THE INDIAN'S CAPTIVE.
IN the summer of 1781, Fitch returned to Bucks County, where he applied himself to settling up his business and collecting all the money he could, as he believed that by proper purchases of land in Kentucky it was possible for him to lay the foundation of an immense fortune He was not as successful as he desired to be, but he obtained about 150 pounds specie, having still some interests which would require his return. In thinking over what would be the best method of investment, he determined to go to Fort Pitt, buy flour, and go down the Ohio and Mississippi to New Orleans, intending to return thence to Philadelphia. He expected to be able to finish the trip before the end of the surveying season. Meanwhile Barned was engaged in examining lands and exploring in Kentucky for their joint benefit.
The scheme was accordingly resolved upon. He reached Fort Pitt early in March, 1782, where he laid out his money as intended. The boat was a large one, and was chartered by four adventurers, but Fitch had the greatest portion of the cargo. The captain was Joseph Parkerson, a person unfitted for the station, as subsequent events clearly established. There were nine others on board, viz., Jolm Fitch, Capt. Magee, Thomas Bradley, Houston, Williams, Ealey, Sigwalt, Wm. Jarrad, and one whose name has not been recorded.
On the 18th of March, 1782, they departed from Pittsburg. Stopping at Wheeling island for a short time, they left that place in company with three other boats. On the morning of the 21st, they were opposite the mouth of the Muskingum. Parkerson, by mismanagement, contrived to set the boat so hard upon the point of an island below that river (having extra oars full-manned at the time), that it was impossible to get it off. Capt. Hopkins and two men who were in a smaller boat near to them, came to their assistance, but all effort was unavailing. After wasting much time in an endeavor to push off, it was agreed that no other plan could be successful than the removal of a considerable portion of the cargo. All hands were consequently put to the labor of taking out the flour. They piled it upon the shore, and about sunset the boat floated. It was taken drown the river about forty pole and tied to a sapling. 'The crew were very much fatigued and they determined they would reload the boat with the flour the next morning. Yielding to the entreaty of Fitch, who was thought over-timid, they kept a watch that night. When it was his turn to keep guard, he procured an axe and laid it near the bow-fastening, so that it might be used in case of necessity. The others slept soundly. Nothing was observed to mark the presence of any danger.
At daylight a man was sent out to scout the island, and with particular caution not to fire his gun at any game, but only as an alarm. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew gathered round the caboose, and indulged themselves with "a hot buttered dram." The axe which had been placed in the bow the night previous, was now sought for by Fitch, but it could not be found. He looked for it all over the boat, but could not discover it. He did not ask about it for fear of being laughed at for his cowardice, a timidity which he had afterwards much cause to regret. The scout was absent a longer time than was expected, and whilst he was away, a man was sent out of Hopkins' boat which was moored near the place where the flour was piled. No sooner had he gone behind the barrels than he was secured by some Indians who were lurking there, and he was taken before he could give the slightest alarm. The first scout had been captured in the same way. About sixty feet from the boat was a large pile of driftwood. Upon the top of this the Indians managed to crawl unperceived, and the first intimation which the crew had of the danger, was by a volley from their rifles, by which discharge Capt. Magee was instantly killed. Directly afterwards, Thos. Bradley, with more courage than prudence, went on deck to cut the fastening of the boat, and was shot dead. The others now retreated below, where Fitch and Houston stationed themselves at portholes, and with guns ready cocked watched for the enemy. The others yielded themselves up to fear, and laid down close in the bottom of the boat. After waiting half an hour without perceiving the foe, who laid quiet behind the bank, Fitch took up a tomahawk and began to cut a hole through the bow of the boat near the deck. His design was to make an aperture large enough to allow the passage of a knife fastened to a stiek, with which the fastening might be cut. He succeeded in making an opening about three inches square, when a ball from a gun fired upon shore passed through the plank about two inches from his face. He was cut slightly by the splinters. Finding this work rather dangerous, he got two boards and set them on each side of the hole. He was cutting down another, which was too long, when one of the prisoners was sent on the bank to demand their surrender. Fitch entreated Parkerson not to listen to him, nor to think of yielding. He assured him that he would have the boat loose in less than half an hour. He told him that there was nothing to fear, as the number of Indians could not be more than six, judging from the reports of the guns which were fired. He even said, that if all on board would rush out, they could drive the Indians off. But Parkerson was constitutionally timid, and while Fitch continued cutting the plank, the Captain told the prisoner on shore that he would surrender. Being nearest the bow, he marched out, followed by five others. Fitch and Houston remained, but, finding their companions had yielded, the former said to the latter, "If it must be so, I suppose we had better march out too." Hopkins and another, who were in the other boat, also yielded. "Thus," said Fitch to Mr. Irwin, "we ran aground for want of judgment, and gave ourselves up prisoners to the savages for want of courage, as nine stout healthy men of us, all well armed, marched out to eight Indians, which was more than I expected there was, as I imagined they all fired at the first shot."
He blamed himself that he did not ask in the morning for the axe for fear of being laughed at as a coward. If he had found it, he might have cut the boat loose at the first fire, and not been made a prisoner. He also regretted that he did not request Houston to stand by him when the others left the boat, as all their loaded guns remained; "but," he said, "I had not that presence of mind, and so I became a captive on the 22d of March, 1789."
It was somewhere near the site of the present town of Marietta, in Ohio, where this disaster occurred, and the eleven unlucky adventurers had to prepare for a march through a wilderness which is now included in the finest portion of Ohio and Michigan, until they reached Detroit. The Indians were not harsh towards them after they submitted. The party was commanded by three principal braves, who were named Capt. Buffaloes Capt. Crow, and Capt. Washington. They remained on shore for half an hour before they went upon the boats. Their first care was to scalp Magee and Bradley, after which their bodies were thrown overboard. They then went below and brought out the goods, which were taken on shore; they carried off, also, all the blankets, guns, and ammunition. After this, Capt. Crow tied a war-club to the steering-oar, and set the boat adrift. Flour, which was on board of Hopkins' boat, was also taken and concealed upon the bank. The savages then held a consultation as to what they should do. The majority of the prisoners must have been in an awful state of suspense; but Fitch, who was very drowsy in consequence of having been on the watch during the previous night, asked permission of Capt. Crow to lie down and sleep. This request was granted, and wrapping an old camlet cloak about him, he consigned himself to slumber. In the meanwhile, Capt. Buffaloe having helped himself freely to liquor, which was among the stores, became drunk. In that condition he was not very amiable in his temper. Perceiving the prostrate prisoner, he rushed toward him, exclaiming in a language not understood, " Zeak ! Zeak !" Fitch opened his eyes, sat up and said "no," when Buffaloe, again saying "Zeak," drew a tomahawk and aimed a fair blow directly at the forehead of the captive. Crow was by, and rushing forward he seized the arm of Buffaloe in time to prevent the fatal consequence. After this incident, there was little desire to attempt to sleep again, and the prisoner went and sat down with his fellows. The Indians now began to make up the goods in bundles, graduating the weight according to the apparent strength of those who were to carry them. Some of the prisoners were loaded with thirty pounds, but Fitch, who was not robust, was only burthened with a pack weighing seven or eight pounds. The Indians themselves took much heavier bundles, some of which weighed as much as sixty pounds. Their superfluous clothing was then taken from the captives. Fitch lost his camlet cloak, and what was worse, his cap and night-cap were seized, and without any covering for his head, he commenced the tedious journey. They were also bound, but very slightly, and more as a sign of captivity than of service. Some were tied with rope-yarns. Fitch was secured with a bark string, not thicker than a goosequill, which he could have snapped with one finger. A division was also made of the prisoners among the captors. Fitch and six others were assigned to Capt. Buffaloe, Capt. Crow had two, and Capt. Washington two. They then took up their toilsome march towards the north-west. Strict precautions were used throughout this journey. Scouts were sent out in front, and two Indians remained behind the party all day, and never came up until after dark, and when they were prepared to encamp for the night.
About an hour before sundown they came to a camp where they had their suppers. All ate heartily, and sat about the ground until it was time to sleep. The prisoners were now pinioned with stout cords, and then a rope was run from one to the other, until all were fastened together. They were commanded to lie down on their backs, and their feet were secured in the same way. They were unused to such confinement, and the ligatures being very tight some of them suffered excruciating pain.
In the morning they started early, and marched all day without any special incident. At night, Captain Crow took the scalps of Magee and Bradley, cut them in a circular form and stretched them upon little hoops about three inches in diameter, which were painted red. The prisoners were again secured, and slept as they had done on the previous night. The only dependence they had for provisions was upon the game which they might be able to shoot. As they advanced further upon the road, and came near the Indian towns, these supplies became stinted. A buck was shot on the fifth day, which was the last supply of importance which they received. Food became scarce, the party being nineteen in number, and the prisoners suffered severely. The captors dealt fairly by them, and there was an equal division of what there was to eat among all alike. Fitch, who seems to have had a good appetite on all occasions, felt these privations acutely, and lost his strength. Deprived of a covering for his head, he caught a severe cold, and his eyes became so sore that he could scarcely see. During the latter part of the march the weather was wet and drizzling, and the prisoners laid down at night in water an inch deep, and were compelled to bear the pelting of snow, mixed with rain, to their grievous discomfort. The Indians, who had treated them with considerable kindness, now became more strict and severer and in addition to being pinioned and hoppled at night, cords were tied round their necks. Before they reached the first Indian town, Captain Buffaloe came to Fitch, who was dressed in a striped linsey-woolsey coatee and jacket, with home-made silver buttons. He cut off all the buttons on this coat. Giving the prisoner the knife, he motioned him to cut off those upon his jacket, and by signs directed him to put them in his pocket. The intention of this was to prevent his being stripped of his clothing by other Indians, in whose eyes the buttons would have been sufficiently dazzling to incite them to deprive the poor captive of all his garments. Fitch appreciated the kind motive of this act, and was duly grateful. On the twelfth day of their march, they reached the first town of the Delawares. Before approaching it Captain Crow had cut a straight stick, about twelve feet long. To this he attached the prepared scalps of Magee and Bradley, which were tied to strings, and fastened to the pole six or eight inches apart. When the party approached the first town, they were halted three or four poles from it, and thirteen hallooes were given by the captors, which signified the number of prisoners and scalps.
A boy of ten or twelve years of age came out, and seizing the scalp-pole ran with it into the principal house. There were no Indians in it, there being a grand council of the nation at another town, to which the chief warriors had gone. A large number of Indians flocked around them, however, and stripped them of a good part of their clothing, but no further harm was done them. At this town they heard, for the second time, of the massacre of the Moravian Indians on the Muskingum, at which the Delawares seemed to be very much enraged. That night they were more severely treated than usual, and they drew from the seeming temper of the Indians, very sorrowful forebodings of the nature of the usage which they were about to receive. The next day they were marched toward the principal town of the Delawares, where there was a large council of the several nations. Their masters, knowing what was intended for them, halted them, before they reached it and took their bundles from them. The shoes were taken from Fitch and a pair of moccasins given him, he did not know exactly why, but soon was better instructed. Captain Crow was a Delaware Indian, born in New Jersey, who had come westward to the chief settlements of his people. He could speak English very well, and before they reached the great town he told the prisoners that if any Indians came out to abuse them, they must run to the long house at the end of the village, and after they got in it nobody would hurt them. They marched on coolly until they were within sight of the town, and about a quarter of a mile from it, when their captors gave the scalp halloo, a practice in which they often indulged, and which, therefore, attracted but little attention from the prisoners. Passing on a little further, they saw the Council House with crowds of savages around it, and distant from them about fifty pole. The halloo was repeated thirteen times, and when the last one was given all the Indians joined in a loud shout. A stout savage, painted black, and entirely naked, except a breech-cloth, now ran like a deer towards Captain Crow, and seizing the pole with the scalps, sped swiftly with it towards the Council House. When the captives reached the top of a hill, they saw that he was near the building, and, to their great dismay, they saw a large body of Indians rushing towards them with terrible shouts. The prisoners had been marching in single file until this time, but when the first one of them was reached by the Indians, and was struck by the foremost, the party took to their heels and scoured across the plain towards the haven of safety. They were not severely usedFitch was slapped by several with open hands on the sides, face and back. One brave caught him by the hair, pulled him to the ground, and then abandoned him. He scampered on as fast as he could, but near the house was doomed to receive the severer punishment of the "gentler sex." These specimens of womanhood were armed with thick sticks about the stoutness of walking-canes. With these cudgels they struck the fugitive as he passed, with their hardest blows. About twenty feet from the door he stumbled and fell over a log; he did not get up, but scrambled in upon his hands and feet, and, having got his head and a part of his body in the doorway, supposed he was safe. But, like the ostrich under a similar miscalculation, he was soon satisfied of his mistake by some very sturdy thwacks.