Having presented a general view of the Six Nations, we now proceed to speak more particularly of them as connected with the Delaware, Shawanese, and other Indians, the principal inhabitants, not only of Wyoming, but of Pennsylvania.

            So many years, perhaps ages, had elapsed since their independence was lost, that time and misfortune had obliterated the record of their greatness, or their fall. Several centuries previous to 1600, had probably seen them in their degraded state. Formerly they had claimed to have been powerful in numbers, valiant warriors, and great conquerors; possible not an idle boast, but every fact in their history, after their acquaintance with the Europeans, shows at once their subservience and terror, when they heard the voice of their imperious masters.

            On the appearance of the English, the expansion of their settlements, and the development of their power, hope seems to have entered the minds of the Lenape, that from the new people they might derive protection, or what would be dearer still, to an Indian heart, the means of revenge. - Hence their welcome to the whites, - hence their lingering around the new settlements, - hence their reluctance to retire when ordered, into the interior.

            The Christian Library, detailing the Moravian Missions in North America, says, (1750) speaking of the Delawares, - “They had not only a kind of tax imposed upon them, to show their dependence upon the Iroquois; but the following very singular message was sent them: - The Great Head, that is, the Council in Onondago, speak the truth, and lie not: - they rejoice that some of the believing Indians had removed to Wayomick; but now they lift up the remaining Mohickans and Delawares, and set them down in Wayomick, for there a fire is kindled for them, and there they may plant and think on God: but if they will not hear, the Great Head will come and clean their ears with a red-hot iron.”  To these lordly threats we shall again recur.

            The Historian [?] adds - “It was soon discovered, that this proposal did not originate in the Great Council at Onondago, but with the Oneida tribe, and the warlike Mohicans and Delawares.” Let the reader examine all the authorities, and he will be satisfied - that neither of the Six Nations took any important step, without consultation and the consent of the Great Head, or Council, at Onondago.

            Perfect union - and harmonious Councils were the foundation of their power; as secrecy in regard to their intentions, and vigour in carrying them into effect, were characteristic of their policy. By leave obtained, the Moravian Missionaries passed freely through the settlements of the Six Nations, associating unreservedly with chiefs and people, immediately preceding hostilities that commenced the French war; yet not a word escaped from any lip - not a whisper came to the ear of any one of them, not a suspicion even was awakened in the minds of those intelligent, quick discerning white men.

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            Similar to our own Federal Government, the Six Nations, like the several states, attended each to whatever strictly related to its own concerns; but in every matter affecting war, peace, their external relations, or general interests, the Great Head, or united chiefs, assembled at the Council fire, at Onondago, was supreme. The government also possessed the most marked characteristics of the feudal system. Lands, for residence, or hunting grounds, were apportioned out by the chief power - taxes and tribute were collected, and military service demanded. Hence the warlike Mohicans, Delawares, Shawanese, and others spoken of, it is evident, were the soldiers of the Iroquois, bound to implicit obedience. If at any time they seemed to act independently, it was to effect some sinister political purpose of their profound and most sagacious masters.  A Shawanese, - a tributary - a dependent, was sent upon the arrogant and ungracious errand to the Christian Indians near Bethlehem. Those to whom it was delivered, comprehended it well, for general consternation spread through the Gnadenhutten. A Shawanese carried the message. It might become politic, on the part of the Iroquois, to disavow it.

            But the Delawares had their kings. Tedeuscung, we are told, was elected king of the Delawares!  Most true.  It would be a gross error to suppose the Six Nations who had conquered, and held in vassalage so extensive an empire, were a rude rabble of ignorant Indians. Letters and the arts of civilized life they had not; nor had Attila or Ghengis Khan, but they were profoundly versed in all the wiles of diplomacy, the subtlest stratagems of war, and all the arts of Savage Government, which they had made subservient to the gratification of an ambition as lofty and insatiable as that of the greatest conquerors, civilized or barbarian, we read of in story. Napoleon was not more proud to be king of kings, emperor supreme over, nominally, independent kingdoms; but mark the sequel, when we come to speak of Tedeuscung’s fate.

            The Iroquois had, too, like Rome, their pro-consuls, to preside over distant Provinces. Thus we find Shikellimud whom Loskiel designates “first magistrate and chief head of all the Iroquois Indians living on the banks of the Susquehanna,” and had his residence at Conestoga. In 1742, with other chiefs, and warriors of the Six Nations, he attended a great Council in Philadelphia. At a subsequent period he was stationed at Shamokin: - “to transact,” says Heckewelder, “in the capacity of agent, the business between the Six Nations, and the Government of Pennsylvania.”

            After the removal to the lakes of the Oneida and Seneca Indians, who occupied Wyoming at the commencement of the last century, the valley was appropriated to the residence of such tribes, or parts of tribes, as claimed protection of the Six Nations, or portions of their refractory subjects, whom they desired to place more immediately under their inspection. A tribe of Nanticokes, formerly inhabitants of Maryland, was divided, part placed at Chenango, - Choconut, and Owego - and a portion was settled on the east side of the river, in the lower part of the Wyoming valley.  The Shawanese* tribe was also divided, a portion having their residence on the Scioto, and a large number were permitted, or directed, to erect their wigwams on the extensive and luxuriant flats on the west side of the Susquehanna, but more popularly designated Shawney.

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            *Gov. Cass thus speaks of the Shawanese, “Their history is involved in much obscurity. Their language is Algonquin, and closely allied to the Kickapoo, and other dialects spoken by tribes who have lived for ages north of the Ohio. But they are known to have recently emigrated from the South, where they were surrounded by a family of tribes, Creeks, Cherokees, Choctaws, &c, with whose language their own had no affinity. Their traditions assign them to a foreign origin, and a wild story has come down to them of a solemn procession, in the midst of the ocean, and of a miraculous passage through the great deep. That they were closely connected with the Kickapoos, the actual language furnishes irrefragable proof, and the incidents of the separation yet live in the oral history of each tribe. We are strongly inclined to believe, that not long before the arrival of the French upon these great lakes, the Kickapoos and Shawanese composed the tribe known as the Erie; living on the eastern shore of the lake, to which they have given their name. “It is said that this tribe was exterminated by the victorious Iroquois.” But it is more probable, that a series of disasters divided them into two parties, one of which, under the name of Kickapoos, sought refuge from their enemies in the immense prairies between the Illinois and Mississippi; and south.     Father Segard, in 1632, called the Eries the “nation du chat,” (Clan Chattaan?) or the raccoon, on account of the magnitude of these animals in their country; and that is the soubriquet, which, to this day, is applied by the Canadians to the Shawanese.”

            The reader will thank, rather than censure us, for this note, long as it is; because the Shawanese, not only were long residents at Wyoming, but gave an enduring name to one of its richest and delightful locations.

The Delawares at this time occupied the country below the blue mountains, between the Susquehanna and Delaware, from whom purchases of land had been made by the Governors of Pennsylvania, but from which the occupants refused to remove. Learning that the Six Nations claimed to be the owners of the country, they were conciliated by proper means, and a grand Council was held in the summer of 1742, in the city of Philadelphia, to adjust all matters in dispute. More than two hundred chiefs and warriors of the Six Nations attended, who were met by all the chief Sachems of the Delaware tribe. A general Council was opened in presence of the officers of the Colonial Government, and a large concourse of citizens, in the great hall of the Council house.

            The Governor, by means of an interpreter, opened the Conference on the part of the Proprietaries in a long talk, which set forth, that the proprietaries  of Pennsylvania had purchased the lands in the forks of Delaware several years before, of the Delaware tribes who then possessed them. That they had afterwards received information that the same lands were claimed by the Six Nations, and a purchase was also made of them - that in both these purchases the proprietaries had paid the stipulated price; but the Delaware Indians had nevertheless refused to give up possession; and as the Six Nations were then informed, that they had on all occasions required the Government of Pennsylvania to remove any whites that settled upon their lands, so now the Government of Pennsylvania

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expected that the Six Nations would cause these Indians to remove from the lands which it had purchased. The deeds from the Indians, and drafts of the disputed lands were then produced, and the whole submitted to the consideration of the Council. After some deliberation among the different chiefs, Canassatego, a venerable chieftain arose in the name of all the deputies, and informed the Governor, “That they saw the Delawares had been an unruly people, and were altogether in the wrong, and that they had concluded to remove them.”   And addressing himself to the Delawares, in a violent manner, he said: - You deserve to be taken by the hair of your heads, and shaken till you recover your senses, and become sober. We have seen a deed signed by nine of your chiefs above fifty years ago, for this very land. But how came you to take it upon yourselves to sell lands at all? We conquered you - we made women of you; you know you are women, and can no more sell lands than women. Nor is it fit you should have the power of selling lands, since you would abuse it. You have been furnished with clothes, meat, and drink, by the goods paid you for it, and now you want it again like children as you are. But what makes you sell lands in the dark? Did you ever tell us that you had sold this land? Did we ever receive any part, even the value of a pipe shank for it? You have told us a blind story that you sent a messenger to us, to inform us of the sale, but he never came amongst us, nor have we heard anything about it. But we find you are none of our blood, you act a dishonest part, not only in this, but in other matters. Your ears are ever open to slanderous reports about your brethren. For all these reasons, we charge you to remove instantly; we don’t give you liberty to think about it,  You are women; take the advice of a wise man, and remove instantly. You may return to the other side of the Delaware where you came from, but we do not know whether, considering how you have demeaned yourselves, you will be permitted to live there, or whether you have not swallowed that land down your throats as well as the lands on this side.  We therefore assign you two places to go, either to Wyoming or Shamokin. You may go to either of these places, and then we shall have you under our eye, and shall see how you behave. Don’t deliberate, but remove away, and take this belt of wampum.”

            He then commanded them to leave the Council, as he had business to do with the English.

            This, it will be admitted, is the language, not of equals, but of masters, to the most abject of slaves. A Roman General would hardly have dared thus to address the fallen Jews, after the destruction of their city by Titus. The imperious command was obeyed; part removed to Shamokin, and a still larger part to Wyoming, who established themselves on the east side of the river, occupying the flats below the present town of Wilkes-Barre.

            New and interesting personages now appear on the scene. Zeal for the propagation of the Gospel caused the foot of the first white man to tread the soil of Wyoming. Long the residence of kings, it may not be improper to relate, that the first white visitor, should have been of noble birth, - and of kingly extraction. So admirably is the event related by Mr. Chapman, that I copy his original and well authenticated narrative entire.

            “Such was the origin of the Indian town of Wyoming. Soon after the arrival of the Delawares, and during the same season (the summer of the year 1742), a distinguished

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foreigner, Count Zinzendorf, of Saxony, arrived in this valley on a religious mission to the Indians. This nobleman is believed to have been the first white person that ever visited Wyoming. He was the reviver of the ancient church of the United Brethren, and had given protection in his dominions to the persecuted Protestants who had emigrated from Moravia, thence taking the name of Moravians, and who, two years before had made their first settlement in Pennsylvania.”

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            “Upon his arrival in America, Count Zinzendorf manifested a great anxiety to have the Gospel preached to the Indians; and although he had heard much of the ferocity of the Shawanese, formed a resolution to visit them. -  With this view he repaired to Tulpehocken, the residence of Conrad Weiser [born 2 November 1696 in Wurttemburg,-died 13 July 1769 in Berks County, Pennsylvania], a celebrated interpreter and Indian agent for the Government, whom he wished to engage in the cause, and to accompany him to the Shawanese town. Weiser was too much occupied in business to go immediately to Wyoming, but he furnished the Count with letters to a Missionary by the name of Mack, and the latter, accompanied by his wife, who could speak the Indian language, proceeded immediately with Zinzendorf on the projected mission.

            “The Shawanese appeared to be alarmed on the arrival of the strangers, who pitched their tents on the banks of the river a little below the town, and a Council of the chiefs having assembled, the declared purpose of Zinzendorf was deliberately considered. To these unlettered children of the wilderness it appeared altogether improbable that a stranger should have braved the dangers of a boisterous three thousand miles broad, for the sole purpose of instructing them in the means of obtaining happiness after death, and that too without requiring any compensation for his trouble and expense; and as they had observed the anxiety of the white people to purchase land of the Indians, they naturally concluded that the real object of Zinzendorf was either to procure from them the lands at Wyoming for his own use, to search for hidden treasures, or to examine the country with a view to future conquest. It was accordingly resolved to assassinate him, and do it privately, lest the knowledge of the transaction should produce a war with the English, who were settling the land below the mountains.

            “Zinzendorf was alone in his tent, seated upon a bundle of dry weeds which composed his bed, and engaged in writing, when the assassins approached to execute their bloody commission. It was night, and the cool air of September had rendered a small fire necessary to his comfort and convenience. A curtain, formed of a blanket, and hung upon pins, was the only guard to the entrance of his tent.

            “The heat of his fire had aroused a large rattlesnake which lay in the weeds, not far from it; and the reptile to enjoy it more effectually crawled slowly into the tent, and passed over one of his legs undiscovered. Without, all was still and quiet, except the gentle murmur of the river at the rapids about a mile below.  At this moment the Indians softly approached the door of his tent and slightly removing the curtain, contemplated the venerable man, too deeply engaged in the subject of his thoughts to notice either their approach, or the snake which lay extended before him. At a sight like this, even the heart of the savage shrunk from the idea of committing so horrid an act, an quitting the spot, they hastily returned to the town, and informed their companions that the Great Spirit protected the white man, for they had found him with no door but a blanket, and had seen a large rattlesnake crawl over his legs without attempting to injure him. This circumstance, together with the arrival soon afterwards of Conrad Weiser, produced Zinzendorf the friendship and confidence of the Indians, and probably contributed essentially towards inducing many of them, at a subsequent period, to embrace the Christian Religion. The Count having spent twenty days at Wyoming, returned to

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Bethlehem, a town then building by his Christian brethren on the north bank of the Lehigh, about eleven miles from its junction with the Delaware.”

            Count Zinzendorf, learning that the supremacy claimed and exercised by the Six Nations, applied to their chiefs for leave to visit the Indian villages, and instruct the natives in the doctrines of repentance and salvation, through the merits of the Savior.

            He could not have been received and replied with more politeness, at the most refined court in Europe. The answer is so beautiful in its simple, yet dignified eloquence, that I take pleasure in transcribing it.

            “Brother, you have made a long journey over the seas to preach the Gospel to the white people and to the Indians. You did not know that we were here, and we knew nothing of you.  This proceeds from above.  Come therefore to us, both you and your brethren. We bid you welcome among us. Take this fathom of wampum, in confirmation of the truth of our words.”     

            The Moravians who had established themselves at Bethlehem, were indefatigable in their labour of love to Christianize the Indians. Neither the heats of summer, winter’s storms, the dangers of the entangled forests, nor the toil in ascending precipitous mountains, could check the holy enthusiasm of the missionaries. Eight or ten made themselves masters of the Indian languages, with their kindred dialects, that they might be understood.  Two bishops, Cammerhoff and De Watteville traversed the wilderness on foot, visited the various tribes and settlements along the Susquehanna, preaching the Saviour and exhorting to repentance.; the former sacrificing his life, by exposure to the behests of duty, So that in Wyoming, the earliest European accents that were heard, were accents of peace and love, breathing of grace, and redolent of mercy. It is now about an hundred years since these pious missionaries penetrated to this, then remote valley, and for thirty years afterwards, uncultivated wilderness.

            There is pleasure in casting the eye of imagination back, and beholding the learned bishops, with the zeal and eloquence of Paul, at Athens, (How different the scene!) proclaiming to the children of Nature, “The unknown God, whom ye ignorantly worship. Him I declare unto you.”

            A large number of converts, whom persecution had compelled to fly from their homes, removed from the eastern borders of New York to be near the Brethren, who had purchased land, and had made an establishment for them, above the water-gap of the Lehigh, at the confluence of the Mahony and that stream, opposite to Fort Allen. The name given the place, was Gnadenhutten, or Huts of Mercy. Except the erection of the fort, this was the first settlement in a north direction, in Pennsylvania, above the Kittatinny Ridge or Blue Mountain.  The village was eighteen miles above Bethlehem, and on the warrior’s path, about forty miles, southerly, through a most inhospitable wilderness, from Wyoming. For several years the settlement flourished. Agriculture opened to them stores of plenty; while moral culture and religious hope imparted cheerfulness; and the whole seemed to be pervaded by the “sunshine of the breast.” In 1752, the Huts of Mercy numbered five hundred souls. In the midst of these pleasing scenes of present peace and anticipated enjoyment, they were visited by a deputation of Nanticokes and other Indians from Wyoming., consisting of more than a hundred

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persons, ostensibly on a mission of peace, with whom a solemn league of mutual friendship was entered into, after which their numerous, perhaps not very welcome visitors, returned to the valley. Doubtless, they were spies, sent by the Iroquois; their large number, with exquisite art, concealing the purpose of their journey. The way traveled, being the warrior’s path, thirty or forty young savages, before ignorant of the route, might unsuspected attend such an embassy, apparently of friendship, and on the passage receive the instruction of the old braves, who must have led the party, preparatory to being sent them selves, on expeditions against the inhabitants below.

            In consequence of this mission, (and probable mission) about eighty of the Christian Indians, under Tedeuscung, a Delaware chief, already of some note, and destined to appear more conspicuously on another page, accompanied the party back to the Susquehanna, and established their lodges at Wyoming.

            This step was taken as a preparatory measure to the old French war. The sequel is full of stirring and painful events.