madame Montour's son." 
 
 In the afternoon Allummappees, in the presence of the afore- 
 said Indians, made the following answers : 
 
 " Brother, the Governor : It is true that we, the Delaware In- 
 25 
 
386 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 dians, by the investigation of the evil spirit, have murdered John 
 Armstrong and his men; we have transgressed, and we are 
 ashamed to look up. We have taken the murderer and deliv- 
 ered him to the relations of the deceased, to be dealt with ac- 
 cording to his works. 
 
 " Brother, the Governor : Your demand for the guard is very 
 just ; we have gathered some of them ; we will do the utmost of 
 what we can to find them all. We do not doubt but we can 
 find out the most part, and whatever is wanting, we will make up 
 with skins, which is what the guard are sent for to the woods. 
 
 " Brother, the Governor : The dead bodies are buried. It is 
 certain that John Armstrong was buried by the murderer, and 
 the other two by those that searched for them. Our hearts are 
 in mourning, and we are in a dismal condition, and cannot say 
 anything at present." 
 
 From this time on, for a period of ten years, we hear of no 
 Indian outrages. The Indian referred to was not, as should 
 have been done, tried and executed. The murder of Armstrong 
 was an atrocious one, and the offender should have been 
 promptly dealt with. Like escaped murderers in these days, he 
 was lionized by "certain parties," and subsequently returned to 
 his wigwam, from which in after years he emanated when some 
 scalping party or bloody fray was inaugurated. 
 
 ARMSTRONG'S RESTING PLACE. 
 
 [The following interesting particulars relating to the remains 
 of the murdered Jack Armstrong are from an account publfshed 
 in the Local News of Huntingdon, in February, 1889 :] 
 
 For about twenty-five years, it is said, a peculiar light has 
 been seen near the top of Rocky Ridge, at Bridgeport, a short 
 distance west of Mapleton, which made its appearance more 
 noticeably in the month of January of each year. Those who 
 have seen the light thought nothing of it except that it was a 
 strange place for a light to appear, but never thought it worth 
 while to investigate the cause. It was left for a party of three 
 gentlemen, A. K. Skipper, Joseph Grove, and Thos. M. Logan, 
 all good and trustworthy citizens of Mapleton, to fit out an ex- 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 387 
 
 pedition in the latter part of last month to visit the spot where 
 the light made its appearance, and inquire into the cause. The 
 three adventurous explorers left Mapleton in the evening, and 
 when nearing the spot they were astonished to see three lights, 
 which had the appearance of rockets. Each one would pop up 
 from the ground and remain for a few minutes about three feet 
 above the surface, and then disappear in succession. These 
 lights were on a line and seemed to point to a larger, brighter 
 light like that from a lantern, which swayed to and fro over a 
 crevice in the rock. The party were satisfied that it meant some- 
 thing, they knew not what, and as the place where the light was 
 could be reached better in the day time and when there would 
 be no snow and ice on the rocks, they concluded to visit the spot 
 again, which they did a few days afterwards. 
 
 Supposing that there might be something buried beneath the 
 surface where the mysterious light made its appearance, they 
 provided themselves with picks and shovels, and began to dig. 
 After digging into the ground to the depth of six feet they came 
 upon a pile of loose stones, which covered two large flat stones 
 that formed a lid, upon lifting which they discovered what 
 seemed to be the remains of a human body in a hole about three 
 feet long. The remains were decomposed to a blackened powder, 
 and the bones when exposed to the air crumbled into dust. The 
 explorers made a thorough examination, and are of the opinion 
 that some one had been murdered near that place many years 
 ago, and the body had been secreted in this secluded spot, the 
 only thing to mark it being the singular light, which had disap- 
 peared since the discovery was made. What caused the light is 
 as much a mystery as ever. Can it be explained upon any 
 scientific, psychological, or mythological theory ? 
 
 It is now conceded by many that there were none other than 
 the remains of the notorious Jack Armstrong, an individual who 
 resided near what is known as Jack's Spring, so named after 
 him, on Jack's Mountain, a short distance from Mount Union. 
 He was an Indian trader, and he and his two companions, James 
 Smith and Woodward Arnold, were murdered by a Delaware 
 Indian named Musemeelin, in the narrows, about the middle of 
 February, 1744, just one hundred and forty-five years ago. 
 
 According to John Harris, the narrows took their name fro m 
 Jack Armstrong. He mentions them as " Jack Armstrong's 
 
388 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 Narrows, so called from his being there murdered" Harris' 
 memorandum serves, too, to locate the scene of the massacre of 
 Armstrong and his party. He fixes it at eight miles from Augh- 
 wick and ten miles from ; Standing Stone, (Huntingdon,) which 
 is about the spot where the body was recently found. 
 
 JACK'S NARROWS." 
 
 ["Jack's Narrows" is the name of a remarkable glen in Jack's 
 Mountain, over two miles long, near Mount Union. The " Blue 
 Juniata" flows the whole length of this wild and romantic gap, 
 the ruins of the old Pittsburgh turnpike extend through it, the 
 almost forsaken Pennsylvania canal traverses it, also the Penn- 
 sylvania railroad, many telegraph lines, and telephone lines. 
 The narrows took their name from Captain Jack Armstrong, an 
 early pioneer and Indian trader, who frequented this mountain- 
 ous district in the years from about 1730 to 1744, and who was 
 murdered by the Indians and buried on the river shore in the 
 vicinity of this famous gateway. The recent discovery of the 
 bones of the veritable Jack Armstrong we believe to be a re- 
 markable confirmation of history and tradition. In addition to 
 what has been said of " Jack's Narrows," another historical fact 
 well known and well worthy of preservation, was the establish- 
 ing of '' Drake's Ferry " by Samuel Drake, Sen., just one hundred 
 years ago this year of 1889. — Drake's Ferry for fully fifty years 
 was the great crossing place over the Juniata for nearly all the 
 trade and travel. It served its enterprising originator and the 
 public well in its busy days, but now only a few old landmarks 
 remain to show the crossing of this once famous Drake's Ferry.] 
 
 All hail!*thou deep and mighty gorge, 
 
 That mak'st for man the way; 
 Thou wond'rous work of nature's hand, 
 
 On old creation's day ; 
 With awe I view thy rugged slopes, 
 
 And mark thy tow'ring heights, 
 Where mountain grandeur clothes each view 
 
 With wild and lonely sights. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 389 
 
 And proud thou art that at thy feet 
 
 As peaceful measures glide, 
 The Juniata's limpid waves 
 
 Thy rocky steeps divide ; 
 And mirror from their placid depths 
 
 Thy pines and oaks so old, 
 Whose mossy trunks and cone-clad boughs 
 
 Heed not the heat nor cold. 
 
 Upon the gray and hoary cliffs 
 
 That crown thy winding way, 
 That stand like castles, old and grim, 
 
 Untouched by rude decay. 
 The eagles rear their helpless young 
 
 From all their foes secure, 
 And teach their timid wings to range 
 
 To ether clear and pure. 
 
 When vernal skies dispel the chill 
 
 That winter winds have brought, 
 And heal the wounds with piteous hands 
 
 Unfeeling frost hath wrought. 
 Then woodland beauty hastens forth 
 
 Thy bleak defiles to hide. 
 And leaflets spring from tree and shrub, 
 
 And fiow'rs on every side. 
 
 If summer suns, with melting ray, 
 
 Make hills and valleys glow. 
 And fling their beaming radiance down 
 
 Alike on friend and foe ; 
 With gentle breezes thou art fanned. 
 
 With balmy zephyrs blest. 
 Refreshing to the languid ones. 
 
 And to the weary rest. 
 
 So, too, when autumn's mellow days 
 
 Begin their busy hours, 
 And hang their gorgeous drapings wide 
 
 O'er all thy sylvan bowers, 
 
390 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 Then many a low and ladened bough 
 
 And many a stately tree, 
 With gen'rous yield their fruits bestow 
 
 A bounty rich and free. 
 
 But when the storms of winter come 
 
 Thy solitudes to claim, 
 Old Boreas rides in wrathful mood 
 
 O'er all thy bleak domain; 
 He fiercely binds thy far-famed stream, 
 
 He madly seals it fast, 
 And sweeps athwart thy dark ravines 
 
 In many a roaring blast. 
 
 An hundred years great change hath brought 
 
 To thy primeval state. 
 And in thy future's hidden years 
 
 Still greater wonders wait; 
 Oh, glorious gateway for the world, 
 
 So kind to coming life. 
 Bring not the woes of Glenco's vale, 
 
 Nor old Thermopylae's strife. 
 
 Loncf ere Magellan built for fame 
 
 By sailing round the earth, 
 In years unknown to history's page — 
 
 Before Columbia's birth, 
 The tribal children here did dwell 
 
 In freedom's happy dream. 
 And sought their food among thy glens, 
 
 And from thy fruitful stream. 
 
 But they have left thy wooded wastes. 
 
 And sought an unknown strand ; 
 Their fires are out, their wigwams gone, 
 
 To rise in spirit-land ; 
 They tread no more thy mazy paths, 
 
 Nor cross thy rocky bounds. 
 But tread in blissful ecstacies 
 
 Their happy hunting grounds. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 391 
 
 And then a race superior came 
 
 To wake thy sleeping scenes, 
 To hew a passage through thy length 
 
 And bridge thy dark ravines ; 
 Their beasts of burden came and went 
 
 Their wide and beaten way, 
 While great and lumbering wagons passed 
 
 In haste both night and day. 
 
 They smoothed still more their great highway 
 
 With most untiring skill, 
 And sent the daring stage-coach 
 
 To speed along at will ; 
 And when the echoing horn rang out, 
 
 In din both wild and new, 
 Thine Alpine peaks and deep retreats 
 
 Soon faded from the view. 
 
 But greater works thou wast to see 
 
 Along thy rocky feet, 
 A graceful son thy river gave. 
 
 The stranger's wants to meet. 
 Who on his gentle bosom bore 
 
 In craft of wise design, 
 The treasures of the field and mill. 
 
 And riches of the mine. 
 
 Anon the packet sped along 
 
 In haughty, boastful pride. 
 Her precious load of joyous life 
 
 Rode soft as zephyr's glide ; 
 And swiftly by thy wond'ring hills 
 
 She carried man and wealth, 
 To distant fields they journeyed all, 
 
 For fortune or for health. 
 <• 
 Yes, mark the wonders still to rise 
 
 To men's progressive will ; 
 The iron way traversed thy length, 
 
 Man's wishes to fulfill ; 
 And where thy quiet year's have slept, 
 
392 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 The thund'ring train now flies, 
 
 And millions of the striving race 
 
 Have swept beneath thy skies. 
 
 Yea, ev'ry land that shares the sun, 
 
 Contributes to thy throng. 
 That day and night between thy slopes 
 
 Is swiftly borne along ; 
 And treasure, too, from ev'ry clime 
 
 Comes slumbering in the wake, 
 And both are grateful for the way 
 
 Thy kindly openings make. 
 
 And stretching all thy dreary length 
 
 The iron nerves are hung. 
 That gather thoughts from all the world 
 
 And speak with lightning's tongue ; 
 What greater works hath man to boast 
 
 Than these immortal peers — 
 The telegraph, the telephone. 
 
 That bless the rolling years. 
 
 And here a century old to- day 
 
 Drake's Ferry lives in name ! 
 How bright the story of its years ! 
 
 How far its patrons came ! 
 What bustling life, what moving wealth, 
 
 Confided in the skill, 
 Of one tradition praises well, 
 
 And loves his memory still ! 
 
 And last, let mem'ry's deep impress 
 
 Record the deeds of yore, 
 Of him who sleeps in peaceful rest 
 
 Upon thy river' i shore; 
 Friend to friend, a foe to foe, 
 
 To stand he was not slack. 
 And thou dost wear this hero's name — 
 
 The name of Captain Jack. 
 
 W. W. Fuller. 
 
HISTORY OF THE .1 UNI ATA VALLEY. 393 
 
 INDIAN MASSACRE AT SHAVER'S CREEK. 
 
 [The following narrative of the murder of Peter Shaver and 
 others at Shaver's Creek in 1755, supplements what Mr. Jones 
 has given us concerning the Indian outrages during the French 
 and Indian war.] 
 
 In the year 1755, Peter Shaver, John Savage, and two other 
 men were killed at the mouth of Shaver's Creek on Juniata by 
 the Indians. February, 1756, a party of Indians from Shamokin 
 came to Juniata; the first place they came to was Hugh Mitchel- 
 tree's, who was gone to Carlisle, and had got a young man of the 
 name of Edward Nicholous to stay with his wife until he would 
 return. The Indians killed them both. The same party of In- 
 dians went up the river where the Lukens' now live; William 
 Wilcox at the time lived on the opposite side of the river, whose 
 wife and eldest son had come over the river on some business ; 
 the Indians came while they were there and killed old Edward 
 Nicholous and Thomas and Catharine Nicholous and John 
 Wilcox. James Armstrong's wife and two children prisoners. 
 
 An Indian named James Cotties who wanted to be Captain of 
 this party, when they did not choose him he would not go with 
 them. He and a boy went to Shearman's Creek, and killed 
 William Sheridan and his family thirteen in number ; they then 
 went down the creek to where three old persons lived, two men 
 and a woman of the name of French, which they also killed, of 
 which he often boasted afterwards that he and the boy took 
 more scalps than the whole party. 
 
 In the year 1757 the same Cotties went to Hunter's fort, seven 
 miles from Harris burg, and killed a young man of the name of 
 William Martin, under a chestnut tree, gathering chestnuts. 
 After the war was over he came to Hunter's fort again and made 
 his boast what a good friend he had been to the white people in 
 the time of the war. At the same time another Indian who had 
 been friendly to the inhabitants the time of the war named Ham- 
 bus, said he was a liar, for that he had done all the mischief he 
 could, upon which the two Indians began to fight, but the white 
 
394 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 people parted them. Hambus told him that he had killed Mar- 
 tin within sight of the spot where they now stood. The same 
 day Cdtties got drunk and fell asleep on a bench ; when Hambus 
 saw that he was asleep he struck his tomahawk into his head 
 and killed him. 
 
 In September 1763, about one hundred of us went up to take 
 the Indian town at the Great Island, and went up to Fort Au- 
 gusta where we sent a man forward to see whether Andrew 
 Montour was there, but he was not; he asked where he was and 
 was told he was gone to the plantation. We had apprehended 
 that Montour knew of our coming and had gone to inform the 
 Indians at the town called Great Island, or Monsey town, and 
 when we got to the fort the officers that lay there wanted to 
 persuade us not to go over, as the Monsey Indians were friendly 
 to the white people. But as this was contradicted by some, we 
 concluded to go. When we had crossed the river we saw Mon- 
 tour coming down in a canoe with a hog and some corn which 
 he had brought from his plantation. When he came near we 
 called to him, upon which he landed and enquired our business, 
 which we told him, and asked his advice whether it was proper 
 to proceed or not. He said they were bad Indians and that we 
 might use them as we pleased. We went that night to Montour's 
 plantation, and next morning crossed the Monsey hill, and dis- 
 covered fires, where the Indians lay the night before. Here we 
 consulted whether to proceed or not; at length William Patter- 
 son turned back, and we followed. When arrived at the top of 
 the Monsey hill, we met with a party of Indians which we 
 engaged; had two men killed and four wounded, two of which 
 died that night. We then went and secreted the dead bodies in 
 a small stream to prevent their being discovered by the enemy. 
 By that time it was night, and we went on about twenty perches, 
 where the Indians fired on us from behind the point of a hill. 
 About twelve of us ran up the hill when we heard them run- 
 ning, but could not see them. We then came back to where 
 they had fired on us at first, and found that the rest of our party 
 were gone. We heard somebody coming after, stopped to see 
 who it was; George Allen and two or three more of our men 
 came up to us. We chose Allen to pilot us into the path, which 
 he undertook to do ; but after traveling along the side of Monsey 
 hill with much difficulty, until midnight, I told him we were 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 395 
 
 going the wrong road ; he told me if I knew the road better to go 
 before. We then directed our course southward until near day- 
 break, when we came to a path, which Allen informed us led to 
 the Great Island and crossed the North branch to Iskepeck falls; 
 in this path we traveled until daylight, when we saw a smoke, 
 and proceeding ten or twelve perches we saw some Indians sit- 
 ting around a fire. I then turned to the right into the woods, 
 and some of our men followed me and some went on in the path 
 till the Indians saw them and seized their guns ; we then raised 
 our guns to fire, but the Indians cried don't shoot, brothers, don't 
 shoot ! we answered we will not if you do not; we then went up 
 to them and asked where they had been ; they said they had 
 been at the Moravian town buying goods ; we told them we had 
 an engagement the evening before with some of their people ; 
 they said it was impossible, as there were no Indians at the 
 Great Island but a few old men and boys, the rest having all 
 gone out a hunting; I told them I knew better; that they were 
 gone to Tuscarora and Shearman's Valley to kill the white peo- 
 ple; that we had been waylaid at Buffalo creek by them and 
 had five men killed and one wounded; that James Patterson's 
 shot pouch and powder horn had been found near the place, and 
 he was a Great Island Indian, and they. must come with us. The 
 three Indians began to tremble, and leaving the victuals they 
 were preparing, proceeded with us. 
 
 After we had traveled a short distance, I asked George Allen 
 what we should do with the prisoners ; he said we would take 
 them to the fort and deliver them up to the commander ; I told 
 him if we do that perhaps they will let them go, or send them 
 to Philadelphia, and where they would be used better than our- 
 selves by the Quakers, and you know what a defeat I got a few 
 weeks ago at Buffalo creek, where five of my neighbors were 
 killed and I had hard running to save my own life ; I have de- 
 clared revenge on the first Indian that I saw, and am glad that 
 the opportunity now offers; "Why," said Allen, " would you 
 kill them yourself, for you can get no person here to help you ;" 
 "there is enough,'' said I, "that will help me to kill them." 
 "Where will you kill them ?" said Allen ; I told him on the hill 
 that is before us, which lies between the two branches of the 
 Susquehanna river, near the North branch. When we came to 
 the top of the hill the prisoners asked liberty to eat some vict- 
 
396 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 uals, which we allowed them ; they directed us to where we 
 might find it among their baggage; we went and found it, and 
 gave it to them. While they were eating we concluded who 
 would shoot at them ; there were six of us willing to shoot ; 
 tying then to each prisoner, and as soon as they were done eating 
 we told them to march on before us, and when they had gone 
 about thirty yards, we fired at them and the three fell, but one 
 of them named George Allen, after the George Allen that was 
 with us, was shot only through the arm, and fell with that arm 
 uppermost and bloodied his body, which made us believe that he 
 was shot through his body; but after he was scalped, having a 
 good pair of leggins on, one of the men had staid behind to take 
 them off; before he could get any but one, the Indian started 
 up and ran ; the man was surprised at his rising from the dead, 
 and before he could get any assistance he had made his escape. 
 He afterwards told that, running down the hill he fell asleep, 
 that after he recovered he got up to run, but the skin of his face, 
 the scalp being off, came down over his eyes so that he could 
 not see; he then took off the leggin that was left, and bound it 
 around his face, and when he came to a spring he took the cold 
 moss of the stones, laid it on his head to keep the hot sun from 
 beating in upon his brains, and made out to get to the Great 
 Island, when he recovered. He threatened to take revenge on 
 George Allen, bis namesake, and James Gallaher, not that they 
 were worse than the others, but because they were the only 
 persons he was acquainted with ; it, however, so happened that 
 he never had them in his power. 
 
 SIMON GIRTY THE OUTLAW. 
 
 Simon Girty, senior, was, as early as 1740, a licensed trader on 
 the frontiers of the province of Pennsylvania. About that period 
 he located on or near Shearman's Creek, in now Perry county, 
 and here his son, Simon Girty, who figures so conspicuously in 
 the annals of border life, was born in January, 1744. There 
 were three other brothers, Thomas, George, and James. In 1750, 
 the father and sundry other " squatters " on Shearman's Creek, 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VAIJ.EY. 397 
 
 were dispossessed of their settlements by the sheriff of Cumber- 
 land county and his posse, by direction of the Provincial au- 
 thorities. For several years previous the Shawanese Indians on 
 the Juniata demanded their removal, but warnings were of no 
 use, and at last the strong arm of the law was invoked, the set- 
 tlers taken into custody, and their cabins burned. 
 
 Girty, with his family, removed at first to the east of the Sus- 
 quehanna, near where the town of Halifax is situated, and after- 
 wards to the Conococheague settlement, where, it is said, he was 
 killed in a drunken bout. In 1756, his widow was killed by 
 the savages, and Simon, George, and James were taken captives 
 by the Indians. Thomas, the eldest, being absent at his 
 maternal uncle's on the Antietam, was the only one who es- 
 caped. 
 
 Simon Girty was adopted by the Senecas under the name of 
 Katepacomen, became an expert hunter, and in dress, language, 
 and habits a thorough Indian. The author of " Crawford's Cam- 
 paign " says that " it must be passed to his credit that his early 
 training as a savage was compulsory, not voluntary as has gen- 
 erally been supposed." George Girty was adopted by the Dela- 
 ware?, became a fierce and ferocious savage, while James, taken 
 into the Shawanese tribe, became no less infamous as a cruel 
 and blood-thirsty raider of the Kentucky border, " sparing not 
 even women and children from horrid tortures." 
 
 To return to Simon Girty. His tribe, although having their 
 homes in southern New York, roamed the wilderness northwest 
 of the Ohio, and when the expedition under Colonel Bouquet, 
 at the close of the Pontiac war of 1764, dictated peace to the 
 Indian tribes on the Muskingum, one of the hostages given up 
 by the Ohio Indians, was the subject of our sketch. Preferring 
 the wild life of the savage, Simon Girty escaped and returned to 
 his home among the Senecas. One of the conditions of the 
 treaty referred to, was the yielding up by the Ohio Indians of 
 all their captives, willing or unwilling. This being the case, 
 Girty was returned to the settlements, and took up his home 
 near Fort Pitt on a little run emptying into the Allegheny and 
 now known as "Girty's Run." 
 
 In the controversy with the Virginia authorities, Girty es- 
 poused their cause, and he figures quite conspicuously in the 
 difficulties of Dr. John Connolly and his party with the govern- 
 
398 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 ment of Pennsylvania, In the unprovoked war of Lord Dun- 
 more, in company with Simon Kenton, he served as hunter and 
 scout. He subsequently acted as Indian agent, and became in- 
 timately acquainted with Col. William Crawford, at whose cabin, 
 on the Youghiogheny, he was a frequent guest, and, it is stated 
 by some writers, although without authority, was the suitor for 
 the hand of one of his daughters, but rejected. 
 
 At the outset of the Revolution, Simon Girty was a commis- 
 sioned officer of militia at Fort Pitt, took the test oath as re- 
 quired by the Committee of Safety, but in March, 1778, deserted 
 to the enemy in company with the notorious Alexander McKee 
 and Matthew Elliott. It is not known what was the real cause 
 of the defection of Girty, but it is more than probable that not 
 being fully trusted by the authorities, an application for a cap- 
 taincy in the Eighth Regiment of the Pennsylvania Line in the 
 Continental service having proved unsuccessful, his innate hatred 
 of everything Pennsylvanian, led him to add treason and dis- 
 loyalty to his long catalogue of misdeeds. 
 
 Well skilled in Indian lore, he had frequently acted as in- 
 terpreter at Indian treaties, and was, therefore, known to the 
 British officers in command on the Lakes, who were well ac- 
 quainted with his courage, shrewdness, and above all, his savage 
 ferocity. The deserters were warmly welcomed by the enemy ; 
 while at Pittsburgh the little band of ardent patriots were thrown 
 into consternation by the sudden and uncalled for treachery. 
 The perfidious Delawares on the Muskingum who were vascillat- 
 ing in their neutrality, were almost persuaded by Girty to be- 
 come hostile to the Colonies, while some of the Shawanese actu- 
 ally "took up the hatchet" and began their marauds upon the 
 remote frontier settlements. Simon Girty himself now began his 
 wild career by sudden forays against the borderers, and in his 
 fierceness and cruelty out-did the Indians themselves. Hence 
 the sobriquet of " Girty the White Savage." 
 
 Heckewelder, in his most interesting narrative of his mission- 
 ary life, does not give a very pleasing picture of Girty. The lat- 
 ter had planned the destruction of the Moravians, owing to their 
 powerful influence with the Indians and their efibrts to procure 
 peace to the frontiers, and in July, 1779, made a futile attempt on 
 the life of that "Apostle to the Indians," the Rev. David Zeis- 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 399 
 
 berger. He caused, however, the breaking up of the missionary 
 establishments on the Muskingum. 
 
 On the 16th of August, 1781, Girty led a strong force of Indians 
 against Bryant's Station, five miles from Lexington, Kentucky. 
 The Kentuckians, says Butterfield, "made such a gallant resist- 
 ance, that the Indians became disheartened and were about 
 abandoning the siege when Girty, thinking he might frighten the 
 garrison into a surrender, mounted a stump within speaking dis- 
 tance and commenced a parley. He told them who he was ; that 
 he hourly looked for reinforcements with cannon, and that they 
 had better surrender at once; if they did so, no one should be 
 hurt; otherwise he feared they would all be killed. The garri- 
 son were intimidated ; but one young man, named Reynolds, 
 seeing the effect of this harangue, and believing his story, as it 
 was, to be false, of his own accord answered him : ' You need not 
 be so particular to tell us your name; we know your name, and 
 you, too. I've had a villainous, untrustworthy cur-dog this long 
 while, named Simon Girty in compliment to you ; he's so like 
 you — just as ugly and just as wicked. As to the cannon, let 
 them come on; the country's roused, and the scalps of your red 
 cut-throats, and your own, too, will be drying on our cabins in 
 twenty-four hours.' This spirited reply produced good results. 
 Girty in turn was disheartened, and with his Indians soon with- 
 drew." 
 
 Passing over further detailed accounts of the numerous mur- 
 derous forays against the Americans, we come to that noted 
 campaign against the Sandusky Indian towns in 1782, led by 
 Col. William Crawford. Girty's brutality reached its climax 
 when he viewed with apparent satisfaction the most horrible 
 and excruciating tortures which that ill-fated but brave and 
 gallant ofiicer was doomed to undergo ; and this episode in his 
 career has placed his name among the most infamous, whose 
 long catalogue of crime causes a shudder as the details are 
 penned, even after the lapse of a century. 
 
 During the next seven years little is recorded of this desper- 
 ado, save that he married, the year after Crawford's defeat, Cath- 
 erine Malott, a captive among the Shawanese. They had several 
 children, and she survived her husband many years, dying at an 
 advanced age. 
 
 Notwithstanding Girty's brutality, depravity, and wickedness, 
 
400 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 he never lost the confidence and esteem of the Indians ; during 
 the several campaigns which resulted so disastrously to the 
 Americans, the advice of Simon Girty was conclusive. It is 
 stated that after St. Clair's defeat " a grand council was held at 
 the confluence of the Maumee and the Auglaize by nearly all 
 the Northwestern tribes, to take into consideration the situation 
 of aflfairs ; and Simon Girty was the only white man permitted 
 to be present ;" and as in the subsequent conference of 1793, it 
 was determined mainly through the exertions of Girty to con- 
 tinue hostilities. 
 
 The same year, when commissioners, on the part of the 
 United States, attempted to negotiate with the Confederated 
 Nations for an adjustment of our difficulties with the Indians, 
 Girty acted as interpreter. His conduct was exceedingly inso- 
 lent; and it is related that he was not only false in his duty as 
 an interpreter, but that he run a quill or long feather through 
 the cartilage of his nose cross-wise, to show his contempt for the 
 American gentlemen present. 
 
 At the defeat of Gen. St. Clair, Girty was present on the Brit- 
 ish side, and saw and knew Gen. Richard Butler, second in com- 
 mand, who lay upon the field writhing from the agony of his 
 wounds. The traitor told a savage warrior that the wounded 
 man was a high officer, whereupon the Indian buried his toma- 
 haw in Gen. Butler's head, whose scalp was immediately torn 
 off and whose heart was taken out and divided into as many 
 pieces as there were tribes engaged in the battle. 
 
 With the victory of Wayne in 1795, which forever destroyed 
 the power of the Indians of the Northwest, and which resulted 
 in the famous treaty of Greenville, Girty sold his trading estab- 
 lishment, and removed to Canada, where he settled on a farm 
 just below Maiden, on the Detroit river, the recipient of a pen- 
 sion from the English government. Here he resided until the 
 war of 1812, undisturbed, but almost blind and incapacitated for 
 active service. After the capture of the British fleet on Lake 
 Erie, and the retreat of the British army from the eastern banks 
 of the Detroit river, Girty followed, remaining away from his 
 home until after the proclamation of peace, when he returned to 
 his farm at Maiden, where he died in the autumn of 1818, aged 
 over 70 years. 
 
 It is a difiicult matter at this remote day to give a correct 
 
HISTORY OF THEJ UNIATA VALLEY. 401 
 
 estimate of the character of Simon Girty, yet enough has been said 
 to show that he was a heartless villian, and no bravery, courage, 
 or seeming compassion for Kenton, or one or two others whose 
 lives he interceded for and saved, can compensate for that one 
 hellish deed which he could have prevented — the burning of 
 Col. Crawford. He seemed to revel in the very excess of malig- 
 nity, and above all in his hatred to his countrymen. The recent 
 attempt to make a hero of him has proved futile. Without one 
 redeeming quality, " all the vices of civilization engrafted upon 
 those of a savage state," we have a picture for all time — that of 
 Simon Girty. 
 
 MARCUS HULINGS OF DUNCAN'S ISLAND. 
 
 [In chapter three, Mr. Jones refers to a Mr, Hulings who set- 
 tled at the mouth of the Juniata. Omitting his account of the 
 escape of Mrs. Hulings from the Indians, the following record 
 of this early pioneer and his descendants will prove interesting.] 
 
 From data in our possession, we *are able to give the year 
 of the location of an early settler at the mouth of the Juniata, 
 that of Marcus Hulings, in 1753. Day and Rupp, relying upon 
 tradition, gave the time " possibly as early as 1735." It is a 
 matter of history that all the settlers on Shearman's Creek and 
 the Juniata had been removed by the sheriff Andrew Work's 
 posse in 1750, and the houses of the settlers burned ; so that it 
 was not for two or three years at least afterwards that the hardy 
 frontiersman ventured to build his rude cabin on the forbidden 
 land. It is stated by Watson that Marcus Hulings came from 
 Marcus Hook on the Delaware. Nevertheless, the Hulings were 
 among the earliest settlers on that river, locating there long be- 
 fore the Founder came over and constituted the grand old Com- 
 monwealth called for him. The name is spelled Uhling, Hew- 
 lings, and Hulings, and is Swedish. 
 
 A few years after locating on the Juniata, came Braddock's 
 
 defeat, and all the horrors of an Indian war followed. In the 
 
 spring after, (1756) the savages had reached the Susquehanna ; 
 
 but the few settled frontiersmen were unequal for the conflict, 
 
 26 
 
402 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 and were obliged to flee. Some lingered too long for the wily- 
 red man came down suddenly, and the tomahawk and scalping- 
 knife were reeking with the life-blood of the hardy but unfortu- 
 nate pioneers. It was at this period that the sturdy backwoods- 
 man was obliged to flee from the home he had erected. It was 
 not until the fall of Fort Duquesne and the erection of Fort Pitt, 
 that Marcus Hulings returned to his farm with his family. A 
 year after, however, we find him at the Forks of the Ohio, where 
 he took up a quantity of land. In the meantime, encroachments 
 were being made upon his lands on the Juniata, and in 1762 we 
 have the following letter, protesting against the same : 
 
 " Fort Pitt, May the 7th, 1762. 
 " To William Peters, Esq., Secretary to the Propriatorries land 
 office in Philadelphia, dx. : 
 " The Petitioner hereof humbly showeth his grievance in a 
 piece of uncultivated land, laying in Cumberland County, on the 
 Northeast side of Juneadey, laying in the verry Forks and point 
 between the two rivers, Susquehanah and the Juneadey, a place 
 that I Emproved and lived on one Year and a half on the said 
 place till the enemeys in the beginning of the last Warrs drove 
 me away from it, and I have had no opportunity yet to take out 
 a Warrant for it ; my next neighbour wass one Joseph Green- 
 wood, who sold his emprovement to Mr. Neaves, a marchant in 
 Philadelphia, who took out a warrant for the s'd place and gave 
 it into the hands of Collonel John Armstrong, who is Surveyor 
 for Cumberland County ; and while I wass absent from those 
 parts last Summer, Mr. Armstrong runed out that place Joyn- 
 ing me, for Mr. Neaves ; and as my place lays in the verry point 
 have encroached too much on me, and Taken away Part of my 
 Improvements; the line Desided between me and Joseph Green- 
 wood was up to the first small short brook that empyed into 
 Susquehanah above the point, and if I should have a strait line 
 run'd from the one river to the other with equal front on each 
 River from that brook, I shall not have 300 acres in that surway ; 
 the land above my house upon Juneadey is much broken and 
 stoney. I have made a rough draft of the place and lines, and if 
 Your Honour will be pleased to see me righted, the Petitioner 
 hereof is in Duty bound ever for you to pray ; from verry hum- 
 ble serv't, 
 
 " MaRcus Hulings." 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 403 
 
 With the foregoing was sent the following note to Mr. Peters : 
 
 " May ye 17th, 1762. 
 
 " Sir : I have left orders for Mr. Mathias Holston, living in 
 Upper Merrion of Philadelphia County to take out two warrants 
 for me, one for the Point between the two Rivers, and one for the 
 Improvements I have in the place called the Onnion bottom on 
 the south side of Juneadey right aposite to the other, where Hived 
 six months before I moved to the other place ; from your hum- 
 ble servant, 
 
 Marcus Hulings." 
 
 Directed to " William Peters, Secretary to the Proprietary Land 
 Office." 
 
 We suppose Mr. Hulings was " righted," as he desired. 
 
 Becoming discontented with the situation at Pittsburg, Hu- 
 lings sold his claim for £200 and returned to his home at the 
 mouth of the Juniata, where he made considerable improve- 
 ments. He established a ferry, and built, says Watson, a cause- 
 way at the upper end of Duncan's Island for pack horses to 
 pass. 
 
 Marcus Hulings' homstead is now in the possession of Dr. 
 George N. Reutter. He originally owned all the land between 
 the Susquehanna and Juniata below New Buffalo, and had also 
 a tract of land at the mouth of Shearman's Creek, then in Rye 
 township, Cumberland county, but now Penn township, Perry 
 county. 
 
 Mr. Hulings died in September, 1788, and is buried in a grave- 
 yard near Losh's Run. Mrs. Hulings, whose maiden name has 
 not come down to us, was a remarkable woman, and on more 
 than one occasion forded the Susquehanna and wended her way 
 to the mill at Fort Hunter with a small bag of grain — when, 
 waiting till it was ground, she hastened homeward. This, how- 
 ever, was only in the first years of their pioneer life, for shortly 
 after a grist-mill was erected on Shearman's Creek. She was a 
 brave and intrepid pioneer woman, and a noble wife for the 
 hardy frontiersman. She died prior to the Revolution, and is 
 buried in the same grave-yard with her husband, but their graves 
 are unmarked. They had five children, who survived their pa- 
 rents : 
 
 i. Marcus, the eldest, born October 22, 1743, possibly never 
 
404 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 returned with his father from Fort Pitt. He erected a large 
 stone tavern and established a ferry on the south side of the 
 Monongahela river opposite the foot of Liberty street, Pittsburgh. 
 It was afterwards, says Mr. Isaac Craig, for half a century known 
 as Jones' ferry house, and as frequently noted in the journals of 
 travelers about the commencement of the present century. He 
 seems to have been quite prominent on the western frontiers, and 
 is frequently made mention of General Richard Butler, one of 
 the commissioners appointed to hold treaties with the Northern 
 and Western Indians, in his journal of October 1st, 1785, says : 
 " I fortunately recommended the employment of one Mr. Hu- 
 ling, who I find to be a very useful, active and ingenious man ; 
 he goes ahead with a small canoe to search out the channel, 
 which we find very crooked." This was, no doubt, Marcus Hu- 
 lings. In the journal of General Joseph Buell, the arrival at 
 Fort Harmar, of " Uling, a trader on the river," is mentioned 
 three times, November 5th and December 3d, 1786, and on the 
 4th of January, 1787. For more than ten years subsequent to 
 1790, Marcus Hulings was employed by Major Isaac Craig, 
 quartermaster at Pittsburgh, in transporting military stores up 
 the Allegheny to Fort Franklin and to Presqu' Isle, and down the 
 Ohio and Mississippi to the military posts on those streams. 
 Major Craig's letter-books and papers contain ample evidence 
 that Marcus Hulings was a faithful and reliable man in all his 
 undertakings. We have no knowledge as to his subsequent ca- 
 reer, although we are informed that he died in Tennessee, No- 
 vember 17, 1802. He married December 24, 1764, Massy Dough- 
 erty ; and they had issue : 
 
 1. Marcus, b. 1765; d. 1813; unm. 
 
 2. John, b. 1767 ; d. 1800 ; leaving issue. 
 
 3. Michael, b. 1770; d. 1797; unm. 
 
 4. Rebecca, b. 1776. 
 
 5. Samuel, b. 1780 ; d. 1854 ; m., first, Elizabeth Hicks, and 
 
 had five children ; secondly, Isabel Lee, and had six 
 children. 
 
 6. Susannah, b. 1782. 
 
 7. Thomas, b. 1784. 
 
 8. James, b. 1787; m. and left seven children; his widow 
 
 was residing in Louisville, Ky., in 1880. 
 ii. Mary, born in 1749, married, first, Thomas Simpson; sec- 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 405 
 
 ondly, on June 18, 1780, William Stewart. Mary had four 
 children. She died February 22, 1790. Mr. Stewart afterwards 
 married Mrs. Martha Espy, widow of James Espy. 
 
 in. Samuel, born in 1751, also located on the Ohio. He 
 owned an island in the Allegheny called Hulings', and we pre- 
 sume is yet known by that name. Samuel Hulings married and 
 left issue. 
 
 iv. James, born in 1753 ; died at his nephew Frederick's plan- 
 tation in Louisiana, at the age of 84 years. 
 
 V. Thomas Hulings, youngest son of Marcus Hulings, who suc- 
 ceeded to the paternal estate, born March 3, 1755 ; died in Buffalo 
 township, Perry county, March, 1808. He was, June 19, 1778, 
 made an ensign in the Third Penna. Regt. of the Line ; and 
 served with distinction in the Revolutionary army ; he was a 
 prominent man in the locality, and served on several important 
 State commissions. He was twice married ; first, to Elizabeth, 
 daughter of Gen. Frederick Watts, of the Revolution, and Jane 
 Murray, his wife, b. July 7, 1749; d. July 15, 1801. They had 
 issue. 
 
 1. Rebecca, b. March 25, 1789; m. May 21, 1811, Robert Cal- 
 
 lender Duncan, son of Judge Duncan, of Carlisle, from 
 whom Duncan's Island derives the name. She died in 
 April, 1850, leaving two children — Dr. Thomas Duncan, 
 who died in 1879, without issue ; and Benjamin Styles 
 Duncan, who died in 1870, leaving four children, until 
 recently residing on Duncan's Island. It may be here 
 remarked that Mrs. Duncan in her will says, " of Isle 
 Benvenue." 
 
 2. Marcus, b. February 11, 1791; removed to the South 
 
 married, and left issue. 
 
 3. Frederick- Watts, b. March 9, 1792 ; married and settled in 
 
 Tennessee, where he became quite prominent, being at 
 one time Speaker of the House of Representatives of 
 that State. He was a captain in the Confederate army, 
 and while attempting to get on a train of cars during 
 the rebellion was severely injured, from the effects of 
 which he died at his then residence. New Orleans. He 
 left issue. 
 
406 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 4. David- Watts, h. 1793; married Maria Patton, of Lewis- 
 
 town. He studied law and was admitted to the Dau- 
 phin county bar April 21, 1823. He became the pos- 
 sessor of the old homestead, but afterwards disposed of 
 it and purchased largely near Lewistown. He bought 
 Hope Furnace, which he greatly improved. He repre- 
 sented Mifflin county in the Legislature. Subsequently 
 he removed to Baltimore, Md., where he died, leaving 
 children, Thomas, Maria, Ellen, Mary and Lizzie. Thomas 
 married a daughter of Gen. Thomas, of Washington, D« 
 C. ; was a colonel in the Civil War, and killed in the 
 battle of the Wilderness ; and left two children, Eliza- 
 beth and Thomas- Marcus. Maria married Lloyd Wil- 
 liams, a lawyer of Baltimore. Ellen married Charles 
 Dennison, of Wilkes-Barre. Mary married Goodwin Wil- 
 liams, of Baltimore, and Elizabeth married Chauncey 
 Reynolds, of Wilkes-Barre. 
 
 5. Mary, b. May 8, 1798 ; m. James S. Espy, of Harrisburg, 
 
 and had two children, both of whom are deceased. 
 Thomas Hulings married, secondly, Rebecca, daughter of 
 Andrew and Rebecca Berryhill of Harrisburg, and had issue : 
 
 6. Eleanor, b. 1803, m. John Keagy of Harrisburg, and had 
 
 issue, Thomas and Rebecca, both residing at Baltimore. 
 After Mr. Keagy 's death, she married Dr. Joseph Ard, 
 of Lewistown, whom she survived. She died at Balti- 
 more in June, 1880. 
 
 7. Elizabeth, b. 1805; m. James Dickson, of Lewistown, and 
 
 had issue, Annie and William; the latter died at Phila- 
 delphia in 1875, leaving Annie, who resides at New 
 Bloomfield. Mrs. Dickson, the last surviving child of 
 Thomas Hulings, died at New Bloomfield on the 25th 
 of July, 1881. 
 
 8. Julia, m. William Bringhurst, of Clarksville, Tennessee, 
 
 and had issue, three boys and three girls ; two of the 
 former are dead. The remaining children married and 
 are residing in Tennessee. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 407 
 
 THE THOMPSONS OF JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 [As supplementary to the Patterson record, we have the fol- 
 lowing from the same writer, Samuel Evans, Esq. :] 
 
 To Mrs. Charlotte C. Patterson Thompson is clue the credit of 
 furnishing the data for this family. Much of it must have been 
 tradition, and the early dates are uncertain. John, and his 
 brother James Thompson emigrated from the north of Ireland, 
 and first located at New London Cross Roads, Chester county, in 
 the year 1735, and from thence removed to Hanover township, 
 then in Lancaster count}', but now in Dauphin county. Here 
 John married his second wife, Miss Slocum. From Hanover 
 John removed to Juniata Valley, and settled at a point about 
 three miles east of the present village of Thompsontown. This 
 land is still owned by some of his descendants. 
 
 James Thompson settled in Cumberland Valley, near Cham- 
 bersburg, where some of his descendants reside. 
 
 1. John Thompson married first a Miss Greenlee, a daughter of 
 James Greenlee, of Hanover township, and connected with the 
 Greenlees of Little Britain township, Lancaster county, and thus 
 with the Baldridges and Achisons. Captain Greenlee, the Indian 
 fighter of Westmoreland county, Pa., was of this family. By 
 this marriage John Thompson had the following-named children : 
 
 2. i. Margaret ; m. Greenleaf. 
 
 3. ii. Sarah; m. John McAlister, Esq., of McAlisterville. 
 Hi. Elizabeth; m. Robert McAlister, of McAlisterville. 
 
 4. iv. William; b. 1754; d. January 3, 1813; m. Jane Mitchell, 
 of Chestnut Level, Drumore township, Lancaster. In 1759, 
 there lived in Drumore township Samuel Mitchell, William 
 Mitchell, John Mitchell, and George and David Mitchell, sons of 
 John. The latter owned the farm at Chestnut Level. In 1767, 
 he devised ten pounds to build a Presbyterian Meeting House 
 upon his farm near the old Meeting House. He left a farm in 
 Fahn township, York county, to his son 
 
 1. George; who then resided there. 
 
 2. Mary ; m. Robert Tuckey. 
 
 3. Isabel; m. Alexander McLaughlin. 
 
 4. Janet ; m. Thomas Porter. 
 
408 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 David Mitchell died at Chestnut Level ia 1756, and left the 
 following : 
 
 1. Samuel. 
 
 2. Jean. ,. 
 
 3. Abram. 
 
 4. Margaret. 
 
 5. Eleanor. 
 
 6. Sarah. 
 
 7. George. 
 
 8. David. 
 
 The last two received several farms in Drumore t(Twnship. 
 William Mitchell was a witness to the will. 
 
 The Mitchells sold their lands in Drumore in 1785, and re- 
 moved to Juniata Valley. Mr. Mitchell, civil engineer, and Su- 
 perintendent of the Columbia and Philadelphia Railroad soon 
 after its construction, came from the Juniata Valley, and was of 
 this family. 
 
 V. Robert; m. Sarah Mitchell, sister of Jane. 
 
 (Both these names appear in David Mitchell's list of 1756.) 
 
 vi. Susan; m. Captain David Boal, who resided in Perry 
 county, Pa. 
 
 vii. Jane; m. Robert Wiley, of Washington, Pa. 
 
 via. Isaac; b. 1753 ; d. 1823 ; and had 
 
 James; born 1780 ; d. 1878 ; the latter left one son, who now 
 lives in Middlesfield, Geauga county, Ohio. 
 
 By John Thompson's second wife, a Miss Slocum, he had : 
 
 ix. John, who removed from Juniata Valley to Butler county, 
 Pa. 
 
 By his third wife, Sarah Patterson, (daughter of Captain James 
 Patterson :) 
 
 X. Andrew ; m. Jane Stewart. In the year 1876 this family 
 removed from Thompsontown to the neighborhood of Chilli- 
 cothe, Ohio. 
 
 xi. Peter ; m. Mary Patterson, and resided upon the homestead 
 farm of his father. 
 
 xii. Thomas; lived with his brother Peter, and died without 
 heirs. 
 
 II. Margaket Thompson, (daughter of John ;) m. Mr. Green- 
 leaf. The latter was killed by the Indians, near Sunbury, Pa. 
 The children of their family moved to the West. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 409 
 
 III, Sarah Thompson, (John ;) m. William McAlister, Esq., 
 and had, (surname McAlister :) 
 
 i. John; d. in 1854 ; m. his cousin, Jane Thompson, and had: 
 
 1. Sarah; m. Mr. Stitzer. 
 
 2. Eliza; m, Mr. Hawn. 
 
 3. Mary ; m. Montgomery Jameson, of McAlisterville. 
 
 4. Lucinda ; m. John Kelley, of Juniata county. 
 
 5. Samuel. 
 
 6. Hutchison; m. Mary Thompson, of Mifflintown. 
 
 [The Hutchison family were probably connected with the 
 Thompsons prior to the Revolution. Joseph Hutchison 
 was the executor of Thomas Thompson, of Donegal.] 
 
 7. Jane-B. 
 
 ii. Robert; m. a sister of Dr. Crawford, and had Isaac, who m., 
 first, his cousin Sarah Thompson, and secondly, Miss Bell, of 
 Pittsburg. 
 
 Hi. William ; m. Miss McCuUy, and had Harrison, James, John, 
 Sarah, Jane, and Annie. 
 
 iv. Mary; m. Thomas Bell; and had issue, (surname Bell,) 
 Thompson, and a daughter who married Archibald M. Marshall. 
 
 IV. William Thompson, (John,) b. 1754; d. February 9, 1813; 
 m. Jane Mitchell. They had issue : 
 
 i. John-Goshen; b. December 28, 1780; m. Abigail North, and 
 had the following : 
 
 1. Jane; m. William Montgomery. 
 
 2. Rachel; m. William Sterrett. 
 
 3. Martha; m. Robert Jordon, of Newport, Perry county. Pa. 
 
 4. Wilhehnina; m. James Thompson. 
 
 5. William ; m. Margaret Gilfillan, and they had Theophilus 
 
 and Elmira. 
 
 6. John; m. Margaret Wright. 
 
 ii. James; b. 1782; m. Martha P. Allen, daughter of Daniel 
 Allen, (a descendant of Admiral Nelson,) April 2, 1810. They 
 lived at Mexico, Juniata county, Penna., and had issue: 
 
 1. Charles Allen; b. January 11, 1811; d. October 19, 1854; 
 m. Ann Cockrane, and left issue: 
 
 a. Martha; m. Dr. George Rumbaugh, of Iowa. 
 
 b. James-Horace ; m. Annie E. Gilfillan; 2dly, m. Miss 
 
 Cadwalader, of Tyrone, Pa. 
 €. Emma; m. Jackson Wright, of Clearfield, Pa. 
 
410 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 d. Eliza; m. Dr. Mahon, of Newton Hamilton, Pa. 
 
 e. Ada; m. Jeremiah Lyons, Esq., of Mifflintown, Pa. 
 /. Anna; m. Jacob Richabaugh, of Mexico, Pa. 
 
 g. W. Porter; m. Sarah Jane Gilfillan, of Mexico, Pa., 
 and had Cora and Clare, (twins,) Jerome, Jr., and James. 
 
 2. Lucinda- Mitchell ; b. October 30, 1812; d. February 19th, 
 
 1813. 
 
 3. Allen; d. April 18, 1844; m. Jane McDowell; no issue. 
 6. Lewis- Nelson ; b. October 19, 1815; d. January 25, 1816. 
 
 5. Jerome- Nelson ; b. September 27, 1817 ; m. Jane Wright ; no 
 
 issue. 
 
 6. Horace- Nelson ; b. November 3, 1825; d. March 11, 1827. 
 Hi. Sarah; b. 1783 ; m. Judge William McAlister, b. 1774 ; d. De- 
 cember 21, 1847 ; and left issue, (surname McAlister:) 
 
 1. Jean; b. December 27, 1803; d. July 29, 1880; m. Judge 
 
 David Banks, (d. March 6, 1870, aged 72 years.) They 
 lived in Lost Creek Valley, Pa. They had issue, (sur- 
 name Banks:) 
 
 a. John ; who resides in Indiana, Pa. 
 
 b. Rev. Stewart; Presbyterian Minister in Michigan. 
 
 c. William; m. Jennie Hamlin; live in Lost Creek Val- 
 
 ley ; and had William-H., James, Andrew, Ella-K. 
 Philo, and Jennie. 
 
 2. Hugh-Nelson; b. June 28, 1809; d. May 5, 1873; m. first. 
 
 Miss Orbison, and, secondly, Margaret, daughter of Hugh 
 Hamilton, of Harrisburg, Pa. By first wife had, (sur- 
 name McAlister:) ^ 
 a. Mary; m. Gen. James Addams Beaver, Governor of 
 Penna., 1887-91. 
 
 3. Rqhert; b. June 1, 1813; m. Ellen Wilson. He was a 
 
 Brigadier General in the war of the late Rebellion; and 
 
 resides at Belvidere, N. J. They had Henrietta; m. 
 
 Johnson H. Baldwin, and Sarah, m. Wilson Lloyd, of 
 
 Philadelphia. 
 The mother of Hugh M. North, Esq., of Columbia, Pa., was 
 the daughter of Major Hugh McAlister, who was the brother of 
 Judge William McAlister. Hugh Nelson McAlister settled in 
 Little Britain township, Lancaster county, Pa., about 1730. 
 Thompson McAlister, brother of Hugh N. McAlister, moved to 
 Franklin county, Pa. He married a daughter of John Addams, 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 411 
 
 Esq., of Middletown, Pa.; and represented Franklin county in 
 the State Legislature about the year 1850. He subsequently 
 sold his land in Franklin county, and bought large tracts of 
 land in Covington, Alleghany county, Va. When the late war 
 commenced he raised a regiment in the Confederate service, and 
 marched to Mannasses, Va., and participated in a battle at that 
 place. His heart did not seem to be in the cause, and he re- 
 signed the command and returned to his home;;and thenceforth 
 he took no further active part in the Rebellion. He died leav- 
 ing two sons and three daughters. His son Addams owns or 
 manages the estate, which is very large. James is a lawyer, now 
 practising at Warm Springs, in West Virginia. One or two of 
 the daughters married physicians. 
 
 FORTS IN THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 [Numerous references are made in the History of the Juniata 
 Valley to the different forts or block-houses erected during the 
 French and Indian war for the defence and security of the fron- 
 tiersmen. The records which follow are taken from the Provin- 
 cial Records and Archives of the State, and are not only of 
 interest but possess an importance in studying the history of the 
 early settlement of the valley.] 
 
 FORT BIGHAM. 
 
 This block-house was situated on Tuscarora Valley, about 12 
 miles from Mifflintown. It was probably erected as early, or 
 1749, by an early settler, Samuel Bigham, after whom it 
 was called. It was destroyed by the Indians in June, 1756; a 
 number were carried off prisoners, and some killed. The house 
 of Alexander McAlister was also burned, and a number of cattle 
 driven off. The number of savages who did this deed was never 
 ascertained. 
 
412 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 FORT GRANVILLE. 
 
 This fort was erected in Gov. Robert Morris' time, at least as 
 early as 1755, and was one '" of a chain of forts " erected on the 
 "west side of the Susquehanna, and placed about twenty miles 
 from the other forts. It was near Juniata where Kishacoquillas 
 falls into it, and called Fort Granville. " It was" 15 miles N. E. 
 of Fort Shirley at Augwick. It commands a narrow pass where 
 the Juniata falls through the mountains, which is so circum- 
 stanced that a few men can maintain it against a much greater 
 number, as the rocks are very high on each side not above a gun- 
 shot asunder, and thus extended for six miles, and led to a con- 
 siderable settlement upon the Juniata near Fort Granville. " It 
 was about 15 miles from Pomfret Castle," a company of 75 men 
 inclusive of officers in the pay of the province was stationed here 
 for the purpose of ranging and scouring the woods each way from 
 the several forts, to prevent the Indians from falling on the in- 
 habitants. " It was about a mile west of the present Lewistown, 
 Mifflin Co., on the north bank of the Juniata. There was a 
 spring in the inclosure of the fort which was destroyed in mak- 
 ing the canal — no remains at present are to be seen of the fort — 
 the land where it was situated is now owned and cultivated by 
 James Turner. Granville Gap is about a mile above where the 
 fort was — a stream of water falls into the river on the south side 
 called Granville run and contains trout. The travel from the 
 point where Lewistown is now located was through Granville 
 Gap by way of Licking Creek Valley, Tuscarora Valley and 
 Shearman's Valley to Carlisle, where the trading from that sec- 
 tion was by pack horses." In March 28, 1756, Elisha Salter was 
 appointed Commissary Gen. of Musters, and he writes from Car- 
 lisle, April 4. " From Fort Granville 31 March, there was a party 
 of Indians, 4 in number within one mile of the fort, which fort is 
 badly stored with ammunition not having three rounds per man, 
 they thought it not prudent to venture after them." " I am very 
 sensible great part of the soldiers have left their posts and come 
 to the inhabitants, particularly from Fort Granville." "About 10 
 o'clock at night a firing was heard at Patterson fort by the sol- 
 diers which they supposed to be at Fort Granville or the fort at 
 Tuscarora, and imagine it is taken — they imagine the firing was 
 cannon or platoons." James Burd in a letter from Carlisle, April 
 
HISTORY OP THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 413 
 
 19, 1756, says : " Intended to have marched this morning for Fort 
 Granville, but the creek is so high that the carriers can't attempt 
 to get their horses and loads over — hope to go to-morrow." " I 
 am informed they are entirely out of all manner of provisions at 
 Fort Granville, which is a very bad situation, as the enemy are 
 constantly visiting them — they have wounded two men in sight 
 of the fort and one of the men's lives is despaired of, they would 
 have carried them off had not Lieut. Ward rushed out of the 
 fort and rescued him. Mr. Ward sent a detachment under com- 
 mand of Ensign Clark after the enemy but could not come up 
 with them." In want of surgeons and medicines, " We shall 
 lose half our men with perhaps slight wounds, purely for want 
 of assistance, unless the garrisons are reinforced to 150 men each 
 and sufficient stores of ammunition and provisions, this part of 
 our province will be forced." This took place before long, as 
 Col. Clapham writes from Fort Augusta 14 August, to Gov. M. : 
 " Last night I rec'd by express the disagreeable news that Fort 
 Granville was taken and burned to the ground by a body of 500 
 French and Indians ; the whole garrison were killed except one 
 person who was much wounded and made his escape ; and am 
 well assured that this loss was entirely occasioned by a want of 
 ammunition, having reed, a letter 2 or 3 days ago from Col. Jno. 
 Armstrong that they had in that fort only one pound of powder 
 and 14 lbs. lead. The Gov. in his message to the Assem'y says 
 that a body of French and Indns. under a French officer have 
 taken and burnt Fort Granville on the Juniata, one of our most 
 comfortable forts on the Western frontier, while others of them are 
 murdering the inhabitants, and laying waste the country. '' In a 
 petition Aug. 21, from Cumberland Co., it is said " the French 
 and their Savage allies, took Fort Granville 30th Jul}' last, then 
 commanded by the late Lieut. Edward Armstrong and carried 
 the greatest part of the Garrison prisoners." * 
 
 Col. Armstrong, 20th Aug. from Carlisle, says '* that the harvest 
 season with these two attacks on Fort Granville has left us bare 
 of ammunition. It will not be in my power to prevail with 
 double the number of men and a double quantity of ammuni- 
 tion to keep a fort that would have done it before taking of Fort 
 Granville." He learns from " a certain Peter Walker, taken from 
 Granville, that of the enemy not less than 120 returned all in 
 good health, except one Frenchman, shot through the shoulder 
 
414 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 by Lieut. Armstrong, a little before his death, as the Frenchman 
 was erecting his body out of the hollow to throw pine knots on 
 the fire made against the fort." Cap. Jacobs said he could take 
 any fort that would take fire, and would make peace with the 
 English when they had learned him to make gunpowder — Mc- 
 Dowell the Scotch interpreter for the French, said " they had two 
 Indians killed in the engagement, but the Captains Armstrong 
 and Ward who were sent to examine every thing at Granville 
 and send a list of what remained among the ruins assures me 
 they found some parts of eight of the enemy burned in two dififer- 
 ent places ; the joints of them being scarcely separated and parts of 
 their shirt found through which there were bullet holes. Walker 
 says the Lieut, behaved with the greatest bravery to the last, 
 despising all the terrors and threats of the enemy whereby they 
 often urged him to surrender, tho' he had been near two days 
 without water, but little ammunition left, the fort on fire and the 
 enemy situated within 12 or 14 yards of the fort under the nat- 
 ural bank." The inhabitants of York county much alarmed, in 
 their petition say, " that all our prospects of safety and protec- 
 tion are now vanished by finding one of our best forts upon the 
 frontiers burned and destroyed, and the men who bravely de- 
 fended it carried into barbarous captivity — Cumberland county is 
 mostly evacuated. A year ago there were 3,000 men fit to bear 
 arms, livers in that county ; they were certain they did not now 
 amount to 100, that there never was a more abundant harvest ; 
 that after the burning of Fort Granville by the Indians which 
 was done while the country people guarded by detachments of 
 the forces were employed in reaping, the farmers abandoned their 
 plantations and left what corn was then stacked or in Barns to 
 perish on the ground." 
 
 PATTERSON'S FORT. 
 
 In the letter from Edward Shippen, dated Lancaster, April 4 
 1756, it is stated that " Patterson's Fort was attacked yesterday 
 by a considerable number of Indians on the opposite side of the 
 creek, but received no damage, and several shots were heard to- 
 wards Mr. Burd's Fort." Extract of a letter from Hermanus 
 Alricks, March 31. 
 
 And by a letter from Captain Patterson (who was at Carlisle) 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 415 
 
 to his wife, we are informed that on " Monday, 29th March, about 
 
 5 o'clock, one Hugh Mitcheltree, who was going to fodder his 
 cattle, was carried off by the Indians ; about sundown some In- 
 dians appeared on the hill opposite to Patterson's Fort and fired 
 
 6 guns, a bullet from one of which struck the guard-house ; about 
 10 o'clock of the same night the soldiers heard a firing, which 
 they supposed to be at Fort Granville or the Fort at Tuscarora, 
 and imagine it is taken. They imagine the firing was cannon or 
 platoons." Governor Morris says to the Commissioners, April 8, 
 1756, " Mitcheltree, taken last week within sight of Patterson's 
 Fort, called to the garrison and told them the Indians were but 
 6 in number, and desired to be rescued, but none went; he was 
 carried off." See also the following. 
 
 POMFRET CASTLE. ' 
 
 This was one of the chain of forts erected by Governor Morris 
 from the Susquehanna to the Delaware. Those on the West 
 side to be 20 miles apart, and those on the East 10 miles. It ap- 
 pears by Governor Morris's letter to Governor Dinwiddle, Feb- 
 ruary 1, 1756, that those on the West side of the Susquehanna 
 were "already erected," and therefore probably in the latter part 
 of 1755 — he says, " One of them is placed at a river called Matche- 
 tongo, about 12 miles from the Susquehanna, which I have called 
 * Pomfret Castle.' I have placed a garrison of 75 men, and 
 ordered them to range the woods each way." And on the 9th of 
 February, to General Shirley, he says, " From Fort Granville to- 
 wards the Susquehanna, at the distance of 15 miles, and about 
 12 from the river, another fort is erected that commands the 
 country, and is intended to prevent the Indians from penetrat- 
 ing into the settlements from that quarter — this I have called 
 Pomfret Castle." It appears by a letter to Captain Burd, Febru- 
 ary 3, 1756, that he and Captain Patterson were- charged with 
 building this fort, but that instead of doing it, they had gone to 
 the Sugar Cabins and " nothing is yet done." In the meantime 
 murders had been committed — and asks him, "As the Indians 
 who committed those last murders must have passed near where 
 the fort was ordered to be built at Matchetongo, will not a good 
 deal of the mischief be imputed to yours and Captain P.'s re- 
 
416 HISTOKY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 missness." " On the 29th of March Pomfret Castle was fired on 
 by a party of Indians, who took one Hugh Mitcheltree prisoner ; 
 and they are very scarce of provisions and ammunition. '' H. 
 M. was going to fodder his cattle; about sundown some Indians 
 appeared on the hill opposite to Patterson's Fort, and fired six 
 guns, a bullet from one of which struck the guard-house." It 
 would appear by the orders to Lieutenant-Colonel Armstrong^ 
 inclosed by Governor Morris, June 14, 1756, that the fort was not 
 built, or at least not finished; he says, "You are immediately to 
 send Captain George Armstrong to build Pomfret Castle, where 
 it was laid out by Major Burd ; as Colonel Clapham's regiment 
 is now in that neighborhood, you will direct him to acquaint 
 Colonel Clapham of all his motions, and keep a correspondence 
 with him, that they may mutually assist each other." 
 
 Patterson's Fort is several times referred to, and there is some 
 reason to believe that Pomfret Castle is intended by that name, 
 as the affair of Mitcheltree is thus referred to by Governor Mor- 
 ris, "Mitcheltree, taken last week within sight of Patterson's 
 Fort, called to the garrison and told them the Indians were but 
 six in number, and desired to be rescued, but none went — he 
 was carried off." 
 
 FORT SHIRLEY, OR AUGHWICK. 
 
 This is one of the forts erected in Governor Morris's time. It 
 was about 1755 ; as he enumerates January 29th, 1756, this fort 
 among those " already erected," on the west side of Susquehanna 
 — "a third at Auckwick, called Fort Shirley." To General Shir- 
 ley, Governor Morris writes, February 9th, 1756, "about twenty 
 miles northward of Fort Lyttleton at a place called Aughwick, 
 another fort is erected something larger than Fort Lyttleton, 
 which I have taken the liberty to honour with the name of Fort 
 Shirley. This stands near the great path used by the Indians 
 and Indian traders to and from the Ohio and consequently the 
 easiest way of access for the Indians into the settlements of this 
 province." It is fifteen miles north east to Fort Granville. Cap 
 tain Mercer was about this time ordered to Fort Shirley, March 
 28th, though it appears by a letter from him at Carlisle, April 
 19th, he was then there recruiting for his camp at Fort Shirley, 
 " with instructions to review and pay ofi" the Garrison at Fort 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 417 
 
 Shirley, which," he says, "arrived in a very lucky time, when 
 the greater part of our men were about to abandon the fort for 
 want of pay. I am now about filling up my company to sixty 
 men." "A Garrison of thirty men are now at Fort Shirley en- 
 gaged to remain there till first of May, by which time I am in 
 hopes of compleating the company, and shall immediately 
 thereupon repair thither and thank the Governor for the ap- 
 pointment. E. Salter is instructed to visit the different forts 
 from Lyttleton to Pomfret Castle, under escorts to be furnished 
 by the Commanders of the several forts ; at Shirley he is to be 
 escorted to Pomfret Castle. Col. Armstrong in his account of the 
 Kittanning affair says he is informed by some prisoners, that it 
 was the intention of some Frenchmen, with a large part of Del- 
 aware and French Indians to join Capt. Jacobs at the Kittan- 
 ning, " and to set out early the next morning to take Fort Shir- 
 ley or as they called it Croghan's fort, and that twenty-four War- 
 riors who had lately come to the town were set out before them 
 the evening before, for what purpose they did not know, whether 
 to prepare meat or spy the fort or to make an attack upon our 
 back inhabitants." Capt. Mercer appears to have been wounded 
 in the Kittanning action. 
 
 April 9th, 1756. Hance Hamilton says to Capt. Potter giving 
 an account of an affair at M'Cord's Fort from Fort Lyttleton. 
 " We have sent an express to Fort Shirley for Doctor Mercer, 
 (supposing Dr. Jammison is killed), though at the same time he 
 requests an express to be immediately sent to Carlisle for Dr. 
 Prentice," we imagining that Dr. Mercer cannot leave the fort 
 under the circumstances that fort is under." In making ar- 
 rangements for the Kittanning expedition under command of 
 Col. Armstrong, and several companies under Capts. Hamilton, 
 Mercer, Ward, and Potter, it is said " the affair was to be kept as 
 secret as possible, and the officers and men to march to Fort 
 Shirley, and from thence to set out for the expedition," and "in 
 consequence of his orders and agreeable to the plan concerted, 
 Col. Armstrong had made the necessary preparation and has 
 wrote a letter from Fort Shirley informing that he was on the 
 point of setting out." In a letter from Col. Armstrong at Car- 
 lisle, he says to Gov. Morris, August 20th, "to-morrow, God will- 
 ing, the men march from McDowell's for Fort Shirley, and this 
 27 
 
418 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 afternoon some part of my own Company with the provisions 
 here, sets out for Shearman's Valley, there to halt until the resi- 
 due comes up. This night I expected to have been at Fort Shir- 
 ley, but am much disappointed in getting in the Strays." He is 
 doubtful about remaining for some intelligence which he deems 
 material, if he does he cannot reach Fort Shirley until Tuesday. 
 "The Harvest season with the two attacks on Fort Granville has 
 left us so bare of ammunition that I shall be obliged to apply to 
 the stores here for some quantity for the expedition. The 
 Captains Hamilton and Mercer having broke open the part 
 I sent to McDowell's for Fort Shirley and given their re- 
 ceipts as for the expedition, though I know it is for the 
 particular defence of them two posts, nor will it be in my 
 power to prevail with double the number of men and a 
 double quantity of ammunition to keep a fort that would 
 have done it before the taking of Granville." By a de- 
 serter named Walker, it is learned that the French (after Gran- 
 ville) designed very soon to attack Fort Shirley with four hun- 
 dred men." "As Fort Shirley is not easily defended and their 
 water may be taken possession of by the enemy, it running at 
 the foot of a high bank eastward of the fort, and no well dug, 
 I am of opinion from its remote situation, that it cannot serve 
 the Country in the present circumstances, and if attacked, I 
 doubt will be taken, if not strongly garrisoned, but (extremities 
 excepted) I cannot evacuate this without your honor's orders." 
 Gov. Denny informs Council, (October 15th, 1756,) "that he 
 found the frontiers in a deplorable condition — Fort Granville 
 burnt by the enemy ; Fort Shirley evacuated by his order, and the 
 country people dispirited and running into little forts for a pres- 
 ent security." 
 
 J. Simpson Africa, Esq., says : Fort Shirley was situated on 
 an elevated plot of ground on Fort Run, on the western side of 
 the main street of the borough of Shirleysburg, Shirley Town- 
 ship, Huntingdon Co., and on the east side of, and about one- 
 fourth of a mile distant from Aughwick creek, (in early days 
 sometimes spelled Aukwick.) 
 
 A small stream which flows south-west through what is now 
 called Germany Valley passes between the spot where the fort 
 was located, and the end of Owing's Hill and empties into Augh- 
 wick. This stream is called in old land plots Johnson's Run, 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 419 
 
 and now turns Brewster's grist mill, which is situated near where 
 the fort stood. Shirlej'sburg is distant from Huntingdon about 
 twenty miles and was originally called " Aughwick Old Town." 
 " There is not a trace of the fort to be found." 
 
 FORT STANDING STONE. 
 
 " Fort Standing Stone," was erected on the Juniata river, about 
 70 perches above the mouth of a creek, which was subsequently 
 named after the fort. The ground on which it stood is situated 
 in the south-eastern portion of the borough of Huntingdon. 
 
 On the north-western bank of Standing Stone creek, a short 
 ■ distance above its mouth was an Indian town. The land is now 
 cultivated and the stirring of the soil occasionally brings to view 
 ancient Indian relics, a number of which are preserved in that 
 place. The name " Standing stone," having connected with it, 
 so many endearing recollections is as familiar, writes Hon. J. 
 Simpson Africa, to our native citizens, as is Huntingdon. Of 
 this veneration we have evidence in the names of the creek, 
 ridge, mountain, and valley, which are called Standing Stone." 
 
 The Indian town was a place of meeting of the adjacent tribes, 
 and they had here erected a tall, slim stone of a peculiar shape and 
 formation, this stone was termed the Standing Stone. The first 
 white settlement at this place was named after it and called 
 Standing Stone. The fort had been erected by the white settlers 
 to protect them from the Indians. When it was erected does 
 not seem to be exactly known. 
 
 It is noticed in 1754, on page 136 of the Second Volume Penn. 
 Archives, as distant from " Jack Armstrong's narrows, eight 
 miles and about fourteen feet high and six inches square. The 
 tribe regarded this stone with superstitious veneration and a 
 tradition is said to have existed among them, that if the stone 
 should be taken away, the tribe would be dispersed ; but so long 
 as it existed they would prosper. There was a fort built during 
 the Revolution, just at the lower end of the main street. 
 
 The Archives furnish the following occurrences during the 
 Revolution : 
 
 April 24, 1778. From Carlisle, Lieut. Carothers writes, "This 
 moment I received an express from Kishacoquillas for a supply 
 of arms, and that Col. McAlevy, of Bedford county, came there 
 
420 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 express himself, with an account that a body of Tories, near 320 
 in and above Standing Stone had collected together and drove a 
 number of the inhabitants from Standing Stone town. Imme- 
 diately Colonel Buchanan and Col, Brown marched off with a few 
 men who could be got equipped ; we are waiting with impatience 
 the issue. I have applied to the Board of War for some ammu- 
 nition, which I have sent up with the eighteen muskets, the 
 property of this state, which, with some arms which Gen. Rober- 
 deau took up to those parts lately, will, I expect, be sufficient to 
 arm those classes." 
 
 April 23. Gen. Roberdeau writes to J. Carothers from Stand- 
 ing Stone a full account of these matters. A report prevailed 
 that four persons were killed, one wounded and eight captured 
 between the Standing Stone and Col. Cluggage's, which, though 
 brought by express, proved to be untrue, yet served to alarm the 
 inhabitants "even in the Path valley," owing chiefly to the want 
 of arms and ammunition. 
 
 July 16, 1778. Council inform the County Lieutenants "that 
 Col. Brodhead's regiment, now on a march to Pittsburgh, is or- 
 dered by the Board of War to the Standing Stone, and we have 
 ordered 300 militia from Cumberland and 200 from York 
 county, to join them." 
 
 August 8th, 1778. Council inform Dr. Shippen that there are 
 two bodies in Continental service, which will require medicine. 
 One a body consisting of 500 men at Standing Stone on Juniata. 
 
 May 19, 1779. Gen. Potter writes from Penn's Valley, " I 
 cannot help being surprised that there has been no militia sent 
 to that part of Bedford county that joins us ; neither to Franks- 
 town nor Standing Stone, except that small company of Bu- 
 chanan's battallion that would not go to Fort Roberdeau." 
 
 May 13, 1782. Bernard Dougherty writes from Standing 
 Stone that on the day preceding " a company of Cumberland 
 militia consisting of thirty-five men arrived there on their way 
 to Frankstown Garrison, where they are to be joined by Capt. 
 Boyd's ranging company. The people of this county are mostly 
 fled from their habitations." On the 18th, he was at Bedford. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 421 
 
 ANDERSON'S AND OTHER BLOCK-HOUSES. 
 
 The Hon. J. Simpson Africa furnishes the following : 
 
 Anderson's Fort was situated near the junction of Shaver's 
 Creek and the Juniata, near where now stands the borough of 
 Petersburg, in West Township, six miles above Huntingdon. 
 It was erected, I believe, by the white settlers to defend them- 
 selves from the incursions of the Indians. My grandmother, an 
 early settler about the time of the Revolution, sought protection 
 there. The inhabitants of this fort after defending themselves 
 for a long time against the attacks of the savages, finding their 
 supplies becoming exhausted, fled to Standing Stone Fort. In 
 their flight two of the men named Maguire were killed by the 
 Indians, and tlieir sister, afterwards Mrs. Dowling, who was 
 driving the cows, was chased by them. Springing from ambush, 
 the sudden surprise frightened the cows and they started to run. 
 The foremost Indian caught her dress and imagined he had 
 made sure of a victim, but she simultaneously grasped the tail 
 of one of the cows, held on ; her dress tore and she escaped. 
 She reached Fort Standing Stone, half dead with fright, still 
 holding on to the tail of the cow. 
 
 McAlevy's Fort stood on the ground now occupied by a ham- 
 let called McAlevy's Fort, on the bank of Standing Stone Creek, 
 about twenty miles above Huntingdon. This was erected for the 
 defence of the settlers of that region (now Jackson township, 
 Huntingdon county.) 
 
 Not a trace of either of the forts described now remains. 
 
 The Shadow of Death, mentioned by Conrad Weiser, is a Gap 
 in the Shade Mountain, now called the Shade Gap, and is in 
 the line between Dublin and Cromwell townships, Huntingdon 
 county. 
 
 Black Log is near Shade Gap. 
 
 Hart's Log was in Porter township, Huntingdon county. 
 
 The Indian Sleeping Place is at McConnell's Town, five miles 
 S. W. of Huntingdon. 
 
GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 A. 
 
 Aborigines, the, 17. 
 
 Africa, J. Simpson, quoted, 418, 419, 421. 
 Alleghenies, railroad across, 333. 
 Allummappees, Indian Chief, 128, 384. 
 Anderson, Samuel, of Anderson's Fort, 313. 
 Anderson, William, massacre of, 71. 
 
 Armstrong, Gen. John, account of Capture of Fort Granville, 
 85, 149. 
 
 expedition against Kittanning, 112. 
 Armstrong, Jack, murder of, 126, 384. 
 
 James, deposition concerning his brother's murder, 
 126. 
 
 Resting Place, 386. 
 Ashman, Col. George, 303, 305. 
 Assunnepachla, Indian town, 123, 298. 
 Aughwick Fort, (see Shirley.) 
 Aughwick Valley, 123. 
 
 B. 
 
 Banks, Andrew, notice of, 63. 
 
 quoted, 69. 
 Baskins, William, early settler on Juniata, 59. 
 " Battle Swamp," 184. 
 
 Beatty, Patrick, first settler at Water Street, 278. 
 Bedford, town of, 151. 
 
 Indian massacre near, 157. 
 Bell, Edward, quoted, 107, 189, 234, 324. 
 Black Boys, Capt. Smith leader of, 151. 
 Blair, Capt. Thomas, captures the tories, 236. 
 county, named in honor of, 238. 
 
424 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 "Bloody Run," 153. 
 
 Bouquet, Col. Henry, expedition of, 150, 
 
 Brainerd, Rev. David, visit to Juniata, 52. 
 
 Breckenridge famil}'^, 268. 
 
 Brown, Judge William, reminiscences of Logan, 106. 
 
 Bryson, Judge Samuel, life threatened, 91. 
 
 Buchannan, Arthur, an early settler, 82. 
 
 Buffalo creek, Indian massacre on, 72, 374, 395. 
 
 Campbell, Robert, house attacked by Indians, 71, 370, 380. 
 
 Canal in the Juniata Valley, 334. 
 
 Chillaway, Job, account of, 324. 
 
 Churches in the Valley in 1850, 348. 
 
 Coleman, Thomas, the Indian fighter, 201. 
 
 Conoy Indians, 19. 
 
 Continental Mills in the Valley, 189. 
 
 Cove, the settlers in, 192. 
 
 Croghan, George, notice of, 139. 
 
 Crum, Peter, murdered by Indians, 319. 
 
 Cryder, Michael, runs first ark into Susquehanna, 173. 
 
 Curiosities, natural, in the valley, 346. 
 
 D. 
 
 Dean, Matthew, massacre of family of, 279. 
 
 Delaware Indians, 20. 
 
 Donaldson, Moses, murder of his family, 247. 
 
 Donnelly, Felix, killed by Indians, 171. 
 
 Drake's Ferry, 388. 
 
 Dunkards, settlement of, 192. 
 
 Indian massacre of, 196. 
 
 surprise of the murderers, 203. 
 
 E. 
 
 Eaton, Mrs., and children, murder of, 244. 
 
 Elder, Mrs., capture of, 161. 
 
 Ewing, Elizabeth, abducted by Indians, 316. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 425 
 
 F. 
 
 Forbes, General, expedition of, 148. 
 
 line of march, 360. 
 
 Forts, Indian, Anderson's, 313, 421. 
 
 Bigham, 411. 
 
 Fetter's, 203, 290. 
 
 Granville, 84, 412. 
 
 McAlevy's, 421. 
 
 Patterson's, 357, 414. 
 
 Pomfret Castle, 415. 
 
 Shirley or Aughwick, 145, 416. 
 
 Standing Stone, 419. 
 Franks, Stephen, Indian trader, 298. 
 Frankstown, Indian name of, 123, 298. 
 " Flush Times " in the valley, 334. 
 Furnaces in the valley, 339. 
 
 G. 
 
 Girty, Simon, sketch of, 396. 
 
 Grant and Lewis, defeat of, 361. 
 
 Granville, Fort, capture of by French and Indians, 84, 412. 
 
 Great Cove, Indian massacre in, 194. 
 
 Grey, John, wife of, taken captive, 77. 
 
 Guilliford, John, massacre of, 262. 
 
 H. 
 
 Hardy, Hugh, first settler at Licking Creek, 70. 
 Half-King, or Tanacharisson, 144. 
 Hare, Jacob, a noted tory, 240. 
 
 an " attainted traitor," 246. 
 Hart, John, an early German settler, 185. 
 "Hart's Sleeping Place," 125, 185. 
 
 Indian encampment near, 306. 
 "Hart's Log," 185. 
 
 Hart's Log Settlement, Indian murder in, 247. 
 Heroic conduct of two boys, 314. 
 Hicks, Gersham, Indian guide, 253. 
 Levi, massacre of, 254. 
 
426 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 Hollidaysburg, 287. 
 Holliday family, the, 287. 
 
 Lieut. James, killed at Brandywine, 291. 
 Adam, active in defending the frontiers, 290. 
 William, family of massacred, 293. 
 Houston, Mrs., murder of, 258. 
 Hulings, Marcus, early settler on Juniata, 59. 
 record of family, 401. 
 remarkable escape of wife of, 61. 
 Huntingdon — see Standing Stone. 
 early settlers at, 169. 
 when laid out, 174. 
 and Broad-Top R. R., 338. 
 
 I. 
 
 Indians of the valley, 17. > 
 
 ceremonies, 25, 54. 
 on Duncan's Island, 52. 
 marauds in Tuscarora valley, 71. 
 paths, 124, 323. 
 burial places, 302. 
 massacre, the last, 318. 
 massacres in 1763, 369. 
 
 Jack, Captain, a noted character, 134. 
 Jack's Narrows, 388. 
 Jacobs, Captain, noted Indian, 82. 
 death of, 121, 377. 
 Jones, Uriah James, biog. sketch of, 352. 
 Juniata or Duncan's Island, 52. 
 
 Brainerd's visit to, 53. 
 Juniata Valley, furnaces in, 339. 
 
 productions of, 342. 
 
 population in 1850, 343. 
 
 K. 
 
 Kishacoquillas Valley, Indian remains in, 22, 102. 
 Shawanese chief so named, 102. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 427 
 
 Kittaning Indian town, expedition against, 112, 359. 
 killed and wounded at, 120. 
 
 L. 
 
 Lead mines in Sinking Valley, 211. 
 
 Lenni Lenape, 18- 
 
 Licking Creek, early settlers at, 70. 
 
 Logan, the Mingo chief, incidents of, 105, 261, 324. 
 
 his so-called speech, 109. 
 Lost Creek Valley, 63. 
 Loudenslager, Indian murder of, 240. 
 Lowrey's Fort, 279. 
 Lowrey, Lazarus, 289, 296. 
 Loyalhannon, plan of battle of, 362. 
 
 M. 
 
 Maguire, Jane, heroism of, 171. 
 
 Maguire, Michael, account of the tory expeditions, 235. 
 
 quoted, 297. 
 Manitou, Indian belief in, 23. 
 McAlevy's Fort, 421. 
 
 McCartney, George, shoots an Indian, 265. 
 McClees, James, massacre of, 258. 
 McCormick's Fort or block-house, 257. 
 
 Miss, abducted by the Indians, 316. 
 Mexico, first settlement at, 64. 
 Mifflin county, organization of, 88. 
 Mills in the Valley, 189. 
 Mingoes, character of, 19. 
 Moore Family, the, 263. 
 Morrison's Cove, early settlement in, 192. 
 Musemeelin, the Indian murderer, 128. 
 
 N. 
 Neff 's Mill, Indian marauds at, 195, 199. 
 
 P. 
 
 Path Valley, why thus named, 76. 
 
 PMterson, Captain James, an early settler, 64, 356. 
 
 Pattersons of Juniata, record of, 356. 
 
428 HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 
 
 Patterson, Capt. William, sketch of, 365. 
 
 Galbraith, 369. 
 Penn'a Railroad, construction of, 336. 
 Phillips, Captain, scout of, murdered, 271. 
 Piper, Col. John, account of Indian murders, 271. 
 
 R. 
 
 Rangers in the Valley, 305. 
 
 Raystown Branch, early settlement on, 148. 
 
 first white child born on, 159. 
 Revolution, the Juniata Valley in the, 177, 193. 
 Indian depredations in, 195. 
 tories in, 220, 232. 
 Riddle, William, escape of from the Indians, 66, 370. 
 
 son of taken captive, 66. 
 Riot at Lewistown, 91. 
 Roads over the mountains, 332. 
 Roberdeau, Gen. Daniel, sent to inspect the lead mines in the 
 
 valley, 219. 
 Robinson, William and Thomas, murder of by Indians, 72, 381» 
 
 Robert, narrative of, 375. 
 Roller, Jacob, massacre of, 225. 
 
 Sanders and his family murdered by Indians, 160. 
 
 Scalps, price paid for, 145. 
 
 Scotch-Irish, 37. 
 
 Scotch Valley, early settlement of, 263. 
 
 Settlers, early trials of, 177. 
 
 Shaver's Creek, settlement at, 313. 
 
 Indian massacre at, 393. 
 Peter, death of, 313. 
 Shawanee-John, notice of, 326. 
 Shearman's Valley, Indian murders in, 373. 
 Shickalemy, Indian chief, 104. 
 
 account of Jack Armstrong's murder, 128. 
 Shingas, Indian chief, description of, 121. 
 Skelly, Felix, adventures of, 161. 
 
 Simonton, Captain, dwelling burned by the Indians, 279. 
 captivity of son of, 282. 
 
HISTORY OF THE JUNIATA VALLEY. 429 
 
 Sinking Valley, 211. 
 
 Indian murders in, 212. 
 
 lead mines in, 211. 
 
 Lead Mining Company, 230. 
 Six Nations, 30. 
 Smith, James, narrative of, 151. 
 Spruce Creek, Indian depredations at, 253. 
 Squatters on Indian lands removed, 39. 
 Standing Stone, Indian ceremonies at, 25. 
 
 ancient and modern, 167. 
 
 early settlers, 171. 
 Sterrett, Ralph, Indian trader, notice of, 80. 
 Stone Valley, 257. 
 Stump and Ironcutter, murder of Indians by, 367. 
 
 Thompsons of Juniata Valley, 407. 
 Tories in the Valley, 220, 232. 
 Trespassers on the Juniata, 39. * 
 
 Tuckahoe Valley, Indian murders in, 212, 261. 
 Tuscarora Indians, 18. 
 Tuscarora Valley, Indian marauds in, 71. 
 early settlement of, 76. 
 
 U. 
 
 Ullery, massacre of, 195. 
 
 V. 
 Vandevender, Peter, incident of, 244. 
 
 W. 
 
 Warrior's Mark, origin of name, 323. 
 
 Warrior's Ridge, 323. 
 
 Water Street settlement, 278. 
 
 Watts, Frederick, early settler on Juniata, 59. 
 
 Weston, John, leader of the tories, 234. 
 
 White, William, Indian attack upon, 66, 370. 
 
 Woodcock Valley, 268. 
 
 Woods, George, an Indian captive, 77, 308. 
 
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