And by these presents do give and grant unto the abovesaid Telaw Nemun, and to his Heirs, Administrators, and Assigns One half of a Certain Tract or Parcel of Land lying and being at Edg Harbour, between Mount Holly and Croswicks, and also what other Lands shall be found by Tundy Tatamy and Captain John, appointed to make Discovery thereof, (The aforesaid Weshevanakun, Jehoke mun, and Gooteleeke, and Captain John) do give and bequeath unto the above named Talawnemun, and to Heirs for ever, To have and to hold the said half of the said Tract or Parcel of Land, to him & his Heirs for ever. And, Whereas, The said Weshevanakun, Jehokemun, and Gooteleeke, hath appointed the aforenamed Tundy Tattamy and Capt John, with full Power and Authority to sell and dispose of all or any part of the said Land, and that the One half of the Money for which any part or Parcell of their said Land shall be sold, for they freely give and bequeath unto the said Telawnemun, and to Heirs and Assigns for ever, To the only Use and Behoof of the said Telawnemun, and to his Heirs and Assigns for ever. In Witness whereof, The said Parties have set their Hands and Seals, the Day and Date above written. Teteuscum's Paper, dated 21st Febr, 1743. Assignment Endorsed, dated 21st Febry, 1743. Delivered, 26th Apr, 1755. One is delivered to Governor, who promised to enquire into it & assist. * See page 631. DEPOSITION ALEX. ARMSTRONG, &c., 1744. Paxton, April the 19th, 1744. The Deposition of the Subscribers Testifieth and Saith, that the Subscribers having a Suspicion that John Armstrong, Trader, Together with his Men, James Smith & Woodworth Arnold, were Murther'd by ye Indians. They met at the House of Joseph Charmbers in Paxton, and there Consulted to go to Samokin, To Consult with the Delaware King & Secalima & their Council, what they should do Concerning the Affaire. Whereupon the King & Councel Ordered Eight of their men to go with the depts to the House of James Berry, in Order to go in Quest of the Murther'd persons; but that Night they Came to said Berry's House, three of the Eight Indians ran Away, And the Next Morning these Depts, Together wth ye five Indians that remain'd, Set on their Journey Peaceably to the last Supposed sleeping place of the Deceased, and upon their Arrival, these Dept dispersed themselves in Order to find out the the Corps of the deceased, & one of the Depts Named James Berry, a Small Distance from the afores sleeping Place Came, came to a White Oak Tree which had three Knotches on it, & Close by sa Tree he found a Shoulder Bone, (which these Depts does Supose, to be John Armstrong's, And that he himself was Eating by the Indians) which he carried to the afores sleeping place and Showed to his Companions, one of which handed it to the sd five Indians to know what bone it was, & they, after passing different Sentiments upon it, handed it to a Delaware Indian, who was Suspected by the Depts, and they Testify & Say, that as Soon as the sd Indian took the bone in his hand, his Nose Gushed out with Blood, & he directly handed it to Another, from whence these Depts steered along a path about three or four Miles to the Narrows of Juniata, where they Suspected the s Murther to be Comited, & where the Allegany Road Crosses the Creek. These Depts Sat Down in Order to Consult on what Measures to take in Order to proceed on a Discovery, Whereupon most of the White Men, These Depts Cross't the Creek again, And went down the Creek and Crost into an Island where these Depts had had Intelligence the Corps had been Throwne; And There they Met the rest of the White Men & Indians who was in Company, & there Consulted to go further down the Creck in Quest of the Corps, & These Depts Further Saith, they Ordered the Indians to go down the Creek on the Other side, but they all Followed these Depts at a Small distance, Except one Indian who Cros't the Creek again, & Soon After these depts Seeing Some Bawld Eagles and Other Fowles, Suspected the Corps to be thereabts, And thereabts lost Sight of the Indians, & Imediately found one of the Corps, we these depts Says was the Corps of James Smith, one of s Armstrong's Men, And Directly upon finding the Corps, these Depts heard three Shotts of Guns, which they had great Reason to Think was the Indians, their Companions, who had deserted from them, and in order to let him know they had found the Corps, these depts fired three Guns, but to no purpose, for they Never Saw the Indians any More, and Abt Quarter of a Mile farther down the Creek, they Saw More Bawled Eagles, whereupon they made down towards the Place, where they found another Corps, (being the Corps of Woodworth Arnold, the other Servt of st John Armstrong) lying on a Rock, and then Went to the Former Sleeping place, where they had Appointed to meet the Indians, but Saw No Indians, Only that the Indians had been there & Cooked Some Victuals for themselves and had gone off. And that Night these Depth further says they had great Reason to suspect that the Indians was then Thereabt, and Intended to do them some Damages, for a Dog these Depts had with them Barking that Night. which was remarkable, for the sa Dog had not Barked all the time they was Out till that Night, nor never since, which Occasioned these Depts to stand upon their Guard behind Trees, with their Guns Cock'd that Night. Next Morning these Depts went back to the Corps, which they Found to be Barbarously and Inhumanly Murthered by Very Gastly and deep cuts on their Heads with a Tomahawk. or such Like Weapon, which had sunk into their Sculs & Brains, & in one of sa Corps there appears a hole in his scul near the cut, which was supposed to be with a Tomahawk, which these Depts does believe to be a Bullet hole. And these Depts, after taking as Particular a View of the Corps as their Melancholy Condition would Admit, they Buried them as decently as their circumstances would Allow, and returned home to Paxton, the Allegany road to John Harris', Thinking it Dangerous to return the same Way they went Out: and Further These Deponents saith not. These s Depots being legally Qualified before me, James Armstrong, one of his Majesties Justices of the Peace for the County of Lancaster, have hereunto set their hands in Testimony Thereof. *This murder is mentioned in Vol. IV. p. 675, and postea. See also 679-685. JOHN DIGGES TO R. PETERS, 1744. Sr: little Conewago, April 20th, 1744. I have waited at this place Some time by Appointmt. Mr Cookson, in Order to have my Lands ran round, that ye vacancy Included within Said lines might be reserv'd for the props own use, according to Ye Instructions sent him by me ::-He proposes it now in a different manner, but assures I may have the preference of any vacancy adjoining wch will Equally Content me. I hope therefore, Sr, you'l please not to Grant to any other person until I mark & make known my lines, weh Expect Shall have done in three months at farthest. Indorsed. I am, Sr, humble Servt, JOHN DIGGES. Per y favor To Rich Peters, Esq, Secretary, Pensilvania. Tho Cookson, Esqr. Sr: COPY OF Gov. THOMAS TO GOV. OGLE, 1744. Having received Several Complaints of One Mr Digges, a Gentleman of your Province, at Conewaga, over Sasquehanna, of Practices which have a Tendency to promote Breaches of the peace in that part of ye Country, which is at least four Miles to ye Northward of ye Temporary line. Mr Cooksou, the Surv" of that County, went to Serve Mr Digges with a Copy of ye Royal Order of ye 25th May, 1738, for Preserving peace upon ye Borders of ye two Governm, And notwithstanding this, The people Still Complain that he Continues his Disturbances in direct Violation, as is represented to me, of that his Majesties Order. If Mr. Digges has any just Claims to Lands there, which may be disputed by the possessors-as The 34 Paragraph of ye Royal Order points out ye Method of Adjusting such Disputes, I am persuaded you will therefore put a Stop to any proceedings yt may be resorted to. Indorsed. Lieut. Gov Thomas, concerning the Claims of Digges.* * See Jno. Digges's letter, above. Hond Sir: THOMAS COOKSON TO GOV'R., 1744, Just now is brought to this place Jn°. Massemeelin, a Delaware Indian, who, having Confessed the Murder of John Armstrong & Woodward Arnold, one of his Men, And that John, a Son of Neshalleeny, another of the Delawares, killed James Smith, another of J. Armstrong's Men, was (after a Council held by Shickalamy & y• other Indians, at Shamokin,) Adjudged Guilty of ye sd Murders, And was Sent down with yes Indian John, by Shicallamy's Sons & some other Indians, into the Settlements. But on their Coming to James Berry's abt forty Miles above John Harris's, on Sasquehanna, Shicallamy's Sons apprehensive of the resentment of Neshalleeny's Friends agt their Father for thus delivering up the Young Man who was in great Esteem with them, thought it most prudent to release him & deliver up Massemeelin only, for ye present, in Order to be Secured & Receive his Punishm1. He Speaks English well, and gives this Short Account of the Tragical affair; That He & Jn", Son of Neshalleeny, with another Young Delaware called Billy, had been out a Hunting together in ye Fall; That abt the Middle of Ffebruary last, Jn°. & Billy went down to a place that had been Settled by a Dutchman on Chiniotta Creek, & there Saw J. Armstrong, & his two Men, going back into the Woods with goods, & had some discourse with them; That afterwards Jn°. & Billy joined Massemeelin, & told him that J. Armstrong & two Men were going into ye Woods with Goods, And that they had a Mind to kill them, & asked him to join with them, to which he readily assented; That abt two days after the Indians had Seen Armstrong at ye Dutchman's Settlement, they came up with them, And Massemeelin went up to J. Armstrong & asked him for some Wampum he had pledged with him, or Satisfaction for it, & also a Horse that he said Armstrong, had taken from him in ye fall, on account of a small debt due to him: Some hot words arose upon this, & Armstrong took up a Stake & Struck him, on which He Struck Armstrong with his Tomhawk on the Temple & he dropt dead on ye Spot. Arnold, one of Armstrong's Men, Attempted to make a Blow at Massemeelin with an Axe, But he retired to his Gun where he had lodged it ready loaden & Shot him, & afterwards wounded him in the head with his Tomhawk. Neshaleeny's Son, with his Tomhawk killed James Smith, after which they buried J. Armstrong & threw the Bodies of ye other two into Chiniotto Creek, And made a place in ye ground to hide the Goods & Covered them up, Except 6 Strouds which Neshalleeny's Son took away, & five which Billy took. Massemeelin having got drunk made ye discovery & was Secured. I shall Order him to be kept Safe in Our Goal here till Your Honour shall be pleased to give Some Orders about him. He expects to be kept till the Indians Come down to ye Treaty, That he may be executed in their way. He thinks it very hard that the other Indian shou'd be |