Hall is now living in the vicinity of Peru. John Green, at
Dayton, William L. Dunnavan, the Hollenbecks, Holdermans, and all the
other settlers in the region of Fox River, were more or less sufferers,
and all had to seek refuge in the fort at Ottawa. One man was killed on
the Bureau, six or eight miles from Princeton. Some of the present
citizens of La Salle county, remember with gratitude the kindly services
of Shabanna, a friendly Indian, at present living at Shabanna's Grove,
to whose friendly warnings and active interference they owe their own
lives and those of their families.
The two Miss Halls--Rachael about seventeen and Silvia about fourteen
years of age--were carried captive to the Blue Mounds thence to the
Desmoine, where they were purchased by the Winebagoes for three thousand
dollars in trinkets, of whom the Government purchased them for five
thousand dollars. They were taken down the Desmoine to Keokuk where
their uncle, Reason B. Hall, had repaired to receive them. They were in
captivity only fifteen days and were, upon the whole, treated with very
little rudeness. Their faces were painted upon one side black and upon
the other side red and their hair, upon one side, was clipped close to
their heads, while upon the other it was suffered to remain long. One
day they were ordered to lay themselves down, with their faces to the
ground, while above them the warriors brandished their weapons and
debated about killing them, their language being partially understood by
the captives. It is probable that the circumstances were very favorable
to the acquisition of the language. One day, on their march, an Indian's
pony stumbled on the brow of a steep hill, when horse and rider went
tumbling, one over the other, to the bottom. The younger Miss Hall has
since declared that, notwithstanding all the horrors of her situation,
she could not help indulging in a ringing shout of laughter. This, so
far from prejudicing her with her captors, gained her their favor.
Subsequently, a young brave became enamoured with her and, as a
consequence, two thousand dollars ransom were insisted upon for her,
while only one thousand dollars were demanded for her sister. While on
their march, they were allowed only one hours' intercourse with each
other during the day, and a squaw took her place between them as they
slept at night.--One of them was afterwards married to William Horn and
now resides in Missouri, and the other was married to William Munson and
resides on Indian Creek, near the place of the massacre.--This account
has been frequently given to the writer by different members of the
family, and lately by Mrs. Scott, an aunt of the ladies, who at present
lives in the town.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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