The story of the anguished departure from the fort on the morning of August 15 and the subsequent massacre need not be related here. Suffice it to say that Captain Wells was killed during the battle in an attempt to save the women and children. The Indians paid their sincerest tribute of respect to his bravery by cutting out his heart and eating it, thinking thus to imbibe the qualities of its owner in life. Quaife writes, “Wells was the real hero of the Chicago masacre, giving his life voluntarily to save his friends.”[30] Thus, Captain Wells’ colorful career was brought to a close. Paradoxically, he died while fighting against the Indians, although in his first battles he had fought on their side. In death as in life Wells remained an enigmatic figure, one who deserves far more attention by those endeavoring to understand the frontier with its curious mixture of romanticism and realism. Wells’ companion from Fort Wayne, Corporal Jordan, was captured by the Indians but later made his escape, finally reaching the safety of Fort Wayne on August 26 after seven days in the wilderness. [1]_IHC_, VII, _Harrison’s Messages and Letters_, ed. Logan Esarey, p. 223. [2]_Ibid._, p. 242. [3]_Ibid._, p. 285. [4]Elmore Barce, “Harrison and the Treaty of Fort Wayne, Indiana”, _Indiana Magazine of History_, II, 361. [5]_IHC_, VII, _Harrison’s Messages and Letters_, p. 337. [6]Harrison to Eustis, Oct. 3, 1809, this letter was copied by Capt. Heald and sent to Colonel Kingsbury. This copy is to be found in the Kingsbury Papers, Chicago Historical Society Library. [7]_IHC_, VII, _Harrison’s Messages and Letters_, ed. Logan Esarey, pp. 393-5. [8]_Ibid._, p. 432. [9]_Ibid._, p. 477. [10]It must be remembered that the Indians were never completely passive to the surrender of their lands. This, Harrison often failed to take into account, when alleging instigation of the Indians by white men. [11]_cf._ Henry Adams, _History of the United States_, VI, 107. [11a]_IHC_, VII, _Harrison’s Messages and Letters_, ed. Logan Esarey, pp. 508-9. [12]Capt. Rhea to Col. Kingsbury, March 18, 1810, Kingsbury Papers, Chicago Historical Society Library. [13]Capt. Rhea to Col. Kingsbury, May 17, 1810, Kingsbury Papers, Chicago Historical Society Library. [14]_IHC_, XV, Fort Wayne Orderly Books, ed. B. J. Griswold, 302. [15]Capt. Rhea to Col. Kingsbury, July 1, 1810, Kingsbury Papers, Misc. Letters, 1804-1813, Chicago Historical Society Library. [16]_IHC_, XV, ed. B. J. Griswold, pp. 302-350 _passim_. [17]_IHC_, VII, _Harrison’s Messages and Letters_, ed. Logan Esarey, p. 557. [18]_American State Papers, Indian Affairs_, II, 84-5. [19]McAfee, _History of the Late War in the Western Country_, p. 128. [20]_IHC_, IX, _Harrison’s Messages and Letters_, ed. Logan Esarey, pp. 21-2. [21]_Ibid._, p. 27. [22]_Ibid._, p. 53. [23]_IHC_, IX, _Harrison’s Messages and Letters_, ed. Logan Esarey, p. 68.