OVER - HARVARD THEOLOGICAL LIBRARY PERIODICAL ACCOUNTS, &c. &c. Ferid. 1552 7.4 7806-1808 A Letter from Brother PETER KLUGE, Missionary among the DEAR BROTHER, INCE my last to you, by way of Goshen, our situa SINCE tion here has become more precarious than ever; and indeed we have been in such perplexity and distress, that we have never before experienced any thing like it. Even now, while I am writing, I am filled with such grief and terror, in the remembrance of the scenes we have been witnesses to, that I hardly know how to put my thoughts together, or find words to describe our present feelings. From the following narrative our dear Brethren will be able, in some measure, to judge of them. In February last all the Indians in this district were summoned by their teachers, or lying prophets, to assemble on the Woapikamikunk, to hear the foolish stories, fabricated by these emissaries of Satan, of pretended visions and revelations received from God, and to be instructed how to act in conformity to them. Among these teachers was a Shawano, an arch-impostor. He was considered as the principal among them, as he gave out, that he was able to know and discover hidden mysteries. The Delaware tribe received him with great cordiality, and resolved to hold a grand council, or court of justice, in order to root cut all witchcraft and poison-mixing (which, according to their superstitious notions, existed among them), and by fire to extort confession from all such as the Shawano should accuse; and whoever would not confess, should be hewn in pieces with their war-hatchets, and burnt. With a view to execute their horrid purpose, the young Indians got together, chose the most ferocious to be their leaders, deposed all the old chiefs, and guarded the whole Indian assembly, às if they were prisoners of war, especially the aged of both sexes. The venerable old chief Tettepachsit was the first whom they accused of possessing poison, and of having destroyed many Indians by his art. When the poor old man would not confess, they fastened him with cords to. two posts, and began to roast him at a slow fire. During the torture, he said, that he kept poison in the house of our Indian brother Joshua. Nothing was more welcome to the Indians than this accusation, for they wished to deprive us of the assistance of this man, who was the only christian Indian residing with us. They had frequently sent him invitations to attend their heathenish festivities but he would never accept of them. His answer was: "You know that I am a believer in the true God, whose. word we make known to you; I therefore can have no fellowship with you in your wicked works. Do you as you please, but leave me to serve the living God." This an-swer displeased them much, and on March 13th, they sent seven wild Indians, with painted faces, to our settlement, and took Joshua away by main force. They pretended, that he only need tell Tettepachsit to his face, that he had no poison in his house, and might then return home. All excuses were vain, and Joshua was compelled to ac company company them to the assembly at Woapikamikunk. We were now left alone; for Hannah, a baptized Indian woman, had sometime ago been prevailed on, by fear and superstition, to go to the Indian assembly. We cannot describe what we felt on this occasion, especially as we could not. guess what might be their design against Joshua. In this dilemma, we prayed fervently to the Lord, that He would have mercy upon us and our poor Indian brother, who was now in the merciless hands of the savages. The texts of the day were also very encouraging to us. On the 15th, the following account was brought that when Joshua was presented to the old chief (whom he soon convinced of the falsehood of his assertions), old Tettepachsit frankly confessed, that he had accused him, merely to pacify the enraged multitude, and to escape from the torture; for that Joshua well knew that he possessed no poison, and much less had hid it in Joshua's house. Joshua was now pronounced not guilty, yet they would not permit him to return, but insisted on his remaining with them till the Shawano should arrive. This son of Belial arrived On the same day, and all the Indians, of both sexes, were ordered by him to sit down in a large circle, when he would declare who had poison in his possession, with a view to destroy the Indians. The two old chiefs Tettepachsit and Hackinpomska were both accused of poison-mixing, and the former more particularly charged with the untimely death of many Indians. When the Shawano was asked about Joshua, he indeed declared, that he had no poison, but that he was possessed of an evil spirit, by which he was enabled to destroy other Indians. This verdict was what they wished for; they now seized all these poor innocent people, and watched them strictly, as condemned criminals. We knew nothing of these horrible events, until the evening of the 16th, when a message was brought, that the savages had burnt an old woman alive, called Caritas, who was baptized by the Brethren in former times, and had frequently visited Bethlehem; and also that our poor Joshua was kept close prisoner. Words are not able to express our horror and grief on hearing this account. Though we were told, that perhaps Joshua would not be killed, we were seized with such terror, that we could neither eat, drink, or sleep, and by day and night were overwhelmed with grief; for we could not trust the superstitious and enraged Indians, and well knew the violence of their hatred against all believers. On the 17th, our distress and fear concerning the fate of our poor Joshua rose still higher. We were stunned with horror, when on that day, quite unexpectedly, we saw ten of the most savage Indians, with faces painted black, arrive in our settlement (some on foot and some on horseback), conducting poor old Tettepachsit. Soon after, these murderous wretches kindled a large fire close to our place, and, having given the aged chief a blow on the head with a war-hatchet, they threw him alive into the flames, and diverted themselves with the miserable cries and convulsions of the poor dying man. The flames. communicated to the grass and wood near the settlement, by which all our dwellings were filled with smoke, How shall we describe our feelings! we considered ourselves in the midst of a gang of murderers, without the least human help; above all, the probable fate of our dear Joshua tormented our minds. After the commission of this most horrid murder, the savages came boldly into our house, boasted of their atrocious deed, and, assuming a hypocritical mien, demanded bread |