W. Harris, Esq., in the year 1840, she being then in the eightieth year of her age:

"That in 1766 she was coming from Carlisle, where she lived, to Harrisburg, in company with her father and a son of her sister. When she came to the river opposite Harrisburg, at the Kelso place, where William Harris was then living, some of the children pointed out to her old Hercules, who was setting on a rock fishing in the river, stating that he had saved the life of his master from the Indians. She understood it to be when Mr. Harris had been tied to the mulberry tree."

Mrs. Bell died several years ago at the residence of her relative, Dr. Maclay, in Perrysville, Mifflin county. She is represented to have been a woman of remarkably good memory, and well educated.

It has been asked by some why the figure of the faithful slave Herculas was omitted from the beautiful paintings representing this affair. It was done, we believe, at the instance of the late Robert Harris, Esq., who furnished the artist with suggestions relative to the scenery and grouping of the figures in the picture. Mr. H. at this period was disposed to doubt if Herculas had been in any manner connected with the affair. It is believed, however, by some of his children, that when he entertained this opinion his memory had become impaired by old age, and had entirely forgotten the circumstances which induced him to believe differently when relating the particulars to Mr. Breck, some years previous.

Under these circumstances, there is no reason for doubting the agency of Hercules in preserving his master's life on this occasion; and whenever this story is told, let the virtuous African share largely in our praise and admiration.

As there has never been any documentary evidence to substantiate this exciting episode in the life of Mr. Harris, there are some disposed to consider it a myth; yet we might very properly ask, Has there been anything adduced to disprove it?

Tradition may err; but it strikes us that if it does in this case, it would not have remained over one hundred and twenty or thirty years without being discovered.

If any other testimony was needed to prove the love and friendship the slave Hercules entertained for his master, we might also relate that, upon another occasion, he saved the life of Mr. Harris from being destroyed by an excited steer, while crossing the river on a flat. The truth of this is established beyond doubt.

BURIAL PLACE OF JOHN HARRIS, SR.

Part of the trunk of the mulberry tree to which Mr. Harris was tied is still standing. It is ten feet high to the lowest limbs, and eleven feet six inches in circumference. There are still living those who have seen this tree in bloom, and eaten mulberries from it. The title to the graveyard, to the extent of fifteen feet, is secured by conveyance from the commissioners who laid out the town. The deed is recorded in book A, in the Recorder's Office, at Harrisburg, and reads as follows:

Deed of Conveyance of the Burial Lot.

This indenture, made the twenty-eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-five, between Jacob Awl, Joshua Elder, Andrew Stewart, James Cowden and William Brown, all of the county of Dauphin, and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, gentlemen, of the one part, and John Harris, of Harrisburg, county and State aforesaid, of the other part, witnesseth: That the said Jacob Awl, Joshua Elder, Andrew Stewart, James Cowden and William Brown, in consideration of the sum of five shillings, lawful money of Pennsylvania, to them in hand well and truly paid by the said John' Harris, at and before the execution of these presents, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, and from the payment thereof the said John Harris, his heirs, executors, administrators, assigns are fully acquitted and forever discharged, have granted,

bargained, sold, released, enfeoffed and confirmed, and by these presents do grant, bargain, sell and release, enfeoff and confirm unto him, the said John Harris, his heirs and assigns, a certain lot of ground, situate on the common or front street of the town of Harrisburg, where John Harris was buried, beginning at a mulberry tree on the south-west side of the stone dwelling-house of the said John Harris, thence from the said mulberry tree on the north side so as to contain fifteen feet square, together with all and singular the rights, liberties, privileges, hereditaments and appurtenances whatsoever to the same belonging or in anywise appertaining, and the reversion and reversions, remainder and remainders, rents, issues and profits thereof, and all the estate, right, title, interest, use, possession, claim and demand whatsoever, of them, the said Jacob Awl, Joshua Elder, Andrew Stewart, James Cowden and William Brown, of, in and to the same, to have and to hold the said lot and premises hereby granted or mentioned, or intended so to be, with the appurtenances unto him, the said John Harris, his heirs and assigns, to the only proper use, benefit and behoof of him, the said John Harris, his heirs and assigns, forever; and the said Jacob Awl, Joshua Elder, Andrew Stewart, James Cowden and William Brown, for themselves, their heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, do covenant, grant and agree, to and with the said John Harris, his heirs and assigns, the said described lot of ground, hereditaments and appurtenances, against them, the said grantors, their heirs and assigns, and against all and every other person and persons lawfully claiming, or to claim by, from or under them, or either of them, jointly and severally warrant and forever defend by these presents. In witness whereof, the parties to these presents have interchangeably set their hands and seals the day and year first above written.

JACOB AWL,

[SEAL.]

Sealed and delivered in presence

of us

J. MONTGOMERY,

JOHN A. HANNA,

Received, on the day of the date of the above written indenture, of the therein named, the sum of five shillings, being in full for the consideration money therein mentioned by us.

JACOB AWL,

JAS. COWDEN,

WM. BROWN.

Witness:

J. MONTGOMERY,

JOHN A. Hanna.

Subsequent to this conveyance, the descendants of Harris secured from the borough authorities an additional five feet of ground, thus making the grave-yard twenty feet square, which they surrounded with a handsome iron railing.

HARRIS' INDIAN NEIGHBORS.

When John Harris first settled at Peixtan, as Harrisburg was then called, Indian villages were existing near the large stone house on the bank of the river, opposite Harrisburg, and at the mouth of the Conodoguinet and Yellow Breeches creek. There had been one on the low ground along the river, about the lower line of the town, and another at the mouth of Paxton creek, but these are supposed to have been abandoned at the time Harris made his settlement. The Indians who claimed the soil in this neighborhood were of the Leni Lenape, or Delaware nation.

Day, in his Historical Recollections, says:

"The Leni Lenape nation was divided into three principal divisions the Unamis, or Turtle tribes, the Unalachtgos, or Turkeys, and the Monseys, or Wolf tribes. The two former occupied the country between the Atlantic ocean and the Kittatinny, or Blue mountain, (five miles north of Harrisburg,)

their settlements extending as far east as the Hudson, and as far west as the Potomac. These were generally known among the whites as the Delaware Indians. The Monseys, or Wolf tribes, the most active and warlike of the whole, occupied the mountainous country between the Kittatinny mountain and the sources of the Susquehanna and Delaware rivers, kindling their council fire at the Minisink flats, on the Delaware, above the water gap. These three principal divisions were divided into various subordinate clans, who assumed names suited to their character or situation."

It is not definitely known what particular clan or tribe was located in this section, but it is supposed they were the Assumpinks.

INDIAN REMAINS.

Many vestiges of the Indian race have been from time to time discovered in and about Harrisburg, in the shape of spear and arrow heads, composed of flint or quartz, stone hatchets, pieces of crockery ware, beads, &c. The low ground below the town contains a vast number of these relics buried a foot or so beneath the surface of the soil.

A few years ago, while digging the foundation for a new house, near the river, at the southern edge of the borough, the workmen exhumed a large number of human skeletons, some of which were in a remarkable state of preservation. They were all found in a sitting posture, with their faces fronting the east, from which fact, combined with other circumstances, there can be no doubt that they were the remains of Indians, and that the spot was the burial place connected with the Indian village already alluded to as existing in that vicinity.

A few years prior to this discovery, similar remains were found while digging the foundation for the row of frame buildings belonging to A. J. Jones, Esq., at the corner of Raspberry and Blackberry alleys.