Goshen, proceeded to this part of the country. On their arrival they obtained from the chief a grant of a piece of land for a settlement, situated between nine Indian towns, though some miles distant from the nearest of them; and it was agreed that no rum traders or drunken people should be allowed to molest them, and that no person should be hindered from joining them.* Here they for some time en joyed peace and tranquillity, and they had the satisfaction to see their instructions attended by considerable numbers of the Indians. Afterwards, however, the aspect of affairs changed, and the situation of the Brethren became truly alarming. One chief, who was their protector, having died, and another who was friendly to them having been deposed, the savages became perfectly ungovernable, threatened to murder the missionaries, and even killed their cattle before their eyes. These evils were materially promoted by the rum trade, which was now carried on to a greater extent than ever throughout the whole country, and is rapidly proving the ruin of all the Indian tribes. The settlement on the Wabash was at length broken up by one of those tragical scenes, which too often occur in the history of this mission. In February 1806, all the Indians in this quarter were summoned by their teachers or prophets to assemble on the Woapikamikunk, to hear the foolish stories which these emissaries of Satan had fabricated, and to be instructed in the visions and revelations which they pretended to have received from God. Among these teachers was a Shawanose Indian, an arch-impostor, who gave out that he was able to discover the most secret mysteries. The Delaware tribe received him with the utmost cordiality, and resolved to hold a grand council, in order to root out the arts of witchcraft and mixing poison, and to extort a confession from all such as the Shawano should accuse; and that who†Ibid. vol. iii. p. 272. • Period. Accounts, vol. iii. p. 69, 71, 72, 123. Ibid. vol. iii. p. 471. ever would not confess, should be hewn in pieces with their hatchets and burnt. With a view to the execution of this horrid design, the young Indians met together, chose the most ferocious characters to be their leaders, deposed all their old chiefs, and guarded the whole Indian assembly, as if they were prisoners of war, particularly the aged of both sexes. The venerable old chief Tettepachsit was the first whom they accused of possessing poison, and of destroying many of the Indians by his pernicious art. As he would not, however, acknowledge the charge, they bound him with cords to two posts, and began to roast him over a slow fire. Unable to endure such exquisite torture, the poor old man declared that he kept poison in the house of the Christian Indian Joshua. Nothing could be more agreeable to the savages than this accusation, as they wished to deprive the missionaries of the assistance of this man, who was the only convert residing with them. Seven of them accordingly came to the settlement of the Brethren, and carried him away by force.* When Joshua was presented to Tettepachsit, the old chief frankly acknowledged that he had accused him merely to escape from the torture. The savages, therefore, pronounced him not guilty, but yet they would not set him at liberty till the Shawano should arrive. This son of Belial having come the same day, all the Indians of both sexes were ordered by him to sit down in a circle, when he would declare who had poison in their possession. The two old chiefs, Tettepachsit and Hackinpomska, he now accused of mixing poison, and he charged the former in particular with the untimely death of many of the Indians. When he was asked about Joshua, he declared that he indeed had no poison, but yet he possessed an evil spirit, by which he was able to destroy the other Indians. Pleased with this inhuman verdict, the savages seized all these innocent people, and set a watch over them as condemned criminals. An old Period. Accounts, vol. iv. p. 1. woman, named Caritas, who had been baptized by the Brethren in former times, was the first whom they devoted to the flames; and two or three days after, ten of the barbarians, with their faces painted black, came to the missionary settlement, conducting Tettepachsit, the poor aged chief. Upon their arrival they kindled a large fire close to the Brethren's dwelling, and after giving the venerable old man a blow on the head with a hatchet, they threw him into the flames, and diverted themselves with his miserable cries. After committing this horrid murder, they came boldly into the house of the missionaries, boasted of the atrocious deed, and assuming a hypocritical mien, demanded bread and water, which it was of course necessary to give them. The Brethren, however, took courage, and asked them what would be the fate of Joshua, vindicated him from the charges which they had alleged against him, and obtained a promise from them that he should not be murdered. Though the missionaries understood that they themselves were suspected by the savages of keeping poison for the purpose of making those Indians sick who would not do as they desired, or even of killing them; yet they felt themselves constrained to go to the assembly, and try what could be done for the preservation of Joshua, or at least to give him comfort and advice in the hour of trial. As the missionary Kluge, however, could not leave his wife and children in so alarming a situation, Luckenbach was so bold as to go alone; but he had scarcely advanced half way when he heard, to his astonishment and grief, that Joshua had been murdered by the savages the preceding day. It appears they gave him two cuts in the head with a hatchet, and then threw him into the fire. With these dreadful tidings, Luckenbach hastened back to his fellow labourers; and though for some days past they had suffered the most exquisite anxiety and distress, yet this now crowned their misery. Overwhelmed with grief and terror, they lost the power of speech and reflection, and could do nothing but utter cries of lamentation and woe. Having at length recovered themselves in some degree, their first thought was to sell all their goods, and to fly towards Goshen; but the weather having suddenly became exceedingly cold, they were prevented from taking their departure, so soon as they intended. In the following days, others of the Indians were accused of their countrymen, and shared a similar fate; and it was not long before the settlement on the Wabash was finally abandoned.* About the time that the settlement on the Wabash was begun, two of the Brethren proceeded into the country of the Cherokee Indians, with the view of establishing a mission among them. Several attempts, indeed, had been made many years before, to introduce the gospel among that tribe; but owing to a variety of circumstances, no settlement was ever formed among them. Even at present such difficulties occurred, as at first threatened the subversion of the mission; but these were at length happily removed.‡ In learning the language of the Cherokees, the Brethren found almost insuperable difficulties, and indeed they made but little progress in it. They succeeded better in cultivating the land, and in practising some of the other ordinary arts of life; and they have also, with the consent of the parents, taken some of the children under their care. T About the year 1802, one of the Brethren named Denke proceeded to the country of the Chippeway Indians, near lake Erie in Canada, with the view of establishing a mission among them. The savages, with the usual formalities, presented him with a piece of ground, on which to build a cha pel and erect a settlement; ** but after sometime, they began to express their dissatisfaction at his residence among them, as they had been taught to suspect that the missionaries designed to take possession of their country; and some even proceeded so far as to utter threats against his life. It therefore appeared unsafe for him to remain any longer on Period. Accounts, vol. iv. p. 3. Ibid. vol. iii. p. 42, 73. Ibid. vol. iv. p. 197. Ibid. vol. iv. p. 198. ** Ibid. vol. iii. p. 191. their land,* and accordingly the mission appears to have been given up not long after.† In April 1804, one of the Brethren left Fairfield in Canada with thirty-six of the congregation; and after a very tedious journey, they arrived at Pettquotting near lake Erie, with the view of establishing a new settlement in that part of the country, about three miles beyond the Monsy Indian towns. During the first winter, they experienced many and great hardships, the weather having proved uncommonly tempestuous; and, indeed, they had not been long in this place, when they found it would be necessary for them to remove, as government had sold the land to the white people, and hence they were in danger of being driven away, even on a short warning. Besides, the neighbourhood of the Monsy towns, and the rum trade, were extremely pernicious to the morals of the young people. The mission was, therefore, removed from this place, and a new settlement was afterwards begun on Sandusky Creek. From hence they visited the two towns of the Monsy Indians, which were situated higher up the river, generally twice a week, and, when they had opportunity, preached the gospel to the inhabitants. They also began a school with a few Indian children who resided in the neighbourhood, most of whom were baptized; but the Monsy tribe having of late unexpectedly resolved to quit Sandusky, and to settle on the river Huron, the Brethren judged it best to leave that place, and take up their residence in a house that was offered them on the reserved land, which had been built by a Presbyterian minister as a school for Indian children, and was now empty. From hence they hoped to be able to visit the Wyandots and Mingoes who lived in Upper Sandusky, and to preach the gospel to them. T |