under the immediate charge of their sub-agent, Mr. Brish, traveled by water, encountering but little difficulty.

They finally all met on the 26th of April, above St. Louis, and arrived at their new homes, the 4th of July, following.— Twenty-eight of their number died on the road.

The home of the Senecas is in a beautiful country, which, it is feared, will not remain long in their possession. The destroyer is among them, and their number has already greatly decreased. On the 26th of August, 1845, they numbered, in all, including men, women, and children, but one hundred and fifty-three. The last two years have proved fatal to many.The survivors live in comfortable houses, generally, and raise good crops of the coarser grains.

Their idea of education, is too ingenious to be overlooked; "for," say they, "it may perhaps be reconciled to the consciences of white men, who have a great many laws, contracts, &c., written upon paper, and education is necessary to evade them. But we have but few, and they are written in the heart!" The following highly interesting narrative, of the execution for witch-craft, of one of these Indians, named Seneca John, is from the pen of Henry C. Brish, a resident of Clinton township, in this county.

"About the year 1825, Coonstick, Steel, and Cracked Hoof, left the reservation, for the double purpose of a three years hunting and trapping excursion, and to seek a location for a new home for the tribe, in the far west.

"At the time of their starting, Comstock, the brother of the two first, was the principal chief of the tribe. On their return in 1828, richly laden with furs and horses, they found Sencca John, their fourth brother, chief, in place of Comstock, who had died during their absence.

"Comstock was the favorite brother of the two, and they at once charged Seneca John, with producing his death by witch

craft. John denied the charge, in a strain of eloquence, rarely equaled. Said he, I loved my brother Comstock, more than I loved the green earth I stand upon. I would give up myself, limb by limb, piecemeal by piecemeal; I would shed my blood, drop by drop, to restore him to life.' But all his protestations of innocence, and affection for his brother Comstock, were of no avail. His two other brothers pronounced him guilty, and declared their determination to be his executioners.

"John replied that he was willing to die, and only wished to live until the next morning, to see the sun rise once more. This request being granted, John told them that he should sleep that night on Hard-hickory's porch, which fronted the east, where they would find him at sunrise. He chose that place because he did not wish to be killed in the presence of his wife, and desired that the chief, Hard-hickory, should witness that he died like a brave man.

"Coonstick and Steel, retired for the night, to an old cabin near by. In the morning, in company with Shane, another Indian, they proceeded to the house of Hard-hickory.

"A little after sunrise, Hard-hickory heard their footsteps upon the porch, and opened the door just enough to see out. He saw John asleep upon his blanket, and they standing around him. At length one of them awoke him. He arose upon his feet, and took off a large handkerchief which was around his head, letting his unusually long hair fall upon his shoulders.— This being done, he looked around upon the landscape, and at the rising sun, to take a farewell look of a scene that he was never again to behold, and then told them he was ready to die.

"Shane and Coonstick, each took him by the arm, and Steel walked behind. In this way, they led him about ten steps from the porch, when Steel struck him with a tomahawk on the back of his head, and he fell to the ground, bleeding freely. Supposing this blow sufficient to kill him, they dragged him under

a peach tree near by. In a short time, however, he revived-the blow having been broken by the great mass of hair upon his head. Knowing that it was Steel who struck the blow, John, as he lay, turned his head towards Coonstick, and said, Now, brother, do you take your revenge.'

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"This so operated upon the feelings of Coonstick, that he interfered to save him; but it enraged Steel to such a degree, that he drew his knife, and cut John's throat from ear to ear; and the next day he was buried with the usual Indian ceremo nies, not more than twenty feet from where he fell.

"Steel was arrested, and tried for the murder, in Sandusky county, and acquitted. The grave of Seneca John was surrounded by a small picket enclosure. Three years after when I was preparing to move them to the west-says Mr. Brish-I saw Coonstick and Steel remove the picket-fence and level the ground, so that no vestige of the grave remained,”

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CHAPTER II.

Simon Girty-His character-Attack on Fort Henry-Girty's harangueAttack upon Bryant's station-Girty's speech-Answer of ReynoldsGirty's cruelty to Crawford corroborated-His death-Seneca Indians sacrificing two dogs to the Great Spirit.

THE notorious SIMON GIRTY, was adopted by the Seneca Indians, and became an expert hunter. He was from Pennsylvania, to which state his father had emigrated from Ireland.— The old man was beastly intemperate, and nothing ranked higher in his estimation than a jug of whiskey. "Grog was his song, and grog would he have." His sottishness turned his wife's affection. Ready for seduction, she yielded her heart to a neighboring rustic, who, to remove all obstacles to their wishes, knocked Girty on the head, and bore off the trophy of his prowess.

Four sons of this interesting couple were left-Thomas, Simon, George, and James. The three latter were taken prisoners, in Braddock's war, by the Indians. George was adopted by the Delawares, became a ferocious monster, and died in a drunken fit. James was adopted by the Shawanese, and became as depraved as his brother. It is said, that he often visited Kentucky, at the time of its first settlement, and inflicted most barbarous tortures upon all captive women who came within his reach. Traders, who were acquainted with him, say, so furious was he, that he would not have turned on his heel to save a prisoner from the flames. To this savage, are to be attributed many of the cruelties charged upon his brother Simon

This

-yet he was caressed by Proctor and Elliott. In Kentucky and Ohio, Simon sustained the character of an unrelenting barbarian. Sixty years ago, with his name was associated every thing cruel and fiend-like. To the women and children, in particular, nothing was more terrifying than the name of Simon Girty! At that time, it was believed by many that he had fled from justice, and sought refuge among the Indians, determined to do his countrymen all the harm in his power. impression was an erroneous one. Being adopted by the Indians, he joined them in their wars, and conformed to their usages. This was the education he had received, and their foes were his. Although trained in all his pursuits as an Indian, it is said to be a fact, susceptible of proof, that, through his importunities, many prisoners were saved from death. His influence was great, and when he chose to be merciful, it was generally in his power to protect the imploring captive.

His reputation was that of an honest man, and he fulfilled his engagements to the last cent. He was intemperate, and when intoxicated, ferocious and abusive alike of friends and foes. Although much disabled the last ten years of his life, by rheumatism, he rode to his hunting grounds, in pursuit of game.*

In September, 1777, Girty led the attack on Fort Henry, on the site of Wheeling, during which he appeared at the window of a cabin, with a white flag, and demanded the surrender of the fort, in the name of his Britannic majesty. He read the proclamation of Gov. Hamilton, and promised the protection of the crown if they would lay down their arms, and swear allegiance to the king. He warned them to submit peaceably, and admitted his inability to restrain his warriors, when excited in the strife of battle. Col. Shepard, the commandant, promptly

*Campbell's Sketches.