.1
Ricliard Nugent, editor
The whole art ok Government consists in the art of being honest. Jefferson;
and Publisher
VOL. I.
STROUDSBURG.. MONROE COUNTY, PA., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1840.
No 34.
i
t
JEFFERSONIAN ItEPUBLICAN
tp. rms. two dollars per annumin advance Two dollars
ixwA a quarter, half yearly, and if nol paid before the end of
trie year, Two dollars and n half. Those who receive their pa-
iters oy a carrier or aagu um cuiinvuu uy wiu proprietor,
Wl
A-t'tl hit nhanrcd 37 1-2 cts. per year, extra
No papers iiiscommucn uniu au arrearages are paw, exeep;
irpAdvertisementsnot exceeding one square (sixteen lines)
. it be inserted three weeks for one dollar s twenty-five cents
1 . oxorv subsequent insertion : larger ones in proportion. A
t wral discount will be made to ycarly,adverlisers.
tlAll letters addressed ioihc Edflfcr must be post paid.
JOB PRINTING.
l wing a general assortment of large elegant plain and orna
mental Type, we are prepared to execute every t-s
cription of
Cards, Circulars, Bill Heads, Notes,
Blank Receipts,
JUSTICES, LEGAL AND OTHER
KliANKS,
PAMPHLETS, &c.
Printed with neatness and despatch, on reasonable terms.
DELAWARE ACADEMY.
The Trustees of this Institution, have the
I'leasure of announcing to the public, and par-
j.jularly to the friends of education, that they
;vc engaged Ira B. Newjia.v, as Superinten-
I mii and Principal of their Academy.
I The Trustees invite the attention of parents
I ml guardians, wbo have children to send from
i ome, to this Institution. They are fitting up
Tie building in the first style, and its location
i'fom its retired nature is peculiarly favorable
l or a boarding school. It commands a bcauti
: iul view of the Delaware river, near which it
is situated, and the surrounding scenery such
as the lover of nature will admire it is easily
;tCCCiSlDlO uit4 ...... I' -'-.
u daily, and only 8 miles distant from the latter
h place, and a more salubrious section of coun
try can nowhere be found. No tears need be
entertained that pupils will contract pernicious
habits, or be seduced into vicious company it
is removed from all places of resort and those
inducements to neglect their studies tirat are
, ; i 1 1 . 1
lurnisneo. m targe iowus ami wuugei.
Board can be obtained very fow and near the
Academy. Mr. Daniel W. Dingman, jr will
take several boarders, his house is very conve
nient, and students will there be under the im
mediate care of the Principal, whose reputa
tion, deportment and guardianship over his pu
pils, afford the best security for their proper
conduct, that the Trustees can give or parents
and guardians demand.
The course of instruction will be thorough
adapted to the age of the pupil and the time
he designs to spend in literary pursuits. Young
men may qualify themselves tor entering upon
tiie study of the learned professions or for an
advanced stand at College for mercantile pur
suits, for teaching or the business of common
life, useful will be preferred to ornamental stud
ies, nevertheless so much of the latter attended
u as the advanced stages of the pupil's educa
tion wilt admit. The male and female depart
ment will be under the immediate sup-crintend-
dence of the Principal, aided by a competent
male or female Assistant. Lessons in music
will ha1 given to young ladies on the Piano
Forte' at the boarding house of the principal, by
an experienced and accomplished Instructress.
Stunner Session commences May 4lhv
EXPENSES.
Board for Young Gentleman or Ladies with
the Principal,, per week, $ 1 50
Punils- from 10 to 15 years of are from $1 to
Tuition' for the Classics, Belles-Lettres, French
f &c, per quarter 2 00
i.. - -
Extra for music, per quarter, 5 0D
N. B. A particular course of study will be
marked out for those who wish to qualify them
selves for Common School Teachers with ref
erence to that object'; application made for
teachers to the trustees or principal will meet
fe iannediate attention,
h Lectures on the various-subjects of study will
he delivered bv aide speakers, throush the
course of year.
"Bv ordorofthe Board-
DANIEL W. DINGMAN. Pres't
toingman's Ferry, Pike co., Pa.,-May 2 1840
NOTICE.
The Book of Subscription to the Stock of the
I Upper Lehigh Navigation Company, will be rc-
i opened nt btoddartsville, on v ednesday, ttic ISM
day of July ensuing, when subsciiptions will be
, received for the balance or stock which remains
Jiddeis will t-lect a board of Directors.
Charles Trump,
.John S. Comfort,
Meury W. Drinkci
William P. Clark,
Cororaissioners
June lfi, 13 JO.
N. 15: Proposals will be received at Stoddarts
viHe, on 'Thursday the 16th day of July ensuing,
for doing the work either wholly or in jobs, requi
red by building a lock .and iiiGlihcd plane; .with the
lecessary grading, fixtures and machinery for
jassin rafts descending the Lehigh ov,er tho. Falls
u Stoddartsvillc. Jt is expected that the wort
-t ill be commenced as soon as practicable and be
completed with dasnatch.
Wyoming Sketches.
(continued.)
"Now set the teeth, and stretch the nostril wide
Hold hard the breath, and bend up every spirit
To his full height!"
"O, war thou son of hell!
Whom angry heavens do make their minister."
The dark and threatening sayings of a drunk
en squaw, who with a small party of Indians
had been straying around the settlements, had
awakened some suspicions that an attack was
meditated by the enemy in the course of the sea
son, and a message had been sent to head quar
ters of the continental army, early in June,
praying for a detachment of troops for their
protection. To this request no answer had
been received. To fly, however, with their
women and children, with an agile enemy upon
their very heels, was impossible, even had the
thought been entertained. But it was not. The
men of Wyoming, and the boys likewise, were
brave, and they had strong confidence that they
should be able to repel the invader. No soon
er was his presence known, therefore, than the
militia rapidly assembled at a defence called
"Fort Forty," from the circumstance that fortv
of the settlers had originally joined their eiTorts
in its erection, situated immediately on the west
bank of the river, some three miles north of
Fort Wyoming. Small garrisons of aged men
were lelt in the other feeble forts of the colo
nists, for the protection of the women and chil
dren assembled therein, while the major part of
those capable of bearing arms, old men and boys,
fathers, grand fathers and grand-sons, assembled
at fort Forty to the number of nearly four hundred.
Colonel Zebulon Butler, heretofore mention
ed as a soldier in the French war, and as being
placed in ihe commission cfihe pcrjs, v"-
an officer in the continental army, and happen
ing to be at home at the time of the invasion,
on the invitation of the people he accepted the
command. A council of war was called on the
morning of the 3rd, to determine upon the ex
pediency of marching out, and giving the enemy
battle, or of awaiting his advance. There were
some who preferred delay, in the hope that a
reinforcement would arrive from the camp of
General Washington. Others maintained that
as no advices had been received from thence in
reply to their application, the messenger had
probably been cut off; and as the enemy's force
was constantly increasing, they thought it best
to meet and repel him at once if possible. The
debates were warm; and before they were end
ed, five commissioned officers, who, hearing of
the anticipated invasion, had obtained permis
sion to return for the defence of their families,
joined them. Their arrival extinguished the
hope of present succor, and the result oF the coun
cil was a determination for an immediate attack.
As soon as the proper dispositions could be
made, Colonel Zebulon Butler placed himself
at the head of the undisciplined force, and led
them forward, the design being t'o"-take the en
emy by surprise'. And such would probably
have been the issue' but for the occurrence of
one of those untoward incidents against which
human wisdom cannot guard. A scout, having
been sent forward to reconnoitre, found the en
emy at' dinner, not anticipating an! attack, and
in high' and frolicsome glee. But on its return
to report the fact the scout was fired upon by a
straggling Indian, which gave the alarm. 'The
consequence was, that oil the approach of the
American', they found the enemy in line, ready
for their reception. -"Colonel Z. Butler com
manded the right of the Americans, aided by
Major Garratt. The left was commanded by
Colonel Dennison, of the Wj'oming militia, as
sisted by Lieut. Colonel Dorrance. Opposed
to the right of the Americans and also- resting
upon the bank of the river,-was Col. John But
ler, with his rangers. The right of the enemy,
resting upon, or rather extending into a marsh,
was Composed principally of Indians arid' tones,
led by a celebrated Seneca chief named Gi-cn-gwak-loh;
or, He-wlio-gocs-in-thc-Smolic. The
field of battle was a plain, partly improved and
partly covered with sc"rdb oaks"and yellow pine.
The action began soon after four o'clock iu
the afternoon, and was for a time kept up on
both sides with great spirit. The right of the
Americans advanced bravely as they fired', aud
tlie best troops of the enemy were compelled to
give back. But while the advantages were thus
with the Americans on the right, far difi'ercnt
was the case on the lelt. rcnetratinp- the
thicket of the swamp, a heavy body of the In
dians were enabled, unperceived, to outflank
Colonel Dennison, and suddenly like a dark
cloud to fall updh his rear. The Americans,
thus standing between two fi'res, fell fast before
the rifles of the Indians and tories, but yet they
faltered not, until an order from Colonel Den
nisofi to "fall bacr:,,r for the purpose only of
changing p"osh'ibn, Was mistaken for an order to
retreat. The misconception was fatal. The
confusion instantly became so great that restora
tion to order was impossible. The enemy, nol
moro brave, but better skilled in the horrid
frade of savage war, and far more numerous
withal, sprung forward, and as they made the
air resound' with their frightful yells, rushed
upon' the' Americans, hand to hand, tomahawk
and spear. But tho handful of regulars, and
Shosrt who were nol at first thrown into' confu
sion, did all they could'dblcrretrhi ve the fortunes
of the day. Observing one of his men to yield
a. little ground, Colonel Dorrance called to him,
with the utmost coolness "Stand up to your
work, sir!" The colonel immediately fell. As
the enenry obtained the rear, an officer notified
Captain Hewettof the fact, and inquired, "Shall
we retreat, sir?" "I'll be d d if 1 do," was
his reply and he fell instantly dead at the head
of his little command. The retreat now became
a flight, attended with horrible carnage. "We
are nearly alone," said an officer named West-
brook "shall we go?" "Ill have one more
shot," said a Mr. Cooper, in reply. At the
same instant a savage sprang toward him with
his spear, but was brought to the ground in his
leap, and Cooper deliberately re-loaded his
piece before he moved. On the first discovery
of the confusion on the left, Colonel Zebulon
Butler rode into the thickest of the melee, ex
claiming "Don't leave me, my children! The
victory will yet be ours." But numbers and
discipline, and the Indians to boot, were against
the Americans, and their rout was complete.
DLiing the flight to Fort Forty, the scene
was that of horrible slaughter. Nor did the
darkness put an end to the work of death. No
assault was made upon the fort that night; but
many of the prisoners taken were put to death
by torture. The place of these murders was
about two miles North of Fort Forty, upon a
rock, around which the Indians formed them
selves in a circle. The prisoners were placed
upon the rock, and the squaws struck their
heads open with the tomahawk. It has been
said, both in tradition and in print, that the
priestess of this bloody sacrifice was the cele
brated Catharine Montour, sometimes called
Queen Esther, whose residence was at Catha
rmestown, at the head of Seneca Lake. But
we cannot believe the tale. Catharine Montour
was a half-breed, who had been well educated
in Canada. Her reputed father was one of the
French governors, probably Count Frontignac,
and she herself was a lady of comparative re
finement. She was much caressed in 'Phila-r
delphia, and mingled in the best society. Hence
we have not the remotest belief that she was
the Hecate of that fell night. A night indeed
of terror; for
" Somids that mingled laugh', and shout, and scream
To freeze the blood in one discordant jar,
Rung the pealing thunderbolts of war.
Whoop after whoop with rack the carassailed,
As if unearthly fiends had burst their bar;
While rapidly the marksman's shot prevailed ;
And aye, as if for death, some lonely trumpet wailed I"
When the numbers are taken into the ac
count, the slaughter on this occasion was dread
ful. The five officers who arrived from the
continental army on the morning of the battle
were all slain. Captain Hewctt, who fell, had
a son in the battle with him, aged eighteen.
Captain Aholiah Buck, and his son, aged only
fourteen, were both slain. Anderson Dana, the
representative of the valley in the Connecticut
legislature, had returned from the session jiust
in season to fight and fall. His son-in-law,
Stephen Whiting, who had been married to
his daughter but a few months before, went in
to the battle with himyand was also slain. Thefe
was a large family named Gore, one of whom
was with the continental army. Those at home,
five brothers and two brothers-in-law, went into
the battle, and of these, five were dead upon
the field at night,- a sixth was wounded, and
one only escaped unhurt. Of the family of
Mr. Weeks, seven went into the battle, viz:
five sons and sons-in-law, and two inmates.
Not one of the number escaped. These are
but a few instances of manv, which we have
selected for tho purpose of showing how gen
eral was the rush to' the field, and how direful
the carnage'.
Our friend Charles Miner has thus elo
quently described the closing scene of that
day, as toward nightfall the fugitives came, fly
ing for shelter to the little forts. " The raven
ous vulture was seen wheeling aloft, ready, to
pounce on' the ri'est of the pearieful dove. The
war-whoop and the scalp-yell of the savage
Mohawk resounded through the valley. These
were fiends who rip up, with merciless cruelty,
the tcemirig mother,-who strike the-grey haired
father to the earth, and dash out the infant's
brains on the doorpost. This was the terrible
enemy that came down upon us, in overwhelm
ing numbers. The battle was lost. Ntik&l,
panting and bloody a few who had oscaped
came rushiug into Wilkesbarre fort, where,
trembling with anxiety, the women and children
were gathered, waiting ,the dread ispue. The
appalling " All is lost" proclaimed their utter
destitution. They fly to the mountains eve
ning i3 approaching the dreary swamp and
.shades of death before them, the' victorious
HelMiounds are opening on heir track.
" Byhold that aged sire, climbing tho hill, a
little boy clinging to his side. See that mother
following his uncertain steps, an infant on her
bosom and leading a little girl by trie hand ;
they have neither bread nor shelter. She looks
back on the valley all around the flames of
desolation are kindling; sho casts her eye in tho
range of the battle .field; numerous fires spbak
their own horrid purpose She listen ! The
exultjng yell of tho savage strikes hor ear !
Again ra shriek of agdnising woe! Who is
the sufferer ! It is -her husband ! tho father of
hor children ! !"
" O God who art the widow's friend
Be thou her comforter."
The fair fields of Wyoming presented a mel
ancholy spectacle on the morning of the 4th.
The pursuit of the Indians had ceased the
preceding evening with the nightfall, and the
work of death was completed by the tragedy
at the Bloody Rock. But the sun arose upon
the carcasses of the dead not only dead but
horribly mangled strewn over the plain from
the point where the battle began to Fort Forty.
A few stragglers had at first taken refuge in
that defence, but they did not retain it long ;
and by the morning light, all who had not been
slain, or who had not betaken themselves to
the mountains, had collected at Fort Wyoming,
before which Colonel John Butler with his
motley forces appeared at an early hour, and
demanded a surrender. It appears that some
negotiations upon the subject of a capitulation
had been interchanged the preceding evening,
but what point is uncertain probably at fort
Forty. Be that as it may, it was understood
that no terms would be listened to by the ene-.
my but that of the unconditional surrender of
Colonel Zebulon Butler, and the small handful
of regular troops, numbering only fifteen, who
had escaped the battle, to the tender tnercias
of the Indians. Under these circumstances,
means of escape for the Colonel and those fif
teen men wore found during the night. The
former succeeded in making his way to one of
the Moi avian settlements on the Lehigh, and
the latter fled to Shamokin.
The little fort being now surrounded by
cloud of Indians and tories, and having no
means of defence, Colonel Dennison, now in
command, yielded to the force of circumstan
ces, and the importunities of the women and
children, and entered into articles of capitula
tion. By these it was mutually agreed that
the inhabitants of the settlement should lay
down their arms, the fort be demolished, and
the continental stores be delivered up. The in
habitants of the settlement were to be permit
ted to occupy their farms peaceably, and with
out molestation of their persons. 1 he loyal
ists of the settlement were to be permitted to
remain in the neaceable possession ol their
--------- j- j.
farms, and to trade without interruption. Co
lonel Dennison and the inhabitants stipulated
not again to take up arms during the contest,
and Colonel John Butler agreed to use his ut
most influence to cause the private property of
the inhabitants to be respected.
But the last-mentioned stipulation was entire
ly unheeded by the Indians, who were not, and
perhaps could not be, restrained from the v6rJt
of rapine and plunder. 1 he surrender had no
sooner taken place than they spread through
the valley. iery house not belonging to a
loyalist was plundered, ana then laid in asnea.
The greater part of the inhabitants, not enga
ged in the battle, men, women, and children,
had fled to the mountains toward tho Delaware;
and as the work of destruction was re-commenced,
many others followed the example.
The village of Wilkesbarre consisted of twenty
three houses. It was burnt, and the entire
population fled. No lives were taken by the
Indians after the surrender: but numbers of
women and children perished in the dismal
swamp on the Pocono range of mountains, and
some of those who remained tV harvest the
fields,- were killed in subsequent incursions of
the Indians. The whole number ol people kil
led aii'd ihissing was about three hundred.
Until the publication, last year, of the Life
of Brant, by the writer of the present sketches,
it liad beon asserted in all'lii'story, that that cel
ebrated. Mohawk chieftain was the Indian lea-
. it- tt' i!r i . tr - J .1
der at Wyoming, ric nimsen aiways aeuieu
any participation iti this' bloody expedition, and
his assertions were always corroborated by the
British officers, when questioned upon' the sub
ject. But these denials, not appearing in his
tory, relieved him not from the odium; and the
" monster Brant" has been denounced', the
world over, as the author of the massacre. In
the work referred to a.bove, the author took
upon himself the vindication ol the savage
warrior from the accusation, and, as he thought
at the time, with success. A reviewer of that
work, however, in the' Democratic, Magazine,
who is understood to be the Hon'. Caleb Cush
ing, of Massachusetts, disputed tho point, main
taining that the vindication was not satisfacto
ry. The author thereupon made a journey irr
to the Seneca couhtry, aiiil pushed the investi
gation among the surviving chiefs and warriors
of the Senecas engaged in that campaign. The
result was a triumphant acciuittal of Brant from
all narticpation therein. The celebrated chief
Captain Pollard, whose Indian name is Kaoitn
doow&nd, a fii.e old warrior, was a young chief
in thai batile. . He gave us a full accotmt of it,
and was clear and positive in his declarations
that Brant and tlie Mohawks were not engaged
in tlmt rfimnrnnfi nt a 11. Their leader, he as-
snrfld us wns Gi-en.frwah-toh. as mentioned
J - a - . v.i
in a
nrecedintr column of these sketches,
who lived
I o
ed many years afterward, and- was sue
in his chieftaincy by tho late Young
ceeded in his chieftaincy
Ari.-r-That point of history, therefore, may
bo considered as conclusively settieu.
But after all', tlie greatest barbarities. of.this
celobrated massacre were committed by the to-
nos.
Many loyalists, us wo havo already seen,
had months before d'ftited themselves with the
enemy at Niagara ; and on his arrival at the
head of the valley, many more of the settlers
joined his ranks. These all fought with tho
most brutal ferocity against their former neigh
bors, and were guilty of acts of which even
this distant contemplation curdles the blood. Of
these acts a single one must suffice. During
the bloody fight of, the 3rd, some of the fugi
tives plunged into the river and escaped to the
oppositeshore. A few landed upon Mdfiocko
nock Island, having lost their arms in the flight,
and were pursued thither. One of them was
discovered by his ovyn brother, who had es
poused the side of the crown. The unarnet
Whig fell upon his knees before his brother
and offered to serve him aisa slave forever, if
he would but spare his life. But the fiend nr
human form was inexorable; he muttered, uynu
are a d d tori" and shot him dead. This tale
is so horrible, that until the present visit to
Wyoming we had been compelled? to doubt it.
But a' survivor of the battle, a Mr. Baldwin,
has confirmed its truth Vrth his oWii lips. He
informed us that tie knew the' brothers well,
and that the fact was so. We visited the bank of
the river opposite the fatal spot, and could almost
fancy ourselves spectators of the harrpwingscene
The fugitives generally crossed the moun
tains to Stroudsburg, where there was a small
military post. Many of them continued thejr
journey back to" Connecticut, ascending tW
Delaware and crossing over to the Hudson at
Poughkeepsie. It was at this place that the
first account of the massacre was published.
It was collected from the lips jof the panic
stricken' and suffering fugitives, and was full of
enormous exaggerations, such as the alleged
massacre of women and children, the bnrfrinw
of forts full of people, &c None of these
tales were true, albeit they found their way in
to Dr. Thatcher's Military Journal. A vener
able old lady whom we visited, Mrs. Bidlack,
and of whom we shall have 6ccasi6n to speak
again, was one of the captives surrounded at
the fort, being then about sixteen years old.
She informed us that trie Indians were, kind, to
them after they were taken, except that they plun
dered them of every thing but the clolhes upoh
their backs. They marked them with paint to
prevent them from being killed by other Indians.
The fields of Wyoming were waving with!
heavy burdens of grain, ripening for the har
vest, at the time of the invasion, and no soon
er had the enemy retired' than considerable
numbers of the settlers returned to secure thyir
crops. A detachment of regular troops, utiuc
Captain Spaulding,'arrived soon after tho battle,
and, a small fort was erected at which post h'eJ
remained more than1 two years during which
time many of the settlers came back and re
built their houses, and resumed their stations in
tlie settlement.
There was, however, but little repose for the
settlement until the close of the war. The In
dians were frequently rVovering up&h the out
skirts, by straggling scouts, and in larger par
ties,' in quest of scalps, prisoners, and plunder.
Sometimes they appeared' in considerable num
bers. In the month of March; 1779, Captain?
Spaulding's fort was surrounded by about two'
hundred and fifty Indians and painted tories".
They commenced an' attack upon the fort, but
fled on the discharge of a field" piece destroy
ing such property as" came in their way. The
strength of the garrison- was too small to allow
6f pursuit.' ,. . ,
In the summed ot 17 y, Wyoming was lor
a time the head quarters of General Sullivan,,
when assembling" his troops for the celebrated
expedition of that year through the Genesee
country. Alter he naa moved lorwaru m mat
campaign a brisk action was lougbt between a
detachment of Pennsylvania militia, moving to
the north for the protection of the Ladkawaxeir
settlements, and a party of one hundred' and
fifty Indians," in which tM former were defeat-
ed, with the foss ol Jbetween lorty anu nuy men
killed and taken. Indeed, there were maiiy se-
ere skirmishes, especially between the yo-
mina neoDle and the Indians several heroic
risings of Indians upon their captors and ma
ny hair-breadth escapes between this period
and the close of the war, the details of which
are reserved for another occasion.
(to be continued.)
nTiRCH Music. Some mischievous warrliavincr
greased tho spectacles of a clerk of a church, the
latter, on attempting to give out tho hymn, imagin
ing that his eye sight was failing, excraitrd with
his usual twang
" My eyes are blind, I cirinot fceo."
The people, imagining this as a nart of the
hymn, began immediately 'm sing it; whereujv a
tlie clerk, wishing to coi-otthem, continued--
" I cannot scq Xi all,"
Which being alao snnr, i,c Jinwled' out w fdV
somewhat lei'3 monolonv-
"Indeed, my oyos are very blind,"
This beincr sung oo,-tlio clerk, out of patience-
exclaimed
" The Devlin in you all."
As this appeared to rhyme very' weUths'siiig
ors finished, the stanza-:
114 My eyes are Wind,. I cannpt see
I cannot see at alt ;
Indeed, my eyes are very blind j i