The Cold Blooded Murder of John Van Meters Wife, Infant and Fifteen Year old Daughter

“A blood curdling and harrowing incident which occurred during this year, 1782, was the cold blooded murder of the wife, the infant child and a daughter fifteen years of age, all of the family of John Van Meter. The wife and child were butchered in the door of their dwelling. The savages were probably aware of the absence of the husband and father at a house-raising. The girl was engaged in washing clothes at a spring a little distance from the house, and had on a subbonnet, which prevented her from seeing the approach of the stealthy savage who tomahawked her while she was in the act of bending over the spring. When the Indians gathered around her prostate form lying there in the rigidity of death, and gazed upon her mute but lovely countenance, even their stern hearts relented and lamented the sad result, saying, “ She would have made a pretty squaw.” History Wheeling City and Ohio County, West Virginia 1902

                                         57 gruesome stories of Indian capture and torture

Over 100 Hundred Real Stories of Pioneer Terror

The Algonquin War Against the Iroquois Mound Builders

Here the first explorer, Cartier, found Indians of this stock at Hochelaga and Stadaconé, now the sites of Montreal and Quebec. Centuries before his time, according to the native tradition, the ancestors of the Huron-Iroquois family had dwelt in this locality, or still further east and nearer to the river's mouth. As their numbers increased, dissensions arose. The hive swarmed, and band after band moved off to the west and south.

As they spread, they encountered people of other stocks, with whom they had frequent wars. Their most constant and most dreaded enemies were the tribes of the Algonquin family, a fierce and restless people, of northern origin, who everywhere surrounded them. At one period, however, if the concurrent traditions of both Iroquois and Algonquins can be believed, these contending races for a time stayed their strife, and united their forces in an alliance against a common and formidable foe. This foe was the nation, or perhaps the confederacy, of the Alligewi or Talligewi, the semi-civilized "Mound-builders" of the Ohio Valley, who have left their name to the Allegheny river and mountains, and whose vast earthworks are still, after half-a-century of study, the perplexity of archaeologists. A desperate warfare ensued, which lasted about a hundred years, and ended in the complete overthrow and destruction, or expulsion, of the Alligewi. The survivors of the conquered people fled southward, and are supposed to have mingled with the tribes which occupied the region extending from the Gulf of Mexico northward to the Tennessee river and the southern spurs of the Alleghenies. Among these tribes, the Choctaws retained, to recent times, the custom of raising huge mounds of earth for religious purposes and for the sites of their habitations, a custom which they perhaps learned from the Alligewi; and the Cherokees are supposed by some to have preserved in their name (Tsalaki) and in their language indications of an origin derived in part from the same people. Their language, which shows, in its grammar and many of its words, clear evidence of affinity with the Iroquois, has drawn the greater portion of its vocabulary from some foreign source. This source is conjectured to have been the speech of the Alligewi. As the Cherokee tongue is evidently a mixed language, it is reasonable to suppose that the Cherokees are a mixed people, and probably, like the English, an amalgamation of conquering and conquered races. [Footnote: This question has been discussed by the writer in a paper on "Indian Migrations as evidenced by Language," read before the American Association for the Advancement of Science, at their Montreal Meeting, in August, 1882, and published in the American Antiquarian for January and April, 1883.

                                             57 gruesome stories of Indian capture and torture

Indian Battle Near Bainbridge Ohio on Paint Creek

Indian Battle Near Bainbridge Ohio on Paint Creek

A Battle Near Reeve's Crossing. In 1793, a large party of Indians crossed the Ohio above the mouth of Brush Creek and attacked the white settlements about Morgan's Station. Col. Kenton having been informed of the attack hastily collected a party of about thirty of the choice spirits about his station and set off in hot haste to intercept the Indians on their retreat to the Chillicothe towns on Paint Creek. Taking Tod's trace opposite Limestone, he followed it to what is known as Reeve's Crossing of Paint Creek near the present town of Bainbridge, where he discovered a fresh trail of Indians going down the creek. It was late in the evening and he cautiously followed the trail till dark. Kenton then left his party, and in company with Michael Cassady, went forward to make observations. They had not proceeded far when they found the Indians encamped on the bank of Paint Creek. They had three fires ; some of them were singing and making other merry noises, showing that they felt in perfect security. Kenton and Cassady returned to their party, and it was concluded to lay still till daylight and then surround and attack the Indians. Kenton's party were all on horseback. Having secured their horses, they lay still till daylight when they moved on for the Indian camp. When they got near the camp they halted and divided into three divisions. Capt. Baker, with one division, was directed to proceed to the creek above the camp ; Cassady with another division was ordered to make the creek below the camp; and Kenton with the re maining division was to attack the camp in front. Strict orders were given that no attack should be made until it was light enough to draw a clear bead. The divisions took their several stations promptly. Day light began to appear, the Indians had risen, and some were standing about the fires. Capt. Baker, seeing the Indians, soon became impatient to commence the action, and before it was light enough to see to draw a clear sight, he began the attack. All the divisions then rushed upon the Indian camp and fired. The Indians dashed across the creek and scattered through the woods like a flock of young partridges. Three Indians only, and a white man named Ward, were killed. Ward had been taken prisoner by the Indians when young, and in every respect was an Indian. He had two brothers, James and Charles, who were near neighbors to Kenton and who were respectable men. James Ward was with Kenton in this engagement. Kenton's party lost one man, Joseph Jones, in this engage ment. The party returned home without any further adventure. To the reader in these days of advanced civilization these thrilling stories of Indian depredations against the white settlements on the Kentucky border, and the prompt retaliatory incursions of the whites against the Indian towns in the Northwest Territory, read like fiction. It seems incredible that any considerable body of mounted troops could be collected and carried over the Ohio River within the course of a few hours' time. There were neither bridges nor ferries across the Ohio in those days, and the rapid crossing of that broad stream by mounted troops would seem a formidable undertaking.

75 Stories of Murder and Mayhem on the Ohio Frontier

Retribution For Indian Kidnapping and Murders in Adams County, Ohio

Retribution For Indian Kidnapping and Murders in Adams County, Ohio

   Tod's Expedition. One of these expeditions organized by Col. Robert Tod, of Paris, Kentucky, and Simon Kenton, of Kenton's Station, near Washington, Kentucky, took its route across Adams County, and blazed a line of travel through the forest, that afterwards became a prominent landmark in this region, known as Tod's Trace and Tod's War Road. The Indians had greatly harassed the inhabitants around Kenton's Station, stealing their horses, and killing the settlers or carrying them away in captivity. This was in the summer of 1787. and Kenton sent word to Col. Tod to bring what men he could raise and join his men at Washington from which place their combined forces would march against the Shawnee town on the north fork of Paint Creek in what is now Ross County, Ohio. The forces rendezvoused at Washington, and Col. Tod was put in command. They crossed the Ohio at Limestone and marched up the river to Little Three Mile Creek and thence by the way of where Bentonville now stands to the waters of Lick Fork, and thence to Ohio Brush Creek which they crossed at the Old Indian Ford, afterwards called "Tod's Crossing," near the Fristoe bridge, and thence by way of the Sinking Spring to Paint Creek. McDonald says Kenton as usual commanded a company and piloted the way to the Chillicothe town. On their route out, about five miles south of the town, the advance guard, commanded by Kenton, met four Indians. Kenton and one Helm fired, and killed two of the Indians. The other two were taken prisoners. Kenton was surrounded by a set of young men of his own training, and fearful was the doom of enemies of equal numbers who came in their way. From the two prisoners they learned that there was a large Indian encampment between them and old Chillicothe, and about three miles from that place. On this intelligence the army was halted, and Kenton and his company went cautiously forward to reconnoiter the situation of the enemy. Kenton proceeded near the Indian camp, and with a few chosen men reconnoitered the enemy. He then sent an express to Col. Tod, informing him of their probable number and situation. Before day Maj. Hinkston came on and joined Kenton. Prompt measures were immediately, taken. The Indian camp was surrounded, but the whites were too impatient of delay, and the attack was made before it was light enough. Two Indians were killed and only seven made prisoners. Many in the darkness made their escape. Col. Tod, with the main body of the troops, lingered behind, and did not reach the place where the Indians were defeated till the sun was at least two hours high in the morning. The Indians who escaped alarmed the town. They're men, women and children took naked in the woods, and by the time Col. Tod reached the town, they had all fled. The town was burned and everything about destroyed. The army camped that night on Paint Creek and the next day made their way home, without the loss of a man killed or wounded.

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