diff options
Diffstat (limited to '41663.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | 41663.txt | 3204 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 3204 deletions
diff --git a/41663.txt b/41663.txt deleted file mode 100644 index bb36599..0000000 --- a/41663.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3204 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Fort Dearborn Massacre, by Linai -Taliaferro Helm, Edited by Nelly Kinzie Gordon - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: The Fort Dearborn Massacre - Written in 1814 by Lieutenant Linai T. Helm, One of the Survivors, with Letters and Narratives of Contemporary Interest - - -Author: Linai Taliaferro Helm - -Editor: Nelly Kinzie Gordon - -Release Date: December 19, 2012 [eBook #41663] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FORT DEARBORN MASSACRE*** - - -E-text prepared by sp1nd, Richard J. Shiffer, and the Distributed -Proofreading volunteers (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously -made available by Internet Archive (http://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 41663-h.htm or 41663-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/41663/41663-h/41663-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/41663/41663-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - http://archive.org/details/dearbornmassacr00helmrich - - - - - -[Illustration: _Monument commemorating the Fort Dearborn Massacre_] - - -THE FORT DEARBORN MASSACRE - -Written in 1814 by - -LIEUTENANT LINAI T. HELM - -One of the survivors - -With Letters and Narratives of Contemporary Interest - -Edited by Nelly Kinzie Gordon - - - - - - - -Rand Mcnally & Company -Chicago New York - -Copyright, 1912, by -Nelly Kinzie Gordon - - - -[Illustration: _Old Fort Dearborn_] - - - - To my Native City Chicago - - WHOSE MARVELOUS GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT - I HAVE WATCHED WITH PRIDE AND UNFAILING - INTEREST SINCE THE YEAR 1835 - - I dedicate this book - - - - -THE CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - _Introduction_ 5 - - Judge Woodward's Letter to Colonel Proctor 9 - - Lieutenant Helm's Letter to Judge Woodward 13 - - Lieutenant Helm's Narrative 15 - - The Massacre at Chicago 27 - - John Kinzie 85 - - The Capture by the Indians of Little Eleanor - Lytle 109 - - - - -THE ILLUSTRATIONS - - - Monument commemorating the Fort - Dearborn Massacre _Frontispiece_ - - FACING PAGE - - Old Fort Dearborn 15 - - The old Kinzie house 85 - - Cornplanter, a Seneca chief 109 - - - - -INTRODUCTION - - -The narrative of Lieutenant Linai T. Helm, one of the two officers who -survived the Chicago Massacre, mysteriously disappeared nearly one -hundred years ago. This manuscript has lately been found and is now in -the possession of the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society, by whose -kind permission it is here presented to the public, together with -letters explaining its loss and its recovery. It is the earliest extant -account given by a participator in the fearful tragedy of August 15, -1812. It was written by Lieutenant Helm in 1814, at the request of Judge -Augustus B. Woodward, of Detroit, and was accompanied by a letter asking -Judge Woodward's opinion as to whether the strictures made in the -narrative upon the conduct of Captain Heald would result in Helm's being -court-martialed for disrespect to his commanding officer. - -Judge Woodward evidently advised Lieutenant Helm not to take the risk, -for the manuscript was found many years later among the Judge's papers. -That Lieutenant Helm was a soldier rather than a scholar is evidenced by -the faulty construction of his narrative. Its literary imperfections, -however, in no way detract from its value as a truthful account of the -events he describes. - -In the records of the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society, volume -12, page 659, is a letter concerning the survivors of the Chicago -Massacre, written October, 1812, to Colonel Proctor by Judge Woodward, -in which he says: - -"First, there is one officer, a lieutenant of the name of Linai T. Helm, -with whom I had the happiness of a personal acquaintance. His father is -a gentleman, originally of Virginia, and of the first society of the -city, who has since settled in the State of New York. He is an officer -of great rank, and unblemished character. The lady of this gentleman, a -young and amiable victim of misfortune, was separated from her husband. -She was delivered up to her father-in-law, who was present. Mr. Helm was -transported into the Indian country a hundred miles from the scene of -action, and has not since been heard of at this place." - -She was captured during the fight and delivered to her stepfather, Mr. -John Kinzie. Her own account is given in the extract from "Waubun." - -Lieutenant Helm's feeling against Captain Heald was due to the latter's -refusal to take any advice from those who thoroughly understood the -Indians with whom they had to deal, and his failure to consult any of -his junior officers as to what course might be pursued to save the -garrison. - -Kirkland, in his "Story of Chicago," chapter 8, page 66, says: "Captain -Heald's conduct seems like that of a brave fool." Captain Heald was by -no means a fool, but he was afraid to take any responsibility. He -considered a soldier's first duty obedience to orders. If in carrying -out the orders he had received from General Hull he sacrificed his -command, it would not be his fault, but Hull's; whereas, if he disobeyed -instructions and remained in the fort awaiting reinforcements, any -disastrous results would be visited upon him alone. He was willing, -however, to accept John Kinzie's offer to provide a forged order, -purporting to come from General Hull, authorizing the destruction of all -arms, ammunition, and liquor before evacuating the fort, instead of -giving them to the savages. - -Lieutenant Helm was promoted to a captaincy, but as his wound continued -very troublesome he resigned from the army soon afterward, and retired -to private life. - -The experiences of Mrs. Helm and of her mother, Mrs. John Kinzie, were -related by them personally to Mrs. Juliette A. Kinzie, the author of -"Waubun." - -The little captive stolen by the Senecas and adopted into the tribe by -their famous chief, "The Corn Planter," was Eleanor Lytle. She -afterwards was rescued and became the wife of John Kinzie. To her -daughter-in-law, Mrs. Juliette A. Kinzie, she told the story of her -captivity among the Senecas, and her experiences during the Chicago -Massacre. - -It seems proper in giving Lieutenant Helm's account of Fort Dearborn -Massacre to preface it with a letter written by Judge Augustus B. -Woodward of Detroit, of which two copies exist: one of the original -draft, and one of the letter sent. They differ only in some unimportant -details. - -Detroit was surrendered the day before the Chicago Massacre took place. -As soon as information of the tragedy reached Detroit, Judge Woodward -appealed to Colonel Proctor in behalf of the prisoners and possible -survivors of the Massacre at Fort Dearborn. - -The information given by Judge Woodward in this letter to Colonel -Proctor probably came from William Griffith, a survivor who had reached -Detroit. It could not have come from Lieutenant Helm, who had been sent -as a prisoner to Peoria, Illinois, and did not reach St. Louis until -October 14. - - NELLY KINZIE GORDON. - - - - -JUDGE WOODWARD'S LETTER TO COLONEL PROCTOR - - - "Territory of Michigan," - October 8th, 1812. - -Sir: - -It is already known to you that on Saturday the fifteenth day of August -last, an order having been given to evacuate Fort Dearborn an attack was -made by the savages of the vicinity on the troops and persons -appertaining to that garrison on their march, at the distance of about -three miles from the Fort, and the greater part of the number -barbarously and inhumanly massacred. - -Three of the survivors of that unhappy and terrible disaster having -since reached this country, I have employed some pains to collect the -number and names of those who were not immediately slain and to -ascertain whether any hopes might yet be entertained of saving the -remainder. - -It is on this subject that I wish to interest your feelings and to -solicit the benefit of your interposition; convinced that you estimate -humanity among the brightest virtues of the soldier. - -I find, sir, that the party consisted of ninety-three persons. Of these -the military, including officers, non-commissioned officers and -privates, amounted to fifty-four--the citizens, not acting in a military -capacity, consisted of twelve. The number of women was nine, and that of -the children eighteen. - -The whole of the citizens were slaughtered, two women and twelve -children. - -Of the military, twenty-six were killed at the time of the attack, and -accounts have arrived of at least five of the surviving prisoners having -been put to death in the course of the same night. - -There will remain then twenty-three of the military, seven women and six -children, whose fate, with the exception of the three who have come in, -and of two others who are known to be in safety at St. Joseph's, remains -to be yet ascertained. - -Of these, amounting in all to thirty-one persons, I will furnish you -with the names of all that I have been able to identify. - -First: there is one officer, a lieutenant, of the name of Linai T. Helm, -with whom I have had the honor of a personal acquaintance. He is an -officer of great merit, and of the most unblemished character. His -father is a gentleman originally of Virginia, and of the first -respectability, who has since settled in the State of New York. The lady -of this gentleman, a young and amiable victim of misfortune, was -separated from her husband during the fight. She is understood to be now -at St. Joseph's. Mr. Helm was conveyed a hundred miles into the Indian -country, and no accounts of his fate have yet reached this quarter. - -Second: of the six non-commissioned officers, four survived the action: -John Crozier, a sergeant; Daniel Dougherty, a corporal; one other -corporal by the name of Bowen, and William Griffin (Griffith), sergeant, -now here. - -Third: of the privates it is said that five, and it is not known how -many more, were put to death in the night after the action. Of those who -are said to have thus suffered, I have been able to collect only the -names of two; Richard Garner and James Latta. Mr. Burns, a citizen, -severely wounded, was killed by an Indian woman, in the daytime, about -an hour after the action. Micajah Dennison and John Fury were so badly -wounded in the action that little hope was indulged of their recovery. - -There will thus remain twenty to be accounted for, of whom I can only -give the following names: Dyson Dyer, William Nelson Hunt, Duncan -McCarty, Augustus Mott, John Smith, John Smith, his son, a fifer, James -Van Horn. - -Four: of the five women whose fate remains to be ascertained, I am -enabled to give the names of them all. They were Mrs. Burns, wife to the -citizen before mentioned as killed after the attack; Mrs. Holt, Mrs. -Lee, Mrs. Needs, and Mrs. Simmons. Among these women six children saved -out of the whole number, which was eighteen; part of them belonging to -the surviving mothers, and part to those who were slain. - -As to the means of preserving these unhappy survivors from the -distressing calamities which environ them, if they have preserved their -lives, and which the rigors of the approaching season cannot fail to -heighten, I would beg leave to suggest the following: - -First: to send a special messenger to that quarter, overland, and with -such safeguard of Indians or others, as can be procured, charged with -collecting the prisoners who may yet survive, and accounts of those who -may have ultimately suffered, and supplied with the means of conveying -them either to Detroit or Michillimackinac. - -Second: to communicate to Captain Roberts, who now commands at -Michillimackinac, the circumstances of the same in full, and to request -his co-operation in effecting the humane object of their ultimate -preservation. - -I am not authorized by my Government to make the assurance, but I shall -not doubt their cheerfully defraying such expense of ransom, or -conveyance, as circumstances will justify; and private funds are also -ready to be applied to the same purpose. I do not less doubt your -willing and zealous assistance, and with a confident hope of it, permit -me, sir, to assure you of the high respect with which I have the honor -to be - - Your obedient servant, - A. B. WOODWARD. - -To Col. Henry Proctor. - - - - -LIEUTENANT HELM'S LETTER TO JUDGE WOODWARD - - - Flemington, New Jersey, - 6th June, 1814. - -Dear Sir:-- - -I hope you will excuse the length of time I have taken to communicate -the history of the unfortunate massacre of Chicago. It is now nearly -finished, and in two weeks you may expect it. As the history cannot -possibly be written with truth without eternally disgracing Major Heald, -I wish you could find out whether I shall be cashiered or censured for -bringing to light the conduct of so great a man as many think him. You -know I am the only officer that has escaped to tell the news. Some of -the men have got off, but where they are I know not; they would be able -to testify to some of the principal facts. I have waited a long time -expecting a court of inquiry on his conduct but see plainly it is to be -overlooked. I am resolved now to do myself justice even if I have to -leave the service to publish the history. I shall be happy to hear from -you immediately on the receipt of this. - - I have the honor to be sir, - with great respect, - Your obedient servant, - L. T. HELM. - - Augustus B. Woodward, Esqr. - Washington City - - (Addressed:) Flemington, Jan. 6th. - Augustus B. Woodward, Esq. - Milton, Va. - - (Endorsed:) Helm, Mr. Linah T. - letter from - Dated Flemington, - New Jersey, June 6th, 1814. - Received at Washington. - June 14th, 1814. - - R. June 14th, 1814. - - - - -LIEUTENANT HELM'S NARRATIVE - - -Some time in April, about the 7th-10, a party of Winnebagoes came to -Chicago and murdered 2 men. This gave sufficient ground to suppose the -Indians hostile, as they have left every sign by scalping them and -leaving a weapon, say a war mallet, as a token of their returning in -June. Mr. Kinzie sent a letter from the Interior of the Indian Country -to inform Capt. Heald that the Indians were hostile inclined and only -waiting the Declaration of War to commence open hostilities. This they -told Kinzie in confidence on the 10th of July. Capt. Heald got the -information of War being declared, and on the 8th of August got Gen. -Hull's order to evacuate the Post of Fort Dearborn by the route of -Detroit, or Fort Wayne, if practicable. This letter was brought by a -Potowautemie Chief Winnemeg, and he informed Capt. Heald, through -Kenzie, to evacuate immediately the next day, if possible, as the -Indians were hostile and that the troops should change the usual routes -to go to Fort Wayne. On the 12th August, Capt. William Wells arrived -from Fort Wayne with 27 Miamis, and after a council being held by him -with the tribes there assembled to amount of 500 warriors 179 women and -children. He after council declared them hostile and that his opinion -was that they would interrupt us on our route. Capt. Wells enquired into -the State of the arms, ammunition and provisions. We had 200 stand of -arms, four pieces of artillery, 6,000 lbs. of powder and a sufficient -quantity of shot lead, etc. 3 months provisions taken in Indian corn and -all this on the 12th of August, having prior to this expended 3 months -provisions at least in the interval between the 7th and 12th of August, -exclusive of this we had at our command 200 head of horned cattle and 27 -barrels of salt. After this survey, Wells demanded of Capt. Heald if he -intended to evacuate. His answer was he would. Kenzie then, with Lt. -Helm, called on Wells and requested him to call on Capt. Heald and cause -the ammunition and arms to be destroyed, but Capt. Wells insisted on -Kenzie and Helm to join with him. This being done, Capt. Heald hesitated -and observed that it was not sound policy to tell a lie to an Indian; -that he had received a positive order from Gen. Hull to deliver up to -those Indians all the public property of whatsoever nature particularly -to those Indians that would take in the Troops and that he could not -alter it, and that it might irritate the Indians and be the means of the -destruction of his men. Kenzie volunteered to take the responsibility on -himself, provided Capt. Heald would consider the method he would point -out a safe one, he agreed. Kenzie wrote an order as if from Genl. Hull, -and gave it into Capt. Heald. It was supposed to answer and accordingly -was carried into effect. The ammunition and muskets were all destroyed -the night of the 13th. The 15th, we evacuated the Garrison, and about -one and half mile from the Garrison we were informed by Capt. Wells that -we were surrounded and the attack by the Indians began about 10 of the -clock morning. The men in a few minutes were, with the exception of 10, -all killed and wounded. The Ensign and Surgeons Mate were both killed. -The Capt. and myself both badly wounded during the battle. I fired my -piece at an Indian and felt confident I killed him or wounded him badly. -I immediately called to the men to follow me in the pirara, or we would -be shot down before we could load our guns. We had proceeded under a -heavy fire about an hundred and five paces when I made a wheel to the -left to observe the motion of the Indians and avoid being shot in the -back, which I had so far miraculously escaped. Just as I wheeled I -received a ball through my coat pocket, which struck the barrel of my -gun and fell in the lining of my coat. In a few seconds, I received a -ball in my right foot, which lamed me considerably. The Indians happened -immediately to stop firing and never more renewed it. I immediately -ordered the men that were able to load their guns and commenced loading -for them that were not able. I now discovered Capt. Heald for the first -time to my knowledge during the battle. He was coming from towards the -Indians and to my great surprise they never offered to fire on him. He -came up and ordered the men to form; that his intentions were to charge -the body of Indians that were on the bank of the Lake where we had just -retreated from. They appeared to be about 300 strong. We were 27, -including all the wounded. He advanced about 5 steps and not at all to -my surprise was the first that halted. Some of the men fell back instead -of advancing. We then gained the only high piece of ground there was -near. We now had a little time to reflect and saw death in every -direction. At this time an interpreter from the Indians advanced towards -us and called for the Captain, who immediately went to meet him (the -interpreter was a half Indian and had lived a long time within a few -yards of the fort and bound to Mr. Kinzie; he was always very friendly -with us all). A chief by the name of Blackbird advanced to the -interpreter and met the Captain, who after a few words conversation -delivered him his sword, and in a few minutes returned to us and -informed me he had offered 100 dollars for every man that was then -living. He said they were then deciding on what to do. They, however, in -a few minutes, called him again and talked with him some time, when he -returned and informed me they had agreed if I and the men would -surrender by laying down our arms they would lay down theirs, meet us -half way, shake us by the hand as friends and take us back to the fort. -I asked him if he knew what they intended doing with us then. He said -they did not inform him. He asked me if I would surrender. The men were -at this time crowding to my back and began to beg me not to surrender. I -told them not to be uneasy for I had already done my best for them and -was determined not to surrender unless I saw better prospects of us all -being saved and then not without they were willing. The Captain asked me -the second time what I would do, without an answer. I discovered the -interpreter at this time running from the Indians towards us, and when -he came in about 20 steps the Captain put the question the third time. -The Interpreter called out, "Lieut. don't surrender for if you do they -will kill you all, for there has been no general council held with them -yet. You must wait, and I will go back and hold a general council with -them and return and let you know what they will do." I told him to go, -for I had no idea of surrender. He went and collected all the Indians -and talked for some time, when he returned and told me the Indians said -if I would surrender as before described they would not kill any, and -said it was his opinion they would do as they said, for they had already -saved Mr. Kinzie and some of the women and children. This enlivened me -and the men, for we well knew Mr. Kinzie stood higher than any man in -that country among the Indians, and he might be the means of saving us -from utter destruction, which afterwards proved to be the case. We then -surrendered, and after the Indians had fired off our guns they put the -Captain and myself and some of the wounded men on horses and marched us -to the bank of the lake, where the battle first commenced. When we -arrived at the bank and looked down on the sand beach I was struck with -horror at the sight of men, women and children lying naked with -principally all their heads off, and in passing over the bodies I was -confident I saw my wife with her head off about two feet from her -shoulders. Tears for the first time rushed in my eyes, but I consoled -myself with a firm belief that I should soon follow her. I now began to -repent that I had ever surrendered, but it was too late to recall, and -we had only to look up to Him who had first caused our existence. When -we had arrived in half a mile of the Fort they halted us, made the men -sit down, form a ring around them, began to take off their hats and -strip the Captain. They attempted to strip me, but were prevented by a -Chief who stuck close to me. I made signs to him that I wanted to drink, -for the weather was very warm. He led me off towards the Fort and, to my -great astonishment, saw my wife sitting among some squaws crying. Our -feelings can be better judged than expressed. They brought some water -and directed her to wash and dress my wound, which she did, and bound -it up with her pocket handkerchief. They then brought up some of the men -and tommyhawked one of them before us. They now took Mrs. Helm across -the river (for we were nearly on its banks) to Mr. Kinzie's. We met -again at my fathers in the State of New York, she having arrived seven -days before me after being separated seven months and one week. She was -taken in the direction of Detroit and I was taken down to Illinois River -and was sold to Mr. Thomas Forsyth, half brother of Mr. Kinzie's, who, a -short time after, effected my escape. This gentleman was the means of -saving many lives on the warring (?) frontier. I was taken on the 15th -of August and arrived safe among the Americans at St. Louis on the 14th -of October. - -Capt. Heald, through Kenzie, sending his two negroes, got put on board -an Indian boat going to St. Joseph, and from that place got to Makenac -by Lake Michigan in a birch canoe. - -The night of the 14th, the Interpreter and a Chief (Black Partridge) -waited on Capt. Heald. The Indian gave up his medal and told Heald to -beware of the next day, that the Indians would destroy him and his men. -This Heald never communicated to one of his officers. There was but -Capt. Wells that was acquainted with it. You will observe, sir, that I -did, with Kenzie, protest against destroying the arms, ammunition and -provisions until that Heald told me positively that he would evacuate at -all hazards. - -15th of August, we evacuated the Fort. The number of soldiers was 52 -privates and musicians (2), 4 officers and physicians, 14 citizens, 18 -children and 9 women, the baggage being in front with the citizens, -women and children and on the margin of the lake, we having advanced to -gain the Prairie. I could not see the massacre, but Kinzie, with Doctor -Van Vorees, being ordered by Capt. Heald to take charge of the women and -children, remained on the beach, and Kinzie since told me he was an eye -witness to the horrid scene. The Indians came down on the baggage -waggons for plunder. They butchered every male citizen but Kinzie, two -women and 12 children in the most inhuman manner possible, opened them, -cutting off their heads and taken out their hearts; several of the women -were wounded but not dangerously. - -LIST OF GARRISON - - Nathan Heald 1 Released. - - Lina T. Helm 2 " - - Nathan Edson 3 ---- - - Elias Mills 4 ---- - - Thos. Point Dexter 5 ---- - - August Mort 6 Died natural. - - James Latta 7 Killed. - - Michael Lynch 8 Killed. - - John Sullinfield 9 Killed. - - John Smith, Senr. 10 Released. - - John Smith, Junr. 11 ---- - - Nathan Hunt 12 Deserted. - - Richard Garner 13 Killed. - - Paul Greene 14 ---- - - James V__tworth (?) 15 ---- - - John Griffiths 16 { Supposed to be a - { Frenchman and - Joseph Bowen 17 { released. - - John Ferry (or Fury) 18 ---- - - John Crozier 19 Deserted. - - John Needs 20 ---- - - Daniel Daugherty 21 ---- - - Dyson Dyer 22 Killed. - - John Andrews 23 Killed. - James Stone (or Starr - or Storr) 24 Killed. - - Joseph Nolis (or Notts) 25 ---- - - James Corbin 26 ---- - - Fielding Corbin 27 ---- - Citizens: - - Jos. Burns 28 Mortally wounded; - since killed. - -(Names of women on reverse page) - - Women taken prisoners: - - Mrs. Heald Released. - - Mrs. Helm " - - Mrs. Holt } - - Mrs. Burns } - - Mrs. Leigh } Prisoners - - Mrs. Simmons } - - Mrs. Needs } - - Killed in action: - - Mrs. Corbin. - - Mrs. Heald's Negro woman. - - Children yet in captivity: - - Mrs. Leigh's 2, one since dead N D. - - Mrs. Burns' 2. - - Mrs. Simmons' 1. - - 13 children killed during the action. - - 11 citizens including Captain Wells. - - John Kinzie taken, but not considered as a prisoner - of war. - - 54 Rank and file left the Garrison. - - - - -THE MASSACRE AT CHICAGO[1] - - -It was the evening of April 7, 1812. The children were dancing before -the fire to the music of their father's violin. The tea table was -spread, and they were awaiting the return of their mother, who had gone -to visit a sick neighbor about a quarter of a mile up the river. - -Suddenly their sports were interrupted. The door was thrown open, and -Mrs. Kinzie rushed in, pale with terror, and scarcely able to speak. -"The Indians! the Indians!" she gasped. - -"The Indians? What? Where?" they all demanded in alarm. - -"Up at Lee's Place, killing and scalping!" - -With difficulty Mrs. Kinzie composed herself sufficiently to say that, -while she was at Burns', a man and a boy had been seen running down with -all speed on the opposite side of the river. They had called across to -the Burns family to save themselves, for the Indians were at Lee's -Place, from which the two had just made their escape. Having given this -terrifying news, they had made all speed for the fort, which was on the -same side of the river. - -All was now consternation and dismay in the Kinzie household. The family -were hurried into two old pirogues that lay moored near the house, and -paddled with all possible haste across the river to take refuge in the -fort. - -All that the man and boy who had made their escape were able to tell was -soon known; but, in order to render their story more intelligible, it is -necessary to describe the situation. - -Lee's Place, since known as Hardscrabble, was a farm intersected by the -Chicago River, about four miles from its mouth. The farmhouse stood on -the west bank of the south branch of this river. On the north side of -the main stream, but near its junction with Lake Michigan, stood the -dwelling house and trading establishment of Mr. Kinzie. - -The fort was situated on the southern bank, directly opposite this -mansion, the river and a few rods of sloping green turf on either side -being all that intervened between them. - -The fort was differently constructed from the one erected on the same -site in 1816. It had two blockhouses on the southern side, and on the -northern a sally port, or subterranean passage from the parade ground to -the river. This was designed to facilitate escape in case of an -emergency or as a means of supplying the garrison with water during a -siege. - -In the fort at this period were three officers, Captain Heald, who was -in command, Lieutenant Helm, the son-in-law of Mr. Kinzie, and Ensign -Ronan--the last two very young men--and the surgeon, Dr. Van Voorhees. - -The garrison numbered about seventy-five men, very few of whom were -effective. - -A constant and friendly intercourse had been maintained between these -troops and the Indians. It is true that the principal men of the -Potowatomi nation, like those of most other tribes, went yearly to Fort -Malden, in Canada, to receive the large number of presents with which -the British Government, for many years, had been in the habit of -purchasing their alliance; and it was well known that many of the -Potowatomi, as well as Winnebago, had been engaged with the Ottawa and -Shawnee at the battle of Tippecanoe, the preceding autumn; yet, as the -principal chiefs of all the bands in the neighborhood appeared to be on -the most amicable terms with the Americans, no interruption of their -harmony was at any time anticipated. - -After August 15, however, many circumstances were recalled that might -have opened the eyes of the whites had they not been blinded by a false -security. One incident in particular may be mentioned. - -In the spring preceding the destruction of the fort, two Indians of the -Calumet band came to the fort on a visit to the commanding officer. As -they passed through the quarters, they saw Mrs. Heald and Mrs. Helm -playing at battledoor. - -Turning to the interpreter, one of them, Nau-non-gee, remarked, "The -white chiefs' wives are amusing themselves very much; it will not be -long before they are hoeing in our cornfields!" - -At the time this was considered an idle threat, or, at most, an -ebullition of jealous feeling at the contrast between the situation of -their own women and that of the "white chiefs' wives." Some months -after, how bitterly was it remembered! - -The farm at Lee's Place was occupied by a Mr. White and three persons -employed by him. - -In the afternoon of the day on which our narrative commences, a party of -ten or twelve Indians, dressed and painted, arrived at the house. -According to the custom among savages, they entered and seated -themselves without ceremony. - -Something in their appearance and manner excited the suspicion of one of -the household, a Frenchman, who remarked, "I do not like the looks of -these Indians--they are none of our folks. I know by their dress and -paint that they are not Potowatomi." - -Another of the men, a discharged soldier, then said to a boy who was -present, "If that is the case, we'd better get away from them if we can. -Say nothing; but do as you see me do." - -There were two canoes tied near the bank, and the soldier walked -leisurely towards them. Some of the Indians inquired where he was going. -He pointed to the cattle standing among the haystacks on the opposite -bank, making signs that they must go and fodder them, and that they -would then return and get their supper. - -As the afternoon was far advanced, this explanation was accepted without -question. - -The soldier got into one canoe, and the boy into the other. The stream -was narrow, and they were soon across. Having gained the opposite side, -they pulled some hay for the cattle, made a show of herding them, and -when they had gradually made a circuit, so that their movements were -concealed by the haystacks, took to the woods, close at hand, and then -started for the fort. - -They had run about a quarter of a mile when they heard two guns -discharged in succession. These guns they supposed to have been leveled -at the companions they had left. - -They ran without stopping until they arrived opposite Burns',[2] where, -as before related, they called across to warn the family of their -danger, and then hastened on to the fort. - -It now occurred to those who had secured their own safety that the Burns -family was still exposed to imminent peril. The question was, who would -hazard his life to bring them to a place of security? The gallant young -officer, Ensign Ronan, with a party of five or six soldiers, volunteered -to go to their rescue. - -They ascended the river in a scow, took the mother, with her infant, -scarcely a day old, upon her bed to the boat, and carefully conveyed her -with the other members of the family to the fort. - -The same afternoon a party of soldiers, consisting of a corporal and -six men, had obtained leave to go fishing up the river. They had not -returned when the fugitives from Lee's Place arrived at the fort. It was -now night and, fearing they might encounter the Indians, the commanding -officer ordered a cannon fired, warning them of their danger. - -It will be remembered that the unsettled state of the country after the -battle of Tippecanoe, the preceding November, had rendered every man -vigilant, and the slightest alarm was an admonition to "beware of the -Indians." - -At the time the cannon was fired the fishing party were about two miles -above Lee's Place. Hearing the signal, they put out their torches and -dropped down the river towards the garrison, as silently as possible. - -When they reached Lee's Place, it was proposed to stop and warn the -inmates to be on their guard, as the signal from the fort indicated some -kind of danger. All was still as death around the house. The soldiers -groped their way along, and as the corporal jumped over the small -inclosure he placed his hand upon the dead body of a man. He soon -ascertained that the head was without a scalp, and otherwise mutilated. -The faithful dog of the murdered man stood guarding the lifeless remains -of his master. - -The tale was told. The men retreated to their canoes, and reached the -fort unmolested about eleven o'clock at night. - -The next morning a party of citizens and soldiers volunteered to go to -Lee's Place to learn further the fate of its occupants. The body of Mr. -White was found pierced by two balls, with eleven stabs in the breast. -The Frenchman also lay dead, his dog still beside him. The bodies were -brought to the fort and buried in its immediate vicinity. - -Later it was learned from traders out in the Indian country that the -perpetrators of the deed were a party of Winnebago who had come into the -neighborhood to "take some white scalps." Their plan had been to proceed -down the river from Lee's Place and kill every white man outside the -walls of the fort. However, hearing the report of the cannon, and not -knowing what it portended, they thought it best to retreat to their -homes on Rock River. - -The settlers outside the fort, a few discharged soldiers and some -families of half-breeds, now intrenched themselves in the Agency House. -This building stood west of the fort, between the pickets and the river, -and distant about twenty rods from the former. - -It was an old-fashioned log house, with a hall running through the -center, and one large room on each side. Piazzas extended the whole -length of the building, in front and rear. These were now planked up, -for greater security; portholes were cut, and sentinels posted at night. - -As the enemy were believed to be still lurking in the neighborhood, or, -emboldened by former success, were likely to return at any moment, an -order was issued prohibiting any soldier or citizen from leaving the -vicinity of the garrison without a guard. - -One night a sergeant and a private, who were out on patrol, came -suddenly upon a party of Indians in the pasture adjoining the esplanade. -The sergeant fired his piece, and both retreated towards the fort. -Before they could reach it, an Indian threw his tomahawk, which missed -the sergeant and struck a wagon standing near. The sentinel from the -blockhouse immediately fired while the men got safely in. The next -morning traces of blood were found for a considerable distance into the -prairie, and from this and the appearance of the long grass, where it -was evident a body had lain, it was certain some execution had been -done. - -On another occasion Indians entered the esplanade to steal horses. Not -finding any in the stable, as they had expected to, they relieved their -disappointment by stabbing all the sheep in the stable and then letting -them loose. The poor animals flocked towards the fort. This gave the -alarm. The garrison was aroused, and parties were sent out; but the -marauders escaped unmolested. The inmates of the fort experienced no -further alarm for many weeks. - -On the afternoon of August 7, Winnemeg, or Catfish, a Potowatomi chief, -arrived at the post, bringing dispatches from General Hull. These -announced that war had been declared between the United States and -Great Britain, and that General Hull, at the head of the Northwestern -army, had arrived at Detroit; also, that the Island of Mackinac had -fallen into the hands of the British. - -The orders to Captain Heald were to "evacuate the fort, if practicable, -and, in that event, to distribute all the United States property -contained in the fort, and in the United States factory or agency, among -the Indians in the neighborhood." - -After having delivered his dispatches, Winnemeg requested a private -interview with Mr. Kinzie, who had taken up his residence in the fort. -He told Mr. Kinzie he was acquainted with the purport of the -communications he had brought, and begged him to ascertain if it were -the intention of Captain Heald to evacuate the post. He advised strongly -against such a step, inasmuch as the garrison was well supplied with -ammunition, and with provisions for six months. It would, therefore, be -far better, he thought, to remain until reinforcements could be sent. -If, however, Captain Heald should decide to leave the post, it should -by all means be done immediately. The Potowatomi, through whose country -they must pass, being ignorant of the object of Winnemeg's mission, a -forced march might be made before the hostile Indians were prepared to -interrupt them. - -Of this advice, so earnestly given, Captain Heald was immediately -informed. He replied that it was his intention to evacuate the post, but -that, inasmuch as he had received orders to distribute the United States -property, he should not feel justified in leaving until he had collected -the Indians of the neighborhood and made an equitable division among -them. - -Winnemeg then suggested the expediency of marching out, and leaving all -things standing; possibly while the Indians were engaged in the -partition of the spoils the troops might effect their retreat -unmolested. This advice, strongly seconded by Mr. Kinzie, did not meet -the approbation of the commanding officer. - -The order to evacuate the post was read next morning upon parade. It is -difficult to understand why, in such an emergency, Captain Heald -omitted the usual form of holding a council of war with his officers. -It can be accounted for only by the fact of a want of harmonious -feeling between him and one of his junior officers, Ensign Ronan, a -high-spirited and somewhat overbearing, but brave and generous, young -man. - -In the course of the day, no council having been called, the officers -waited on Captain Heald, seeking information regarding the course he -intended to pursue. When they learned his intentions, they remonstrated -with him, on the following grounds: - -First, it was highly improbable that the command would be permitted to -pass through the country in safety to Fort Wayne. For although it had -been said that some of the chiefs had opposed an attack upon the fort, -planned the preceding autumn, yet it was well known that they had been -actuated in that matter by motives of personal regard for one family, -that of Mr. Kinzie, and not by any general friendly feeling towards the -Americans; and that, in any event, it was hardly to be expected that -these few individuals would be able to control the whole tribe, who were -thirsting for blood. - -In the next place, their march must necessarily be slow, as their -movements must be accommodated to the helplessness of the women and -children, of whom there were a number with the detachment. Of their -small force some of the soldiers were superannuated, others invalid. - -Therefore, since the course to be pursued was left discretional, their -unanimous advice was to remain where they were, and fortify themselves -as strongly as possible. Succor from the other side of the peninsula -might arrive before they could be attacked by the British from Mackinac; -and even should help not come, it were far better to fall into the hands -of the British than to become the victims of the savages. - -Captain Heald argued in reply that "a special order had been issued by -the War Department that no post should be surrendered without battle -having been given, and his force was totally inadequate to an -engagement with the Indians; that he should unquestionably be censured -for remaining when there appeared a prospect of a safe march through; -and that, upon the whole, he deemed it expedient to assemble the -Indians, distribute the property among them, and then ask them for an -escort to Fort Wayne, with the promise of a considerable reward upon -their safe arrival, adding that he had full confidence in the friendly -professions of the Indians, from whom, as well as from the soldiers, the -capture of Mackinac had been kept a profound secret." - -From this time the officers held themselves aloof, and spoke but little -upon the subject, though they considered Captain Heald's project little -short of madness. The dissatisfaction among the soldiers increased -hourly, until it reached a high pitch of insubordination. - -On one occasion, when conversing with Mr. Kinzie upon the parade, -Captain Heald remarked, "I could not remain, even if I thought it best, -for I have but a small store of provisions." - -"Why, captain," said a soldier who stood near, forgetting all etiquette -in the excitement of the moment, "you have cattle enough to last the -troops six months." - -"But," replied Captain Heald, "I have no salt to preserve it with." - -"Then jerk it," said the man, "as the Indians do their venison." - -The Indians now became daily more unruly. Entering the fort in defiance -of the sentinels, they made their way without ceremony into the -officers' quarters. One day an Indian took up a rifle and fired it in -the parlor of the commanding officer, as an expression of defiance. Some -believed that this was intended among the young men as a signal for an -attack. The old chiefs passed backwards and forwards among the assembled -groups with the appearance of the most lively agitation, while the -squaws rushed to and fro in great excitement, evidently prepared for -some fearful scene. - -Any further manifestation of ill feeling was, however, suppressed for -the time and, strange as it may seem, Captain Heald continued to -entertain a conviction of having created so amicable a disposition among -the Indians as to insure the safety of the command on their march to -Fort Wayne. - -Thus passed the time until August 12. The feelings of the inmates of the -fort during this time may be better imagined than described. Each -morning that dawned seemed to bring them nearer to that most appalling -fate--butchery by a savage foe; and at night they scarcely dared yield -to slumber, lest they should be aroused by the war whoop and tomahawk. -Gloom and mistrust prevailed, and the want of unanimity among the -officers prevented the consolation they might have found in mutual -sympathy and encouragement. - -The Indians being assembled from the neighboring villages, a council was -held with them on the afternoon of August 12. Captain Heald alone -attended on the part of the military. He had requested his officers to -accompany him, but they had declined. They had been secretly informed -that the young chiefs intended to fall upon the officers and massacre -them while in council, but they could not persuade Captain Heald of the -truth of their information. They waited therefore only until, -accompanied by Mr. Kinzie, he had left the garrison, when they took -command of the blockhouses overlooking the esplanade on which the -council was held, opened the portholes, and pointed the cannon so as to -command the whole assembly. By this means, probably, the lives of the -whites who were present in council were preserved. - -In council, the commanding officer informed the Indians that it was his -intention to distribute among them, the next day, not only the goods -lodged in the United States factory, but also the ammunition and -provisions, with which the garrison was well supplied. He then requested -the Potowatomi to furnish him an escort to Fort Wayne, promising them, -in addition to the presents they were now about to receive, a liberal -reward on arriving there. With many professions of friendship and good -will, the savages assented to all he proposed, and promised all he -required. - -After the council, Mr. Kinzie, who well understood not only the Indian -character but the present tone of feeling among them, had a long -interview with Captain Heald, in hopes of opening his eyes to the real -state of affairs. - -He reminded him that since the trouble with the Indians along the Wabash -and in the vicinity, there had appeared to be a settled plan of -hostilities towards the whites, in consequence of which it had been the -policy of the Americans to withhold from the Indians whatever would -enable them to carry on their warfare upon the defenseless inhabitants -of the frontier. - -Mr. Kinzie also recalled to Captain Heald how, having left home for -Detroit, the preceding autumn, on receiving news at De Charme's[3] of -the battle of Tippecanoe, he had immediately returned to Chicago, that -he might dispatch orders to his traders to furnish no ammunition to the -Indians. As a result, all the ammunition the traders had on hand was -secreted, and those traders who had not already started for their -wintering grounds took neither powder nor shot with them. - -Captain Heald was struck with the inadvisability of furnishing the enemy -(for such they must now consider their old neighbors) with arms against -himself, and determined to destroy all the ammunition except what should -be necessary for the use of his own troops. - -On August 13 the goods, consisting of blankets, broadcloths, calicoes, -paints, and miscellaneous supplies were distributed, as stipulated. The -same evening part of the ammunition and liquor was carried into the -sally port, and there thrown into a well which had been dug to supply -the garrison with water in case of emergency. The remainder was -transported, as secretly as possible, through the northern gate; the -heads of the barrels were knocked in, and the contents poured into the -river. - -The same fate was shared by a large quantity of alcohol belonging to Mr. -Kinzie, which had been deposited in a warehouse near his residence -opposite the fort. - -The Indians suspected what was going on, and crept, serpent-like, as -near the scene of action as possible; but a vigilant watch was kept up, -and no one was suffered to approach but those engaged in the affair. All -the muskets not necessary for the command on the march were broken up -and thrown into the well, together with bags of shot, flints, gunscrews; -in short, everything relating to weapons of defense. - -Some relief to the general feeling of despondency was afforded by the -arrival, on August 14, of Captain Wells[4] with fifteen friendly Miami. - -Of this brave man, who forms so conspicuous a figure in our frontier -annals, it is unnecessary here to say more than that he had resided from -boyhood among the Indians, and hence possessed a perfect knowledge of -their character and habits. - -At Fort Wayne he had heard of the order to evacuate the fort at Chicago, -and, knowing the hostile determination of the Potowatomi, had made a -rapid march across the country to prevent the exposure of his relative, -Captain Heald, and his troops to certain destruction. - -But he came "all too late." When he reached the post he found that the -ammunition had been destroyed, and the provisions given to the Indians. -There was, therefore, no alternative, and every preparation was made for -the march of the troops on the following morning. - -On the afternoon of the same day a second council was held with the -Indians. They expressed great indignation at the destruction of the -ammunition and liquor. Notwithstanding the precautions that had been -taken to preserve secrecy, the noise of knocking in the heads of the -barrels had betrayed the operations of the preceding night; indeed, so -great was the quantity of liquor thrown into the river that next morning -the water was, as one expressed it, "strong grog." - -Murmurs and threats were everywhere heard among the savages. It was -evident that the first moment of exposure would subject the troops to -some manifestation of their disappointment and resentment. - -Among the chiefs were several who, although they shared the general -hostile feeling of their tribe towards the Americans, yet retained a -personal regard for the troops at this post and for the few white -citizens of the place. These chiefs exerted their utmost influence to -allay the revengeful feelings of the young men, and to avert their -sanguinary designs, but without effect. - -On the evening succeeding the council Black Partridge, a conspicuous -chief, entered the quarters of the commanding officer. - -"Father," said he, "I come to deliver up to you the medal I wear. It was -given me by the Americans, and I have long worn it in token of our -mutual friendship. But our young men are resolved to imbrue their hands -in the blood of the whites. I cannot restrain them, and I will not wear -a token of peace while I am compelled to act as an enemy." - -Had further evidence been wanting, this circumstance would have -sufficiently justified the devoted band in their melancholy -anticipations. Nevertheless, they went steadily on with the necessary -preparations; and, amid the horrors of the situation there were not -wanting gallant hearts who strove to encourage in their desponding -companions the hopes of escape they themselves were far from indulging. - -Of the ammunition there had been reserved but twenty-five rounds, -besides one box of cartridges, contained in the baggage wagons. This -must, under any circumstances of danger, have proved an inadequate -supply; but the prospect of a fatiguing march, in their present -ineffective state, forbade the troops embarrassing themselves with a -larger quantity. - -The morning of August 15 arrived. Nine o'clock was the hour named for -starting and all things were in readiness. - -Mr. Kinzie, having volunteered to accompany the troops in their march, -had intrusted his family to the care of some friendly Indians, who -promised to convey them in a boat around the head of Lake Michigan to a -point[5] on the St. Joseph River, there to be joined by the troops, -should their march be permitted. - -Early in the morning Mr. Kinzie received a message from To-pee-nee-bee, -a chief of the St. Joseph band, informing him that mischief was intended -by the Potowatomi who had engaged to escort the detachment, and urging -him to relinquish his plan of accompanying the troops by land, promising -him that the boat containing his family should be permitted to pass in -safety to St. Joseph. - -Mr. Kinzie declined this proposal, as he believed his presence might -restrain the fury of the savages, so warmly were the greater number of -them attached to him and his family. - -Seldom does one find a man who, like John Kinzie, refuses safety for -himself in order to stand or fall with his countrymen, and who, as stern -as any Spartan, bids farewell to his dear ones to go forward to almost -certain destruction. - -The party in the boat consisted of Mrs. Kinzie and her four younger -children, their nurse Josette, a clerk of Mr. Kinzie's, two servants, -and the boatmen, besides the two Indians who were to act as their -protectors. The boat started, but had scarcely reached the mouth of the -river, which, it will be recalled, was here half a mile below the fort, -when another messenger from To-pee-nee-bee arrived to detain it. There -was no mistaking the meaning of this detention. - -In breathless anxiety sat the wife and mother. She was a woman of -unusual energy and strength of character, yet her heart died within her -as she folded her arms about her helpless infants and gazed upon the -march of her husband and eldest child to what seemed certain death. - -As the troops left the fort, the band struck up the Dead March. On they -came, in military array, but with solemn mien, Captain Wells in the lead -at the head of his little band of Miami. He had blackened his face -before leaving the garrison, in token of his impending fate. The troops -took their route along the lake shore; but when they reached the point -where the range of sand hills intervening between the prairie and the -beach commenced, the escort of Potowatomi, in number about five hundred, -took the level of the prairie, instead of continuing along the shore -with the Americans and Miami. - -They had marched perhaps a mile and a half when Captain Wells, who had -kept somewhat in advance with his Miami, came riding furiously back. - -"They are about to attack us," shouted he; "form instantly, and charge -upon them." - -Scarcely were the words uttered, when a volley was showered from among -the sand hills. The troops, brought hastily into line, charged up the -bank. One man, a veteran of seventy winters, fell as they ascended. The -remainder of the scene is best described in the words of an eyewitness -and participator in the tragedy, Mrs. Helm,[6] the wife of Captain (then -Lieutenant) Helm, and stepdaughter of Mr. Kinzie. - -"After we had left the bank the firing became general. The Miami fled at -the outset. Their chief rode up to the Potowatomi, and said: 'You have -deceived us and the Americans. You have done a bad action, and -(brandishing his tomahawk) I will be the first to head a party of -Americans to return and punish your treachery.' So saying, he galloped -after his companions, who were now scurrying across the prairies. - -"The troops behaved most gallantly. They were but a handful, but they -seemed resolved to sell their lives as dearly as possible. Our horses -pranced and bounded, and could hardly be restrained as the balls -whistled among them. I drew off a little, and gazed upon my husband and -father, who were yet unharmed. I felt that my hour was come, and -endeavored to forget those I loved, and prepare myself for my -approaching fate. - -"While I was thus engaged, the surgeon, Dr. Van Voorhees, came up. He -was badly wounded. His horse had been shot under him, and he had -received a ball in his leg. Every muscle of his face was quivering with -the agony of terror. He said to me, 'Do you think they will take our -lives? I am badly wounded, but I think not mortally. Perhaps we might -purchase our lives by promising them a large reward. Do you think there -is any chance?' - -"'Dr. Van Voorhees,' said I, 'do not let us waste the moments that yet -remain to us in such vain hopes. Our fate is inevitable. In a few -moments we must appear before the bar of God. Let us make what -preparation is yet in our power.' - -"'Oh, I cannot die!' exclaimed he, 'I am not fit to die--if I had but a -short time to prepare--death is awful!' - -"I pointed to Ensign Ronan, who, though mortally wounded and nearly -down, was still fighting with desperation on one knee.[7] - -"'Look at that man!' said I. 'At least he dies like a soldier.' - -"'Yes,' replied the unfortunate surgeon, with a convulsive gasp, 'but he -has no terrors of the future--he is an atheist.' - -"At this moment a young Indian raised his tomahawk over me. Springing -aside, I partially avoided the blow, which, intended for my skull, fell -on my shoulder. I seized the Indian around the neck, and while exerting -my utmost strength to get possession of his scalping-knife, hanging in a -scabbard over his breast, I was dragged from his grasp by another and -older Indian. - -"The latter bore me struggling and resisting towards the lake. Despite -the rapidity with which I was hurried along, I recognized, as I passed, -the lifeless remains of the unfortunate surgeon. Some murderous tomahawk -had stretched him upon the very spot where I had last seen him. - -"I was immediately plunged into the water and held there with a forcible -hand, notwithstanding my resistance. I soon perceived, however, that the -object of my captor was not to drown me, for he held me firmly in such a -position as to keep my head above water. This reassured me, and, -regarding him attentively, I soon recognized, in spite of the paint with -which he was disguised, the Black Partridge. - -"When the firing had nearly subsided, my preserver bore me from the -water and conducted me up the sand banks. It was a burning August -morning, and walking through the sand in my drenched condition was -inexpressibly painful and fatiguing. I stooped and took off my shoes to -free them from the sand with which they were nearly filled, when a squaw -seized and carried them off, and I was obliged to proceed without them. - -"When we had gained the prairie, I was met by my father, who told me -that my husband was safe and but slightly wounded. I was led gently back -towards the Chicago River, along the southern bank of which was the -Potowatomi encampment. Once I was placed upon a horse without a saddle, -but, finding the motion insupportable, I sprang off. Assisted partly by -my kind conductor, Black Partridge, and partly by another Indian, -Pee-so-tum, who held dangling in his hand a scalp which by the black -ribbon around the queue I recognized as that of Captain Wells, I dragged -my fainting steps to one of the wigwams. - -"The wife of Wau-bee-nee-mah, a chief from the Illinois River, was -standing near. Seeing my exhausted condition, she seized a kettle, -dipped up some water from a stream that flowed near,[8] threw into it -some maple sugar, and, stirring it with her hand, gave it to me to -drink. This act of kindness, in the midst of so many horrors, touched me -deeply. But my attention was soon diverted to other things. - -"The fort, since the troops marched out, had become a scene of plunder. -The cattle had been shot as they ran at large, and lay about, dead or -dying. This work of butchery had commenced just as we were leaving the -fort. I vividly recalled a remark of Ensign Ronan, as the firing went -on. 'Such,' turning to me, 'is to be our fate--to be shot down like -brutes!' - -"'Well, sir,' said the commanding officer, who overheard him, 'are you -afraid?' - -"'No,' replied the high-spirited young man, 'I can march up to the enemy -where you dare not show your face.' And his subsequent gallant behavior -showed this was no idle boast. - -"As the noise of the firing grew gradually fainter and the stragglers -from the victorious party came dropping in, I received confirmation of -what my father had hurriedly communicated in our meeting on the lake -shore: the whites had surrendered, after the loss of about two thirds of -their number. They had stipulated, through the interpreter, Peresh -Leclerc, that their lives and those of the remaining women and children -be spared, and that they be delivered in safety at certain of the -British posts, unless ransomed by traders in the Indian country. It -appears that the wounded prisoners were not considered as included in -the stipulation, and upon their being brought into camp an awful scene -ensued. - -"An old squaw, infuriated by the loss of friends, or perhaps excited by -the sanguinary scenes around her, seemed possessed by a demoniac -ferocity. Seizing a stable fork she assaulted one miserable victim, -already groaning and writhing in the agony of wounds aggravated by the -scorching beams of the sun. With a delicacy of feeling scarcely to have -been expected under such circumstances, Wau-bee-nee-mah stretched a mat -across two poles, between me and this dreadful scene. I was thus in -some degree shielded from its horrors, though I could not close my ears -to the cries of the sufferer. The following night five more of the -wounded prisoners were tomahawked." - -After the first attack, it appears the Americans charged upon a band of -Indians concealed in a sort of ravine between the sand banks and the -prairie. The Indians gathered together, and after hard fighting, in -which the number of whites was reduced to twenty-eight, their band -succeeded in breaking through the enemy and gaining a rise of ground not -far from Oak Woods. Further contest now seeming hopeless, Lieutenant -Helm sent Peresh Leclerc, the half-breed boy in the service of Mr. -Kinzie, who had accompanied the troops and fought manfully on their -side, to propose terms of capitulation. It was stipulated, as told in -Mrs. Helm's narrative, that the lives of all the survivors should be -spared, and a ransom permitted as soon as practicable. - -But in the meantime horrible scenes had indeed been enacted. During the -engagement near the sand hills one young savage climbed into the baggage -wagon which sheltered the twelve children of the white families, and -tomahawked the entire group. Captain Wells, who was fighting near, -beheld the deed, and exclaimed: - -"Is that their game, butchering the women and children? Then I will -kill, too!" - -So saying, he turned his horse's head and started for the Indian camp, -near the fort, where the braves had left their squaws and children. - -Several Indians followed him as he galloped along. Lying flat on the -neck of his horse, and loading and firing in that position, he turned -occasionally on his pursuers. But at length their balls took effect, -killing his horse, and severely wounding the Captain. At this moment he -was met by Winnemeg and Wau-ban-see, who endeavored to save him from the -savages who had now overtaken him. As they helped him along, after -having disengaged him from his horse, he received his deathblow from -Pee-so-tum, who stabbed him in the back. - -The heroic resolution shown during the fight by the wife of one of the -soldiers, a Mrs. Corbin, deserves to be recorded. She had from the first -expressed the determination never to fall into the hands of the savages, -believing that their prisoners were invariably subjected to tortures -worse than death. - -When, therefore, a party came upon her to make her prisoner, she fought -with desperation, refusing to surrender, although assured, by signs, of -safety and kind treatment. Literally, she suffered herself to be cut to -pieces, rather than become their captive. - -There was a Sergeant Holt, who early in the engagement received a ball -in the neck. Finding himself badly wounded, he gave his sword to his -wife, who was on horseback near him, telling her to defend herself. He -then made for the lake, to keep out of the way of the balls. - -Mrs. Holt rode a very fine horse, which the Indians were desirous of -possessing, and they therefore attacked her in the hope of dismounting -her. They fought only with the butt ends of their guns, for their -object was not to kill her. She hacked and hewed at their pieces as they -were thrust against her, now on this side, now that. Finally, she broke -loose and dashed out into the prairie, where the Indians pursued her, -shouting and laughing, and now and then calling out, "The brave woman! -do not hurt her!" - -At length they overtook her, and while she was engaged with two or three -in front, one succeeded in seizing her by the neck from behind, and in -dragging her from her horse, large and powerful woman though she was. -Notwithstanding their guns had been so hacked and injured, and they -themselves severely cut, her captors seemed to regard her only with -admiration. They took her to a trader on the Illinois River, who showed -her every kindness during her captivity, and later restored her to her -friends. - -Meanwhile those of Mr. Kinzie's family who had remained in the boat, -near the mouth of the river, were carefully guarded by Kee-po-tah and -another Indian. They had seen the smoke, then the blaze, and immediately -after, the report of the first tremendous discharge had sounded in -their ears. Then all was confusion. They knew nothing of the events of -the battle until they saw an Indian coming towards them from the battle -ground, leading a horse on which sat a lady, apparently wounded. - -"That is Mrs. Heald," cried Mrs. Kinzie. "That Indian will kill her. -Run, Chandonnai," to one of Mr. Kinzie's clerks, "take the mule that is -tied there, and offer it to him to release her." - -Mrs. Heald's captor, by this time, was in the act of disengaging her -bonnet from her head, in order to scalp her. Chandonnai ran up and -offered the mule as a ransom, with the promise of ten bottles of whisky -as soon as they should reach his village. The whisky was a strong -temptation. - -"But," said the Indian, "she is badly wounded--she will die. Will you -give me the whisky at all events?" - -Chandonnai promised that he would, and the bargain was concluded. The -savage placed the lady's bonnet on his own head, and, after an -ineffectual effort on the part of some squaws to rob her of her shoes -and stockings, she was brought on board the boat, where she lay moaning -with pain from the many bullet wounds in her arms. - -Having wished to possess themselves of her horse uninjured, the Indians -had aimed their shots so as to disable the rider, without in any way -harming her steed. - -Mrs. Heald had not lain long in the boat when a young Indian of savage -aspect was seen approaching. A buffalo robe was hastily drawn over her, -and she was admonished to suppress all sound of complaint, as she valued -her life. - -The heroic woman remained perfectly silent while the savage drew near. -He had a pistol in his hand, which he rested on the side of the boat, -while, with a fearful scowl, he looked pryingly around. Black Jim, one -of the servants, who stood in the bow of the boat, seized an ax that lay -near and signed to him that if he shot he would cleave his skull, -telling him that the boat contained only the family of Shaw-nee-aw-kee. -Upon this, the Indian retired. It afterwards appeared that the object -of his search was Mr. Burnett, a trader from St. Joseph with whom he had -some account to settle. - -When the boat was at length permitted to return to the house of Mr. -Kinzie, and Mrs. Heald was removed there, it became necessary to dress -her wounds. - -Mr. Kinzie applied to an old chief who stood by, and who, like most of -his tribe, possessed some skill in surgery, to extract a ball from the -arm of the sufferer. - -"No, father," replied the Indian. "I cannot do it--it makes me sick -here," placing his hand on his heart. - -Mr. Kinzie himself then performed the operation with his penknife. - -At their own house, the family of Mr. Kinzie were closely guarded by -their Indian friends, whose intention it was to carry them to Detroit -for security. The rest of the prisoners remained at the wigwams of their -captors. - -On the following morning, the work of plunder being completed, the -Indians set fire to the fort. A very equitable distribution of the -finery appeared to have been made, and shawls, ribbons, and feathers -fluttered about in all directions. The ludicrous appearance of one young -fellow arrayed in a muslin gown and a lady's bonnet would, under other -circumstances, have been a matter of great amusement. - -Black Partridge, Wau-ban-see, and Kee-po-tah, with two other Indians, -established themselves in the porch of the Kinzie house as sentinels, to -protect the family from any evil that the young men might be incited to -commit, and all remained tranquil for a short space after the -conflagration. - -Very soon, however, a party of Indians from the Wabash made their -appearance. These were, decidedly, the most hostile and implacable of -all the tribes of the Potowatomi. - -Being more remote, they had shared less than some of their brethren in -the kindness of Mr. Kinzie and his family, and consequently their -friendly regard was not so strong. - -Runners had been sent to the villages to apprise these Indians of the -intended evacuation of the post, as well as of the plan to attack the -troops. - -Thirsting to participate in such an event, they had hurried to the -scene, and great was their mortification, on arriving at the river Aux -Plaines, to meet a party of their friends with their chief, -Nee-scot-nee-meg, badly wounded, and learn that the battle was over, the -spoils divided, and the scalps all taken. Arriving at Chicago they -blackened their faces, and proceeded toward the dwelling of Mr. Kinzie. - -From his station on the piazza Black Partridge had watched their -approach, and his fears were particularly awakened for the safety of -Mrs. Helm, Mr. Kinzie's stepdaughter, who had recently come to the post, -and was personally unknown to the more remote Indians. By his advice she -was made to assume the ordinary dress of a Frenchwoman of the country--a -short gown and petticoat with a blue cotton handkerchief wrapped around -her head. In this disguise she was conducted by Black Partridge himself -to the house of Ouilmette, a Frenchman with a half-breed wife, who -formed a part of the establishment of Mr. Kinzie and whose dwelling was -close at hand. - -It so happened that the Indians came first to this house in their search -for prisoners. As they approached, the inmates, fearful that the fair -complexion and general appearance of Mrs. Helm might betray her as an -American, raised a large feather bed and placed her under the edge of it -upon the bedstead, with her face to the wall. Mrs. Bisson, a half-breed -sister of Ouilmette's wife, then seated herself with her sewing upon the -front of the bed. - -It was a hot day in August, and the feverish excitement of fear and -agitation, together with her position, which was nearly suffocating, -became so intolerable that Mrs. Helm at length entreated to be released -and given up to the Indians. - -"I can but die," said she; "let them put an end to my misery at once." - -Mrs. Bisson replied, "Your death would be the destruction of us all, for -Black Partridge has resolved that if one drop of the blood of your -family is spilled, he will take the lives of all concerned in it, even -his nearest friends; and if once the work of murder commences, there -will be no end of it, so long as there remains one white person or -half-breed in the country." - -This expostulation nerved Mrs. Helm with fresh courage. - -The Indians entered, and from her hiding place she could occasionally -see them gliding about and stealthily inspecting every part of the room, -though without making any ostensible search, until, apparently satisfied -that there was no one concealed, they left the house. - -All this time Mrs. Bisson had kept her seat upon the side of the bed, -calmly sorting and arranging the patchwork of the quilt on which she was -engaged, and preserving an appearance of the utmost tranquillity, -although she knew not but that the next moment she might receive a -tomahawk in her brain. Her self-command unquestionably saved the lives -of all who were present. - -From Ouilmette's house the party of Indians proceeded to the dwelling of -Mr. Kinzie. They entered the parlor in which the family were assembled -with their faithful protectors, and seated themselves upon the floor, in -silence. - -Black Partridge perceived from their moody and revengeful looks what was -passing in their minds, but he dared not remonstrate with them. He only -observed in a low tone to Wau-ban-see, "We have endeavored to save our -friends, but it is in vain--nothing will save them now." - -At this moment a friendly whoop was heard from a party of newcomers on -the opposite bank of the river. As the canoes in which they had hastily -embarked touched the bank near the house, Black Partridge sprang to meet -their leader. - -"Who are you?" demanded he. - -"A man. Who are you?" - -"A man like yourself. But tell me who you are,"--meaning, Tell me your -disposition, and which side you are for. - -"I am a Sau-ga-nash!" - -"Then make all speed to the house--your friend is in danger, and you -alone can save him." - -Billy Caldwell,[9] for it was he, entered the parlor with a calm step, -and without a trace of agitation in his manner. He deliberately took off -his accouterments and placed them with his rifle behind the door, then -saluted the hostile savages. - -"How now, my friends! A good day to you. I was told there were enemies -here, but I am glad to find only friends. Why have you blackened your -faces? Is it that you are mourning for the friends you have lost in -battle?" purposely misunderstanding this token of evil designs. "Or is -it that you are fasting? If so, ask our friend, here, and he will give -you to eat. He is the Indian's friend, and never yet refused them what -they had need of." - -Thus taken by surprise, the savages were ashamed to acknowledge their -bloody purpose. They, therefore, said modestly that they had come to beg -of their friends some white cotton in which to wrap their dead before -interring them. This was given to them, with some other presents, and -they peaceably took their departure from the premises. - -With Mr. Kinzie's party was a non-commissioned officer who had made his -escape in a singular manner. As the troops had been about to leave the -fort, it was found that the baggage horses of the surgeon had strayed -off. The quartermaster sergeant, Griffith, was sent to find and bring -them on, it being absolutely necessary to recover them, since their -packs contained part of the surgeon's apparatus and the medicines for -the march. - -For a long time Griffith had been on the sick report and for this reason -was given charge of the baggage, instead of being placed with the -troops. His efforts to recover the horses proved unsuccessful, and, -alarmed at certain appearances of disorder and hostile intention among -the Indians, he was hastening to rejoin his party when he was met and -made prisoner by To-pee-nee-bee. - -Having taken his arms and accouterments from him, the chief put him -into a canoe and paddled him across the river, bidding him make for the -woods and secrete himself. This Griffith did; and in the afternoon of -the following day, seeing from his lurking place that all appeared -quiet, he ventured to steal cautiously into Ouilmette's garden, where he -concealed himself for a time behind some currant bushes. - -At length he determined to enter the house, and accordingly climbed up -through a small back window into the room where the family were, -entering just as the Wabash Indians had left the house of Ouilmette for -that of Mr. Kinzie. The danger of the sergeant was now imminent. The -family stripped him of his uniform and arrayed him in a suit of -deerskin, with belt, moccasins, and pipe, like a French _engage_. His -dark complexion and heavy black whiskers favored the disguise. The -family were all ordered to address him in French, and, although -utterly ignorant of this language, he continued to pass for a -_Weem-tee-gosh_,[10] and as such remained with Mr. Kinzie and his -family, undetected by his enemies, until they reached a place of -safety. - -On the third day after the battle, Mr. Kinzie and his family, with the -clerks of the establishment, were put into a boat, under the care of -Francois, a half-breed interpreter, and conveyed to St. Joseph, where -they remained until the following November, under the protection of -To-pee-nee-bee's band. With the exception of Mr. Kinzie they were then -conducted to Detroit, under the escort of Chandonnai and their trusty -Indian friend, Kee-po-tah, and delivered as prisoners of war to Colonel -McKee, the British Indian Agent. - -Mr. Kinzie himself was held at St. Joseph and did not succeed in -rejoining his family until some months later. On his arrival at Detroit -he was paroled by General Proctor. - -Lieutenant Helm, who was likewise wounded, was carried by some friendly -Indians to their village on the Au Sable and thence to Peoria, where he -was liberated through the intervention of Mr. Thomas Forsyth, the half -brother of Mr. Kinzie. Mrs. Helm accompanied her parents to St. Joseph, -where they resided for several months in the family of Alexander -Robinson,[11] receiving from them all possible kindness and hospitality. - -Later Mrs. Helm was joined by her husband in Detroit, where they both -were arrested by order of the British commander, and sent on horseback, -in the dead of winter, through Canada to Fort George on the Niagara -frontier. When they arrived at that post, there had been no official -appointed to receive them, and, notwithstanding their long and fatiguing -journey in the coldest, most inclement weather, Mrs. Helm, a delicate -woman of seventeen years, was permitted to sit waiting in her saddle, -outside the gate, for more than an hour, before the refreshment of fire -or food, or even the shelter of a roof, was offered her. When Colonel -Sheaffe, who was absent at the time, was informed of this brutal -inhospitality, he expressed the greatest indignation. He waited on Mrs. -Helm immediately, apologized in the most courteous manner, and treated -both her and Lieutenant Helm with the greatest consideration and -kindness, until, by an exchange of prisoners, they were liberated and -found means of reaching their friends in Steuben County, N. Y. - -Captain and Mrs. Heald were sent across the lake to St. Joseph the day -after the battle. The Captain had received two wounds in the engagement, -his wife seven. - -Captain Heald had been taken prisoner by an Indian from the Kankakee, -who had a strong personal regard for him, and who, when he saw Mrs. -Heald's wounded and enfeebled state, released her husband that he might -accompany her to St. Joseph. To the latter place they were accordingly -carried by Chandonnai and his party. In the meantime, the Indian who had -so nobly released his prisoner returned to his village on the Kankakee, -where he had the mortification of finding that his conduct had excited -great dissatisfaction among his band. So great was the displeasure -manifested that he resolved to make a journey to St. Joseph and reclaim -his prisoner. - -News of his intention being brought to To-pee-nee-bee and Kee-po-tah, -under whose care the prisoners were, they held a private council with -Chandonnai, Mr. Kinzie, and the principal men of the village, the result -of which was a determination to send Captain and Mrs. Heald to the -Island of Mackinac and deliver them up to the British. - -They were accordingly put in a bark canoe, and paddled by Robinson and -his wife a distance of three hundred miles along the coast of Michigan, -and surrendered as prisoners of war to the commanding officer at -Mackinac. - -As an instance of Captain Heald's procrastinating spirit it may be -mentioned that, even after he had received positive word that his Indian -captor was on the way from the Kankakee to St. Joseph to retake him, he -would still have delayed at that place another day, to make preparation -for a more comfortable journey to Mackinac. - -The soldiers from Fort Dearborn, with their wives and surviving -children, were dispersed among the different villages of the Potowatomi -upon the Illinois, Wabash, and Rock rivers, and at Milwaukee, until the -following spring, when the greater number of them were carried to -Detroit and ransomed. - -Mrs. Burns, with her infant, became the prisoner of a chief, who carried -her to his village and treated her with great kindness. His wife, from -jealousy of the favor shown to "the white woman" and her child, always -treated them with great hostility. On one occasion she struck the infant -with a tomahawk, and barely failed in her attempt to put it to -death.[12] Mrs. Burns and her child were not left long in the power of -the old squaw after this demonstration, but on the first opportunity -were carried to a place of safety. - -The family of Mr. Lee had resided in a house on the lake shore, not far -from the fort. Mr. Lee was the owner of Lee's Place, which he cultivated -as a farm. It was his son who had run down with the discharged soldier -to give the alarm of "Indians," at the fort, on the afternoon of April -7. The father, the son, and all the other members of the family except -Mrs. Lee and her young infant had fallen victims to the Indians on -August 15. The two survivors were claimed by Black Partridge, and -carried by him to his village on the Au Sable. He had been particularly -attached to a little twelve-year-old girl of Mrs. Lee's. This child had -been placed on horseback for the march; and, as she was unaccustomed to -riding, she was tied fast to the saddle, lest she should slip or be -thrown off. - -She was within reach of the balls at the commencement of the engagement, -and was severely wounded. The horse, setting off at a full gallop, -partly threw her; but held fast by the bands which confined her, she -hung dangling as the animal ran wildly about. In this state she was met -by Black Partridge, who caught the horse and disengaged the child from -the saddle. Finding her so badly wounded that she could not recover, and -seeing that she was in great agony, he at once put an end to her pain -with his tomahawk. This, he afterwards said, was the hardest thing he -had ever done, but he did it because he could not bear to see the child -suffer. - -Black Partridge soon became warmly attached to the mother--so much so, -that he wished to marry her; and, though she very naturally objected, he -continued to treat her with the greatest respect and consideration. He -was in no hurry to release her, for he was still in hopes of prevailing -upon her to become his wife. In the course of the winter her child fell -ill. Finding that none of the remedies within their reach was effectual, -Black Partridge proposed to take the little one to Chicago, to a French -trader then living in the house of Mr. Kinzie, and procure medical aid -from him. Wrapping up his charge with the greatest care, he set out on -his journey. - -Arriving at the residence of M. Du Pin, he entered the room where the -Frenchman was, and carefully placed his burden on the floor. - -"What have you there?" asked M. Du Pin. - -"A young raccoon, which I have brought you as a present," was the reply; -and, opening the pack, he showed the little sick infant. - -When the trader had prescribed for the child, and Black Partridge was -about to return to his home, he told his friend of the proposal he had -made to Mrs. Lee to become his wife, and the manner in which it had been -received. - -M. Du Pin entertained some fear that the chief's honorable resolution to -allow the lady herself to decide whether or not to accept his addresses -might not hold out, and at once entered into a negotiation for her -ransom. So effectually were the good feelings of Black Partridge wrought -upon that he consented to bring his fair prisoner to Chicago -immediately, that she might be restored to her friends. - -Whether the kind trader had at the outset any other feeling in the -matter than sympathy and brotherly kindness, we cannot say; we only know -that in course of time Mrs. Lee became Madame Du Pin, and that the -worthy couple lived together in great happiness for many years after. - -The fate of Nau-non-gee, a chief of the Calumet village, deserves to be -recorded. - -During the battle of August 15, the principal object of his attack was -one Sergeant Hays, a man from whom he had accepted many kindnesses. - -After Hays had received a ball through the body, this Indian ran up to -tomahawk him, when the sergeant, summoning his remaining strength, -pierced him through the body with his bayonet. The two fell together. -Other Indians running up soon dispatched Hays, and not until then was -his bayonet extracted from the body of his adversary. - -After the battle the wounded chief was carried to his village on the -Calumet, where he survived for several days. Finding his end -approaching, he called together his young men, and enjoined them, in the -most solemn manner, to regard the safety of their prisoners after his -death, and out of respect to his memory to take the lives of none of -them; for he himself fully deserved his fate at the hands of the man -whose kindness he had so ill requited. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] This narrative related by two of the survivors, Mrs. John Kinzie and -Mrs. Helm, to Mrs. Juliette A. Kinzie, is taken from "Waubun." It was -first published in pamphlet form in 1836; was transferred, with little -variation, to Brown's "History of Illinois," and to a work called -"Western Annals." Major Richardson likewise made it the basis of his two -tales, "Hardscrabble," and "Wau-nan-gee." - -[2] Burns' house stood near the spot where the Agency Building, or -"Cobweb Castle," was afterwards erected, at the foot of North State -Street. - -[3] A trading-establishment--now Ypsilanti. - -[4] Captain Wells, when a boy, was stolen by the Miami Indians from the -family of Hon. Nathaniel Pope in Kentucky. Although recovered by them, -he preferred to return and live among his new friends. He married a -Miami woman, and became a chief of the nation. He was the father of Mrs. -Judge Wolcott of Maumee, Ohio. - -[5] The spot now called Bertrand, then known as _Parc aux Vaches_, from -its having been a favorite "stamping-ground" of the buffalo which -abounded in the country. - -[6] Mrs. Helm is represented by the female figure in the bronze group -erected by George M. Pullman, at the foot of 18th Street, to commemorate -the massacre which took place at that spot. - -[7] The exact spot of this encounter was about where 21st Street crosses -Indiana Avenue. - -[8] Along the present State Street. - -[9] Billy Caldwell was a half-breed, and a chief of the nation. In his -reply, "I am a Sau-ga-nash," or Englishman, he designed to convey, "I am -a white man." Had he said, "I am a Potowatomi," it would have been -interpreted to mean, "I belong to my nation, and am prepared to go all -lengths with them." - -[10] Frenchman. - -[11] The Potowatomi chief, so well known to many of the early citizens -of Chicago. - -[12] Twenty-two years after this, as I [Mrs. Juliette A. Kinzie] was on -a journey to Chicago in the steamer "Uncle Sam," a young woman, hearing -my name, introduced herself to me, and, raising the hair from her -forehead, showed me the mark of the tomahawk which had so nearly been -fatal to her. - - -[Illustration: _The old Kinzie house_] - - - - -JOHN KINZIE - -A SKETCH - - -John McKenzie, or, as he was afterwards called, John Kinzie, was the son -of Surgeon John McKenzie of the 60th Royal American Regiment of Foot, -and of Anne Haleyburton, the widow of Chaplain William Haleyburton of -the First or Royal American Regiment of Foot. - -Major Haleyburton died soon after their arrival in America, and two -years later his widow married Surgeon John McKenzie. Their son John was -born in Quebec, December 3, 1763. - -In the old family Bible the "Mc" is dropped in recording the birth of -"John Kinsey" (so spelled), thus indicating that he was known as John -Kinsey, or, as he himself spelled it, "Kinzie," from early childhood. - -Major McKenzie survived the birth of his son but a few months, and his -widow took for her third husband Mr. William Forsyth, of New York City. - -Young John grew up under the care and supervision of his stepfather, Mr. -Forsyth, until at the age of ten he began his adventurous career by -running away. - -He and his two half brothers attended a school at Williamsburg, L. I., -escorted there every Monday by a servant, who came to take them home -every Friday. One fine afternoon when the servant came for the boys -Master Johnny was missing. An immediate search was made, but not a trace -of him could be found. His mother was almost frantic. The mysterious -disappearance of her bright, handsome boy was a fearful blow. - -Days passed without tidings of the lost one, and hope fled. The only -solution suggested was, that he might have been accidentally drowned and -his body swept out to sea. - -Meantime Master John was very much alive. - -He had determined to go to Quebec to try, as he afterwards explained, to -discover some of his father's relatives. - -He had managed to find a sloop which was just going up the Hudson, and -with the confidence and audacity of a child, stepped gaily on board and -set forth on his travels. - -Most fortunately for him, he attracted the notice of a passenger who was -going to Quebec, and who began to question the lonely little lad. He -became so interested in the boy that he took him in charge, paid his -fare, and landed him safely in his native city. - -But here, alas, Master Johnny soon found himself stranded. Very cold, -very hungry, and very miserable, he was wandering down one of the -streets of Quebec when his attention was attracted by a glittering array -of watches and silver in a shop window, where a man was sitting -repairing a clock. - -Johnny stood gazing wistfully in. His yellow curls, blue eyes, and -pathetic little face appealed to the kind silversmith, who beckoned him -into the shop and soon learned his story. - -"And what are you going to do now?" asked the man. - -"I am going to work," replied ten-year-old valiantly. - -"Why, what could you do?" laughed the man. - -"I could do anything you told me to do, if you just showed me how to do -it," said John. - -The result was that John got a job. - -The silversmith had no children, and as the months rolled on he grew -more and more fond of John. He taught him as much of his trade as the -lad could acquire in the three years of his stay in Quebec. Later in his -life this knowledge was of great value to him, for it enabled him to -secure the friendship and assistance of the Indians by fashioning for -them various ornaments and "tokens" from the silver money paid them as -annuities by the United States Government. The Indians called him -"Shaw-nee-aw-kee" or the Silver Man, and by that name he was known among -all the tribes of the Northwest. - -These happy and useful years drew to a close. As John was one day -walking down the street, a gentleman from New York stopped him and -said: "Are you not Johnny Kinzie?" John admitted that he was, and the -gentleman, armed with the astonishing news and the boy's address, -promptly communicated with Mr. Forsyth, who at once came to Quebec and -took the runaway home. - -His rejoicing mother doubtless saved him from the sound thrashing he -richly deserved at the hands of his stepfather. - -John had now had enough of running away, and was content to stay at home -and buckle down to his books. The few letters of his which remain and -are preserved in the Chicago Historical Society give evidence of an -excellent education. - -The roving spirit was still alive in him, however. Mr. Forsyth had moved -West and settled in Detroit, and when John was about eighteen years old -he persuaded his stepfather to fit him out as an Indian trader. - -This venture proved a great success. Before he was one and twenty, young -Kinzie had established two trading posts, one at Sandusky and one at -Maumee, and was pushing towards the west, where he later started a -depot at St. Joseph, Michigan. - -John Kinzie's success as an Indian trader was almost phenomenal. He -acquired the language of the Indians with great facility; he respected -their customs, and they soon found that his "word was as good as his -bond." He was a keen trader, not allowing himself to be cheated, nor -attempting to cheat the Indians. He quickly gained the confidence and -esteem of the various tribes with which he dealt, and the personal -friendship of many of their most powerful chiefs, who showed themselves -ready to shield him in danger, and to rescue him from harm at the risk -of their lives. - -When in the neighborhood of Detroit, he stayed with his half brother, -William Forsyth, who had married a Miss Margaret Lytle, daughter of -Colonel William Lytle of Virginia. In their home he was always a welcome -guest; and here he met Mrs. Forsyth's younger sister, Eleanor. She was -the widow of a British officer, Captain Daniel McKillip, who had been -killed in a sortie from Ft. Defiance. Since her husband's death, she -and her little daughter Margaret had made their home with the Forsyths. - -John Kinzie fell desperately in love with the handsome young widow, and -on January 23, 1798, they were married. - -In all of his new and arduous career he had been greatly aided and -protected by John Harris, the famous Indian scout and trader mentioned -by Irving in his Life of Washington (Volume 1, Chapter XII). It was in -grateful appreciation of these kindnesses that he named his son "John -Harris," after this valued friend. - -Mr. Kinzie continued to extend his business still farther west, until in -October, 1803, when his son John Harris was but three months old, he -moved with his family to Chicago, where he purchased the trading -establishment of a Frenchman named Le Mai. - -Here, cut off from the world at large, with no society but the garrison -at Fort Dearborn, the Kinzies lived in contentment, and in the quiet -enjoyment of all the comforts, together with many of the luxuries of -life. The first white child born outside of Fort Dearborn was their -little daughter Ellen Marion, on December 20, 1805. Next came Maria, -born September 28, 1807. Then, last, Robert Allan, born February 8, -1810. - -By degrees, Mr. Kinzie established still more remote posts, all -contributing to the parent post at Chicago; at Milwaukee, with the -Menominee; at Rock River with the Winnebago and the Potowatomi; on the -Illinois River and the Kankakee with the Prairie Potowatomi; and with -the Kickapoo in what was called "Le Large," the widely extended district -afterwards converted into Sangamon County. He was appointed Sub-Indian -Agent and Government Interpreter, and in these capacities rendered -valuable service. - -About the year 1810, a Frenchman named Lalime was killed by John Kinzie -under the following circumstances: Lalime had become insanely jealous of -Mr. Kinzie's success as a rival trader, and was unwise enough to -threaten to take Kinzie's life. The latter only laughed at the reports, -saying "Threatened men live long, and I am not worrying over Lalime's -wild talk." Several of his stanchest Indian friends, however, continued -to warn him, and he at last consented to carry some sort of weapon in -case Lalime really had the folly to attack him. He accordingly took a -carving knife from the house and began sharpening it on a grindstone in -the woodshed. - -Young John stood beside him, much interested in this novel proceeding. - -"What are you doing, father?" he asked. - -"Sharpening this knife, my son," was the reply. - -"What for?" said John. - -"Go into the house," replied his father, "and don't ask questions about -things that don't concern you." - -A few days passed. Nothing happened; but Mr. Kinzie carried the knife. - -Mrs. Kinzie's daughter by her first marriage was now seventeen years -old, and was the wife of Lieutenant Linai Thomas Helm, one of the -officers stationed at Fort Dearborn, and Mr. Kinzie frequently went -over there to spend the evening. One very dark night he sauntered over -to the fort, and was just entering the inclosure, when a man sprang out -from behind the gate post and plunged a knife into his neck. It was -Lalime. Quick as a flash, Mr. Kinzie drew his own knife and dealt Lalime -a furious blow, and a fatal one. The man fell like a log into the river -below. Mr. Kinzie staggered home, covered with blood from the deep -wound. - -The late Gurdon S. Hubbard, in a letter to a grandson of John Kinzie's, -gives the following account of the affair: - - 143 Locust St., Chicago, Ill., - Feb. 6th, 1884. - - Arthur M. Kinzie, Esq., - My Dear Sir, - - I have yours of 5th. You corroborate what I have said about your - grandfather killing Lalime as far as you state. I am glad you do. I - cannot forget what I heard from your grandmother and Mrs. Helm. - They said your grandfather, coming in bloody, said "I have killed - Lalime. A guard will be sent from the Fort to take me. Dress my - neck quickly!" Your grandmother did so, remarking "They shall not - take you to the fort--come with me to the woods." She hid him, came - home, and soon a Sergeant with guard appeared. Could not find your - grandfather. - - After the excitement was over, the officers began to reason on the - subject calmly, for Lalime was highly respected, good social - company, educated. They came to the conclusion that the act was in - self defence. The history of Chicago, by Mr. Andreas will soon be - out. He sent me the account relating to your grandfather to revise. - Much in it incorrect, which I have explained. - - Can't you come and see me? - - Your friend, - G. S. Hubbard. - -As far as it goes this account agrees with the facts as held by the -family. The Kinzies, however, always stated that after the excitement -subsided, as it did in a few weeks, Mr. Kinzie sent word to the -commanding officer at the fort that he wished to come in, give himself -up, and have a fair trial. This was granted. The fresh wounds in his -neck--the thrust had barely missed the jugular vein--and the testimony -given as to the threats Lalime had uttered, resulted in an immediate -verdict of justifiable homicide. - -In the meantime some of Lalime's friends conceived the idea that it -would be a suitable punishment for Mr. Kinzie to bury his victim -directly in front of the Kinzie home, where he must necessarily behold -the grave every time he passed out of his own gate. Great was their -chagrin and disappointment, however, when Mr. Kinzie, far from being -annoyed at their action, proceeded to make Lalime's grave his special -care. - -Flowers were planted on it and it was kept in most beautiful order. Many -a half hour the Kinzie children longed to spend in play, was occupied by -their father's order in raking the dead leaves away from Lalime's grave -and watering the flowers there. - -About two years subsequent to this event the Fort Dearborn Massacre -occurred. John Kinzie's part in that tragedy has already been given in -Helm's narrative. - -After the massacre Mr. Kinzie was not allowed to leave St. Joseph with -his family, his Indian friends insisting that he remain and endeavor to -secure some remnant of his scattered property. During his excursions -with them for that purpose he wore the costume and paint of the tribe in -order to escape capture and perhaps death at the hands of those who were -still thirsting for blood. - -His anxiety for his family at length became so great that he followed -them to Detroit, where he was paroled by General Proctor in January. - -At the surrender of Detroit, which took place the day before the -massacre at Chicago, General Hull had stipulated that the inhabitants -should be permitted to remain undisturbed in their homes. Accordingly, -the family of Mr. Kinzie took up their residence among their friends in -the old mansion which many will recollect as standing on the northwest -corner of Jefferson Avenue and Wayne Street, Detroit. - -Feelings of indignation and sympathy were constantly aroused in the -hearts of the citizens during the winter that ensued. They were almost -daily called upon to witness the cruelties practiced upon American -prisoners brought in by their Indian captors. Those who could scarcely -drag their wounded, bleeding feet over the frozen ground were compelled -to dance for the amusement of the savages; and these exhibitions -sometimes took place before the Government House, the residence of -Colonel McKee. Sometimes British officers looked on from their windows -at these heart-rending performances. For the honor of humanity, we will -hope such instances were rare. - -Everything available among the effects of the citizens was offered to -ransom their countrymen from the hands of these inhuman beings. The -prisoners brought in from the River Raisin--those unfortunate men who -were permitted, after their surrender to General Proctor, to be tortured -and murdered by inches by his savage allies--excited the sympathy and -called for the action of the whole community. Private houses were -turned into hospitals, and every one was forward to get possession of as -many as possible of the survivors. To accomplish this, even articles of -apparel were bartered by the ladies of Detroit, as from doors or windows -they watched the miserable victims carried about for sale. - -In the dwelling of Mr. Kinzie one large room was devoted to the -reception of the sufferers. Few of them survived. Among those spoken of -as arousing the deepest interest were two young gentlemen of Kentucky, -brothers, both severely wounded, and their wounds aggravated to a mortal -degree by subsequent ill usage and hardships. Their solicitude for each -other, and their exhibition in various ways of the most tender fraternal -affection, created an impression never to be forgotten. - -The last bargain made by the Kinzies was effected by black Jim and one -of the children, who had permission to redeem a negro servant of the -gallant Colonel Allen with an old white horse, the only available -article that remained among their possessions. A brother of Colonel -Allen's afterwards came to Detroit, and the negro preferred returning -to servitude rather than remaining a stranger in a strange land. - -Mr. Kinzie, as has been related, joined his family at Detroit in the -month of January. A short time after his arrival suspicion arose in the -mind of General Proctor that he was in correspondence with General -Harrison, who was now at Fort Meigs, and who was believed to be -meditating an advance upon Detroit. Lieutenant Watson, of the British -army, waited upon Mr. Kinzie one day with an invitation to the quarters -of General Proctor on the opposite side of the river, saying the General -wished to speak with him on business. - -Quite unsuspecting, Mr. Kinzie complied with the request, when to his -surprise he was ordered into confinement, and strictly guarded in the -house of his former partner, Mr. Patterson, of Sandwich. - -Finding he did not return home, Mrs. Kinzie informed some Indian chiefs, -Mr. Kinzie's particular friends, who immediately repaired to the -headquarters of the commanding officer, demanded "their friend's" -release, and brought him back to his home. After waiting until a -favorable opportunity presented itself, the General sent a detachment of -dragoons to arrest Mr. Kinzie. They succeeded in carrying him away, and -crossing the river with him. Just at this moment a party of friendly -Indians made their appearance. - -"Where is Shaw-nee-aw-kee?" was the first question. - -"There," replied his wife, pointing across the river, "in the hands of -the redcoats, who are taking him away again." - -The Indians ran down to the river, seized some canoes they found there, -and, crossing over to Sandwich, a second time compelled General Proctor -to forego his intentions. - -A third time this officer attempted to imprison Mr. Kinzie, and this -time succeeded in conveying him heavily ironed to Fort Malden, in -Canada, at the mouth of the Detroit River. Here he was at first treated -with great severity, but after a time the rigor of his confinement was -somewhat relaxed, and he was permitted to walk on the bank of the river -for air and exercise. - -On September 10, as he was taking his promenade under the close -supervision of a guard of soldiers, the whole party were startled by the -sound of guns upon Lake Erie, at no great distance below. What could it -mean? It must be Commodore Barclay firing into some of the Yankees. The -firing continued. - -The hour allotted to the prisoner for his daily walk expired, but -neither he nor his guard observed the lapse of time, so anxiously were -they listening to what they now felt sure must be an engagement between -ships of war. At length Mr. Kinzie was reminded that he must return to -confinement. He petitioned for another half hour. - -"Let me stay," said he, "till we can learn how the battle has gone." - -Very soon a sloop appeared under press of sail, rounding the point, and -presently two gunboats in pursuit of her. - -"She is running--she bears the British colors!" cried Kinzie. "Yes, -yes, they are lowering--she is striking her flag! Now," turning to the -soldiers, "I will go back to prison contented--I know how the battle has -gone." - -The sloop was the "Little Belt," the last of the squadron captured by -the gallant Perry on that memorable occasion which he announced in the -immortal words: - -"We have met the enemy, and they are ours." - -Matters were growing critical, and it was necessary to transfer all -prisoners to a place of greater security than the frontier was now -likely to be. It was resolved, therefore, to send Mr. Kinzie to the -mother country. - -Nothing has ever appeared which would in any way explain the course of -General Proctor in regard to this gentleman. He had been taken from the -bosom of his family, where he was living quietly under the parole he had -received, protected by the stipulations of the surrender. For months he -had been kept in confinement. Now he was placed on horseback under a -strong guard, who announced that they had orders to shoot him through -the head if he offered to speak to a person upon the road. He was tied -upon the saddle to prevent his escape, and thus set out for Quebec. A -little incident occurred which will illustrate the course invariably -pursued towards our citizens at this period by the British army on the -Northwestern frontier. - -The saddle on which Mr. Kinzie rode had not been properly fastened, and, -owing to the rough motion of the animal it turned, bringing the rider -into a most awkward and painful position. His limbs being fastened, he -could not disengage himself, and in this manner he was compelled to ride -until nearly exhausted, before those in charge had the humanity to -release him. - -Arrived at Quebec, he was put on board a small vessel to be sent to -England. When a few days out at sea the vessel was chased by an American -frigate and driven into Halifax. A second time she set sail, when she -sprung a leak and was compelled to put back. - -The attempt to send Mr. Kinzie across the ocean was now abandoned, and -he was returned to Quebec. Another step, equally inexplicable with his -arrest, was soon after taken. - -Although the War of 1812 was not yet ended, Mr. Kinzie, together with a -Mr. Macomb, of Detroit, who was also in confinement in Quebec, was -released and given permission to return to his friends and family. It -may possibly be imagined that in the treatment these gentlemen received, -the British commander-in-chief sheltered himself under the plea of their -being "native born British subjects," and that perhaps when it was -ascertained that Mr. Kinzie was indeed a citizen of the United States it -was thought safest to release him. - -In the meantime, General Harrison at the head of his troops had reached -Detroit. He landed September 29. All the citizens went forth to meet -him. Mrs. Kinzie, leading her children, was of the number. The General -accompanied her to her home, and took up his abode there. On his -arrival he was introduced to Kee-po-tah, who happened to be on a visit -to the family at that time. The General had seen the chief the preceding -year, at the Council at Vincennes, and the meeting was one of great -cordiality and interest. - -Fort Dearborn was rebuilt in 1816, on a larger scale than before, and, -on the return of the troops, the bones of the unfortunate Americans who -had been massacred four years previously were collected and buried. - -In this same year Mr. Kinzie and his family again returned to Chicago, -where he at once undertook to collect the scattered remnants of his -property--a most disheartening task. He found his various trading-posts -abandoned, his clerks scattered, and his valuable furs and goods lost or -destroyed. - -In real estate, however, he was rich--for he owned nearly all the land -on the north side of the Chicago River, and many acres on the south and -west sides, as well as all of what was known as "Kinzie's Addition." - -At the present day the "Kinzie School," and the street which bears his -name, are all that remain to remind this generation of the pioneer on -whose land now stands the wonderful City of Chicago. - -Mr. Kinzie, recognizing the importance of the geographical position of -Chicago, and the vast fertility of the surrounding country, had always -foretold its eventual prosperity. Unfortunately, he was not permitted to -witness the fulfillment of his predictions. - -On January 6, 1828, he was stricken with apoplexy, and in a few hours -death closed his useful and energetic career. - -He lies buried in Graceland Cemetery, Chicago. Loyal in life, death has -mingled his ashes with the soil of the city whose future greatness he -was perhaps the first to foresee. - -John Kinzie was not only the sturdy, helpful pioneer, but also the -genial, courteous gentleman. - -To keen business ability he united the strictest honesty, and to the -most dauntless courage, a tender and generous heart. - -As the devoted friend of the red man, tradition has handed down the name -of Shaw-nee-aw-kee throughout all the tribes of the Northwest. - - -[Illustration: _Cornplanter, a Seneca chief_] - - - - -THE CAPTURE BY THE INDIANS OF LITTLE ELEANOR LYTLE[13] - - -It is well known that previous to the War of the Revolution the whole of -western Pennsylvania was inhabited by various Indian tribes. Of these -the Delawares were the friends of the whites, and after the commencement -of the great struggle took part with the United States. The Iroquois, on -the contrary, were the friends and allies of the mother country. - -Very few white settlers had ventured beyond the Susquehanna. The -numerous roving bands of Shawano, Nanticoke, and other Indians, although -at times professing friendship for the Americans and acting in concert -with the Delawares or Lenape as allies, at other times suffered -themselves to be seduced by their neighbors, the Iroquois, into showing -a most sanguinary spirit of hostility. - -For this reason the life of the settlers on the frontier was one of -constant peril and alarm. Many a dismal scene of barbarity was enacted, -as the history of the times testifies, and even those who felt -themselves in some measure protected by their immediate neighbors, the -Delawares, never lost sight of the caution required by their exposed -situation. - -The vicinity of the military garrison at Pittsburgh, or Fort Pitt, as it -was then called, gave additional security to those who had pushed -farther west among the fertile valleys of the Allegheny and Monongahela. -Among these was the family of Mr. Lytle, who, some years previous to the -opening of our story, had removed from Baltimore to Path Valley, near -Carlisle, and subsequently had settled on the banks of Plum River, a -tributary of the Allegheny. Here, with his wife and five children, he -had lived in comfort and security, undisturbed by any hostile visit, and -annoyed only by occasional false alarms from his more timorous -neighbors, who, having had sad experience in frontier life, were prone -to anticipate evil, and magnify every appearance of danger. - -On a bright afternoon in the autumn of 1779, two of Mr. Lytle's -children, a girl of eight and her brother, two years younger, were -playing in a little hollow in the rear of their father's house. Some -large trees which had recently been felled were lying here and there, -still untrimmed, and many logs, prepared for fuel, were scattered -around. Upon one of these logs the children, wearied with their sport, -seated themselves, and fell into conversation upon a subject that -greatly perplexed them. - -While playing in the same place a few hours previous, they had imagined -they saw an Indian lurking behind one of the fallen trees. The Indians -of the neighborhood were in the habit of making occasional visits to the -family, and the children had become familiar and even affectionate with -many of them, but this Indian had seemed to be a stranger, and after the -first hasty glance they had fled in alarm to the house. - -Their mother had chid them for bringing such a report, which she had -endeavored to convince them was without foundation. "You know," said -she, "you are always alarming us unnecessarily: the neighbors' children -have frightened you nearly to death. Go back to your play, and learn to -be more courageous." - -So, hardly persuaded by their mother's arguments, the children had -returned to their sports. Now as they sat upon the trunk of the tree, -their discourse was interrupted by what seemed to be the note of a quail -not far off. - -"Listen," said the boy, as a second note answered the first; "do you -hear that?" - -"Yes," replied his sister, and after a few moments' silence, "do you not -hear a rustling among the branches of the tree yonder?" - -"Perhaps it is a squirrel--but look! what is that? Surely I saw -something red among the branches. It looked like a fawn popping up its -head." - -At this moment, the children, who had been gazing so intently in the -direction of the fallen tree that all other objects were forgotten, felt -themselves seized from behind and pinioned in an iron grasp. What was -their horror and dismay to find themselves in the arms of savages, -whose terrific countenances and gestures plainly showed them to be -enemies! - -They made signs to the children to be silent, on pain of death, and -hurried them off, half dead with terror, in a direction leading from -their home. After traveling some distance in profound silence, their -captors somewhat relaxed their severity, and as night approached the -party halted, adopting the usual precautions to secure themselves -against a surprise. - -Torn from their beloved home and parents, in an agony of uncertainty and -terror, and anticipating all the horrors with which the rumors of the -times had invested captivity among the Indians--perhaps even torture and -death--the poor children could no longer restrain their grief, but gave -vent to sobs and lamentations. - -Their distress appeared to excite the compassion of one of the party, a -man of mild aspect, who approached and endeavored to soothe them. He -spread them a couch of the long grass which grew near the camping place, -offered them a portion of his own stock of dried meat and parched corn, -and made them understand by signs that no further evil was intended. - -These kindly demonstrations were interrupted by the arrival of another -party of Indians, bringing with them the mother of the little prisoners, -with her youngest child, an infant three months old. - -It had so happened that early in the day the father of the family, with -his serving men, had gone to a "raising" a few miles distant, and the -house had thus been left without a defender. The long period of -tranquillity they had enjoyed, free from all molestation or even alarm -from the savages, had thrown the settlers quite off their guard, and -they had recently laid aside some of the caution they had formerly -deemed necessary. - -By lying in wait, the Indians had found a favorable moment for seizing -the defenseless family and making them prisoners. Judging from their -paint and other marks by which the early settlers learned to distinguish -the various tribes, Mrs. Lytle conjectured that the savages into whose -hands she and her children had fallen were Senecas. Nor was she -mistaken. They were a party of that tribe who had descended from their -village with the intention of falling upon some isolated band of their -enemies, the Delawares, but failing in this, they had made themselves -amends by capturing a few white settlers. - -It is to be attributed to the generally mild disposition of this tribe, -together with the magnanimous character of the chief who accompanied the -party, that the prisoners in the present instance escaped the fate of -most of the Americans who were so unhappy as to fall into the hands of -the Iroquois. - -The children could learn nothing from their mother as to the fate of -their other brother and sister, a boy of six and a little girl of four -years of age, though she was in hopes they had escaped with the servant -girl, who had likewise disappeared. - -After delaying a few hours in order to revive the exhausted prisoners, -the savages again started on their march, one of the older Indians -offering to relieve the mother of the burden of her infant, which she -had hitherto carried in her arms. Pleased with the unexpected kindness, -she resigned the child to him. - -Thus they pursued their way, the savage who carried the infant lingering -somewhat behind the rest of the party. At last, finding a spot -convenient for his evil purpose, he grasped his innocent victim by the -feet and, with one whirl to add strength to the blow, dashed out its -brains against a tree. Leaving the body upon the spot, he then rejoined -the party. - -The mother, unaware of what had happened, regarded him suspiciously as -he reappeared without the child--then gazed wildly around the group. Her -beloved little one was not there. Its absence spoke its fate; but, -knowing the lives of her remaining children depended upon her firmness -in that trying hour, she suppressed a shriek of agony and, drawing them -yet closer to her, pursued her melancholy way without word or question. - -From the depths of her heart she cried unto Him who is able to save, and -He comforted her with hopes of deliverance for the survivors; for she -saw that if blood had been the sole object of their enemies her scalp -and the scalps of her children would have been taken upon the spot where -they were made prisoners. - -She read, too, in the eyes of one who was evidently the commander of the -party an expression more merciful than she had dared to hope for. -Particularly had she observed his soothing manner and manifest -partiality towards her eldest child, her little Eleanor, and upon these -slender foundations she built many bright hopes of either escape or -ransom. - -After a toilsome and painful march of many days, the party reached the -Seneca village, upon the headwaters of the Allegheny, near what is now -Olean Point. On their arrival their conductor, a chief distinguished by -the name of the Big White Man,[14] led his prisoners to the principal -lodge. This was occupied by his mother, the widow of the head chief of -the band, who was called the Old Queen. - -On entering her presence, her son presented the little girl, saying, "My -mother, I bring you a child to take the place of my brother who was -killed by the Lenape six moons ago. She shall dwell in my lodge, and be -to me a sister. Take the white woman and her children and treat them -kindly--our Father will give us many horses and guns to buy them back -again." - -He referred to the British Indian Agent of his tribe, Colonel Johnson, -an excellent and benevolent gentleman, who resided at Fort Niagara, on -the British side of the Niagara River. - -The Old Queen carried out the injunctions of her son. She received the -prisoners, and every comfort that her simple and primitive mode of life -made possible was provided them. - -We must now return to the time and place at which our story commences. - -Late in the evening of that day the father returned to his dwelling. All -around and within was silent and desolate. No trace of a living -creature was to be found in the house or throughout the grounds. His -nearest neighbors lived at a considerable distance, but to them he -hastened, frantically demanding tidings of his family. - -As he aroused them from their slumbers, one after another joined him in -the search. At length, at one of the houses, the maid servant who had -effected her escape was found. Her first place of refuge, she said, had -been a large brewing tub in an outer kitchen, under which she had -secreted herself until the Indians, who were evidently in haste, -departed and gave her the opportunity of fleeing to a place of greater -safety. She could give no tidings of her mistress and the children, -except that they had not been murdered in her sight or hearing. - -At last, having scoured the neighborhood without success, Mr. Lytle -thought of an old settler who lived alone, far up the valley. Thither he -and his friends immediately repaired, and from him they learned that, -while at work in his field just before sunset, he had seen a party of -strange Indians passing at a short distance from his cabin. As they -wound along the brow of the hill he perceived that they had prisoners -with them--a woman and a child. The woman he knew to be white, as she -carried her infant in her arms, instead of upon her back, after the -manner of the savages. - -Day had now begun to break. The night had been passed in fruitless -search, and, after consultation with kind friends and neighbors, the -agonized father accepted their offer to accompany him to Fort Pitt that -they might ask advice and assistance of the commandant and Indian Agent -there. - -Proceeding down the valley, they approached a hut which the night before -they had found apparently deserted, and were startled by seeing two -children standing in front of it. In them the delighted father -recognized two of his missing flock, but no tidings could they give him -of their mother or of the other members of his family. - -Their story was simple and touching. They had been playing in the garden -when they were alarmed by seeing Indians enter the yard near the house. -Unperceived, the brother, who was but six years of age, helped his -little sister over the fence into a field overrun with wild blackberry -and raspberry bushes. Among these they concealed themselves for awhile, -and then, finding all quiet, attempted to force their way to the side of -the field farthest from the house. Unfortunately, in her play in the -garden the little girl had pulled off her shoes and stockings, and now -with the briers pricking and tearing her tender feet, she could with -difficulty refrain from crying out. Her brother took off his stockings -and put them on her feet, and attempted to protect her with his shoes, -also; but they were too large, and kept slipping off, so that she could -not wear them. For a time the children persevered in making their escape -from what they considered certain death, for, as was said, they had been -taught, by the tales they had heard, to regard all strange Indians as -ministers of torture and of horrors worse than death. Exhausted with -pain and fatigue, the poor little girl at length declared that she -could not go any farther. - -"Then, Maggie," said her brother, "I must kill you, for I cannot let you -be killed by the Indians." - -"Oh, no, Thomas!" pleaded she, "do not, do not kill me! I do not think -the Indians will find us." - -"Oh, yes, they will, Maggie, and I could kill you so much easier than -they would!" - -For a long time he endeavored to persuade her, and even looked about for -a stick sufficiently large for his purpose; but despair gave the child -strength, and she promised her brother she would neither complain nor -falter if he would help her make her way out of the field. - -The little boy's idea that he could save his sister from savage -barbarity only by taking her life shows with what tales of horror the -children of the early settlers were familiar. - -After a few more efforts, they made their way out of the field into an -open pasture ground where, to their great delight, they saw some cows -feeding. They recognized the animals as belonging to Granny Myers, an -old woman who lived at some little distance from the place where they -then were, but in what direction they were utterly ignorant. - -With a sagacity beyond his years the boy said, "Let us hide ourselves -till sunset. Then the cows will go home, and we will follow them." - -This they did; but, to their dismay, when they reached Granny Myers's -they found the house deserted. The old woman had been called down the -valley by some business, and did not return that night. - -Tired and hungry, the children could go no farther, and after an almost -fruitless endeavor to get some milk from the cows, lay down to sleep -under an old bedstead that stood behind the house. During the night -their father and his party caused them additional terror. The shouts and -calls which had been designed to arouse the inmates of the house the -children mistook for the whoop of the Indians, and, unable to -distinguish friends from foes, crept close to each other, as far out of -sight as possible. When found the following morning, they were debating -what course for safety to take next. - -The commandant at Fort Pitt entered warmly into the affairs of Mr. -Lytle, and readily furnished a detachment of soldiers to aid him and his -friends in the pursuit of the marauders. Circumstances having thrown -suspicion upon the Senecas, the party soon directed their search among -the villages of that tribe. - -Their inquiries were prosecuted in various directions, and always with -great caution, for all the tribes of the Iroquois, or, as they pompously -called themselves, the Five Nations, being allies of Great Britain, were -inveterate in their hostility toward the Americans. Thus some time -elapsed before the father with his assistants reached the village of the -Big White Man. - -Negotiations for the ransom of the captives were immediately begun and -in the case of Mrs. Lytle and the younger child easily carried into -effect. But no offers, no entreaties, no promises could procure the -release of little Eleanor, the adopted child of the tribe. No, the -chief said, she was his sister; he had taken her to supply the place of -his brother who was killed by the enemy; she was dear to him, and he -would not part with her. - -Finding every effort to shake this resolution unavailing, the father was -compelled to take his sorrowful departure with the loved ones he had had -the good fortune to recover. - -We will not attempt to depict the grief of parents thus compelled to -give up a darling child, leaving her in the hands of savages whom until -now they had had too much reason to regard as merciless. But there was -no alternative; so commending her to the care of their heavenly Father, -and cheered by the manifest tenderness with which she had thus far been -treated, they set out on their melancholy journey homeward, trusting -that some future effort for her recovery would be more effectual. - -Having placed his family in safety in Pittsburgh, Mr. Lytle, still -assisted by the commandant and the Indian Agent, undertook an expedition -to the frontier to the residence of the British Agent, Colonel Johnson. -His account of the case warmly interested that benevolent officer, who -promised to spare no exertion in his behalf. This promise was -religiously fulfilled. As soon as the opening of spring permitted, -Colonel Johnson went in person to the village of the Big White Man, and -offered the chief many splendid presents of guns and horses; but he was -inexorable. - -Time rolled on, and every year the hope of recovering the little captive -became more faint. She, in the meantime, continued to wind herself more -and more closely around the heart of her Indian brother. Nothing could -exceed the consideration and affection with which she was treated, not -only by him, but by his mother, the Old Queen. All their brooches and -wampum were employed in the decoration of her person. The chief seat and -the most delicate viands were invariably reserved for her, and no -efforts were spared to promote her happiness and banish from her mind -memories of her former home and kindred. - -Thus, though she had beheld the departure of her parents and her dear -little brother with a feeling amounting almost to despair, and had for a -long while resisted every attempt at consolation, time at length, as it -ever does, brought its soothing balm, and she grew contented and happy. - -From her activity and forcefulness, characteristics for which she was -remarkable to the end of her life, she was given the name, "The Ship -under Full Sail." - -The only drawback to the happiness of the little prisoner, aside from -her longing for her own dear home, was the enmity of the wife of the Big -White Man. This woman, from the day of Eleanor's arrival at the village -and her adoption as a sister into the family, had conceived for the -child the greatest animosity, which she at first had the prudence to -conceal from her husband. - -It was perhaps natural that a wife should give way to some feeling of -jealousy at seeing her place in the heart of her husband usurped by the -child of their enemy, the American. But these feelings were aggravated -by a bad and vindictive temper, as well as by the indifference with -which her husband listened to her complaints and murmurings. - -As the woman had no children of her own to engage her attention, her -mind was the more easily engrossed and inflamed by her fancied wrongs, -and the devising of means for their redress. An apparent opportunity for -revenge was not long wanting. - -During the absence of the Big White Man upon some war party or hunting -excursion, little Eleanor was taken ill with fever and ague. She was -nursed with the utmost tenderness by the Old Queen; and the wife of the -chief, to lull suspicion, was likewise unwearied in her attentions to -the little favorite. - -One afternoon while the Old Queen was absent for a short time, her -daughter-in-law entered the lodge with a bowl of something she had -prepared, and, stooping down to the mat on which the child lay, said, in -an affectionate tone, "Drink, my sister. I have brought you that which -will drive this fever far from you." - -On raising her head to reply, the little girl saw a pair of eyes -peeping through a crevice in the lodge, fixed upon her with a peculiar -and significant expression. With the quick perception due partly to -instinct and partly to her intercourse with the red people, she replied -faintly, "Set it down, my sister. When this fit of the fever has passed, -I will drink your medicine." - -The squaw, too cautious to importune, busied herself about the lodge for -a short time; then withdrew to another near at hand. Meantime the bright -eyes continued to peer through the opening until they had watched the -object of their gaze fairly out of sight. Then a low voice, the voice of -a young friend and playfellow, spoke: "Do not drink that which your -brother's wife has brought you. She hates you, and is only waiting an -opportunity to rid herself of you. I have watched her all the morning, -and have seen her gathering the most deadly roots and herbs. I knew for -whom they were intended, and came hither to warn you." - -"Take the bowl," said the little invalid, "and carry it to my mother's -lodge." - -This was accordingly done. The contents of the bowl were found to -consist principally of a decoction of the root of the May-apple, the -most deadly poison known among the Indians. - -It is not in the power of language to describe the indignation that -pervaded the little community when this discovery was made known. The -squaws ran to and fro, as is their custom when excited, each vying with -the other in heaping invectives upon the culprit. For the present, -however, no further punishment was inflicted upon her, and, the first -burst of rage over, she was treated with silent abhorrence. - -The little patient was removed to the lodge of the Old Queen and -strictly guarded, while her enemy was left to wander in silence and -solitude about the fields and woods, until the return of her husband -should determine her punishment. - -In a few days, the excursion being over, the Big White Man and his party -returned to the village. Contrary to the custom of savages, he did not, -in his first passion at learning the attempt on the life of his little -sister, take summary vengeance on the offender. Instead, he contented -himself with banishing the squaw from his lodge, never to return, and in -condemning her to hoe corn in a distant part of the large field or -inclosure which served the whole community for a garden. - -Although thereafter she would still show her vindictiveness toward the -little girl by striking at her with her hoe, or by some other spiteful -action whenever, by chance, Eleanor and her companions wandered into -that vicinity, yet she was either too well watched or stood too much in -awe of her former husband to repeat the attempt upon his sister's life. - -Four years had now elapsed since the capture of little Nelly. Her heart -was by nature warm and affectionate, and the unbounded tenderness of -those among whom she dwelt called forth in her a corresponding feeling. -She regarded the chief and his mother with love and reverence, and had -so completely acquired their language and customs as almost to have -forgotten her own. - -So identified had she become with the tribe that the remembrance of her -home and family had nearly faded from her mind--all but the memory of -her mother, her mother, whom she had loved with a strength of affection -natural to her warm and ardent disposition, and to whom her heart still -clung with a fondness that no time or change could destroy. - -The peace of 1783 between Great Britain and the United States was now -effected, in consequence of which there was a general pacification of -the Indian tribes, and fresh hopes were aroused in the bosoms of Mr. and -Mrs. Lytle. - -They removed with their family to Fort Niagara, near which, on the -American side, was the Great Council Fire of the Senecas. Colonel -Johnson again readily undertook negotiations with the chief in their -behalf, and, in order to lose no chance of success, he again proceeded -in person to the village of the Big White Man. - -His visit was most opportune. He arrived among the Senecas during the -Feast of the Green Corn. This observance, which corresponds so -strikingly with the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles that, together with -other customs, it has led many to believe the Indian nations the -descendants of the lost ten tribes of Israel, made it a season of -general joy and festivity. All occupations were suspended to give place -to social enjoyment in the open air or in arbors formed of the green -branches of the trees. Every one appeared in gala dress. That of the -little adopted child consisted of a petticoat of blue broadcloth, -bordered with gay-colored ribbons, and a sack or upper garment of black -silk, ornamented with three rows of silver brooches, the center ones -from the throat to the hem being large, while those from the shoulders -down were as small as a shilling piece and as closely set as possible. -Around her neck were innumerable strings of white and purple wampum--an -Indian ornament manufactured from the inner surface of the mussel shell. -Her hair was clubbed behind and loaded with beads of various colors, -while leggings of scarlet cloth and moccasins of deerskin embroidered -with porcupine quills completed her costume. - -Colonel Johnson was received with all the consideration due his position -and the long friendship that existed between him and the tribe. - -Observing that the hilarity of the festival had warmed and opened all -hearts, the Colonel took occasion in an interview with the chief to -expatiate upon the parental affection which had led the father and -mother of little Eleanor to give up friends and home and come hundreds -of miles, in the single hope of looking upon their child and embracing -her. The heart of the chief softened as he listened to this recital, and -he was induced to promise that he would attend the Grand Council soon to -be held at Fort Niagara, on the British side of the river, and bring his -little sister with him. - -He exacted a promise from Colonel Johnson, however, that not only should -no effort be made to reclaim the child, but that even no proposition to -part with her should be made to him. - -The time at length arrived when, her heart bounding with joy, little -Nelly was placed on horseback to accompany her Indian brother to the -Great Council of the Senecas. She had promised him that she would never -leave him without his permission, and he relied confidently on her word. - -How anxiously the hearts of the parents beat with alternate hope and -fear as the chiefs and warriors arrived in successive bands to meet -their Father, the agent, at the Council Fire! The officers of the fort -had kindly given them quarters for the time being, and the ladies, whose -sympathies were strongly excited, had accompanied the mother to the -place of council and joined in her longing watch for the first -appearance of the band from the Allegheny River. - -At length the Indians were discerned emerging from the forest on the -opposite or American side. Boats were sent by the commanding officer to -bring the chief and his party across. The father and mother, attended by -all the officers and ladies, stood upon the grassy bank awaiting their -approach. They had seen at a glance that the Indians had the little -captive with them. - -As he was about to enter the boat, the chief said to some of his young -men, "Stand here with the horses and wait until I return." - -He was told that the horses would be ferried across and taken care of. - -"No," said he; "let them wait." - -He held little Eleanor by the hand until the river was crossed, until -the boat touched the bank, until the child sprang forward into the arms -of the mother from whom she had so long been separated. - -Witnessing that outburst of affection, the chief could resist no longer. - -"She shall go," said he. "The mother must have her child again. I will -go back alone." - -With one silent gesture of farewell he turned and stepped on board the -boat. No arguments or entreaties could induce him to remain at the -council. Reaching the other side of the Niagara, he mounted his horse, -and with his young men was soon lost in the depths of the forest. - -After a few weeks' sojourn at Niagara, Mr. Lytle, dreading lest the -resolution of the Big White Man should be shaken, and he should once -more be deprived of his child, determined again to change his place of -abode. Accordingly, he took the first opportunity of crossing Lake Erie -with his family, and settled in the neighborhood of Detroit, where he -afterwards continued to reside. - -Little Nelly saw her friend the chief no more. But she never forgot him. -To the day of her death she remembered with tenderness and gratitude her -brother the Big White Man, and her friends and playfellows among the -Senecas. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[13] Afterward the wife of John Kinzie. - -[14] Although this is the name of her benefactor, preserved by our -mother, it seems evident that this chief was in fact Corn Planter, a -personage well known in the history of the times. There could hardly -have been two such prominent chiefs of the same name in one village. - - - - - * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully -as possible, including obsolete and variant spellings and other -inconsistencies. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FORT DEARBORN MASSACRE*** - - -******* This file should be named 41663.txt or 41663.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/1/6/6/41663 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |