chase 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 claimed authority over their country, it had been thought proper to hold a Council of all parties that justice might be done. The Chiefs of the Six Nations were then informed that as 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 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, Connossatego, a venerable chieftain, arose in the name of all the Deputies and informed the Governor, "That they

saw the Delawares had been an unruly peo"ple 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

46

66

came you to take upon yourselves to sell lands at all? We conquered you-we made women "of you; you know you are women, and can no

B*

"more sell lands than women. Nor is it fit "that you should have the power of selling lands, "since you would abuse it. You have been fur"nished 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 66 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 66 never came amongst us, nor have we ever heard “anything about it. But we find you are none of 46 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 6 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 to, either to Wyo"ming or Shamokin. You may go to either of "these places, and then we shall have you more "under our eye, and shall see how you behave. "Dont deliberate, but remove away and take this 26 belt of Wampum."

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

The influence of the Six Nations was too powerful to be disregarded, and the speech of Connassatego had its full effect; the Delawares immediately left the disputed country; some removed to Shamokin and some to Wyoming.

On their arrival at Wyoming the Delaware's found the valley in possession of the Shawanese ; but as these Indians acknowledged the authority of the Six Nations, and knew that the removal of the Delawares was in consequence of their order, resistance was thought to be inexpedient; and the Delawares having taken quiet possession of a part of the Valley, built their Town of Maughwauwame on the east bank of the River upon the lower flat below the mouth of a small stream, and nearly opposite the first Island above the mouth of Toby's Creek.* 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 foreigner, Count Zinzendorf, of Saxony, arrived in the 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 Revivor of the ancient Church of the United Brethren, and had given protection in his dominions to the perseeuted Protestants who had emigrated from Moravia, thence taking the name of Moravians, and

*Just below the present Town of Wilkesbarre.

who two years before had made their first settlement in Pennsylvania.

Upon his arrival in America, Count Zinzendorf manifested a great anxiety to have the Gospel preached to the Indians; and although he had neard 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, a celebrated Indian 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 of 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 brave the dangers of a boisterous ocean 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 lands of the Indians, they nat

urally concluded that the real object of Zinzendorf was either to procure from them the lands at Wyoming for his own uses, to search for hidden treasures, or to examine the country with a view to future conquest. It was accordingly resolved to assassinate him, and to do it privately lest the knowledge of the transaction should produce a war with the English who were settling the country 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. Α curtain formed of a blanket and hung upon pins was the only guard to the entrance of his tent. The heat of his small fire had aroused a large Kattle-snake 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, and quitting the spot they hastily returned to the Town