Forest and Frontiers; Or, Adventures Among the Indians
History
Forest and Frontiers; Or, Adventures Among the Indians
Hunting; Indians of North America
On the 22nd of May, 1792, Massy Herbeson and her children were taken
from their house, within two hundred yards of Reed's blockhouse, and
about twenty-five miles from Pittsburg. Mr. Herbeson, being one of the
spies, was from home; two of the scouts lodged with her that night,
but had left her house about sunrise, in order to go to the
blockhouse, and had left the door standing wide open. Shortly after
the two scouts went away, a number of Indians came into the house, and
drew her out of bed by the feet; the two eldest children, who also lay
in another bed were drawn out in the same manner; a younger child,
about one year old slept with Mrs. Herbeson. The Indians then
scattered the articles about in the house.
Whilst they were at this work, Mrs. Herbeson went out of the house,
and hallooed to the people in the blockhouse; one of the Indians then
ran up and stopped her mouth, another ran up with his tomahawk drawn,
and a third ran and seized the tomahawk and called her his squaw; this
last Indian claimed her as his, and continued by her. About fifteen of
the Indians then ran down towards the blockhouse and fired their guns
at the block and store-house, in consequence of which one soldier was
killed and another wounded, one having been at the spring, and the
other in coming or looking out of the store-house. Mrs. Herbeson told
the Indians there were about forty men in the blockhouse, and each man
had two guns, the Indians then went to those that were firing at the
blockhouse, and brought them back.
They then began to drive Mrs. Herbeson and her children away; but a
boy, about three years old, being unwilling to leave the house, they
took it by the heels, and dashed it against the house, then stabbed
and scalped it. They then took Mrs. Herbeson and the two other
children to the top of the hill, where they stopped until they tied up
the plunder they had got. While they were busy about this, Mrs.
Herbeson counted them, and the number amounted to thirty-two,
including two white men, that were with them, painted like the
Indians. Several of the Indians could speak English, and she knew
several of them very well, having often seen them go up and down the
Alleghany river; two of them she knew to be Senecas, and two Munsees,
who had got their guns mended by her husband about two years ago.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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