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
Death of Hiokatoo.--Biography.--His Birth--Education.--Goes against the
Cherokees, &c.--Bloody Battle, &c.--His success and cruelties in
the French War.--Battle at Fort Freeland.--Capts. Dougherty and
Boon killed.--His Cruelties in the neighborhood of Cherry Valley,
&c.--Indians remove their general Encampment.--In 1782, Col. Crawford is
sent to destroy them, &c.--Is met by a Traitor,--Battle.--Crawford's
Men surprized.--Irregular Retreat.--Crawford and Doct. Night
taken.--Council.--Crawford Condemned and Burnt.--Aggravating
Circumstances.--Night is sentenced to be Burnt.--Is Painted by
Hiokatoo.--Is conducted off, &c.--His fortunate Escape.--Hiokatoo in the
French War takes Col. Canton.--His Sentence.--Is bound on a wild
Colt that runs loose three days.--Returns Alive.--Is made to run
the Gauntlet.--Gets knocked down, &c.--Is Redeemed and
sent Home.--Hiokatoo's Enmity to the Cherokees, &c.--His
Height--Strength--Speed, &c.
In the month of November 1811, my husband Hiokatoo, who had been sick
four years of the consumption, died at the advanced age of one hundred
and three years, as nearly as the time could be estimated. He was the
last that remained to me of our family connection, or rather of my old
friends with whom I was adopted, except a part of one family, which now
lives at Tonewanta.
Hiokatoo was buried decently, and had all the insignia of a veteran
warrior buried with him; consisting of a war club, tomahawk and scalping
knife, a powder-flask, flint, a piece of spunk, a small cake and a cup;
and in his best clothing.
Hiokatoo was an old man when I first saw him; but he was by no means
enervated. During the term of nearly fifty years that I lived with him,
I received, according to Indian customs, all the kindness and attention
that was my due as his wife.--Although war was his trade from his youth
till old age and decrepitude stopt his career, he uniformly treated me
with tenderness, and never offered an insult.
I have frequently heard him repeat the history of his life from his
childhood; and when he came to that part which related to his actions,
his bravery and his valor in war; when he spoke of the ambush, the
combat, the spoiling of his enemies and the sacrifice of the victims,
his nerves seemed strung with youthful ardor, the warmth of the able
warrior seemed to animate his frame, and to produce the heated gestures
which he had practised in middle age. He was a man of tender feelings
to his friends, ready and willing to assist them in distress, yet, as
a warrior, his cruelties to his enemies perhaps were unparalleled, and
will not admit a word of palliation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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