Book-bot.com - read famous books online for free

Life of Tecumseh, and of His Brother the Prophet - With a Historical Sketch of the Shawanoe Indians by Benjamin Drake
page 32 of 274 (11%)
an open attack with his force. While here, he was cautioned by one of
the women not to stay, for that the Indian men were drinking; and
having heard of Cresap's murder of their relatives at Grave creek, were
angry; and she pressed him in a friendly manner to go home; whereupon,
after inviting them to come over and drink, he returned to Baker's,
which was a tavern, and desired that when any of them should come to
his house, he would give them as much rum as they could drink. When
this plot was ripe, and a sufficient number of them had collected at
Baker's and become intoxicated, he and his party fell on them and
massacred the whole except a little girl, whom they preserved as a
prisoner. Among them was the very woman who had saved his life by
pressing him to retire from the drunken wrath of her friends, when he
was playing the spy in their camp at Yellow creek. Either she herself
or some other one of the murdered women was the sister of Logan; there
were others of his relations who fell at the same time. The party on
the opposite side of the river, upon hearing the report of the guns,
became alarmed for their friends at Baker's house, immediately manned
two canoes and sent them over. They were met by a fire from
Greathouse's party, as they approached the shore, which killed some,
wounded others, and obliged the remainder to return. Baker subsequently
stated, that six or eight were wounded and twelve killed."

The settlers along the frontier, satisfied that the Indians would
retaliate upon them, for these unprovoked aggressions, either returned
to the interior of the country, or gathered in forts, and made
preparation for resistance. The assembly of the colony of Virginia
being then in session, an express was sent to the seat of government,
announcing the commencement of hostilities with the Indians, and asking
assistance. In the month of May, the excitement among the Indians was
still further increased by the murder of the Delaware sachem, "Bald
DigitalOcean Referral Badge