Ac

On the 28th of January, the Indians murdered a number of persons at the Canalloways, in Cumberland county (now Bedford). cording to the Pennsylvania Gazette, of February 12, 1756, "they killed and scalped James Leaton; Catharine Stillwell, and one of her children were killed and scalped, and two others carried off; one about eight, the other three years old. Her husband, Richard Stillwell, was at a neighbor's house when his wife was attacked, and from thence got into Coom's fort. Elias Stillwell had seven horses and a mare carried off, one cow killed and one burnt. John McKenney's house was burnt, with all his household goods and clothing, and what remained of three beeves and seven fat hogs; he had likewise three cows killed; and three calves burnt in Samuel Eaton's barn. Samuel Hicks had eleven cattle and a valuable mare killed.Richard Malone's house and barn were burnt, and two of his cattle killed. And a house was burnt that belonged to one Hicks, who had been murdered some time ago. The tracks of seven Indians and of a child, supposed to be Mr. Stilwell's, with those of the horses they carried off, were seen in a corn field, and they seemed to be going towards Aughwick."

A few days after the murder had been committed and damages done in the Canalloways, the Indians burnt the house of Widow Coxe, near McDowell's mill, in Cumberland county (Franklin), and carried off her two sons and another person. John Coxe, son of widow Coxe, stated in presence of the Provincial Council, September 6th, 1756, that himself, his brother Richard, and John Craig, were taken, by nine Delaware Indians, in February 1756, from a plantation two miles from McDowell's mill, and carried to Kittanning town on the Ohio (Allegheny) river, that on his way thither, he met Shingas with a party of thirty men, and afterwards with Captain Jacobs and fifteen, who were going on a design to destroy the settlements in Conegochege, that when he arrived at Kittanning, he saw there about one hundred fighting men of the Delaware tribe with their families and about fifty English prisoners consisting of men, women and children; that during his stay there Shingas' and Jacobs' parties returned, the one with nine scalps and ten prisoners; the other with several scalps and five prisoners; and that another company of eighteen came from Diahoga with seventeen scalps fixed on a pole and carried them to Fort Du Quesne to obtain their reward-That the warriors held a council, which, with their war dances, continued a week, after which, Captain Jacobs went with a party of forty-eight men intending (as he was told) to fall upon the inhabitants of Paxton; that the Indians frequently said they resolved to kill all the white folks except a few, with whom they would afterwards make a peace; that they made an example of one Paul Broadly, whom they, agreeable to their usual cruelty, beat for half an hour with clubs and tomahawks, and afterwards fastening him to a post, cropt his ears close to his head; and chopped his fingers-that they called together all the prisoners to witness the scene of their inhuman barbarity.

He further said, that about the beginning of March, he was taken by three Indians to Diahoga, where he found about fifty warriors

belonging to the Delaware, Mohiccon and Munsey tribes, and about twenty German prisoners; that while he was there, the Indians frequently went in parties of twelve, to destroy the inhabitants, and as often returned with their scalps, but no prisoners; that their whole conversation was continually filled with expressions of vengeance against the English, and resolutions to kill them, and lay waste their country. That in May all the Indians moved from Diahoga about twenty miles higher up the river to plant corn, where most of them have since lived.

That they, with the prisoners, during the whole summer have been in a starving condition, having very little venison and corn, and reduced to the necessity of living upon dog flesh and the few roots and berries they could collect in the woods; that several of the prisoners had died for the want of food.

That on the 9th of August he left Diahoga and came down the river in a canoe with Makomsey to Grahay, to get some corn that was left under ground, and that in the morning after he arrived there, the Indians having gone out to hunt, he made his escape on the 14th of August (last) and came to Fort Augusta at six o'clock in the evening.

It is stated in the Provincial Records, "the poor boy was extremely reduced, had dangerous swellings on his body, and was in a sickly condition; the Governor therefore ordered him lodging and the attendance of a doctor."

On the 20th Feb. 1756, says Gordon, Captain Patterson with a scouting party, fell in with some Indians at Middle creek in Cumberland county (now Union), one of whom they scalped and put the others to flight, having one of his own men wounded. He reported the woods, from the Juniata to Shamokin, to be filled with Indians, seeking plunder and scalps, and burning all the houses, and destroying the grain in that vicinity.

66

February 1756, a party of Indians from Shamokin came to Juniata. They first came to Hugh Mitcheltrees, being on the river. who had gone to Carlisle, and got a young man, named Edward Nicholas to stay with his wife until he would return-the Indians killed them both. The same party of Indians went up the river where the Luken's now live-William Wilcox 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 Nicholas and his wife, and took Joseph, Thomas and Catharine Nicholas, John Wilcox, James Armstrong's wife and two children prisoners.

An Indian named Cotties, who wished to be Captain of this party, when they did choose him, he would not go with them. He and a boy went to Sheerman'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, called French, whom they killed; of which they often boasted afterwards, that he and the boy took more scalps than the whole party.

"On Sunday, February 29, 1756, two boys, at a small distance from David David's, in the Little Cove, Cumberland county, were fired upon by some Indians. One of them escaped and alarmed the fort. The Indians to the number of twenty immediately came up and took possession of the barn, and fired repeatedly on the fort, in which there were eight or ten men. The fire was briskly and effectively returned. Failing in this attempt, the enemy divided their force into two parties, and proceeded to the commission of the usual ravages. But the inhabitants of Peters township collected in small parties between three and four o'clock in the afternoon, marched to the fort, and on the next morning set out in pursuit of the savages.They came in sight of six on horseback, who, being closely pursued, abandoned their horses and fled into the woods, leaving behind them a woman they had taken the day before, near the Potomac.

"Another party under Mr. Potter, discovered the trail of two companions of the enemy, whom they followed, until baffled in the pursuit by the falling snow. These companions belonged to Shingas and Jacobs. In this affray they killed four whites, and made prisoners of a like number.

In the evening of the same day, a party of Indians was discov ered by one Alexander, near the house of Thomas Barr, in Peters township. Alexander was pursued, but escaped, and alarmed the fort at McDowell's mill; and notice of the presence of the enemy was speedily given to the township. Early on Monday morning, a party composed of fourteen men of Capt. Croghan's company, who were at the mill, and about twelve other young men set off to watch the motions of the enemy. Within a quarter of a mile of Barr's they fell in with fifty, and sent back for a reinforcement from the fort. The young lads proceeded by a circuit to take the enemy in the rear, whilst the soldiers should attack them in front. But the impetuosity of the soldiers defeated their plan. For, getting within gun shot, they immediately engaged the Indians, who were standing around the fire, and slew several of them at the first discharge. The Indians briskly returned the fire, killing one of the soldiers, and compelled the rest to retreat. The party of young men, hearing the report of fire arms, hastened up, and finding the Indians on the ground which the soldiers had occupied, delivered their fire with effect, but, concluding that the soldiers had fled, or were slain, they also retreated. One of their number, Barr's son, was wounded, and would have fallen by the tomahawk of an Indian, had not the savage been killed by a shot from one Armstrong, who saw him running upon the lad. Soon after, the soldiers and young men being joined by a re-inforcement from the mill, again sought the enemy, who, eluding their pursuit, crossed the creek near William Clark's, and attempted to surprise the fort; but their design was discovered by two Dutch lads, coming from foddering their master's cattle. One of the lads was slain, but the other reached the fort, which was immediately surrounded by the Indians, who, from a thicket, fired many shots at the men in the garrison, who appeared above the wall, and returned the

fire as often as they obtained sight of the enemy. At this time, two men crossing to the mill fell into the middle of the assailants, but made their escape into the fort, though fired at three times. The party at Barr's now came up, and drove the Indians through the thicket; in their retreat they met five men from Mr. Hoops', riding to the mill; they killed one of these, and wounded another severely. The sergeant at the fort, having lost two of his men, declined to follow the enemy, until his commander, Mr. Crawford, who was at Hoops' should return, and, the snow falling thick, they had time to burn Barr's house, and in it they consumed their dead. In the morning of the second of March, Mr. Crawford, with fifty men, went in quest of the enemy, but was unsuccessful in his search.Gordon's Hist. Pa.

Every where along the frontier did the Indians commit the most horrid murders. Their implacable cruelty was stimulated by the promise of reward for scalps on the part of the French; beside the promise of restoring them their lands.

In a letter dated March 8, 1756, Hanover township, Lancaster (now Dauphin) county, it is said that the morning before, namely, the 7th of March, Andrew Lycan, who lived over the mountain, had been attacked by the Indians.

He had with him a son, John Lycan, a negro man, and a boy and two of his neighbors, John Revolt and Ludwig Shut. That Andrew Lycan and John Revolt went out early that morning to fodder their creatures, when two guns were fired at them, but did not hurt them: upon which they ran into the house and prepared themselves for an engagement. That then the Indians got under cover of a hog-house near the dwelling house, John Lycan, Revolt, and Shut, crept out of the house, in order to get a shot at them, but were fired at by the Indians, and all wounded, and Shut in the abdomen. That Andrew Lycan saw one of the Indians over the hog-house, and got a little distance from it; and also saw two white men run out of the hoghouse and get a little distance from it. That upon this, our people endeavored to escape, but were pursued by the Indians to the number of sixteen or upwards, and John Lycan and Revolt being badly wounded, were able to do nothing, and so went off with the negro, and left Andrew Lycan, Shut and the boy, engaged with the Indians. That the enemy pursued so closely, that one of them came up to the boy and was going to strike his tomahawk into him, when Shut turned and shot him dead, and Lycan shot another, and he is positive that he killed him-saw a third fall, and thinks they wounded some more of them. That they being now both badly wounded, and almost spent, they sat down on a log to rest themselves, and the Indians stood a little way off looking at them.

That one of the said Indians killed was Bill Davis, and two others they knew to be Tom Hickman and Tom Hays, all Delawares, and well known in these parts. That all our men got into Hanover township, and under the care of a doctor, and are likely to do well, but have lost all they are worth. And that the people of that township were raising a number of men to go after the enemy. The

above people lived twenty-five miles below Shamokin, at or near Wiskinisco creek.

There were many singular and dangerous encounters between the English and Indians, which seem to startle the reader. But among the many achievements, says Loudon, against the Indians in our wars with them, few exceed that performed by Samuel Bell, formerly owner of the noted farm on the Stony Ridge, five miles below Carlisle, which was as follows:

Some time after General Braddock's defeat, he and his brother, James Bell, agreed to go into Sherman's valley to hunt for deer, and were to meet at Croghan's, now Sterret's Gap, on the Blue Mountain; by some means or other they did not meet, and Samuel slept all night in a cabin belonging to Mr. Patton on Shearman's creek in the morning he had not travelled far before he spied three Indians, who at the same time saw him; they all fired at each other; he wounded one of the Indians, but received no damage, except through his clothes by the balls; several shots were fired on both sides, for each took a tree; he took out his tomahawk and stuck it into the tree behind which he stood, so that should they approach he might he prepared; the tree was grazed with the Indian's balls, and he had thoughts of making his escape by flight, but on reflection had doubts of his being able to out run them. After some time the two Indians took the wounded one and put him over a fence, and one took one course and the other another, taking a compass so that Bell could no longer secure himself by the tree, but by trying to ensnare him they had to expose themselves, by which means he had the good fortune to shoot one of them dead, the other ran and took the dead Indian on his back, one leg over each shoulder: by this time Bell's gun was again loaded; he then ran after the Indian until he came within about four yards from him, fired, and shot through the dead Indian, and lodged his ball in the other, who dropped the dead man and ran off; on his return. coming past the fence where the wounded Indian was, he despatched him, but did not know he had killed the third Indian until his bones were found afterwards.

About the 4th April, 1756, McCord's fort in Conococheague, was burned by the Indians, and twenty-seven persons were killed or captured; the Indians escaped the pursuit of two parties of inhabitants of the vicinity, who had divided themselves into three parties to seek them. Several other forts along the frontier line were watched by outlaying parties of savages, and every straggler was made a prisoner or shot down. The third party came up with the enemy at Sidling Hill, with whom they had a smart engagement for two hours, during which they fired twenty-four rounds, but were overpowered by numbers, the Indians having been reinforced by a force under Shingas.Each side sustained a loss of about twenty killed and as many wounded.

In a letter dated, at Shippensburg, April 12, 1756, a list of the killed and wounded, in the above named engagement with the Indians, is given.