Anecdotes of the American Indians, illustrating their eccentricities of character
History
Anecdotes of the American Indians, illustrating their eccentricities of character
Indians of North America -- Anecdotes
seeing this, continued to float down the river on their raft, without
coming to land. They concealed themselves in the bushes until night,
when they crossed the river, pursued their journey, and delivered their
despatches.
After this, Butler made a journey of discovery to the northern regions
of the Ohio country, and was made prisoner by the Indians. They painted
him black, as is their custom, when a victim is devoted to torture;
and informed him that he was destined to be burned at Chillicothe.
Meanwhile, for their own amusement, and as a prelude to his torture,
they manacled him hand and foot, placed him on an unbridled and
unbroken horse, and turned the animal loose, driving it off at its
utmost speed, with shouts, delighted with witnessing its mode of
managing under its living burden. The horse, unable to shake off this
new and strange incumbrance, made for the thickest covert of woods and
brambles, with the speed of the winds. It is easy to conjecture the
position and sufferings of the victim. The terrified animal exhausted
itself in fruitless efforts to shake off its load, and worn down and
subdued, brought Butler back to the camp amidst the exulting yells of
the savages.
Having arrived within a mile of Chillicothe, they halted, took Butler
from his horse, and tied him to a stake, where he remained twenty-four
hours in one position. He was taken from the stake to ‘run the
gauntlet.’ The Indian mode of managing this kind of torture was as
follows: The inhabitants of the tribe, old and young, were placed in
parallel lines, armed with clubs and switches. The victim was to make
his way to the council house, through these files, every member of
which struggled to beat him, as he passed, as severely as possible. If
he reached the council house alive, he was to be spared. In the lines
were nearly six hundred Indians, and Butler had to make his way almost
a mile in the endurance of this infernal sport. He was started by a
blow; but soon broke through the files, and had almost reached the
council house, when a stout warrior knocked him down with a club. He
was severely beaten in this position, and taken back again into custody.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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