A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison — John Shaqi
A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary JemisonSeaver, James E. (James Everett)
History
A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison
Seaver, James E. (James Everett)
Jemison, Mary, 1743-1833; Seneca Indians
Immediately after I got home, the man took the horse to go to his house
after a bag of grain, and took his gun in his hand for the purpose of
killing game, if he should chance to see any.--Our family, as usual,
was busily employed about their common business. Father was shaving an
axe-helve at the side of the house; mother was making preparations for
breakfast;--my two oldest brothers were at work near the barn; and the
little ones, with myself, and the woman and her three children, were in
the house.
Breakfast was not yet ready, when we were alarmed by the discharge of
a number of guns, that seemed to be near. Mother and the women before
mentioned, almost fainted at the report, and every one trembled with
fear. On opening the door, the man and horse lay dead near the house,
having just been shot by the Indians.
I was afterwards informed, that the Indians discovered him at his own
house with his gun, and pursued him to father's, where they shot him as
I have related. They first secured my father, and then rushed into the
house, and without the least resistance made prisoners of my mother,
Robert, Matthew, Betsey, the woman and her three children, and myself,
and then commenced plundering.
My two brothers, Thomas and John, being at the barn, escaped and went to
Virginia, where my grandfather Erwin then lived, as I was informed by
a Mr. Fields, who was at my house about the close of the revolutionary
war.
The party that took us consisted of six Indians and four Frenchmen, who
immediately commenced plundering, as I just observed, and took what
they considered most valuable; consisting principally of bread, meal and
meat. Having taken as much provision as they could carry, they set out
with their prisoners in great haste, for fear of detection, and soon
entered the woods. On our march that day, an Indian went behind us with
a whip, with which he frequently lashed the children to make them keep
up. In this manner we travelled till dark without a mouthful of food
or a drop of water; although we had not eaten since the night before.
Whenever the little children cried for water, the Indians would make
them drink urine or go thirsty. At night they encamped in the woods
without fire and without shelter, where we were watched with the
greatest vigilance. Extremely fatigued, and very hungry, we were
compelled to lie upon the ground supperless and without a drop of water
to satisfy the cravings of our appetites. As in the day time, so the
little ones were made to drink urine in the night if they cried for
water. Fatigue alone brought us a little sleep for the refreshment of
our weary limbs; and at the dawn of day we were again started on our
march in the same order that we had proceeded on the day before. About
sunrise we were halted, and the Indians gave us a full breakfast of
provision that they had brought from my father's house. Each of us being
very hungry, partook of this bounty of the Indians, except father, who
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