Chapter V


Narrative of the Imprisonment of the two Miss Halls— Their treatment by the Indians— They are purchased by General Dodge and Mr. H. Gratiot, through the Wmnehagoes— Their arrival on the eleventh day after their captivity at White Oak Springs—Reverend Mr. Horn becomes a friend and protector to them— They are married— Anecdote of Mr. F. stating the race that Mr. C. rode upon his beaver hat, which caused the death of three women — Poor little Susan forsaken by her mother, and about to be left to the mercy of the savage, when a kind hunter takes charge of her.


THE reader will recollect that, in a former chapter it was stated that two young and beautiful females were taken prisoners by the Indians, on Indian creek, where they so inhumanly murdered and mutilated the families of Messrs. Hall, Daviess, and Pedigrew [Pettigrew]. Reader, didst thou not shudder when you read of this horrid act, that was done in open day in our country? But, alas! if we shudder at the thought of this inhuman act, what must have been the feelings of those two young and unoffending women? Can I find language to describe them? No! The reader can better imagine, than pen can write it. But reader, you shall have the narrative of their captivity as given to me by one of them in person, which was Silbey, the eldest. I will give it in her own language, which I think will be more satisfactory to the reader; which is as follows:
Wakefield 87


Wakefield 88 "On the 20th of May, 1832, a party of Indians came to my father's house early in the morning. Mr. Pedigrew, one of the neighbors was there. They first shot him; they then commenced killing my father and mother, and the rest of the family that were at home, in the midst of which two Indians seized me, and two more my sister Rachel, by the arms, and bore us off as fast as possible. As we passed out of the door, we saw our mother sinking under the instruments of death. They compelled us to run on foot as fast as we were able, about one mile and a half, and about thirty Indians following to where their horses were left. There they awaited the arrival of those who staid back at the house to murder the family, during which delay they caught and carried away several of my father's horses. After the party that staid behind came up, we were mounted on horseback. The rest all at the same time mounted their horses. We rode in great haste until about midnight. They then halted and dismounted, and spread a blanket down, bidding us to sit on it. They then formed a circle around us. We rested here about two hours. They then mounted their horses, and rode at as fast a gait as we were able to go, until about ten o'clock in the morning, when they again dismounted and spread down their blankets, and bid us to sit upon them. We by this time were almost fatigued to death, and faint with hunger; they here scalded some beans, and eat them heartily. They gave some to us, telling us to eat; but to eat raw beans was what we could not do. After they had satisfied themselves on the raw beans, they again mounted their horses, compelling us again to mount ours. The saddles were the common Indian saddles, just the tree, and a grained deer skin stretched over it, and the roughest going kind of horses. We thought every day it would be the last


Wakefield 89 with us. We rode on this day, until about sun down, when they again halted. They here roasted a piece of prairie chicken and gave us to eat. I suppose we stayed here about an hour and a half. They then mounted again and rode until about three hours in the night, when they met the main army under Black Hawk. We now fared a little better. When they found we were prisoners, they appeared to be much pleased, and presented us with their best diet, consisting of the kernels of hazelnuts and sugar mixed together, as a token of friendship; at the same time they gave us some tobacco and parched meal, making signs to us to burn it, which we did out of obedience to them. They also this night suffered us to sleep together, which they had before refused. They staid next morning until a late hour. They prepared red and black paints, and painted one side of our head and face red, and the other black. After this was done eight or ten of their leading warriors took us by the hand and marched round their encampment several times. They then took us into the midst of the whole band of warriors, spread down some blankets, and set us down upon them. They then commenced dancing around us, singing and yelling in a most horrid manner. We here thought they intended to kill us. After they had danced until they were tired, and quit jumping around us, two squaws came to us and took us by the hand, and led us into one of their wigwams, where we staid undisturbed until they all could pack up and start, which they did in a very short time.—We now all took up the line of march together, and rode until about midnight, when we stopped. We were again separated, and had not the satisfaction of sleeping together. Next morning, which was the fourth day of our captivity, they cleaned off a place fifteen or twenty feet round, and stuck a pole


Wakefield 90 down in the middle of it. We were, as I stated before, again placed in the midst, and they danced around us, still singing their war song. They here staid all day, and the next morning took up the line of march again, and marched on until late in the evening, when they again cleared off another place as before, and placing us in it, commenced dancing around us, making us kneel down, and bow our faces to the earth. Here once more, from their actions, we thought we were going to be killed; which we would almost as soon they would have done as not, for we were nearly exhausted with fatigue, on account of the long and forced marches that we had made. Next morning, which was the sixth day after our captivity, we were again mounted on our horses, and marched till in the afternoon, when they again stopped and went through the same wretched and disagreeable ceremony of clearing off a place, and dancing and singing around, while the squaws and young ones were generally engaged when we stopped, in gathering roots, which was our principal diet. "When they killed my father and mother, and the rest of the families, they took what coffee there was in the houses, parched it, and made it in the same manner that the white people do; we frequently got some of it to drink while it lasted. "On the next day four Winnebago Indians came to the place where we were encamped. Here a long council was held with the principal war chiefs or head men of the nation. After the talk was over, one of the Sacs came and took me by the hand, and led me up to where the Winnebagoes were seated, and where they had been for some time in council. The four Winnebagoes then all arose and shook me by the hand. Then one of them made signs for me to sit down by him, which I did. He then told me by signs that I belonged to him,

Wakefield 91 and gave me to understand, in the same way, that I must go along with him. I then asked him if they were not going to let my sister go with me? which he understood. I now discovered that I had been purchased, but Rachel had not. The Indians who had purchased me, again renewed their talk with the Sacs and Foxes. Here another long council was held, and much warmth appeared to be excited on both sides. I thought several times they would not succeed in getting my sister. But at the close of the talk they came to where I was, leading Rachel by the hand, and sat her down by me. This was about an hour by sun in the evening. A number of the Sac and Fox Indians now came and shook us by the hands, and bid us good bye. " We then started and rode until about an hour in the night, as fast as our horses were able to run, when we came to where their squaws were encamped: we here staid all night. Next morning we went up the Wisconsin river in canoes, and rowed on until about an hour by sun in the evening. Then they stopped and lay by that night and all next day, and till eleven or ten o'clock the third day; when twenty-four of the Winnebagoes started with us towards the settlements in Illinois; for they had I suppose, taken us a great way into the Michigan territory. We on this night came to another Indian encampment. We here were permitted once more to taste of food that we could eat a little of. They had pickle pork and Irish potatoes cooked up together. Our appetites by this time could take this food, although we were greatly distressed in mind. " Next day they travelled until nearly night, when they chanced to kill a deer. They cooked it, and devoured it in a very few minutes; but they gave us what we could eat of it. They had a little salt which they gave us to salt our part of the deer. " We on this evening got to the Blue Mounds, in


Wakefield 92 the mining country. There was a small fort at this place, and a few families. It was an outside place of the inhabited part, and on the north side of the mining country, something like fifty miles north of the south line of Michigan territory. " Next morning we started on to Gratiot's Grove, as it was called, in company with two hundred and seventy-three soldiers, and the same twenty-four Winnebago Indians. In five or six miles we met Henry Gratiot, Indian agent, coming to meet us. We then understood that he and General Dodge had employed the Indians that came after us, to do so." I then inquired of her, if she knew how much the Winnebagoes had to pay for them. She replied, " I understood that General Dodge and Mr. Gratiot had given them, the Winnebagoes, two thousand dollars, paid in forty horses, wampum and other trinkets, to purchase us of the Sacs and Foxes." "We on this night reached the White Oak Grove in the settlement of the mines. Next day we reached Mr. Henry Gratiot's. We here remained in the neighborhood, at a small fort, at what was called the White Oak Springs, about two weeks. We then went to Galena and remained about one week." I then inquired of her, if she did not think that some of the Indians that were engaged in taking them, were Pottawattomies? to which she replied, that "the four who took them by the hand at first, were Pottawattomies; for one of them she had frequently seen before." Oh, reader, let us here stop and pause for one moment, and place ourselves in the situation of these two weak and feeble young women, who had just been prisoners in the hands of those barbarians for eleven days. Alas! go back to the scene of the massacre of their father, mother, brothers and sisters ! What were their feelings ? But, oh ! how shall I begin to describe

Wakefield 93 them? Alas! if I were only a Hervey, a Milton, or a Newton, I might then give a faint glimmer of one half of the anguish of their bursting hearts. Torn with violence, by frightful savages, from the abodes of peace and innocence; and, oh ! still worse, to behold a bleeding mother, sinking under the sharp spear, pierced to her heart by the inhuman butchers; and to see a dear and beloved father struggling with death's last grasp to save his beloved family, who were shrieking around him, and beseeching the inhuman murderers to spare their lives ! The imagination can only think the pain they suffered ; but it is impossible to write it. Forced on with all possible speed to where the butchers were prepared to lead them captive into a wilderness, where no friendly voice could salute their ears, no soothing comforter to pour the oil and balm of consolation into their swelling and almost bursting hearts. The yell of the war-song was all they heard, as they were forced away with all possible speed into the wilderness. Solitude and sorrow appeared now to be their doom.—All their tears and entreaties were unheard. Their persecutors were deaf to any feeling for the anguish of soul that appeared to wring their bosoms. Yea, the sea of trouble and sorrow that they were engulfed in, never moved their savage hearts. What was now the prospect of future happiness on earth?—their beloved friends inhumanly murdered, and they shut out from all the civilized world, far, far away in the wilderness, where the foot of a white man had scarcely ever trod—their meat and drink only bitter tears—nights passed in sorrow, mornings awaked to cares and fatigue—the few hours that they had to rest, the war dance around them harrowed up the most awful sensations in their breast [s], expecting at every dance to become a prey to their vengeance. Oh, horrid thought! It is enough to start a tear in

Wakefield 94 the eye of the most stout hearted to think of the swelling bosoms of those forlorn and disconsolate young women. But let us with the poet say, "Why should we weep, why should we weep, When heaven throws such beams of love around, That, mingled with the darkest woes, The rays of hope are found ? Why should we weep, when every storm That sweeps o'er ocean's breast, Awakes a gem whose sparkling form Had else remained at rest? Why should we weep, when every flower That closes with the night, Shall blush anew in beauty's power, When morn renews its light ? Why should we weep, when placed on high, The bow, divinely sent, Still shows, when clouds obscure the sky, How quickly they are spent ? Why should we weep, when dawning days And years so swiftly run ? We only lose their setting light, To hail their brighter dawn." It appears that the Winnebagoes had much trouble to purchase Rachel, and from the best information that can be obtained on the subject, they had to use threats, and had to pay an additional sum of ten horses. A young warrior, it appears, claimed her as his prize, and at first positively refused to give her up. When he did so, he cut a lock of her hair out of her head. This I suppose he intended to keep as a trophy of his warlike exploits. This now must have been the worst cut of all, to



Wakefield 95 attempt a separation of them, as they now supposed, the only survivors of the family, and to take one away from the other, would be worse than death to them; but an all-wise Providence did not see fit to inflict this wound upon them. He had watched over them in the trying scene that they had already undergone, and he saw fit to release them from savage bondage. He heard their cries, and saw the distress they were in. They were now alone, and orphans in the world. What now was most interesting to them, was peace of mind. To forget their murdered father and mother was impossible. Were all joys on earth now gone? Were they forsaken by all the world ? Were none left to pour the oil of balm and comfort into their wounded bosoms? Yes, there were. The guardian angels of heaven had prepared a second father to take them by the hand, and point to them the path to happiness ; and that path was an interest in the blood of a crucified Redeemer, which is a source of happiness to the mind when all earthly happiness fails, if there is such a thing as earthly happiness. That person they found in the Reverend Mr. Horn. He had known them when they were children—he had been a companion and friend of their deceased father and mother; he felt now for the fatherless and unoffending orphans; with the affections of a father he flew to them to administer comfort to their heaving bosoms, which were wrung with the keenest pangs, when they thought of the loss of their friends. He now saw that there was only one way that they could see any degree of happiness, and that was, to point to them the comfort of religion, which he did by exhortation, entreating them to prepare to meet father, mother, brothers, and sisters, on the banks of deliverance beyond the grave, where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest. They took the preacher's advice, and sought and


Wakefield 96 obtained comfort in the blood of a crucified Redeemer, and, as I have every reason to believe, are now happy in the cause of religion, and preparing to meet their kindred friends in heaven. One of them, Silbey, [Sylvia] the eldest, is married, and living with a second father indeed; his son William became a partner of her cares and sorrows. The younger, Rachel, is also married, to Mr. William Munson, and living in Putnam county. There is one thing more I cannot dismiss this subject and leave unnoticed. Although they were with the savage barbarians, and the worst of inhuman butchers that probably the earth affords, they never attempted to violate their chastity. This is one of the noblest traits in the character of a savage, and one that appears to be held sacred and inviolate with them. But nevertheless, they are fond of making wives of prisoners. But it must be done agreeably to the custom of their nation. This they hold sacred, for they think if they were to violate this rule and practice, the Great Spirit would be offended with them. Thus, reader, terminates the account of the two unfortunate Miss Halls, who suffered everything but death with those Indian barbarians. It may not here be amiss and unprofitable to give the reader the following anecdote, which will go to show how easy the mind of a man can be alarmed, and the imagination wrought up to the highest pitch, and the great danger of excitement of this kind upon the female sex. In travelling through the county of Fulton not long since, I chanced to stay all night with an elderly looking and familiar old gentleman; and with other subjects which we had talked not a little upon, we chanced to dwell upon the Black Hawk war. I asked Mr. F. if the

Wakefield 97 people had forted in that neighborhood during the great horror and alarm that were excited at the news of Major Stillman's defeat? to which he replied, that he had not; but had been much derided for being so foolhardy, as they called it, by several of his friends and neighbors ; to which the good old man told me he replied to them, that if he could see a man running towards him with a bullet hole in him, and the blood running out of it, and hear unknown voices in pursuit, he then would think there was danger. This declaration of the old gentleman made me almost think with his neighbors, until he stated to me the cause of it; which I here would give in the good old man's own language, but as he understood the German language better than the English, I might not quote it precisely right. But what the old gentleman told me, and from his general character that I afterwards learnt from a number of his neighbors, his statement was true. As near as I could collect, both from him and his family, who joined in confirming what the old landlord stated, and which could be proven by a number of his neighbors, it was as follows: Soon after Stillman's defeat, a party of the troops from Fulton county, on their return home, when within a few miles of Canton, in said county, came across a gang of wolves, and having got into the settled part where they were not afraid, being from the seat of war, fired upon them, at the same time raising the war-whoop, which they had got by heart from the Indians in the memorable Indian school on the night of the fourteenth of May, on Sycamore creek. This frightful yelling, at a time when danger was expected, and accompanied with the firing of guns, was heard by another good old citizen of this county, away from the "far east," who happened to be out a little ways from home, who took the alarm, and supposed

Wakefield 98 that it was the Indians killing his neighbors, made shift to get to the first of his horses that he came to, and putting on a bridle to guide it, never took time to consult the great benefit of a saddle in riding a long race, mounted bareback; and raising the cry of " murder ! " " murder!! " put his charger to the lash. He passed by home, and told his family to fly with all possible speed, who it appears was in the act of moving. But one of the family, who was not so badly alarmed by the shrieks of the dying neighbors, observed to him that he had left his son in the mill; to which he replied, "never mind my son, he is a cripple and cannot run,—they are certain to kill him—each one of you save yourselves if you can ! " So saying, he put his charger to it might and main, and at the same time crying out "murder!" "murder!!" to all he passed or met, he left all the world behind him, never dreaming that he was suffering for the want of a saddle until he had got many miles from the scene of action. He then beheld the blood trickling down his legs, from, I suppose the hard jolts of his charger, carrying a large body upon a sharp and bony back. But the ingenious old son of the pilgrim fathers soon found means to supply the want of a saddle. He had, a few days before the action took place, helped himself to a new hat; and not regarding the price of a hat when he expected every moment to hear the horrid war-whoop of an Indian behind him, he made a saddle of his new beaver, on which he rode, as Mr. F. informed me, until he came to Ross's ferry, on the Illinois river, where as Mr. F. stated the citizens of that place stopped him, or he would, giving it in the good old Dutchman's own language, have been running yet; that is, if his horse and beaver saddle would have lasted so long. This was about twenty-six miles from the scene of action, where he remained many days, apparently in a state of insanity. He was constantly


Wakefield 99 trying to devise a plan to fix stirrups to his hat, and declared that if he only had a pair of stirrups hung to his beaver, he would not be in the least dread of an Indian ever overtaking him, but he was frequently heard to cry out " murder ! " in his sleep, as at first, when he started on his race, and lamented the loss of the poor crippled mill boy. But Mr. F. stated the poor crippled mill boy stood his ground, and his father having plenty of powder and lead in store, issued it out to those who were willing to fight in defence of the crippled boy and the women and children. Now, reader, the laughable part of this story is over, but the sorrowful one has yet to come, which almost sickens my heart to relate, and I would fain hope it was false; but as I observed in the beginning of this story, it has come from too respectable a source for me to disbelieve it. When the old frightened Mr. C. first started upon his race, he cried out "murder!" as before stated, and told the people as he went that the Indians were butchering and killing the people behind him ; which, Mr. F. stated, frightened the neighbors in such a horrid manner that they took to flight. The women attempted to run, each carrying one of their children, or two of them, perhaps, if my memory serves me, on their hips; running in this way something like six miles. They all three expired in a few days, with fright and fatigue. The other anecdote is something similar to the first; but it is no pain for me to relate it, as it was not of so serious a nature; for death was not produced by it. Mr. F. stated, that some place on the eastern side of the state, perhaps near the Iroquois, a small stream in the north east corner of the state of Illinois, the people being much alarmed soon after the murder of the


Wakefield 100 families on Indian creek, the citizens sent out a spying party to the frontiers to see if they could see any signs of the enemy approaching toward the settlements where they lived. The men who had been spying for the enemy, on their return late in the evening, thought they saw some signs of Indians, and concluded to hasten and report danger to the neighborhood. In a few minutes after they came to this conclusion, they heard a volley of guns fired in quick succession behind them, at the same time hallooing by a number of voices, and dogs barking behind them.—This was enough to confirm their fears. They put spurs to their horses; each one making for his family. As they proceeded, they cried out to the citizens to fly, and said the Indians were coming, murdering all before them, for they had heard them killing a family behind them; and that they had heard the shrieks of the dying. In this horrid rout that took place at this time, there was a family that lived near the river before mentioned; they had no horses, but a large family of small children; the father and mother each took a child; the rest were directed to follow on foot as fast as possible. The eldest daughter also carried one of the children that was not able to keep up. They fled to the river where they had to cross. The father had to carry over all the children, at different times, as the stream was high, and so rapid the mother and daughter could not stem the current with such a burden. When they all, as they thought, had got over, they started, when the cry of poor little Susan was heard on the opposite bank, asking if they were not going to take her with them. The frightened father again prepared to plunge into the strong current for his child, when the mother, seeing it, cried out, "never mind Susan; we have succeeded in getting ten over, which is more than we expected at first—and we can better spare Susan than you, my dear." So


Wakefield 101 poor Susan, who was only about four years old, was left to the mercy of the frightful savage. But poor little Susan came off unhurt; one of the neighbors who was out a hunting, came along and took charge of little Susan, the eleventh, who had been so miserably treated by her mother. When I commenced telling of these two anecdotes, I observed that the mind of man, when there was cause of fear or suspicion of danger, was frequently apt to suffer his imaginations to lead them [him] astray, which was the case at this time, as it was before with the good old cheese-maker. Now this last fright was occasioned by a parcel of boys who had assembled together to go squirrel hunting; for the squirrels at that season of the year were very bad at pulling up corn: it appears that they were very plenty, and several of them shot at or near the same time, and one of the boys wounding one, brought it to the ground, and the boys gave it chase. It was this, also which caused poor little Susan to weep and be forsaken by father and mother.


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